Beautifully fantastic story of healing, finding peace and magic.
Two extraordinary women who carry grief differently find their way in the world, and look for the magic of hope.
Absolutely bewitching. The setting, the myth, and search for truth had me hoping for magic and love throughout it all. Fate brought the Yank and Irish together again in Butler cottage.
I do believe this is my few favorite book

Review posted:
There are stories that bring magic, and then there is "The Story Collector" that paints a vivid land engulfing the reader. From the first page of Sarah & the first entry by Anna, you will be immersed in the magic of Ireland & The Good People.
Even ordinary people have extraordinary stories to tell...
Past and present dance with each other as these women search for freedom from their past and hope for tomorrow. Eloquently written, and heart-wrenching, Evie Woods will have you racing to find the ending.
After all, one should always listen to the whispered wisdom coming from Cnoc na Sí, and take care for the bees.

I have a very good friend that lives in County Clare, so this story was close to my heart. I love the folklore aspect and dual time-lines. I have only recently discovered Evie Woods and I can't wait for her next novel.

The Story Collector is a story told in parallel timelines - one contemporary, and one back in the 1800s.
Sarah, our modern protagonist, is in New York struggling with processing some trauma and has just divorced her spouse. Anna, the 19th century protagonist, is living in a small village in Ireland.

Their timelines end up coinciding and both women find some answers and resolution, although not without some pain and suffering. The storyline of this book is compelling and interesting. I did find some of the writing very 'trope-y' and predictable, although the whole book wasn't like that. It was just a bit uneven.

Regardless, this is a very enjoyable read and includes interesting historical insight as well. Trigger warning for death of family/child and sexual violence.

I appreciate the publisher, Harper 360, and Netgalley for the opportunity to review an ARC of this book in exchange for my unbiased opinion.

Evie Woods is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors. The Story Collector was a sweet story full of Irish folklore, romance and mystery. Thoroughly enjoyed this quirky cozy read.
Thank you for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

I just adored this story! The combination of history, a bit of romance and a bit of magical realism is enchanting. And since I have ancestors from County Clare, Ireland, I was particularly fascinated. I’ve been to visit Ireland 3 times and now I’m ready to go again!

Do you believe in fairies? This is a story within a story with good characters and plot development.

Unexpectedly lovely and lyrical novel. Ireland, fairies, two timelines -- sign me up. Although it was a little hard to keep all the characters straight at first I loved the way the dual timelines played out. I also liked that there was never a definitive proof one way or another on the existence of fairies.

After reading the intriguing summary, great reviews and loving the wonderful cover, I really wanted to enjoy this book, but I didn't. In fact, it didn't hold my interest and I came to dread picking it back up. The story is S.L.O.W. and the mention of fairies and magic is very sparse. I couldn't connect with either of the main characters and found their to be more descriptive commentary than substantial content. I slogged through to 47% and then ultimately decided to dnf it.

I truly hate leaving a bad review. Luckily, there are tons of others out there who have fabulous things to say so I know it will find its people.

I received an ARC from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was an amazing story! I could barely put it down for wanting to know what happened in 1911 and 2011. It was incredibly easy to keep up with the stories of the two different times periods.

My heart broke that both characters had experienced such deep losses and that they both worked through them their own way!

This was a very enjoyable book. The swap between Anna in 1911 living in the cottage and Sarah living in the cottage in 2010 was easy to follow.

I have posted a review on Goodreads.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper360 for this ARC! "The Story Collector" by Evie Woods is a charming novel that blends historical fiction, folklore, and a contemporary love story. Set in both present-day Ireland and 1910, the story follows Sarah Harper, who, while dealing with personal loss, is drawn to the magical lore of an ancient hawthorn tree. Renting a cottage near the tree, she discovers an old diary that intertwines her fate with Anne Butler's life from a century ago. The novel beautifully weaves past and present, capturing the magic of Irish folklore and the healing power of stories. With elegant prose and well-developed characters, it is an enchanting read that leaves a lasting impression.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper 360 for allowing me an advanced copy of this book to review. As with The Lost Bookshop, I fell completely in love with the author’s world. This cozy book flows seamlessly between the two main characters and their timelines and the Irish winter makes for a beautiful backdrop to the tale! I have one “if only” and that is that I would have LOVED to have found out there was some sort of familial tie between Harold and Sarah - being that they are both American and ended up at the same cottage 100 years apart! I am looking forward to sharing this with friends and revisiting again in the future!

3.5 stars rounded to 4 stars.

I’m a sucker for a book set in Ireland. This is set with two alternating POV’s. Anna a young woman in the early 1900’s and Sarah a hundred years later (2011). Sarah – dealing with grief goes to Ireland on a whim and ends up in Ireland staying in a cottage that used to be Anna’s. Sarah finds Anna’s diary and we get to see both girls finding themselves while dealing with grief. The setting is lush with a little magical realism in the form of Irish folklore.
Thank you to Harper360 and Netgalley for the advanced review copy.

This is such a beautiful novel about loss, maturity, fantasy, and dreams. The collection of stories and the dual timelines are so beautiful. You can feel the pain the first few chapters, and throughout the story you can feel the wounds heal. The duality of Sarah along with the Story Collector and their relationship to each other centuries apart was perfect. I cried at least three times reading this book.

I could not get through this. DNF at 37%.

This book moved soo slow. The premise seemed semi interesting but I’m almost 40% in and I still don’t see her purpose for any of this. Maybe if I was listening to it I would have had an easier time getting through it but it’s just too slow for me right now.

I might one day come back but for now I am unable to finish it.

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️

*** I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. ***

This was a quaint story about a grieving mother, Sarah, traveling to Ireland and exploring the countryside while discovering herself. She finds a diary of a young woman, Anna, who was alive 100 years prior. In this quaint Irish village, Sarah learns there is a deep belief in fairies and starts to feel the mystical around her.

This book was labeled as historical fiction and romance but the romance was minimal. Although Anna's storyline takes place in 1910, there isn't much to indicate the past. The story was very slow and it didn't hold my interest for very long. I was hoping the slow pace would lead to a big twist/ connection between the two timelines, but the ending was just as slow as the beginning. The descriptions of Ireland and the fairy stories were fun but I might have DNF'd if I didn't need to write a review for NetGalley.

This cozy little book has me dreaming of winter.

2011: Sarah Harper is supposed to be going home for the holidays to Boston after recently separating from her husband, but in a booze-induced impulsive moment, she boards a plane for Ireland instead. Initially she panics at her hasty decision, but as she spends more time in her quiet cottage in the small village of Thornwood, she realizes this “layover” might be the best path forward. With the help of several locals, and a very old diary, Sarah finds her way back to herself.

1911: Anna Butler dreams of a bigger life than the one she leads on her family’s farm in Thornwood. When tasked to help scholar Harold with his research of Celtic folklore, she jumps at the chance to step away from her mundane chores and help. Anna is friendly with almost all the locals and knows the language and is determined to do her best to help Harold learn about the Fey and what they represent to the Irish people.

Though tenuous at times, the connection between the two women and the mythical is an underlying current throughout the whole novel. Both women are in a state of self discovery and though tragedy shapes their paths, they find ways to move forward. The Story Collector is a sweet piece of magical realism that will inspire readers to sit by a fire, have a cup of tea, and dream of mythical guides in their lives.

Thank you to NetGalley, Harper 360, and of course the author Evie Woods for the copy of the book. The Story Collector is out on August 13th! All opinions are my own.

This dual timeline book set in Ireland gives a glimpse into the lives of two young women. Sarah is a woman from 2010 who is searching to find herself after her recent breakup with her husband. She leaves her life with him in New York City and boards a plane to stay with her sister in Boston ... but she doesn't quite end up in Boston. The other main character, Anna, is from one hundred years earlier in Thornwood, Ireland. Sarah learns about Anna from a diary she finds near the home where Anna lived in 1910. The two stories are magically woven together with threads of faerie stories from the past and the present. Irish folklore is written so wonderfully and vividly in this charming story, the characters are beautifully captured and you really get to know them well through the author's wonderful descriptions and narratives. Make yourself a nice cuppa, snuggle into a comfy chair, and get to know these two young women and the others in this delightful story.

Thanks to Netgalley for the re-released arc! This is such a charming little story. The details intertwined with the characters and their stories is purely magical! I thoroughly enjoyed this book. This was my second Evie Woods book, and I’ve enjoyed them both!

This is a sweet if rather predictable romance about Irish life and folklore, about why women need to warn one another about predators, how family ties are both good and bad, and how "happily ever after" endings come in more than one shape and form. There's some good Irish history going on in the novel to give readers context, and the settings and characters are well-developed and interesting.