A feel good story told in two timelines about letting go of grief and learning to live again. Good characters and rather predictable storyline.

Thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins/One More Chapter for the ARC to read and review.

I read The Lost Bookshop by Evie Gaughan and loved it. So when I saw the Story Collector I knew I had to read it.
The story follows 2 timelines, 100 years apart. In the present day timeline we follow Sarah as she navigates loss and grief, traveling to Ireland on a whim. Once arriving to Ireland and settling in she finds a diary. Anne Butler’s diary and now we come to the past timeline.
Following Sarah and Anne’s story we learn about love, loss and the fae of Ireland.
This story was so heartwarming and just what I needed to read.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Story Collector by Evie Woods

✨Historical fiction
✨Duel timelines
✨Romance
✨Magic
✨Irish folklore
✨Grief and loss

In the present day, Sarah is grieving over the end of her marriage.

One hundred years ago, Anna volunteers to help an American visitor translate fairy stories from Irish to English.
The author has a way of painting Ireland so beautifully in the reader's mind! Another 5-star read from Evie Woods!

Thank you, Net Galley and Harper 360 for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Featuring the stories of two women, Anna in 1911 and Sarah in 2011.
On an impulse, Sarah boards a plane to Ireland rather than to her siter's family in Boston. While exploring
the area, she comes across Anna's diary which causes her to seek out more information on Anna and her
family .Anna's life is forever changed when she assists a writer about the myths and lore of her community. As
Sarah learns what happened to Anna, she examines her own life and regains interest in pursuing her artistic career.
Life in an Irish village, full of the magical stories passed down.
#TheStoryCollector #Harper360 #NetGalley

Travel to Ireland to discover a land of fairies. Evie Woods has written a novel full of mystery, love and magic. Set in two time periods, the transitions are seamless. This is a delightful book for a weekend read to get away.

Sarah is at a crossroads in her life. She is dealing with a grief of a tragedy that has ended her marriage. On a whim she decides that she is no longer going to go home but travel to Ireland instead. Once there she finds a place thanks to the kindness of strangers. There she finds a journal written 100 years prior that tells the story of an American man who comes to collect stories of fairies or the Good People. As Sarah reads about Anna’s adventure in collecting these stories she finds the healing she needed to start to deal with her grief.

I really enjoyed this one! It was a sweet story that had some twists and turns but it was a very human story as well. It dives into how we deal with grief and the belief of another world can help us cope but also hold us back. I like the aspect of someone going and collecting these oral histories that often become lost to time. It brought out the magic of what you think when you think about an Irish countryside and was a great summer read. This story was beautifully written and I found myself sucked in every time I picked up the book.

3 1/2 Stars
This all comes together too nicely. I enjoyed the historical section of the book - Anna's diary - but less so the modern period. The romance between her and the Irishman seems contrived and without basis and the book would have been more successful without it, and everything wraps up too nicely in the end.

Sarah is at the airport flying to move in with her sister as she is leaving her husband. She is entranced by a newspaper article of a hawthorn tree being saved by Irish residents and finds herself boarding a plane to Ireland. It’s the Christmas season and the inn is full but she is put up in a small peat cottage. Sarah is still coping with the loss of her baby several years ago. She makes her way through the day, then drinks to sleep, wakes and runs, then tries to sleep again. In her first night in the cottage, she gets up to run yet again but the weather won’t allow it. Instead, she’s drawn to a tree where she finds an old diary in a hollow. The diary is written by a young girl, Anna, who grew up in this cottage. Anna tells the story of an American who comes to her village to hear stories of the faeries and to record them for posterity. This was a good story which you’re quickly drawn into.

This book alternates between Sarah's story (modern day) and Anna's story (found in an old journal) and speaks with compassion about the way that life doesn't always turn out the way one plans or hopes. And throw some Irish fairy stories into the mix!

I truly enjoyed this book! There is some language, and some very heavy topics (divorce, death of a spouse, loss of a child) making this one most suitable for adult readers.

My favorite parts of this story were the portions of Anna's diary, which recounts her time helping an American scholar search out stories of the Good Folk. Anna's story in the diary actually felt more well developed than Sarah's. Sarah's story took several twists that I didn't feel were fleshed out in a way that made sense.

Overall, an enjoyable read!

I received a free ARC from netgalley, all opinions are my own!

The Story Collector by Evie Woods

In 1911 American scholar Harold Krauss travels to Ireland, collecting Celtic stories with the help of young local woman, Anna Butler. In 2011, Sarah Butler impulsively changes her travel plans, intrigued by a news story of a hawthorn tree saved by locals. She finds Anna’s diary, and the
two stories, 100 years apart, connect with lessons and delight. This book is rich with lush descriptions, wonderful stories, characters I will carry with me, and a message hope for going on despite sorrow.
Life has a way of changing our plans, and sometimes those unexpected paths are sad or scary, but often they bring us to wonders. Telling stories, making art, growing or preparing food, we can share our creations with others, and maybe share love as well. As for the otherworldly involvement of the Fae, it’s all part of the mysteries of life. Who’s to say?

The Story Collector is a novel with two women narrators, one in 1911 Ireland and the other in 2011 Ireland. These two women embody the title--they are story collectors. Evie Woods' novel is a dual time line and a dual POV. I will be honest, I liked this novel much better after I finished it, then while I was reading out, I had to resist skimming. The Story Collector was very slow in the first half, and I needed to push myself to get over the slow start and hope that the narration would pick up, which it did.

At its heart, The Story Collector is about someone who collects stories and someone who tells stories. Both the collector and the teller present one POV in 1911 Ireland. Anna accompanies an anthropologist who is writing a thesis and wants to learn the stories of the fairies in Ireland. She is both translator and narrator of these stories, which she records in her journal. In 2011, Sarah is escaping grief and a failed marriage to "find herself" in Ireland, the land of her ancestors. She finds Anna's journal and as she reads it, readers enter Anna's world. As a result, Sarah learns these fairy stories and also becomes a collector of stories, which she finds a way to interpret.

I liked the theme of how people need stories to live, as a way to also heal. Shared grief works as a way to acknowledge grief and its power. However, I was bothered by depictions of excessive drinking and the escape into drinking. Any reader with any kind of family history of alcoholism with likely find this a difficult novel to read. The alcohol is unnecessary to the story, and I wish Woods had left it out.

Thank you to publisher, One More Chapter, and to NetGalley for providing me with this ARC. I am recommending this novel.

This was a very magical, enjoyable read. Told in two different POVs and in two different eras.

Sarah lives in the year 2011, she's leaving her husband in NYC to go back home to her parents in Boston to heal from a traumatic experience. At the airport, she hops on a flight to Ireland at the last minute. There Sarah finds the diary of the daughter who lived in the cottage she's staying in 100 years ago. There, she finally heals from an event that had changed her life.

Anna lives in Ireland in 1911, she's the daughter of a farmer in a small village. The people of the village rely on the tales of magical fairies who protect them. When an American student comes to the village to hear stories about magical beings, he falls in love with Anna at the same time. He's known as a story collector, trying to preserve ancestors' stories for the next generation to learn.

This book was a wonderful read!

*Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read this ARC.

I really enjoyed this story. It was cool to see the storylines go back and forth. Both had great moments and were very engaging. The only thing I didn’t really like was the super quick nature of the relationship that formed in the present day storyline. Also, the two storylines didn’t integrate like I thought after reading The Lost Bookshop. I was expecting them to relate to each other more than they ended up doing.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗖𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗿
𝘣𝘺 𝘌𝘷𝘪𝘦 𝘞𝘰𝘰𝘥𝘴

Sarah boards a plane to Ireland in 2011, unaware that it will change her life forever. Upon arriving, she discovers Anna’s diary and is transported into the past. Reading and learning about Anna’s story the more she reads. All while trying to navigate her day to day in a new place with new friends.

Anna, a young woman living 100 years earlier, writes about her adventures with Harold, a man who she helps translate the folklore stories from her town.

The stories beautifully intertwine, with both women finding themselves after struggles and discovering love when they least expect it.

𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺 𝘊𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘰𝘳 is a cleverly written magical historical fiction and folklore love story that draws the reader in with detailed and heartfelt situations. Evie Woods has a way of making the reader feel the emotions of her characters, which left me feeling slightly heartbroken at several points during the read.

Qᴜɪᴄᴋ ʀᴜɴᴅᴏᴡɴ
- Dual POV
- Romance, but it's not the focus of the plot
- Mild-paced reading

This review is based on an ARC copy I received from NetGalley. These opinions are my own and were given freely.

What a great summer (or anytime) read! The Story Collector is a tale of two women, one hundred years apart and how the tragedy of one helps heal the heart of another, via an old diary.
It's Christmas 2010 and Sarah finds herself in County Clare Ireland after a spur of the moment, alcohol-induced decision. New friends and an old diary are exactly what she needs, even if she doesn't know it.
St Stephen's Day 1910 finds Anna happily going about her chores and thinking about what a nice Christmas it had been and the beautiful journal she received. Little did she know that her life was about to change.
The book introduces colorful characters along with their stories of The Good People (who aren't always 'good'). It is well written with believable characters. It is an easy and relaxing read.
I could have easily read another few chapters but the ending wrapped things up nicely.

100 years ago, a young farm girl named Anna took on the role of translator for a young American scholar who was researching tales of the Fairy Folk in Irish history. Currently, Sarah keeps drowning her misery in alcohol and finds herself on a plane to Ireland on Christmas Eve, when she was supposed to be headed from Boston to New York. Both women have sorrows in their past and each is trying to escape those hurtful times in their lives. In a wonderful blending of past and present, author Woods draws reader's into each woman's personal story. We become invested in the young naive farm girl's crush on the local landed gentry's son and in Sarah's struggle to cope with a past that she just can't forget. Healing comes in the wild an beautiful Irish countryside and the local people's willingness to help their neighbors no matter the circumstance.
An enchanting read from start to finish.

Evie Woods (The Lost Bookshop) delivers another rich exploration of finding love after loss, discovering faith in the midst of disillusionment. in this dual-timeline blend of historical fiction, romance, and magic set in the lush backdrop of The Emerald Isle.

Woods deftly intertwines two compelling stories:

On Christmas Day, 2010, Sarah escapes from her failed marriage and unspoken grief, impulsively catching a flight to Ireland instead of home to her family in Boston. In a remote village in Shannon, she befriends a widower named Oran, and his daughter, also dealing with unspoken grief. Meanwhile, she uncovers dark secrets, both worldly and magical, as she reads the diary of a farmer's daughter named Anna, which Sarah discovers in a tree purported to be protected by fairies.

In 1910, young Anna, a farmer's daughter, records the details of her life as the assistant to American scholar Harold Griffin-Krauss, who is researching stories about fairies for his Oxford thesis. Set against the backdrop of Anglo-Irish tension and division between the privileged and the poor, the tale of Anna and Harold compels Sarah to confront her own internal strife and seek a path to healing.

Both timelines are populated with charming local characters who serve as foils to the protagonists and their companions. While it is categorized as a historical romance, this novel transcends the genre by integrating a strong sense of culture and its expression through stories and legends.

The Story Collector is a dual POV told 100 years apart. We follow Anna, from 1910, who is living a normal life until a young American man shows up at her family’s doorstep looking for stories of the fantastical kind. Ana’s is interested in the stories and also the man as he interviews people all over town. 100 years later Sarah, the newly separated woman who decides to board a plane to Ireland, finds the diary of the young Anna as she recounts her time with Harold. As Sarah tries to find herself, she begins to unravel the story of fairy folk in Ireland.

Unfortunately, I have to DNF this book. This may be the case of “not a bad book, just not for me.” When I think of stories with fairy encounters, I expect them early and often. After over 100 pages in the book, there has been little to no magic in the book. The main character, Sarah, is a very flat character. Woods brings so much unnecessary backstory into every chapter that is not relevant and it makes the main characters very one dimensional. This is what’s lead to my DNF at 27%. Thank you to NetGalley and One More Chapter Publishing for the opportunity to read and review this ARC!

I really enjoyed this story. While the plot centered around grief and loss, the story was not too heavy. I enjoyed reading the stories of The Good People and thought the historical sections were really well written. As an American, I felt that Sarah’s voice really missed the mark. The British spelling didn’t bother me, but the word choice did. While I appreciated the symmetry of Sarah being American, she came across more British than American.

In “the Story Collector,” Sarah leaves her husband on Christmas Day 2010 and goes to Newark airport to board a plane to Boston to stay with her sister, Meghan. Instead of going to Boston, Sarah gets drunk at the airport and boards a plane for Ireland after reading an article about a Hawthorne Tree in a small village saved from destruction by forcing the re-routing of a motorway that would have required the tree to be removed. In Ireland, she rents a small cottage from a local farmer, and soon after discovers a diary written in 1910/1911 by Anna, a local teenager, who helped a visiting American scholar interview locals about their knowledge of fairies. The narrative switches back and forth between Sarah’s perspective in 2010 and 2011 and Anna’s diary entries in 1910 and 1911.

The premise of the book seemed interesting because I like books with magical realism and pastoral settings; however, the first half of this book was so boring that I almost DNF’d it at 40%, but because I had received a copy of the book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review, I persevered. The writing was flat, even when describing Sarah’s alcoholism and “the Big Bad Thing” that precipitated it; the characters were uninteresting and one dimensional, and the story progressed very slowly, filled up with inane inner monologue and mundane tasks. Finally, at about the 50% mark, the writing became more emotional, the characters became more interesting, and the plot picked up. (The beginning of the second half of the book felt like the movie the Wizard of Oz when it switches to color from black and white.)

This book may interest others who have the patience to plod through until the book picks up, otherwise the slow start ruined what could have been a very good book. Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins for providing me a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.