3.5 stars.
First, thank you Harper for the e-arc in exchange of my honest review. This book is cozy and cute with a touch of magical realism set in Ireland. A dual point of view in a now and then type of two uniquely similar women that were dealing with life's challenges a hundred years apart. Sarah travelled to Ireland in a whim to find herself, clarity of life and nurse the painful grief from recent loss. She ends up in this old cottage in the middle of nowhere that used to be the home of Anna back in the early 1900s. She stumbled into Anna's old diary and through this reading their connection to situations was both relatable. The diary has given Sarah the comfort, the guidance that she did not she neede.
Beautiful story overall and Evie Woods always has the art of creating, heart warming, lyrical and captivating work. Its always a pleasant reading experience!

Dual narratives of past and present come together to remind us of the importance of storytelling, as told in this magical book.
The story begins with Sarah Harper,seeking a fresh start as she travels to enchanting Ireland. Here she discovers a hidden diary and through the eyes of Anna,who is writing from the year 1910, she discovers the tales of her cottage town,passed down from person to person, and decides to help record and translate them,thereby keeping their secrets and magic alive.
I loved all aspects of this book; it’s a wonderful story of magic and Irish folklore and it explores what becomes of the tales passed down through generations, both good and bad.
I recommend this book to anyone wanting a little magic in their lives.

Fantastic, fantastic! I love books with magic in them, and this one lived up to that. The characters were well planned and real, and the setting itself was mystical and enchanting. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

Review: The Story Collector by Evie Woods

The descriptions in this story are wonderful! I could imagine myself there and now want to travel to Ireland and stay in a cottage and walk around the woods and villages. The characters are interesting and their lives/story realistic - it’s an emotional read with conflict, depth, and still a mystical nature wound through the tale. It can be a bit all over the place and a touch slow here and there, but overall worth the read. There are some heavier subjects involved, so content warnings will be wanted by some people.

TW: Miscarriage

“The Story Collector” by Evie Woods is a charming and magical novel about the power of stories and the connections they forge. Told through a dual past-and-present point of view, the book follows Sarah in the present as she copes with the ending of her marriage and the loss of a baby as well as local farm girl Anna in the past as she aids the American story collector Harold Krauss in his journey to record Irish fairy lore and fairy faith.

Woods’ characters are well-drawn, with Anna’s curiosity and determination driving the plot forward on one hand while Sarah is pulled from her depression by following Anna’s story and seeking out a resolution to her own sad tale in the little Irish village. The setting, a quaint Irish town with a timeless feel, adds to the book's nostalgic and enchanting atmosphere. Both characters explore a fairy hill, encounter mysterious actors, and find an outlet for grief in the slightly magical circumstances surrounding the village.

I really enjoyed the focus on the fairy faith and the Irish villager’s perceptions of the fey. As a folklorist, I appreciate Woods’ accuracy in detailing both the good and bad of the fairy legends, as well as the connection between fairies and souls that have passed on.

This is a lovely, evocative read for anyone who enjoys stories about history, mystery, fairies, and legacies.

The Story Collector by Evie Woods is a story of past and present woven into a beautiful tale. The story takes place in Ireland so now I want to travel there and stay at a little cottage in a small village by myself. I couldn't understand where this book was going for the first couple of chapters and, honestly, I didn't care. The writing was so descriptive I was actually in that little cottage. But as the story began to take shape I became engrossed in the mystery. Without giving away the plot, get a warm cup of cocoa, a fuzzy blanket and travel to a small cottage in Ireland.
I voluntarily received a copy of this book from NetGalley.

Safeguarding people’s stories - can anything be more important? Cultures die out and with them their stories, if left unrecorded. “Oral traditions are dying out with the people who speak them.” Whether protecting aboriginal history or Irish Fairy stories, smart folk realize that “If we lose our stories, we lose ourselves.”

Effectively told in a dual timeline I was conflicted - really conflicted because I enjoyed the story but the characters not so much. The story of Anna and Harold and his interest in recording “the beliefs of the Celtic People” was interesting, informative and captured my attention. Sarah’s story was so all over the place that I found myself skimming to get past the “mess” of her life. A more sympathetic modern-day protagonist would have worked better for me.

Not a complete hit nor a total miss I want to thank Harper Collins and NetGalley for a copy.

Not what I was expecting and it took a few pages to really get into the book - but such a good story! Overall very sweet and I enjoyed reading it. Loved how the worlds collided!

I just finished reading The Story Collector by Evie Woods, and I have to say, I really enjoyed it! The book switches between two timelines: Anna, a farm girl in 1910 Ireland, and Sarah, a modern-day woman who goes to Ireland looking for some answers and a fresh start.

Anna’s story is full of mystery and a bit of magic, which I loved. She’s helping an American visitor translate fairy tales, and her journey is both touching and intriguing. Sarah’s part of the story is equally compelling. She finds Anna’s old diary, and as she reads it, she starts to uncover secrets that connect the past and the present.

The descriptions of the Irish countryside are so vivid, I felt like I was there. The characters are really well-developed, and I found myself rooting for both Anna and Sarah. The way the two timelines are woven together is really well done, making the story rich and immersive.

Overall, The Story Collector is a charming and magical read that left me with a warm feeling. If you love stories with a bit of history and a touch of enchantment, you’ll definitely enjoy this one.

I love a good setting, but libraries, Ireland, faeries? Count me in! This was an enchanting book and I really enjoyed it.

One hundred years ago, Anna, a young farm girl, volunteers to help an intriguing American visitor translate fairy stories from Irish to English. But all is not as it seems, and Anna soon finds herself at the heart of a mystery that threatens her very way of life.

In New York today, Sarah Harper boards a plane bound for the West Coast of Ireland. But once there, she finds she has unearthed dark secrets—secrets that tread the line between the everyday and the otherworldly, the seen and the unseen.

The book combines historical fiction, magical realism, and contemporary romance. It was a quick but enjoyable read. I liked the atmosphere of the book. You know where the story is going but the author does a great job of weaving together the two storylines.

I found this book difficult to engage with due to its disjointed storyline and the frequent shifts between timelines, which disrupted the narrative flow. As a result, I struggled to remain invested and ended up skimming through much of it by the end.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was so enchanting and whimsical. The perfect book for a cold, rainy day with a cup of tea and a cozy blanket. I loved the magical realism in this book, and the way that traditions of fairy stories were treated with respect.

In 1910, an Irish farm girl, Anna, is asked to assist an American anthropologist in interviewing her neighbours about their beliefs in and traditions surrounding fairies. In the present day, Sarah spontaneously travels from New York to Ireland, and finds a journal that links the two women. Such a beautiful story. Highly recommended.

2.5 stars. Liked the historical timeline/story, modern one was meh. Sarah was somewhat annoying and I'm not sure what Oren sees in her since she the story doesn't show her to be in any way appealing in their early meetings.

Thank you so much, NetGalley for sending me this ARC!
The Story Collector is a tribute to Irish folklore. It tells the story of two women, Sarah and Anna, who despite living a century apart both find solace from their grief in the unexpected. Both women find interest in the small-town superstitions surrounding ‘the Good People’, or fairies. The Good People are “capricious creatures whose inclination towards good or evil turned on a sixpence” ( Loc 3890).
In 2011, Sarah find herself in Ireland after leaving her failing marriage. In trying to find herself, Sarah spends time learning the local folklore and listens to the stories of the townsfolk. These stories have her questioning the values of her life thus far.
In 1911, Anna, a local towns girl, finds herself in the company of an American studying Gaelic folklore. Anna helps the American collect stories from the townsfolk, learning lessons along the way.
Evil Woods beautifully depicted Irish folklore in this book, while coming back to the themes of kinship, self love, and finding your roots.

Dual timeline line featuring two female characters who are impacted by Ireland and a man who is publishing a book on folklore and fairies.

I loved the story, the world building and meeting the different characters. I felt completely immersed in the story and couldn't stop reading it.

Thank you so much for this book. I really wanted to love this one, however it was so slow, I didn’t get into it until about 75-80%. Both Sarah and Anna’s stories had so much potential, but it just fell flat for me. I liked the dual timeline however the “diary” chapters did not read like a ”diary”.

I enjoyed the atmosphere of the Irish countryside and the folklore. Anna's story was beautiful, up until the ending. Sarah's story evolved nicely through her experience with grief and finally allowing herself to stop running and hiding from her feelings. The ending for both of them just didn't feel executed very well.

Thank you Netgalley for my advanced copy!

A quaint tale of fairies, love lost and found, and family. Anna, a farm girl in 1911, keeps a journal of her life, which suddenly becomes very interesting when an American anthropologist, Harold, arrives in town looking for stories of the fae. In 2010, Sarah decides on a whim to go to Ireland after leaving her husband, rather than to her family in Boston. And it is at Butler’s Cottage in Ireland where the two women’s worlds converge.

Told in alternate viewpoints - Sarah in 2010 finds Anna’s diary and it piques her interest, so she begins to read. And I think this is perhaps my main point of contention with the story - it isn’t written in diary format, but rather like a novel, so it was hard to take it seriously as a ‘diary.’ However, it was a quick and charming read with a lot of female trauma at the root of the story.