This book enthralled me. I love the alternating storylines and the parallels between the story of old and the newer story line. The heartbreak of Anna's story of losing her sister and looking for her in the Good People, meeting Harold and helping him with his own search for the true story of fairies was enchanted. Her own world was rich and full, yet her prospects for the future was limited. Harold opened new doors for her, and she for him. At the same time, in current days, Sarah's and Oran's quest for peace was truly endearing. I loved the old and new feel of the book, and the ending was "not what you hoped for" and yet at the same time it really was,

I found myself invested in all the characters, even finding some compassion for the plight of George and his sister, despite their snooty airs. They paid dearly for the sins of their distant ancestors actions, which set the whole story in motion.

Honestly, I wasn't sure what to expect going into this book. I was so pleasantly surprised with it. It had just enough drama, and magic, and Ireland. I loved the stories of the good people shared throughout and the setup for this book, the blended timelines, the finishing touches were all amazing. The story seamlessly flowed from present day to the early 1900's.

I sped through this book in a little over 24 hours. I just couldn't year myself away from Harold and Anna's story.

Also, I can't remember if there were content warnings at the beginning, but TW for child loss and SA.

I'd like to thank the publisher, author, and Netgally for and ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I started this book immediately after finishing ‘ the bookshop’ and this book felt even more magical than the first one. There was talk about fairies and I got to see firsthand how two women helped each other go through unimaginable grief. This book made me cry a little bit more than the first, but I enjoyed it just as much as the first one. If there is going to be a another book apart of the series, I would love to read it!

A sweet story with some magic and a little dark at times. Loved reading about fairies in a whole new light.

Full of beauty and a particular kind of broken darkness yearning for healing and understanding. The Story Collector is a romance but also has a depth of grit and pain that does not shy away from the realities of grief and how each person travels their own path. I loved each of the storylines and how they cycled back and forth to bring the whole story full circle. Beautiful imagery of the lush Ireland landscape and full stories from each set of characters. This is the kind of book you can sink into with a pot of tea and linger for hours.

This novel felt like I was sitting by the fireplace with a hot cup of tea in hand listening to a seanchai, an Irish storyteller! As I was reading this book, I was reading it in an Irish accent, with all the sayings and phrases, the quick retorts. I truly loved this story, it felt like home and the stories I grew up with.

I have very much enjoyed this book, and I'm not one for romance. This book is about so much more than that, it's about retaining your heritage and legacy in the face of "progress." The Story Collector starts off talking about Sarah and broken marriage, her drinking problem, and her battles with depression and anxiety. She finds herself in Ireland (by mistake, or by fate) instead of her sisters house for the holidays. While fighting one her anxiety attacks with a late night run, she ends up finding a diary of the girl who lived in the cottage she now inhabits, Anna Butler, as luck would have it, the diary is aligned with her current day, 100 years apart. From there we follow young love for Anna, another chance at love for Sarah, and the some magical realism-fantasy from beginning to the end.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Harper 360 for gifting me a digital ARC of this wonderful book by Evie Woods – 4 stars!

Sarah’s life in NY is falling apart and as she prepares to board a plane to Boston to be with her sister, she suddenly changes her mind and heads to Ireland. She finds herself in a quaint village and comes across a diary written by Anna, a local young farm girl, over 100 years ago. Anna had agreed to help an American visitor translate fairy stories from Irish to English, but soon found herself wrapped up in her own tale of fairies and danger.

I really enjoyed The Lost Bookshop by this author, and this book was just as charming and full of magical realism. The two timelines work together seamlessly, with both women trying to find their way out of grief and pain.

A good story overall! A little slow in parts with a good ending. The characters were engaging and the settings were nice.

I normally go in blind to stories and recommend everyone do the same. However…………… this one even though I completely loved the story I feel needs a mention that women’s grief and stillbirth are within this novel. Please be kind to yourself and be aware of this if you are at all sensitive to the subject as many women are. Be prepared to love this story but also be prepared to cry.

# The Story Collector
# 9/20/2024 ~ 9/20/2024
# 4.0 / 5.0

Special thanks to NetGalley for the advanced reader copy of this book. I had high hopes for this book because the storyline sounded just like something I would really like and had some of my favorite themes of magical realism, but unfortunately it was just ok. It took far too long to get to the good stuff, so much so that I struggled to even keep reading at times. The ending, I did enjoy and it did make me happy, but it felt rushed after the slug of reading through so much dullness.

Another hit by Evie Woods! Told in alternating storylines from present and the past. An enchanting story of Ireland and its magical history, both now and then. Great for lovers of romance and a little magic.

This is a dual timeline, atmospheric story about love, grief, family and moving forward. It goes between the story of Anna and Harold in 1911 and Sarah in 2011. The Butler Cottage in Thornwood, Ireland and the magic of The Good People are what bring the two stories together.

There are some triggers so you may want to do your research ahead of time. It does have a hopeful ending.

Thank you to NetGalley and One More Chapter for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

I was in by the end of the first chapter. And by the time I finished the first of Anna’s story, I was officially hooked.

The Story Collector was a bit of magic in book form, and I was hooked by the end of the first chapter.

I devoured this story and I finished it in two days.

This was my second time reading the author, and I can’t wait to read more ❤️



Thank you to Harper360 and NetGalley for the DRC

We are in the present (2010) in New York and meet Sarah Harper. She just left her husband and wanted to fly for Christmas to her sister. She is not looking forward to this and when she reads in an Irish newspaper that in Clare a motorway is moved due to local pressure to keep a fairy tree where it is, she boards a plane to the West Coast of Ireland. There she founds a dairy taking her back into the year 1911 where she learns about the live of Anna, a young farm girl and the arrival of an intriguing American visitor who is looking for stories, interactions of fairy stories. As usual back then many people spoke Irish hence he was looking for somebody to translate this into English for him and to guide him the way to the right person who has stories for him. So we learn more about the fairy seeing and interactions within the small town but also about Anna, her live and hopes.
On the other side we learn what happened to Sarah so she ended up in Ireland and how she learns to live with grieve and how she is sorting her live to start moving forward.

I really loved this book!
I like the way the story is told and for me it is perfectly done to have two different stories in two timelines. I really like how the stories get connected.
For me the author really caught the Irish flair here especially also about the old Ireland, how it was back then in small towns and also that she is not using here the friendly and cute looking versions of fairy, no instead she is using the ones which also can harm people that these are a magical species which you don´t want to cross in fear of what they are capable of.
At the beginning it was clear to me that something is not all right with Sarah but you did not know what happened to her, made her to the person she currently is. During the story when she is diving into Anna´s story and gets a grip on herself I start to like her.
Anna I liked right from the start. OK she is a bit naive but this is due to her young age and growing up in a small town. It is clear in what direction some part of the story will go but it was fine for me and I really liked how the author worked it out.
The magical touch in this story is for me really well done and I like how the paranormal is so wonderfully woven into the storyline.
So for me a really wonderful surprise how much I liked this story and I really need to check out other books of this author.

I really enjoyed this. It wasn’t some literal masterpiece. But it was a nice little read in between heavier books.

This was such a joy to read! A book about (antique) books! It's perfect for that rainy day read! It will warm your heart as you dive into antique books, folklore, and love.

The Story Collector by Evie Woods

A charming novel full of secrets and mystery from the best selling author. Ofv the Lost Bookshop. In a quiet village in Ireland, a mysterious local myth is about to change everything. With the taste for the magical in everyday life, Evie Wood’s latest novel is full of ordinary characters with extraordinary tales top tell.

I thoroughly enjoyed all the magic and tales of the fairies in this book. Since I have an Irish background , I liked all the history and scenes of Ireland. I recommend this book.

Thanks to Net Galley for sending me an advanced reader’s copy for my review.

I enjoyed this author's last book, The Lost Bookshop, enough to make me want to read this new story. I thought that some of the meandering storylines in The Lost Bookshop would be cleaned up in a new novel. This one was harder to read in so many ways.

There was no connection to either of the FMCs and the MMCs barely had any personality either. You know what's happened to the modern FMC (I think her name was Sarah but she was so forgettable) but the story takes almost the whole book to spell it out. There is no built up tension, only exhaustion at the constant hinting. We get it -- she has trauma and she likes to run, literally and figuratively.

The FMC in the past, Anna, is only slightly more interesting although the connection between the two women is tenuous at best. There's not even a local connection with Anna and one of the family members that Sarah meets. Anna's story ends abruptly (the whole book does) and I'm confused as to what I even just read. There's no emotion, no logical conclusion -- it just *ends*. You find out more of what happens to the "villains" than to the main characters you were supposed to spend the pages getting to know (except that there's no emotional pull).

I'm done with this author and I can't recommend this to anyone. The writing was dull and lifeless and it was honestly a waste of my reading time.

**Received an ARC, all opinions are my own**

The Story Collector was a good historical fiction and I did enjoy reading but overall I'm not sure I was the reader for the book. It was a bit slower than I was wanting at that moment. So it's a reader issue. I will be re-reading this one again but I love the concept.