Thank you to Net Galley and Random House Publishing for sending me an ARC of this book! This beautiful fairy tale centers around two teenage boys from West Virginia who go missing for 6 months. After their return, things don’t seem quite right with the state of the boys, and 15 years goes by without any real answers.

This is a fairy tale for grown-ups that never wanted to grow up and an opportunity to relive the magic of childhood. The story is clever, well-paced and extremely creative. I adored the characters and the incredible bonds they shared. The relationships were so strong and supportive that these characters have really stayed with me long after finishing the book.

If you are looking for a story about unconditional love, something wholesome and beautiful that will sweep you away, please don’t miss this one!

"The Lost Story" by Meg Shaffer begins with an enchanting promise that draws readers in through its captivating cover, adorned with vibrant elements that foreshadow the magical journey ahead. The tale commences with a gripping first chapter, introducing two friends who mysteriously vanish in the woods of West Virginia, only to reappear unscathed six months later.

The narrative then fast-forwards 15 years, portraying the divergent paths taken by the once-inseparable friends, Rafe and Jeremy. Rafe, now a reclusive artist living in the woods, and Jeremy, a finder of lost people. The storyline gains momentum when Emilie seeks Jeremy's help in locating her missing sister, leading the trio to revisit the forest where their enigmatic journey started.

However, the plot takes an unexpected turn as the narrative transitions into a magical, fairy-tale realm. While the story introduces elements of wonder, it falls short of creating a truly imaginative and unique world such as the one created in Harry Potter or Alice in Wonderland. Instead, it incorporates conventional elements from classic children's literature, resulting in a somewhat cliché magical setting with rainbow-colored animals, unicorns, and talking pets. One notable drawback is the lack of depth in the antagonist department. The adversaries lack robust motives or intense confrontations, making the conflict feel somewhat tepid. The Bright Boys and the King, while present, do not possess the menacing presence needed to elevate the stakes.

A narrative device that somewhat disrupts the flow is the Storyteller's Corner. This commentary section, though intending to provide additional insights, occasionally comes off as unnecessary and redundant. Integrating these opinions and events directly into the respective chapters could have maintained a smoother narrative flow.

Despite these critiques, Shaffer succeeds in addressing an underrepresented demographic within literature – the queer community. The story incorporates a same-sex coming-of-age love story, providing much-needed representation for young readers exploring their identities. It is evident that "The Lost Story" caters to a young audience, particularly those within the LGBTQ+ community, offering a heartwarming and inclusive narrative.

Overall "The Lost Story" presents a compelling premise that may resonate strongly with its intended audience – young teens and the young adult queer community. While the magical elements fall somewhat flat, the overall message of love, friendship, and self-discovery prevails, making it a valuable addition to literature that champions diversity and acceptance.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group, Ballantine Books for sending me this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

Woah. I first read The Wishing Game back in 2023 and I fell in love with the authors words and storytelling, thus I was extremely excited to read any upcoming project in the future and it did not disappoint. The lost story is a tale about magic and a really cozy fantasy universe that reminded me of Narnia. If you read and enjoyed the first book you will definitely love this one.

I really enjoyed reading this book and was sad when it was over. The mystery was built around two lost boys that were found years after their disappearance. I was glad that I didn't read a summary of the plot beforehand. There was the pleasant surprise that came in the book when you find out that there was another world they were living in. A world where things only exist in fairy tale stories. As a young girl, I'd look at the clouds and wonder if we were inside a big story book world that someone else kept on their shelf. I felt drawn into the story and loved the journey that the characters went through. I became a fan of the author from this book. I have Meg Shaffer's other book on my to-read list now!

First off, Thank you Netgalley, random house publishing and of course the queen herself, Meg Shaffer for this ARC.

let me start be saying this cover..STUNNING! I will definitely be buying a physical copy!

Two boys, Jeremy and Rafe go missing in virginia state park and mysteriously reappear six months later with no explanations of where they were or how they even survived. Fifteen years later, Jeremy finds missing people for a living with a magical ability while Rafe lives alone as an artist in a cabin in the woods. The only one who remembers what happened fifteen years ago is Jeremy. The boys are soon reunited again when a young woman named, Emilie, finds Jeremy asking for his help to find his missing sister.

I loved this book. The world building in this book was so magical, i was able to picture it perfectly in my mind. I wish i lived there, it definitely brought back the fairytale vibe i felt when i first watched narnia. You get princes, princesses, knights, mermaids, unicorns. EVERYTHING! You get great representation of lgbtq in this story. One of my favorite things was the storyteller throughout the entire book, it made the book that more unique. I was hooked from page one and did not want to put this down. ✨

* triggers- parent abuse *

Have you read any thought-provoking books lately, bookworms?

I can say that I have. I think a lot more thought went into this read for me than it might for others, as it’s set in my home state and in/near a town in which I have lived for many years. WV and, more specifically, Morgantown, WV.

Why was this so thought provoking? It made me question how my state is viewed, the perspectives of the people from my state AND the region of Appalachia on a whole, and made me see a perspective that maybe has been a bit a lost to me, as someone who lives here…this is a magical place, especially to those who don’t live here all the time.

Not only this, but this book explored some difficult subject matter with heart, grace, and quite a bit of heroic grit. I ended up really loving this story. I will say the prose felt, well prosaic, to me at times. However, a friend pointed out the beauty in this - the author was able to sketch out a character with simple truths that created the clear outline of the type of character we’ve all known. I think there was purpose in the simplicity. Verbosity does not always equal eloquence. So much about this story was beautiful and unexpected. I hope you’ll chance a trip to Shanandoah and learn the power of love, friendship, and forgiveness.
Montani semper liberi - mountaineers are always free!

3.7*

This was super cute. It gave just enough mystery and wondering the what’s and the whys. I loved the representation the book held and all its whimsical elements

Jeremy Cox and Ralph “Rafe” Howell were lost in the Red Crow State Forest for six months when they were fifteen. Once they are found, Rafe can’t remember anything and Jeremy refuses to tell him what happened. Fifteen years later Jeremy has become a renowned Missing Persons Investigator and has not spoken to Rafe since they were lost in the woods. He is approached by Emilie Wendell, a twenty-three year old woman who has just found out that she has a lost sister, who asks Jeremy to help her find her sister. Jeremy agrees after he learns that she was lost in the same woods he and Rafe were all those years ago. Only Jeremy knows that what is really in those woods is a magical land that he and Rafe lived in for those six months they were lost. He enlists the help of Rafe as he and Emilie go on an adventure into the land of Shanandoah to find her lost sister.
This book was incredible. It’s not often that I read a book and truly forget I was reading but The Lost Story did that for me. It is so immersive and I love that the magical world doesn’t take itself too seriously. The writing flowed wonderfully and the characters were so lovable. Jeremy and Rafe’s story was so beautiful and it is not one that I will ever forget. The only complaint I have about this book is that I wish it had been longer and we could have spent more time in the magical world. Overall, 5/5 stars this book was so good.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this digital ARC in return for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Review to be posted to socials closer to the publishing date.

I feel so terrible giving this 1 star, I cannot even begin to understand the hard work put into writing a book, so I feel like I need to appreciate it just for all of the effort. But I did not even finish this one. I don't know if it was the writing for me, everything felt very matter of fact. Like details were just listed and given in an abrupt way. The "Storyteller" parts were a bit jarring for me as well and I wish they had flowed with the story better. I really wanted to love this based on the description but I think maybe comparing it to Narnia had me so excited that I was just disappointed and could not finish it.

3.5 stars. I enjoyed this book, but it had big shoes to fill as Meg Shaffer's The Wishing Game was a 5 star read for me and it was in my top 5 for the year last year. In The Lost Story, I love the West Virginia fairy tale approach. The world is very imaginative. Definitely an interesting cast of characters and universe. However, I really struggled with the dialogue at times throughout The Lost Story. I think The Wishing Game had more convincing dialogue where the characters felt more like a real conversation you were witnessing. Some of the dialogue in The Lost Story just come across as cheesy or far-fetched. The far-fetched aspect was also something I didn't like quite as much in The Lost Story. There were just certain elements or plot choices that made the fantasy feel less believable and somewhat juvenile. Sometimes the story felt immersive and some plot or dialogue choices pulled you out of it. The storyteller interruptions are an example of an element I didn't enjoy. The world building needed to be fleshed out more I think to make you feel like these characters and places were real. I still definitely look forward to reading more of Meg Shaffer's future works. Thank you to the publisher Random House-Ballantine Books and to Netgalley for the chance to read this ARC.
-Review will be posted on Goodreads on 2/28/24. Review will be posted on Barnes and Noble and Amazon on the publish date, July 16 2024. Tiktok review coming shortly- will update review with link.

Emilie is looking for help to find her sister... After Emily's mom passed away, she discovered she had a half sister week had gone missing more than twenty years ago. Jeremy specializes in finding lost girls so Emilie asks for his help. The only problem is that her sister went missing in the same forest that 14 year old Jeremy and his best friend Rafe were lost.

Officially a Meg Shaffer fan. I enjoyed this one even more than her debut which was one of my favorite reads of 2023. Captivating from start to finish. Highly recommend.

I really liked this story! I thought it was charming and funny at times. It also did a good job of touching on some darker topics without making the whole book being depressing. I thought all the characters were likeable and relatable too. I do wish we got to spend a bit more time with some of them because I feel like we didn't get to know them quite well enough. For example, after we meet Rafe, it came as kind of a shock to me that Emilie picked up on Jeremy being gay and having feelings for Rafe! I just feel like at that point we barely know any of the characters!
There were also times during the book where the plot was going a bit fast and I was lost as to where we were or what the characters were doing so I think the writing could be a bit more flushed out. Specifically at the beginning of some chapters we would jump to a new location and it would take me a minute to realize what was going on. Lastly, I noticed there were just a few typos. Maybe it was just my Kindle edition, but they were in there!
Other than that I liked this book and will be sure to recommend to readers who like fantasy and especially those who are familiar with Narnia!

This is easily in my top 5 books of all time. My favorite books has always been The Book of Lost Things and this gives me that same magical feeling that also feels like home. It’s like Narnia but for adults and also make it queer and I just loved it so so much. Jeremy and Rafe and Emilie have such great chemistry that was just so FUN. Like they felt like my friends. I also really liked the Storyteller Corner pieces mixed in. Gave it a bit of a Princess Bride. I’ve that I really loved.

My only complaint is that I wish it was longer!

3.5 ⭐️

This was a fun time! Although I didn’t feel obsessed with The Lost Story, I found it to be an immersive story that had great childhood fairytale vibes and amazing themes. The queer rep was beautifully woven into the plot and I commend Meg Shaffer for it!

I did think the characters were great and I rooted for all of them, but I felt like it was hard to get attached in the first half of the book. It felt like there was too much build up to the main plot, which also ended up being a bit predictable. Other than that, it was a cute read that I recommend.

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine / NetGalley for the arc!

This book was beautiful from beginning to end. It is inspired by The Chronicles of Narnia with a magical portal that takes the reader to another world. The Lost Story is a magical fairy tale that had me in tears.
I loved the storyteller in the book too, the insight was helpful and done so well. The characters in this book had so much depth and I was rooting for them from the beginning. Such an interesting concept and I must go back and read The Wishing Game. 5 ⭐️

5/5 ⭐️ - West - by GOD! - Virginia!
Reading a book about fairy tales set in West Virginia, while living in West Virginia, was something I could never have imagined. This story was incredible from beginning to end. I read this book in just a few hours because I could not put it down. This is the kind of story you get once in a life time; something completely original with a story I could not imagined. All of the characters had depth, with backstories and ambitions, while also not taking away from the story at hand. With three or more main characters, the storytelling normally gets muddy, but not here. Each story was woven beautifully into the next, all while moving the story forward in a fast-paced entertaining tale. I could not recommend more!

Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

The Lost story is a tale woven with equal parts nostalgia and heart.

Shaffer does one of my favorite things in storytelling, she offers readers the unpretentious bones of a brilliant tale and allows the reader to assign how much depth they want to bring to the experience. The genius thing is the book works both ways! It can serve as a simple weird and whimsical tale or it can leave you sobbing by the end if you choose to analyses it's depth and lessons.

I found the world building to be nostalgic and joyous while the characters are flawed and oh so human. The book draws heavily from classic fairy tales, making it a familiar world that I found myself instantly at home in. There is one POV that can feel jarring at first but I came to love how it was used to pace the story, leaving it feeling unencumbered and swift.

All in all The Lost Story was a delight and I look forward to reading what this author offers next!

For context- The Wishing Game was my surprise fave book of 2023. I loved it and told everyone I could about it. I was so excited to read this new Meg Schaffer book but sad to say I quit at about 45%. I HATE to quit a book but this was not for me. It was a thriller intention that takes ion a weird sci fi fantasy genre. Missing kids, unicorns, a queen etc. this book was very disappointing for me.

The Lost Story, unfortunately, was just not the book for me. With that said, it is a good story and well written - it’s just a bit outside of my normal genres that I enjoy. It is getting 4 stars from me based on the fact that for those who love fantasy stories will really enjoy this!