The story begins with the reappearance of two boys who went missing in the West Virginia woods six months earlier. We then skip forward fifteen years. Rafe is a recluse. Jeremy has an uncanny ability to find missing girls. Enter Emilie, who asks Jeremy to help find her half-sister who went missing in the same West Virginia woods years earlier. The story quickly takes a turn from reality to fantasy as Jeremy, Rafe, and Emilie enter the magical kingdom of Shanandoah with all the typical fairy tale characters, a queen, and her court, a prince, knight, unicorns and magic apples. And of course there are the bad boys and the villain. The storyteller interrupts the narrative many times along the way to insert his two cents, give a little backstory, and point out how all fairy tale rules are followed as the story unfolds. The real and fantasy worlds are seamlessly woven together and what results is a fun story of loss, yearning, adventure, danger, and love.

I found the prologue of this book so compelling that I could not put the book down. I loved the references to West (by God) Virginia and the relationships in the book. A joy to read!

I thought the writing style in The Lost Story was slightly different than it was in The Wishing Game, but not to the point where it seems like a completely different author.

So if you liked her style in the wishing game, then you will probably like the way she wrote in the last story too. I thought the wishing game was a little bit better of a story, but I did enjoy the lost story.

There are some touchy subjects in the story that people may or may not agree with so that is something to keep in mind before you read it. I do think that it was tastefully done.

Everyone in this book are adults, but they all seemed a little childish to me. I don’t know if that’s because it’s kind of a fairytale where they kind of got stuck in the age that they got lost or what. But they did seem more like teenagers to me than adults. I enjoyed seeing all the relationships between the parents and all of those dynamics. I thought the found family aspect seemed slightly forced.

I wish there was a little bit more of the fairytale aspect where they were in the fantasy world. I did also enjoy the storyteller cutaway scenes. I think that’s something some people might not like but I like it when authors kind of break the fourth wall like that I think it’s fun. Overall I did enjoy this book.

I do really like the way Meg writes and I will continue reading her books if you are into fantasy books that are easy to read, you might enjoy this one.

I'll let you in on a secret. I've never read any of the Narnia series. Please don't take away my former Book-It pizza wins! While The Lost Story is inspired by Narnia, The Wizard of Oz, and other fairy tales from my childhood -- it is a  unique story that will heal your inner-child and hit you with the best dose of nostalgia, while still being an adult book that tackles difficult themes. I loved Meg Shaffer's The Wishing Game, but this book stands in a league all its own. It is a book I will think of for years to come with happy tears in my eyes and a very full heart.

Fifteen years ago, Jeremy and Rafe vanished in the West Virginia woods without a trace. Six months later they reappeared. While Jeremy remembers how they spent six magical months in a fantastical realm, Rafe has no memories of their lost time -- and Jeremy can't tell him. When Jeremy meets Emilie -- who is looking for her long, lost half sister. He not only recognizes her, he knows exactly where she is -- the magical kingdom of Shanandoah. But, he can't go back without Rafe. Can they bury their secrets, reunite sisters, and heal the rift that has kept them apart for so long?

Do you remember the feeling of reading Harry Potter for the first time? Striking out on a magical adventure, falling in love with those characters, and falling deeply in love with books? This book gave me that feeling all over again -- as an adult. Something I didn't know was even possible. I fell in love with Jeremy's devotion to Rafe, with Rafe's bravery as he faces challenges head on and unravels his lost memories, with Emilie's devotion to the sister she never met, and with Shanandoah. The book is more about the characters' journeys rather than world-building, and I wouldn't have it any other way. It's a story of perseverance and healing while being a love letter to the magical stories that taught us to dream big and imagine the impossible. At the end of the day, while there are princesses, knights, and unicorns -- there is also challenging issues that include abuse, suicide, and death. 'As it turns out you can't have a fairy tale without anything bad happening in it. Fairy tales need heroes. Heroes need dragons. Princes and knights need enemies. Life needs death. That's the price of magic.'

As I closed the book, with tears in my eyes, I had no doubt this will be one of my favorite books of the year. I cannot WAIT for this to drop in July as there are so many of my dear friends I will be buying a copy for and this is definitely on my must re-read list. 

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine Books for this Advanced Reader Copy via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own and freely given.

I enjoyed this author’s other book “The Wishing Game,” so I was excited to read something else from them. This was even better than “The Wishing Game.” It calls out to anyone who grew up with a love of books and/or is working on healing their inner child. The characters are so well developed and the relationships between them are so beautiful. In some ways this book felt like an ode to the fantasy books that shaped us growing up. The story truly touched my heart. It made my heart ache with joy and sympathy for our characters. So many hard hitting topics were dealt with so gracefully. All of the characters are extremely relatable and likable. (Especially Emilie and Fritz!) The writing was so beautiful and immersive. I honestly don’t have a bad thing to say about this book. Magical realism is very hit or miss with me but this was a smash hit. Will be buying a physical copy once it releases.

After falling head over heels for the wishing game, I was so excited to read Meg's next book. Unfortunately, this didn't bring me the same joy and magic. Right off the bat I couldn't stand our fmc, she tried too hard to make her quirky with the constant reminder of her obsession for Stevie Nicks (continuously thrown into conversation for what purpose?) And "I'm not like the other girls" vibes. Plot wise it was slow moving and didn't pick up until 50-60% and would've preferred the last quarter to be the main part of the story.

“Ask any question in an infinite universe, and the answer is yes. Always yes.”

“I lost the moon."
"What? How do you lose the moon?" he asked.
She looked up at the angry, hateful sky.
"You lose the moon the same way you lose hope," she said. "One day, you look up, and it's gone."

“All books are magic. An object that can take you to another world without even leaving your room? A story written by a stranger and yet it seems they wrote it just for you or to you? Loving and hating people made out of ink and paper, not flesh and blood? Yes, books are magic.
Maybe even the strongest magic there is.”

I fell in love with The Wishing Game, so when I saw I was able to read Meg Shaffer’s new book before it was published, I was elated. I moved it to the front of my TBR, and I don’t regret a single thing. This book touched my soul. It was the epitome of a fairytale, and that is to say, it was tinged with darkness. There can’t be light without the dark, can there? The Lost Story was perfectly paced, with a shakeup of usual fairytale tropes, which I heavily enjoyed. It was unique, while simultaneously being familiar. Just as I hope we will return to Clock Island from The Wishing Game, I also hope we will return to Shanadoah.

A book for adults who as children longed to find an entrance to a forgotten world at the back of their wardrobe. Who says adventures in other realms are only for children?!

I love the characters in this new book by @meg_shaffer . Through Jeremy, Rafe and Skya’s relationships she gently explores the many ways that love can present itself and shows the strength of friendship when total trust is at its heart. Who would we all be if not for the friends and loved ones who help us grow and shine.

Another fantastic adventure fairy tale for the adults who never stopped thinking about Narnia, Oz, the Faraway Tree, or any other land filled with villains and heroes , princes and princess, magicians and wizards and maybe some unusual animals.

This was a wild ride! I went in mostly blind, only knew the reference to Narnia so right off the bat I was interested. I absolutely adored all of the main characters and the plot/world building was beautiful! My only complaint is that sometimes the sentences were very blunt and simple and didn’t flow well

I was invited to read this book and I am happy the publisher reached out, because this was totally up my ally! Two close friends vanished one day in West Virginia, only to re-appear six months later with no reasoning for what happened or where they went - eerie! Years later, the boys are on their own paths, one who remembers what happened (which is that they spent time in a magical world, but keeps it from the other), and the other boy still immersed in despair from his time spent away. But tides turn, and the two now-grown men must return to this magical world for a mission to find another missing person.

This was just fantastic world building, I really felt like I was present in this magical realm and discovering along with the main characters. Such great imagery, I was totally blown away. I also LOVED the Storyteller. There is just a lot in this book, heavier topics for sure, but also this amazing magical realm. One of the best books I've read in quite awhile.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

eARC Review courtesy of NetGalley.

I didn’t have any experience with Meg Shaffer’s writing going into this story, but I had heard of The Wishing Game and was very intrigued by the premise of The Lost Story based on its synopsis. However, I quickly realized that this book was not for me. I was tempted to DNF it about 30% of the way through, but felt that it could be a quick enough read to see it through and hope the ending was enough pay-off. Spoiler alert: it wasn’t.

This story’s pacing was really off for me - I found it incredibly fast paced, but it lacked any sort of high stakes. The story went so quickly that it didn’t give me any sort of reason to care about the characters or their purposes. Our main character Emilie ended up taking a really fast back-seat and so much of the purpose of the story ended up not actually feeling all that important at all. The “villain” was also predictable, and his minions were basically useless? The ending also left me less than satisfied. I suppose it sets it up for a sequel, but the “cliffhanger” wasn’t enough for me to care to see what happens to these characters in the future.

All in all, it was a really cool concept that wasn’t fleshed out and executed fully. This could have easily been a much longer, much more interesting story. Instead, the story, and its characters, were shallow, lackluster, and surface level.

Thank you NetGalley for providing me an ARC copy of the book.

Meg Shaffer has done it again. This is a beautiful book about the past and lost/forgotten things. Some were good events and others weren't. As you uncover the past, you can't help but fall in love with the characters.

While most events were predictable, it doesn't take away from the journey that you are taken on. I hope that this truly is just the beginning as opposed to the end

A truly magical and thrilling tale that gives those of us whom still seek the mystery of the mountains, and the deep dark woods a sense of wonder and fulfillment. The Lost Story is a novel of finding one’s missing identity both figuratively and literally. The Lost Story also reminds us of the dangers that lie in wait in the dark, and sometimes those who are lost, stay lost. I absolutely adored Emilie and her issues with self-censoring. The breaks in the story with the “storytellers corner” was brilliant, and was the sarcastic laced understory that we needed in a novel that otherwise reminds us of the very real story of life and death.
Very well done novel, I loved it and would highly recommend it!

I spent all day reading this magical story and it did not disappoint. If you loved The Wishing Game, you will surely love this one as well.
The author started with a fitting quote from C.S. Lewis. “Some day you will be old enough to start reading fairy tales again.” I am old enough. Loved it!

Something I love about Meg Shaffer’s books is that they have a common theme of adults getting to live out childhood dreams. “The Lost Story” follows several friends through their journey to a magical fantasy land, and the story is a little bit fairy tale, a little bit mystery, and a little bit romance.

Shaffer certainly knows how to write a story with the right amount of intrigue to keep you hooked, but not so much that you get frustrated for being left in the dark for too long. Although I still stayed up way too late reading this one, because I couldn’t wait to uncover all the answers to the many secrets these characters held. This story had lots of lighthearted, fun parts, but also tackled some pretty heavy topics along the way. My main complaint is that I wish there was more story to read. I know all stories have to end somewhere, but I read the last page and was so sad that I wouldn’t get to see how the rest of the story played out for these characters.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the ARC of this book!

I will say I did like this. This story was unusual but somehow in a familiar way. It has fairy tails, quests, magic worlds, and villains. However, also with very likable characters you wanted to root for.

Now, after The Wishing Game I had high expectations. This fell a little flat. It does feel a bit rushed and incomplete as it stands right now.

While reading "The Lost Boys," I was reminded of my favorite childhood books. It felt like I was transported to a magical world where fairy tales come true. If you enjoy reading books like "The Chronicles of Narnia" and C.S. Lewis, then you will enjoy this book. It also had references to other classics like Peter Pan and The Wizard of Oz. The writing was a perfect blend of fairytale elements and real-life problems. I loved how Jeremy and Ralph found their way back to each other while they helped Emilee find her lost sister. It was a sweet subplot of the book. I also enjoyed reading about how the world of Shenandoah came to life through a young girl's imagination. The Storyteller chapters added to the magical atmosphere of the book. I loved how the ending left room for a hopeful sequel.

Thank you to NetGallery and to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for giving me a copy of the book.

Wishing Game by this author was one of my favorite reads last year so I was sooo excited to get this Arc. I wanted to love it but it wasn’t for me, unfortunately. I will still look forward to new releases by this author because of her unique storylines and the way she tells the stories.

Thank you for sharing an early ARC of this copy. I was extremely excited because the Wishing game was my favorite book of 2023. This book was also good but I didnt fall in love with the concept as much as I wanted to - I enjoyed the relationships between the characters but some parts felt a little incomplete and left me confused- I think we put so much emphasize on the book Rafe was looking for and there was not much in it. I also wish we saw more of the guys reaction to realizing if they left they could not come back. I did love all the interlude with the storyteller - really cool concept! I also enjoyed learning about why the guys couldn't see each other anymore. I think overall I liked the outside (out of Shanandoah) story best! Overall, I did enjoy this book a lot even tho some of the writing felt maybe a little messy or confusing! I loved the opening chapter as well, grabbed my attention.

I was lucky enough to get an ARC for "The Lost Story"!

It was a sweet fairytale that I'm hoping we get to revisit one day in a sequel. I loved the little nod to "The Wishing Game" as well.

Just one plot hole kept me from a 5 star rating... How did the Bright Boys get Emilie from Skya to use her as a hostage?!

Otherwise I loved it and wish I could also escape to Shannondoah!