The Lost Story by Meg Shaffer is a fairytale that takes place in West Virginia. Two boys, Jeremy and Rafe, go missing in a state forest and are found six months later with no recollection of what happened. The story fast forwards to present time with Jeremy, who is a renown missing person investigator. Emilie hires Jeremy to find her sister who went missing in the same forest many years ago. To find the missing girl and unlock the secrets of what really happened when they disappeared, Jeremy, Emilie, and Rafe must journey back to the forest deep in the hills of WV. Magic ensues and a whole new world is found. There’s heroes, villains, and sacrifices. Sword fights, unicorns,and royalty. It’s a tale unlike any I have read and yet, it feels like home. Shaffer has a lovely way with words and descriptions. The characters are charming, witty, and funny. You leave the book with hope for a sequel.

I love stories that take place in my home state of WV, especially fairytales which are rare for WV. This is a lovely story for people who wonder what it would be like to walk through the wardrobe in Narnia and end up in a magical forest. It includes LGBTQ+ characters and does a wonderful job describing how it is to discover who you are even when you don’t know the whole story.
Thank you Ballantine Books and Netgalley for providing me with an advanced reader copy. All opinions are my own.

This book will be released July 16, 2024.

I received this ARC from the publisher Random House Publishing Group for an honest review.

This was a well written book that will definitely take you on an adventure. You will experience all the emotions and the growth in relationships. There will definitely be some trigger warnings that some may need to aware of before reading this book. There were some aspects of this book that just weren't my style, but overall the writing was fantastic. I really enjoyed the storyteller portions as it plays well with the fairytale vibe. The writing is 5 stars.

I want to thank the Random House Publishing for sending me this ARC.

The fans of Wishing Game, what are you waiting for? Don't risk going blind to the magic Meg Shaffer offers in another book inspired by C. S. Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia. It makes us believe dreams can come true at any time in our lives, as long as we open our hearts to embrace them.

I truly wished to get lost in Shenandoah and spend more time there until I let go of my insecurities, fears, troubles, and stress, shedding my old whining self and returning to innocence, laughing like a child. The world-building, metaphors, and Easter eggs hidden in the book, with references to Gilmore Girls and Batman, made me giddy.

The romance, friendship, and self-exploration blended in magical realism perfectly to immerse you in the secret lands of your mind.

The story revolves around three unique, one-of-a-kind characters: two young teenage boys, Jeremy Cox, a privileged English boy, and Ralph Howell (known as Rafe to Jeremy), a middle-class small-town boy with artistic talents. Bound by pure friendship, maybe more, they get lost in Red Crow State Park for six months, presumed dead. When they return, physically stronger, well-fed, and taller, nobody can explain what happened to them. Were they kidnapped? If so, how did they appear healthier instead of malnourished? Unfortunately, neither of them remembers anything about their disappearance. Especially Rafe, who shows signs of PTSD, short-term memory loss, and sleepwalking issues. After their return, Jeremy leaves town to live with his grandmother in England, severing ties with Rafe when he needed his friend the most.

Fifteen years later, we witness Jeremy becoming a celebrity for finding lost women and young girls, mostly in the spotlight, while Rafe develops his art in seclusion, hiding in his cottage. When the young, quirky, eccentric woman Emilie enters their lives needing help finding her lost stepsister, the two friends reluctantly unite to assist her in returning to Red Crow. Jeremy is convinced that they met Emilie's sister during their time lost in the woods, and only Rafe can find the way to this secret place. As they delve into their memories, secrets begin to unravel, allowing Rafe and Jeremy to piece together their shared past and embrace their future. But this is just the beginning of the story, isn't it?

Overall, I was hooked from the first page, enjoying the characters, the sacred love story, and the reimagining of the Narnia world. I look forward to reading Meg Schaffer's next magical adventure.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group/Ballantine Books for providing me with a digital review copy of this amazing book in exchange for my honest thoughts.

As I read The Lost Story by Meg Shaffer, I couldn't help but think how cinematic it is; I could easily believe that this book could be made into a movie. This story of two friends who get lost (or perhaps it should be said get found) in an alternate, fairy-like tale world is magical and thought-provoking. At times, I wondered why the author created the alternate world the way she did, but in the end it became clear exactly what she was doing. This book makes you question your ideas of what a home is and should be. A great read!

Red Crow State Park in West Virginia is home to more than one missing person story…

When they were teenagers, Rafe & Jeremy went into Red Crow & didn’t come out until six months had passed. Everyone wanted to know what had happened to them, how they survived - but Rafe had no memory of the event, & Jeremy was very vague when questioned.

A decade & a half later, the two best friends aren’t on speaking terms; Jeremy has become known for finding other missing persons, & Rafe lives a hermit-like life with his artwork. But these two will have to learn to get along again, because a young woman named Emilie needs help from the both of them to locate her sister who disappeared in the same area they did…

I fell in love with The Wishing Game & am SO excited that I got to read an ARC of the next book from Meg Shaffer (thank you to NetGalley & Random House!) - I was hooked the second I saw “Inspired by C.S. Lewis’s The Chronicles of Narnia” in the synopsis of The Lost Story. I absolutely adore the map in the beginning of this book, & all of the many references sprinkled throughout (to The Wishing Game, to Gilmore Girls, to Batman, to James Bond). There were also unicorns & mermaids in this book (amazing) as well as many unique & fascinating animals.

The bonds the characters shared were beautiful, & they joked with each other in the dorky ways that you can only feel comfortable with in deep & true friendships. I loved the way that the storyteller would periodically interject extra information, & I can’t wait for more work from this author because I am LOVING reading her fairy tales for adults.

Wow! what a great stroy. I loved her first book and this was even better. A fairytale is obviously JUST what I needed. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC. Great writing. Loved the Storyteller :)

This book has it all a queen, a princess, a knight, a prince, unicorns, sword fighting and a magical land. I like how it is compared to Narnia which is a book I loved. It also deals with some tough issues as suicide, adoption, death, abuse, family drama, so it isn't all warm fuzzies.

The book takes place in West Virginia as Jeremy Cox and Ralph Howell go missing in the woods for six month. Jerome remembers his time in the words but Rafe does not. Now, Jerome finds missing women and girls and has been asked by Emilie to help find her missing sister. Most think Shannon Yates is dead but Jerome knows she isn't as he saw her in the woods when they were there. Now he must go back and take Rafe with him and uncover the past.

The author does a beautiful job of describing Shanandoah the magical land and bringing it to life. The relationships, love, and bonds that are formed will warm your heart as she builds the love between Rafe and Jeremy. Also how the sisters bond with each other after being separated. The power that the book and story holds over all by a magic pencil.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Ballantine Books for the advanced ecopy of this book. I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. When books advertise that they were inspired by other novels I am a bit hesitant, but I truly enjoyed the sprinkling in of C.S. Lewis throughout this book. The characters were charming and I enjoyed the setting of West Virginia. While the writing wasn't the best I think the story made up for the often cheesy breaks in narration. I would definitely recommend this book to others.

Thanks so much for the review copy. This is definitely a fairy tale for adults. I enjoyed the elements of magical realism.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House for the ARC!

I do not know Meg Shaffer. I have never read one of her books. But after reading this book, I know I have found a Kindred Spirit. I'm also now on the library waiting list for her previous book, The Wishing Game.

I devoured this book in less than 24 hours. I have two young children and a full-time job. It's been a hot minute since I've accomplished such a feat. I may have neglected some responsibilities in the process. Thankfully, there is always coffee, and all children should run feral once in a while - it's preparation should they ever end up in a fairy tale.
Speaking of fairy tales... When you were a kid, did you ever go wandering around looking for impossible places? Did you poke around old buildings, the woods, and places that generally looked old and/or abandoned? Did you feel that if you found just the right tree, turned just the right doorknob, or tapped on just the right brick in just the right wall, you could end up somewhere else? Did you read fairy tales and think: There's no way they could ALL be made up, right?

Maybe this isn't something that describes you. I recently discovered not every child does these things. If you didn't, you probably won't enjoy this book.
But if you did... I'd take a gamble and say that you'll probably like this one. A little piece of you that has been buried way down deep inside may suddenly feel seen and understood. Dare I say, Found?

I love that this story takes place in the dear old Appalachians. It's about time we started getting some representation in the fantasy world!
Speaking of representation, let's talk book preferences and trigger warnings:
- If it's something you particularly look for in a book, there is LGBTQIA representation.
- There are some sexual references and some closed-door scenes. (I wouldn't give it to my 10 year old, but my extra-spice-loving friend would find it too mild.)
- A couple of uses of foul language. (Nothing too strong and it all fits with the story and characters.)
- If you find kidnapping, abuse, or missing person situations triggering, you may want to pass or have a trusted friend read first.

Back to the crux of the matter: This is a great book and I look forward to reading more books by Meg Shaffer. Thank you to Meg and to all of those who help get stories to readers.

This book is magic.

Absolutely loved this one! It had a similar fun & funky writing style to The Wishing Game - in this book the narrator pops in every few pages with commentary or insights, and I just love how the whole book felt like a conversation - or really: an unraveling of an epic story. I LOVED all the references to the Wizard of Oz (can you figure out which characters are tin man, lion, scarecrow & Dorothy!?), and of course, Narnia. The magical world of Shanandoah was awesome and makes me not only want to go there for real, but was also super inspiring that a young girl imagined the entire place and made it come to life - don't we all do this sort of thing? And how fun that it came "true" for Skya. I guess it turns out that writing is pretty magical too.

MY favorite quote: "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."

THANK YOU to Meg, Random House & NetGalley for giving me the chance to read (& review!) this book early - it was absolutely a delight!

I really loved The Wishing Game by this author, so I was worried that this novel wouldn’t live up to the hype but it absolutely did. I can’t wait to see what else she has in store for us!

I think a lot of people are going to love this book. I am not one of those people. There is a lot to love here: Meg Shaffer does a great job writing a modern fairytale that transports you back to childhood, and I think if you are someone who doesn’t typically read the fantasy genre you can still really enjoy this. My main issue with this is her dialogue and characters. I had the same problem with The Wishing Game, but found it to be way worse in this book. Everything is for lack of a better word: cringey. Her main character felt very “trying hard to be quirky” and literally the entire time I kept thinking, no one acts like this or speaks like this. Half the time it wasn’t even normal conversations, it just felt like weird, performative banter. I wish someone else besides Meg Shaffer was writing her books because she has great stories with badly written characters and dialogue.

ARC provided by NetGalley.

A charming, adult fairy tale that warmed my heart and gave new life to the unyielding belief in magic that we all seem to lose sight of once we are no longer children. Set in West Virginia, this story starts off in the real world and eventually transitions into a fantasy kingdom hidden deep within Red Crow Forest. It's somewhat of a slow and secretive start, but this did NOT deter my interest. The story picked up rather quickly and I found myself racing towards the end. I loved the characters and their interactions. They were like big kids trapped inside of grown-up bodies. I also really enjoyed the Storyteller's narrations. They were a great addition and humorous at times. Thank you, Meg Shaffer, for creating this magical world full of beauty, light, and love and for making me feel like a kid again! I highly recommend this book to all the "big" kids out there!

Thank you to the author, Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, and NetGalley for granting me digital access in exchange for my honest review!

I adored The Wishing Game so I was a little bit nervous to read Meg Shaffer's new novel. Luckily this was charming and quirky and delightful. If you're a lover of fairy tales and other worlds, this is for you.

Kindly received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Well, Meg Shaffer became one of my top three favorite authors after I read The Wishing Game. This story is a bit different but has the fairy tale charm I love. A character who loves Stevie Nicks, has a pet rat and prefers female authors? Yes to all of those! I found myself writing quite a bit in my reading journal including the C. S. Lewis quote I love at the beginning: “Some day you will be old enough to start reading fairy tales again.” But if you are like me, you never stopped. Keep them coming Meg!!!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for an ARC copy of The Lost Story.

I am a huge fan of "children who find doors" stories so I was excited to read this one. I loved the Narnia series as a child, and appreciated the nods to it in this story, as well as the absence of all the religious undertones in the original.
I did not care for the romance aspect, it didn't feel compelling or natural and took away from the child-like magic of the book. I loved "The Wishing Game" and although I liked "The Lost Story" I can't say that I loved it.

“Yes, books are magic. Maybe even the strongest magic there is.” Meg Shaffer does it again with The Lost Story. She has the ability to transport you back to your childhood while reading. I loved the “lost children” concept, and the relationships between the characters. While this novel is not as strong as The Wishing Game, it still brought me back to reading fantasy novels as a child and wanting to jump into the stories. I also love the omniscient narrator that pops up throughout the story. I recommend this book to anyone who loved reading the Narnia books. Rafe, Emilie, and Jeremy take you on an epic adventure you won’t soon forget! Thank you, Net Galley for giving me the opportunity to read this story before it hits the shelves!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!
What a cool novel! I loved Narnia as a kid and really enjoyed being out back into a similar world from a different angle. I’ll have to check out more of this author’s work

I absolutely loved The Wishing Game and was thrilled for the opportunity to read this ARC. Thank you Meg Shaffer and NetGalley. I absolutely loved this book. Definitely not one to miss.