After absolutely LOVING the Wishing Game, I was so excited to read The Lost Story. Sadly, this book fell short for me. I didn't feel a great connection to any of the characters and the story line jumped around a lot- making it hard to follow at times. I know that many people say that they loved the fairy tale, but I didn't get "fairy tale" vibes. I wish that I liked this book more because it was so promising, but it was not for me.

Some day you will be old enough to start reading fairy tales again.
C.S. Lewis

I was immediately drawn in by the cover and was absolutely sucked in from the very first chapter. I ate this book up and finished it within 24 hours! The unicorns and mermaids, the narrator, the mysery of missing kids- this book has it all!

The goods: short chapters, the narrator (omg sooo good), the Gilmore Girls references, the Fleetwood Mac references, the cover, being able to relate to certain characters and of course Skya!

The bads: I can’t figure out the age group that this book was written for. It reads teenager/young adult but has older references that teenagers might not understand. I felt like the middle of the book kind of dragged on.

Jeremy and Rafe disappeared in to the forests of West Virgnia when they were 13 and were missing for six months. Some hikers came upon the two boys in the woods leaving many questions of what happened. Jeremy became well known for his abilities to find missing people. Rafe became reclusive, living in a cabin in the forest. The two did not speak for many years after their ordeal. Many years later, when Emily's mom passes away, she discovers she has a sister. Her sister also went missing in the forests of West Virginia, but she was never found. Emily seeks out Jeremy to assist her to find her sister Shannon. Emily becomes embroiled in a reunion between Jeremy and Rafe in the search for her sister. She learns some of Jeremy and Rafe's secrets including that her sister may be alive, but they need to take Emily to her. The Lost Story combines many of the fantasy fairy tales in telling the story as Jeremy, Rafe and Emily are transported to a different world to look for Shannon. Meg Shaffer has created a wonderful story that is not dystopian, but rather more like a fairy tale, There are many references to the WIzard of Oz, and The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe which I loved. The Lost Story is a refreshing twist on the art of fairy tales.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for the opportunity to read the ARC of The Lost Story.

another magical fantasy portal hit. i loved it. the general vibes are cozy, but there 's also sensitive subjects underneath.

fifteen years ago, Jeremy and Rafe were missing for six months in a West Virginia forest. no one really knew what happened to them. fifteen years later, Jeremy is famous for his ability to find missing girls and women, wherever they are. Emilie, whose mother had just died, tried to seek Jeremy's help to find her half-sister who went missing 20 years ago, 5 years before Jeremy & Rafe's disappearance.

actually the setting and world-building weren't the ones that enthralled me to this story. but the characters! they're all effortlessly charming and their dynamics were good. . also the narrative was a bit unique, every few chapters there's this mysterious storyteller corner that gave the readers extra details and contexts to the story. magical, adventurous, tender, heartwarming. i'm definitely going to check Meg Shaffer's other books after this.

When I saw Meg Shaffer had a new book out I held my breath. I loved “The Wishing Game” and often my second experience with an author is disappointing. Oh me of little faith.

Loved this book, absolutely loved it. West Virginia, lost boys, amnesia, a very out-there and expressive woman in search of her lost sister, a pet rat named Fritz, hints of a fairy tale, MAGIC, and a rip in time. LOVED EVERYTHING about this story. I loved that so much of this story was kind in its treatment of so many important people and issues. I loved that humor and great dialog was inserted throughout the pages. I loved the references to “Stevie Nicks” and the admission that she “transcends space and time”.

Looking for a magical story that makes you feel good all over? This is is the story for you. A gazilliion thanks to Ballantine Books and NetGalley for a copy.

I enjoyed this book a lot. Not as much as Shaffer's previous book (The Wishing Game), which was one of my favorites last year, but still a fun easy read. My biggest complaint was the beginning was kind of long, and then the magic part was too short. I think part of this was because the story was about re-visiting a magical land, not discovering it for the first time, but it was too much anticipation and not enough reward for me. The book was no predictable which I appreciated, I didn't ever know what was going to happen next. Some of the character development seemed a bit forced, but at least you eventually got to know everyone and their backgrounds,

This is an interesting read that brings back dreams of fairy tales for the adult reader.
As boys, best friends Jeremy Cox and Rafe Howell went missing in a vast West Virginia state forest, only to mysteriously reappear six months later with no explanation for where they’d gone or how they’d survived.
Fifteen years after their miraculous homecoming, Rafe is a reclusive artist who still bears scars inside and out but has no memory of what happened during those months. Meanwhile, Jeremy has become a famed missing persons’ investigator. With his uncanny abilities, he is the one person who can help vet tech Emilie Wendell find her sister, who vanished in the very same forest as Rafe and Jeremy.
Jeremy alone knows the fantastical truth about the disappearances, for while the rest of the world was searching for them, the two missing boys were in a magical realm filled with impossible beauty and terrible danger. He believes it is there that they will find Emilie’s sister. However, Jeremy has kept Rafe in the dark since their return for his own inscrutable reasons. But the time for burying secrets comes to an end as the quest for Emilie’s sister begins. The former lost boys must confront their shared past, no matter how traumatic the memories.
Alongside the headstrong Emilie, Rafe and Jeremy must return to the enchanted world they called home for six months—for only then can they get back everything and everyone they’ve lost.

A magical, deeply moving modern fairy tale about young love, the power of wishes, and resilience. I was so taken with this one. Thank you to Meg Shaffer for tackling some very difficult topics with the perfect words.

This book has made Shaffer an auto read author for me. I just simply love the way she writes and these worlds she creates!
Thank you #randomhouse and #NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review

Ughh this was not for me. I feel Like I’m not Shaffer’s ideal reader and that’s okay. This was marketed as a Narnia style story but with a little more grit and again, as with Wishing Game, it was just cringy. I’ll steer clear of this author in the future. Thanks to NetGalley for an advanced copy of this e-book in exchange for an honest review.

I had to DNF at 30%. The story itself was very engaging and I truly enjoyed the fantasy. I do not normally read any fantasy, but I was really getting into this book. I think there should've been a little better description of what the content was going to be because I personally do not read LGBTQ content. I just don't enjoy it. There was nothing graphic (as far as I made it in), but stories that include this don't interest me particularly.

The Lost Story is sweet and bittersweet. The novel beautifully discusses old wounds, family, love, and friendship.

Tthe boys, Jeremy Cox and Rafe Howell ar bees at friens. They went missing in a West Virginia state forest. Search parties were sent to find the boys but had no luck. Then they mysteriously appear six months later with no explanation for where they’d gone or how they’d survived. After all, they were in the forest when they got lost. Fifteen years after being “home” Rafe is a reclusive artist who still bears scars inside and out but has no memory of what happened during those months he was missing. Meanwhile, Jeremy has become a famed missing persons’ investigator. With his uncanny abilities, he is the one person who can help vet tech Emilie Wendell find her sister, who vanished in the very same forest as Rafe and Jeremy. Emilie has been told that she had a sister but was dead. Then Emilie finds out that she may still be alive. Regardless, Emilie wants her to either be buried or living with her. She wants to know her sister. Can Jeremy find her sister? Jeremy alone knows the truth about the disappearances, for while the rest of the world was searching for them, the two missing boys were in a magical realm filled with beauty and danger.
He believes it is there that they will find Emilie’s sister. However, Jeremy has kept Rafe in the dark since their return for his own reasons. But the time for burying secrets comes to an end as the quest for Emilie’s sister begins. The former lost boys must confront their shared past, no matter how traumatic the memories. Emilie, Rafe and Jeremy must return to the enchanted world they called home for six months—for only then can they get back everything and everyone they’ve lost. Is it worth it? Will they find. Emilie’s sister?

The novel is a central mystery that focuses on two lost-then-found boys. The central plot is a mystery that focuses on two lost-then-found boys. Rafe and Jeremy disappeared on a school outing to Red Crow State Forest in West Virginia, only to reappear — suddenly, and without explanation — six months later. For Rafe, the missing months are simply gone from his memory. Jeremy sticks to an undetailed story: they were lost. is an adventure filled with sword fights, romance, and gut-wrenching stories of the dark past that led the boys to the forest in the first place. I loved the two boys and their adventures. I also liked that the author writes the tender love between Jeremy and Rafe and the magical depiction of the world they once left behind..

This book was a roller coaster for me. I LOVED LOVED LOVED Meg Shaffer's first book s0 I had high hopes for this one. The first half of the Lost Story had me hooked. I lost an interest in the middle when they entered this mystical land. But by the end, I was back invested in the book and these characters. Meg left it open for a followup novel and I would for sure buy it to follow these characters. Although this wasnt my favorite, I would read anything Meg writes.

The Lost Story is a wild ride. Based outside Morgantown, WV, it centers around 2 boys who become friends as teenagers, and unlock a door to a magical kingdom, but then must find it (and each other) again as adults. This is definitely a book for adults, but for those of us who loved Narnia and other books like that as kids. There are some fun moments of fantasy, danger and romance. I want to go to Shanandoah and be with this crew! The relationship between Rafe and Jeremy is just the best.

Think Narnia but for adults

Emilie loses her mother and begins the search to find her missing biological sister with the help of former missing child Jeremy Cox (now famed missing persons investigator). Emilie’s sister however, went missing ten years before Jeremy, in the same woods. Jeremy decides he needs his childhood best friend Rafe, who also went missing with him, to help find her. Going back in the woods is not going to be easy for Rafe or Jeremy as they face the magical world that they lived in for months.

I really loved The Wishing Game by this author but wasn’t as invested in this one. This one was much more magical and you had to suspend reality which was a bit more difficult for me than I anticipated. I still loved the story and the ending - we all need a bit of magic in our lives!

Jeremy and Rafe were young boys when they went missing in a forest in West Virginia. They were gone for 6 months and then suddenly reappeared, giving no explanation of where they were or what happened to them. People eventually stopped asking them about it and moved on with their lives, glad the boys were home.

Fastforward 15 years, and Rafe can no longer even recall what happened to them during that time. Jeremy has become a sort of vigil-ante detective who finds missing children who are impossible to find, and he seems to have an uncanny ability.

Emilie Wendell reaches out to Jeremy for help to find her long lost sister. He believes he can find her, but he needs the help of Rafe. Together, the three of them return to the enchanted world in the forest where Rafe and Jeremy had disappeared to so many years ago.

I loved Meg Shaffer's first book, and so I found this one to be a little boring. It was very whimsical, and kind of a lot was thrown in there, from a Fleetwood Mac obsession, to random animals like unicorns and mermaids. The first 40% of the book is a lot of set up and honestly is a bit slow. The second half was better but I had lost interest in these characters by then. I think the book tried a bit too hard to be Narnia-ish.

I loved loved loved Meg Shaffer's debut book The Wishing Game and had high hopes for The Lost Story, but it fell very flat for me. I DNF'd it at 25%. I had no interested in the plot, the characters, or what was happening in the book. It may not have been the right time for me to read the book and I will try to pick it up again in the future, but for now it is a no go from me.

Thank you Meg Shaffer, Ballantine Books, and NetGalley for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I loved everything about this story. It has a touch of mystery, a handful of fantasy, and a whole lot of love story—everything to make an incredible story. 5 stars.

Loved this. I’ve really enjoyed everything by this author. She’s an autobuy author for me. I love how every one of her stories is completely different from the others but you can still feel she’s the author. A very strong voice - one I really enjoy.