Thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for an advanced copy!

I loved The Wishing Game by Meg Shaffer, so I was so excited for this one! I didn't end up liking this one nearly as much as I liked her previous novel, but it still had some elements that were fun and original. I loved the play on Narnia but with a very original twist. I wasn't super invested in any of the characters, and I felt like one of the main characters, Emilie, was only there along for the ride. I'd recommend this book to anyone looking for a sweet LGBTQ+ romance, loves Narnia, or likes books that aren't too heavy fantasy.

Is this a literary masterpiece that's going to change the world and be hailed a modern classic 5-star rating? No. It *is* a made me cry, made me feel seen, flavors my reading in a way no other books can 5-star rating.

Meg Shaffer has a way of writing stuff I would normally find corny, too fantastical, too feel good and making it just right. She keeps an amazing balance of lightness and depth. Sure, we're in a Narnia-esque world with unicorns, and princesses, and a pet rat with a royal title BUT we're also inside the scared hearts and minds of children desperate to escape the darkness around them.

I will say this didn't grip me the entire time. It takes a minute to get it's feet off the ground, but the exposition eventually felt really necessary to the end plots. I felt SO much for Rafe and Jeremy, like those are my boys. They were both so fully realized and their relationship felt super real. I mean, this book made me CRY and that never happens. She snuck up on me, for sure.

Not as immersive as The Wishing Game for me, but hit closer to home emotionally I think. Meg Shaffer is becoming a go-to author for me. She has such a unique voice and I can't wait to see what she writes next.

Thank you Ballantine Books and NetGalley for an e-ARC!

As children we discovered the magic of fairy tales. As we deal with life’s stresses as adults it is important to remember that magic. Meg Shaffer gives you that fairy tale, filled with the loyalty of friends, magical creatures and a quest against evil beings. Jeremy Cox and Rafe Howell entered a West Virginia forest as teens and were not seen for six months. When the lost boys were found there was never an explanation for the disappearance. Rafe had no memory of the time. He became a reclusive artist, living in a cabin in the forest. Behind his cabin is a sculpture garden filled with fantastic creatures. Jeremy became an investigator, specializing in finding lost girls and women, displaying an uncanny ability to succeed. He has not talked to Rafe since they were found fifteen years earlier. He is approached by Emilie Wendell who wants him to find her sister Shannon. Emilie was adopted and only recently learned that she had a sister when she took a DNA test. She was kidnapped years before the boys disappeared in the same forest. She was believed to have died but her remains were never found and Emilie would like to find her final resting place. Jeremy surprises Emilie, telling her that he and Rafe saw her sister and she is still alive. If they are going to find her, however, they will need Rafe’s help.

Jeremy and Rafe’s reunion is off to a rocky start until Jeremy promises to tell him about the ipmissing six months when they find Shannon. With Rafe’s help the three companions find the entrance to a magical realm. Shannon is now Queen Skya, who has always hoped for a reunion with her sister. Shanandoah, named after the Queen, recognizes Prince Rafe and the Queen’s knight Jeremy and the adventure begins. The tale is narrated by a storyteller, who explains the essential elements of a fairy tale and comments on the events in both worlds. It is not until the closing pages that the storyteller’s identity is revealed. This is a beautifully imagined story of love and loyalty that brings back all of the thrills of those childhood stories. I would like to thank NetGalley and Random House - Ballantine for providing this book.

A unique book - I enjoyed the back and forth switch of the narrators and the characters, I felt that it really added to the story and I thoroughly enjoyed Shaffer's writing as much as I liked her first book.

Shaffer created their own Narnia within a West Virginian forest in a story filled with mystery, romance, and fantasy. And while Jeremy and Ralph went as kids, they return as adults, which is when we travel to this magical realm with them. But their return isn’t everything they hoped it be as they are no longer friends and the mystery of why not make it harder for them to be what they were to each other the last time. I enjoyed this story and the changing relationship between Jeremy and Ralph. However, this magical realm felt a little simple and that there wasn’t any big surprise unpredictability from it. Before they travel back to the realm there is mystery and questioning going on, but once we enter the realm that all fell away and what happened felt easy and predictable. But it was still filled with magic and I liked it.

Overall, this was a good fantasy book that I recommend.

fairy tale fantasy to break things up ? Last week I read this book that has similarities in concept with Alice In Wonderland, Narnia or even Neverland.
15 years ago best friends Ralph and Jeremy disappeared from a hiking trip and the search and rescue teams didn't find a thing until they suddenly reappeared six months later - well nourished and fit but unable or unwilling to answer questions about their whereabouts. With Jeremy moving to England with his mom shortly after their friendship suffered and they became estranged. Now 15 years later Ralph still lived near those mountains whereas Jeremy has made it a job to assist the search for lost children.
When Emily hires Jeremy to find her sister Shannon who disappeared in the same woods as the boys but even earlier Jeremy knows it's time to reach out to Ralph.
The trio embarks on a journey to a magical yet perilous realm, confronting themes of love, friendship, family, and forgiveness along the way.

I really tired with this one but I had to DNF at 59%. I was really looking forward to this because I loved The Wishing Game. There was a lot of potential, however, I couldn't connect with the characters and the narrator was jolting in between chapters.

I had really high hopes for this book but it fell very flat to me. I was so excited by the description of a “Narnia type fairy tale”. However, the story just did not have enough time to develop. There wasn’t enough time to invest in the fairy tale land and the characters. It felt very rushed and disappointing.

I really enjoyed Meg Shaffer's last book, The Wishing Game, and was excited to get her newest novel. The Lost Story was a quick read about adventure, action, and losing yourself to find yourself. I can see a bit of why a comparison to The Chronicles of Narnia was made when reviewing this book as there is, while darker, an escape into another world through an unexpected doorway that leads to a quest and adventure with magic and mythic creatures. I really like the mystery that surrounded the plot of the novel, following Jeremy and Rafes' disappearance as children to them helping Emilie find her lost sister. The characters bring a lot of heart, growth, and interest to the story and watching them interact and discover feelings and overcome worries was wonderful.

This was just a lovely book. It was at times moving, whimsical, witty, and irreverent. It seems some reviewers are disappointed that this was an LGBTQ story, at least in part, and maybe it would have been good to list it as such to keep away homophobic readers who will give it one star because they were caught off guard. I typically don’t read LGBTQ romance, but this story was so good, it really didn’t matter. It wouldn’t have made as much sense without that element. I think my favorite line was something like “He has Jeremy, he has the world”. 😭 I actually liked this book much better than The Wishing Game. It felt magical to me. I enjoyed the Storyteller asides as well. The breaking of the fourth wall really worked for me in this book. It may seem like the pacing was off because they don’t go into the magical world until 40% of the way through the book, but I actually really liked that. The magical world is not really the most important part of the story, in my opinion.
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for providing me access to this eARC for my honest opinion!

I absolutely loved this book, but I'm having a hard time articulating what I love so much about it without spoiling it. This felt like Narnia, but for adults (and better). All the characters and the plot are delightful, the story moves quickly, and there isn't a moment when it fells like the book drags. I simultaneously want more, but also feel like the ending is perfect and doesn't need anything else.

The Lost Story is a super charming, emotional portal fairytale set in West Virginia. If this is up your alley, I recommend going in blind like I did because the reading experience was magical.

I loved the characters and the adventure and I sincerely hope we get more. It does read like a fairytale and there were parts that were a little too cheesy or sweet for my taste, but to me it was mostly charming so I wasn’t bothered too much.

Thank you Ballantine Books and NetGalley for the advanced reader copy.

I loved this book! It was not what I was expecting at all, but I'm truly learning magical realism is my favorite! I loved the story of two worlds, I loved them coming together, I loved the love story woven throughout!

It took me a while to get into this book, I think because of all of the leading up to getting to the other world and the backstory. However once I passed the halfway mark I was super invested. Jeremy getting shot in the back was so devastating since it made them have to leave. However I am super excited to see there will hopefully be a second one because I want them to go back and get married. Definitely a great read!

“Fair Warning: If you’ve never believed any impossible things before, now is a good time to start.”

This is such a fun story. It feels like a warm blanket, a big hug, a hot chocolate warming your fingers. It feels nostalgic and you can feel that it's based on Narnia. It's an adult book and a comfort read. There are princes and princesses, hidden worlds, forest to get lost in, knights with swords and, of course, an evil villain. I liked the tough topics it tackled but with a sensitive and understanding heart. I loved the characters and this world. What a fun read.

I'm so glad my book club chose to tackle this one. We read this is faster than our typical reads and we've all been loving this easy, fast, comfort read.

A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

Meg Shaffer is a master at creating magical realism for adults. What happened while they were missing remains a mystery and the once best friends have never spoken to each other after. It was such a fun ride and I highly enjoyed it.

Meg Shaffer has done it again with The Lost Story. I LOVED The Wishing Game. It's one of those books I wish I could read for the first time over and over. While The Lost Story didn't have the same effect on me, I still fully enjoyed it and couldn't put it down. While reading, I could see the resemblance to Narnia, but it also reminded me a bit of The Magicians. It's definitely an adult fairy tale that was super entertaining.

I recommend this one for sure!

Thank you Random House and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.
4.5/5 stars

The Lost Story takes you on a journey. Two boys, Jeremy and Rafe, lost in the woods and come home to a different world. Were they rescued or were they returned back to chaos of their own lives? As the reader I did not understand the boys' bond, until Emilie needs them to help her find her sister, Shannon. The boys know her sister who has been lost longer than they were. Then the journey begins. Bonding the men back together and creating a new bond with Emilie. All seem sad in their lives and need this jounrey to bring them back to life.

This journey is magical and brings hope that these lives will move forward. The defend each other, they love each other and they become a family that they seemed to all be missing over the years. They even defeat the past which has found them in the beyond. However it ends with a question of what the future brings again. I am not sure a sequel is needed in their story. I think people were expecting a happy ending, as I was and I was left with what ifs.

Thank you NetGalley and Ballantine Books for this ARC Copy!

I was so excited when I saw that this book was coming out. I absolutely Loved The Wishing Game because it transported me to everything I loved about being a reader when I was a child and I was not disappointed at all with this story. The world was so nostalgic and magical to me as someone who read CS Lewis often as a child. I was once again transported to the childhood happiness that was reading under the covers with my flashlight.

Wow wow wow! Meg Shaffer does it again! The sophomore slump does not exist with Shaffer! I loved Shaffer's debut novel last year, but I think I loved The Lost Story even more. Inspired by The Chronicles of Narnia just enough, but without making me feel like it was a rip off, this novel was perfection and an instant favorite. Prior to the reader's arrival in the story, two best friends Jeremy and Rafe went missing as boys in the vast West Virginia forest and appeared unharmed 6 months later, unable to explain where they were or account for the time they were gone. Fast forward 15 years and Jeremy is now a famous missing persons investigator, while Rafe is a recluse. Jeremy and Rafe are preparing to return to the forest, together, for the first time to find a missing person. Filled with magical realism, friendship, betrayal and more, this novel is heartbreaking, healing and a big hug,