This has a super interesting premise! I was sucked in immediately with the first half but it got less interesting towards the end and lost me a little. It felt a bit different than the first half. The romance was adorable and the writing was beautiful.

This was a fun, whimsical, magical story that will stay with me for a long time and will be a story I read over and over. I loved how part of the story was in the real world and part in Shanandoah. I wish the first part wasn’t so drawn out so that we had been able to spend more time immersed in the magic of the fairytale world. That was the only part of the book I disliked. Overall, a great read that I’d highly recommend.

I was surprised by "The Lost Story." It certainly has the feeling of a C.S. Lewis tale, but was strikingly sad and a little creepy! Reading about such sad childhoods was difficult, but the story was like a healing fairy tale for adults.

The love story part of the novel was wonderful. Pain and confusion at such a long separation, combined with such a strong history and lingering pining and compassion was well done. An element I liked less was the narrator. The fourth wall breaks pulled me out of the story and took away from the realism. But I can see that this addition added some levity and moved the story along. I will also note that the ending got a little corny and didn't fit as well with the serious tones of the rest of the story.

Overall, this was an interesting and heartfelt story of loss and healing and was written with a strong sense of setting and scenery.

Thank you to NetGalley & the publisher for providing an eARC for review.

I enjoyed The Wishing Game by this author last year, so I was interested to pick up her new one, which has been compared to The Chronicles of Narnia. Set in West Virginia, 20-something Emilie is looking for her half sister who disappeared many years ago. She enlists the help of Jeremy, a young man who himself disappeared with his friend Rafe into the Red Crow wilderness as a teenager, and now has the uncanny ability to locate missing girls.

This novel has a slooow start. The supposed "Narnia" tie-in doesn't take place until the 40% mark. The back half of the book was more intriguing, but I can't say too much without spoilers. Overall, I found this to have an interesting premise and I appreciated the LGBTQ+ representation, but it lacked execution and the characters were somewhat one-dimensional.

Talk about an ending that made me CRY!

Shaffer's The Lost Story seems like just another fairy tale (story-teller included), but her second trip into the fantastical was anything but simple. This third-person narrative that cycles between the viewpoints of Emilie, Rafe and Jeremy, a motley crew searching for Emilie's lost half-sister in West Virginia's fictional Red Crow State Forest. Their quest for answers brings them full circle to when Jeremy and Rafe were lost in the same forest for six months as high schoolers and into a magical world that could only be created by a teen yearning to find their true home.

The first almost third of the book felt mundane and hard to get through: I understand the need to set up the story, but things finally kicked into a higher gear once the magical aspect of Shaffer's story appeared. Once the fantastical DID appear, it felt almost rushed. The characters were immediately thrown into a situation that I would have expected more of a build up to.

That being said, Shaffer hits some really DEEP themes that can be triggering: familial abuse and violence, mental health (such as depression and suicide), implied homophobia and loss of parents. These themes, however, are contrasted with those of found family, enduring love, healing and forgiveness. The profound depth and meaning is similar to that of T.J. Klune's beloved stories, and I would highly recommend to those looking for something not only charming but incredibly moving.

Meg Shaffer’s fantasy novel “The Lost Story” is a whimsical fairy tale about three adults on a quest to find a long-lost sister in a world shaped by a child's wishes, dreams, and a special unicorn pencil.

The novel is narrated by the Storyteller, whose identity is revealed at the end. The story begins fifteen years earlier, when two teenage boys, Ralph “Rafe” Stanley Howell and Jeremy Andrew Cox, venture into the Red Crow Forest in West Virginia in May, only to return six months later under mysterious circumstances.

As the Storyteller explains, fairy tales adhere to certain rules:
1. One princess in distress
2. One magician, wizard, or wise woman
3. One hero
4. One to three villains
5. A member of the royal family disguised as a commoner
6. A bunch of unusual animals

Twenty-three-year-old Emilie Wendell, grieving the loss of her adoptive mother in Milton, Ohio, submits a DNA test in hopes of finding any biological relatives. She discovers that she has a sister, Shannon Katherine Yates, who went missing twenty years ago in the Red Crow Forest.
Rafe’s father, who insisted that Rafe focus on outdoor skills rather than drawing, reacts violently when he discovers Rafe’s drawings of his best friend Jeremy. After being beaten and having his drawings destroyed, Rafe flees with Jeremy into the forest. The two disappear for six months; when they return, Jeremy possesses knowledge of the events that occurred, while Rafe’s memory is wiped clean. Unable to explain what happened, Jeremy returns to England with his mother, leaving Rafe isolated and estranged. Rafe, especially after the loss of his father, has since lived among the forest birds, painting his cabin and creating wooden woodland creatures.

In the intervening years, Jeremy has used his magical talents to find missing persons and lost items. When Emilie approaches Jeremy during a TV interview to help find her missing sister, he reluctantly agrees after recognizing Shannon as Queen Skya of Shanandoah, a magical land within the Red Crow Forest. Together with a reluctant Rafe, they embark on a journey back to this enchanted world, filled with unicorns, dragons, silver tigers, and more. Their adventure unfolds with romance, found family, and heartbreak.

Shaffer’s adult fairy tale is ambitious, featuring a magical realm created by a thirteen-year-old and depicting Rafe and Jeremy as adults in their late twenties, engaging in heroic feats. However, the imagery and descriptions of Shanandoah are less vivid compared to other fantasy worlds. The rapid development of Skya’s and Emilie’s relationship feels somewhat implausible given their limited time together. Nonetheless, Rafe’s struggles with his father’s abuse are poignantly portrayed, and the tender love story between Jeremy and Rafe is beautifully crafted as they navigate their identities and embrace their love in a world that offers acceptance and wonder.

I am in awe about the magic that was woven through the pages of The Lost Story. Meg Shaffer concocted a whimsical story that had my imagination running wild and my fingers flipping the pages faster and faster so I could find out what happened next!

Growing up, I loved fairy tales. As an adult, I enjoyed getting lost in a fairy tale world that the Queen concocted (although it was more Narnia-esque than a Rapunzel fairy tale). Rafe and Jeremy were strong male leads that played the parts of a prince and a knight very convincingly. I would love to go on and on about the story, but do not want to spoil the plot! Just know that this book features love, fantasy, excitement and hope. Get lost in the pages and you'll find your happy ending.

Another fabulous story from Meg! The Wishing Game is still my favorite out of these two but this is still very good. This one felt more YA than the other but was still and enjoyable read in my opinion.

This was definitely a unique and magical read that tackles heavy topics of overcoming grief and abuse. I liked all the characters and enjoyed adventuring into the magical, fairytale world that reminded me of a mix between Narnia and A Neverending Story. I also appreciated the “story-teller chapters” that made me feel like a part of the story. However, the pacing was a bit off for me. Some chapters felt very slow and I felt a lack of plot and depth and some chapters felt exciting and whimsical. Overall, this fell a bit flat for me.

I love love love this! I love the overlap of reality and magic, I love the power of stories, and I love the power of love. I’ll admit at first I hated the “storyteller” chapters and felt like it was weird and took away from the story. But now I love it! It’s like the answer to all the questions I would normally wonder about while reading a book. It added another magical feel to it like getting a little sneak peek into the author’s mind. 10/10 recommend!

When I read the description that compared this to the Chronicles of Narnia, I couldn’t wait to begin. Once again, Meg Shaffer takes readers to an imaginative, beautifully described place. This has elements of fairytales, romance, family and found family, adventure and more. A lovely read.

The Lost Story's inspiration from Narnia is clear, trying to invoke the sense of childhood wonder I remember from C.S. Lewis’s books. Sadly, the story left my head whenever I put the book down during the reading process.

The start was rough. The synopsis covers the first chunk of the book in a lot of detail, so for 40% I was just waiting to get anything new. (If you read this book, I recommend skipping the synopsis.) This might have been okay if I liked the characters, but they seemed one-dimensional, and their dialogue felt more like middle school than adult.

Things picked up once the story moved into the fantasy world. The action started rolling, and I was more entertained. The character’s internal conflicts in the section gave them the life I was initially looking for. But by that point, I was kind of checked out. The build-up took so long that I was already losing interest, and then the ending felt both rushed and draggy, going on for more chapters than necessary.

Overall, The Lost Story wasn’t for me. But I am an outlier with this opinion, so please check out some positive reviews to see if this story will be more your style! If you’re into whimsical fantasy and don’t mind a slow start and somewhat stilted characters, it might be for you.

(check TWs: includes parental abuse, physical and emotional)

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine for the advance copy. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

Thank you NetGalley for the review copy of The Lost Story by Meg Shaffer. I thoroughly enjoyed this romp of a fairy tale inspired by Narnia, Wonderland, and the like. I was anticipating this because I loved The Wishing Game last year and couldn't wait to find out what Meg Shaffer had in store next. Although I didn't love The Lost Story as much as The Wishing Game, I absolutely fell in love with the characters of the The Lost Story all the same. I loved the wit and banter between this found family.

I would recommend this book to anyone who grew up wishing they could go on a magical fairy tale adventure.

This book is a masterclass in storytelling. Keeping my fingers crossed for a sequel to this fantastical adventure!

I was lucky enough to get an ARC of this book from Netgalley, and then get my own purchased copy because Meg did a fantastic job with this book. I was always a fan of the Narnia series, so this one hooked me with the description of being an Adult version. Sometimes, you just need that. She did a fantastic job with it and I was appreciative of the depth of the characters and the story itself. Fantastic read, get it on your shelves!

Book Summary:

Jeremy Cox and Rafe Howell are famous. As teenagers, they went missing for months, only to randomly show up, providing no explanation for their absence. Now, Jeremy is making a new name for himself, as his talent lies in finding missing women and girls.

That’s where Emilie Wendell comes into play. Following the death of her adoptive mother, Emilie learned that she had a sister. Only her sister has been missing for over a decade. Her only chance at finding the family she has left is with Jeremy.

My Review:

When I saw Meg Shaffer (author of The Wishing Game) had another book coming our way, you better believe I scrambled to get my hands on it! Like her first novel, The Lost Story has a strong book-about-a-book vibe, but it's also so much more.

In truth, there are times when this book feels more like two wrapped into one. There's the world as described in Jeremy's past, and then there's the present, with a young girl searching for a long-lost sister. Basically, it's a magical/dark tale and a missing person's story.

Truthfully, I'm not sure which tale I liked more. I think they could have been better integrated, as the dialogue was jarring sometimes. I did enjoy the characters and the banter they quickly fell into.

Overall, I'd say that The Lost Story wasn't quite as strong as The Wishing Game. It still had a beautiful foundation, but it felt like it didn't quite live up to its potential.

Highlights:
Fantasy World
Bridge to Terabithia Vibes
Books about Books
LGBTQ+

Trigger Warnings:
Abuse
Homophobia
Familial Death

Honestly, I want a whole other spicy story about Jeremy, Rafe, and Skyla as a throuple 😂

On another note, I LOVED The Lost Story. Meg Shaffer does a fantastic job of mixing reality and fantasy and creating such a beautiful new world. I would love to live in the Painted Sea 🥹 Each character was so special in their own way, and although this book does revolve heavily around trauma, Shaffer approaches it so carefully and gives everyone the happy ending they deserve. Highly recommend this one, even if you’re not a fantasy reader 😊

I enjoyed this book! Captivating story, strong voice, lovely descriptions. I’ll recommend it to students who like a bit of fabulist and fairy tale in their stories. I cared about my leads!

Sweet and to the point, I can see the origins of the story pretty clearly which is fine. However I expected a bit more from the plot, potentially even a longer story. Was fun though to read!

The Lost Story by Meg Shaffer was a lovely story full of magic as well as a depth of emotions. I was immediately transported from the very beginning to the very end. It balances all the emotions and fantasy elements so well. It’s wonderful storytelling.