Synopsis: Two young boys disappear and eventually are found. This story follows their lives afterwards and the fairytale life they led while missing.

Thoughts: I had such high hopes. I adored Meg Shaffers debut novel “The Wishing Game”, but this one fell short. There were a lot of great and promoting started but felt as they fell through the cracks. I had a hard time connecting to the characters and the third-person chapters were confusing. This book took me way too long to finish and I really had to force myself to push through. I haven’t given up hopes on Meg Shaffer, I look forward to what she puts out next, but this just didn’t do much for me.

Thank you to Meg Shaffer, Random House Publishing Group and NetGalley for the advanced copy!

The Lost Story was a wonderfully written novel with familiar elements like the Chronicles of Narnia or Alice in Wonderland. Told from two points of view, this dark enchanting tale had me hooked from the beginning. Emilie is searching for a sister she never met. She reaches out to Jeremy who has a knack for finding lost people and even things. Having disappeared in the same woods as Emilie's sister when he was a child. At first it seems like a clear mystery, but soon things twist and turn into almost some kind of psychedelic dream. The truth is learned about Jeremy and his friend, Rafe's disappearance. The images Shaffer creates are vivid and laid out in such a way that I was fully immersed. The Lost Story is charming with even a romance, while covering harder themes such as grief, loss, abuse and more. This is definitely going to be a reread for me and certainly one I will recommend.

The Lost Story by Meg Shaffer is most likely going to make my top 10 list of 2024, and it is just the type of heartwarming magical read that makes me light up. The synopsis states it was inspired by The Chronicles of Narnia and I can definitely see that. I hadn't read the synopsis before reading but that is the vibe I got while reading through and through, and it made me desperately want to do a reread. Jeremy, Rafe, and Emilie were some of the most loveable MCs I have ever met, and so many of the secondary characters were as well.

The audiobook would have been incredible with a full cast, but I loved Jorjeana Marie's narration just the same. Her voice was very pleasant and easy to listen to, and she made the story come alive. Some of my favorite parts were the storyteller sections which are an unknown narrator until the end, and I loved the fairy tale quality they provided. Shaffer's writing is vivid and enchanting, and I could have stayed in the world of Shenandoah forever. There is also a lovely queer romance that made my heart happy, but we couldn't get to the end without some pain and suffering as well. I am now an instant fan of this author, and I can't wait to get a copy to add to my shelves. 💝

It’s not often I want to slow a book down but THE LOST STORY by @meg_shaffer is one of those books. It is magical and whimsical and a book I craved to read. Unicorns, mermaids, magical lands that you dreamt of as a kid. It was like if Lisa Frank and Chronicles of Narnia had a baby.

If you loved The Wishing Game, I think you’ll love this too. Or if you are looking for an adult fairy tale, pick this one up.

I was drawn to this book by the beautiful cover and the storyline of missing folks in the mountains of Appalachia. If anything sounded like a book I would like, it was all of the above.

Well, The Lost Story started with the threads of a mystery, two teen boys found in the woods who had been lost for months, and then jumping forward in time to one now having the uncanny ability to find missing people. Somewhere along the way, it evolves into this magical, mystical love story that I wasn't expecting. Something similar to Narnia meets the House in the Cerulean Sea?

I don't read a lot of fantasy or romantasy, mystery is more of my jam. But I loved so many of the phrases and the elements that were tied together here. It was a beautiful story about surviving, loving, and family.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read The Lost Story in exchange for an honest review.

Utterly charming.

A modern, and slightly more mature, take on Chronicles of Narnia. I really like the asides from the Storyteller. There is room for another installment in this universe - if the author chooses to keep writing about this universe, I would read it.

Target audience: mid teens? This is a tough one to think about since there are some mature themes that I wouldn't necessarily want younger kids to read about. The main characters are older than I thought they acted. I still appreciated the character development and the story as a whole.

Thank you for the advanced copy of The Lost Story. Fantasy readers will definitely enjoy this story. I loved the plot and the unique structure of the storytelling. The Storyteller's Corner was such a fun part of the book. I loved that it paid homage to a lot of stories that I read as a child.

Meg Shaffer is great at coming up with concepts for her fantasy novels that somehow don’t feel entirely fantastical. Jeremy and Rafe disappeared in the forest for six months when they were kids only to reappear healthier than ever with no information about what had happened to them. In the present, Jeremy finds missing people as his profession and is not in contact with Rafe. That is, until Emilie comes to Jeremy asking for help finding her sister and Jeremy knows it’s time for them to venture back to the forest as a group.

This book was inspired by The Chronicles of Narnia and it definitely has the charm of a fairy tale. It was so comforting to get lost in this kind of world as an adult. Seeing inside the imagination of someone else was such a treat. That said, it was also imbued with a seriousness from the things that each character had dealt with in their life. The relationships of each of the three main characters with their families were nuanced and helped me to understand their motivations. There were definitely some heavy themes that made the urge to escape to the fantastical all the more understandable.

The magical world was whimsical and fun and I liked Rafe and Jeremy, but Emilie and another main character fell pretty flat for me and much of the second half of the book felt rushed. Overall an enjoyable read.

In The Lost Story by Meg Shaffer, two best friends Jeremy Cox and Rafe Howell go missing in a state forest. Return home 6 months later with no details as to where they had been. The story continues with the aftermath of the boys disappearance. 15 years after they went missing they are brought together to find a missing women, sister to Emilie. Embarking on a new journey of unknown consequences, can also mean revealing some well kept secrets.

This story had fairy tale vibes from the very beginning with a mystery element. This story is about friendship and human connection with a magic twist. I was frustrated in the beginning of this story and being told some components instead of feeling them. There were moments that had me kicking and screaming as well as the ‘awe so sweet’ moments. I felt like the pace met the style of the storytelling. I found this to be unique and with some elements I have not seen done before. Overall a 4.5 star for me, while there was a magic spark this one had something missing.

I can’t wait to see what Meg Shaffer does next.

I am very confused. I am not sure what happened between this book and the last one by this author. There seems to be a little discourse between the two. I loved her last book so much and had high expectations for this one. In my opinion, I felt like it fell very flat for me. I wasn't a huge fan of the character development and wish there was more in that aspect. This was marketed as Narnia in terms of the romance and the magical elements, and I felt like the magic was a little confusing. Overal, it was a fine read, it just wasn't for me. I know a lot of people love it though.

This was such an interesting story that had Narnia vibes. I loved the found family themes that were sprinkled throughout. The last quarter of the book was a little slow.

This was inspired by The Chronicles of Narnia. I haven't read it so I don't know how it compares but I really enjoyed this book. I was a fan of the author's first book so I was excited to check this book out. 3.5 stars

*Free Review Copy*

Let me start by saying The Wishing Game was one of my favorite books of 2023. I was excited to receive a review copy of The Lost Story, hoping for another creative, sparkling adventure. To me, The Lost Story wasn't exactly that.

As a pretty voracious reader and plentiful enjoyer of Fantasy / Magical Realism Fiction, The Lost Story just didn't "pop" for me the way that other tales do. It wasn't a convoluted story and was written with nice prose, and I could certainly see someone really enjoying this but, truth be told, it just felt like any/every story to me. It didn't strike me as overly clever or creative or anything much new.

Someone who hasn't read much Fantasy and is interested in a story of magic mixed with our modern world might very well enjoy this book. For me, it was fine, and that's about all.

Very much looking forward to Meg Shaffer's next book because she is a lovely storyteller and I like her mix of modern + magic. I know there is more good stuff to come.

Thanks so much to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Ballantine Books and Netgalley for this Free Review Copy.

An interest story but it felt like two books mashed together. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed the story but had so many questions after finishing it due to plot holes/missing explanations. I loved Jeremy and Ralph’s relationship and all the side character. The first half is like a missing persons mystery and then we fall into a fantasy realm.

3.75⭐️

I was thoroughly impressed by The Wishing Game by Shaffer and eagerly anticipated the release of another novel.

However, The Lost Story didn’t resonate with me as strongly as its predecessor. While the narrative was beautifully crafted, I found it challenging to maintain my engagement. Nonetheless, Shaffer's exceptional writing remains evident throughout the book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for providing an ARC in exchange for my honest review. I still look forward to reading more from Shaffer in the future.

Shaffer has a knack for writing fairytales that somehow feel like realistic fiction. I didn’t enjoy this one as much as The Wishing Game but I was still drawn in to the magical world she created. Rafe and Jeremy go missing in the woods as children but then return completely unscathed. They travel back to a place they love years later in an effort to help a young woman find her lost sister. We get transported to the enchanted world where they will discover a lot about themselves and each other.

Pick this up if you think you’ll enjoy a love story with magic and unicorns with LGTBQ rep.

<i>The Lost Story</i> was a fun combination of a crime documentary meets something like Narnia. This started out strong. It was really good, until it wasn't. I appreciated the mix between reality and fantasy. Once the fantasy started to run away with the story, it started to lose me.
Reading about Jeremy and Rafe getting lost in the woods was like a ripped from the headlines true crime story. And then they mysteriously reappeared. Yes! Tell me more. The story jumps ahead and Jeremy and Rafe, even after dealing with so much together as kids, no longer speaker until Emilie comes along looking for their help. Her sister went missing and she wants their help.
I really enjoyed the connections that were made. The fantasy was just a little too much for me. And the story being interrupted by the storyteller was fun until it became super annoying.
I wanted to like this book more than I did.

This entertaining adult fairy tale inspired by 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘊𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘪𝘤𝘭𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘕𝘢𝘳𝘯𝘪𝘢 has a beautiful message about found family. I loved the characters and the playfulness even when the story was addressing serious issues, and the narrator/storyteller was a great device. If you're looking for a magical escape, this is it.

Thanks to Random House and Ballantine for the copy to review.

The Lost Story is a unique, low stakes fantasy that’s whimsical yet full of emotional depth. There’s a small romance, but the story focuses heavily on character growth and development. I found the pacing to be a little slow for my taste and the writing style more YA than I anticipated. I wish the themes could’ve been a bit heavier and mature, as there was a ton of potential. The Lost Story fell a bit flat for me and lagged in terms of plot movement. I think it was just an okay read, nothing really brought it to the next level for me.

Thank you to NetGalley, Ballantine Books, and the author for sending me an early copy!

Picked this one up after thoroughly enjoying Meg Schaffer’s novel The Wishing Game and this one was different! This is a story that goes between the real world and an enchanting magical one. It has some real world issues mixed in with some just plain ole fun and escapism. Two boys who have very different home lives become friends and go missing only to show back up with no recollection of where they had been. The story of discovery and remembering ensues as well as the continuation of the life they had been away from. I would call this fantasy “light” for those that want to dip their toes in.