Thank you netgalley for the opportunity to read this arc. All opinions are my own.

Meg Shaffer looks to marry the whimsical fairytale of the Chronicles of Narnia with a modern day mystery story through her book, The Lost Story.
This book grabs attention right away with the makings of a fell fledged crime drama when two boys, gone for 6 months, emerge from the woods. No one has any answers, and the boys plead ignorant, but the audience can tell more is held behind the curtain.
As the story continues, I had a difficult time understanding the themes of the book. With adult characters and adult relationship problems tries to marry a childhood fantasy, it was hard to imagine it not being 30 year olds playing dress up.
Unicorns and a “big bad” gang labeled The Bright Boys, the story became very cringey for me and I couldn’t finish.
It would almost make more sense if the characters traveled back in time to understand the fairytale.

HI YES I'LL TAKE THE FOLLOW UP BOOK NOW 🫠

A warm hug of escapism 🫶💚

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Pub date: July 16th

"And of course, fairy tales are fiction. Always. Well, except for this one."

May I present: the book that made me feel like I missed out as a non-reader kid for the first time in my life. It fully delivers on being a "Narnia-inspired fairy tale for adults". It's such a warm hug of escapism, beautifully interwoven with real life topics and the promise that one day you, too, will find somewhere you belong and be accepted for exactly who you are.

“Fair warning: if you've never believed any impossible things before, now is a good time to start."

What I loved most about this book is the amazing writing and storytelling that just transports you into the world - both the one as we know it and the vibrant fantasy world that's just a magical treedoor away - while at the same time breaking the fourth wall with the Storyteller Corner chapters (in which one of the characters speaks to you directly). I absolutely loved this format as it heightened the intrigue and got me even more invested.

"You guarded me, day and night. Not because you had to but because you wanted to."

I also really loved the bonds between all the characters, both the newly formed, the existing ones and the rediscovered. My romance loving soul was having such a field trip with the LGBTQIA+ romance plotline. There was so much pining and just pure adoration hidden under a good layer of playful roasting (THE SARCASTIC Banter! 🤌 Chef's kiss) and without wanting to give anything away, I may have teared up a few times at the beautiful second chance romance and acts of unconditional love and support. The found family vibes are strong in this one, and I couldn't get enough of it.

"Maybe it was the price of magic. Maybe the price, sometimes, was too high."

I honestly can't stop thinking about this book. I've been on the verge of rereading it daily since I finished it about a month ago. And maybe that's the price of reading this book for me...

But no regrets, THERE'S FLUFFY UNICORNS! 🦄

Now go do yourself a favor and go pre-order!

So, 10/10 RECOMMEND if you like:

* Escaping "the real world" to a vibrant fantasy world
* LQBTQIA romance (yes, I teared up, but happy tears) - second chance , pining, roasting as a love language
* Found family
* Themes of acceptance, tolerance, love and belonging...
* Fourth wall breaking storytellers
* Amazing writing and storytelling
* And so much more

*Also want to thank Ballentine for providing me with an eARC through Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own*

The Lost Story
By Meg Shaffer

I discovered Meg Shaffer after reading her debut novel, The Wishing Game last year, and loved her storytelling. Second books can be hard, especially after a well received debut, but I always have high hopes for the author.

The Lost Story immediately got my attention as it is every parent's worst nightmare to have their kids go missing. Even though I knew what the premise of the book was about, I was intrigued and allowed Shaffer to take me away through the details from both boys perspectives and eventually a Emilie, who plays a central role in the story.

The relationship between Rafe and Jeremy is complex, from becoming friends in school, surviving this experience together and their present day where they are not speaking to one another, living very different lives. Their friendship ebb and flows and the reader is along for the ride as Shaffer provides a back story of their different childhoods, parents and how they live today.

It's a beautiful story, has themes of Narnia and Shaffer provides many details through about the enchanted world giving the reader a tremendous experience, like they have stepped through the closet to enter a beautiful yet dangerous world.

Although I am not a huge fan of fantasy, I was fully engaged with the story, their adventure and how they came to remember and make peace with the past in order to live a fully present life. Can't wait for her next novel! Thank you to @netgalley and @randomhouse for the advance readers copy! What a gift!

This book seemed written for me personally, and I truly wanted to love it, but unfortunately it was a miss for me on every level.

From early reviews it seems like I'm an outlier. I'm glad this book is finding an audience! Maybe I'm just not the right reader for this one.

The strongest aspect of this book for me was the concept, which was brilliant. However, the execution didn't work for me at all. I struggled with the clunky prose, dialogue and pacing, wanted more character development and depth, and guessed all the major plot plots very early on. I find myself wishing this book had received a stronger editorial pass; with more development and polishing, I think this could have been a fantastic book.

I had trouble differentiating the three main characters, who all sounded and acted exactly the same, despite clearly being intended to be very different. Their dialogue was extremely stilted and clunky. It felt like the author was going for quirky Joss Whedon-style banter, but that's a style that only works if it's really well done and really funny, and it wasn't for me. It also made the book feel weirdly dated. The characters were all 30 years old but seemed written more like teenagers, by someone who has not spent much time with teenagers recently. Some of this was likely intentional and connected to the plot, but it didn't work for me.

The pacing was very disjointed and choppy. The first 40% of the book is all set up for the main plotline and clumsy backstory for our main characters. Once the plot gets rolling, the pacing gets easier, but the book doesn't really get better, it just goes by faster. There are also frequent interludes by an unnamed Storyteller, which are intended to evoke a fairy-tale vibe, but regrettably I just found them grating and predictable. It's painfully easy to guess the identity of the Storyteller, and I didn't feel that the interludes brought anything to the story.

I also really struggled with one of the major plot points, which I saw coming from miles away. When one villainous character was introduced around halfway through, I literally said out loud "Oh no, please tell me that isn't [REDACTED], that's so incredibly obvious." I was extremely annoyed to be right.

The worldbuilding was fairly weak, which is particularly unfortunate in a story that is an homage to Narnia. It's clear that the author loves children's fantasy stories and wrote the book with a great deal of affection for them; beyond Narnia there are references to Peter Pan, Alice in Wonderland, The Princess Bride, Earthsea, and more. Unfortunately this book just didn't have the magic of any of those for me.

A sincere thank you to Meg Shaffer, Random House Publishing - Ballantine Books, and NetGalley for generously providing an ARC for review!

3.5 Stars

Meg Shaffer was, without a doubt, automatically an auto-buy author for me after reading her fantastic debut novel The Wishing Game last year. Due to this, I was so excited to get a chance to read her second novel The Lost Story. Unfortunately, a lot about this didn't hit the mark for me.

In terms of positives, Meg has again crafted really loveable characters and a creative, wondrous world. I'll often think about Jeremy and Rafe, Emilie and her little pet rat Fitz. I was rooting for them every step of the way, and I was eating up every single heartwarming scene where they supported each other through hardships, lost memories, and basking in the childlike wonder of this other world.

Where it fails for me is in plot and writing style. The narrative in the beginning felt very slow and clunky. At first, the introduction of the "Storyteller" seemed unnecessary and cheeky to the point of being annoyingly self-important... like instead of being whimsical as intended, it felt like it was trying too hard. The characters also don't even make it to the magical world until halfway through the book, which made this particular reader highly impatient for some action. Then in terms of writing style, there were many sentences that felt too short and clunky and way too many sentences starting with "But" (particularly in the beginning).

Unfortunately, I feel that perhaps this second novel was rushed out the door to capitalize on the hype of The Wishing Game? It seems like it could've benefitted from a little more development time. I'm hopeful that the final copy will address some of the pet peeves I had with the book, as I understand there are edits still in progress. I'll certainly give it another shot once its publish date comes around.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for my honest review!

What a stunning second novel! The true definition of an adult fairy tale. The narrator and story-telling were a breath of fresh air and the characters were rich and well-developed. The romance was so well done. 5/5 for me.

The Lost Story has total Chronicles of Narnia vibes which coincidentally was my favorite series as a child. It’s a fairy tale for adults with such in depth descriptions you can see it unfolding as a movie in your mind. The book is about best friends, love and the complex relationship between parent and child. The story started off strong and was definitely a page turner but halfway through I was not turning the pages as quickly. HOWEVER, the end was totally worth it. It’s magical, charming and brilliant. I miss Rafe and Jeremy and wonder if they ever return to the magical land in the tree. I recommend this book to anyone who is interested in magic, romance and contemporary fairy tales.

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review.

Whimsical. Tender-hearted. Magical. This book is everything I love, literally everything…

Characters: two lost boys, trying to find their way back to the magical world they inhabited for six months, and back to each other; one lost girl looking for her lost sister, along with her pet rat and music-addicted brain; mothers who will do anything to save their children; these are characters to root for and to fall in love with, over and over.
Setting: a blend of magical realism and fairy-tale magic, as well as West, By God, Virginia (you’ll get this reference when you read this book, and you really must read this book!)
Themes: of found family, of triumph over abuse, of love is love is love - my heart exploded all over itself as I turned the final page.

And my favorite part is the quirky, heartfelt narrator’s voice who tells the story and reminds us of the magic of book, and that yes, stories save lives.

This is a magical tale full of longing, love, and lessons. You might want to read it in the summertime with a cold lemonade sitting under the shade of a willow tree.

Equal parts nostalgic and heartbreaking, this genre-bending tale has elements of magical realism, fantasy, romance, adventure, and coming-of-age. Told as a fairy tale with interludes from an anonymous storyteller, it follows two childhood best friends who, at age fifteen, were lost in the woods for six months, and then suddenly returned. Now, fifteen years later, they’re adults still grappling with the fallout of their home lives and fifteen years of estrangement.

This one is heart-wrenching. Anyone who likes both reading and Renaissance Faires should read it.

After reading the Wishing Game I was excited to see another book by Meg. However this story did not grab me like her other book. There were too many characters whose back stories felt rushed in order to create a magical kingdom. I do like the thought put into Shenandoah, but it ended oddly. Is there a sequel or is the reader to just imagine the ending they like. I would read future books by this author.

Rating: 4 Stars

Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC. Review is all my own!

When I saw this was available on NetGalley, I had to grab it. I lovedddd The Wishing Game last year, and I was itching to read more of this author.

This novel had a lot of the things I liked about her first one -- the cozy, warm feeling, a unique and interesting setting that felt like a character, and a set of characters that feel like friends.

I will say that, for the first half of the book, Emilie, the main character, annoyed the SHIT out of me. How are we supposed to believe she was a whole adult when she acted like a middle school kid? But she eased up in the second half, and other people's storylines came forward more, and it got much easier to endure.

That being said, this book really read like a YA novel. It had all of the adventure and lost parents and whimsy of a YA novel (plus distinctly lacking anything controversial or risque). I didn't like it less for it... at times, it felt like a warm hug. And it read FAST. I cruised through the pages quickly.

I don't quite think it lived up to The Wishing Game's standards, but I wouldn't say it was a letdown either. It's a world I'll be thinking about for a while, and I really loved the way the author wove the story together, even if it felt a bit chaotic in the beginning.

I really enjoyed The Lost Story. This is the first book I’ve read by this author, it’s fantasy with som mystery elements in there and easy to connect to characters. I think some are comparing it to Narnia to harshly, better to think it’s inspired by! It is a magic lost Forrest after all. The only thing that got me was the pacing, it was a bit odd and took me longer than usual to finish

There were a lot of elements of the story I enjoyed including Rafe’s and Jeremy’s bond and the intermezzos with the Storyteller. There is mystery and romance and a fantastical world hidden in a West Virginia forest. Overall, the character development and pacing seemed off to me and I don’t think I got all of the analogies but I still appreciated the author’s exploration of found family and finding your place in the world.

Thank you to Random House Ballantine and NetGalley for the opportunity to read a copy.

Best friends, Jeremy Cox and Rafe Howell went missing in Red Crow Forest. After being missing for six months they went from missing to list. Then six months later they reappeared taller, stronger and in perfect health. Jeremy’s mother wished him away to England and the boys did not see each other until fifteen years later when Emilie approached Jeremy to help her find her missing sister in the same forest where Jeremy and Rafe had vanished. Jeremy had the ability to find missing women or girls. Meanwhile Rafe is a troubled reclusive artist who lives isolated in a cabin in the woods. Rafe has no memories of the time he was missing whereas Jeremy knows but won’t tell. So begins the three’s adventure into a magical world. This is an adult fairy tale and has all the classic elements of a fairy tale.I enjoyed this story and would recommend this book.

The description of how this book was inspired by Narnia initially drew me in. However I had difficulty getting into the story and ended up not finishing it.

Thank you, NetGalley, for an advanced copy of “The Lost Story” by Meg Shaffer in exchange for a review.

After “The Wishing Game”, I was eager to get my hands on Meg Shaffer’s follow up. Unfortunately, I didn’t enjoy it. Comparing to “The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe” is a tall order, and perhaps that didn’t help. It had too many words and not enough action. I couldn’t connect with the characters either.

Towards the end I found myself skimming just to finish it. I’m certain others will enjoy it but it just wasn’t for me.

I fell in love with Shaffer’s A Wishing Game, so I was beyond excited to get to read The Lost Story. This was a magical book and I fell in love with the characters. The premise of the book is not super realistic, but if you let yourself dive into the story and forget reason, I think you’ll enjoy it just as much as I did.

Thanks to Ballantine Books and NetGalley for the ARC!

I had so much fun reading this. I want to go to Shannandoah and hang out with Rafe, Jeremy, Emilie, and everyone else. I need to know more!! I will keep reading anything Meg Shaffer writes.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

The premise of this book is really enticing and will lure you in, it’s worth every word! West Virginia is a great and pretty setting for this. The time lapse from going to the lost boys to finding lost boys is very good. This was very well written you can tell the author carefully thought out everything & it was hard to put down. I really hope if you like fantasy you would be willing to give this book a chance because I can see many loving this book. Thank you so much to the Meg Shaffer, Penguin Random House, & NetGalley!

Really enjoyed this story! I love the relationships that were built, I would definitely recommend for those looking for a whimsical fantasy!