I really loved The Wishing Game and was very excited to read this! It was a quick, fun read with mystery, adventure and enchantment. The story has a young adult/cozy fantasy feel with more serious topics of abuse and grief tied in. I loved the easy-to-root-for characters, their friendships and the realm they venture to - Shanandoah. I craved a bit more world building though, as many experiences within Shanandoah were from stories. Here’s hoping for a book two someday to get more of that world! I adore Meg’s whimsical writing style and also loved the Clock Island reference from her previous book.

Thank you to the publisher, NetGalley and Meg Shaffer for the ARC in exchange for my honest feedback.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was optimistic about this release as I really enjoyed Meg Shaffer's debut “The Wishing Game”. I loved her whimsy writing in that book, and the poignant way she covered heavier topics such as child neglect and loss of a parent. I could see Meg aimed for that same whimsical style in this story as well. But unfortunately the writing in "The Lost Story" fell short for me, and overall was too gratingly juvenile for my liking. The characters' dialogues were often nonsensical tangents that were just cumbersome to read. Instead of fun bantering, their conversations just came across as a bit immature for an adult fantasy. The childish dialogues were such an odd contrast with the heavier themes explored in the book (physical abuse, kidnapping, substance addiction).

Another issue I had with the book was the pacing. It took 40% into the story before things actually got interesting. It was pretty slow going for almost the first half of the book; there was a lot of telling and not showing in the story. We're given a lot of backstory but with the lack of showing, I never really felt fully pulled into the story. I still finished the book as it was fine enough for me to complete, but overall this was definitely a mid reading experience. As far as portal fantasies go, this wasn't one of my favorite

I am still interested in checking out the author's future works, and am hoping for better luck w/ her next work.

Overall, I really loved the story of The Lost Story. It was heartwarming and sweet.

However, I felt that the book overall was written a little more childish-ly than I was expecting. For it being an adult book, it felt more like middle grade.

What a whimsically captivating story!! It expanded my imagination to new realms.. Love the ending??

Thanks NetGalley, Meg Shaffer, and Ballantine Books for giving me the opportunity to read this ARC.

Absolutely lovely! I highlighted so many lines in this book. A fairy tale for grownups and I lived it completely.

I thought The Lost Story by Meg Shaffer was an absolutely delightful read. That is not to say that there weren't painful aspects to the story, but I thought those aspects of the novel were done well and somehow written with the same deftness that categorized the fantasy portions of the book. I believed the characterizations in the story, though not deep and detailed, hit the right notes for me (and I truly liked all four of the main characters). Similarly, though the world-building was not as intense as many fantasy lovers might prefer, it was perfect for me. I also enjoyed the "storyteller" interludes of the book and felt they provided the break and balance needed. And finally, I truly enjoyed the voice in this book. The writing was touching and funny and I thought the repartee was excellent. This is definitely a book I'll be recommending.

Thank you NetGalley and Meg Shaffer for the chance to give my honest review about this book.

I don't have to much to say on this book. It was alright. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't great. This was my first Meg Shaffer book and to be honest I hadn't heard of her until I got the request for this book, smack me on the wrist it's okay lol! It honestly just wasn't my jam but maybe I'll pick it up in the future and give it a reread

A fairy tale for grown ups. A journey of redemption, love, and the enduring magic of forgotten places.
May thanks to Random House and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

This was a solid 4.5 star for me. I loved the characters and the plot. For fans of C.S. Lewis's Narnia but all grown up. It was charming and cozy like a warm blanket. I loved the camaraderie of the characters and the world that Shaffer has built. If you liked her previous novel, I highly recommend picking this up.

To me, this was another retelling of a story that was better the first time. I did not like the Wishing Game as I thought it was a rip-off of Roald Dahl and other novels with a game element. This was trying too hard to be Narnia.

This was billed as a fairytale for adults. And it certainly is! The novel was basically well written. However, when it got to the fairytale portion, I found it got a bit childish in the telling. The book has humor, heartbreak, and adult issues and situations that the characters must deal with. Thereby giving it an adult quality. I really liked this novel because the story was so compelling and the characters were so appealing. I highly recommend it.

The Lost Story by Meg Shaffer is a fantasy adventure novel. What if there was a magical realm ruled by a queen and her attending valkyries? What if lost boys and girls aren’t really lost?

Inspired by The Chronicles of Narnia, this also reminded me of Alice in Wonderland. Why? Because not everything in Wonderland is wonderful.

While I enjoyed the novel, it has some issues preventing it from being a 4 or 5 star read.

The novel feels like a mishmash of a lighthearted, YA fantasy rom-com and a more serious adult novel touching on grief and abuse.

Additionally, I felt the world-building for Shanandoah could have been better. We learn most of the good bits only second and third-hand, in retellings and stories, and not through the direct action of the plot.

And finally, the novel includes a fairy godmother-like storyteller who inserts themselves between chapters. I didn’t care for this, and I felt it mostly pulled you out of the (already) disjointed story.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House/Ballantine for an advance copy in exchange for sharing my opinions. All opinions in this review are my own.

This book was AWESOME. Perfect for fans of Bruce Coville, CS Lewis, and the Neverending Story. A modern fairy tale, true crime junkie's fever dream,. The best book of 2024 so far..

This is the perfect book for the young and the young at heart (and any millennials hungry for a return to Narnia). Shaffer does an awesome job alluding to many of the fantasy genre’s best novels with clever nods to Oz, NeverEnding Story and many more. Despite the connection to the past, this story is uniquely modern and is gripping from page one. Hopefully many many readers will get their hands on this fantastic novel. Highly recommended.

I received an advance copy via NetGalley.

I think I can be classified as an all-out fan of Meg Shaffer. I adored her book <i>The Wishing Game</i>, and I feel the same way about her newest release, <i>The Lost Story.</i> Both books are emotionally-gutting with intricate characters and innovative approaches to storytelling.

<i>The Lost Story</i> begins with a news story about two missing teenage boys in the wilds of West Virginia. After six months, the presumed-dead best friends emerged in good health and no trustworthy account of what happened when they were missing. One of them, Rafe, has no memory of the time at all; Jeremy remembers and says little, but as he grows up, he becomes a famed missing persons investigator. Rafe becomes an artistic recluse in the woods.

When a vet tech, Emilie Wendell, approaches Jeremy for help in finding an older sister she just discovered through DNA testing--a sister who vanished long ago--she has no idea the scope of the story she is within.

This is in many ways a fantasy story told within literary framework, and it works. It's an ode to the power of fantasy, but approaches it from a different way than in <i>The Wishing Game</i> (and I did appreciate the quiet nod Shaffer made to her previous book). There's a beautiful, banter-filled queer romance and a profound found family narrative that powers the book through the end. I was fighting tears through the last 10%, which was rather awkward as I was on an airplane and masked up. This book is just.... stunning. Deep. It delves into some hard topics around abuse, but overall is hopeful and resilient.

Wow I’m not sure I can love this story anymore. My heart strings are pulled, my emotions are stretched, and my wish for more is growing larger and larger.

Rafe and Jeremy went missing 15 years ago and after they were found lost contact with each other. Until Emilie approaches Jeremy to find her missing sister and Jeremy knows he can’t find her without Rafe’s help.

Together these three set out on an adventure no one expected, learning about themselves and each other along the way.

In Meg Shaffer style the twists are fun, the ending is satisfying, and the characters are your new best friends.

What a fun read! I went into this book completely blind, and I honestly think it may be more enjoyable that way. BUT if you would like a real quick synopsis read the following paragraph↴
15 years ago, two best friends, Jeremy and Rafe, get lost in the woods in West Virginia, and come back six months later unscathed. They claimed they were just lost, but is that what really happened? Nobody knows what happened to them, even Rafe because he lost his memories. Only Jeremy remembers, and he refuses to talk about it. 15 years later, Jeremy helps find lost girls and brings them home. One day, a girl named Emilie, asks Jeremy to help find her sister, who happened to disappear in the same woods he did 15 years ago... and the story takes off from there!

I absolutely LOVED the format of this book. The addition of a storyteller was so refreshing, and it just made me smile every time the storyteller took over the book for a moment. I had no idea this book was going to have fantasy elements in it, and I was pleasantly surprised. I don't know why, but I originally thought this book might be a bit dark? But it wasn't really. There were hard topics mentioned in this book, but definitely not by any means a dark story. I would say the majority of the book put a huge smile on my face.

I love a good story about friendship, belonging, and family. I think this story really encompassed those things well. I was a little thrown off by how attached Emilie was to a sister she never met, but I understood her wanting to have a home again, with someone she felt like she belonged with. Jeremy and Rafe's story was so bittersweet, and it absolutely killed me at certain parts (in a good way of course). There were so many "why's?" I kept asking throughout the book for them specifically, and then eventually finding out why and learning what they've been through broke my heart a bit.

I think I would consider this somewhat of a cozy read? The stakes were kind of high at some points? But also not? I'm not sure how to explain this very well, but at no point was I panicking for the characters in the story. This book was very whimsical, magical, and heartwarming, but it didn't quite make me feel for the characters enough. I tend to fall in love with characters hard and feel too much for them, but this one didn't have that strong pull for me. I still enjoyed them, but I didn't feel any attachment for them.

Overall, if you couldn't tell, I really enjoyed this read. This story ends on a note that makes me believe we might be seeing more of this world again? Possibly? Please? It was a cute magical story that I definitely want to revisit again in the future ♥

Thank you netgalley and Random House Publishing for the e-arc.

I adored this book! It's a fairy tale for adults which was inspired by The Chronicles of Narnia! It is full of vivid descriptions of a faraway enchanted land called Shenandoah. It's magical, enchanting, gripping, moving, and wonderful. I was swept away and loved every page! This book is full of deep friendships, adventure, love, lost boys, romance, family, and found family. I truly wished to get lost in Shenandoah and spend more time there until I let go of my insecurities, fears, troubles, and stress, shedding my old whining self and returning to innocence, laughing like a child. The world-building, metaphors, and Easter eggs hidden in the book, with references to Gilmore Girls and Batman, made me giddy.

Loved this book! Was one of my favorite reads of the year so far! I will reccomend this to everyone!!!

Perhaps inspired by C.S. Lewis's The Chronicles of Narnia, The Lost Story is sort of an adult fairy tale. When they were boys, Jeremy and Safe go missing on a school field trip to a forest. Six months later, they mysteriously reappear. Although Rafe has no memory of what happened the months they were gone, Jeremy know that they actually entered a magical world unbeknownst to virtually everyone. For years, Jeremy has kept this secret, telling no one about where he and Rafe were when they had disappeared. However, now that a young girl has gone missing in the same forest in which Jeremy and Rafe had disappeared, both come to the realization that they must somehow go back to that magical world to help find this missing girl. I must be an outlier here because I really wanted to love this book, but it just did not do it for me. Although the storyline was a good one, it just did not blow me away as I thought it might.

The Wishing Game by Meg Shaffer was a five star read for me last year so I was excited to get my hands on her new one, The Lost Story. For the first half I was liking this one even better. The part that took place in the magical kingdom was really good too, but some of it fell a bit short for me so I lowered the rating to a four, still a very good rating for me. As a fairytale should, it ended on a good one, but as an adult fairytale it left room for the reader to think about what might happen next. Or maybe there will be a sequel?!?