I finished this book three days ago but can just now come out of my book hangover fog to write a review. I really really liked Shaffer's first book, The Wishing Game, and had guarded hopes that her second book would deliver that same magical childhood tingle, but ya know, second books are hard. SHE FREAKING NAILED IT. I loved this book so much. And just like The Wishing Game it has this magical aspect that remind you of your childhood and the magic found in books as a child. Shaffer, never stop writing, we will always need to be reminded of the magic and the power of stories!

Jeremy and Rafe disappeared in the Red Crow Forest as teenagers. When they reappeared 6 months later, Rafe remembered nothing about his time lost and Jeremy refused to say anything. Now 15 years later, Emilie is looking for her sister that disappeared in the same forest before Jeremy and Rafe. She has enlisted Jeremy's help in finding out what happened to her. Jeremy knows the only way to help is to reconnect with Rafe and bring him into the secret world they left behind 15 years earlier.

I loved The Wishing Game so I had high expectations for this book and it did not disappoint. The magic of the fantasy world was so beautifully written. I loved the character development. The ending left me wanting so much more. If you have enjoyed magical realism in the past, this takes it a little beyond that but not into the full blown world of fantasy. I loved the balance it struck between real world and magical world.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballentine for the ARC of The Lost Story.

Ah this is a hard one for me to review. The book was well written, tender at times, beautiful at others. It was full of real problems and people finding hope through difficulties.

I have to admit I’m not much of a fantasy reader & had a difficult time with the more fantastical elements of this book. We spend more than half of this book in the real world and I found my self following the story and enjoying it while still a bit weary of what was to come. At about 60% we enter the fantasy world and I wish I could have enjoyed it more but it was at that point I realized my own interpretation of the title and the whole thing became a “lost story” for me. I feel as though there were plot points that were forgotten as the story switched and it felt like two different ideas without enough follow through.

It was beautifully written and a lovely romance. If you enjoy fantasy, LGBTQ+ representation, and C.S. Lewis you’ll probably enjoy this book. I can understand the appreciation, it just wasn’t totally for me.

The Lost Story has wonderfully charming characters and the plot stars out very enticing. However, the main conflict seem to be solved right wpaway and the ensuing conflict did not interest me. I was prepared for science fiction, as I loved Shaffer’s first novel, which had science fiction elements. This book, however, started out realistic and took a sharp turn deep into the sci-fi realm with no looking back. About halfway through, I begin to lose interest. It strongly reminded me of a TJ Klune novel or Fairy Tale by Stephen King. So, while I applaud Shaffer’s character development (Rafe and Jeremy really are so precious) and her way with words, the plot development was lacking. Thank you to Ballantine Books and NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!

Jeremy is well known for the ability to find missing people. He has an uncanny ability of knowing exactly how to solve even the most difficult of cases. At a speaking engagement he meets Emilie, who needs help finding her sister. Her sister has been missing for years in the exact place Jeremy and his former best friend went missing for 6 months. When she shows Jeremy a picture of her sister he knows he needs to help her.
When he was younger, he and his best friend Rafe (Ralph) went missing in Red Crow Forest, only to be found one day wandering the woods in perfect health. Rafe could never remember what happened and Jeremy refused to speak of it, keeping his distance until the two were no longer friends. Now they must reconnect to help Emilie find her missing sister. Rafe has no idea what Jeremy has kept from him all these years, that the 6 months they were missing were filled with the most magical and fantastical time of their lives.

I fell in love with Meg Shaffer's last book The Wishing Game and was so excited to receive an ARC of her newest book. The Lost Story did not disappoint! This book was the perfect mix of mystery, romance, and fantasy. I can't wait to read more from Shaffer.

Wow. Just wow. I adored Meg Shaffer's first book, and while I thought I would be disappointed that this book is in many ways very different, I think the heart of all the best things I loved in The Wishing Game are shining through to make me love this book too.

This magical story has a bit of everything: a fresh plot full of magic, adventure, and growth, a unique framing of the story with a narrator dropping in with dry wit and omniscient facts , characters with depth and real problems, and sense of humor had me smiling right along. And despite a large main cast (I would argue Jeremy, Rafe, Emiliee, and even Skya) all were my favorites and each felt like they were fully developed with their own faults, humor, plots, and triumphs, and all the side characters were fill of all the vim and vigor I love in fantasy adventure books.

The author's handling of some serious topics like suicide, adoption, personal trauma could have all made this book heartbreaking, but instead they were handled and incorporated so well they added a depth of connection that enhanced my reading of this book. Also the LGBT inclusion was *chef kiss* although maybe a bit more angsty than I prefer although that is 100% a personal preference.
As with Wishing Game I think the setting really shines through in this book and as an Ohio resident with my whole family from West - by God! - Virginia it was such a joy to see both states reflected here - in all their wonderous messy glory.

The story's plot was magical and exciting; it felt new and fresh. Although the plot was interesting, some of the time elements with the relationships between the characters were confusing to me; they knew each other for less than a year but had a connection that lasted the rest of their life. The world felt a bit randomly thrown together, but the lyrical writing describing the sights made up it. A very cute found family fantasy.

Yet another fabulous book from Meg (Tiffany Reisz). The scene building is utterly fabulous and the story like no other. 10/10

I read this lovely fantasy novel in one sitting.

This story begins 15 years earlier, with two lost teen boys in the forests of West Virginia. Thankfully, they are found safe, but part on uncertain terms. Now, Rafe lives alone with no memories of his time spent lost. Jeremy recalls the events but won’t divulge and spends his days as a Missing Person sleuth. Enter Emilie, an Ohio woman who convinces Jeremy to help her locate her missing sister. The catch? She hasn’t met this sister. The sister went missing in the same forest five years prior to Rafe and Jermey’s disappearance. Jeremy agrees and enlists a very reluctant Rafe’s help.


The three of them go on an adventure to find Emilie’s sister Shannon, whom the boys knew in their time away as Skya- a queen. All will be revealed in this journey. The past and secrets will be uncovered, and friendships will solidify.

If you liked the Binding by Bridget Collins, or were a childhood fan of fantasy stories like those by CS Lewis or Never-ending Story, for example, you will love this read. Akin to watching Stranger Things, this book made me feel that wonder as an adult, and that was a joyful break.

The Lost Story reminded me of how much I love fantasy stories. The world building was so incredible, so detailed, it truly felt like I was in the story and could picture everything in the Painted Sea! The characters, Jeremy and Rafe, were so well thought out, I couldn't help but to fall in love with them! Seeing their growth, their friendship, their romances, it was such a treat. I truly could not put this book down even if I tried! This book both felt like a cozy fairytale read yet also explored more serious concepts like suicide, LGBTQ+ orientation, adoption, trauma, and more. I feel so emotionally connected to this story, even more so than I did to the Chronicles of Narnia which this was inspired by. This was my first Meg Shaffer read and is certainly not going to be my last!

From the synopsis, I was expecting something darker. FMC’s sister was kidnapped and she is in a quest to find out what happened to her. MMCs disappear in the woods and appear months later with horrific scars. While it obviously was going to be a portal fantasy, I was expecting dark fairytale vibes. I expected there to be some big mystery and a fight for survival, anbd that was definitely not the direction it went! Yes, there are heavier themes and scenes woven throughout, but it was also whimsical, fun, AND funny.
Meg Schaffer’s writing style wasn’t overly descriptive or try-hard; it struck the perfect balance and was absolutely stunning. I loved Jeremy, Emilie, and Rafe and their dynamic from the start. While it had a slower start, I enjoyed my time with the characters so much I didn’t mind it! As the story moves into Shanandoah, it becomes much more focused on Rafe and Jeremy. While we get multiple POV chapters, I wish there were more from Emilie to fill in some plot gaps and also just spend more time developing her character . With themes of family (both found and biological), forgiveness, belonging, and the unbreakable bond of different types of love, The Lost Story is easily one of my most enjoyed reads of 2024!

I received a complimentary copy of this book "The Lost Story" and all opinions expressed are my own. This book really wasn't for me. I didn't like the whole fantasy in the forest thing. I had to push myself to finish the book. I like unusual and mystical books but this wasn't one of them.

Oh, my gosh, this book. THIS BOOK!

I’m still crying so I’m marking my review as having spoilers and just listing all the things swirling in my brain right now. I may come back later to organize these thoughts a little better.

I used to live in West Virginia, and my grandmother would always refer to it as “West—by golly!—Virginia!” (Not an exact quote from the book, but close enough that it had me smiling), so the moment I read those words, I knew this book would be special to me ❤️

This was a beautiful fairy tale, venturing into the category of cozy fantasy.

I love the notion that the kingdom and its royalty maintained their Appalachian accents. Actually, I love that this whole book was basically a love letter to West Virginia!

And also: The unicorn pencil! The Trapper Keeper! The, “No. Not this time.” The banter. The love. The scenery! Please make this into a series!

Thanks to NetGalley for the advance digital copy. I definitely need to add this one to my print library on the “forever books” shelves.

Instead of fitting neatly into one genre category, this story overlaps into many. It’s a fantasy world, a love story, a Narnia-like escape, an adult fairytale. The author does a wonderful job of world building and transporting the reader to her world. I like how it was told by a storyteller.

A worthy successor to The Wishing Game. I didn't like it as much which was a little disappointing since I was really looking forward to the Narnia-type premise. It turns out, for me at least, the first half of the story was more enjoyable - I connected much more to Shaffer's "real" world over her fantasy world.

Shaffer's ability to flesh out the backstory and her characters was much more interesting and compelling and I felt like she didn't spend as much time figuring out the fantasy world; very much black and white Wizard of Oz vs. color Wizard of Oz. I didn't even dislike the fantasy world per se but it was like "shrug" this doesn't make any sense and I don't know why because, you know, "magic." Even the final showdown with the villain was a letdown. I feel like it was very obvious (which is fine) but it was done in a very anticlimactic way. On the other hand, the reveal of the villain in the real world (not who but what he did) is that much more dramatic and horrifying. I do get that Shaffer was perhaps trying to make a point about the difference between a make-believe world vs. reality but, again, the fantasy world was just so simplistic and undeveloped.

The story overall was still really well done. I went into the book thinking I'd get a story about found family (and it was) but what really surprised me was that the male MCs were a more primary focus than the female MC and I wasn't sad about that.

Thank you to Netgalley and Ballantine Books for the Advanced Reader Copy of The Lost Story! I definitely recommend this. It's a quick, perfect summer read; fun premise with heartwarming characters.

Did not like much in this book. From the amateurish dialogue to the forced relationships to the shoddy character building, I was never able to fall into this book as I would for most character driven fantasy novels. I think the author was overly ambitious on what she thought she could convey in a medium sized book. Although I liked the character relationships in theory, the execution was simply weak.

<spoiler>
I found it unrealistic that characters who knew each other for only a year and a half when they were 14 had this strong of a bond 15 years later. I also think that just because someone is technically your sister by birth, you are not entitled to a super strong sister bond if you do not know them. "But she is my sister" feels unearned when the character speaking knew her sister for a month when she was a baby and then didn't know her sister even existed for the next 20 years. It diminished any chance of an interesting or realistic familial bond.

The worldbuilding felt childish, which I know is the point, but I found to be boring. Give children more credit, they can come up with more interesting and creative things when building fantasy worlds other than unicorns and vaguely European villages. </spoiler>I also did not care for Storyteller chapters (the attempts at witty writing fell flat), nor did I find the ending to be particularly earned. For a book compared so heavily to the Chronicles of Narnia, this did nothing to evoke the feelings of whimsy and heroism I felt when reading that series.<spoiler> Including the titles of the books and an Aslan quote does not make the two books similar in my opinion. </spoiler>

This was a pretty fast and easy read if that is what you are looking for, just don't expect anything special or unique, especially if you are a fantasy enjoyer.

I read this book early through NetGalley.

I have been a fan of Tiffany's (Meg) since I read an advance copy of The Siren years ago. I didn't think I would love any of her books more than that series, but when I heard she was writing something different under a new name, I was intrigued. Then I read the book's description as she shared more details and I was hooked. When I saw it was available here, I leapt at the chance to read it early.

Best. Decision. Ever.

This book... I don't even know how to put it in words. Fantasy. Romance. Intrigue. Suspense. Mystery. It's all there. Well-drawn deep characters with histories and personalities. Relationships that bloom quickly yet realistically. A fantasy world that is... I want to go there!

Truly, I loved this book. It is beautifully written, richly detailed, and leaves you wanting more. Definitely worth not only a read, but multiple reads!

This book was a surprisingly super enjoyable read for me. I knew that it would have themes and vibes that I would enjoy, otherwise I wouldn’t have requested it, but it really did take me by surprise on how much I enjoyed it. I felt like there were so many layers to this story. There was the obvious overarching fantasy side of it, which gave me massive Narnia vibes and was exceptional. Then, there was the missing person side of it, which was such an interesting aspect of moving the story and the plot along. Then, there were the interpersonal relationships. Between the romance between Rafe and Jeremy, to the relationship between Rafe and his father and then the relationship between Emilie and her sister. Honestly, with all the different dynamics, there really is something for everyone. And, the ending is something that really caught me off guard. I was not at all expecting it to go in the direction it did, and while part of me was sad, there was also a part of me that felt like it really was the perfect ending for this story.

This is totally a fairy tale for grown ups and I really enjoyed the whimsy of it. This had just the right amount of twee in it and I closed this book thinking how magical it was.

3.5 stars rounded up! I didn’t know if I was going to like this one. I loved the Wishing Game so I was hopeful. This was a unique story that at times was hard to follow but Meg does a great job painting the picture and making you love the characters!