I will not be reading this book in its entirety. This makes me sad to say because I adored The Wishing Game. There was content and relationship choices that do not align with my beliefs.

An adult fairy tale! I loved the Narnia series and this novel takes inspiration from that. Who wouldn't want to read about a grand adventure in a mysterious land. Jeremy and Rafe go missing from West Virginia in their youth and mysteriously appear six months later with no explanation for where they had been or how they survived. Fifteen years later, Jeremy is a missing person investigator with an uncanny ability to find missing or lost people. Enter Emilie who needs to find her missing sister who also went missing from the same woods as Jeremy and Rafe. Can Emilie convince Jeremy and Rafe to help her find her sister? What happens when they return to the magical realm where only Jeremy knowns the truth but Rafe bears the scars from the journey?

This novel billed as a fairytale for adults and inspired by The Chronicles of Narnia was a wonderful and fun read. This kind of book isn’t my typical “must-read” but I am very happy I gave it a chance. My life needed a little magic!

Two childhood friends, Jeremy and Rafe go missing for 6 months as teens and return taller, fitter, stronger and well fed. Use your imagination based on the the above as to where they were! Upon their return, Rafe can’t remember where they were and Jeremy keeps his lips sealed. Finding out what went on, why Rafe has no memory and why Jeremy won’t talk was great as a reader. That part truly sucked me in and cemented this as a fantastic read for me.

15 years later in adulthood, Jeremy is an expert at finding missing children and Rafe is a recluse. A young woman named Emily seeks out Jeremy’s services to find her missing sister. They all come together to head back to the magical world that the boys spent six months in during their youth. In their visit to the mystical world, The crew encounters magic, fantasy, danger, and love. .All the ingredients of a great fairytale.

I recommend this book to most readers - especially those who aren’t big on fantasy, like me. It is a heart-warming read that is sure to bring some well-deserved whimsey into your life.

I, unfortunately, didn't love this one.

The book started out strong and I was hooked and intriguing to find out where the story was going.

I really enjoyed the unexpected mystery aspect and would have loved for that same vibe to continue through out the story.

However, once the group made it through the magic door the whole writing style changed and I felt like I was reading a children's book.

I understand the magic of the location can change a story but the writing became so childish I just couldn't believe I was reading the same book. .

On top of that, I found the second half to be very predictable and the twist and turns expected.

Overall I think the concept was good but the execution was a bit all over the place and lacking.

I wanted to love it but it just didn't work for me.

I really didn’t know if I could love this story more than The Wishing Game but I did!!! This book was powerful with the many messages of family, found family, love, friendships, and doing what’s right. I really loved our trio of characters Rafe, Jay, and Emilie they all have such wonderful personalities. I loved this story because the title is so on the nose. If you feel lost, you need to read this story. If you’ve ever felt lost or lost someone then you need to read this story. I loved how this story talked about more serious topics such as sexuality, mental health, and stability. This book really is a 6 star read for me if I could rate it higher than 5 stars. This has definitely been added to the top 5 books I will always recommend to others.

When two boys are found after being lost in the wilderness for 6 months, everyone rejoices and tries not to question the oddities – like, how are they healthier and weigh more than when they disappeared? What are the scars on one boy’s back, and why does he have no memory of his time gone? Where WERE they?

15 years later Emilie approaches Jeremy, who has become known as the lost boy who now finds lost girls. He has a talent for finding women and girls who have gone missing, and Emilie needs his help. Her sister went missing in the same place he and Rafe did, and she is desperate to find her.

This is a whimsical and delightful story, full of magic, friendship, love and found family. If you enjoy Narnia or Schaffer’s debut novel The Wishing Game, you’ll find here that same blend of wonder and enchantment. It’s that same sense of wide eyed innocent and delight that you felt the first time crossing through the wardrobe with the Pevensies.

The story and the conclusion are achingly and hauntingly sweet. I wish only that this could have been a duology at least, so we could spend more time in Shanandoah. I feel like, with a little more time, the kingdom could have felt like a character all on its own. Most of the characters outside of Jeremy, Rafe and Emilie are fairly simplistic; the real focus is on those three and their journey. With a little more time and attention I think this world could have become as deep and rich as Narnia. Even so, the world we see is magical and mysterious, and even as a reader it feels like coming home to the memory of all the places we dreamed up as children.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House for an advanced digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!

I just love Meg Shaffer. She writes the most fun re-tellings, and there just aren’t many authors like her. This story was a fun Narnia retelling. I was sucked in pretty much from page one, and I read this one pretty quickly. The fantasy elements are fun and silly, with a little darkness mixed in, just like any good fairy tale. Thanks, Netgalley and Ballantine Books, for the ARC.

The format of The Lost Story is a bit unusual. It helps just to accept that from the beginning. But you have to pay attention. This really is a fairy tale. Commentary from the “Story Teller” is interspersed with this fascinating novel’s chapters. Just accept.

I was hooked from the beginning, the part about the lost boys (that’s not a spoiler, that’s background.) But because I wasn't paying good attention, I had to go back and reread the Prologue. So my words to you are, just accept and pay attention.

Question: how did I get so lucky in just three weeks to read two books I love and one I really like? This is one of the ones I love. There are a lot of fantasies being written, but to find a really good fairy tale for adults is a treasure. Meg Shaffer, I do believe that C.S. Lewis would wholeheartedly approve.

And just for the record, “West—by God—Virginia” is a real expression, but I could not find that it is actually applied to archery. There is a same-gender love story in this tale, so if that offends you, this is not your book. But it is very tastefully done, and integral to the story. So, unless it offends you (and if it does, I'm sorry because all people are people), you should definitely read this delightful new novel by Meg Shaffer.

I enjoyed The Wishing Game, the previous book by this author, so was excited for a sweet and uplifting book. That's exactly what I found in this adorable story of two lost boys and a lost girl that felt sort of like if Stephen King's Fairy Tale had been written by TJ Klune. It's nice to think that some missing people could actually be in a magical realm.

For fans of fairytale retellings, Narnia & (dare I say) a sprinkling of Raven Cycle vibes, the Lost Story is a fun twist on the tales we grew up with. Equal parts whimsical and gritty, hopeful and heavy, it held me captive from start to finish and I really enjoyed it.

Great setting, lovable characters. And all the Midwest goodness? I’m a sucker for that. Not to mention, that ending 👀

Thank you @netgalley & @randomhouse for the eARC! 🖤

This is a compelling story about returning to the real world after an extended stay in a fantasy world. The structure of the book was unique, and the occasional intersections from the Storyteller were fun and prevented the pace from dragging. The worldbuilding has the perfect blend of explanation, mystery, and implausibility, and I liked the discussions throughout about what it means to be lost and then found. All of the characters are distinct and have their own interesting backstories. Should another door to Shanandoah open, I would be delighted to return. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for an alternate world story that also feels like a fairy tale.

A beautiful story full of heart and magic. The characters leapt off the page with their unique personalities, and the plot flowed effortlessly.

This was really good! I could not put it down! I didn’t know what I was getting myself into and it pulled me in right away with the mystery of what happen and the way things went down it was just such a fun ride! Thanks for the Adventure and I loved all of the characters!

I received an electronic ARC from Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine through NetGalley.
The story opens with a young woman seeking help to find a sister who disappeared over a decade ago. She seeks the assistance of a man who finds lost girls and women. Though reluctant at first, he agrees to help. The two set out to find his friend and convince him to join them in their quest. From here, the story moves solidly into the fairy tale/fantasy realm. Readers journey with them as Jeremy and Rafe return to a land they entered when lost as young teenagers.
All of the elements of an adult fairy tale are here including a mysterious storyteller who steps in to offer information and wisdom as the tale unfolds. There are adventures, suspense, battles, confrontation and resolution to past situations, and, overall, love and a desire for home.
The ending leaves readers hope that a sequel will be written soon.
I appreciate how Shaffer continues to grow as an author. Her sense of timing and character development is solid.

ARC review of this fantastically whimsical novel. This book transports you to the magical land of Shanandoah and West—by God!—Virginia! The writing flows so effortlessly and the characters are so endearing. You’ll feel for them and want to hug them all - Emilie, Jeremy, Rafe, Skya…even Fitz (though I had a pet rat growing up so might be a bit biased on that last hug). Books are an escape and if you want to escape the real world for a while and enter a magical one with cloud-like unicorns, mermaids with secrets, castles and very soft towels then this is the perfect read. The storyteller is clever and if you think a portal to another world is overdone, this book makes you realize it’s not because it does it just right. It should really be done more and I hope their story continues in a sequel (and I rarely hope for sequels but this one just asks for it…).

A little confusing, a lot heart-warming. Love, love the nods to Narnia. Three and a half stars, rounding up. Meg Shaffer will be an auto read

Such a good second book after The Wishing Game! The same sort of whimsy, but with added built in mystery. I do t want to say too much but it follows a main character who learns her sister mysteriously disappeared many years ago and wants to find out what really happened. I really love Meg’s writing and can’t wait to see what else she will do

As much as i enjoyed Meg Shaffer's "Wishing Game," I loved "The Lost Story". This fantasy book is more on the whimsical side than the world building side which made it a quick, fun read. The main characters are funny, lovable, and very relatable in this fast paced, energetic story. It captured my interest from the first page and I read it straight through in one day. Highly recommended

Thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for an advanced reader copy

Loved! Meg Shaffer did it again. Dare I say I liked it even more then The Wishing Game? Because I did. Her writing is so magical I can’t wait for more.

Book Title: The Lost Story
Author: Meg Shaffer
Publisher: Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine Books
Genre: Modern Day Fairy Tale
Pub Date: July 16, 2024
My Rating: 4 Stars
Pages: 336

I read and absolutely loved [book: The Wishing Game]
In Ms. Shaffer’s Acknowledgements she thanks many people but especially wanted to thank Gene Wilder’s Willy Wonka for taking over her brain when she was in the third grade.
This story was inspired by C. S. Lewis’s The Chronicles of Narnia. A story most readers have read as it was a wonderful novel as well as a fairy tale. In fact, many of us still knock on the back of wardrobes—just in case—


Prologue is fifteen years ago before our story begins.
Once upon a time in West Virginia two teenagers Jeremy Cox and Ralph (Rafe) Howell vanish during an end-of-the-year-school field trip to Red Crow State Park, Everyone feared they were dead. Six months later Maggie and Tom are hiking in the same area and see a faded posted on the signboard of a trail map. Maggie takes a long look at the poster and as she looks at the boys; she thinks one is the leader and the other is a follower and she wonders what might have happened to them. She is a nurse and assumes the worst. They continue on their hike and later see and two boys coming down the hill. They are shirtless and their trousers too short. One appears to be injured. Since Maggie is a nurse she offers to help and Tom calls authorities.

Although they cannot remember anything about what happened. They have grown taller and appear to have been well-fed,

Story has a Storyteller who interjects throughout with info on fairy tales. Gives us the recipe for a Fairy Tale by listing co called ingredients; also states there is a rule of three- three little bears, three wishes, three clicks of your slippers to get back home. Well this fairy tale has three characters- two we met in the prologue.

Story now begins, Emilie Wendell drives from Milton, Ohio to Louisville as she wants to talk to Jeremy Cox. He has become a bit of a celebrity as a Persons’ Investigator and is offering a “Safety Talk’ in one of the parks. Emilie needs his help finding her half-sister, who went missing in West Virginia twenty years ago,
Although Rafe has been spending his time in his cottage alone with his art he is willing to join his friend in the search by going back to West Virginia and retuning to Red Crow State Park.

Yikes I feel like something is wrong with me for not 5 Star Loving this- as I did love Jeremy and Rafe –enjoyed Jeremy’s magic and Rafe’s kind heart – when the bear showed her appreciate to Rafe for saving her and her cubs by giving him a ‘Thank you nod” I, of course, went Awww. Then there was the Storyteller’s input that I like and it kept me curious.
So Yes the story is good!!!!
I am already looking forward to the next Meg Shaffer story!

Want to thank NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine Books
for granting me the pleasure of reading this early eGalley.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for July 16, 2024