Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC opportunity.

The Lost Story by Meg Shaffer is a Narnia-esque tale. Two boys who lose themselves in the forest for 6 months as teens and miraculously made it out are no longer friends. Jeremy helps families find missing women and girls all around the world. Rafe is a recluse who lives off the grid, and can't remember his time in the forest. Neither are happy about it either. Emilie is looking for her missing sister, who vanished in the same forest as the boys 15 years past. In order to help find her, Jeremy has to convince Rafe to go back to Red Crow with him.

What ensues is an adventure of discovery, of what it means to be a family, what it means to love, and what it means to find yourself in a place you could never imagine.

Read this book if you like young adult fantasy, C.S Lewis, and found family stories.

This book is a solid 3.5 read for me. I think the concept was great even though I have never read C.S Lewis myself.
My main complaint was the book oscillated between a very YA writing style and themes, but with totally adult characters who said some borderline things. Given that everyone was between 23-30 years old, it would have been better written as an adult book. Also the book started a bit slow, we don't get to the good stuff until about 50% in the book, and I just don't think that much build up was needed.

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for an e-arc of this book.

This book was definitely Narnia inspired and you can really feel it in the pages that the author was paying homage to Narnia and c.s Lewis. In a way it was almost a love letter to fairy tales and it was done and clever and craftful way that really sucked you into the story.

One of the things that I really liked about this book was that it took the tropes and the arcs of a fairy tale and placed them both into a modern setting and into a fantastical one, and I think that worked well for this book. This book was not super fast-paced by any imagination but it worked because a lot of it was based on mystery and character development and a need to set up both the past, present and future.

This book was charming in many ways and it definitely wasn't exactly what I expected, and in some ways a less sad bridge to terabithia. That's definitely The vibes this book was giving me at times. But it also is like a dream that children have when they're younger that they're going to be a knights or a prince or a princess. And it really made me tap into my own childhood fantasies again of what it was like to believe and magic and I really loved that part of the book.

The book does deal with heavy subjects but in a respectful way and I think it was very telling how the author used fairy tales as escapism. And finding the magical in reality and our everyday life.

This was a very well written and entertaining book and I will definitely recommend it!

Really loved the true crime/ fairy tale mash-up. Was not expecting to like the 4 main characters so much. I had my doubts about Skya and her true intentions at first but I am glad I was wrong. I appreciate that the author did not spend long passages on world building and scenery. We were given just enough to see the beauty of the world and give us a grasp of the landscape as the characters moved through it. I also appreciate that there were no outlandish creatures. Every creature and being was similar to a real or previously known made-up creature. The storyteller "plot twist" was expected but not corny.
The realism that the characters acknowledged the original story was written by a child and therefore had issues and plot holes was refreshing. I would expect adults to admonish the writer for the errors, but they just went with it and worked through the difficulties.

I would love a sequel to see where the boys go in life and how the girls continue to rule.

I was so thrilled to receive an ARC for The Lost Story by Meg Shaffer. Her debut novel, The Wishing Game, was my absolute favorite book of 2023 and I could not wait to read her next story.

The Lost Story did not disappoint.. This whimsical, magical fairytale was heartwarming and funny. The relationships between the characters could be felt as I read and they felt like family. Jeremy's sense of humor and his banter and side comments fit the story perfectly,

Like The Wishing Game, I read this book in one sitting, I couldn't put the magic down.

Thank you to Meg Shaffer, Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Ballantine Books, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC.

Loved this! A fairytale like book with similar vibes to Narnia. Bring back my childhood! So much thought was put into this book and I just could not put it down. It is on my list to purchase a hard copy for my shelves.

As boys, best friends Jeremy Cox and Rafe Howell went missing in a vast West Virginia state forest, only to mysteriously reappear six months later with no explanation for where they’d gone or how they’d survived. This is the premise for The Lost Story by Meg Shaffer. I read it and thought it would go one way and it just didn’t really go in anyway that worked for me. I’m not exactly sure the point of the story and I have been going back and forth on this review for a while. I enjoyed reading the book, the writing was pretty basic and easy to read but the content was just not for me. Overall 3 ⭐️. Thank you NetGalley and Random House for an arc copy.

📚 The Lost Story
✍ Meg Shaffer
📖 Fiction/Fantasy
⭐3.25/5

➡ Fifteen years ago, Jeremy Cox and Rafe Howell walked out of Red Crow Forest in West Virginia virtually unharmed after going missing for six months. Despite being almost inseparable before their disappearance, Jeremy leaves their small town immediately after they are found and the two haven't spoken since.

Now, Jeremy spends his days channeling an impossible sixth sense that allows him to find missing girls and women around the globe while Rafe lives an agoraphobic existence in a small hidden cabin in the woods. When Emilie Wendell tracks Jeremy down and asks for his help to find sister who went missing 20 years ago in the same forest that Jeremy and Rafe disappeared in, he knows that only Rafe can help him track her down. But to get Rafe to agree to go back into the forest, and to the lives they left behind 15 years ago will take more than a little magic.
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🙏 Thank you to Ballantine Books, NetGalley and Meg Shaffer for an advanced copy of The Lost Story. All opinions are my own.
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🎯 What I loved: I really enjoyed Shaffer's 2023 release The Wishing Game and felt like it had just enough magic without veering into fantasy territory. With The Lost Story, it's safe to say that Shaffer has officially made the fantasy jump. Toggling between the real world and a fantastical realm imagined by a teenage girl, The Lost Story is adventurous and mystical with touches of heart and romance that reminded me of her previous book. The book explores themes of belonging, family and escapism and I think it would be a great book to discuss as part of a book club!

🙅‍♀️ What I didn't: Though I was drawn in by the creative premise, I did find that the focus was less on the story than the details of the imaginary environment where the story was set. Despite getting decent backstories about each of the characters, I didn't feel emotionally attached to them and I didn't feel the connection between Emilie and her sister. I want to say that it's because this read like a movie and I needed the visual connection to what was happening but it also could have been because most of their conversations were very surface level. Beyond that, I was confused about some of the royal relationships (i.e. I think there were multiple romances happening in the castle) and how the narrator interjections were supposed to play into the book (again- this very much read like a movie). I do think this book will work for anyone that loves fantasy and getting lost in mystical worlds- that's just not my personal forte.
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Read if you love:
*Chronicles of Narnia & beloved children's fantasy series
*found family
*magical realism + fantastical realms
*adventures!
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See also: Rules for Vanishing, Starling House (for a more horror-ish take on imaginative realms), This Will Be Fun

The Lost Story is an adult fairy tale-lost kids, a magical forest, magical people, and royalty. Jeremy and Rafe were supposedly lost is a forest on a field trip. Many years later, they were “found”. Years later, Jeremy would help find missing children. Emile approached Jeremy to help her find her sister that she had never met. Jeremy knew Syka was in the forest.

The book alternates between the past and the present.

The past-Jeremy and Rafe decided to stay in the forest to escape their lives. The met the queen of the forest “Sylka”. Rafe’s dad tried to keep him and Jeremy apart after they returned from the forest. He had a abusive relationship with Rafe.

Present-Emile hired Jeremey to find her sister who was Sylka. They all went into the magical forest to find her. The Bright Boys tried to trick everyone in the magical forest. Rafe’s father helped save Jeremy when he was dying. In the end, the boys admitted their friendship was more than just best friends. Emile was made a princess and stayed in the magical forest with her sister. Jeremy and Rafe lived their lives together after returning from the forest.

Skye was the magical story writer who wrote this story before if ever happened.

Thank you to NetGalley for an AR.

I wasn't looking for a Chronicles of Narnia influenced book. This wasn't as good as The Wishing Game, which I LOVED. It wasn't bad, it was interesting enough but I just didn't fall in love with it.

I was so excited for this as The Wishing Game was one of my favorite books of 2023. Unfortunately, it started out with a great premise but it sort of fell apart. The narration was a bit off, dialogue felt stilted, and while the characters were likeable there was no depth in the relationships between Emilie & Sky. It was an easy read and creative idea but just didn’t hit the mark for me.

Thank you NetGalley and Ballantine Books for the ARC.

I really wanted to love this story and it started so strong for me I couldn't wait to see where it was going. Then about a quarter way through it just kind of fell flat. I was still entertained by the story and wanted to see how it would end but I never got that can't put this book down feeling. It felt to me like it was more YA then an adult book the characters for as old as they were just felt very juvenile in the way they spoke and acted. Would still recommend this book for anyone to try just wasn't the book for me. I want to thank NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

I LOVED this book. The characters, the world, and just the general vibes were incredible.

This book is basically about what happens when two friends disappear into a Narnia-like world in their childhood, only for one to have no memory of this and for them to return fifteen years later in order to find a girl's lost sister.

This story was so beautiful. You love all the characters and the way that they care for each other. It depicts beautiful family, friend, and romantic relationships. This book is much more character driven than plot driven, so if that's your thing you might really enjoy this book. The writing style of this book is whimsical and fairytale-like, and it's the kind of book that would help you feel better after a rough day.

Basically, read this book if you grew up on Narnia, love found family, and want to read a beautiful love story.

I cannot wait for people to read this and realize how good it is. I highly highly recommend this one.

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!


4.5 Stars

I really loved this novel. I have read both of Meg Shaffer's novels so far and I intend to read them all. I love Rafe so much. He was a stand out character by far. This novel was a bit of a slow start but once we got rolling I couldn't put it down. I loved all of the fantasy elements. It felt so whimsical. Beautiful story!

When they were boys, best friends Jeremy Cox and Rafe Howell went missing in the vast woods of West Virginia, only to reappear six months later with no recollection of where they were or how they survived. It was clear something about the boys had changed, but they couldn't put a finger on what. Now, fifteen years later, Rafe is a reclusive artist and still can't remember anything from that time but bears the scars of his journey, both mentally and physically. Jeremy has made a name for himself as an investigator specializing in missing people, specifically missing girls.

During a safety talk, Jeremy is approached by Emilie Wendell, who begs him to help her find her sister, who went missing in the same forest as Jeremy and Rafe. At first, Jeremy declines, but then he sees a photo of Emilie's sister. Jeremy knows where her sister is. He and Rafe spent six months with her as boys in a magical world far from their own. It's been years since Jeremy and Rafe have spoken, but now it's up to Jeremy to convince his former friend to go on one last adventure to help Emilie and get back the life Rafe has lost.

The Wishing Game was one of my favorite reads of 2023, so my expectations were sky-high going into this latest release. I'm happy to report that they were more than met. I adored this. It was wonderfully whimsical and felt like a modern-day fairytale. It's inspired by The Chronicles of Narnia, but it also gives off the same vibes as The Princess Bride and The NeverEnding Story. The writing managed to be both tongue-in-cheek and serious. Shaffer created a world that was so playful yet dark, and I felt like I was on this quest along with our characters. Some moments did feel very convenient, but it played into the whole fairytale formula, so it didn't bother me too much. Shaffer has solidified herself as an auto-buy author for me, and I can't recommend this one enough.

The Lost Story by Meg Shaffer Review by Shirley W. 2-28-24

The author, Meg Shaffer has a unique, sweet style of writing. I, like many, love fairy tales. She bent several fairy tale “rules” by having a Storyteller Corner at several places in the novel to explain a few things that you might not understand. Helpful and unusual for a modern fairy tale. There are the usual characters, a favorite tame rat, a prince, a Queen, a Knight who is a great swordsman, and two sisters who have wanted to be reunited for a long time. There are evil, bad guys also and the characters have a mission to finish.

The story begins with two young missing boys, Jeremy and Ralph, being found 15 years after they went missing! There had been an extensive search for the boys in a large forest. As the author explains, first they are missing, then lost, and finally forgotten. The story continues with their lives after they returned and a Mom who won’t give up on her son. Secrets keep the boys apart and they finally join forces to go back into the forest to find a young woman’s sister who also went missing in the same forest 5 years before the boys. I liked the novel for it’s uniqueness and careful writing, but some of the content was not really of interest to me.

I received a free advanced copy of this book from NetGalley. This is my honest review.

I absolutely LOVED The Wishing Game, so I was over the moon when I got asked (not even requested, I got asked!) to review an ARC for The Lost Story. And now, after having finished it, Meg Shaffer is squarely in the category of "Auto-Buy" authors for me.

This book is fun, sweet, full of love, and celebrates the magic of a good story. It calls back to beloved classics like Narnia, The Princess Bride, and the Wayward Children series (a personal favorite of mine).

You have 30-year-old protagonists dealing with a loss of magic from their teenage years, and how they struggled to cope either with or without the memories. As a 30 year old myself, this tugged at my heartstrings. We all wistfully look back to our younger years, wishing for a way to get some of that magic back, and this story brings that feeling to life.

I loved the interruptions from "The Storyteller", and the little moments of fourth wall break. It was a fun way to add in foreshadowing, speed longer stretches along, and generally just comment on the format of a story. For anyone who grew up loving books and fairytales (and likely never grew out of it), this made for a very sweet touch.

This story at times got a bit darker than Shaffer's first book, The Wishing Game, but for every bit that it was dark and difficult, it was even more so full of heart. Talking through family trauma, class divides (which can run so deep in a place like West Virginia), and how it is so painful to lie to the ones you love that sometimes it's easier not to speak to them at all. All of this built on the love that was so deeply rooted in every page and every word of this story.

Meg Shaffer's books fill your heart, make you believe in love again, and remind you to find light in a world that can often feel so dark. I look forward to reading everything she writes in the future.

A huge thank you again to Netgalley and Random House Ballantine for an eARC of this book.

Another great story from the author that brought us “The Wishing Game”

Inspired by The Chronicles of Narnia this book will have you wanting to reread it over and over as it gives you that feeling, in my opinion, that all the books of Narnia gives me everytime I go to pick one up. I will say that I did not know if I was going to like this more or less than “The Wishing Game”. Safe to say that I liked it more! The story telling wa amazing and it was definitely more in the fantasy realm which is more in my prefereance. I really can’t wait to get my hands on a physical copy of the book as only having a digital will not be enough for this book goblin!!

The Lost Story
by Meg Shaffer
Pub Date: July 16, 2024
Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
Inspired by C. S. Lewis’s The Chronicles of Narnia, this wild and wondrous novel is a fairy tale for grown-ups who still knock on the back of wardrobes—just in case—from the author of The Wishing Game.
For all those who loved the Wishing Game, you'll enjoy The Lost Story just as much.
Teenagers, Jeremy and Rafe, go missing one day while they're art Red Crowe State park. It's safe to say that everyone immediately thinks of the worst-case scenario. Out of the blue, 6 months later, they turn up with no memory where they were or how they got there. They claim that they have no idea what happened. All everyone knows is that they come back in better shape than when they left. With all the commotion and mysterious circumstances, it's safe to say that these boys would need each other more than ever now, but Jeremy goes to live with his grandmother.

Time passes, and our is now 15 years later. It's safe to say that these events helped shape these two men into who they are now. Rafe is more of a hermit but an artist, and Jeremy is an investigator for missing people.
What a fun and mystical ride this was!! I could not put this down.

In West Virginia, Jeremy Cox and Rafe Howell vanished during an end-of-school field trip to Red Crow State Forest. Their disappearance lasted so long that people stopped calling them missing and started referring to them as lost. Mysteriously, they reappeared six months later in perfect health, looking taller, stronger, with bright eyes and clear skin. The question lingered: How did they survive?

Fifteen years later, Jeremy has become a missing persons investigator, while Rafe is a reclusive artist living in a cabin in the woods. Rafe bears both internal and external scars but has no memory of how he got them.

This book was an absolute delight!

The world it transported me to was breathtakingly beautiful. Here’s a glimpse into the Painted Sea’s enchanting description: The shore of the Painted Sea was a swirl of colors, resembling a child's jar of rainbow sand spilled everywhere—pinks, blues, greens, and purples. The water was so clear it looked like a window to the sea bed, where small silver dolphins and lazy rays played in the surf.

The trees in this world soared a thousand feet high, with trunks a hundred feet wide. The leaves came in every color of Easter—pink, green, blue, yellow, and white. They looked like the fantastical trees a child might scribble with fat Crayola markers. These were the trees of a child's imagination brought to life.

Inspired by C.S. Lewis’s *The Chronicles of Narnia*, this incredible novel is an adult fairytale. Having loved the author’s previous book, *The Wishing Game*, I adored this one even more—it became my favorite adult fairytale. All the characters were wonderfully developed and unforgettable.

I want to thank Netgalley and Random House Ballantine Books for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

What would you get if you combined the back-of-the-wardrobe world of Narnia with a true crime search for a missing girl and a dash of childhood trauma? You'd get this book.

The Lost Story is Meg Shaffer's second novel, and once again, the uniqueness of her work makes for a standout novel! The story follows three main characters--Emilie, Jeremy, and Rafe--whose pasts and presents are intertwined with the mystery of Red Crow State Forest. These three have a unique relationship that grows and matures as the story progresses, and the banter is a lot of fun. Emilie is exceedingly plucky (almost to the point of annoying), but she means well and is working so hard to be brave. Jeremy and Rafe have been significantly impacted by their six-month disappearance in Red Crow fifteen years before, and readers will relate the most to Rafe as he struggles to recover his memories from that time; important truths are revealed as Rafe is reintroduced to the magical world where he and Jeremy spent their missing months, and the very basic and detailed explanations help clue the reader in on what is happening.

Much like Shaffer's debut, The Lost Story is whimsical, fast-paced, and filled with great characters. I wish the ending would've been wrapped up a bit more neatly, but as it is, it feels very much like a Narnia book in that the open-endedness leaves room for more adventures. A fun ride from start to finish, The Lost Story is another great novel in Shaffer's repertoire, and I can't wait to see what she writes next!