Meg Shaffer has written a magically addictive tale that is timely, relateable, and captivating. This book brings back memories of The Princess Bride, The Neverending Story, and a sprinkle of Peter Pan.

The story starts as a modern mystery with Emilie who has enlisted Jeremy, a famous missing persons investigator, to help find her missing sister. Jeremy and Emilie wrangle Rafe, a recluse and Jeremy's estranged best friend from high school, to help navigate a mysterious world to find Emillie's sister.

This book deserves four stars. It has everything a reader could want when wanting to revist their childhood fantasies as an adult. Who doesn't want to walk through a mystical door to a magical land? On top of the wonder and adventure, Shaffer makes her characters relateable and inclusive. Each character comes from a different background, and they are not all pleasant, but these lives are what make the story relateable.

I will strongly be recommending this to teens and adults who love adventure, magic, princes/princesses, knights, and characters who grow as the story develops. I can't wait to see what Shaffer writes about next.

I read Meg Shaffer’s debut novel last year and was so excited to be approved for this ARC and it lived up to expectations and then some!!

This book was a sweet and witty adventure novel that didn’t take itself too seriously. The characters I immediately was rooting for and fell more and more in love with them as the story went. Highly recommend this book to anyone but especially people who love a fantastical adventure!

I'm a fan of Meg Shaffer and was very excited for this book.
I greatly enjoyed her previous title, The Wishing Game.
In The Lost Story, Shaffer writes about two men who went missing in the woods for six months when they were teenagers. Rafe has no memory of those months, but Jeremy remembers everything about the magical realm where they lived, fought, and triumphed. Jeremy is approached by a young woman named Emily who needs his help to find her missing sister, a woman Jeremy has met before - in the fantasy world he thought they left behind.
Exciting! I loved the premise. Mysterious amnesia! A magic world! Secrets!
Shaffer included a fun literary device of a 'storyteller' who breaks up the chapters with their own omniscient story details and fairy tale knowledge. The book takes fairy tale tropes/rules seriously and the way Shaffer succumbs to them or subverts them is very entertaining.
All that being said, the book didn't work for me. I think I was so enthralled by the idea that I wanted a serious fantasy world with serious stakes - fully built out and engrossing. The relationship between Jeremy and Rafe ended up being the author's main point of interest.
The fantasy world was mostly...silly. Shaffer alleviates a little of the world building pressure with the admission that the world was dreamt up by a preteen girl, but it felt hard to invest in the story when nothing felt like it truly was life or death.
The Emily character is almost completely unformed. She has no wants, no desires, no need for information beyond the surface. She's a perfect vehicle into the fantasy world because she slows nothing down with a personality - but I wanted more *anything* from her. Have an opinion! Ask a follow up question! Be someone!
There are two plot twists in the book that I think younger readers will really enjoy.
I will read Shaffer's next book, as I'm sure it will be top notch! This book will be great for a lot of people, it just wasn't for me.

Thank you to Netgalley for my gifted copy of this book.

While I absolutely LOVED the Wishing Game, this one was just not what I was expecting. The idea behind the story was intriguing and while I would have liked to know what happened to the boys while they were lost in the Red Crow, at about the 30% mark it just lost it's "oomph" for me. I am certain there are many that will love this story, but it just missed the mark for me.

Even with that being said I would totally read another book by Meg Shaffer just based on how much I enjoyed The Wishing Game.

A beautiful ode to Narnia and all things fantasy, The Lost Story will be a big hit for readers of C.S. Lewis. It also put me in mind of The Princess Bride as there is a funny narrator to the entire book.
It would be easy to over explain and ruin things so I will say the ingredients are:
Queen
Prince
Best of Friends
Magical Creatures
A quest of sorts
Villains
And in addition, there are societal issues explored within the framework of a fantasy.

I read this book but I believe an audiobook would be wonderful entertainment for the entire family.

4.25 stars

Thank you to Penguin Random house for offering an early e-copy via Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

Disclaimer: I appreciate NetGallery giving me an ARC in return for a honest evaluation.

The Lost Story by Meg Shaffer was such a lovely read, and it helped me get through my reading slump. It is the first time I have read a narration format that was created in a fun and witty way, and it added to the enjoyment of the reading experience. In fact, I read the entire book in one sitting because I was eager to know how the tale would unfold.

I really liked the book's concept, and it brings back memories of my adolescent years when I longed to run away from everything and find bliss in the fairy tale world. The book covered several significant themes, including parental abuse, homophobia, and abductions. They were handled appropriately, but there was no in-depth exploration of it. The plot has a whimsical and happy feel to it (similar to the fairytales we read as children), so doing that would not suit the vibes it was trying to portray, thus I understand why it tries to keep things light.

This book really surprised me! I loved the narration format, and I read the whole book in one sitting because I just wanted to unravel the whole mystery of it. The true crime first half immediately pulled me in, as did the obvious "the characters are connected somehow but what is it!!!" elements throughout. The premise was fun and nostalgic while also tackling some hard subjects. I loved the found family we get to experience, the romantic relationships explored, and the magical world that unravels around them all.

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

Perfect for fans of The Chronicle of Narnia, Peter Pan, and The Wizard of Oz! The Lost Story introduces readers to a magical fantasy world hidden in the wilds of West Virginia called Shenandoah. Reading the descriptions of Shenandoah feels like stepping in a Lisa Frank picture full of magical creatures, a riot of color, and the very essence of girlhood 💝🦄

I love the premise of two kids coming back from a seemingly impossible magical adventure and having to reckon with their experience. Shaffer explores this through the characters of Jermey and Rafe but I wish she would have spent more time delving into their internal conflict especially in the back half of the book.

Ultimately, the central question of The Lost Story seems to be not if magic is real, because of course it is 😉, but what would you do to get it back if you had lost it?

Thank you to NetGalley, Penguin Random House, Ballentine Books, and Meg Shaffer for providing me with an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review! 🥰

Rating: 🌟🌟🌟💫 3.5 stars

Absolutely loved the concept of this book. Jeremy and Rafe were young when they went missing for months. And come back, but not the same. Fast forward to now and Jeremy finds missing persons which is why Emelie seeks him out, to find her sister. Again, I loved the idea but this book was easy for me to put down.

3.5 STARS for me but I'm rounding up because I just know fans of Meg Shaffer's first book will love this book!

First my rating system to give you and idea of where my head is.

1 Star: Basically loathe.
2 Stars: Didn’t like it. but still finished it.
3 Stars: Liked it!
4 Stars: Really Liked it!
5 Stars: LOVED IT!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for providing this ARC.

Inspired by The Chronicles of Narnia The Lost Story gives a grown up twist on a classic tale. The book follows best friends Jeremy Cox an Rafe Howell, two boys who disappear in the woods of West Virginia only to turn up 6 months later looking better than ever. 15 years later Jeremy and Rafe are living separate lives until Emilie Wendell requests Jeremy's aid in finding her lost sister who just so happened to disappear in the same woods the boys had disappeared in. Reconnected the threesome set out on a journey to find Emilie's sister.

If you're a fan of Meg Shaffer's debut novel The Wishing Game you're going to LOVE The Lost Story. It gave me similar feel good vibes. The questions the story brought up had me wanting to keep turning pages, I wanted to know the answers to my questions and see what happened while Jeremy and Rafe were lost in the woods! I got all the questions I need and it was left open ended up enough to wonder if there’s a part 2 coming! I would read it!

I am almost without words. What a beautiful story. Terrific characters. Such emotion. Highly recommend!

I absolutely adored The Wishing Game, and jumped at the chance to read more from Meg Shaffer. The concept is very creative, and I love the idea of friends going missing here, but finding a whole new world to explore! And I'm hopeful since this was an ARC, some of the plot holes and inconsistencies will be worked out.

I also liked the Storyteller, and thought the concept of a narrator talking to the reader directly was very entertaining.

That said, this fairytale fell short for me. It's really more of a love story with a fairytale backdrop than a fairy tale itself. I was just hoping for more the friendship aspect talked about in the blurb, not a major love story. A love story that feels inappropriate at times, because at it's core, they are kids. Kids being physical. It just wasn't for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book!

Thank you to @NetGalley and Penguin Random House for providing an e-ARC of this story! Below is my honest review.
✨✨✨
Jeremy Cox and Ralph "Rafe" Howell go missing in a West Virginia Forest as teenagers. After being gone for 6 months, both boys miraculously reappear with no explanation for where they had gone and how they had survived...

15 years later, Jeremy is famous. He is known world-wide for his uncanny ability to find lost or missing girls. Though he chalks it up to his time being lost as a child, he is widely sought after from many families. One day, Emilie Wendell reaches out to Jeremy to find her sister. However, there's a catch: her sister went missing in the same forest where Jeremy and Rafe disappeared 15 years ago.

Jeremy, Rafe, and Emilie set out to find Emilie's sister, while also uncovering mysteries from the past.

🏹🏹🏹

"Yes, books are magic. Maybe even the strongest magic there is."

What happens when a writer places The Lord of the Flies next to The Chronicles of Narnia on her bookshelf? Magic. This was a book full of magic, mystery, and whimsy, while also navigating heavy topics of homophobia, abuse, and kidnapping. Though this is an #adult novel, it pays homage to fairy tales and fantasies of youth. Because it relies on the "fairy tale" formula, it is a tad predictable, but I found it a very charming fantastical story of a found family. There are moments where quips between the characters had me laughing out loud. I think that fans of Narnia will adore this one, and I can see this capturing the hearts of teens and adults.

The Lost Story is a charming story that managed to surprise me. I had thought it would be a twisted, fractured fairy tale that exposed the dark heart of stories such as the Narnia or Oz stories that many of us enjoyed as children. I expected a much more cynical take on the portal fantasy, especially with the current state of the fantasy genre.

However, The Lost Story is, instead, a hopefully and earnest story about the power of stories themselves—truth and fiction—and the meaning of home. While shaded with darkness, it ends up being is a sweetly optimistic story.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the ebook ARC. All opinions are mine alone.

Jeremy and Rafe went missing in West Virginia as kids and mysteriously reappeared six months later.

It’s been fifteen years; Rafe is now a reclusive artist and Jeremy has become a missing persons investigator.

Jeremy alone remembers what happened during the six months they were gone, and it’s these memories that help him in his job. Now the time has come for the boys to confront their shared past, no traumatic the memories.


I absolutely loved The Wishing Game so when I heard that Meg Shaffer was back with a new book, I ran to request it on Netgalley as soon as I could. Then when I saw it was being compared to Narnia by heart began to flutter, but, then I started reading and I had to keep checking if this was a YA book or not, and no, it is not marketed as such. I really wasn’t expecting a YA read, and I usually have to be in the right mindset to read one, so I was fairly frustrated. This one would be perfect for my niece who is 12, so I guess it might even be considered middle grade. The pacing was on the slower side as well, so it was a slog to get through until the end, which unfortunately did feel rushed. I did find the setting of West Virginia to be magical. The snark of the narrator was also fun and did make me want to keep reading despite the other downfalls.

Thank you to @randomhouse and @Netgalley for this e-arc. All thoughts are my own.

The Lost Story is a fun fairytale retelling (or multiple retellings) and I enjoyed the unique writing style of the narrator.

If you love fairy tales, found family, and deep character growth based off of childhood trauma, this book is perfect for you!

This story does manage to do a few new things with portal fantasy, which is remarkable in a genre that has such a long history and contains Narnia and Alice in Wonderland. I was able to predict several parts of the ending pretty early in the book, but there are times when knowing what is coming can be a comfort rather than a bore. This is certainly such a one.

People don't go into portals if they're not hurting, or looking for something, or if they don't have a bone-deep understanding that their pieces don't fit into the world around them. I would have jumped into a portal as a child and never looked back for an instant. Coming back isn't something I would ever have contemplated myself.

I don't think Jeremy and Rafe would have either except for certain circumstances, which I will leave for you to discover.

This book isn't an action movie. To me it feels calm and quiet and sturdy, like a brick under my foot on a road to somewhere important. It is an inner journey, a spiritual one, despite the physical journey that Jeremy and Rafe and Emilie undertake in the narrative. It is solid, and good, and I read it all in one night and woke up late this morning and had to write my review before the memories faded like Rafe's memories of the Kingdom of Shanandoah. (Note: It is spelled that way on purpose.)

Being from Ohio, it had never occurred to me that someone would be proud to be from West Virginia. Of course, I don't feel proud to be from Ohio. It is just a statement of fact. What I do understand, quite viscerally, is Rafe's awe and fear of his father. As the daughter of another fiercely proud Appalachian redneck, I understand completely the despair of realizing that you will never fit inside the rigid mold of paternal expectations.

If the gender binary had been a little less... binary, I think my dad and I would have gotten along. But I realized quite early on, as Rafe did, that my dad had expectations of my gender that couldn't be swayed (don't play in the dirt, matchbox cars aren't for girls, you can't have a pocketknife even if you you'd have practically been given one in the cradle if you'd only been born a boy). I knew he was intimidated and afraid of the aspects of my character that were different from and exceeded his own. I was a reader practically from birth, he had an 8th grade reading level and dropped out in 10th grade. I wasn't supposed to want to defend myself or make my own decisions or be smarter than him. None of that stopped me from being what I was. So, Rafe, I understand. Even if I don't understand being proud to be from West Virginia.

Maybe that's why this book feels so solid and sturdy to me -- it's built so much like my own foundation, how could I think otherwise? I didn't get to run away to a kingdom of unicorns and magic where I could be a knight. Not even for six months. But I would have. Oh, I would have.

Oof. This was my most anticipated release of 2024 and I'm so disappointed.

Like many of the other reviews, the concept is amazing but the execution of the plot was chaotic and stale. The beginning had me hooked and I didn't mind the interjections of the narrator - I really liked the breaking of the 4th wall. I started getting bored pretty quickly around the 30% mark. Most of the book I was waiting for things to start happening, then it does in like a split second. I had no interest in the characters and I wish Emelie was more of a main character since I felt that's how it was set up in the beginning. The characters just seemed very juvenile and like the whole thing was written by a 9th grader (no offense to you 9th graders lol).

If you're going to be bold enough to compare your story to Chronicles of Narnia, it needs to deliver. That was the sole reason I picked this up! So disappointed.

Meg Shaffer writes stories that are made for anyone who grew up in fantasy worlds, and wished they could find themselves in one. This is a love letter to children who wanted to run away to a fantasy land and never come back, and also to those who feel lost and need someone to find them.

When Emilie decides to go looking for her long lost sister the only ones who can help are a pair of boys who were also lost once. They have a secret that will lead to adventure, and to lost people finding themselves.

I recommend this for anyone whose inner child needs to get lost in a fantasy world.

I received a free copy from Random House through Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

I would give this 3 stars, maybe 3.5?

It DOES given Narnia vibes, but I think comparing it to something like Narnia made my expectations too high going in.
It was a little too YA for my liking, and it was fairly predictable. It was a relatively enjoyable read, and given how it ends I would expect to see a sequel; which I would likely read to see how certain things play out. Sooooo take that as you will.

It had some fun and whimsical moments, but lacked any real depth. Not trying to be overly critical, but it just wasn’t quite my cup of tea. Not bad, not great; but I do think it will be an enjoyable book for some. Dare I say, I might just be a little too old for this book? 🫣

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the chance to read the ARC.