First of all, thank you to Penguin Random House for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. As a massive fan of The Wishing Game, when I heard Meg Shaffer had a book coming out that was based on NARNIA (i’m obsessed with Susan Pevensie but a discussion for another time) I BEGGED for it so I could read the next book from a new favorite author. Now please take my minor criticism with a grain of salt because I was traveling while reading this book, and yet still read it in 5 days in combination with migraine and jet lag recovery. Anyways, I absolutely LOVED The Lost Story. All of the characters were so easy to love and their connections to one another were so meaningful. The plot and world building were all crafted so well and I would honestly describe it as mostly cozy portal fantasy, with some minor stressful exceptions. However, in moments of conflict I struggled to feel immersed enough in the story to actually worry about how the characters would get out of the situation they were in. However, this could have been because I was coming out of a minor reading slump and felt as though I couldn’t fully immerse myself in anything I read. HOWEVER, I enjoyed this book so thoroughly that even though it took me longer to read than it should have and I struggled to feel engaged at times, I am still giving it four stars.

I have tried to read this book 3 times now, and I just cannot make it past the 60% mark. I absolutely ADORED 'The Wishing Game,' and was really excited to read a C.S. Lewis inspired novel, but this was SO bad. The first half was so good, I very much loved the storytelling/writing and Jeremy/Rafe's backstory and love (SO SWEET, I teared up), but after they make it to Shannondoah, it's so painfully cheesy and cringey. The writing also seemed to suffer, and felt very stilted.

I received this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was a fantastic read. If you like fantasy, give it a try.

Another novel by Meg Shaffer after her debut, "The Wishing Game," and this one is as good as the first. Whereas "The Wishing Game" reminded me of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, this one is inspired by "The Chronicles of Narnia." Two boys on a field trip get lost in a West Virginia park and don't emerge from the woods for 6 months. They are nourished but offer little information as to how they survived. Fifteen years later, Rafe has no memories of what happened and lives as a reclusive artist. Jeremy, on the other hand, remembers the magical world that allowed them to survive and serves as a missing persons investigator with an uncanny ability to find his charges. When Emilie Wendell enlists Jeremy to find her long-lost sister, the lost boys are reunited in the quest to find what's left of her family and confront their shared past. A well crafted story that unpacks Rafe, Jeremy, and Emilie's past to help them build their respective futures. I appreciate Ballantine Books offering me the chance to read this ARC.

What a fun, magical ride! I loved Meg Shaffers previous book, The Wishing Game, and I love this just as much! This a book about not giving up, friendship and love all in a magical setting. If you’re looking for a fairytale for adults, pick this book up! Thank you Netgalley for my Arc e-copy of this book! #Netgalley #TheLostStory

I loved the authors first book and I adored this one as well. I feel like I can’t say much because I want you to go into this blind and just enjoy the journey. I wanted to read the book as soon as I finished the book and in my mind that’s the sign of a good book. I can’t wait to read more b this author.

Thank you for allowing me an ARC copy of The Lost Story
I couldn’t put it down.
I really enjoyed her first book the wishing game and this was just as good
I hope she writes a sequel to find out if they are all rejoined
I hoped so.
Definitely worth buying this book.

The Lost Story

I thought the storyteller narrator was a really fun aspect. The writing is whimsy and fresh. I think this book will be loved by many.

It’s a good story in its own right but I hate that it’s being marketed as an adult Narnia. Narnia is an all time favorite and I’m sorry, but this is not it. The only similarity is another world within our own.

The characters are juvenile which is a little upsetting for an “adult” Narnia.

For the romance, in this instance, I felt like I needed an epic love or nothing at all. Second Chance romance is usually a favorite but the amnesia trope is not. And call me a prude but I don’t love intimacy, even implied, between children.

These seem to be me problems, which is fine. No story (except for Narnia 😜) is for every person.

Main character LGBTQ Rep

I was a huge fan of the wishing game, but I love the last story even more! This fantasy has it capital a LL. This modern fairytale is set in West Virginia of all places. West Virginia and beyond. This book will steal your heart. It is full of wit magic and propulsive action. The cast of characters… You will love them all 🦄 🧜‍♀️ 👑 🗡️

Narnia meets the X-Files in this magical fairytale. I could not put this book down once I started. It is truly an escape in book form. The story was so unique and I feel like the characters will stay with me forever. The narrative inserts made the book for me I could not wait till they inserted themselves again.

I do not like Narnia- I did a re-read of the entire series about 15 years ago and the ending of The Last Battle still really bothers me. Adult books inspired by Narnia though? Those are among my favorite books (e.g., The Magicians, The Hollow Bones)-- give me all of the Adult genre Narnia inspired book recommendations and they will be added to my ever-growing TBR!

The things I loved about "The Lost Story":
-Short chapter additions by "the storyteller"-- the narrator pops in with a few details every once in a while, and I loved these breaks.
-The characters: Jeremy and Rafe were wonderful characters and their growth throughout the story was always interesting, sometimes fantastical, and everything I want to see in a MM romance.
-In general, the lack of romance: I love romance stories, but this story was predominately about love of family and friends--- and I loved that focus.
-The fantasy and the mixed real-world. It was separated enough that I could follow it as a 'believable' story within itself. I wish Shanandoah existed by the end of the book.

This is my first Meg Shaffer book- I will 100% be reading "The Wishing Game" when I get a chance. I'm 10 books "behind" schedule this year, but I wanted to read this book slowly so I could enjoy every minute of it. It's one of my first 5-star books of the year, and it will likely be one of my top books for the year.

Thank you Netgalley and Random House Group-Ballantine for an e-arc copy of this book. I loved everything about it and look forward to reading my next Meg Shaffer book! "The Lost Story" is set to be published July 16th 2024- it's an excellent mid-summer read!

What I liked: A good premise for a fantasy, including a secret magical world and a found family.

What I disliked: Having enjoyed the author’s prior book The Wishing Game, I found this book disappointing. Considering this is not a YA book, why did 30 year old characters have extremely naive and juvenile personalities; a cringy romance; and unnecessary plot interjections by a 4th-Wall Storyteller?

After going missing in a West Virginia forest in their teens, Jeremey and Rafe reconnect while helping Emilie find her long lost sister. Rafe, who remembers nothing of their six months missing, discovers there’s a lot Jeremy has been keeping secret about their own time lost. Will the boys be able to rekindle their friendship after 15 years a part?

In the fifteen years since returning, Jeremy had become an investigator having an uncanny ability of finding lost girls. After losing her mother, Emilie learns of a long lost sister who was seemingly kidnapped and never found. Even more interesting, she went missing in the same forest as Rafe and Jeremy only a few years prior to the boys. She tracks down Jeremy for his help. When he finally agrees he insists that he needs Rafe’s help. So the journey begins, for 2 lost boys and a girl searching for family.

This was a fun read! Portal fantasy is one of my favorite sub genres so I knew I would enjoy this book. I loved the characters and felt like they were all very realistic. I also loved the silly interludes from the narrator even if they were a bit cheesy sometimes. They helped break up the story and allowed for flashbacks to happen in a clear way. Meg Shaffer does a great job of describing the environment and setting the scene. I also loved the slow revelations throughout the story. It was somewhat predictable I my opinion but there were a few things that surprised me.

I do wish we got to spend more time in Shannanodoah. The descriptions were so wonderful that I wanted to get to experience exploring with the characters. Unfortunately most of the time in Shannandoah was rife with conflict which took all the focus. I liked the story, especially finding out who the villain was, but I wish there was a bit more fun before the drama started up. One of my favorite parts of fantasy books like this is getting to explore the world.

This book also tackled some huge issues especially in regard to the LGBTQ community so beautifully. That is what truly made it more of an adult fantasy in my opinion. Unfortunately, other than the more difficult topics the rest of the story felt more YA than adult. As much as I enjoyed the story, I didn’t feel like I was reading an adult book. I love both YA and adult so it worked for me but may not appeal to someone wanting adult fantasy.

Overall an easy and fun read with a great setting and solid characters! I would definitely recommend! 3.5 stars.

4.5 stars!

Meg Shaffer has officially become an instant buy/read for me! I loved The Wishing Game, and while The Lost Story definitely has a different feel, it was just as easy and enjoyable to read. There are definitely some darker elements in this book, so check trigger warnings as needed.

The Lost Story is set primarily in West Virginia and is a loose retelling of C.S. Lewis’s Chronicles of Narnia. When Rafe and Jeremy get lost in the forest as teenagers it changes their lives forever. Fifteen years later they find themselves back in the same forest, along with a new friend, Emelie. Adventure, action, and character growth ensues.

The story is magical, mysterious, and has so much found family. I found myself growing attached to all the characters very quickly. It was an easy and very quick read. I greatly enjoyed my time reading it and cannot wait for Meg Schaffer’s next book!

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Thank you Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

This book was the perfect little fairytale to get swept up in.

I recently read Stephen King's Fairytale, and it reminded me of that a lot - plus Narnia. A portal into a whole new world, where anything one dreams could happen, does.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Who wouldn’t want to venture into an alternate land, filled with beauty. unicorns, and kind royalty?! Like all fairytales, there is danger, evil, and heartache, but also wonder, honor and love. A lovely “modern” fairy tale.,

I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review
The Lost Story by Meg Shaffer is a multi-POV contemporary fantasy where Jeremy and Ralph disappeared for six months when they were fourteen and were later found not only, but in better health than when they had left. Years later, the two have separated with Ralph remaining in his hometown and Jeremy now a famous search-and-rescuer who has found multiple missing girls and women. Emilie approaches Jeremy to help her find her sister who has been missing for more than a decade, bringing Jeremy and Ralph back to where they disappeared to all those years ago.

Throughout the novel, there is a Storyteller’s Corner which discusses different aspects of fairy tales as it relates to the story and little bits of the story itself. Serving as a fourth-wall-breaking narrator, the Storyteller provides some insight into characters we don’t have POV chapters from while also speaking with a strong voice of its own.

Ralph and Jeremy’s romance was not something I was expecting but it clicked into place when Emilie brought it up. I found their romance to be one of my favorite parts, from the yearning to the years of being apart to Jeremy remembering what happened when they were missing and Ralph not, there’s some delightful angst without feeling drawn out or melodramatic. The pacing of the romance felt really good.

My favorite POV character was probably Jeremy. The moments where he focuses on Ralph are brimming with longing, but there’s also this reverence for their shared past. It reads really beautifully. The dialogue was another thing I really liked, as it felt natural and true to each character while breaking certain expectations that come with portal fantasies. The little references to Narnia were sprinkled throughout in a way that felt organic instead of gimmicky.

Content warning for mentions of child abuse and homophobia

I would recommend this those looking for portal fantasies that are self-aware, fans of contemporary fantasy that shifts from our world to a secondary world, and readers looking for a Queer romance that both is and isn’t established.

Meg Shaffer’s second book is filled with creativity and imagination, and I imagine it will be just as popular as her debut book. It’s a book that is hard to describe without giving away any details, but if you enjoy fantasy sprinkled with dollops of reality and hope then pick up this book and give it a chance. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc.

I find it so interesting that this is tagged the same way on Goodreads (at least at the time of writing this review) as The Wishing Game; specifically fantasy and magical realism. While I loved the whimsical writing style of The Wishing Game, I didn’t consider it to be a fantasy at all. It was whimsical, not magical, and that’s where The Lost Story is different. This is a fantasy story full of magic.

Starting this book and seeing the map of Shanadoah made me intrigued as to when that element would come into the story because it started very realistic - not like a fantasy story. Unfortunately I personally preferred that to when the book turned more into a fantasy, but that ended less than halfway into the book.

I think this may just be that I’m not the target audience for this book. I saw that it was inspired by The Chronicles of Narnia, and think that’s an excellent comparison. I think the ideal reader of this book is an adult who read that series as a child and grew up loving it. I read it as an adult and disliked it, so I never got into that element of this book.

The main characters all won me over almost immediately after they were introduced. I love their banter and friendship. Comments like “plus tshirts are tops” literally made me laugh out loud (not giving the context for that one, y’all can read it and hopefully laugh too). I think the reason it lost me when Shenandoah was introduced was because I just didn’t feel such a strong connection when it had been 15 years, after a 6 month experience. While by no means did I feel like the story become YA, the way the past was reminisced on made it feel like (to me) at times the characters were trying to relive what their 15 year old selves went through as opposed to who they were today.

I’m still very glad that I read this, and overall I do think Meg Shaffer has a writing style I enjoy. I know that so many adults grew up loving books that will really make them connect to this story.

Thank you to the publisher & NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review an advanced copy of this book! I voluntarily read this book, and all thoughts and opinions are my own.

"Books are magic. Maybe even the strongest magic to exist."

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐆𝐢𝐬𝐭:

In the vast expanse of a West Virginia state forest, childhood best friends Jeremy Cox and Rafe Howell vanished without a trace, only to reappear six months later with no recollection of where they had been or how they had survived.

Now, fifteen years later, Rafe is a reclusive artist still haunted by the scars of their mysterious disappearance, while Jeremy has become a renowned investigator of missing persons. When Emilie Wendell seeks Jeremy's help to find her missing sister, who disappeared in the same forest as Rafe and Jeremy, the pieces of a puzzle start to come together.

As they embark on a quest to find Emilie's sister, the trio must confront their shared past and the traumatic memories that lie within. Secrets must be revealed as they journey back to the enchanted world where they spent six months, in order to reclaim everything they have lost.

Together with Emilie's determination, Rafe and Jeremy must navigate the dangers of the magical realm once more, for only there can they uncover the truth and find what they seek.

𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐬 & 𝐓𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐬:
💫 Cozy fantasy
🗺️ Quest
🔎 Secrets & mystery
🏳️‍🌈 LGBTQ representation
🫂 Found family

𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐢𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝕝𝕠𝕧𝕖:
✳︎ Narnia inspired fairytale
✳︎ A Storyteller that occasionally breaks the fourth wall
✳︎ Heavy topics tackled in a sensitive manner

𝐌𝐲 𝐓𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬:

The Lost Story by Meg Shaffer has woven its way into my heart in a way I never expected. From the first page, I was drawn into a mesmerizing world of emotion and mystery that I never wanted to leave. The characters - Emilie, Jeremy, and Rafe - felt like old friends, their struggles and triumphs resonating with me on a deep level. As they set out on a quest to find Emilie's sister Shannon, I felt like I was right beside them, cheering them on every step of the way.

But it wasn't just the characters that captured my heart; it was the world of Shanandoah itself. Meg Shaffer's vivid descriptions brought this magical place to life, making me feel like I was walking through its enchanted forests and feeling the breeze on my skin. The relationships between the characters, the bonds they shared, and the magic woven by the Storyteller all combined to create a symphony of love and adventure that left me longing for more.

The Lost Story is a masterpiece that delicately handles heavy themes while whisking readers away on a journey of enchantment and excitement. It's a book that will stay with me for years to come, and one that I'll be recommending to everyone I know.

𝕄𝕪 ℝ𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕟𝕘:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (𝟺/𝟻)

𝚃𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚔 𝚢𝚘𝚞, 𝙽𝚎𝚝𝙶𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚎𝚢 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚁𝚊𝚗𝚍𝚘𝚖 𝙷𝚘𝚞𝚜𝚎 𝙿𝚞𝚋𝚕𝚒𝚜𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝙶𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚙 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝙰𝚁𝙲!