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"All books are magic... A story written by a stranger and yet it seems they wrote it just for you or to you? ... Yes, books are magic. Maybe the strongest magic there is."

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Synopsis: Emilie is searching for her long-lost sister that she recently learned about after the passing of her mother. To find her, she turns to missing-person extraordinaire, Jeremy Cox. Fifteen years earlier, he and his best friend, Rafe, went missing in Red Crow State Park and after six months, emerged, unharmed and changes. No one knows what happened to them, Rafe doesn't remember, but Jeremy does. And they weren't missing... they were transported to a world of magic and dreams. And Jeremy thinks that this is where Emilie's sister might be. But before they can go and find her, he'll have to convince Rafe, eho he hasn't talked to in years. And both of them will need to confront their pasts and their feeling for each other.
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After The Wishing Game, The Lost Story was at the top of my to-read list, and I am so excited I got the chance to read this. Meg Shaffer has this unique way of making magic real, feeling like you can reach out and grab it, be immersed in it. And it's not just in the fantastical, necessarily, even with the actual fantasy world of The Lost Story. The magic is found in the small moments, the connections and memories we form in our childhood and throughout our journeys. Even among the pain and in-between the hardships, there can be beauty and lifelines that give us hope, even if we don't recognize it in the moment.
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All the characters are on very real journeys, Emilie's one of discovering purpose, finding and creating connection when she thinks she's all alone. She becomes so intent on finding her sister after her mother passes, thinking that it's the only family she's got left. For Jeremy and Rafe, it's about rediscovering who they are, for themselves, and to each other. They must confront their past and rekindle their love. And only when all three of our characters have made strides in their personal journeys are they then able to make progress on their search.

I realize that I'm being vague in many ways with this review and only talking about
feelings, but I think that's a testament to Meg Shaffer's writing, that it has me
reflecting, not just reading.

The Lost Story is very much an ode to fairytales, as well as a deconstruction. It's whimsical, beautiful, and heartfelt. And it's a love letter to the power of stories and connection.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.

If you enjoyed The Wishing Game then this book is for you. The Author is wonderful at creating worlds for the adult book lovers that thrust them back into a child like world. You can tell this was heavily inspired by Narnia and The Wizard of Oz.

4/5 stars

This was such a fun, magical, and whimsical story. I was a Narnia kid and can’t help but love anything inspired by it. If you love found family, LGBTQ+ rep, stories about stories, and fantastical kingdoms, you’ll love this!

This was a story I wasn't expecting. If you're into magical worlds and hidden (yet not), love affairs, friendship, and what the power of that love can do, this book would be for you. Getting lost in the world of Shenandoah brought back all the memories of Narnia. This gives hope that secret lands still exist and gives hope that we will always find our way back to those we love.

Things I liked:
- Other/magical world
- Romance, but not over-the-top
- Secrecy
- Feels like there could be a sequel
- The storyteller's interjections were enough without being obnoxious

Thanks, NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Meg Shaffer sure knows how to tell a story! This was magical, set in a place of breathtaking detail and enchanting landscapes. At times, it reminded me of the beauty of the Robin Wiliams movie, What Dreams May Come. I did enjoy this book, especially the characters, but her first book, The Wishing Game was even better (IMO).

Many years ago, there were two boys who were lost in the woods. Eventually they were found, one remembers what happened and the other does not. In the present day, a woman is searching for her long lost sister. Only these two boys (now men) can help her. “The Lost Story” captured my attention and I was engrossed throughout the entire tale.

For those who love:
📖 Mysteries
📖 Cold Cases
📖 Fairy Tales
📖 Contemporary Fantasy
📖 Quests

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC.

Meg Shaffer's debut novel was in my top 3 of 2023, so I was so excited to get a sneak peek at this one!
Narnia inspired, Stevie Nicks references, found family, this book is perfect fairytale for us adults who still believe in them!
Two boys go missing and return mysteriously 6 months later, and it's not until 15 years later that what truly happened to them in revealed. I really enjoyed getting lost in the fairytale world of Shanandoah.
Meg Shaffer is officially an auto-buy author!

There was so much to love in this well written, ambitious fairy tale for adults. It feels nostalgic, and I was swept up in the magical adventure. “Some day you will be old enough to start reading fairy tales again.” C.S. Lewis
The novel features Jeremy and Rafe, who were mysteriously lost in the woods of West Virginia for 6 months as young boys. They must return to the enchanted world 15 years later to help Emilie find her lost sister. Through various obstacles they discover everything that they’ve each lost. This book was simply a joy to read. Congratulations to the author on another fantastic achievement. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Ballantine for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

A brief disclaimer: I don't automatically and always object to 15-year-olds (or possibly 16-year-olds) falling in love and having a sexual relationship, as Rafe and Jeremy implicitly did in The Lost Story's past, but I'm aware that many people feel otherwise, so fair warning that if you're one of them, then this book may not be for you.

With that out of the way:

I can adduce flaws, lots of flaws. There's the framing device -- I was willing to go with it, but it's clunky, no getting around that.

The most glaring difficulty, though, is that while I'll grant Rafe and Jeremy sufficient discernment and autonomy to have had a serious love relationship at 15/16, I'm a lot more skeptical about that love enduring over a 15-year separation during which one of them has been stripped of conscious memory of their time in the magical land of Shanandoah [sic].

. . . On the other hand, great, enduring, depthless loves are the stuff of legend, and once you're in a portal fantasy, it's the stuff of legend you're working with. So although when I step back from The Lost Story, I balk, while I was reading I was entirely immersed in that relationship and longing for its restoration. You'd think the incredible aspects would be undermined by the entirely realistic aspects, to wit that neither of them was "faithful" during their separation, but for me it was the opposite -- that grounding in the world we live in helped me believe in their bond.

Fantasy worlds often come with a side of stilted dialogue and overall pious humorlessness; thankfully, this one doesn't. Emilie, whose search for her lost sister sets the present-day plot in motion, has no governor on her mouth whatsoever, and Jeremy is a courageous knight but also, as he's the first to acknowledge, an asshole, so it's a good thing Rafe dishes the assholery right back.

Ah, Rafe. Note the "child abuse" tag. His history of abuse at his father's hands is a central element of the plot. A spoiler here to discuss that abuse and how their relationship ends up: [spoiler-tagged on Goodreads, redacted here]. But all this may or may not land for a reader whose history too closely resembles Rafe's and who doesn't have a fantasy-world closure for that history.

About "Shanandoah," its name and its other cornball features (like the queen being named Skya): I had my suspicions early on about how that world had come to be, and they proved correct. If you find Shanandoah off-putting but you're otherwise enjoying yourself, maybe stick with the book and see what you think when the explanation appears. I was less happy about something The Lost Story shares with the Narnia books: not Christianity, but the apparent premise that there exists a "Creator." The references to this presumptive deity are fleeting and they show up late, plus which this book is devoid of the Narnia books' hostility toward the pleasures of this world, including, obviously, the pleasures of sex. But I could've done without.

tl;dr: In some respects, this book is a mess. But. But, but, but ... I was enthralled and deeply invested in Emilie's quest and in the relationship between Rafe and Jeremy, and also I leaked steadily during the last few chapters and over the partly happy, partly bittersweet ending. So five stars, especially for keeping me engaged over the course of several days arguing with Verizon tech support over a subtly defective new phone.

Thanks to Ballantine and NetGalley for the ARC; behold my honest review.

The description of this book was perfection. The book however, fell flat. First of all it was an extremely dialogue driven novel, with a lot of back and forth banter and no real going anywhere. I was looking forward to a Narnia like adventure and they didn't even get adventurin' til the book was halfway over. Then, it was just rushed. I just had extremely high hopes for this book of and it disappointed me.

I loved seeing some of the quirky, magical elements/vibes that I enjoyed in "The Wishing Game". I was excited to visit a Narnia-like land and the overall premise of the book. However, I didn't care for the relationships between the four main characters. They were a bit underdeveloped and it seemed like the book was trying to cover too much ground in too little time. It read like a middle-grade/teen story, except for the innuendo and sexual references, so that felt jarring to me. It relied pretty heavily on the C.S. Lewis connection, which felt a bit "easy" to me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House/Ballantine Books for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Meg Shaffer writes such magical, creative stories. Between The Wishing Game and The Lost Story, I've become absolutely hooked on her storytelling ability. The Lost Story is a more teen/adult version of the Chronicles of Narnia, complete with a magical hidden kingdom. I loved Rafe, Jeremy, and Emilie as characters, and felt that they all were properly three-dimensional; however, the drama and danger of Shanandoah didn't quite seem dramatic enough given the setup. Anyway, it was still a very enjoyable book, and I'll be reading any other creative, magical stories Meg Shaffer publishes in the future!

The first third of this book had me hooked but after the characters moved to the secondary world, I lost interest. I love fantasy and was so excited for this title. It is a good read, but just seem to lose it's edge after the fantasy aspect was introduced. The characters were enjoyable and the writing well done.

"Some day you will be old enough to start reading fairytales again." - C.S Lewis
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This is a fairytale for adults that you can get lost in.

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 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 then 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. Jeremy seems to have quite the knack at what he does, too. Rafe and Jeremy still haven't spoke about what happened in that forest. Rafe bears scars but still has no memory. Jeremy has harbored a secret all these years, and he knows exactly what happened during their time in the woods.
Along comes Emilie looking for their help. Her sister has gone missing in the dame woods. Can Rafe and Jeremy get along and put the past behind them to help Emilie?

What a fun and mystical ride this was!! I could not put this down. I will now always buy Meg Shaffer's books blindly.

Thank you, Random House/Ballantine books and netgalley for the ability to review this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

#TheLostStory #NetGalley

A big thank you to Ballantine Books and NetGalley for the digital advance copy in exchange for my honest review. This book will be published on July 16, 2024.

I thoroughly enjoyed Meg Shaffer’s debut, The Wishing Game (2023), so I jumped at the chance to read her sophomore book (upon further investigation – I didn’t know this was written under a pen name! Shaffer is also bestselling romance author Tiffany Reisz). My expectations were high, and she nailed every one of them. We’re still early into 2024, but this has placed itself at the top of my favorite books of the year (and it MIGHT even be my new favorite book of all time). Five illustrious stars.

“All books are magic. An object that can take you to another world without even leaving your room? A story written by a stranger and yet it seems they wrote it just for you or to you? Loving and hating people made out of ink and paper, not flesh and blood? Yes, books are magic. Maybe even the strongest magic there is.”

Shaffer’s primary gift is the way she can tap into readers’ nostalgia, as evidenced in both of her books. She’ll have you yearning for childhood literature, with essences of C.S. Lewis and Madeleine L’Engle weaved throughout her writing. At the same time, while her narratives may seem lighthearted on the surface, they are written for adults. Shaffer can ask deep questions and cover highly sensitive topics with a gentle touch, but, as with any book, I would recommend looking up trigger warnings before reading as there are some heavy themes present here, including domestic violence and abandonment.

As a former resident of West Virginia, I felt a fondness for the reverent references to the magic and beauty of the Mountain State. There’s so much more to it than its “redneck” reputation, and this book is a fitting tribute. (Tudor’s Biscuit World is a special brand of magic, in itself - iykyk)

I fell truly, madly, deeply in love with this towards the middle, when a bit more of the backstory is revealed. I never like to give anything away with plot summaries in reviews, but if you’re a fan of the “found family” trope, this book takes it literally. You’ll also learn there’s a double meaning to the title, which asks the question, what does it mean to be “lost?” And that blew my mind a little.

This book solidified my love for Shaffer’s writing. If she has one fan, it’s me. With her vivid characters, witty voice, and transportive worldbuilding, she has a true knack for magical realism.

Side note: my reading experience was positively enhanced by listening to “Primavera” by Ludovico Einaudi on repeat. The song plays a small part in the story, and if you read this book, I highly recommend looking it up. Hopefully, it’ll help you find Shanandoah the way I did.

I felt like this was just ok. I loved the Wishing Game and was really excited but this wasn’t the same. I didn’t really connect with the characters and I felt the pace to be really slow. I loved Narnia so I had high hopes . Easy read but I wasn’t blown away

Thank you NetGalley and Ballantine Books for the opportunity to read an early copy of THE LOST STORY by Meg Shaffer in exchange for my honest review!

Ratings:
Characters: 4/5 stars
Writing: 4/5 stars
Execution: 3.75/5 stars
Engagement: 5/5 stars
Enjoyment: 5/5 stars
Overall: 4.35/5 stars

I don’t normally do such a categorical rating breakdown for my reviews but I was having trouble pinpointing where my overall rating landed and I found that breaking it down into categories helped.

Last year, I read Shaffer’s The Wishing Game and was so taken by surprise by how much I enjoyed it. Getting the chance to read Shaffer’s next novel, a novel inspired by one of my favorite childhood series, The Chronicles of Narnia, was a real treat!

The book initially began with a lot of mystery and intrigue. I was hooked and had a thousand questions which caused me to keep turning the page.

Then, once we entered the kingdom of Shanandoah, the tone of the story carried much more whimsy and nostalgia that it brought me back to some of my favorite fairytales. And not only that, but it gave me that feeling you get when you read fairytales, particularly as a child, that books are magical. The end of the book had the perfect quote to describe this:

<i>“All books are magic. An object that can take you to another world without even leaving your room? A story written by a stranger and yet it seems they wrote it just for you or to you? Loving and hating people made out of ink and paper, not flesh and blood? Yes, books are magic. Maybe even the strongest magic there is.”</i>

I was swept up in this story. Part of me wished it would go on and on forever, but I also think it was just right as is.

The characters wormed their way into my heart, particularly Rafe and Jeremy. My heart was in their fists and they would squeeze and squeeze. I absolutely adore them.

However, I do think Emilie’s character was a bit lacking. She is a very important character but her development fell flat for me. I wish I could’ve connected more with her since so much of this story was focused on her finding her sister.

I really enjoyed the interlude chapters from the Storyteller’s POV. That added to the whimsical nature of a fairytale.

I loved the concept of this book. Yes, it has those similar beats of The Chronicles of Narnia and The Wizard of Oz, but it also felt unique in its own right. I think the execution of it had some rough moments, but it didn’t affect my overall enjoyment.

I really loved this book and when I wasn’t reading it, I was thinking about it. I feel like there’s not much more you can ask for than that right there.

Highly recommend!

3.75 stars
thank you to netgalley for a free arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.
this was cute! heartwarming and unexpectedly emotional. I enjoy meg shaffer's writing style! she writes witty and genuine characters you can't help but sympathize with. a little more than halfway through it does get a little cringey and feels rushed but overall just a refreshing book

Many thanks to NetGalley, the Publisher, and the Author for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This truly is a fairytale for adults! I was instantly drawn into this wholesome story, which gave me Narnia and The Wizard of Oz vibes. This is a story of friendship, healing, and perseverance that sweeps you off into a whimsical world via the mountains of West-by God-Virginia! I love that there's a Storyteller who checks in throughout the book. With the way this ended, I have high hopes for yet another part to this wonderful story written by the magical unicorn pencil! 🦄

"You", Rafe whispered in his ear, "are my kingdom. Where you are is where I belong."

"But you don't really need a magic pencil to write a magic book. All books are magic. An object that can take you to another world without even leaving your room? A story written by a stranger and yet it seems they wrote it just for you or to you? Loving and hating people made out of ink and paper, not flesh and blood? Yes, books are magic. Maybe even the strongest magic there is."

I highly recommend everyone grab a copy in July when this book is released.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is just a sweet, heartwarming book about healing and finding your place in the world, or if you can't, then making one of your own (world or place). It is very much a "returning to Narnia as adults" story, though the characters in this one are carrying a bit more trauma than those in the Narnia series. Props to the author for having a magical world that actually felt magical, the way a child, or preteen, would create it. I appreciate a good story where the friends are actually friends, who don't betray each other and actually act in each others' best interests. I loved the interstitial chapters written by "The Storyteller." My only minor complaint is the pacing. It takes almost half the book before we get to the magical world we've been promised, and then there's a secondary plot that takes over for quite a span after the main conflict is dealt with. That doesn't change the fact that it's still a very enjoyable read, though. I was not familiar with Shaffer's work before this, but now I will definitely be checking out her other book, The Wishing Game