A good story overall! A little slow in parts with a good ending. The characters were engaging and the settings were nice.

I normally go in blind to stories and recommend everyone do the same. However…………… this one even though I completely loved the story I feel needs a mention that women’s grief and stillbirth are within this novel. Please be kind to yourself and be aware of this if you are at all sensitive to the subject as many women are. Be prepared to love this story but also be prepared to cry.

# The Story Collector
# 9/20/2024 ~ 9/20/2024
# 4.0 / 5.0

Special thanks to NetGalley for the advanced reader copy of this book. I had high hopes for this book because the storyline sounded just like something I would really like and had some of my favorite themes of magical realism, but unfortunately it was just ok. It took far too long to get to the good stuff, so much so that I struggled to even keep reading at times. The ending, I did enjoy and it did make me happy, but it felt rushed after the slug of reading through so much dullness.

Another hit by Evie Woods! Told in alternating storylines from present and the past. An enchanting story of Ireland and its magical history, both now and then. Great for lovers of romance and a little magic.

This is a dual timeline, atmospheric story about love, grief, family and moving forward. It goes between the story of Anna and Harold in 1911 and Sarah in 2011. The Butler Cottage in Thornwood, Ireland and the magic of The Good People are what bring the two stories together.

There are some triggers so you may want to do your research ahead of time. It does have a hopeful ending.

Thank you to NetGalley and One More Chapter for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

I was in by the end of the first chapter. And by the time I finished the first of Anna’s story, I was officially hooked.

The Story Collector was a bit of magic in book form, and I was hooked by the end of the first chapter.

I devoured this story and I finished it in two days.

This was my second time reading the author, and I can’t wait to read more ❤️



Thank you to Harper360 and NetGalley for the DRC

We are in the present (2010) in New York and meet Sarah Harper. She just left her husband and wanted to fly for Christmas to her sister. She is not looking forward to this and when she reads in an Irish newspaper that in Clare a motorway is moved due to local pressure to keep a fairy tree where it is, she boards a plane to the West Coast of Ireland. There she founds a dairy taking her back into the year 1911 where she learns about the live of Anna, a young farm girl and the arrival of an intriguing American visitor who is looking for stories, interactions of fairy stories. As usual back then many people spoke Irish hence he was looking for somebody to translate this into English for him and to guide him the way to the right person who has stories for him. So we learn more about the fairy seeing and interactions within the small town but also about Anna, her live and hopes.
On the other side we learn what happened to Sarah so she ended up in Ireland and how she learns to live with grieve and how she is sorting her live to start moving forward.

I really loved this book!
I like the way the story is told and for me it is perfectly done to have two different stories in two timelines. I really like how the stories get connected.
For me the author really caught the Irish flair here especially also about the old Ireland, how it was back then in small towns and also that she is not using here the friendly and cute looking versions of fairy, no instead she is using the ones which also can harm people that these are a magical species which you don´t want to cross in fear of what they are capable of.
At the beginning it was clear to me that something is not all right with Sarah but you did not know what happened to her, made her to the person she currently is. During the story when she is diving into Anna´s story and gets a grip on herself I start to like her.
Anna I liked right from the start. OK she is a bit naive but this is due to her young age and growing up in a small town. It is clear in what direction some part of the story will go but it was fine for me and I really liked how the author worked it out.
The magical touch in this story is for me really well done and I like how the paranormal is so wonderfully woven into the storyline.
So for me a really wonderful surprise how much I liked this story and I really need to check out other books of this author.

I really enjoyed this. It wasn’t some literal masterpiece. But it was a nice little read in between heavier books.

This was such a joy to read! A book about (antique) books! It's perfect for that rainy day read! It will warm your heart as you dive into antique books, folklore, and love.

The Story Collector by Evie Woods

A charming novel full of secrets and mystery from the best selling author. Ofv the Lost Bookshop. In a quiet village in Ireland, a mysterious local myth is about to change everything. With the taste for the magical in everyday life, Evie Wood’s latest novel is full of ordinary characters with extraordinary tales top tell.

I thoroughly enjoyed all the magic and tales of the fairies in this book. Since I have an Irish background , I liked all the history and scenes of Ireland. I recommend this book.

Thanks to Net Galley for sending me an advanced reader’s copy for my review.

I enjoyed this author's last book, The Lost Bookshop, enough to make me want to read this new story. I thought that some of the meandering storylines in The Lost Bookshop would be cleaned up in a new novel. This one was harder to read in so many ways.

There was no connection to either of the FMCs and the MMCs barely had any personality either. You know what's happened to the modern FMC (I think her name was Sarah but she was so forgettable) but the story takes almost the whole book to spell it out. There is no built up tension, only exhaustion at the constant hinting. We get it -- she has trauma and she likes to run, literally and figuratively.

The FMC in the past, Anna, is only slightly more interesting although the connection between the two women is tenuous at best. There's not even a local connection with Anna and one of the family members that Sarah meets. Anna's story ends abruptly (the whole book does) and I'm confused as to what I even just read. There's no emotion, no logical conclusion -- it just *ends*. You find out more of what happens to the "villains" than to the main characters you were supposed to spend the pages getting to know (except that there's no emotional pull).

I'm done with this author and I can't recommend this to anyone. The writing was dull and lifeless and it was honestly a waste of my reading time.

**Received an ARC, all opinions are my own**

The Story Collector was a good historical fiction and I did enjoy reading but overall I'm not sure I was the reader for the book. It was a bit slower than I was wanting at that moment. So it's a reader issue. I will be re-reading this one again but I love the concept.

I really enjoyed this book. After a life changing loss, Sarah makes a sudden decision and ends up in Ireland. While there she finds an old journal from a girl who lived in her rental house in the early 1900’s. You get to see Sarah struggle with her life while reading the journal. I loved the dual time lines and seeing Sarah get her life together.

This one started out promising for me. Get drunk and get on the wrong flight and end up in Ireland. Done. Ultimately, it was a bit of a miss for me. The parallel storylines seemed to go too into detail on Anna and I was left longing for more of Sarah. It was as if it was built up so much behind the scenes with meaning (and myth and fairytales) that I was left thinking, so what? The character progression could have been more developed, and there could have been more done with the mythical elements. I wanted more from the Story Collector himself.

The Story Collector
By: Evie Woods

5 Stars

Each time I pick up a book by this author, I get a sense of magic and history. Split between past and present, this presents a tale that not only captivates but intrigues. Sarah in 2011 battles with guilt and grief after a tragedy. She flees to Ireland and finds herself swept into the stories of the past. A mysterious diary with stories of a girl, Anna, from 1911. Annas story will change Sarah in ways she never thought possible.

This story was about fairies but also loss and grief. It shows the magic that comes from memories and healing. It presented a captivating story that was beautifully descriptive. As a descendent of Ireland, it has always been a place of wonder and magic that I hope to visit one day. This book was done well. It was filled with romance, history, and life. It presents a message that will break your heart and then will piece it back together. The characters are done well, and the magic is palpable. I have read two separate books now from this author, and she is a wonder as a storyteller.

*I want to thank Netgalley and the author for this book in return for my honest review*

Stormi Ellis
Boundless Book Review

The Story Teller by Evie Woods was a delightful read with dual timelines set in Ireland. I loved both stories and the magical setting. The author does a great job of tying together the historical part of this book with a more modern storyline.

Thanks to NetGalley and One More Chapter for the advanced digital copy of the book.

I found the pacing to be slow, it seems as if everything really happens in the last 30% of the book. I was thoroughly invested in Anna's story. I enjoyed hearing the folklore of the fairies and would have enjoyed more focus on those stories.

Oh, Evie Woods. I will read your stories no matter the premise. The way Woods writes is like sipping a warm mug of tea on a cozy winter's morning. Woods always presents you with interesting POVs and the characters are always different so that jumps in time and place are easy to follow.

The Story Collector jumps back and forth between rural Ireland of the past and the present with a visitor from New York. Sarah escapes her life in New York and visits a tiny Irish village only to stumble on a diary from the past that will alter her world completely.

The side characters in this one are stellar and Woods is a great storyteller. I can't wait to see what she writers next.

Give me any book by Evie Woods. No matter the topic, the time period, the POV, and I want to read it. The way Woods crafts a story pulls me in like almost no other author does.

The characters are lovely, the switching between time periods is done without causing confusion. The magic realism is written so very well. Other than a small part in the middle where the stories seemed to stall for just a few pages, this book is everything one could want from the genre.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for the eARC of this work in exchange for my honest review.

I enjoyed this book although I did like The Lost Bookshop better. This book was slightly slower paced and I wanted t like it more. It just wasn't for me. Solid 3 stars. Thank you to NetGalley and One More Chapter/Harper Collins for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.