The Lost Story Review

Hello, all!

One of my favorite reads of last year was The Wishing Game by Meg Shaffer (review here), so I was thrilled to get an early copy of her latest release, The Lost Story. Big thanks to the publisher for the copy!

Pub Date: 7-16-24
Adult - Fiction

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 regain the life Rafe has lost.

My expectations were sky-high going into this latest release, and 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 only bothered me a little. Shaffer has solidified herself as an auto-buy author for me, and I can't recommend this one enough.

Rating: 4.5/5