The Lost Story by Meg Shaffer

Inspired by C. S. Lewis’s The Chronicles of Narnia, this wild and wondrous novel is a fairy tale for grown-ups who still knock on the back of wardrobes—just in case—from the author of The Wishing Game.

As boys, best friends Jeremy Cox and Rafe Howell went missing in a vast West Virginia state forest, only to mysteriously reappear six months later with no explanation for where they’d gone or how they’d survived.

Fifteen years after their miraculous homecoming, Rafe is a reclusive artist who still bears scars inside and out but has no memory of what happened during those months. Meanwhile, Jeremy has become a famed missing persons’ investigator. With his uncanny abilities, he is the one person who can help vet tech Emilie Wendell find her sister, who vanished in the very same forest as Rafe and Jeremy.

Jeremy alone knows the fantastical truth about the disappearances, for while the rest of the world was searching for them, the two missing boys were in a magical realm filled with impossible beauty and terrible danger. He believes it is there that they will find Emilie’s sister. However, Jeremy has kept Rafe in the dark since their return for his own inscrutable reasons. But the time for burying secrets comes to an end as the quest for Emilie’s sister begins. The former lost boys must confront their shared past, no matter how traumatic the memories.

Alongside the headstrong Emilie, Rafe and Jeremy must return to the enchanted world they called home for six months—for only then can they get back everything and everyone they’ve lost.

Hardcover, 352 pages

Published July 16, 2024 

by Ballantine Books

5/5 stars

I loved Meg Shaffer's debut, The Wishing Game, my expectations for The Lost Story was pretty high. Was disappointed? Not at all. As with her previous book, I loved her writing, the witty banter between the characters (and maybe some non-human folks as well) and the whimsical storytelling.

The Lost Story is about Ralph and Jeremy how they went missing for 6 months, that was 15 years ago. Parting ways they are now reunited and ready to finish the story. This was such a unique plot and I’m not gonna give anything about it away. Suffice to say this is a magical story of friendship, family, and searching. The characters are likable and there is even another point of view from the storyteller.

This is a modern day fairytale, which has me yearning to read some of the classics of the past. It was  lighthearted and whimsical, but does have it's fair share of drama. The characters were likeable, except for the ones that weren't. The cover is one of my favorites.

If you are looking for something different, something that will make you smile at the dialogue as well as adding to your tbr, I highly recommend this read.

This book was part of my 2024 reading off my shelf challenge, it was one of my highly anticipated books of the year and I purchased it through book of the month.