The Lost Story: A Novel

Written by Meg Shaffer

Narrated by Jorjeana Marie

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.

“This is the book you’ve been waiting for.”—Richard Russo, Pulitzer Prize–winning author of Empire Falls and the North Bath Trilogy

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.


* This audiobook edition includes a downloadable PDF that contains a map and recipes from the book.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Penguin Random House Audio Publishing Group
• Release date: Jul 16, 2024
• ISBN: 9780593740033

Meg Shaffer

Meg Shaffer is the author of the bestselling novel The Wishing Game. She lives in Louisville, Kentucky with her husband, author Andrew Shaffer, and their two cats. The cats are not writers.

Reviews for The Lost Story

[reader1009-863136 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

fiction - 23 y.o. Emilie enlists the help of former "lost child"-turned-missing-persons-detective Jeremy to find her presumed-dead half-sister Shannon, who disappeared 20 years ago at age 13 in the Red Crow State Forest of West Virginia, in the same place where Jeremy and his friend were lost 15 years ago as teens.

This was a terrific queer romance involving a portal to a magical world and several adventures therein, but also a lovely story about sisters, and heroes, and facing one's fears. I loved the immersive storytelling, and the fast pace kept the pages turning. More, please!

[mchwest · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I really got into this book from the start and then unfortunately it dove into a little too much fantasy for me.

[davisfamily-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Fluffy, cozy, predictable... chunks of boring, mixed with lighthearted fun.

[mav1n1libby · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I absolutely loved The Wishing Game, so I was really excited about Meg's new release. However, I didn't love this one. In defense of the book, fantasy isn't my favorite genre. Her first one was more light fantasy/whimsical and the way she did it just made me feel like a child again, with a book about a book and I was here for it. And this one was more fairytale/fantasy than I wanted. SPOILER: It started off great about boys being lost and coming back bigger and stronger six months later. But then it started to lose me when they went back to a land where the girl's missing sister is the queen and one of the missing boys was a prince. It just went a little too fantasy for my taste.

[kalliegrace · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is very much a fairy tale, cute and whimsical and predictable. I wish it was either fully geared at adults or a young audience though, because it felt very young and innocent except in a few places. This very much has Wayward Children vibes.

[treebeard_404 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Such a deeply sweet and touching story! I heartily recommend the audiobook version.

[eliz12_1 · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

Absolutely insufferable. This is a YA novel of cutesiness. I was tempted - foolishly - by Richard Russo's "This is the book you've been waiting for" quote on the front. I won't let that happen again. The constant references to anything Stevie Nicks. The fifth-grade level humor (one character, supposed royalty, irks another character who calls him an asshole, to which the former replies: "Sir Asshole." The dreadful names of the characters (Skya). The fun little rat character (super cute!). Truly one of the worst reading experiences of my life.

[mehreen_naz_3 · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

This is a sample. It doesn’t specify. Or maybe I missed it.

[fredreeca · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Oh! Y’all! This book is soooo good! I almost skipped it. I am not a big fan of Narnia-GASP! But, this book captured me in a unique world and I do not want to forget it!

This story follows Jeremy and Rafe. As young boys, they were lost in a West Virginia forest for 6 months. But, were they really lost?

Now, it is 15 years later. Jeremy is an expert in finding lost people. He has been contacted by Emilie. Her sister has been missing for years. Jeremy knows where she is and now he needs Rafe to help him return to the enchanted world they discovered in their youth.

This tale is full of wonderful characters, magic, mystery, abuse, love, terror, friendship and just plain creativity. It also had me laughing out loud in places.

Need a magical read that is present in both worlds…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today.

I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.

[srms.reads · Rating: 4 out of 5 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.”

Last year The Wishing Game was one of my favorite reads and I’m glad to say that with The Lost Story, author Meg Shaffer does not disappoint.

Set in the (fictional) Red Crow State Forest of West Virginia, the story follows our three protagonists Emilie Wendell, Jeremy Cox and Ralph "Rafe" Howell as they embark on a quest to find out what happened to Emilie’s long-lost sister Shannon, who, when thirteen, went missing from the area decades ago. Jeremy and Rafe are no strangers to the forest, having been found six months after disappearing while on a school trip fifteen years ago. What happened to them remains a mystery to everyone except Jeremy. Jeremy and Rafe, once close friends, have been estranged since the incident. Jeremy makes finding missing girls his life’s calling and when Emilie approaches him for help in finding Shannon, he eventually agrees. Rafe is a loner, traumatized by the incident, but with no memories of the six months they were missing. Jeremy convinces Rafe to join the quest with promises that everything will be revealed in the course of their journey.

“Nobody wants to admit they’re lost.”

Inspired by C.S. Lewis’s The Chronicles of Narnia, this “fairy tale for grown-ups”, is a beautifully written story with endearing characters (human and mythical), vividly descriptive with superb worldbuilding, that transported me to Shanandoah with Emilie, Jeremy and Rafe.

A story of friendship, found family, love, sacrifice and courage with adventure and intrigue, emotion and humor, magical kingdoms, enchanted forests and mythical beings – sounds just perfect, doesn’t it? If you agree, this book is a must-read. I should mention that this story is much deeper than a fanciful tale for children, with several dark and sensitive themes, including abandonment, homophobia, child abuse, PTSD and mental health woven into the narrative. I enjoyed the dynamic between the three main characters and thought that the supporting characters (even the unlikeable ones) were also well thought out. The pacing is a tad uneven, but this did not detract from my overall experience. I did feel, however, that there was a tad too much going on. With so many subplots, it is to be expected that not all of them would be explored in equal depth.

Overall, I found this to be a charming and incredibly moving story that I would not hesitate to recommend. Read this one with your heart and you won’t be disappointed!

Many thanks to Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine for the digital review copy via NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

[bibliovermis · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A really great adventure/quest story. The characters and their adulthood post-childhood-Narnia-portal situation were fascinating, and there's a fantastic romance in there, too. Every so often there are narrator-speaking-directly-to-you chapters, which I found kind of took me out of the story more than anything, but by the end of the book I even liked those, and found they were worked in very well. I'm going to read it again!

[lycomayflower · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A commercial fiction story with fantastical elements and a cozy vibe, though there are some tough topics within, this was a perfect gentle read for me, hitting so many of the things I love in a book: bookishness/allusions to well-known tales, fantasy, a queer love story, redemption, tenderness, fealty, sibling bonds, parent/adult child reckonings, and a happy/hopeful ending. Recommended if you like that stuff, though do note that this feels like commercial fiction, not like fantasy or romance, as genres. Just go in knowing what you're getting. Maybe think Stephen King's [Fairy Tale], but nicer, shorter, and without any horror/gore.

[thedivineoomba · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is one of those books that starts has an interesting premise, but turns into something considerably more predictable. The writing was done, with with well written characters.

As for the fantasy world, I found it predictable and rather boring. There are better books based on adults finding a childhood fantasy world. I would have loved this book a few years ago, but after reading a bunch of similar themed books, I was disappointment in it.

[ladycato · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I received an advance copy via NetGalley.

I think I can be classified as an all-out fan of Meg Shaffer. I adored her book The Wishing Game, and I feel the same way about her newest release, The Lost Story. Both books are emotionally-gutting with intricate characters and innovative approaches to storytelling.

The Lost Story begins with a news story about two missing teenage boys in the wilds of West Virginia. After six months, the presumed-dead best friends emerged in good health and no trustworthy account of what happened when they were missing. One of them, Rafe, has no memory of the time at all; Jeremy remembers and says little, but as he grows up, he becomes a famed missing persons investigator. Rafe becomes an artistic recluse in the woods.

When a vet tech, Emilie Wendell, approaches Jeremy for help in finding an older sister she just discovered through DNA testing--a sister who vanished long ago--she has no idea the scope of the story she is within.

This is in many ways a fantasy story told within literary framework, and it works. It's an ode to the power of fantasy, but approaches it from a different way than in The Wishing Game (and I did appreciate the quiet nod Shaffer made to her previous book). There's a beautiful, banter-filled queer romance and a profound found family narrative that powers the book through the end. I was fighting tears through the last 10%, which was rather awkward as I was on an airplane and masked up. This book is just.... stunning. Deep. It delves into some hard topics around abuse, but overall is hopeful and resilient.

[kmartin802_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

THE LOST STORY was a magical experience. It is the story of two boys lost in a forest in West Virginia on an end-of-the-year field trip who come walking out six months after they disappeared. Rafe becomes an artist who doesn't remember what happened while he was lost in the woods. Jeremy becomes a man filled with secrets who has a talent for finding girls who are lost in the woods.

Fifteen years after their reappearance, Emilie Wendell comes to find Jeremy to ask him to look for the sister she didn't know she had until after her mother's death and who disappeared in the same forest where Rafe and Jeremy disappeared. Jeremy hasn't seen Rafe since they walked out of the forest, but now he needs him if the search for Emilie's sister is to be successful.

This story tells what happened when they all return to the Red Crow forest. It is filled with magic and romance and all the elements of a good fairy tale: heroes and villains, a lost princess, a magician and a storyteller to provide insights.

I thought this story was amazing. It will certainly go on my keeper shelf when it was released. The characters were well-drawn and interesting people. The language was both down to earth and lyrical.

[kimkimkim-7 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

When I saw Meg Shaffer had a new book out I held my breath. I loved “The Wishing Game” and often my second experience with an author is disappointing. Oh me of little faith.

Loved this book, absolutely loved it. West Virginia, lost boys, amnesia, a very out-there and expressive woman in search of her lost sister, a pet rat named Fritz, hints of a fairy tale, MAGIC, and a rip in time. LOVED EVERYTHING about this story. I loved that so much of this story was kind in its treatment of so many important people and issues. I loved that humor and great dialog was inserted throughout the pages. I loved the references to “Stevie Nicks” and the admission that she “transcends space and time”.

Looking for a magical story that makes you feel good all over? This is is the story for you. A gazilliion thanks to Ballantine Books and NetGalley for a copy.

[velmeran · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The Lost Story by Meg Shaffer is a wonderful, and fun read.

The characters in the story are lovable and vivacious. They all have distinct personalities and interests and offset each other beautifully.

The world is constructed perfectly for a fairy tale and to give you more would induce spoilers and this story deserves better.

The plot is that of your typical fairy tale and tells you as much itself. It hits all the tropes and is better for that.

While I generally only cover those three points, in this case I will also let you know that there are few authors who I would 'follow' and search out their other books and this author is one of those. This is the second book of hers I have read and I am a fan.