Thank you Random House Publishing Group for providing this ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review!

Warnings: Child Abuse, Physical Abuse, Homophobia, Death of a Parent, Suicide, Cancer

“The Lost Story” is an entertaining twist on the classic fairy tale, combining all of its elements in a way that makes for a completely new type of story. We follow three main characters as they come to find themselves having to enter the Red Crow Forest. Emilie is searching for a half-sister that she’s only recently learned about and seeks out Jeremy, the best man at finding lost girls. Jeremy was once lost with his friend Ralph in the Red Crow Forest and reluctantly decides to help Emilie find who she’s looking for, but only if Ralph is willing to go. After some convincing, Ralph agrees to join and they all quickly begin to learn a lot about themselves during the journey.

I would recommend this book to those that are fans of well developed characters in a story that emphasizes found family and finding one’s own happiness.

My favorite aspect of this book was how loveable each of the characters came to be. At different portions of the story I found myself rooting for each and every one of the main characters, hoping that they could learn what they needed to find their own happily ever after. What I think helped sell the characters to me was how the relationship dynamics developed throughout the story. It felt natural to me how they all came to grow close and to form the support system that helped them each grow.

What held me back from a perfect rating was the pacing of the plot. Some of the major plot points I was able to call out a bit early on, but was still interested enough in the characters to see how it all came together. However I felt it was a bit heavy handed on forcing the characters to make a decision that I don’t think they would have otherwise made. I understand why the story took that turn in order to create some tension, but it felt like the crux of the moment had come out of nowhere.

Despite that, I did still find this a very enjoyable read. I would definitely read future works by this author. They know how to build a fully fleshed out setting, how to create characters that are memorable, and how to write really enjoyable and witty dialogue