A charming and charismatic novel that blends historical fiction with magical realism. We have two women separated by a century and both timelines are brought to life with vivid descriptions and engaging characters. We get to experience the magic and mystery of Ireland through both the eyes of Sarah and Anna. I loved the Irish folklore and fairy tales.
Many thanks to HarperCollins and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins UK, One More Chapter for an advanced read copy of this book!

The Story Collector by Evie Woods is a magical tale with historical and romantic elements told from multiple timelines that are intertwined together.
After her recent divorce, Sarah impulsively boards a plane to Ireland where she finds herself in Thornwood and drawn into its mysterious past as she discovers Anna's diary hidden in a tree from the early 1900's. As Sarah unravels Anna's story of Irish folklore and fairies, she finds healing, adventure, and new relationships that she never expected in Thornwood.

****➍.➎ 🅢🅣🅐🅡🅢 ****

History, magic and romance, oh my! I'm not usual a fan of multiple timeline stories (I have a hard time following them) but this story was told so beautifully that I couldn't help but be engulfed!

Plot: Sarah, a New Yorker in modern 2010 makes an impromptu (and slightly not sober) decision to fly to Ireland. While coming to terms with her life choices she finds a 100 year old journal that leads her on a magical journey.
This journal belongs to Anna, an eighteen-year-old Irish farm girl, who is chosen to help Harold, a visiting American academician who is collecting Irish fairy stories for his research project, in speaking/translating with the locals. The two of them end up collecting more than just fairy stories, learning that life can be darker than any story told.

The atmosphere created is beautiful and dreamy, I was wishing I was curled up in Thronwood cottage reading fairy stories of my own. While I wasn't crazy about the character of Sarah, I was enthralled by Anna/Harold. I think Sarah needed to find herself before finding love, and grow from her past, but overall I enjoyed the atmosphere and lore that was presented.


*𝑻𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒌 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒕𝒐 𝑵𝒆𝒕𝑮𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒚 & 𝑨𝒍𝒄𝒐𝒗𝒆 𝑷𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒔 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒅𝒊𝒈𝒊𝒕𝒂𝒍 𝑨𝑹𝑪 𝒊𝒏 𝒆𝒙𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒆 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒎𝒚 𝒉𝒐𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒕 𝒓𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒆𝒘!*

This story was so breathtakingly beautiful and magical; it is one that will stay with me for a long time. Told across dual timelines about Sarah in the present, and Anna in the past. Both women making their way in Ireland, who have contact with the Irish heritage of the little people … the fairy folk.

The pages are filled with stories, with wonder, with romance and a strong sense of Irish history. I had goosebumps reading some sections of this, even while my heart hurt at various times for the hard times both women faced. For Sarah, getting on a plane and travelling to Ireland on a whim turned out to be much more - leaving the question of was it really a whim?

The story collector himself, Harold, had a great gift of seeing and listening to both what was said and unsaid and knew the value of documenting the stories told by word of mouth so that nothing would be lost. There were so many other characters who also captured my heart from the delightful Marcus, to grieving Oran and his wise young daughter.

A delightful book with dark secrets, whispers of changlings and so much more. Thanks to Netgalley and HarperCollins UK for this copy in exchange for review.

I loved this book, what a wonderful story. The dual timeline worked really well and I loved the way Sarah's story and Anna's had some shared / reflected elements. The folklore elements were fascinating and the whole story ticked so many boxes for me. Another triumph from Evie Woods

Enjoyed Evie Woods previous but really got into this particularly like the 2 time lines. Great story and well written characters with lots of background stories also

What a stunning book! Both inside and out! It was the cover that initially drew me to pick this book up, but once I'd read the blur and it promised folklore and myth, I was convinced this was my kind of book - and I was proved right!

The story is set in 2 timelines - 2010 with the character of Sarah who has recently split from her husband, and is at that point in her life where she doesn't know what is next for her - and also 1910 with the character of Anna whose story we hear of through her diary entries. The way these stories blend together is extremely clever and enthralling and I loved both characters for the ways they dealt with the issues that faced them.
Set in the village of Thornwood over the years, the stories of 'The Good People' have always been part of the folklore and there has always been a huge interest in the ways of the fairies - some curse them, others see them as a good power watching over them, and as Sarah traces the steps of Anna and Harold, the American who is in the village to collect stories of local folklore, she begins to see similarities between her own life and finds herself falling under the spell of Thornwood herself. With the help of Hazel, a local, she finds herself using the thoughts and experiences of Anna to understand her own life and how to move on.

This was a beautifully written story that had me captivated from start to finish. It was full of the magical elements that I love alongside some fascinating characters and that the power of belief is such a powerful thing to many.
Highly recommended!!

The Story Collector is a charming blend of historical fiction, magical realism, and heartfelt storytelling. The novel revolves around a woman who uncovers hidden secrets and stories that have been forgotten over time, set against the backdrop of an old, mysterious library. As she delves deeper into the past, the lines between history, memory, and magic blur, making for a rich and enchanting read.

One of the standout features of the book is how it captures the magic of storytelling itself, celebrating the importance of preserving history and the lives that are interwoven into the tales we tell. The novel has a comforting, almost cozy feel, even as it deals with moments of heartache and suspense.

I'm a big fan of Evie Woods and was exicted to get my hands on this book. The Story Collector alternates between a young girl who is guiding a researcher collecting anecdotes about fairies in a small Irish town and Sarah who at a major crossroads in her life decides to get on a flight to Ireland on a whim. Set 100 years in the past and in the present, this book is a whimsical story that is just wholesome and good. While I think I enjoyed The Lost Bookshop much more, this still was a fun read that transported me to Ireland for a time.

I just love Evie Woods, reading her books are magical! I love how she creates a world and as a reader you get swept away with the storytelling. I loved the characters and the developments of the story, each feeling realistic. Another great read that I found myself truly immersed in.

My new favourite author, even though Evie Woods has a few books out there. Has all my favourite topics in the title

2.5 stars.
This dual timeline story, set in 1910 and 2010, concerns storytelling, and recovering from grief, respectively.

In 2010, Sarah Harper drunkenly boards a plane for Ireland, instead of heading to her family's home in Boston, after splitting up with her husband Jack. She rents a cozy cottage, then finds a diary written by a girl named Anna in 1910. Intrigued, Sarah begins reading. She also meets the original owner of the cottage, Oran, a man grieving his wife and raising his daughter Hazel. Sarah instantly feels attracted to him, but is too mired in her grief most of the time, drinking herself to sleep each night, and wondering what she's going to make of her life now.

In 1910, Anna, a naive, young farm girl, meets American Harold Griffin-Krauss, who is travelling the Celtic countries and writing down stories of the Fae from the locals. Anna volunteers to take him around her village, introducing Harold to anyone who may have an interesting story. She's also mooning over the local rich boy, and is more knowledgeable of many things than I would have expected a girl who's never been anywhere else.

These two timelines gradually come together, with Anna's story propelling Sarah to begin picking up the pieces of her life.

So…the book's cover is pretty, and Anna, despite inconsistencies in her characterization, and Hazel (a minor character) are the most interesting people in this story. Not enough was done with Sarah for me to feel much for her, despite the horrible tragedy that sent running to Ireland. I also was really surprised when she was attracted to Oran almost immediately, despite being in pain and literally just splitting with husband.

The story collector of the novel, Harold, whom I figured would be a major character, because of the novel's title, really felt like a supporting character, even though it's his attempt at capturing old stories that has Anna noting his efforts in the diary which connects the two timelines together.

I also felt that the story could have just centred on Anna and the book would have been stronger; her trajectory was much more interesting as it felt more cohesive and thought-out.

I think the BEST part of this book was the stories that villagers tell Harold; they're fascinating, full of danger and colour.

Thank you to Netgalley and to HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter for this ARC in exchange for my review.

This was a really sweet read and perfect for anyone looking to curl up with a great fall book! I loved the world that Woods builds and that she doesn't shy away from things not going as planned for her characters.

I devoured Woods’ The Lost Bookshop so was very pleased to be able to read and review The Story Collector. I loved the setting and the enchanting cottage and village Sarah found herself in. Using Annie’s story and diary from the past to delve into the world of the fae was magical.

Another dual time line story from this author, set across one hundred years.

It is 1911, Anna a farm girl, helps out a mysterious man who is travelling around Ireland, translating fairy stories. The area in West Coast Ireland is rich in myth, folklore and tall tales. Anna becomes [art of the story as she learns about places and the man that she has been tasked to help.

2011. Sara is in the midst of some sort of breakdown, flying to Ireland from New York, she finds herself in the depth of winter, in a cottage to work out what next in her life. Her discovery of Anna’s diary from 100 years ago takes her on a journey to find out more about this mysterious women. Is it this journey that will solve Sara’s problems.

The author has captured the mystical and magical elements within this book as she did her previous one and weaves it into the story. The modern day story was very hard, Sarah was a character I didn’t warm to, her harshness perhaps a reflection on her circumstances but none the less it was all integral to the book. Anna on the other hand provided me with an insight into turn of the century farming in Ireland.

A book which challenged the role of magic in our lives. It was a good read.

Not my usual genre yet a delightful story of Irish customs , past history and magical superstitions. A book of two timelines: A century ago a young Irish girl becomes involved with an American who is not what he seems. Fast forward to modern times when the second protagonist, Sarah, makes a foolhardy decision at the last minute to escape her emotional issues by running away to Ireland. Here she discovers an old diary written 100 years ago. The past crashes into the present with a delightful mix of old Irish customs, magic and a belief in fairies all a huge part of the country’s history. A gentle storyline of a different age and time where it was everyday practice to accept by suspending belief without the need for cold logic or proof. Many thanks to author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

What a lovely story where at Thornwood Village in 1910 we see Anna Anna, a young farm girl, helping American visitor, Harold Griffin-Krauss, translate 'fairy stories' from Irish to English. Then in New York in 2010 we find Sarah entranced by Irish folklore, boards a plane for Ireland.

This is a tale in two parts and we follow two young women, Irish myths and legends, lots of mystery and suspense and plenty of secrets from the past. This is a magical book to say the least told over two timelines but this works well to bring the stories, 'fairy tales' and folklore of the past and into the present.

I started reading and the book drew me into it's pages and I just couldn't let go. Loved the writing, the story and the Irishness of it. It is intriguing but it is so much more. Another great read/book but Evie Woods.

Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

I loved every page of this book. It will make you laugh. It will make you cry. It will make you angry and sometimes all within the sme chapter!

3.5 - This was a really unique story set in two timelines in Ireland. The historical time is a man coming to document stories about local "fairies" and the woman who helps him. The modern has a woman running away from her life in America. Both have people in need to healing.

A cosy fantasy, a cute story, one that made me smile and I loved
I enjoyed this book. as it's well plotted, fascinating world building, and entertaining. . I liked the good storytelling
Due to health issues cannot write a proper review now even if I enjoyed this book. A proper review will follow
Recommended.Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine