Sweet easy read. I enjoyed the characters and especially the beautiful setting Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this great read.

Arriving in Ireland unexpectedly (after boarding a flight while worse for wear from drinking), Anna makes the best of it and finds herself renting a cottage and settling in to recover from the end of her marriage and to contemplate how far her life has diverted from its expected trajectory.

Discovering a diary of a previous occupant of the cottage-Anna Butler from 1910- she develops a deep interest in the story unfolding in its pages, of Irish folklore and The Good People, and of loss and love.

I was drawn into the story quickly and it kept my interest though Anna’s story was definitely the main driver for me. Being delivered back to Sarah’s narrative was somewhat frustrating at times as it was on a far more predictable arc.

Altogether enjoyable- 3.5 stars rounded up. My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC to review.

"The Story Collector" by Evie Woods is a whimsical tale that weaves together elements of magic and mystery. Set in a quaint English village, the story follows the journey of protagonist Lily, who discovers a hidden bookshop filled with enchanted books that can transport readers into the worlds within their pages. While the concept is intriguing and the writing style charming, the pacing occasionally feels uneven, and some plot points are left unresolved. However, Woods' vivid descriptions and imaginative storytelling make "The Story Collector" an enjoyable read for those who love a touch of magic in their fiction.

Amidst the holidays, Sarah unintentionally flies to Ireland, a country of magic and folklore, good fairies and bad. Could the good faries have directed her path? Having left the hustle and bustle of New York City along with her personal problems she finds that this, right now, is the place for her. Greeted warmly by strangers, given a place to stay and providing a rest that was sorely needed, Sarah is able to refresh. She finds an old journal in a tree stump that tells the story of Anna and Harold and the good and bad fairies of the county. The story is told in dual POV's without any difficulty switching time lines.Cute, heartwarming, sad in turns, this book was a sweet read. Thank you to One More Chapter and NetGalley for the digital ARC. This review is my own words.

A fun sweet read! Highly recommend.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for my ARC.

An Irish Village and an old diary.
Set in the village of Thornwood in Ireland mostly in 2011 and 1911.

At Christmas time 2010, Sarah leaves her husband Jack in New York intending to travel to Boston to spend Christmas with her sister, Meghan. Sarah is on medication for an anxiety disorder and splashes too much Irish whisky in her coffee while she waits for her delayed flight. Unfortunately, she ends up on a flight to Ireland by mistake.

I loved the way a newspaper article about a hawthorn tree in Clare County and its connection with fairies gives Sarah a cover story to explain why she has arrived in Thornwood at Christmas.

Sarah rents a small cottage in the village of Thornwood; while out walking, Sarah finds an old diary hidden in old tree hollow. The diary was written by Anne Butler between 1910 and 1911. Anna writes about her life in Thornwood and the meeting of a man collecting stories about fairy folklore and fairy faith.

I loved the way Sarah’s life changes as she settles into Butler’s cottage and her decision to drink less after seeing things that could have been fairies.

A romance about fairies, grief and families.

Thank you NetGalley and One More Chapter for a chance to read and review this e=book book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for this ARC

I really enjoyed this book and reading about the Irish folklore. Sarah impulsively boards a plan from the US to Ireland and ends up staying in a cottage that was formerly the home of the Butler family 100 years previously. She finds Anna Butler's diary and from that point on the book flicks between the present day and flashbacks told through Anna's diary.

A sweet and cosy read. 4.5 stars rounded up.

I enjoyed this book like I enjoyed the author's other book, The Lost Bookshop. While I liked the 1910 diary more than the modern story, I loved all the fairy elements throughout the book and the Irish setting. Thank you to Net Galley and Harper Collins's One More Chapter for this ARC.

Sadly, this novel did nothing for me. I really struggled to get into it and it didn't improve the further I read.
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC.

I absolutely adored this magical book. The writing was so good and kept my attention throughout the novel. I loved the flashbacks through Anna's journal. It left me wanting to read more about Anna's life and Sarah's. The setting of Ireland and the enchanting stories of the faeries makes you want to travel to Ireland and find "the good people" yourself. I highly recommend this book if you enjoy historical fiction and want to learn more about Ireland and it's folklore history surrounding the faeries.

Thank you Netgalley and Harper Collins UK, One More Chapter for the digital arc in exchange for my honest opinion.

I received a free copy of, The Story Collector, by Evie Woods, from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Sarah Harper goes to Ireland to get away, she finds a book that was written a hundred years ago. Anna a farm girl was helping an American translate a book. Sarah is intrigued by Anna. I really enjoyed this story, Anna and Sarah are great characters, very strong women,

Evie Woods created another beautiful story with The Story Collector. Sarah Harper is depressed and struggling on Christmas. She makes an impulsive decision to fly to Ireland where she finds herself in a small town with no where to go. Luckily there is a small cottage for rent in a town known for its magic and fairies. In this cottage, Sarah stumbles upon a book from the past, a book that tells about the town and the man who came to collect its stories.
The Story Collector shifts between the past and the present. The stories intertwine with magic. The setting is beautifully described. Both Anna and Sarah have great character development. They learn to persevere through their tough times and they learn to overcome their heartaches.
I loved this story. It was sad yet uplifting. It was romantic and magical. It was an adventure to be enjoyed.

Thank you to NetGalley, HarperCollins UK, and One More Chapter for the advanced copy. The opinions are my own.

Thank you netgalley and Evie Woods for the opportunity to read the ARC of this gem!
Told in dual timeliness of present day and 1910, this story quickly sucked me in. You meet Sarah in the present day story, who's marriage is failing and decides on christmas fay to fly to Ireland on a whim.
In 1910, we meet Anna Butler. She is helping an American with his thesis research for Oxford on Folklore. They travel the village collecting tales and stories from locals.
Evie Woods descriptions of Ireland make you feel like you are there, and it's painted beautifully. I love how to storylines begin to intertwine, ns it's a wonderful ending :)

Thornwood Village, 1910: Anna, a young farm girl, volunteers to help an intriguing American visitor, Harold Griffin-Krauss, translate 'fairy stories' from Irish to English. But all is not as it seems and Anna soon finds herself at the heart of a mystery that threatens the future of her community and her very way of life…

New York, 2010: Captivated by the land of myth, folklore and superstition, Sarah Harper boards a plane bound for the West Coast of Ireland and finds herself walking in the footsteps of Harold and Anna one hundred years later. But once there, she finds she has unearthed dark secrets – secrets that tread the line between the everyday and the otherworldly, the seen and the unseen.

Another beautifully written story by Evie Woods. This was an entertaining and heartfelt story about healing and learning to live again. The setting is beautifully written, the characters captivating, and Sarah's journey is deeply satisfying. Excellent read by one of my favorite authors!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced digital reader's copy (ARC) in exchange for an honest review!

🐾 Favourite Quote

"If we lose our stories, we lose ourselves."

🐈‍⬛️ What is it about?

Sarah marriage is over. She leaves her home and goes to the airport to go see her family for some time alone. At the airport she finds a quirky Ireland shop, where she reads a newspaper article about a tree were fairies may live. After some wisky and rush decisions she wakes up... in Ireland.
There she will have time to reconnect with herself and grief, while getting involved in the local folklore and an ancient story.

🐈 My thoughts:

Such a cosy read! I thoroughly enjoyed spending some time in Ireland with Sarah, Anna and The Good People. Learning more about the folklore culture made me want to visit Ireland.
The characters are well developed and easy to connect with. Funny at times and quite sad at others.
Read this is you want something cosy, easy to read but still interesting and engaging.
This is my first book from thr author but I already purchase her previous work so I can dive in The Last Bookshop soon!

Thank you for the ARC.

So much of life is bittersweet, is it not? Its not all happy endings, sweet nothings, a and just so's. Its not all bad, either, don't get me wrong! I love fairy tales. I always have, I collect books of global fairy tales and they're not all the cleansed TV Disney versions. Some are quite dark. That's what story tellers are and are for! There are actually college programs coming back, like in Appalachia, and places in Europe, where you can get a degree in storytelling and go around gathering tales, like our Harold in this wonderful, bittersweet book, to share the history and times past of a world long gone. We need that! We need the sinister and the genteel. We need the love and the brave, the heroic and the fool hardy. The author paints such vivid pictures, and gives such emotion, even at times without saying what it is that we are coming to know and feel. This is a beautiful, at times hard, book to read, but a lovely one for all that. Take the time, find a quiet nook, with a cuppa, as they say, and settle in. You might need tissues or a kerchief. Listen to the wind, watch for the gentle rain or such setting, and read of Anna and Harold, of Oran and Sarah, and just enjoy the tales and the Good People and take it in. You'll be the better for it, I promise you.

A beautifully written story spanning two time periods. I loved reading about the different lives of Sarah and Anna, interwoven with fairy lore. A bewitching story which I will treasure.

Overall, I enjoyed this book. The history and cultural connections to the Irish countryside were intriguing, and I liked the side-by-side stories of two women navigating through the fairy folklore and personal relationships. However, it began slowly, and it wasn't until the last third of the novel that I felt a true connection to the characters once their background stories and true motivations were revealed. There were also a few smaller details that I did not enjoy, such as the UK spellings of many words in the narration at the start of the novel when it was just focused on the American protagonist. The descriptions of infertility being solely caused by stress also perpetuates a myth. Otherwise, it was an enjoyable read with a creative ending.

I adored The Lost Bookshop so was always going to leap at the chance to read Evie Woods' new one. For me there wasn't the same magical realism of the Bookshop, but what we have here is folklore and fairies. Sarah has finally taken the decision to leave her marriage and decides to fly to Boston to spend Christmas with her sister. A snap decision at the airport finds her in Ireland instead, in a picturesque village, Thornwood, in a cosy cottage. A wander in the wood leads her to a hidden diary and the start of a mystery. Told in a dual timeline, we follow Sarah in the present day as she finally comes to accept her situation, as she gets to know the locals, and as she gets drawn into the 'magic'. We also follow the story of Anna, the writer of the diary, 100 years previously, when she accompanied an American, Harold, as he collected stories about the fairies, the Good People. A farm girl, she finds herself crossing paths with the twins up at the 'big house'. Through both timelines we learn about the Good People and there is a mysterious element as these fairy folk seem to be present in both periods. Both Anna and Sarah are coming to terms with loss and Anna's story in particular is quite sad while Sarah's does seem a bit predictable. I adored Harold, a real gentleman and I bet you do too. As much as I enjoyed it, I have to say that I enjoyed The Lost Bookshop a lot, lot more.

“If we lose our stories…we lose ourselves.” (The Story Collector)

“Those who don’t believe in magic will never find it.” (Roald Dahl - quoted in The Story Collector)

The Story Collector by Evie Woods is a magical, mystical treasure that echoes with the fairy world power of Ireland. It is a mesmerising tale told in two timelines where the past unfolds and ripples like a wave into the future. This tale is beautifully delivered from an Irish author who loves her culture and shares its mysteries with enthusiasm and passion.

In the 2010/2011 timeline, we meet Sarah who lives in New York. She is in deep anguish over a recent loss. Her marriage has been torn apart by the suffering and she needs to get away. But it is Christmas. Even though she plans to go to Boston to see her family, after reading a newspaper article about an Irish fairy tree, she finds herself boarding a plane to Shannon, Ireland. She ends up in the charming village of Thornwood in County Clare renting a cosy cottage that lifts her spirits. On one of her walks through the countryside, she stumbles across a tree that is harbouring some impressive history. This opens a door of discovery that will lead her to meet intriguing new people, Celtic folklore and a new turn on life.

One of the locals she encounters is Oran. Originally he appears quite gruff but as she gets to know him, she learns of his past loss and why he is so protective of the landscape. Eventually, Sarah becomes invigorated by her encounter with him as he shows her around the area. He helps her feel young and free again for he ‘sees her for herself and not her scars’.

In 1910/11 we meet Anna: a farmer’s daughter who helps Howard Griggin-Krauss with his research by gathering local stories for his folklore thesis: The Story Collector. Later he publishes a book called The Fairy Compendium but at this point he is working on his paper. Why has he chosen this topic? It becomes known that his mother died when he was eight and she told him many stories and songs that birthed in him the desire to collect these into a book so that they would not be forgotten. He fears the oral traditions will be lost once the older generation has passed on. So, he makes it his ‘vocation to remember these individuals and save their knowledge by recording it.’ As he sets out on a mission to visit as many places as possible, he listens to the folk stories and writes them down. He employs assistants to help with the task and when he comes to Thornwood, he chooses young Anna. We learn later that she has also recorded her own diary of events. This record is found by modern day American Sarah who is renting the cottage that Anna and her family once lived in. What she reads and learns from this diary, sets her on her own road to healing and wholeness.

I found Howard’s research fascinating and his conclusions enlightening. He noted the similarities in many of the stories across the world. Between Celtic countries, Howard says, ‘belief in fairies is almost a doctrine of souls.’ There are many glistening lines like this in the novel and I loved pondering the beliefs shared by the characters. When Howard is asked about his conclusions: he says Fairyland is an ‘invisible world’ and 'real to the people who believe in it'. He mentions that because he is a scholar, onlookers will think the people’s stories have credibility. His aim is to help the world consider them as valid testimonies. As from all the evidence he has gathered, he concludes there is a connection between the spirit realm and the natural world.

I enjoyed hearing the many fascinating mystical stories. At times they were even frightful! Anna shares her experiences also and it becomes evident she is favoured by the fairies. But hers is a journey to maturity, as well: especially after she gets caught in a tangle at Thornwood that puts her in danger and Harold in a bad position. A mystical event occurs that draws her back from the clutches of harm and sees Harold play the hero to save her from the worst outcome possible at his own expense…until Danny and Paddy come to his rescue. It is a nail biting drama that kept me glued to the pages!

There is so much about this story I love: the eloquent poetic language, the fairy history, the endearing characters, the dual timeline plots that worked so well together. The atmospheric setting of Ireland, along with the historical folklore references (including the sacred Hawthorn tree rooted in the otherworld and the ravenous bees!) gave the modern thread so much added weight and wonder. The past meets the present and blends into one single note of triumph! While the experience of delving into these rich cultural resources changed Sarah’s life. Her spontaneous adventure in Ireland aided her emotional healing and helped her to live freely again.

Without question, I was amply impressed by this beautiful story filled with the rich culture of Ireland that has inspired generations of artists in all facets of creative expression. It brought back my own precious memories of my trips there, too, and how I was moved to tears when I had to leave! The Emerald Isle certainly captured and kept a piece of my heart—just like Evie’s magical story. 5 Bright Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thanks to One More Chapter and Netgalley for my review copy.