Shelterwood, the dual timeline story of 2 women in Oklahoma in the Winding Stair Mountains who are fleeing abusive men in their lives. One is told through the timeline of a child fleeing from an abusive and ill intentioned guardian/father the other is starting over after leaving an abusive husband. The story begins to shed light on the Oklahoma Federation of Women's Clubs and the women that help in the Mountains.
Like others, We Were Left Behind is a favorite of mine, so I knew that the author, Ms Wingate would have a heavy over tone of her story, as she always does, but this one was a lot harder for me to get into. It felt like the story took almost too long to actually begin and while I can appreciate the author's details and can tell she spent a lot of time on researching this particular subject, I found myself having to force myself to pick up the book and keep reading it. The story could've moved a little bit quicker for me and you definitely have to be invested in this one to finish it, as it is a long one! I appreciated it once it got going a bit, but I didn't love this nearly as much as her previous books.
Thank you to the publishers for the ARC in exchange for my opinions and honest review.

This is the first book I have read by Wingate and it will definitely not be my last! I’m not sure why but I have a tendency to put off reading historical fiction but then when I finally read it I absolutely love it! This book was no exception. I loved how Wingate brought my attention to a horrible time in our country’s history that I didn’t know about. I loved the blend of past versus present. I loved how it all came together. This was a wonderful book.

Thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for an eARC in exchange for my review.

I think I have read every one of Lisa Wingate's books. Loved each one! I just read her latest book, Shelterwod, that I am sure will be a best seller! I am just naturally a fast reader. I read the book and was like wow this beyond good! So I immediately read it again. That is how good this book is!! You need to order this book now!!!!!!

I'm not a big fan of the dual timelines in some historical fiction books because I prefer the historical aspect. I did enjoy this book and a love how Lisa always brings the past to the light in her books.

I loved When We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate, so I had high hopes for Shelterwood. I loved that the suspense and mystery element started almost immediately, but by halfway through the book, I found myself not desperate to pick it back up to see where the story went. Usually, I love dual POVs, but in this case, I think the switch between an adult POV and a child's POV is where I struggled. I was not as intrigued when Olive told her story, which is an incredibly important part of the story. However, I did appreciate how well-connected all the storylines were by the end, and the ending was tied up well and satisfying. Overall, I think this could be a case of the right story/ wrong time for me as a reader.

It hurts to write this review. I think Lisa Wingate is a phenomenal writer, but this book just did not work for me. The writing was overall well done, descriptions impeccable and the historical research put into this story was impeccable. However, the actual story line just fell flat for me. I found the story to move too slowly, details were drawn out in a way that made them feel less important than they were. I did not love the two different point of views and timelines - they did not work as seamlessly as I would have liked. I did not connect with the characters, which may have been part of the issue. I thought that their stories and experiences were fascinating, however I struggled to truly feel for them. As someone who wants to connect emotionally with a story like this, I found that at times I struggled to truly feel for what was going on. There are such mixed reviews on this, so if you are a fan of historical fiction and Lisa Wingate, definitely give it a try.
Thank you netgalley for my advanced reader copy.

Shelterwood by Lisa Wingate
Lisa Wingate has a talent of making historical fiction urgent authentic. As she did in Before We Were Yours, she champions heroic children who find themselves in situations not of their own making, but always at their peril. In Shelterwood, those children are orphans of the Choctaw Tribe in Oklahoma. Told from dual narratives, one from 1909, in the voice of eleven-year Olive Augusta Peele, whose family has “adopted” Choctaw sisters, and the other from 1990, from Valerie Boren-Odell, a young National Park Service officer. Because of the way the resource rich land of Oklahoma was divided among tribe members, the children were prime targets for the exploitation of early developers. The later narrative focuses on the sacred national park services and protection of the trees and natural condition of the parks.
As she has done before, Wingate teaches her readers the obscure facts that convince us to care about these children and characters and applaud the people who worked to solve the problems. It is a fascinating book. Shelterwood releases on June 4, 2024. Thanks to Ballantine and NetGalley for providing this copy for review.

This is a story that takes place in two different time periods (1909 and 1990), with two narrators and their time in rural Oklahoma. The earlier storyline is dealing with two runaways, Ollie and Nessa. It tells the story of how they runaway to escape an abusive father and drug addict mother in a time period that is not kind to orphan children or indigenous people. The later time period is about a recently widowed, now single mom and her son. She is looking for a fresh start and moves away from family to Oklahoma to become a forest ranger in the new Horsethief Trail National Park. The two stories eventually connect later in the book.

I found the storyline very slow and had a hard time holding my attention. I didn’t really care for the hopping back and forth between the two different time periods. I found it confusing as you are reading two different stories when you wish the author stuck to one.

I’ve read other stories by Lisa Winegate that I loved. Unfortunately this story line didn’t hold my interest which if why I gave it three stars.

This is my first Lisa Wingate book and I can honestly say that I am going to read some of her older titles. I loved Ollie and her strength and persistence in keeping Nessa safe. I also enjoyed the strength that women during the early 1900's had to right wrongs that they saw in Oklahoma.

Lisa Wingate is a masterful storyteller. In Shelterwood, we learn of 3 children in 1909 who no one was concerned for their welfare. Then in the 1990 timeline we learn of a new national park that is set to open and the community that has mixed emotions about it. Wingate weaves the story that keeps you on your toes. I definitely recommend this book.

This is a very thought provoking book - the Native American children displaced by greedy men hungry to take possession of their land and also those trying to escape an abusive home life is truly upsetting and moving. This is a time in our history that I wasn't totally unaware of and it is truly eye-opening.

I enjoyed reading this dual-timeline story about orphaned Choctaw children and the work of Kate Bernard. I learned new things about US history and the Choctaw culture. I loved how the author ended each chapter with a cliffhanger encouraging the reader to keep reading to find out what happened next and how the two timelines connected at the end. Weaving the shelterwood theme throughout the story was very clever and explained the book's title. I also loved the characters! Having the MC, Val, as a Park Ranger was a great way to learn about ranger life. The reveal of Grandma Budgie at the end was a total surprise to me. This was not my favorite of the author’s books, but it was still an intriguing and insightful read. If you are a historical fiction fan, you will enjoy this book!

Thank you NetGalley and Random House for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

This book is hard to read, but also a must read. Lisa Wingate tells a story about children that were overlooked in the name of money, land and power.

This story takes place in southern Oklahoma in 1909 and 1990, this is a dual timeline story. The story about the children that are orphans with no home or family is in 1909. These children do not have anyone that is concerned about their welfare, it is easier to just ignore them so you do not fell guilty about their plight. The children's biggest concern is food and shelter.

The part of the story that takes place in 1990 is about a new park that is opening and the history of the area. The people in this area have mixed emotions about the opening of the park. Lisa Wingate spins a story that goes back and forth between the two time lines. The story in 1909 was gripping and I felt like it was a cliff hanger when it was time to switch to 1990. Once you pick up this book it is hard to put it down. I was always telling myself - "just one more chapter".

Enjoyed Reading this one❣️❣️❣️ Recommend if you like Emotional Stories involving helping children. If you have read Lisa Wingate’s books, The Book of Lost Friends or Before We Were Yours, I think you will enjoy this one, too.


I finished this in June and really loved Shelterwood. Learned so much history about Oklahoma that I knew nothing about. Sad, how children were left to fend for themselves and often were working and trying to survive. I think Lisa Wingate’s strength is writing about Abused or Neglected Children that most of us would not otherwise know about. Shelterwood, really touched me. It was so awful how Native American Children got a Settlement for Stealing their land. Then Opportunists came in and did this all over again. They became guardians to them, often dozens, so that just meant they could control their money and land. I loved both Oillie and her Indigenous sister, Nessa. Her Step-Father is not a decent person and only wanted to use Nessa. That was pathetic, but routinely done. Ollie knows they must run away and hopes to build a new community for other kids called Shelterwood.

I gained an appreciation for Park Rangers. This is the other timeline in 1990, where newcomer, Valerie Borden-Odell keeps pressing to look into old bones that were children’s. It is noble of her to care and want answers.

My favorite book club on Facebook is Friends and Fiction. Each week an author is interviewed and Lisa Wingate spoke about writing this novel. It was fascinating to hear the research, her own family history, how she got the idea to start the book, and then getting the book in finished form. She was originally from Oklahoma, so this seemed very personal to her. I just find the backstories of authors so fascinating. You can go on the Site and listen to her Interview. It was a great discussion.

Thank you NetGalley, Lisa Wingate’s, and Ballentine for a copy of this book. I always leave reviews of books I read.

This novel is beautifully written and well researched. It is set in the Winding Stair area of Oklahoma and tells the story of how valuable land was stolen from native children and how those children (and others) were mistreated and ignored by much of society. The story is told from dual perspectives in two different time periods, but both narrators are strong females who set out to right the wrongs of others.

Unique story with a mysterious plot. I enjoyed the story, but felt the characters were a bit flat and one dimensional. I am a fan of this author and enjoy her other works more.

This book was fabulous! Wingate does it again. She took a little-known historical topic and created a beautiful story. I’m not familiar with Oklahoma at all, and had never even heard of the “elf children” or what happened with native lands. This book was well written and had great characters.

4.5 stars
I enjoyed both timelines in this book, even though I’m getting very tired of dual timeline plots. Either one of these would have made a great book on their own. The 1909 timeline was a great story. The 1990 timeline was a great story. But the sum of the parts, alternating between both stories, made me like it less. I know many people love this arrangement and it’s selling but I’ll be glad to see what trend follows when this one run its course. So, let’s just say it’s me and not the book. Lisa Wingate wrote another great one!
*Thanks to Random house and NetGalley for the ebook copy

Thanks to NetGalley for giving me an ARC of this a few months back. Before We Were Yours by Wingate is one of my favorite books ever. This one had a lot of promise and a great premise. I enjoyed the timelines, the setting, the idea that we were uncovering a mystery. But this was just so slow for me. And another thing I don’t love in books is when it’s clear the author is trying to teach the reader about a concept and overdoes it. For this book it was treatment of the Choctaw people and advocating for civil rights. I just wish it was more entwined in the book and less “I just learned about all of this stuff while writing this book and now I want you to know about it, too.”

Revisits ground that “Killers of the Flower Moon” visited only with children as victims, not women. Well written but too close to the other book in terms of whites abusing and killing others considered as “throwaway” people. Other people might learn a lot about our history in Oklahoma, however, and I did finish the book. Ending was almost too good to be true. I received an Advance Reader Copy but my opinions are my own.