As a lover of historical fiction, this is a time period I knew almost nothing about, so I was into this story. As happens with most dual timelines, I enjoyed one storyline more than the other. Wingate continues to write some fascinating historical fiction of little know historical time periods and events!

I have been drawn to Lisa Wingate's books since I read Tending Roses years ago. Her book Before We Were Yours is especially dear to me as I'm adopted. In Shelterwood we are introduced once again to children in trouble and the Choctaw nation which added an interesting aspect to the story.

As we meet Olive and Nessa in 1909 my heart is immediately drawn to them. Olive is doing all she can to save her little sister Nessa from the scum of a stepfather they have; then as we move to 1990 we meet Valerie, a park ranger who is as loving and protective as Olive. This book is set in Oklahoma, a place I lived for a short period, and Ms. Wingate uses the history of the Choctaw nation to create a story that will both wreck your heart and encourage your spirit as you learn things in history that should never be forgotten. I loved the historical part which is typical.

Lisa Wingate has a unique ability to tell compelling and heartwrenching stories involving children in danger wrapped in historical timelines, which has made her a go-to author for me. I love learning things while reading, which is probably why historicals are some of my favorite reads; and dual-time lines are the best in my opinion.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book via the publisher. I was not required to write a review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I have always enjoyed Wingate’s stories. This one started out really really strong. I was pretty hooked on both timelines. Especially the past one about, but also the other for its mystery. It started to fall off about halfway through. I started to get bored and wishing it’d just get to what happened. I felt like it could have been shorter, yet I appreciated the historical aspect and know that it likely all needed to be said to get that aspect correct. All in all- good historical fiction.

This was a very informational book. I learned so much about a time in American history of which I was totally ignorant. Like the author indicated, this was not a section of American history that was ever taught or discussed. The lives of the Native American children at that time was most interesting. Their survival skills was most commendable. It was also most interesting to learn of the wmen’s movement to protect the children.
Honestly, I was least interested in the “modern” story. However, it did tie together the historical story.
As an advocate of children’s rights, the story did keep my interest.

Shelterwood, by Lisa Wingate, is a heartbreaking historical fiction of a time in history that I was unfamiliar with. It is told in dual timelines (1909 and 1990) when Native American families were "legally" robbed of the deeds/rights to the land they owned and what some of the children had to go through as part of the process of taking those rights at the hands of their guardians. It is so sad how some of the "good people" did this to these children and uplifting to see how the truly good people treated them. I loved this book. If you are a fan of Before We Were Yours, this is a must-read!
Thanks, NetGalley and the publisher, for providing me with the ARC ebook I read and reviewed. All opinions are my own.

Lisa Wingate in telling heartbreaking stories of children touches me and teaches me about parts of our history that l knew nothing about. In dual time lines, 1909 and 1990 in Oklahoma, Wingate skillfully executes this as she has done in other stories of historical significance. In the 1909 part of the story I was drawn to eleven year old Olive Radley who is caring and smart and tries her best to save and protect six year old Nessa, a Choctaw girl from the abuse of her vile stepfather. Their journey reflects on the a time when Native American children were robbed of their land rights and highlights the strong women who worked to protect them. In the 1990 part of the story, Valerie Boren-O’Dell , a young widow and park ranger, is as tenacious and strong as Olive as she attempts to solve the mystery of bones discovered. As usually happens though, I was more drawn to the historical time.

Highly recommend for those who loved Before We Were Yours , and actually anyone who enjoys good historical fiction which transports you to a place and time that will inform you of things we need to remember and move you in ways that will at the same time break your heart and raise your spirit with the resilience and strength of the characters.

I received a copy of this book from Ballantine Books through NetGalley.

Two stories in this book made me feel like I was walking through the deep, cold woods on a challenging journey.

Valerie Boren-Odell was transferred in 1990 to Southeastern Oklahoma as a National Park Service Law Enforcement Ranger. She was in charge of the mountainous area filled with winding trails taking care of hikers with heat strokes, rattlesnake bites, encounters with bears and rockfalls. There was never a dull moment especially when she learned about the discovery of three children’s bones in a cave.

Olive Augusta Peele was 11-years-old in 1909. She was headed for the woods across the river and up to the mountain to feel safe. She was trying to protect two younger orphans with hardly enough to eat and survive. Life was very cruel for these little ones, some called elves, hiding in trees with black hoods and running wild in the woods. This book describes what these children endured under unbearable conditions.

The research is remarkable for a story that has been relatively hidden over the years. The dialect of the young children was good, making it easy to imagine. I loved how Valerie was brave and strong with her search for a missing teenager and identifications of the bones.

However, there were a lot of characters slowing me down in parts. The two timelines could have been separated into their own stories with so much to tell. At the end of the chapter, I wanted to learn more and then it jumped to another timeline making it feel a little disjointed. Yet, both pieces came together at the end. I enjoyed reading the Author’s Notes which provided more details of the time period. She also included a list of historical references which showed the intense amount of research done.

My thanks to Ballantine Books and NetGalley for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this book with an expected release date of June 4, 2024.

Really great story with plenty of mystery and history combined. It was well written and was easy to be invested in the characters’ stories as they unraveled mysteries or tried to protect their friends and families.

I enjoyed Ollie’s story and learning about what was going on during time with the land theft and how the kids survived as a family to escape it, as well as Kate Barnard’s influence. It’s crazy to me to learn about her initial success as a politician and advocate even before women’s voting rights came along. It’s so sad how much abuse was happening for the sake of money and greed, and the book helped paint that picture well.

Valerie’s story brought a really great mystery and I also loved the focus of a women in a lonely role of a federal Park Ranger in a world dominated by men, and how she navigated that with courage, even when it was difficult. I thought her sections brought great intrigue and unfolded well.

The only reason it was a 4 star book for me instead of 5 stars was the dual timeline. I don’t mind them in general but for some reason I had a hard time switching gears between Valerie’s and Ollie’s stories. It was sometimes difficult to remember where I left off previously. But I did love how the story tied the timelines together in the end.

Thanks for Netgalley for the advanced copy of this book. All opinions are mine.

Lisa Wingate has a way with writing about heartbreaking circumstances. She made this book feel so real. Shelterwood alternates between 1909 and 1990 and flawlessly weaves the characters until the stories come together. In 1909, a group of young children find themselves having to survive on their own under bleak conditions. In 1990, A woman coming to terms with her own terrible situation, uncovers a story that needs to be told. Everything comes to a satisfying conclusion. I feel like Lisa can't resist adding a hint of romance but it's definitely not the main focus and didn't take away from the main plot. Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing - Ballantine Books for the opportunity to read Shelterwood.

This book alternated between the story of children exploited in the Winding Stair Mountain region of Oklahoma in the early 1900s and the story of a female US Dept. of Parks law enforcement officer in the same region during the 1990s. The voices of the characters were interesting and believable. The story was very engaging and interesting. The author’s research was extensive and her notes were very helpful in understanding the background. I was enthralled by both stories!

I loved the history in this book, and am grateful to know it. Between this and "Killers of the Flower Moon," I went from knowing nothing to quite a few things about the stealing of land in Oklahoma from tribal communities. This book reminded me of a mix of "Killers of the Flower Moon" and a season of "Fargo," and while I enjoyed that combination, sometimes the dual timeline felt a bit jarring, jumping both too quickly but also taking a long time to get going. It really picked up in the last quarter of the book, but I found the last 10% to be a bit pat in terms of tying things up neatly and somewhat sentimentally. Still, these stories are important, and they're not just historical--such things are ongoing today.

Beautifully written novel of Native American life in the early 1900's. Highlights the difficulty of children especially and how they were used and poorly treated. This is a history that I have never learned about before but is very important. Told in a very moving way.

Awesome Book!!! Could not put it down. I felt as I was actually there with the characters in the book. My heart went out to the terrible treatment of these children by their guardians..

Lisa Wingate is a popular author at my small public library and her books are often chosen by our (multiple) book clubs. This one looks like it will be just as appealing

I have read Lisa WIngate's books before and I have enjoyed them. This one not so much. The story takes place in Oklahoma with dual storylines set in the present and the early 1900's. In the past, the reader meets young children who are fending for themselves; in the present, a Park Ranger who has relocated to Oklahoma with her young son. The discovery of burial site of three children brings these two storylines together. I found myself reading this quickly just to get to the end. I will not be recommending this book.

Lisa Wingate does a fantastic job bringing a little-known piece of history to life. Jumping between the early 1900s and the 1990s, she creates female characters who are confident and brave in their own time periods. In my high school library, I will recommend this to mature readers (not necessarily mature for content, but mature in the sense that they can push through a slow start to see the value in a carefully woven tale rather than just needing the plot to move and keep their attention) who are interested in historical fiction.

I loved Before We Were Yours, so when I saw Lisa Wingate had a new book coming out, I was very excited to read it. Reading the synopsis of the book left me intrigued.

This story is told in alternating timelines. Ollie’s tale falls in 1909 and Valerie’s in 1990. I was quickly engrossed in both story lines. As they alternated, it felt like a series of mini cliffhangers, but I wanted to know what happened in both. Wingate has a way of writing that helps you relate to the characters. I appreciate the research she did to write this story and share things that are not talked about a lot. I enjoyed this book from start to finish and it left me contemplating even after I finished it. I would definitely recommend it!

Thank you NetGalley and Ballantine/Random House—I appreciate the opportunity to read and review this ARC!

Besides being a great historical fiction novel, this story has wonderful characters that I grew attached to and wanted good things to happen for them. Told in dual timelines, which worked very well for this tale, the history part in early 1900s Oklahoma is well researched and at times heartbreaking. The author creates a plausible ending to draw that early time period into the more current one of the 1990s. Along the way, she creates beautiful word pictures of the mountains and rivers of SE Oklahoma. I guess I just wanted a little more action in both timelines as it was slow going through several parts.

Thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for the ARC to read and review.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advance ecopy of this title. This historical fiction alternates time with each chapter. Ollie is a preteen living with her mother and abusive stepfather in the early 1900s. When one of her foster sisters disappears, she and her other foster sister flee. They meet up with other "elf children" (orphans) in the wilds of Oklahoma in their quest to reach a cabin in the mountains where Ollie lived with her family before her father died. The parallel story involves a federal park ranger, Valerie, who is charged with protecting and enforcing law in this same area of Oklahoma in 1990. Valerie is faced with mysteries on the mountain, and Ollie is faced with difficult obstacles not even an adult should have to face. As their stories mesh together, the abuse of native children by land grabbers in order to steal the riches that land produces/ed becomes evident as much in modern times as the early 20th Century. Wingate seamlessly weaves these stories together, and highlights another sad chapter in American History.

I have enjoyed several of Lisa Wingate's books in the past, but I had a hard time connecting with this book. It takes place in Oklahoma, and is told in two time periods, 1909 and 1990. I had trouble keeping up with the earlier timeline and connecting it to the present one. Valerie's story, told in 1990, resonated with me more and captured my attention more than Ollie and Nessa's. Overall, this book might be enjoyable for some people, but it just wasn't a favorite for me.