I've read all of Lisa Wingate's books, so requesting Shelterwood for review was a no brainer for me. This book is beautifully written and tackles hard subjects with grace so I would definitely recommend this book to others who have enjoyed her books before. This book shared the stories of Ollie (a young girl in the early 1900s) and Valerie (a National Park Service ranger in the 1990s) who are united by place - a special forest in Oklahoma. Both females deal with sexism, grief, and difficult families... and both build lovely communities despite their circumstances. I really connected with Ollie, and would have appreciated more background about Valerie though I did like her motherhood experience being shared in such detail.

That being said, I found this book hard to read, not just because of the tough subject matter but also the style of the book. I am a fan of dual timeline novels but that structure in this book did not work so well for me. I felt that both stories, though well integrated in the end, would have benefited from being separate books. It seemed like the bulk of the story was lost by trying to tell two stories in one book. The experiences of were very different yet also powerful. I would have appreciated additional depth in both stories. I'm looking forward to the book's release and being able to talk about it with a friend!

By the way, if reading about poor treatment of children is triggering to you, I'd recommend skipping this book. Parts were tough to read for that reason. Consider trigger warnings on this book for sure!

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the eARC. All opinions are my own.

Thank you Lisa Wingate and NetGalley for providing me with the ARC of Shelterwood. I loved this book! It was a great read and I enjoyed how the story progressed. I did feel the ending was slightly rushed, but overall, I really enjoyed the plot and how the story went back and forth.

I don’t claim to have a great memory when it comes to U.S. history, but reading about how orphans, especially indigenous orphans, were treated in the early 1900’s is shocking to me. It saddens me that some people take advantage of helpless children all for the sake of money and greed. While this book didn’t initially draw me in I’m glad I stuck with it and finished it. Thank you, Ms. Wingate, for shedding light on another important topic in our nation’s history.

I received an advanced readers copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Shelterwood is an interwoven story straddling early years in a special forest and current years there too. There is a strong theme about children and their tormentors as well as their protectors in the tale and the drama swirls around that theme in both segments.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballentine for the opportunity to read this ARC.

Historical fiction is my favorite genre and Lisa Wingate never disappoints! I always learn so much from her books and Shelterwood is no exception.

Lisa Wingate has once again produced a novel that was hard to put down. As with her blockbuster book, When We Were Yours, this story involves wrongs that need to be righted for a segment of society that has no voice.

The novel is told from two perspectives, one in the present and one from the past. This makes the story engrossing as the plots from both timelines weave around each other and come to a surprise conclusion.

I really enjoyed this book and highly recommend it. It brings to light a little-known part of our history and shares the people who made it. Lisa Wingate did not disappoint!

Loved the interweaving of two timelines ending with a melding of the two. This historical fiction brings to light the some of the greivous wrongs that happened during the new statehood of Oklahoma. Two children, one of whom is Choctaw, flee an evil step-father/guardian in 1909. In 1990 Parks police office Valerie Boern-O'Dell has just arrived in a new position at the fictitious Horseheads Trails National Park where the bones of three children have been found in a remote cave. Theses two stories progress side by side until their resolution melds the two. Anyone who read or watched Killers of the Flower moon would enjoy this well-researched read.

“But one must never believe what can be read in the history books about powerful men. The wealthy have the privilege of writing their own stories as they like”

SHELTERWOOD by Lisa Wingate is a captivating story with dual timelines and narrators.

1909- The reader follows Ollie Auggie’s coming of age journey alongside a gang of orphaned Choctaw children. Her story is perilous and gut-wrenching at times. Ollie and her sister, Nessa, are escaping their wicked stepfather while the Choctaw children have been left orphaned by land hungry men. They create a community and a home in the forest of Oklahoma and name it Shelterwood.

1990 - Valerie is a recently widowed mom and park ranger. She has just taken a chance for a fresh start by moving to Oklahoma for a new job opportunity. Her first case involves bones discovered in a cave nearby. One of the first people she meets is spunky and spirited Sydney who is staying at a foster home because her mother, grandmother, and brother are all missing. Sydney is known to tell tales. Could there be any truth to her stories? There is also the recent discovery of a gravesite of 3 children in a cave nearby as well as an unidentified body found in Val’s jurisdiction.

Wingate does a great job weaving the timelines and characters together to craft a beautiful story based on true events from history.

Shelterwood is a beautifully written novel that takes place in Oklahoma 1909. This is a time period that I have not read about so this era is new to me. The historical fiction is told with a dual time line. That is my favorite genre as you are directly feeling the effects of uses of the “current” or “newer” storyline. Both stories were griping and I couldn’t wait to see how they tied together. I highly recommended this novel.

This book skips from 1909 to 1990 between Ollie, a young girl escaping a harsh stepfather, and Valerie, a National Park Service ranger trying to start life anew. There stories collide with mystery, history, and family.

When it comes to Lisa Wingate books you know you are going to have a heart wrenching story thrown your way. This one was no different.

This story is a dual timeline narrative. One is a story tells the story of native children left to fend for themselves in the early 1900's. The other story is of a National Park Service ranger in the 90's that finds a cave with bones in it, and searches to find answers to whom they belong.

I found the book to be intriguing, but hard to read. Each facet of the story had things that were difficult for me to read about. I also felt the pacing was a bit off, so that made it harder to read.

This is a book that I would definitely recommend looking up that trigger warnings.

Wonderful historical fiction novel. I love fiction novels that go into detail about little known parts of history and this one alternated between that and a modern day story also. Excellent read. Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy

Shelterwood is a historical fiction novel that focuses on the abuses of children by those who are supposed to protect them. Told in dual timelines, Shelterwood takes place in Oklahoma, in 1909 and 1990.

This book started a bit slow and I wasn’t sure how the two timelines tied in together, but having read a few other novels by Wingate, I knew they would in some way.

Ollie, 11, is the protagonist in 1909 and Valerie, a park ranger, is the protagonist in 1990. Both are relatively smart women who make good decisions and try to be proactive about their respective situations, which is always important because I really can’t stand dumb characters.

Again, the story started slow, but both timelines picked up and each one held enough intrigue and interest that I wasn’t disappointed when I had to switch from Ollie to Valerie. Both story lines were strong enough to hold their own in this novel and I love how they eventually tied in together and wrapped up.

Is this the best Lisa Wingate novel? No, I absolutely loved Before We Were Yours, it remains my favorite by her, but this one is fantastic and a solid four stars.

I have always enjoyed reading Lisa Wingate's books and this was did not disappoint. Weaving a story about true facts gets me every time. I loved the chapters of different years and how the story came together. . You were hoping that things turned out alright for Olive and Valerie.

This book was enjoyable to read and had a lot of depth to it. I have enjoyed other books by her more, but definitely worth my time.

Reviewed on goodreads. I did not enjoy this book nor want to finish it. I love this author but I found the bunch back and forth annoying since nothing happened in the chapters.

A well researched historical fiction set in SE Oklahoma. The timeline bounces between 1909 and 1990. The two storylines tied together in the end, but I felt more engaged by the mystery to be solved in 1990 than I did by the slower pace of the origin story. I think I would have enjoyed the perspective of Alva Grube or Kate Barnard more than I did the kids.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the opportunity to read and review this book prior to publication.

3.5 stars rounded up
Dual timeline narratives are highly appealing to me. This novel focuses on 1909 and 1990 in Oklahoma. Every chapter ends on a cliffhanger which normally I ours love. However, I frequently found that when I got back to the previous timeline, I had forgotten what was happening. Was it the length of the chapters? Was it my own tired brain? I felt engaged by the characters overall. I appreciated both timelines, but it wasn’t until I was about 70% in that I had a handle on all the characters and their stories. The subject matter is heartbreaking. Ms Wingate uncovers yet another horrid mistreatment of Native American children. I will remember this book for a long time. For those reasons I’m rounding 3.5 stares to four.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read this arc in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you @randomhouse for the ARC of Shelterwood by Lisa Wingate. I LOVED Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate, so I had high hopes for this one, but I found myself a little bored while reading this one. It was harder for me to stay focused. But the ending was exciting and thrilling. & I loved seeing the dual timelines come together. The history behind this book is so interesting, sad, and honestly shocking.

Some plot points will be disclosed….Shelterwood started off slow for me and gained momentum as I went. I was drawn in to the two storylines of the single mom and her child making a new life in Oklahoma and these poor orphan children at the turn of the century. Sadly, it seemed to come to a head rather quickly and then end. For all the lead up the. Everything was disclosed in a couple chapters, and the connections were not as clear as one would have imagined. I still have questions, where did Grandma Budgie go exactly? How was it possible for a person to commit massive logging in and around a national park with no knowledge? I realize that was partially the point but also, I just can’t imagine that the park rangers would be so fooled by this operation.
The author has said that she fell in to this story by an article she read on the politician Kate Barnard. And that she was inspired by her story of finding “Elf Children” living in a tree. I believe the elf children’s story was told but I’m not sure I’m all that wiser on Kate Barnard, who was the inspiration and the unknown Oaklahoma politician Wingate hoped to highlight.
All this to say Lisa Wingate is a marvellous author Before We were Yours, is incredible. This title didn’t quite capture that magic for me.
I received an ARC in exchange for my honest review.