Shelterwood had me intrigued from the beginning with the split timeline narrative and the mystery surrounding both lead characters. The pacing kept me turning pages because it felt like each chapter ended on a cliffhanger. Shelterwood is a story of resilience and the bonds between those whom we consider as family.

In 1909, Olive and her sister Nessa are on the run in Oklahoma from their abusive stepfather Tesco Peele and trying to make their way to the cabin where Olive lived with her father and mother. They encounter other orphan children along the way and soon their group of two has grown in number. Their journey is full of danger, turmoil and heartache.

In 1990, Law Enforcement Ranger Valerie Boren O'Dell is looking for a fresh start for herself and her son Charlie at Horsethief Trail National Park in Oklahoma, but that start is darkened by the discovery in a cave of children's remains. The mystery only deepens as she looks for a missing teenager and the clues just don't add up.

I loved the historical aspect of this book and learning more about the plight of these children. The wrongs that were committed against those children are staggering and absolutely heartbreaking. I'm glad that the author came across this piece of history and shed light on some of the unsung heroes of that time.

I received this book courtesy of the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This one didn't suck me in the way Before We Were Yours did, but I think that is on me and not on Wingate, so I rounded up instead of down. She is a great author that I really enjoy, I just had a hard time getting into the flow of this one, I could only get through a few pages at a time before I fell asleep. I appreciated the ARC from Net Galley. I learned things I never had any idea about, and they were of course appalling, how American Indian children were taken advantage of by whites chasing money, and how poorly runaways were treated for just trying to survive and wanting to live lives free from abuse. There is nothing fun about the book, but it is educational, and the end was not as dark as I was expecting - hats off to Wingate on that!

Hard to put down once I started! This historical fiction went between two time frames and brought history to life. I always learn something new from Lisa Wingate and this did not disappoint!

Historical fiction novel set in Oklahoma that spans the 1900s that delves into the lives of Choctaw children who were fostered and taken advantage of in many ways. This story is interwoven with a newly hired law enforcement ranger who, while working on a case of a missing teenager, comes across what appears to be the burial site of 3 small children. Well told between the two timelines. Emotional and heart wrenching at times, but exactly what I would expect from Lisa Wingate.

I was definitely slightly disappointed in this book. I felt it was dragging on a bit and did not keep my attention. Not my favorite historical fiction.

This is my 2nd read by Lisa Wingate and it did not disappoint. She does an excellent job of researching an actual event and present a factional story about fictional characters among a factual background, It calls attention to a time in history that is oft forgotten and dismissed, while making it more personal and real by presenting a story about people that we can follow and become attached to. The story is fast paced and keeps you turning the pages while still staying true to the facts and what actually happened and not dropping in the quality of the writing. You know a historical fiction book does it's job if reading a book causes you to read up on the time frame and topic and read everything you can get your hands on about these things! The writing, while above average was not top of the line and for that I refrained from knocking it up a level, but this was a strong 4 star read and I'd absolutely recommend this to anyone!

I was excited to read this one after loving “before we were yours” by Lisa Wingate, a few years prior.
However, this one felt like it fell a bit short for me. I was more invested in the one storyline than the other. ( the one that took place in 1990) but didn’t enjoy the chapters set in 1909. I felt myself skipping over parts of the story and not being as interested in the girls storyline.
I did enjoy the park rangers storyline and think I would have enjoyed a whole book with that storyline more, than the back and forth.
This was an okay read for me but not something I would recommend as a favorite historical fiction pick.

Shelterwood by Lisa Wingate ⭐⭐⭐

wish I could have Given a higher rating but I couldn't. The reason being is that its a dual timeline and it felt like I was reading two different books all together.

Like her other books this was a rollercoaster ride with the orphan children who run away after being placed with Tesco who wasn't nice to them. It broke my heart just thinking about this little girls, what they saw and did just to survive. I just they did what they had to. I don't think I could have, could you?

Thank you Net gallery for the advance copy.

3.5 stars, rounded up to 4.*

This book took me FOREVER to read. Partly because I was traveling and much more likely to listen to a book than to pick up my kindle and partly because parts of the story were a little bit of a struggle for me because they relate to child sexual and physical abuse.

Shelterwood is a story told in two timelines about 3 little girls whose Oklahoma land was stolen from them when their parents died by ruthless oil and land barons who became wards to native and local children when they were orphaned in order to gain control of their property rights. Of course the children were often abandoned. Simultaneously, in a timeline 80 years in the future, we meet a law enforcement ranger who works on the same Oklahoma territory where the girls grew up. She is attempting to solve the mystery of the bodies of 3 children found in a cave.

I enjoyed the history of this book as well as the writing. The abuse of the kids was tough for me to swallow. But it all comes out okay in the end.

*with thanks to NetGalley for the digital ARC in exchange for this honest review.

Shelterwood by Lisa Wingate is a beautifully written story. Bouncing between 1909 and 1990, she tells the story of two little girls and a female forest ranger. Lisa tells the story of what happened to Choctaw children in Oklahoma and the greed that surrounded that time. Ollie is a brave 11-year-old who takes it upon herself to save her Choctaw sister Nessie from the evil man her Mom married. The things these little kids went through just to survive is horrifying. I liked how the Forest Ranger Valerie didn't give up on finding out what was going on in the woods and didn't back down. Lisa did a great job wrapping up and intertwining the two stories at the end. The plight of the little kids broke my heart. To think small kids were thrown away so a grown man could steal their land is horrific. Lisa Wingate shows in Shelterwood that she is a great storyteller.

Lisa Wingate’s novels are either a hit or miss for me. Shelterwood, for the most part, was a miss. Set in the Winding Stair Mountains of Oklahoma, the story blends historical and modern narratives: 1909 and 1990. The historical plot follows eleven-year-old Olive Augusta Radley and a young Choctaw girl named Nessa as they flee from exploitation, showcasing their resilience and determination amidst threats from land barons and outlaws.

In the 1990 timeline, law enforcement ranger Valerie Boren-Odell contends with the demands of her career and single parenthood while uncovering hidden secrets in Horsethief Trail National Park. The discovery of a burial site and the mysterious disappearance of a teenage hiker added layers to this otherwise monotonous narrative.

What began well, fell into a slow and droning middle, only to end with the best part of the book. I suggest you read the first twenty percent, know that the middle seventy percent is about the horrible things greedy people did to native children and the resilience they had to muster, then read the last ten percent to learn how their lives played out.

I grew up camping just south of where this book is set in Oklahoma and many of my memories with my family have this landscape as the backdrop. So reading more about the history of the area in the context of this novel was extra fascinating to me.

Lisa Wingate is a master at creating unique voices in her novels. And paired with the excellent multi-voice narration, this book has personality in spades. I was so drawn to these characters that when the perspectives switched, I immediately missed the other one.

I will say that although this good is heavily researched, it does not delve super deep into the issue of children's land rights, but rather gives a snapshot of one story that represents the experiences of some. This is a character driven novel with a plot that at times meanders along. In fact, the historical timeline reminds me of some children's classics that are more languid in their storytelling.

I saw some reviews saying that the pacing of this book didn't work for them. And I get that as a person who generally likes a plot that moves. But the personality in this book endeared these characters to me and kept me invested when the story took it's time. So the whole book worked for me!

Thanks to Ballantine Books for the gifted book. All opinions are my own.

This book, first and foremost, was well researched, and shed a light on a time in history that not many people (myself included) are aware of or probably have heard of. The treatment of the Native American Children in this book is appalling, and it made me cringe to think of young children feeling like being alone in a forest is a better life than being with their parents. These children were used for their assets, but not really cared for, and they had no idea what was happening to them, or why they were so valuable.

Lisa Wingate really did well with her research, and truly thought up a creative story that will stand the test of time. I also loved the more "current" chapters, and the mystery that was threaded between the two time lines. The only part that got a little annoying to me was that every chapter was a cliff hanger, and since the timelines alternated, you also had to read another chapter before you found out what was going on. Although that is great sometimes, I felt like it was literally every chapter, and since I don't have time to continuously read for a longer period of time, I felt like a lot of those cliffhangers were lost to me (since I had to stop and start the book more than the average reader, due to life commitments, etc.)

Thank you to the author, publisher and Net Galley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book is told in 2 timelines and highlights the plight of Native Americans after they were uprooted from their lands and pushed aside. Set in Oklahoma in 1909 (Olive) and 1990 (Valerie), bones are found in a protected area. Val is a forest ranger and wants to investigate, but is thwarted at every turn. The tale of elves in trees keeps resurfacing. As Olive tells the story of trying to protect her Choctaw adopted sister in 1909, Val's investigation intersects with Olive's story.
Very interesting, and a part of history I didn't know.

🎧 Shelterwood 🎧⁣
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⁣Length- 368 pages. ⁣
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⁣Genre- Historical Fiction. ⁣
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⁣My thoughts- Shelterwood is a captivating historical fiction about the women pioneers that fought to protect children caught in the storm of land barons hungry for power and oil wealth. It follows Olive, who escapes her abusive stepfather and helps set up a refuge with young Native American children in an area she calls Shelterwood. The kids survive by hunting, fishing and working odd jobs in nearby communities. Alternatively, the modern timeline follows Valerie, a widow who has moved to Oklahoma to work as a park ranger. She soon finds herself sucked into the investigation of three bodies found in a cave. ⁣
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⁣This book is heart wrenching and well researched! As a native Okie, I’m shocked that I didn’t learn about the abuses orphaned Native American children faced from people greedy to steal their land rights. I’m so glad that books like Shelterwood are coming out and telling these stories that have been ignored by history for too long! ⁣
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⁣Fours stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I recommend this book to fans of historical fiction. ⁣
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⁣Thank you to @netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of Shelterwood. It is available now.

Shelterwood
by Lisa Wingate (This review is from and ARC sent to me by NetGalley)
The author explores a centuries-long legacy of missing child cases and little-known history of the women pioneers
who fought to protect children who were caught in the land grab. “This reality was the legacy of the 1887 Daws Severalty Act through which
parcels of land under tribal control were systematically divided into allotment parcels and given to individual members” The eventual result
was the breakup of tribal lands.
Subsequently untold wealth of coal, oil, asphalt and timber made its way to land barons, oil companies and grafters.
The novel goes from chapters alternating between the years 1909 and 1990.
In 1909 in Oklahoma the story centers around two young sisters, Olive and Nessa, who escape abuse and find themselves in the wilderness of the Winding Stair Mountains, Olive faces all the challenges they encounter on their own and she will protect her sister Nessa. They encounter abuse and slave like labor. Often hungry and foraging for food. One of the heroes of the story is Kate Barnard as Oklahoma’s newly elected commissioner of charities and corrections rescues the “elf children”

In 1990. Law enforcement ranger Valerie Boren-Odell arrives at new Horsethief Trail National Park seeking a quiet place to balance a career and single parenthood. But no sooner has Valerie reported for duty than she's faced with local controversy over the park's opening, a teenage hiker gone missing from one of the trails, and the long-hidden burial site of three children unearthed in a cave.
Valerie soon finds out about the secrets and corruption of the land and the tribal peoples.
This is an emotional novel and covers a little-known history of Oklahoma’s period of corruption, land grabbing of tribal lands and the displaced children.

Shelterwood is a historical fiction that focuses on Native American land ownership, and more specifically, the stories of children who were abandoned and exploited by rich men who stole land that was inherited by the children. Told through dual timeframes of 1909 and 1990, the "current" time character, park ranger Valerie, investigates the story of the remains of three children discovered in the new national park she is assigned to. The flashbacks are focused on Ollie, who has run away from her abusive stepfather and has several Choctaw children with her as they learn to survive in their "Shelterwood" community.

While the premise is interesting and important - women pioneers fighting for the rights of the children - I found it difficult to become engrossed and invested in the story. I didn't love how the story developed or the pacing; it was pretty far into the story before you even know the plot. I never felt like the dual timeframes really meshed or came together very well in the end. That said, it is well researched and informative. I absolutely loved While We Were Yours and Lisa Wingate is a wonderful author, but this one just didn't hit me the same way.

Thank you Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine and NetGalley for the e-galley in exchange for a honest review.

Great Historical Fiction told in dual timelines that are both hanging with mystery and intrigue. This book tells a part of American History that is often left out. Many Indigenous were murdered to steal their land. This story needs told. The author used an intertwining telling that kept me interested. Don’t pass up the Author’s note, as it is a great story on it’s own!

I love how Lisa brings lost stories to life. This follows a group of children in Oklahoma in the early 1900s who were discarded but determined to make a life of their own.
I'm a sucker for a dual timeline story and the present timeline was just as entertaining for me. Loved the focus on the National Parks Service.
There were times that the story was a little slow but overall a great read.

This author is such a good writer. This story was so well written and i was hooked from the first few pages.