The Filling Station is an emotionally charged historical fiction about the burning of Greenwood, Oklahoma in 1921.
Evelyn and Margaret Justice are young women on the verge of beginning their adult lives. Evelyn is one day away from her high school graduation and Margaret has just graduated from college.
I was aware of the facts of the destruction. But Miller made me feel the experience. She does a wonderful job of making the trauma and PTSD real. They were at the mercy of the white mob, given that many in the police were involved in the destruction. Afterwards, they were the ones blamed and treated like criminals.
The book is mainly about what happened to the community after the destruction and the fight to rebuild and not get pushed out.
The two sisters are fully fleshed out characters. I felt their frustration, depression and anger. Margaret wrestling with the loss of her faith was so real and poignant. But I also was awed by their courage and resilience. It was also wonderful to learn that the Threatts were real people and just as good as this book makes them out to be.
Miller starts each chapter with a real quote from the time which works well to provide more context.
There is a strong religious component to the story. Miller uses Margaret to ask a lot of the questions about God in the vein of why do bad things happen to good people.
The book is well researched and truly took me to the time and place.
This should be required reading, yet I’m sure instead there will be states that ban this book.
My thanks to Netgalley and Thomas Nelson Fiction for an advance copy of this book.

Thank you Thomas Nelson Publishers and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this ARC.

This was a very difficult book to read due to the subject matter. Although the Tulsa Massacre is a well known moment in history, Author Vanessa Miller brought it to the forefront with a reminder of the heartache and devastation that was felt by the community of Greenwood over 100 years ago.

I’m appreciative of the author for also showing the resilience of the survivors and their willingness to build again.

Prior to reading this book I had never heard of the Threatt family and their importance to blacks in Oklahoma during such a pivotal time in history.

In the end I’m glad I made the choice to push past the hurt and read this book all the way through.

I received a free e-arc of this book through Netgalley. It mainly focuses on two sisters Evelyn and Margaret as they experience The Massacre of Tulsa in 1921 and then try to recover emotionally and financially when they have lost almost everything. The story is quite terrifying to imagine myself being in a war zone as this must've felt to the people who were attacked and swarmed simply due to the color of their skin. I had to choke back sobs several times. The author did such a good job of making me feel like I was there in that horrible nightmare. The book has a religious bent which I'm not really into, but the goodness of people did shine through the book's pages. It is horrific that this took place on American soil, but unfortunately believable.

You better believe this Okie was so excited to get her hands on an ARC copy of The Filling Station.

First and foremost, the history of Greenwood in Tulsa is one of the most devastating and often ignored pieces of US history. When I saw this novel was set in 1921 and during the massacre, I knew ARC or not, I’d be reading this one.

Now for the novel itself - this is such a wonderful example of historical fiction and a tale of perseverance. Our story begins May 31, 1921 with the residents of Greenwood just living their life. The Justice family is full of hope for the future as the youngest sibling is about to graduate HS while her older sister just graduated college and will be coming home to teach. The world is theirs for the taking. And then tragedy strikes.

As the events of May 31st into June 1st transpire, Evie and Margret flee their home and hope that everything will be ok and they’ll be reunited with their father. However, luck is not on their side. We follow the sisters as they struggle to deal with not only the destruction of their home and community but of their spirit. Each sister deals with the devastation in their own way. They are blessed though by landing at The Filling Station owned by the Threatt family. The Threatts take them in and under their wings while they not only begin to rebuild their home but also as they begin to heal the emotional wounds.

The depiction not only of the night of the massacre but the weeks, months and even years following are crafted in such a way that you really get a sense of the community throughout that time.

The entire novel is such a testament to the resilience of the human spirit and ultimately a story about love. Love for family, community and faith in God.

Vanessa Miller’s The Filling Station is an engaging, heartfelt novel about love, redemption, and the power of second chances. With vibrant characters and a compelling storyline, Miller crafts a story that blends community, personal growth, and unexpected connections. This book will resonate with readers who enjoy uplifting tales with emotional depth and a touch of warmth. A satisfying read from start to finish!

This is the deeply disturbing history we often shove under our country’s proverbial rug—which has grown so that it rivals Mt. Everest.

To read how the city thrived and then was decimated by hatred was difficult, but it was far more important that I stare it down. Make myself see the pain. In doing so, I saw hope and the determination to rise again.

I highly recommend this book. Know that it has disturbing scenes of senseless violence because that’s what racism causes, but stick with it. Witness the hurt and pain of another and be part of the change.

I remember first learning about the Tulsa Race Massacre in middle school. So many years later and I’m still disappointed by the fact that the event is rarely talked about along with the stories about those who were impacted by it. This book is necessary reading. While it tells the story from the perspective of two fictional sisters, many details and quotes cited in each chapter come from true historical events. The story is painful and a sad to read at times, but it is important to learn about what truly happened and seeing the unity and determination the characters had in helping others. You can tell that it is well researched. The author cites a long list of articles and resources at the end of the book. I may read other books from the author, Vanessa Miller. Her other books seem interesting as well.

I saw a quote once that "history tells us what happened, historical fiction tells us how it felt". That saying was certainly true in this book about the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, as told through the eyes of two fictional sisters. The author convincing portrays the horror, anger and grief experienced by those that had their lives upended. I was especially saddened and angered to hear about the response from those leading the relief efforts. Overall, an excellent look at a very painful chapter in our country's history.

"The Filling Station" is a Christian historical set in 1921 in Oklahoma and continued for several years after the Tulsa Race Massacre. While well-written, it's not an easy story to read. The point-of-view characters, Margaret and Evelyn, go through the massacre and struggled through the aftermath of rebuilding, when it seemed like no one wanted to help or give them justice. For most of the story, Margaret was full of anger and bitterness while Evelyn just wanted to forget the trauma they'd experienced and seemed determined to self-destruct. Margaret was determined to make things right herself because she didn't believe that God cared or would do so. It's not really until the last 10% of the story that things started to turn around for them.

The main characters were complex and likable, and I cared about what happened to them. They felt like real people. The vivid historical details brought the time and place alive in my imagination without slowing the pacing. Margaret and Evelyn questioned why a good God would allow such injustice and evil to happen. There were no sex scenes. There was no written bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this well-written historical novel.

My first experience with a book by Vanessa Miller was The American Queen. that was a book of intense uncomfortable raw scenarios that led to intense emotions. That book made me FEEL. Made me angry at the experiences and injustices of the characters. I wrote so many quotes from that book.

When I saw this new release from Vanessa Miller, I suspected (After seeing the topic) that it was going to be the same. So I waited until I was ready for the journey the book was going to take me on.

If you have never read or seen anything about Tulsa Massacre (aka Tulsa Race Riots), this book will drop you in the middle of it. LITERALLY. you will be running for your life with Evie and Margaret. You will be seeing the devil in the boys with the riles. You will be HORRIFIED that such an event is shuffled under the rug for our history. That's why we MUST experience it so we NEVER forget what man is capable of.

This book is a journey of faith for Margaret. She's always believed in God. But when EVERYTHING is taken from her and she's forced to deal with the utter hatred and evil that men are capable of...how can there be a God? How could He claim to love His children yet allow such hatred and evil to happen to them? She wrestles with that age old question of how can a good God allow such evil happen to His faithful children.

The characters in this book make mistakes in their lives. Mistakes with consequences. And it's presented matter of fact, not glorified.

The author allows us to wrestle in the spiritual journey of Margaret and the disillusionment of Evie. And she does it very very well.

While I didn't cry like I did in the first book, this one made me FEEL big things. And that's why I have to give it 5 stars.

Triggers: This book shows brutality and evil that the black citizens of Tulsa experienced the night of May 31, 1921. It's brutal. It's raw. It's uncomfortable.

*Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC of this to review. All opinions are 100% my own.

The story flowed well and the characters were well developed. I recommend this book and look forward to more from this author.


****Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for my honest review****

This was a great book! It kept me engaged and it also kept me guessing and wondering about the mysteries throughout. The writing style was good, and I enjoyed the way the characters were written and also developed!!
Thank you to NetGalley, to the author, and to the publisher for this complementary ARC in exchange for my honest review!!!

Vanessa Miller does it again!!! This book was amazing!! The Tulsa massacre is a part of American history, not just black history. This country wants to erase what happened and the details. Why no one helped these people?? The firefighters, policemen, or other human beings. This is a point of view of a family that not only went thru it but got thru it. The verifiable details in this book, will have you going to google as you read…(cause I did lol) cause it’s unreal that this happened, that the city and state let this happened and everyone got away with it. Thank you Vanessa for schooling me yet again!

The Filling Station by Vanessa Miller is a beautifully written love letter to the memory of the people of Greenwood who suffered great persecution and devastation during the Tulsa Race Massacre of 1921.

This book follows two sisters, Margaret and Evelyn as they live and learn the true meaning of resilience, restoration and refuge after suffering great loss during the Tulsa Race Massacre. I don’t want to say more because the joy and anguish of watching these characters unfold and the journey they take can only be felt by reading it for yourself.

I couldn’t put this book down because I loved all of the deep rooted characters, and I needed to see how love would overcome hatred and beauty would come from the ashes.

Thank you to Thomas Nelson and Netgalley for an advanced reader e-book to honestly read and review.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

O-M-G! Vanessa Miller has done it again. This story was well written and the author shares so much history of the Tulsa Race Massacre. In the story, you have one sister who wants to preserve their father’s legacy and another who has big dreams. The sisters face many obstacles, but the teachings from their father and the Threatt family help them endure. The story of the Filling Station is very informative and will have you experiencing so many emotions and you can definitely relate to each character. This story was so enlightening that I had to stop reading and look up some of the history that was shared. I really enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more books by this author. Well done! "I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."

Wow! I'm absolutely floored. My first time hearing about this incident and I'm very saddened by the events in this story.
Margaret is the bravest person I know. Strong, hopeful, determination those are words that I will used to describe her.
I didn't like Evelyn so much. So selfish and self centered. Spoiled even. But I understand how this event can affect people in different ways. Evelyn was proof of that.
I'm truly amazed at how humans can be so cruel to each other. As this book states
We are made in God's image. To Him, we are all important. I was so angry and upset at the beginning of this story.
Why would God allow this to happen? I even wonder that myself.
This is a good history lesson for everyone. I loved the story because it shows that there are good people still around and that hope is never lost.
It's a hard story to read but it will make you stop and think. I even looked it up on Google. It's based on true events. Events should never have happened.
Sad that such tragic events happen to draw people to work together.
I did find myself rooting for the people of Greenwood. They continued to make me proud of them. I enjoyed in getting to know this wonderful community of Greenwood.
5 stars from me for the well written and researched story that still leaves me thinking about this terrible tragedy.
I highly recommend and please have a box of tissues beside you. You will cry.
My thanks for a copy of this wonderful book. I was NOT required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are mine.