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.

Shelterwood is a well written story with dual timelines that uncovers the truth of what happened in a National Park. I would highly recommend this one.

Sadly this wasn’t my favorite. I felt like it was really slow. I loved Before We Were Yours so I had high hopes for this. I did enjoy the dual point of view but I just couldn’t connect to the story.

This was a fascinating book, and very well written, but I had some issues with its narrative structure, so it's maybe a 3.5 for me.

First of all, the book doesn't necessarily live up to this pitch: "A sweeping novel inspired by the untold history of women pioneers who fought to protect children caught in the storm of land barons hungry for power and oil wealth."

These "women pioneers" are scarcely in this book, other than being referenced. Instead the book focuses on two seemingly unrelated storylines (which, of course, connect in the veeeeerrrrry end). But the two are so different it's like reading two different books and that (in my opinion) made the flow of the book rather choppy.

The more intriguing of the two storylines follows Olive and her Choctaw "adopted" sister Nessa who are running from their abusive father and come across other "elf children" (the true focus of the book) Choctaw youth who were "adopted" by shady characters in order to steal the land they'd inherited.

Olive is an outstanding character, and an excellent narrator. However, again it's weird that this book is ostensibly inspired by the elf children and yet none of them are our central narrators in either storyline. Nor does stealing native land/money precipitate Olive and Nessa going on the run (rather implied sexual abuse). This disconnect gave the book a "white savior" flavor overall.

The second storyline is almost an entirely different storyline about a female park police officer named Valerie trying to solve a missing person's case. This too is a fascinating story, and I would have perhaps read that book as a stand alone too. But, as mentioned, it just seemed choppy.

Again, we have a white woman in the process of saving native characters, assisted by a native cop/love interest who is seriously underwritten. (We don't know his thoughts or feelings on anything. He mostly is there to support Valerie and talk about puppies.)

So, that's my main issue....all of the puzzle pieces were there to create multiple great stories (the pioneer women activists, the elf children, the modern park mystery) and the book was well written with rich descriptions and thorough research. However, I personally didn't love the way this was all baked together. Might work for others though.

Thank you to the author and NetGalley for granting me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Like the author, even though I grew up in Oklahoma and spent all my childhood learning the history of the state, it's become obvious to me over the last 20 years that the history I learned was only a very small part of the story. Shelterwood presents a topic that is significant to that previously unknown history in a very real, very poignant way -- one that is both eye-opening and familiar to fans of Ms. Wingate. The dual timeline is offered in a way that is intriguing and keeps the reader wondering how the stories will eventually connect -- and yet the connection is seamless and perfectly executed. Plus it's set in one of the most beautiful areas in my home state! Highly recommended!

Lisa Wingate, author of Before We Were Yours, is back again with another historical novel about the fate of children. The writing is strong and the research is thorough. Dual POVs and Dual Timelines (1909 and 1999) interweave two stories into one, coming together beautifully at the end and into a very satisfying read. The mystery of the bones along with the backstory of Olive and Nessa, kept me engaged. I love how Lisa Wingate takes topics that were socially important in the past and educates us today. I thought this was an amazing book.

I really enjoy Lisa Wingate's writing. She is very good at telling two complete stories in dual timelines.
We follow Ollie and her little orphaned Choctaw Indian "sister" in early 1900's. Ollie lost her dad and her mom was living with a very mean man who did terrible things. Her mom had taken to drugs and alcohol, essentially leaving Ollie and Nessa to fend for themselves.
The other timeline is in 1990 following Valerie a park ranger. Valerie is a single mother to a son, Charlie and she is trying her best to do what she loves as a park ranger and to care for her son. She is not taken to with much kindness as you could say she is a woman working in a man's world. She was an outsider coming into a place where everyone knew everyone and things were done a certain way in this community. She stumble upon some ancient history that others would like to keep buried but she has a feeling something is off and she digs to find out the truth.

As the story unfolds we learn a lot about the Choctaw Indians and several other tribes and how the land they once owned came to be taken from them. We learn of a history that is full of corruption and we learn of the people who took a stand to fight for the rights of those who had no voice. It is a piece of history that we have heard about it many ways but so much of the truth is covered up and we only are told what they want people to know and remember. The truth is much darker.

I enjoyed learning about history in this area of the country and the women who defied the odds to make a positive change.

Lisa Wingate does it again by providing a captivating, informative, thrilling and heart-wrenching historical fiction that I just couldn't put down.

I want to thank both PRH Audio and Ballantine Books for early gifted copies of Shelterwood by Lisa Wingate.

After reading her bestseller Before We Were Yours a few years ago, Lisa has become an auto buy author for me. She pulls her readers into the story within the first page, and you find yourself in a deep dive after you've finished to research the true events. This book was no exception. I found that I had to know what was going to happen next, both in the past and present timelines. I found myself angry for what had happened to so many in the past, and rejoicing in the justice that came about.

Well done, Lisa. I truly believe that this is a book for anyone, and if you're wanting to dip your feet into historical fiction, Lisa is a great place to start.

A dual timeline story set in Oklahoma eighty years apart and involving the mystery of two missing Choctaw girls. In the earlier timeline, a group of children are trying to survive despite having little support and at times, targeted involvement. In the later timeline, a newly instated ranger of a national park deals with the discovery of the bodies of children and tries to figure out what happened to them. Overall, a story of children and women trying to improve their lives and to build the support system they need. The book focuses on the land rights of the Choctaw nation and how they were targeted by men who wanted to take the land for themselves.

Lisa Wingate’s Shelterwood a novel; Pub date 6/4/24

Historical fiction. Women can and do persevere. Rich thieving white Oklahoman men take oil, land, children and so much more. Yet, an outspoken woman can muster storm in righteousness. I am so glad I read this outstanding novel. Thank you NetGalley for this advanced reader copy in exchange for my review. And thank you @author_lisa_wingate #Shelterwood #NetGalley #historicalfiction #womensfiction #lisawingate #bookstagram #bookish

This was an interesting historical fiction novel that alternated between two different time periods. The mystery in the book kept me engaged. It provided insight into a tragic part of history that many he unaware of.

3 1/2 stars

I so admire Lisa Wingate and the work she did to help orphans after BEFORE WE WERE YOURS was published. The book and the following TV special captured my heart. I looked forward to reading SHELTERWOOD. At the beginning I liked the two storylines, one set in 1909 and the other in 1990. As the story proceeded, I had a hard time keeping characters straight. I don’t know if it was the long chapters or what. I had to go back to the beginning and keep copious notes. ( I wish I had the character chart I found in the book discussion booklet that came out recently. Maybe if the chapters had been shorter or maybe a Part 1, about Ollie’s and Nessa’s stories and Part II about the woman ranger and her son. Part IiI could bring the two stories together. I plan to come back and reread this book at a future time. My thanks to Ballantine Books and NetGalley for an ARC of this book. The opinions in this review are my own.

I adore Lisa Wingaye's stories. She tells such impactful stories but in a way that gives you so much hope in humanity in spite of the darkness.

This just wasn't it for me. The writing style and the topic just didn't really grab my attention. I don't think the book is bad, its just that I wasn't into this specific story.