5 stars

This story starts off where Land's book "Class" ends, right after the birth of her second daughter Coraline. I have learned so much from reading Land's stories not only about navigating life with limited resources, but about the power of resilience. Land is a force to be reckoned with and I will continue to read all of her books and short stories. Thank you for sharing your life lessons with us. I am so proud of you!

I have read other books by this author, on this topic. This is an essay that she wrote following the birth of her second child. Land shows us how difficult it is to be on a bare basic income, while being single and supporting two young girls. She works, but her income is not regular. She fights for child support, which is also not dependable. As a reader, it was challenging to be absorbed in her hardships, but find that the essay ends in a much more positive light. Thank you to Netgalley for this free e-book in exchange for an honest review.

This was a quick read and great short essay. I like that you are able to cover periods of time without feeling lost. This essay is compelling and extremely realistic. I know there are many single moms that struggle with getting by and living day by day in constant worry. The mom is this essay was struggling financially and was barely making ends meet. She has two children to take care of, one a newborn and the other school age. Without a consistent flow of income, she was able to push through fears and her inner perception of herself, and ask for help. With help from the community, she was able to get a fresh start and begin working on getting her life together for her kids and herself.

"The Shelter Within" by Stephanie Land continues the story of her life that she has documented in "Maid" and "Class." In this short story, she documents the time immediately following the birth of her second daughter and the struggle to make ends meet as a single mother and newly-graduated writer. This is definitely a "walk a mile in their shoes" story that will help readers to really feel the struggles of Land and others like her. It's, at times, difficult to read, and her stories always leave me with a profound sense of the stress of broken systems and the effect that has on families.

Fans of Land's memoirs will enjoy this story, as it is written in a similar style and tone. I was hoping that, as a standalone story, this might focus more on the narrator building some successes and starting to find stability. While the final pages convey a sense of hope, the majority of the story is hard struggle and frustration, and I felt like it could have almost just worked better as a final chapter or two for "Class," especially since the pregnancy plays a big part in that book, or it could have been held for the start of a bigger book that focused on Land establishing a career and finding some success.

Thanks to the publisher and to NetGalley for the advanced read.

A brief but powerful story about the difficulties the author experienced as a single mother of two young children, one a newborn, while simultaneously struggling with poverty and the system America has designed with the express purpose of trampling those who need and deserve help the most. The experience of not feeling deserving of assistance or even kindness, the shame asking for help can bring, and the simultaneous joy and pain of postpartum were all expressed beautifully. I enjoyed this story a lot overall, but I also think it bears mentioning that it is very much more of a personal story than a piece with a wider argument to make, and accordingly, it sometimes felt a bit meandering and jumped around in the way that a friend telling you a story in person would. I didn't mind the tone; I enjoy books that read as conversations with their authors. I just felt like the narrative itself could've used a bit more structure.

A short essay/memoir about the author’s experience as a single mother to a newborn and a seven-year old, as she struggles with poverty and housing insecurity. It’s written by the same author behind the memoir Maid, which was also adapted into a Netflix show.

It paints a very vivid picture of her life right after the birth of her second child, when she has jobs as a freelance writer but it’s not enough to guarantee food on the table or to move to a place with better security and safer conditions, and on top of it all, she has the usual struggles, mentally and physically and time-wise, as a postpartum mom. It was interesting to read about the resources (and lack of it) she utilizes, the anxiety she faces toward other people finding out about her situation, the support system she finds, and all the maneuvering and planning she has to do just to eke out a living. It’s very raw and honest, and I think it is relatable to moms to newborns, while as getting people who haven’t been in this socioeconomic position to understand.

I’m not sure there was really a theme to this essay, though maybe that wasn’t the point, so it really mostly feels like a mini-recounting of her postpartum experience.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of "The Shelter Within" by Stephanie Land.

This personal essay describes the author's experience navigating poverty and single motherhood following the birth of her second child. Known for her works "Maid" and "Class", this essay follows "Class" chronologically. It is a deeply personal description of the author's struggles in this time period and how she fought to support her daughters while establishing a career as a writer.

I really enjoyed this essay - Land's prose is easily readable and unflinchingly honest.

Stephanie Land continues documenting her journey as a working mom trying make ends meet with this novella. It details a period in which she has just given birth to her second child (no mention of a father or relationship) and also tries caring for her 7 year old daughter and trying to make ends meet as a writer. Land's writing spotlights the few resources available to single moms who need to work full-time in order to provide for their families. She is fortunate to have friends and a support network to assist her when necessary. The novella conveys the daily grind of a life dominated by childrens' needs and basic survival.

Thanks to NetGalley for the eARC.

I am always mesmerized by Land's ability to tell a story. The Shelter Within was a glimpse into her life as a mom for a second time and everything that goes along with it, while she is on her own. Her writing evokes emotion, and I found myself cheering for her and wanting to help all at the same time. Bravo! Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

You may remember Land's first book, "Maid", about poverty and single-parenting and, yes, cleaning houses. I read it long enough ago that I don't remember it terribly well, but in "The Shelter Within" she returns, briefly, to what that poverty looked like: mildew in the apartment, not enough money to put down a deposit on a new one, not enough money to feed both herself and her seven-year-old daughter, no chance of paid parental leave following the birth of her infant daughter, not enough money to do anything but scrape by.

This is a reminder that poverty can be white-collar too—in theory Land had now "made it", because she was living somewhere she wanted to be and had completed college, but she was working two part-time writing jobs, neither of which paid anything close to covering the costs of basic necessities. But more than that, it's a timely reminder that the US has not historically given much help to those who are financially floundering, and with the current administration that will only get worse. Land may not have been thinking about politics while writing this essay, but it's inescapable: she was already stretched to the bone in the period she describes here and could not have worked more hours, earned more money, especially without childcare—which would have been a whole 'nother expense. Maybe it's not the point, but it's hard not to see it in the current economic and political climate.

Ultimately this is a story of hope. That hope was eventually born out—Land wrote "Maid", which changed the trajectory of her career and hopefully put her on permanently stable financial footing—but even before that she describes the small and not so small moments that gave her hope that things would work out. Most people won't write an instant bestseller, but most people *will* find those small and not so small moments.

Thanks to the author and publisher for providing a review copy through NetGalley.

This is Stephanie Land’s true story of a time when she struggled physically, emotionally and financially after the birth of her second daughter. Many aspects will ring true for anyone who has been a new mom, but she had so much more to handle on her plate: minimal outside support, extreme exhaustion, hunger, an unhealthy living space and more. It is well written, and Land excellently conveys her feelings, efforts and battles to survive. 4.5 stars! Thank you to NetGalley and Amazon Original Stories for the digital ARC.

3.76 "do more than understand, lend a helping hand" stars ~~

Thank you to Netgalley, the essayist, and Amazon Original Stories for an ecopy. I am providing an honest review and this will be released June 24, 2025,

A writer takes a look back at her experience of having a second child as a single mother while struggling with a myriad of emotions, exhaustion, hunger and food insecurity while trying to maintain her dignity and eke out a good enough life for her seven year old daughter. She gives the middle class reader her experience of both hardships and joys, accomplishments and struggles, deep desperation and momentary joys.

I wish her and her little family the best and continued success, health and happiness....

It is not enough to just understand, or even empathize but when you are able lend a helping hand...

“The Shelter Within” is a beautifully sweet essay about motherhood in the midst of poverty. The short story packed so much feeling into its pages. As a mother myself, I could empathize greatly with those exhausting post-birth moments; thankfully I did not have to endure them while also worrying about if I could eat or how to make rent. Stephanie Land is a talented writer and I hope she’s doing better now - hopefully she has more that I can read from her in the future!

I received a copy for review. All opinions are my own. I was captivated by this book and the struggles of Land. It was fascinating to read about how she navigated everything and is so open about her struggles. This is a very relatable book that reminded me to have grace with others as you never quite know what they are really going through. It was also a very easy read and I ended up finishing it in one sitting.