This was such a different vibe for a thriller type book. There were several POVs and even a bit of a cozy mystery vibe with the elderly armchair sleuth. Although I didn't think it was altogether a thrilling book, I did very much enjoy the format and the pacing.

A story, told through multiple points of view, about a woman missing during her journey of hiking the Appalachian Trail. I enjoyed the POVs of Bev, the Warden in charge of the search for Valerie, and Valerie’s journal entries. The third point of view is a woman, Lena, living in a retirement community a couple states away- despite the connection to the story, I would have enjoyed this book more without this POV. Overall, I enjoyed this book. Those looking for a slow-burn suspense may enjoy this.

My favorite part of this book was the setting. The writing was atmospheric and immersive - making me feel like I was in the woods.

The rest of the story was okay. There are a lot of books about being lost and the stakes in this one were too low. I was hoping for a faster, more suspenseful pace. It shifts through three different perspectives and one (I won't say which to avoid spoilers) is VERY random. It is such an outlier that the plot became predictable because why else would this POV matter?

Overall, Heartwood was a decent read, but one I'd suggest borrowing from the library instead of buying it.

I received an advanced copy from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Normally I don’t love ‘lost in the wilderness’ type books, but this one jumped around between enough POVs and gave us dramatic irony from so many different angles that I really felt entertained in the best way possible. Listening to it on audiobook, with different characters having voices that felt so distinct and real, brought this story to life extra for me. I found myself caring about the safety and well-being of the FMC, and was gripped until the final resolution. I give this one 4 ⭐

*Thank you again to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.*

This book had great writing, great characters, and great ideas. But somehow I was unable to connect with it. May be just my state of mind at the time. Everyone else seems to love it though so take with a grain of salt.

Just closed Heartwood and wow—what a ride. It plunges you into the depths of the Maine wilderness, where a nurse named Valerie vanishes during a healing hike on the Appalachian Trail. Then the story unfolds through her haunting journal entries, the driven warden leading the search, and a feisty older woman who becomes an unexpected online sleuth. The way Gaige weaves these perspectives builds real tension and emotional depth.

I was completely immersed. The writing is gorgeous—thoughtful and gripping at the same time. The wilderness isn't just a setting; it’s a character in its own right, beautiful and brutal. And the themes of survival, mother-daughter bonds, and how we try to save each other? Just so resonant. This one’s unforgettable—a literary thriller that feels like it can reach straight through the book.

Heartwood overall is a great premise and story that after finishing I never thought about. Amity Gage is a good writer but I feel that it has no staying power after an interesting premise and suspense filled story.

Heartwood by Amity Gaige
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Valerie has been hiking for awhile on the Appalachian trail when she goes missing. A search is started to find her led by Game Warden Beverly. Following any tip she can track down Beverly combs the area hoping to find Valerie alive.
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What I liked:
-First of all I enjoyed learning about the Appalachian Trail, including my own googling in between reading sessions. I love that reading fiction books is still a way to learn things.
-I really liked that there were a lot of types of POVs throughout the story: letters that Valerie wrote while on the trail, interviews with other hikers who met Valerie, as well as an “armchair detective” who got very investigated.
-I enjoyed how passionate Beverly was about her job and how seriously she took finding Valerie.
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4⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ The story went in a direction I didn’t expect and it was a really solid slow burn mystery.

Set post-pandemic, Heartwood follows Valerie Gillis, a 42-year-old nurse overwhelmed by COVID-19’s emotional toll. Seeking healing, she sets out on the Appalachian Trail in Maine—only to vanish 200 miles from her destination.

I really enjoyed this book. It was fast paced, without being too much. The Northeast has a special place in my heart, and I loved being able to visit there through this story. I was able to figure what had happened pretty soon into the book, but that didn’t stop me from enjoying the way everything played out.

A worthy book club tale! A story that was hard to put down. Well written characters developed around a list hiker on the Appalachian Trail. The missing Valerie Gillis keeps her thoughts and hopes written in poetic letters, to her mother, hoping for rescue. The Warden rescue team has a high success rate for finding list travelers but the area is extremely large. Will they find Valerie in time or will this rescue become a body recovery.

Thanks to Simon & Schuster and Netgalley for this eARC.

Amity Gaige’s Heartwood is a haunting, lyrical thriller that transcends genre conventions. Selected as a Read with Jenna pick, this novel is both a gripping survival story and a meditation on motherhood, memory, and the many ways we find ourselves lost—physically, emotionally, and spiritually.

This story centers on Valerie Gillis, a seasoned hiker who vanishes deep in the Maine wilderness, 200 miles from her Appalachian Trail destination. As search and rescue teams mobilize, Valerie’s voice emerges through fragmented, poetic letters to her mother—raw reflections written in the solitude of survival. These epistolary passages form the emotional spine of the novel, offering insight into Valerie’s psyche as she battles the elements and her own unraveling hope.

Meanwhile, Beverly, a tenacious Maine State Game Warden, leads the ground search, and Lena, a seventy-six-year-old birdwatcher in a Connecticut retirement community, becomes an unexpected armchair sleuth. The narrative shifts between these three women, each navigating her own terrain of loss, longing, and resilience.

Themes & Literary Depth

- Motherhood & Memory: Valerie’s letters are steeped in unresolved tension and tenderness, revealing a complex maternal bond that echoes through the novel’s emotional landscape.

- Survival & Identity: The wilderness becomes a metaphor for inner reckoning, as Valerie confronts not just physical danger but the ghosts of her past.

- Connection Across Distance: Lena’s role as a remote detective adds a layer of quiet poignancy, reminding us that empathy and intuition can bridge even the widest gaps.

✍️ Gaige’s prose is elegant and evocative, with a rhythm that mirrors the terrain—sometimes jagged, sometimes serene. The epistolary format adds intimacy, while the shifting perspectives create a mosaic of emotional truths. The pacing is deliberate, allowing suspense to build organically without sacrificing literary nuance.

Heartwood is a “literary thriller of the highest order” that balances suspense with soul. It’s a novel that lingers—like the echo of footsteps in the forest—inviting readers to reflect on the paths we take, the ones we lose, and the ones we find again. Gaige has crafted a gem: suspenseful, tender, and quietly transformative.

Definitely a surprise as I went in to this one blind. A heartwarming tale of a woman's struggle while lost on the Appalachian trail. Through multiple POV and varying timelines this story is told with intrigue. What a fun read! Ty @netgalley and @simonandschuster for a copy of this title! All my reviews are unbiased.

I really thought this was going to be a five! Heartwood's gripping plot and theming got my hopes up. I enjoyed it, overall, but it fell short for me in aspects of its execution.

The premise of this was so intriguing. It follows a woman who goes missing on the Appalachian Trail and has multiple POVs: the missing woman, the lead game warden tasked with finding her, and an elderly armchair detective.

First, for a story so rooted in nature, it felt shallow in the atmospheric writing department. The "sense of place" wasn't great for me. I could barely picture the setting—and I'm saying that as someone who did a tiny section of the Appalachian Trail in Virginia last spring! (Mourning the fact that this book wasn't out yet for me to take a picture of there...*sigh*)
My biggest issue was Lena's perspective. It was a lot to sift through before we figured out how it was relevant. I get painting the picture of her involvement and her mother-daughter connection, but it felt slow and meandering. I think this would have been a four for me if it had been cut down a bit.

What I did like:
- the detailed writing on the experience of being lost and the toll it takes on police, searchers, family members, and even members of the public. You get the whole scope of missing people incidents, which was really interesting to me.
- how gripping the mystery was
- the poetic writing and connections to mother/daughter relationships were really beautiful. If you look at it through the lens of motherhood, that's where my stars got the bulk of their weight.

★★★.5

I got an advanced copy on NetGalley, but didn’t actually have time to read this until after it came out, when I borrowed a physical copy from the library where I work. It was definitely worth the wait

Heartwood is a highly engaging mystery told from multiple POVs, about a hiker who goes missing on the Appalachian trail. It kept me guessing right until the end. Highly recommend this one.

Many thanks to Amity Gaige, Simon & Schuster, and NetGalley for the gifted copy. All opinions expressed are my own.

A heart wrenching tale of a woman who gets lost while hiking the Appalachian trail. I found this book to be very entertaining with the search itself but also about getting to know Valerie, the lost woman, and Beverly, the woman in charge of the search efforts. Valerie's POV told through some written as journal entries directed to her mom were hearbreaking, especially by the end when she starts losing hope that she will be found. Lena, the third POV, an older woman that gets invested in Valerie's search from her senior community was a bit boring but I understood the point of telling her story to add to the plot. Overall a very entertaining read, it reminded me a lot of God of the Woods by Liz Moore.

Thanks to NetGalley for the advance copy of Heartwood by Amity Gaige in exchange for an honest review. It’s out now so you can go get it!

What does it mean to be lost? This novel that takes place over the course of twelve days and is mostly about the search for 42-year-old Valerie, a lost hiker who goes missing in the Maine woods near the end of the Appalachian Trail. We hear from Valerie herself, Lt. Bev Miller with the forest service who’s tasked with heading up the search, hiker Santos who has been with Valerie on her journey, Lena, a computer savvy birdwatcher tracking the case from her nursing home computer and others. Each of the characters is lost in some way, but will they find what they need? Will Valerie herself be found?

This was a slow burn of a novel that kept my interest primarily because I switched to the excellent full cast audio recording for most of the book. Creative and evocative. Four stars.
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I really enjoyed Heartwood. I loved the descriptions of the beautiful and unforgiving forest, I enjoyed all the characters, and the pacing was perfect for keeping the story moving. I feel like this would appeal to most people, and would recommend it.

4 stars- This is so beautifully written but dare i say, its unlocked a new fear of me being lost in the woods forever. Had to read this in stages because I was getting a bit spooked of this new unlocked fear. thank you netgalley & the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review