Heartwood is a quiet, contemplative novel that weaves grief, identity, and history into a beautifully written narrative. Gaige’s prose is lyrical and layered, and the characters feel lived-in and real. The pace is slow at times, but the emotional depth makes it worth it. A thoughtful and moving read.

🥾 If you’re looking for a real page-turner, look no further! This is an incredible, fast-paced hunt to save a missing hiker. Thank you to @simonbooks for my #gifted ARC. This is out now and @readwithjenna’s April pick.

🥾My one problem with this book is that whenever I picked it up I could not put it down. It was so quick and compulsive and really made me want to ignore any and all responsibilities so I could keep reading. It speaks a lot to not only the plot but @amity_gaige’s incredible writing.

🥾 This is @readwithjenna’s pick this month and it absolutely deserves all the hype. It gave me The Quiet Tenant vibes— not necessarily similar content-wise but that same ‘can’t put it down’ vibe.

Books like this make me appreciate my hobby of reading over outdoor activities. Making it through a multi-day long hike is already something I can’t imagine and add being lost to this? It’s hard not to get curious about how everything will turn out, Gaige sets up a compelling mystery. I liked the multiple-POVs, Lt. Bev’s the most. I also think the amount of time Gaige took to set everything up worked out well and allowed her to explore various issues around being lost and survival in the wild. I also had no idea of all the various ways a bandana might come in handy while hiking. This one is a slow and steady burn, but I found it to be a quick read.

I was provided an ARC of this book via Netgalley all opinions are my own.

This is the harrowing story of a lost hiker, the Warden in charge of finding her, and an unseemly retiree who unbeknownst to her holds the clues to saving her. In the wake of the pandemic, Valerie has decided to tackle the Appalachian Trail, when she doesn't turn up at her scheduled check in a huge search effort kicks off to find her. She's a nurse and has gear and provisions, but Valerie is no survival expert. Lt. Beverly Miller has led countless successful searches and knows the stakes, so when they keep coming up empty, she begins to unravel. Then we have Lena, a unique woman who lives no where near the investigation, but loves a good puzzle and the outdoors. I couldn't figure out why Lena's perspective was part of the book after it was made clear she had no connection to Valerie or Bev early on, however the author does a great job tying her to the case in a really believable way.

In the author's note, Gaige indicates that part of this was inspired by the search for a real missing hiker and countless hours of research around the topic. I originally thought this was a thriller, and at one point I thought the book was going that direction, but it takes a different path. This is suspenseful but in a completely different way. I was completely invested in finding Valerie and the outcome and how the lives of all of these people were wrapped up in finding her. If I didn't know this was fictional, I would believe this was based on a real person. Having spent a lot of time in the woods as a kid and teen, it is easy to get turned around and disoriented. I thought the author did a wonderful job with the descriptions of the emotions and the descriptions of the forest. I was transported to Maine and felt like I was part of the investigation.

I really enjoyed how the author played with a more mixed media style of storytelling for this. We get a more traditional style when we are with Bev and Lena. We get a more journal entry style of chapter when we are with Valerie while she was lost. We also get interviews between Valerie's hiking partner Santo and one of the other Warden's Cody. As the story progresses we see each of the characters almost descend into madness as they each come to terms with the situation they are in and the circumstances they now find themselves in either by fate or choices they have made along the way.

I really enjoyed this. I was engaged the entire time trying to piece together how things were going to turn out and how all of the characters were tied together. This is so much more than a book about a missing hiker lost in the woods. It is so moving in so many ways, and takes you on not only an investigative journey to find Valerie but an internal journey as well.

Thank you to Simon & Schuster for my gifted eARC!

“You used to call me Sparrow.
Why Sparrow? Well, because the woods are full of sparrows, and you loved everything outdoors. Songbirds, wildflowers, wind. You could read the weather like a poem.”

Heartwood is exactly what I want from a book. It is among the likes of Wild Dark Shore, Once There Were Wolves, Betty, and Tell the Wolves I’m Home. Those types of books centered around a love and respect for nature and its power and beauty.

One of my book friends said this was an Alyssa book if there ever was one, and that warmed a spot in my soul, because yes. This book is what I seek every time I open one. A melancholy sort of book, where Mother Nature’s soul is a character in its own right. There is a mystery to solve, a backstory with trauma, there are birds, depth, soul searching, growth, motherhood. There is this version of motherhood in Heartwood that I hope by boys will remember about me - clinging to my legs, sticky fingers entwined with mine, my lips on their chubby cheeks; a deep longing in my heart and soul to smother them with love and the outdoors in hopes of helping them love nature as much as I do.

Heartwood spoke so deeply to my inner child and I fell so in love with it that I had to purchase my own copy halfway into it. I needed to hold it. Needed to press it to my chest.

I finished this book with whole body goosebumps. My throat heavy from threatening tears. I wanted to immediately read it again and immerse myself in this world that I have always wanted to experience. Appalachia. The Appalachian Trail.

I urge you to read this. There were so many passages I wanted to quote, but ultimately, I realized I would give too much of this book away in the review, so I just need you to read it and experience it and all the beauty it encompasses for yourself.

You can read the synopsis for this book, but it will not tell you that you absolutely must read it! I could not put it down and devoured it. I was completely invested in Valerie’s story. You will be too.

Forty-two year old Valerie, an experienced hiker, goes missing in the Maine woods hiking the Appalachian Trail. This story follows the search for the missing hiker from 3 different POVs plus some mixed media formats that I loved!

Originally I was having a hard time trying to figure out how all the women’s POVs related and how they would come together, but I thought the author did a great job pulling it all together. I really enjoyed their stories and was invested in each one.

Beverly is the Maine State Game Warden who is searching for Valerie. Lena is a bird watcher living in a retirement community that ends up doing some of her own research on the case. Then, we get Valerie’s experience as the story progresses with journal entries she has written.

This book was perfectly layered with an exploration of nature, finding ourselves, hiking, and survival.

An experienced thru-hiker disappears on the Appalachian Trail without a trace. A search ensues, and for almost 2 weeks, a large group of volunteers combs the area where the hiker is thought to have gone off trail. The story of her disappearance is told from 3 perspectives: the hiker, as she writes in her journal, the game warden who is leading the search, and a homebound birder who spends time online with conspiracy theorists. It took a while to understand the last one's connection to the story, but once that aha! moment happened, the pages turned themselves. As a trail runner, I loved the descriptions of the AT. The author captured the joy and fulfillment of being on the trail as well as the solitude and fear of harm. You don't have to be outdoorsy to appreciate this one, though!

Overall, this was a just fine literary suspense novel for me. I was all in with the nature descriptions. I felt like she captured the wilderness and danger here so well. I also felt the pressing need to find Valerie. There was so much pressure and tension, which could be felt as I listened. But I felt like a few of the character's POVs. were unnecessary. I am not sure the Santo character landed well, especially since he's a black man being written by a white woman. I also thought we got way too much of Lena's mind. Her storyline did not pay off in the end. I would've been fine with a novel that alternated only between Bev and Valerie. I hope it finds solid fans with the Read with Jenna audience.

When a female hiker doesn’t show up to her designated meeting spot along the Appalachian Trail, she is declared missing. What follows is an 11-day search mission, wild online conspiracy theories, and a 76-year-old birdwatcher. The whole world has a theory about what happened to Valerie, and while there are times you think you know what direction the story is heading, there were several surprises I didn’t see.

Ultimately, this is about a missing person. But I also don’t feel like that’s really the point of the book at all. It felt more like a character study of these three main characters: Valerie (the missing woman), Bev (the warden in charge of finding Valerie), and Lena (the 76-year-old birdwatcher). Of the three characters, Lena felt the most forced and I didn’t love her connection to the story at all.

In the end, I felt like the story was fine. It didn’t blow me away, and it left me a little surprised at the early attention it’s receiving. As a Read With Jenna pick, maybe I was expecting something more, but it wasn’t the kind of story that changed me in any way and I feel like I will forget about it very soon. I am curious how the others will receive it and anxiously await more reviews!

I requested this ARC through @netgalley and appreciate the opportunity I had to read it, but being as busy as we have been lately I was excited to receive an ALC from @librofm 🎧 Thank you greatly to both!

Being as it had been a minute, I had ultimately forgotten what this book was about. I went in blind, but I knew it was worth trying because I do NOT request ARC’s that do not interest me. I must say, I was NOT disappointed.

When a hiker, Valerie, of the #appalachiantrail doesn’t show up for her scheduled rendezvous with her supporter a search begins to try to find her. Along the way we get to know other characters on a deeper level, such as the game warden leading the search for Valerie and an elderly woman who becomes aware of Valerie’s disappearance through an online friendship. All are eager to find Valerie, whether it is in order to rescue her, or to bring her family closure.

All in all this is a story about love, but its core focus is on a mother’s relationship with her daughter(s), even that of Mother Earth. Nature is a sort of character of its own in this novel, which I am always there for! This book brought me to tears more than once, which used to be a rarity, but it is happening more and more as I grow older 🙃

Overall, I enjoyed this book and its full-cast narration. Spoiler: My biggest dissatisfaction was the ultimate “bad guy” being COVID, but I understand how its presence was important to character development. COVID playing such a prominent role in a novel just still feels too soon. Not because I don’t agree that it severely affected our society, but because I still get stink face if I happen to sneeze or cough in public places. You know those looks. Those looks that say without words “why are you here if you’re sick?! You’re going to infect us all!” Calm down sis, it was just your perfume, or my brain forgetting not to inhale my own saliva!

As you may recall, I tend to shy away from hyped new releases, or books that are a part of a celebrity book club, but this one was worthy.

Happy reading. Stay gold.

This book was enthralling, poetic, and simultaneously claustrophobic and expansive. It follows three different women who are all tied together because one of them, Valerie, has gone missing. Valerie was hiking the Appalachian Trail, but somehow got lost. Beverly is the Maine State Game Warden in charge of the search for Valerie, and Lena is an online participant in the search.
All three of the women are dealing with loneliness in different capacities. Valerie had spent most of her trek with a hiking partner, but is now lost in the woods, utterly alone. Bev devoted her life to her job, and has no partner or children to turn to. And Lena has been shunned by her daughter and lives in a self-imposed isolation in her retirement community, communicating almost exclusively online.
The exploration of each character’s loneliness and search for connection was heartbreaking and hopeful. Gaige’s writing was beautiful and added an extra layer of solemn complexity to an already tense storyline. I’d highly recommend this to anyone looking for a slower-paced but still intense mystery!

I really liked this book - I found it incredibly moving and descriptive. I loved each of the characters and their POVs' especially the armchair detective Lena in the assisted living facility. I loved the descriptions of hiking the Appalachian Trail and ultimately, the happy ending for everyone!

HEARTWOOD is a captivating, thrilling, and well-executed literary thriller.

This is the story of Valerie, a woman hiking the Appalachian trail who becomes lost in Maine in the final days of her journey. It is told from multiple POVs, including a fellow hiker, Val herself, and Beverly, the woman in charge of leading the investigation into Val’s disappearance.

HEARTWOOD checked all the literary mystery boxes for me:
a compelling, propulsive mystery ✔️
beautiful writing ✔️
well developed characters ✔️
a story connected to broader, relevant themes ✔️

Because of this, I absolutely devoured the story, reading it between involuntarily snoozes on the couch the weekend of Daylight savings (swipe to see my snuggle buddy). It is one of the most propulsive novels I’ve read in recent memory, satisfying my cravings for a thriller, but with a pleasant and grounding depth.

Though there is a lot more I could say, but this is one that is best consumed with few expectations. My advice would be to simply buckle up and enjoy the ride. Better yet, convince a few friends to read it alongside you — I loved dissecting this one with @katyisreading and @thesouthphillyreader.

P.S. If you are a fellow super fan of GOD OF THE WOODS, don’t sleep on this one! Thanks to @simonbooks for my e-ARC of this one 🩵

Heartwood by Amity Gaige is a story of survival and bravery. Valeria, trail name Sparrow goes missing on the Appalachian Trail. I know someone who hiked the trail so I was intrigued when I read the book description.

I enjoyed the setting of the book. I felt that the characters were just random people who didn’t really fit in the story and had no connection to each other. All in all I found the book to be mediocre. The ending was anticlimactic. When I finished the book my thoughts were wow did I really spend all that time reading this book….for what? I thought the book had potential but everything went downhill as the book progressed.

I do believe there is an audience for this book. It got an average rating of 4.1 stars. If the description of the book sounds interesting I suggest giving it a try. It was published April 1, 2025.

Thank you NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Heartwood is a tightly wound literary thriller that pulls you in from the very first page. Centered on the mysterious disappearance of a woman hiking the Appalachian Trail, the novel balances suspense with a deeply emotional undercurrent. Amity Gaige masterfully weaves in a tender, moving exploration of mother/daughter dynamics—both the bonds that nurture and the tensions that pull us apart.

While the plot moves with the urgency of a page-turner, what truly elevates the book is its emotional resonance. Gaige’s prose is thoughtful and elegant, and she never loses sight of the humanity behind the mystery. If you're looking for a thriller with depth and heart, Heartwood is well worth the hike.

Five Star read for me! I loved the characters and how they all tied together at the end. The storyline was compulsive and yet also quiet. I couldn't put it down and highly recommend Heartwood.

Perfect for fans of Kimi Cunningham Grant's stories, I found a lot of wonderful similar themes in terms of nature and survival and excellent blend of character development and mystery.

Thank you S&S and Simon Books for review copies of Heartwood, I loved this story and really recommend it on audio, the multi actor performance and production made this a great audio.

Heartwood is much more than the plot summary sounds... it's a rich story of survival, a fascinating story of the detective and her investigation, a great story of nature and resilience found in nature, and an ode to memory and love and relationships. Gaige crafts a surprsingly intimate mystery, one filled with suspense but also well developed characters and a tension that builds into a satisfying resolution.

A hiker goes missing on the Appalachian Trail in Maine. She's close to her goal but fails to meet her husband at one of their planned check points. A massive search and rescue effort is mobilized to find her. 

This is the premise of Heartwood by Amity Gaige. Told from multiple perspectives, the mystery unfolds. Hiker Valerie, trail name Sparrow, narrates her story in journals written to her mother.  In charge of the search and rescue team, we have first-person narration from Lieutenant Bev Miller. Rounding out the trio is birdwatcher and citizen detective Lena, wheelchair bound and living in a retirement community.

There were recurring themes across the women's stories. Mother-daughter relationships, respect for nature, strength and perseverance, stubbornness. Lots of drama. At times the voices were so distant from each other that I felt I was reading three different books. 

After a slow burn (and several red herrings), Heartwood did pick up, and those narratives did come together. I just wish its pages had turned a little more quickly. 

My thanks to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for the Advance Reader Copy. (pub date 4/1/2025)

I finally read my ARC after hearing so many great reviews for this one. I was initially intrigued by the synopsis. As I began reading, I found myself emerged in each character. Told in multiple POVs and media intertwined, I became very invested in what happened to this missing hiker. As the story was unfolding, I began to wonder if this was a slow burn thriller. At about 65%, I realized, it was in fact not a thriller but more of a suspenseful, literary fiction novel. It didn’t change much perspective as I already engaged.

The ending really redeemed this book for me. In it I found that redemption comes in all forms. And forgiveness. Forgiveness of others as well as ourselves. Lena was probably the most unique character. I found her self reflection to be so humane and realistic. As an older woman, she was able to look back on her life and realize her mistakes. But she was able to connect with family again and gain a new perspective…even if it is temporary. Bev grew on me. I felt connected to her even though she’s much older, but I too was career driven and family focused when my mother became sick. I understand her struggles of trying to be there for those important to you all the while being present in a career you truly love. Finally, Valerie was so genuine and full of life. Even when things were uncertain, she held tight. I loved reading her journal entries the most even though sometimes I felt lost because they were is lyrical and poetic.

Overall, a great story and I’m truly grateful I gave it a shot. I look forward to reading more literary fiction even if I don’t always understand the themes presented in them.