Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. Many positive reviews, but it was a bit too slow and fluffy for me. I am sure many find the story artistic and it may be, but not for me.

I was originally drawn to Amity Gaige's Heartwood by the cover. It's beautiful, but, as soon as I read the synopsis, I knew I needed it. I love books set in my beloved home state, and, after closely following the disappearance Heartwood is based on, I frantically flipped pages in a need-to-know kind of way, Without saying too much, at one point I thought this book was going in a direction that I didn't love, but it was only an element needed to move the plot along, and I ended up absolutely loving this gorgeously crafted novel. Some of the writing is so stunning that I went back multiple times and read it again, especially Sparrow''s journal entries. What nailed my five-star review though is the final chapter, the very last sentence, the most perfect ending.

Thank you @simonbooks @netgalley and @amity_gaige for this free arc 💖.

✨What it is about:
42 year old Valerie Gillis disappears near the Appalachian Trail. As searchers and her loved ones struggle to find her, we see the impact of her disappearance on those who she left behind.✨

💭My thoughts:
This was a very interesting dive into loneliness, human connection, resilience, and self discovery. Though slow paced at times, the suspense and all the different characters involved kept me invested in the narrative. I was intrigued to find out how all the characters would be somehow connected in the end, and what Valerie’s fate would be. Valerie’s documentation of what she thinks are her final moments was very insightful, and we see how something a little darker might be behind her disappearance. I enjoyed learning about hiking culture and survival on the Appalachian Trail, but what really caught my attention was how the author wove in all these different characters together in the story, and made them all fit almost like a puzzle, with a resolution in the end: Valerie a 42 year old nurse and experienced hiker, Lena a 76 year old bird watcher living in a retirement community, and Beverly the warden leading the search. I really did not know at the start how it would all come together, but it all did, and it worked. The story was loosely based on a real disappearance, and addressed the pandemic without having a direct focus on it, and it indeed showed how we all need to heal from hard things that happen to us. Overall, an interesting and suspenseful tale with a lot more than a disappearance behind it.

4⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Read if you like:
⛰️Slow burn
⛰️Multiple POVs
⛰️Mystery/Suspense
⛰️Human resilience and connection
⛰️Epistolary elements/journal entries

⚠️CW: Grief, guilt, parental estrangement, mentions of pandemic effects.

Give me the HBO limited series of this ASAP! Also, put me in charge of it because I could see it playing in my head from page one. This is a story of survival in so many forms. It's about finding your limits and pushing past them, until it's time to truly listen to them. It's about giving so much of yourself that there's barely anything left. It's about finding yourself again, and letting yourself be found. I thought the writing was lovely and evocative, I enjoyed the formatting shifts throughout, and I'd recommend this to lovers of true crime, mystery, nature, and lit fic.

This book contains a slow-burn mystery, a wilderness survival story, and a well-structured and well-written exploration of inner strength and resilience, among other things. I loved this story about a woman who goes missing at the end of her Appalachian Trail through-hike in Maine, the woman Game Warden who leads the massive search-and-rescue effort, and another woman in a Connecticut retirement community who unexpectedly finds herself drawn into the mystery of the missing woman. Gaige tells her story through narrative, journal entries, interviews, and online forum posts, and the format is very effective. Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for a digital review copy.

Received an ARC via NetGalley.

I found this to be a really moving and engaging story. I think I expected it to be more mystery genre but it’s not and that was fine! There is the mystery of where Valerie is and trying to find her in the woods but the story is more about the people. And that story was good.

The story is told from the perspective of three different women, all of whom I got equally invested in.

Oh my gosh this book! Such beautiful writing and an amazing story. I loved it!

Thank you NetGalley and Amity Gaige!

Heartwood by Amity Gaige is a suspense-filled, literary page-turner that begins when hiker Valerie goes missing just 200 miles from her destination on the Appalachian Trail deep in the woods of Maine. As the novel follows Valerie’s quest, it picks up the story of Beverly, the Maine State Game Warden heading up the search and rescue effort and weaves in the insights of Lena, a wheelchair-bound Connecticut retirement community resident. This novel, like Gaige’s fascinating SEA WIFE, explores mother/duaghter relationships and what it means to be a parent. As Valerie jots down her thoughts while struggling to survive, Gaige shows how those searching for Valerie mirror the healing power of nature. The characters’ kindness and resilience make this a rich read.

This was the rare book that hooks me from the first chapter and has me thinking about when I'm going to get my next few minutes to read it. I don't usually gravitate to mysteries/thrillers but the cover and description appealed to me and I was excited to give it a try. Many thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read the ARC.

We get three main points of view for this story: Valerie, an Appalachian Trail hiker lost in the Maine wilderness; Bev, the game warden in charge of the search for Valerie; and Lena, a reclusive naturalist living in a Connecticut retirement facility. We also get some chapters from a hiking companion of Valerie's, via interview transcripts with another game warden. I liked how the author chose to represent each point of view differently. Bev was in first person, and we (kind of) end with her, making her a sort of primary connecting thread. Lena was close third person, and Valerie was first person but via letters she wrote to her mother in her trail journal while lost. Sometimes multi-POV stories can feel muddled but these were well-differentiated, and those different presentations felt well suited to each character's role in the story.

While this is a story about a lost hiker and a community's quest to find her, deeper down it's a far-reaching rumination on companionship and motherhood. Valerie is writing to her mother. Bev's mother has never understood, supported, or appreciated the work that sustains her. Lena avoids intimacy due to unresolved trauma from her daughter cutting off contact with her. Valerie's mother displays great strength and grace even as chances of finding her daughter alive dip downward every day. Valerie and Bev have no children of their own, but are incredible caretakers of others.

While each woman started from a place of strength, throughout the story we see them confront some of their worst fears and begin to heal old wounds. I enjoyed watching these arcs bend and intersect against the backdrop of Valerie's disappearance, and the tension of what might become of her as the search wears on into its second week. Overall a very enjoyable read which I would recommend.

Also, bonus points for badass dogs with jobs!

How do you make a "lost in the wilderness" book boring?

You do the talky talky, switch characters then more talky talky, switch to yet another and more talky talky and the book moves nooooowhere.

Booksource: Netgalley in exchange for review.

THIS BOOK WAS SO GOOD! It’s rare for me to rate a mystery/thriller 5 stars but this was so lovely—it was twisty and turny, but packed with so much love and thoughtfulness. I adored Bev’s character, and Lena was a wonder. This book felt so authentic—from how it talked about Maine, to the culture of trail life, I just ate it up (and may or may not have considered briefly “…should I hike the AT…” despite this book being about someone who was lost on said hike…). I cannot reccomend this highly enough and can’t wait to pick up a physical copy when it comes out in April.

TYSM to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC!

Valerie has gone missing from her hike on the Appalachian trail. She was supposed to meet her husband at one of the stops, but once enough time passes, he realizes she isn’t coming. Beverly is at the top of the search team and determined to find Valerie before it is too late. Then there is Lena, a bird watcher from several states away who has an online friend with a local man. Everyone wants to find Valerie alive, but will it be too late?

This book was the definition of a slow burn. I started this one on my kindle before my vacation, and while I was away I only read physical books so it took me a long time to get through this one. I did find that I could not wait to know what happened to Valerie and if she would be found, but whenever I picked up my kindle at night my body was fully ready for sleep lol. If you enjoyed Wild I think you will enjoy this one! It definitely made me want to and not want to hike the Appalachian trail at the same time!

Thank you to @Simonbooks for my gifted copy of this book!

Heartwood by Amity Gaige is a beautifully written, introspective novel that delves into the complexities of family, relationships, and the passage of time. Through its rich prose and carefully crafted characters, Gaige explores the tensions and emotional nuances that shape the lives of her protagonists. The narrative is both thoughtful and poignant, capturing the delicate balance between personal desires and the responsibilities that come with love and connection. With its evocative storytelling and exploration of deep human themes, Heartwood is a compelling and reflective read for fans of literary fiction.

When you're in the wilderness, things get put into perspective from the inside out. This was a gripping story about a woman who gets lost while hiking the Appalachian Trial. I really liked the set-up of the book, with the Interviews and diary entries. Enjoyable.

First time reading this author. Great story of a hiker lost on the Appalachian Trail. Three parallel stories of strong women and their past experiences with their mothers. The theme is the connection and relationship with their mothers and how it relates to their own daughters and sisters. A lost hiker, being searched for by a female warden and a woman in a nursing home who has information about the whereabouts of the missing hiker. This story is intense and heartbreaking but hopeful. Great portrayal of strong women and relationships.

A race against time, as a woman who has disappeared on the Appalachian Trail near Maine, struggles to survive, with the hope of being found in time.

There are several POVs in this story.
Valerie Gillis "Sparrow", the lost hiker
Lt. Beverly Miller, leading the search party
Lena Kucharski, a retiree who is following the story online.
While the first two POVs made sense, I didn't know why the third one was included. That is until they provide some key information to the search team that I don't think I would ever have caught.

When Valerie doesn't make her meeting point with her husband, the race is on to find her before it's too late. Valerie's POV is probably the most intriguing of the three, as she recounts her journey on the trail and where things went wrong. I liked how she used a journal to keep herself mentally sane - I would have been a mess emotionally, aside from the fact that I'm not very outdoorsy. I also sympathized with Lt. Miller who has put aside her own personal issues to find Valerie. The guilt she feels is misplaced, as she's doing more than most.

There is not a lot of action in the book, so the story is a bit slow. However, things get more interesting when Valerie encounters someone along the trail. I won't say if they help or harm her, but they do change the course of the story. And that's where Lena comes in.

If you are a nature lover/hiker, I think this book may be for you - since I am neither, I didn't connect with the story. That said, it is well written and realistic (actually based on a true story), and has some mystery to keep you guessing.

📚 Heartwood
✍ Amity Gaige
📖 Fiction
⭐4.5/5

➡ Through tribulations and pure grit, Valerie Gillis has made it to the final stretch of the Appalachian Trail after hiking almost 2000 miles over the course of several months. Just as she reaches what many consider the most challenging part of the journey, she goes missing. Now stranded in the Maine wilderness, her story is told through letters to her mother and is interspersed with the narratives of Bev, the lead game warden in charge of the search for Valerie and Lena, an observant octogenarian with an odd connection to the case.
◾
🙏 Thank you to Simon & Schuster, NetGalley and the author for an advanced copy of Heartwood. All opinions are my own.
◾
🎯 What I loved: To me, this book was less about what was happening to the characters (although that was fascinating and exciting) and more about the way that story was being told. It was atmospheric, emotional and hopeful and I really liked the trio of perspectives that the author chose to tell the story from. It explored relationships: those that are romantic, friendly, maternal and most importantly, the relationship we have with ourselves. Though the focus of this book was on finding Valerie, it was so much more and left me empowered, inspired and emboldened to consider the consequences of each of my decisions.
◾
Read if you love:
*Appalachian Trail hiking
*outdoorsy novels
*multiple perspectives
*missing persons cases
*fictional books with a touch of mystery
◾
See also: God of the Woods, Wild, Becoming Odyssa

No question readers will run the gauntlet of emotions in this one, from sadness to trepidation to fearfulness to elation and more - but one thing clearly pulls them all together: Stellar writing.

Basically, the story centers around Valerie Gillis, a 42-year-old nurse and hiker (trailname: Sparrow) who went missing about 200 miles from her destination on the challenging Appalachian Trail. Once that fact is established, the spotlight begins to shine on other characters, first and foremost Lt. Beverly Miner, a Maine game warden to whom falls the job of locating Valerie. Then there's the elderly Lena, an assisted living resident in Connecticut, who spends much of her time on her computer and initially believes Valerie is her estranged daughter, and Santo, Valerie's wacky, oversized hiking buddy who left her on the trail believing she was close enough to the finish line that she'd be fine even if he wasn't there to cheer her on.

Readers see what's going on in the hearts and minds of all these characters and a couple of others, including Valerie's husband, who tracked her progress along at least part of the way. We get to know their backstories as well as present circumstances - most notably Valerie's written "letter" to her mother as she documents her feelings and physical deterioration as she tries to survive the wilderness alone and without much food or shelter.

Details, of course, I cannot provide, but except to say my heart was beating faster and faster toward the end and the whole experience was well worth the time it took to read it. Oh, and one other thing: thanks to the publisher, via NetGalley, for giving me the chance to enjoy it via a pre-release copy. Outstanding!

A story of a hiker on the Appalachian Trail who goes missing and chronicles her experience in a journal through letters to her mother. The warden's search amidst all of the speculation rounds out this telling. Memorable characters include a conspiracy believer, the anguished husband, and an elderly woman seeking to reconcile with her daughter.
A tenuous connection between some characters weakens the flow, but overall a suspenseful intriguing portrayal that was inspired by a true story per the author's end note.

Copy provided by the publisher and NetGalley .

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for this advanced reader's copy. In exchange, I am providing an honest review.

Valerie Gillis has had a rough few years, and to reset her life, she decides to hike the Appalachian Trail. But 200 miles from the halfway point destination in the flip-flop, she disappears—literally. The all-out search conducted by the Maine State Search and Rescue through the Game Warden department, led by Beverly, reveals no clue as to Valerie's whereabouts. It's truly like she vanished. While boots on the ground and choppers in the sky tirelessly search for Valerie, an elderly woman living in a Connecticut retirement home becomes interested in the missing 42-year-old hiker and starts conducting her own search from her computer.

Valerie journals letters to her mother to keep herself present while she slowly starves and waits for rescue. Through her letters, Lena's search from her computer in Connecticut, and Beverly's leadership over the search and hopefully rescue, we discover what happened to Valerie—how and why she vanished. And it's not for any reason that anyone, including Valerie herself, could ever come up with.

I enjoyed this title, but I have a couple of caveats. One is that Lena's addition and contribution to the overall story were okay, and the reason for this leads to the following caveat. The reason for Valerie's disappearance from the AT and the extensive search and rescue operation. I ended up feeling "meh" about it and slightly annoyed. I can't pinpoint my reason for the annoyance, but it's there nonetheless. The part of the storyline that includes Lena is connected to Valerie's disappearance, which is the reason for my caveats. Lena's online buddy gave that part of the story an undeveloped feeling (to this reader). Gaige spent a good portion of that storyline developing it but then rushed to bring the conclusion, in my opinion. When all is said and done, when I reflect back on reading this title, I am glad for the opportunity to read it, but it doesn't land on my top reads list.