As I read Amity Gaige's Heartwood, I was reminded of Cheryl Strayed's Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Coast Trail and A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson. It seemed to me that none of these people had sufficiently prepared for the ambitious undertaking of walking hundreds or thousands of miles through rugged and unknown terrain. Heartwood is a fictional account of a middle-aged nurse who was burned out from the Covid pandemic when she set out on the Appalachian Trail. When she vanishes before reaching her final destination, an extensive search ensues. Heading up the search effort is a female Maine State Game Warden. Seventy-six-year-old Lena also becomes obsessed with the case and does some detective work on her computer from her retirement home in Connecticut. All three of these women spend a lot of time reflecting on mother-daughter relationships throughout the story. Thanks to NetGalley, Simon and Schuster and the author for a copy to read and review.

Thank you to NetGalley, Amity Gaige, and Simon & Schuster for the eARC. This is a heartbreaking yet deeply invigorating story—a moving exploration of loneliness, perseverance, and the journey toward self-discovery. Beautifully written and emotionally resonant, it leaves a lasting impression.

Heartwood
by: Amity Gaige
Simon & Schuster
pub date: 04/01/25
Literary Fiction/Mystery & Thriller/Women's Fiction

Heartwood is the April 2025 selection for Read with Jenna.
I was drawn to the book for its plot about missing Appalachian Trail hiker Valerie Gillis and the search and rescue held in Maine.

The book is written with beautiful prose and narrative, pulling it into the literary fiction genre, layered with the suspense component. Gaige uses multiple points of view, including that of Beverly, the Maine State Game Warden serving as lead investigator. Adding even more mystery and depth is Lena, who lives in a Connecticut retirement community and is following the case.

I often read memoirs about long distance hiking, so I was captivated by this fictional story, as well. I highly recommend it to those who love outdoor adventures, suspense, and compelling writing.

I received a complimentary advance reader's copy from NetGalley and Simon & Schuster. My review is my own.

Just finished Heartwood and WOW—this one will absolutely stay with me.

Set deep in the remote Maine wilderness, this literary suspense novel follows three unforgettable women whose lives collide in unexpected ways. Valerie, an experienced hiker just 200 miles shy of completing the Appalachian Trail, vanishes without a trace. Alone in the wild, she survives the brutal elements and her own haunting thoughts by writing emotional, poetic letters to her mother. Meanwhile, Beverly, a no-nonsense Maine State Game Warden, leads the search with a kind of quiet intensity that had me rooting for her the whole way. And then there’s Lena—a 76-year-old birdwatcher with a sharp eye and sharper instincts—who becomes unexpectedly entangled in the mystery from afar.

The story alternates between their perspectives, slowly unraveling a deeper, more mystery that suggests Valerie’s disappearance wasn’t just a tragic accident. And let me just say: it’s a slow burn in the best way. Think emotional depth meets page-turning suspense.

If you loved Wild by Cheryl Strayed, this one’s for you. It explores the ripple effects of Covid, the complexity of mother-daughter relationships, and how deeply our lives can intertwine—even with strangers. Despite the layered narrative, it never felt overwhelming. It just worked. And the writing? Beautiful. Gorgeously atmospheric and emotionally resonant.

Highly recommend picking this one up—I’m still thinking about it. Heartwood is out now and deserves a spot on your TBR!

Heartwood by amity gaige deserves every bit of the buzz it is receiving this spring. It is a beautifully written literary “mystery” in the vein of Peter heller and Mare of east town.. an experienced hiker, Valerie, goes missing on a hike in the Appalachian trails and captures the attention of everyone. Beverly, the Maine state game warden, is leading the investigation for her and is determined to find her. Meanwhile, Lena, a 67 year old bird watcher estranged from her family joins an online community searching for her and santos, Valerie’s hiking partner, gives interviews giving insight into her hiking patterns and her marriage. Interspersed are Valerie’s letters to her mom from the woods giving readers clues as to her whereabouts.

Beautifully written, moving, a strong sense of setting and character-this is deserving of the attention it is getting. I loved it.

Thanks to the publisher for providing this arc via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

THIS BOOK IS SO GOOD. Part thriller, part mystery, part relationship exploration drama. I read it so quickly because I just couldn't wait to find out what happened, and I found myself rooting for all three of the main female characters, because their success hinged on each other without any of them even knowing it. That is how the universe works, and when people are brave and speak up, they can affect change from miles and miles away.

A hiker goes missing off the Appalachian Trail...

...and searchers have few clues to go on.

Valerie Gillis, a 42 year old Maryland nurse, is hiking the Appalachian Trail and has made it all the way to Maine. Along the way she has connected with others pursuing the same journey, a "tramily" of people all searching for something with their efforts. Her husband Gregory is supporting her on her trek, driving from spot to spot to connect with her periodically, and it is Gregory who raises the alarm when she fails to meet him at a prearranged area in order to re-supply. Valerie has, for all intents and purposes, vanished and unfortunately Maine is pretty much the worst area on the Appalachian Trail in which to get lost given its remote and densely forested terrain. Lieutenant Beverly Miller is the Maine State Game Warden assigned to lead the search effort for Valerie; she has been finding lost people in the woods for thirty years and has an impressive record of finding them. WIth her team of professional and volunteer searchers she takes what little information they have to determine the most likely areas in which to search, fully aware that the first few days are critical and growing increasingly frustrated when lead after lead turns up nothing. The case has attracted media attention, and it catches the ear of Lena, a 76 year old resident in a Connecticut retirement community whose mobility is quite limited but whose curiosity and attentive nature are formidable. Her communication with an online acquaintance provides her with paths of research to pursue which she hopes might contribute to a successful resolution. What happened to Valerie? Is she lost, or is her disappearance indicative of something more sinister? Can even the best and most dedicated searchers in an area where looking for lost people is a frequent occurrence find Valerie, and if they do will she still be alive?
Heartwood is a literary tale with a mystery threaded through its narrative. It is a character-driven story of introspection, the bond between mothers ad daughters, and the instinct to survive. The three main characters are all female: Valerie, the disillusioned nurse whom the reader gets to know primarily through the letters she is writing to her mother while she tries to survive in the wilderness; Lt Bev, dedicated to her job and struggling with some issues in her personal life; and Lena, highly intelligent but someone who has never fit in well with others and whose estrangement from her own daughter, the same age and in the same profession as Valerie, is the impetus for her remote involvement in the case. The writing is amazingly powerful and descriptive, the wilderness setting vividly detailed, and the family ties and other relationships fully developed and realistic. The narrative uses a variety of formats....letters from Valerie to her mother, interviews with people who interacted with her along the AT, and more....to reveal the challenges of searching for those who are lost, the bonds and losses each character experiences, and the tension inherent to the circumstances in which these three women find themselves. There were places where I thought the plot got a bit bogged down, but both the overall premise and the evocative prose kept me reading till the end. Readers of authors like Louise Erdrich, Angie Kim and Julia Glass might find this a novel to their liking; as would those who like a literary novel with a dash of mystery. My thanks to NetGalley and SImon & Schuster for allowing me access to a copy of Heartwood in exchange for my honest review.

Heartwood focuses on the story of the disappearance of 42-year old, Valerie Gillis, just as she was close to completing her journey hiking the entire Appalachian Trail, but it's honestly so much more than that.

This story features a few different perspectives, as well as cleverly-incorporated mixed media elements. Initially, I wasn't sure how all of the perspectives were going to ultimately blend together, but Gaige did an incredible job with her pacing and reveals. I found myself equally invested in each perspective, which is rare, and enjoyed how they eventually merged.

The suspense was great, the inclusion of nature was beautiful, and the exploration of the personal journeys was top notch. I felt so immersed.
My recommendation would go into this knowing as little as possible. I feel like it's one of those stories best served if you just experience it exactly as the author wants you to. I feel like, though this story had its intense moments, and moments when I feared for particular characters, I was left with such an overriding feeling of hope.

It was really quite lovely. A great reading experience.

I did feel an extra special connection with it as it is set in my home state, and in areas where I have had the pleasure of spending a lot of time, including on the trails. I think Gaige did a great job with the portrayal of the Maine State Game Wardens, having known a few of them in my own life. I think that's such an amazing profession to feature in a novel like this. I appreciated that aspect.

Thank you to the publisher, Simon & Schuster, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I'm so happy that I made time for this book. If you love stories of survival, hiking stories or stories that explore nature, both human and the natural world, I highly recommend picking this up!

A big thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for an ARC of Heartwood by Amity Gage in exchange for my honest review.

Heartwood by Amity Gage was a winner for me! This book had everything I love in my reading life. Let’s start with the basics. Heartwood is an intriguing one-word title accompanied by a beautiful and compelling cover, which both fit the story perfectly. The characters are quirky, but flawed, and easy to root for, or at least give you a reason to open your heart and try to understand them better. Add in a missing person deep within the atmospheric and iconic Appalachian Trail, slow-burn literary suspense, and a bit of a police procedural – well, I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough.

But there’s more to Heartwood than all of those elements just mentioned. There are complex mother-daughter relationships to be explored, a subtle commentary of how the COVID pandemic challenged and changed us, our innate drive for survival, and the difference between being alone in the world, being lonely, and finding our people.

Heartwood is told from multiple POVs, and within a multi-media format, including epistolary, interviews, Reddit threads, and tip-line queries. I typically love multi-media structure and Heartwood was no exception. While moving from POV to POV occasionally felt jarring, the end result, which weaved in each character’s contributions to the story, made Heartwood a success for me.

Readers who love character-driven literary suspense and a mystery to puzzle over, with an outdoor setting which is as much a character as the human characters in the story, should give Heartwood a try. And for the dog lovers out there, you will find a wonderful dog scene in Heartwood, which for this reader, sealed the deal. I will eagerly read more from Amity Gage.

Thanks to @simonbooks @simonandschuster @netgalley for my advance e copy

42 year old nurse, Valerie Gillis goes missing as she hikes the Appalachian Trail.
The resulting search and rescue mission takes on a whole life of its own.

I loved reading the viewpoints of:
Beverly, the Maine Game Warden in charge of the search
76 year old Lena bird watcher in Connecticut who’s in online communication with someone also on the hiking trail
Fellow hikers who give their interviews and input on their interactions and last sightings of Valerie
“Letters” written by Valerie to her mother, noting her feelings and memories of growing up and their mother/daughter relationship

The Read with Jenna book pick for April 🌷

There are three women at the core of the story in Heartwood. There's Valerie, a stressed-out nurse taking a leave from her job to hike the Appalachian Trial. It's been challenging but she's now facing the most difficult terrain of her journey and finds herself alone and lost. Leading the search for Valerie is Lt. Bev, a loner and hard-core outdoors person. She's always been one of a few women in Maine's Search and Rescue organization, and feels especially alone now that she's in a leadership position. The search is a stressful one and she's trying to balance her focus while also dealing with personal struggles with her sisters and dying mother.
And then there's Lena. She's in her 70's, in an electric wheelchair and living unhappily in an assisted living community where she has no interest in socializing with 95% of her fellow residents. Her life is guided by her books, forays onto the community grounds on foraging expeditions, and correspondence through a subreddit with someone she believes to be a fellow forager.
The novel was inspired by a real life tragedy where a female hiker went missing on the trail in northwest Maine. In addition to that element of the story, the novel explored so many interesting areas: search and rescue, life and the outdoors in Maine, foraging, and, of course, hiking the Appalachian Trail.
Valerie's story and struggle is revealed through a series of letters she writes along the way to her mother. Her writing is beautiful and poignant, although it was a little hard to imagine such beautiful writing while under the stress of being lost and with very little food and resources.
There's an element of mystery to Heartwood, but it's not a thriller, but more of a story about a lost woman and mother and daughter relationships. The characters are all so well-developed and interesting, and I especially liked Lena and Santo, a fellow hiker and secondary character.
Thanks to Netgalley and Simon and Schuster for the opportunity to read Heartwood. I received a complimentary copy of the book and opinions expressed are completely my own.

42-year-old Valerie goes missing in Maine while hiking the Appalachian Trail. Told through alternating POVS: Valerie, Warden Bev, senior citizen Lena.

Now THIS is the post-COVID book I've been wanting to read. You, the reader, get drawn in by the search effort and Valerie's journal/inner thoughts, but you stay because of the examination of human connection.

This is a novel told from multiple points of view in the time span of 2 weeks as each of them are connected to the search for a missing hiker on the Appalachian Trail. Each of the characters have their own version of feeling lost or misplaced and each has someone to confide in. The writing is lovely and the search for the missing hiker feels urgent which added tension and excitement to the novel. Somehow, however, the whole thing felt disjointed. Relationships weren't flushed out. Plot lines didn't click with me because there were so many holes that the reader is supposed to just accept - even the significant plot lines. I wanted to know more and more deeply but ended the book dissatisfied, unfortunately. Heartfelt thanks to the publisher for the advanced copy.

Riveting wilderness suspense story!

Wow, this was excellent! I was completely invested and hooked from the very first pages. Gaige masterfully weaves a story filled with tension, emotion, and mystery, making it impossible to put down.

One of the standout aspects of Heartwood is the multiple points of view, each unique and essential in unraveling this fascinating story. The shifting perspectives added layers of depth and urgency, making me feel fully immersed in the characters’ experiences. I wanted to slow down and savor every word, but the suspense kept me flipping pages as fast as I could!

The audiobook was phenomenal, featuring an impressive cast of narrators—Justine Lupe, Alma Cuervo, Rebecca Lowman, Ali Andre Ali, Cary Hite, and Helen Laser. While that’s a lot of voices, it absolutely worked, bringing the story to life in an incredibly engaging way. The narration truly enhanced the experience for me.

As a Read with Jenna TODAY Show book club pick, this novel delivers a thrilling and deeply atmospheric tale. If you love wilderness survival stories, intricate character dynamics, and books that keep you on the edge of your seat, Heartwood is a must-read!

A Grounded Sparrow

"Heartwood" tells the story of the search for Valerie Gillis, a 42-year-old hiker known as "Sparrow," who vanishes while navigating the challenging Appalachian Trail. In charge of conducting the search is Beverly, a Maine State Game Warden. A third key player is Lena, a seventy-six-year-old retirement home resident who connects strongly with the missing woman. This trinity of women provides the framework of the book.

Valerie, a nurse, found herself drained and disillusioned after the Covid crisis. “We were called heroes. But we were given only two options– being a hero or falling apart.” The Appalachian Trail was her way to seek rejuvenation. Her journal entries, penned as letters to her mother, offer a glimpse into her emotional and physical deterioration. These entries gradually reveal the reasons why this seasoned hiker strayed so far off course, especially when she was so close to completing the trail.

Beverly's unwavering dedication to her work, even at the cost of her personal life, makes her a fascinating character. Her impressive achievements in a male-dominated industry are commendable. However, the lack of progress in this particular case has raised doubts about her capabilities and cast a shadow over her typically relentless drive.

The introduction of Lena is baffling and makes her the weak link, which ultimately makes her eventual importance in solving the central mystery feel contrived and convenient. Her role creates an imbalance in the overall structure. While Valerie's and Beverly's perspectives drive the plot, Lena's interludes feel like unnecessary diversions.

Gregory, Valerie's husband, seemed somewhat evasive. While husbands are always potential suspects, his behavior was particularly difficult to interpret. In contrast to Santo, Valerie's hiking companion for most of the trail, Gregory's role in the story was clear. Santo's periodic interviews seemed unnecessary and appeared to serve only to introduce another possible suspect. In a motion picture, a decent film editor would leave these scenes on the cutting room floor.

I enjoyed learning of the challenges of search-and-rescue operations. Beverly and Valerie were compelling characters and Valerie’s heartfelt journal messages to her mother were moving. Lena and Santo were like speed bumps, however, and detracted from an otherwise smooth reading.

Thank you to Simon and Schuster and NetGalley for providing an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review. #Heartwood #NetGalley

📚: Heartwood by Amity Gaige
⭐️: 4/5

Valerie Gillis - a nurse from Massachusetts on a journey to hike the Appalachian Trail. For months she hikes, when 200 miles from her final destination in Maine, she disappears into thin air.

This was an absolutely beautifully written book. With multiple media forms woven in across multiple POVs, this is a story of suspense, identity, and mothers and daughters. While this is a mystery, it isn’t a thriller - don’t expect a major twist but expect masterful storytelling.

Thanks to Simon & Schuster via @netgalley for a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review. Heartwood is out now.

Heartwood by Amity Gaige is an atmospheric literary novel centered around a woman hiker who goes missing from the Appalachian Trail (AT) in Maine. The narrative unfolds through the point-of-view of three women. Although chapter headings inform you whose point-of-view follows, the voices of these three women are distinct and immediately recognizable while reading.

After hiking 1900 miles on the Appalachian Trail, Valerie Gillis, a 42 year-old nurse, fails to show up at a predetermined checkpoint in Maine’s 100-Mile Wilderness and is reported missing by her husband, Gregory Bouras. Lost, alone, and with only one boot, she spends her time writing letters to her mother. Her trail name is Sparrow and she met and spent much of her hike with Santo, an amiable heavyset Black hiker from the Bronx who had to leave before the stretch of trail through Maine.

Lt. Beverly Miller, Maine State Game Warden, is in charge of the search and rescue effort. She has led many successful searches, but she knows the statistic on timeliness and survival. When a massive, multiday effort turns up no sign of Valerie, Bev fears the worst but keeps up the effort to find her.

Lena Kucharski, 76, is a wheelchair bound resident of a Connecticut retirement community, who becomes an armchair detective when she learns of the search. Valerie reminds her of her estranged daughter. She's in contact online with a forager and survivalist who professes to know the search area. There are some additional points-of-view also included.

In the even paced narrative the tension increases as time passes because readers know what Valerie is experiencing and how dire her situation is. Once you learn how she went off trail, it is a game changer in the story. It is also clear how dedicated and determined Bev is while conducting the search and rescue efforts as well as how heavy the search weighs on her. Lena's role is interesting but it is not clear why it is included at first. Rest assured it all comes together at the final denouement.

Heartwood is mainly an introspective literary novel. The plot explores aging, mother-daughter relationships, tenacity, introspection, and solitude. Stress induced by the pandemic was also mentioned, which I can do without hearing. Thanks to Simon & Schuster for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.

The review will be published on Edelweiss, Barnes & Noble and, unfortunately, Amazon would not published my review.

I was wholly invested in this story from the beginning, almost as if it were non-fiction.

This layered, multiple POV mystery was so beautifully unraveled, I delayed reading it so I could savor the pages rather than my typical racing through to finish.

I loved Santo’s perspective the best, and was curious where it would all end up, both literally since this is set on the Appalachian Trail, which is mysterious on its own, and metaphorically.

The middle took a strange turn, and I was worried it would jump ship for a second, but the train was righted and the journey kept on to its satisfying ending.

Heartwood is such a gorgeous book. It’s a literary, propulsive, and emotionally resonant story about a woman lost on the Maine leg of the Appalachian Trail and two other women invested in her fate. As the search for Valerie drags on, Maine warden Bev begins to lose hope of finding her alive, while down in Connecticut, a retirement community resident named Lena finds herself drawn into the search for Valerie in unexpected ways.

Weaving seamlessly between the voices of the three women – Valerie’s through letters to her mother, crafted in her trail journal – and utilizing transcripts from interviews and online exchanges, Heartwood is an unforgettable story about resilience, love, and motherhood that’s profoundly affecting. Amity Gaige’s prose is luminous and meaningful, full of deep insights into the relationships between mothers and daughters and the complex beauty of self-discovery. And it’s also suspenseful, an urgent missing person narrative in which it’s clear that time is running out. But most of all, it’s a powerful character study about three women, each strong in their own way, and their personal struggles and successes. The characters are richly-crafted, beautifully flawed, and so heartbreakingly vulnerable.

My suggestion is to take your time with Heartwood, no matter how desperately you want to know Valerie’s fate. Read it slowly, savor the stunning writing, pause to digest the poignant insights and tender character moments. Let the book wash over you and relish the fact that novels like this just don’t come around very often. Thank you to Simon & Schuster for the early reading opportunity.

Heartwood by Amity Gaige is a gripping mystery that captivated me immediately.
This authors writing style and ability to turn this book into a compelling story was amazing.
A clever, twisty murder mystery packed full of secrets and lies that will keep you turning the pages way past bedtime.