I had a hard time getting into this book. I was worried for Valerie and wanted to know what happened to her and interested in both Beverly and Lena's stories as well, but I wasn't grabbed by any of it.

A Search for more than a lost hiker. This novel brings you to the outdoors and makes you listen. It makes you listen to more than the birds and wind creaking through the trees, but also to your heart. Through multiple characters who are asking big questions of themselves you may begin to ask yourself questions. This novel is a beautiful journey of and I thank Amity Gaige for Heartwood.

I really enjoyed this book! I live close to the Appalachian Trail and have done short hikes on different parts of it, so the plot of a missing hiker really interested me. I liked that the story was told from three POVs. We got to see what Valerie, the lost hiker, was experiencing through the journal that she kept. We saw how the search was carried out through Game Warden, Bev, and then there was Lena, who helped by doing some armchair detective work! There were some parts to the story that I didn't expect, as well as some suspenseful moments. It was also fun that the book mentioned parts of the trail that I've been on, as well as some towns that are close to me!

This was almost a five-star read, but as much as I liked Lena's character, I felt that she slowed the story down. While she was important to the story, too much time and background was spent on her.

Three separate stories of women are brought together when one disappears on the Appalachian Trail. Valerie leaves the trail after a random encounter, Lt. Bev is trying to outrun time and the elements to find the lost hiker, and Lena who is compelled to help the search despite not being able to leave the retirement community in which she lives.

Gaige deftly weaves together the past, present, and possible futures of each woman. Each is damaged in their own way and looking for some type of redemption. This is a story of love, loss, and how deeply interconnected we all are.

I am not someone who enjoys camping whatsoever. I enjoy a light or intermediate hike and that’s about it. But when I read the synopsis for this book, I was intrigued. I have a small fascination with stories of missing hikers. It’s terrifying just how one small, wrong turn or mistake can lead to being lost. I wasn’t 100% sure this would be a book I could enjoy and I’m happy to say just how wrong I was. I was hooked from the first chapter and I couldn’t put it down. Lt. Bev was my favorite point of view in this multiple POV book. It’s best to go in not knowing much other than we have a lost hiker and time is counting down. The hype with this one is real. 4.5 ⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

42 year old Valerie Gillis mysteriously disappears while hiking the Appalachian Trail in Maine. Beverly Miller is the Maine game warden leading the search and rescue team. 76 year old bird watcher Lena is an armchair detective providing key evidence in the disappearance. I loved the very unique circumstances surrounding her disappearance. What I didn’t like was the very slow and boring description of the 14 day search, which is the majority of the book. I also felt I wanted more to the ending of the story. For those reasons this is a mediocre read for me. I loved the letters that Valerie was writing to her mother during her disappearance.

Is it just me, or are the Appalachians really popular lately? Is it the lore in their woods, the vastness? I don't know, but this book is set on the Appalachian Trail in Maine. Valerie (trail name Sparrow) is 42, a nurse, married, and in a seemingly happy relationship, but she goes missing one day. The rest of the book is about the search in one way or another. There are many POVs, interviews, etc., to keep track of, and I can see where it would be easy to get lost. However, most perspectives give insight into what happened to Sparrow, especially Sparrow's. So our primary POV is the Warden Beverly, who is in charge of the search and rescue and has a 100% success rate, through the search of Sparrow Beverly begins to question herself and her priorities. Then we have an interview with a different Warden and Santo. Santo is another hiker who is part of Sparrow's found family, the trail family who walks with Sparrow and was on part of the journey with Sparrow before she disappeared. Honestly, Santos' story doesn't add much to the overall story. We do have some self-reflection and forgiveness in his story, which is the overall theme in this book. Other than that, Santo didn't add much to our plot; he was a good character, but not a plot-driven one. Then we have Lena, the 70-something-year-old woman in a nursing home, who decides she is going to help solve this case because the missing woman reminds her of her daughter, whom she is estranged from. Though Lena is important in the finding of Sparrow, her overall story doesn't add much to the plot. It focuses mainly on her mistakes as a mother, self-isolation, and yes self self-reflection and forgiveness. Other characters come in for one-off interviews or as part of the tip line, but aren't that important.

The story is engaging, and I couldn't put the book down. There were parts we didn't really need and other parts that weren't relevant. Though the story was a search and find of a missing person, the ultimate theme was a search and find of oneself.

Quick, easy read. I enjoy multi POV done well, like this.

I write haiku reviews on Instagram but am happy to provide more feedback, if requested.

Review: 3/5 Stars
Heartwood by Amity Gaige is a suspense novel about Valerie Gillis, a hiker who disappears on the Appalachian Trail in Maine. The story is told through multiple perspectives—Valerie’s scattered letters, Beverly the game warden leading the search, and Lena, an unlikely sleuth from a retirement community. As the search deepens, it becomes clear her disappearance may not be accidental.

I liked this book, but didn’t love it. It kept me just interested enough to keep going, though at times it felt like it dragged—kind of like the search for Valerie itself. The multiple storylines helped keep things moving, but they wrapped up so quickly at the end that I didn’t feel much closure. I didn’t really connect deeply with any of the characters by the time it was over.

Still, I liked Gaige’s writing and the overall concept. It just felt like it went on longer than it needed to, and I finished it feeling a little underwhelmed.

This "read in a day" book was just the thing I needed to get me out of a book slump. While searching for hiker 42 year old Valerie, we are taken through the lives of the many people who interacted with her prior to her disappearance. What I loved was that the author did a mix of interview style pieces, media updates, diary entries, tip line call-in's, and multiple POV's. Heartwood never felt like there was too much going on, but rather it flowed with mystery and intrigue.

I would categorize this novel as an environmental mystery with its haunting descriptions of the Appalachian trials and wooded landscape. We follow through the eyes of three women in different stages of their lives as they navigate this disappearance. It is on the slower end for being such a short novel, and I solved the mystery having all sides of the story earlier than the characters. At the end of the day, I really enjoyed her writing and had a great time escaping to this setting.

Throughout the story there are a few common themes: survival during in troubling times, mother/daughter relationships, and finding our happiness. Each of these is explored beautifully through each main female character.

This book was set in a post-COVID world, and the author does touch on this topic a lot. We see how isolation affected us when all we want is to be outdoors around people and what happens when we are in turn isolated again. It also tackles how a body slowly begins to shutdown when left without food or water. If either of these are triggers for you, I would proceed with caution. Gaige handles these issues with care, but they are a part of the story.

Finally, the audiobook was 10/10 would highly recommend. With all of the different formats of relaying information to the reader, there is a full cast audio and it is so well done!

Thank you to Simon Books for an advanced and free final copy of this book in exchange for a review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I flew through this book. Carried away in the suspense of if Sparrow would be rescued before the end, the pages flew by.
Told from multiple viewpoints, the story gives us a chance to see the forest from Valerie’s Journal entries/.
The only part of the story I felt slowed things down was Lena’s. It felt like much of her storyline could have been condensed.
Overall a 3.5/5 stars for me.
I received an ARC of this title, all opinions are my own.

Looking for the next full cast audio experience to fully draw you in? Look no more - pick up Heartwood! This is the story of Valerie who has gone missing in Maine while attempting to hike the Appalachian Trail.

The story is told from many perspectives and the full cast audio really added a lot to the reading experience - felt like listening to a show.

I would also offer a nonfiction pairing - found myself thinking about Trail of the Lost by Andrea Lankford a lot as I read.

Thank you to Simon for the free ebook.

“All emotions start out as love. Later, that love is worked on by the forces of luck and suffering.
Hate is just soured love.
Fear is wounded love.
Longing is homeless love.
Love, not pain, is the mother. Love is the taproot.”

4.5 stars! Wow. I do not know what I was expecting when I picked this book up but I LOVED the cover so I hoped it would be great. And it was, it was fantastic! This book is part thriller, part mystery, and very atmospheric with short chapters and a plot that keeps you not only guessing but flipping those pages just dying to know what happened to Valerie.

The descriptions of the Maine portion of the Appalachian Trail gave me goosebumps. I am not a hiking gal so the pull and desire to walk 2,000 miles through the woods escapes me. But I was IN these woods with both Valerie and the search and rescue team. I was so stressed feeling like I was searching right along with them. I devoured this story told from multiple pov.

If you like atmospheric reads then add this to your tbr now! You won’t regret it. I can absolutely see why this is a Read With Jenna pick.

Thank you to Netgalley, Simon & Schuster, and the author for the complimentary ARC.

Alone and way off course, Appalachian Trail hiker Valerie “Sparrow” Gillis begins writing therapeutic letters to her mother in her journal, convinced she is facing her final days. Worn out and emotionally raw from her work as a nurse during the Covid pandemic, Sparrow isn’t exactly sure what she’s searching for on the trail—only that she has to do this.

Meanwhile, Beverly, one of the few female State Game Wardens, feels time slipping away. Despite countless hours and thousands of acres combed, there’s still no sign of the missing hiker. With her own mother dying miles away, Beverly delays her personal life in a desperate hope to find Sparrow and bring her home.
In a retirement community several states away, Lena watches life unfold with a mix of bitterness and resolve. Estranged from her daughter and disconnected from her peers, she’s anything but the average resident. A novice forager and avid online sleuth, Lena becomes fascinated by the story of the missing hiker, diving into her amateur investigation with fervor.

Each woman—a lover of nature and someone wrestling with fractured relationships—is on a deeply personal journey. Their stories, told through multiple points of view, provide a layered exploration of grief, redemption, and the quiet resilience needed to keep going.

Though I appreciated all three perspectives, I found it more difficult to connect with Lena. That might be intentional; the author portrays her as a neurodivergent character who struggles with connection in all aspects of her life. Still, the lyrical prose and gripping suspense kept the pages turning, and readers will be held breathless until the very end.

Thank you to NetGalley, Simon & Schuster, and of course the author Amity Gaige for the advanced copy of the book. Heartwood is out now. All opinions are my own.

The novel’s structure—incorporating journal entries, police interviews, and various points of view—adds depth and complexity to the storytelling. While the pacing is slow, requiring patience, the character development and atmospheric prose reward the reader’s investment.

Gaige delves into the complexities of family dynamics and mental health, portraying the psychological toll of isolation and the human capacity for hope amidst despair. The characters’ personal struggles and relationships are explored with nuance, offering a reflection on the ways we connect and cope.

Heartwood is a compelling read for those who appreciate character-driven narratives that explore the depths of human connection and endurance.

💭 ⓂⓎ ⓉⒽⓄⓊⒼⒽⓉⓈ
I saw so many rave reviews for this book, but by the end I was left wondering if I’d read the same story as everyone else. In simple terms, it was a bit of a snooze fest for me. I kept waiting for a big twist that either never came or I somehow missed. There was just so much going on, with the letters, the interviews, the countless characters and all that unnecessary backstory, and I couldn’t connect with anyone. Either I overlooked something at the end or it was simply underwhelming. I wanted more mystery and suspense but didn’t get any. Take my review with a grain of salt because it totally can be a me thing with this one!

📚 𝚁𝚎𝚊𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚋𝚘𝚘𝚔 𝚒𝚏 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎:
🥾Wilderness survival
🔎Search for lost hiker
💚Human resilience
🔥Slow burn
💕Mother-Daughter relationships
🔀Intertwined characters
📝Written reflections and interviews
🔄Dual timelines
🗣️Multiple POV

⚠️ 𝙏𝙧𝙞𝙜𝙜𝙚𝙧 𝙬𝙖𝙧𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨: Kidnapping, Mental illness, Schizophrenia/Psychosis.

🥾𝕄𝕐 ℝ𝔸𝕋𝕀ℕ𝔾🥾
⭐️⭐️💫

💕Q U O T E : “𝒜𝓁𝓁 𝑒𝓂𝑜𝓉𝒾𝑜𝓃𝓈 𝓈𝓉𝒶𝓇𝓉 𝑜𝓊𝓉 𝒶𝓈 𝓁𝑜𝓋𝑒. 𝐿𝒶𝓉𝑒𝓇, 𝓉𝒽𝒶𝓉 𝓁𝑜𝓋𝑒 𝒾𝓈 𝓌𝑜𝓇𝓀𝑒𝒹 𝑜𝓃 𝒷𝓎 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒻𝑜𝓇𝒸𝑒𝓈 𝑜𝒻 𝓁𝓊𝒸𝓀 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝓈𝓊𝒻𝒻𝑒𝓇𝒾𝓃𝑔. 𝐻𝒶𝓉𝑒 𝒾𝓈 𝒿𝓊𝓈𝓉 𝓈𝑜𝓊𝓇𝑒𝒹 𝓁𝑜𝓋𝑒. 𝐹𝑒𝒶𝓇 𝒾𝓈 𝓌𝑜𝓊𝓃𝒹𝑒𝒹 𝓁𝑜𝓋𝑒. 𝐿𝑜𝓃𝑔𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝒾𝓈 𝒽𝑜𝓂𝑒𝓁𝑒𝓈𝓈 𝓁𝑜𝓋𝑒.”

This book was a complete surprise. Told by multiple POVs, Heartwood focuses on Valerie, a hiker who went missing on the Appalachian Trail, Beverly Miller, the Game Warden tasked with finding Valerie, and Lena, an elderly woman who is determined to help find Valerie from her retirement community. Valerie must survive the elements and the surprises of the wilderness in the hopes that someone will find her.

I was captivated by this story. Valerie's journey on the Appalachian trail is told through interviews with family and friends and Valerie's POV through letters to her mother. I loved her journey and the mystery of why she went missing from the trail. It was also fun to see how these three characters come together during the search for Valerie. As the story progresses, I was often left in suspense and had to continue reading, wondering if Valerie would survive the wilderness of not. Although the ending had me in tears, I could not think of a better conclusion for this story.

This is my favorite read so far for April, and I would highly recommend this book for readers who enjoy the suspense of the wilderness.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the opportunity to review Heartwood. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This book caught my eye because it is about a woman hiker who goes missing on the Appalachian Trail. The story unfolds from several viewpoints. Valerie, the missing hiker herself; Beverly, the Maine State Game Warden, who is leading the search for Valerie; and Lena, a woman living in a senior community in Connecticut who, when she hears about the missing hiker, becomes a very determined armchair detective. While Valerie’s disappearance is at the heart of the story, we learn a lot about these three women and the relationships they have with their loved ones, and the people they work and live with. And then of course there is the diverse cast of characters who are the hikers who shared the Appalachian Trail with Valerie. Heartwood, while not a taut, suspenseful mystery, is an interesting read with an unusual twist. Although I found some of the characters unlikeable, it is the kind of book that I think book groups would enjoy. I would like to thank NetGalley and the publisher, Simon and Schuster for an advanced reader's copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Have you read this month’s @readwithjenna pick?
I highly recommend it! HEARTWOOD is a captivating literary mystery by debut author Amity Gaige that follows Valerie Gillis as she embarks on a journey to hike the Appalachian trail. Valerie’s disappearance in the Maine wilderness leads to a slow-building investigation, complicated connections, and the quiet unraveling of a life lived in survival mode.

Valerie’s time in the physical and metaphorical wilderness offers readers a glimpse into the life of a woman looking to reclaim herself. The story explores complicated mother-daughter relationships, grief and isolation, and the risks of taking the road less traveled.
Looking for your next audiobook? The full-cast audio production brought this mystery told from multiple perspectives to life.

READ THIS IF YOU:
✨ are interested in a fictional pairing to Cheryl Strayed’s Wild
🌲 love when a rich setting steals the show
🔍 enjoy character-driven mysteries with emotional depth

RATING: 4/5
PUB DATE: April 1, 2025

Mysterious disappearance. Set on the Appalachian Trail in Maine. Thriller, mystery. Hiking, survival. Our very fun armchair detective. Honestly I can see why Jenna picked it for her book club.