Reading the story from three women's perspectives, we learn the context of how Valerie got lost on the Appalachian Trail, the search team headed up by Beverly, and Lena, a wheelchair bound retiree following the case online. The stories interweave in an intriguing way, and each character is memorable and unique.

I really enjoyed the different perspectives and varying styles of exposition that worked together to tell the story. Using journal entries, online chats, and interviews, the narrative is told in a creative and compelling way.

This is a must read for readers who enjoyed The God of the Woods.

HEARTWOOD follows the search for Valerie, a hiker on the Appalachian trail who becomes lost. The story is told through multiple perspectives, including Valerie’s diary from her time in the woods. The result is a can’t-turn-the-page-fast-enough novel to find out what will happen.

The reason I love Amity Gaige’s writing so much is that her books have the pace and surprises of a mystery but also so much emotional depth and gorgeous prose (I was literally quoting lines in my, Abigail, and Shelby’s group text) which means that by the end of her books, you care just as much about the characters interior journeys as the external plot. HEARTWOOD in particular does a great job of exploring motherhood and the many ways we become “lost” in life. This book is also the first really great example I’ve seen of how to speak to the lingering impact of Covid, which was done so beautifully and with a light, intentional touch.

Heartwood, Amity Gaige delivers a haunting and lyrical exploration of survival, motherhood, and the human spirit, set against the unforgiving backdrop of Maine's Appalachian Trail. This literary thriller intertwines multiple narratives to unravel the mysterious disappearance of 42-year-old nurse Valerie Gillis, who vanishes just 200 miles shy of completing her solo thru-hike.

Valerie, emotionally and physically drained from her experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic, embarks on the trail seeking solace and healing. Her journey takes a perilous turn when she becomes lost in the dense wilderness. Through poignant journal entries addressed to her mother, Valerie's internal struggles and reflections on her past unfold, offering a window into her psyche as she battles the elements and her own demons.

Parallel to Valerie's ordeal, Lieutenant Beverly Miller, a dedicated Maine State Game Warden, leads the exhaustive search efforts. Bev's narrative provides a compelling look into the challenges faced by women in authority, as she navigates the complexities of the rescue mission while dealing with personal family issues. Her character adds depth to the story, highlighting themes of resilience and duty.

Adding an unexpected layer to the narrative is Lena Kucharski, a 76-year-old birdwatcher residing in a Connecticut retirement community. Lena becomes an armchair detective, drawn into Valerie's case through online forums and her own investigative instincts. Her involvement introduces elements of conspiracy and the public's fascination with missing persons cases, enriching the novel's thematic tapestry.

I enjoyed the intricate character development and evocative prose here. I felt the interplay between the characters' stories created a rich, multifaceted exploration of human connection and endurance.

Heartwood stands as a testament to Amity Gaige's storytelling prowess, blending suspense with profound emotional insight. It's a compelling read that resonates with themes of loss, hope, and the enduring bonds between mothers and daughters.

I was very underwhelmed by this book. As a Mainer I was not impressed with how Maine was described and did not find it authentic. It’s also based on the real life story of a missing hiker that was lost on the Appalachian trail and her body was later recovered in Maine so I was not comfortable with it being turned into a fiction book for profit.

This book was just ok for me. I liked it in the beginning and then I kind of lost interest. This book didn’t really make me feel much of anything. Good or bad.
The best parts to me were from Bev and the search efforts of trying to locate and rescue Valerie. I liked Valerie’s journal entries to her mother at times too.
For me, there were just too many chapter POV changes. It wasn’t always bad but sometimes it really messed up the flow and suspense of the book for me.

Obviously other people enjoyed this and i didn’t think it was terrible. I just expected more of a fast paced mystery, I guess.

Thoroughly engaging story of hiker, Valerie, who is lost on the Appalachian Trail. Warden Bev leads the search and adds so much depth to all of the characters. Lena, a nursing home resident is included with her vast knowledge of nature and foraging.
Highly recommend!!

This one kept me engaged and interested throughout its pages. I wanted to know what happened, but also cared about the ancillary characters and their stories/trajectories. Would absolutely recommend.

Heartwood by Amity Gaige is one of my favorite reads of 2025 so far (out of 50+ books read year-to-date). Told from three different perspectives, this book is ostensibly about the search and rescue effort to find a woman lost in the woods of Maine near the Appalachian Trail. As each of the three main characters' stories unfold, however, we learn that this tale is about so much more: the mother-daughter dynamic. The lost hiker writes her mother letters to help keep her sanity while lost in the woods; the rescue coordinator (a female Maine Game Warden) shares memories of her mother, who is currently in hospice; and the elderly forager tries to block out the pain of her lost relationship with her daughter. Through each of these characters' memories, musings, and actions (or inactions) we learn how their mothers shaped them or how they shaped their daughters.

This book is filled to the brim with descriptions of the natural world, especially of the backcountry in Maine. It is a love letter to mothers, daughters, and naturalists everywhere. Each character was so carefully crafted that they appear fully formed, like distinct human beings that could walk right out of the pages of this story. It is a rare five-star rating for me.

Perfect for readers of Wild by Cheryl Strayed and Trailed: One Woman's Quest to Solve the Shenandoah Murders by Kathryn Miles.

Many thanks to the author, the publishers, and NetGalley for the chance to read and review this wonderful book.

Heartwood is a beautifully written and deeply reflective novel that blends mystery, survival, and emotional introspection in equal measure. Centered on the disappearance of Valerie Gillis, a seasoned Appalachian Trail hiker lost deep in the Maine wilderness, the story unfolds through three distinct yet gracefully interwoven perspectives: Valerie herself, writing raw, poetic letters to her mother; Beverly, the focused game warden leading the ground search; and Lena, a perceptive and unexpectedly sharp-witted retiree who turns amateur sleuth from afar.

What makes this novel stand out is not just the suspense of Valerie’s fate, but the tender, introspective nature of each character’s journey. Valerie’s chapters are lyrical and haunting, filled with vivid imagery and a sense of aching solitude. Beverly brings a grounded, procedural realism to the narrative, while Lena adds warmth and surprising insight as she pieces together clues from her quiet life in Connecticut.

The pacing is more meditative than propulsive, which may not appeal to those looking for a fast-paced thriller, but for readers willing to settle into its quieter rhythm, Heartwood offers rich emotional rewards. The mystery itself is well-crafted, but it's the novel’s exploration of grief, purpose, and the human will to survive (physically and emotionally!) that gives it lasting impact.

A thoughtful, moving novel that lingers long after the last page, Heartwood is a celebration of resilience and connection, told with grace and compassion.

I went into this book not knowing the subject at all: I literally judged a book by its cover! It did not disappoint. I was so deeply invested in this story- I enjoyed every bit. It was suspenseful but she had so much personal reflection I appreciated as well.
Great story.

This is a slow burn literary mystery, a thoughtful journey that involves Valerie, a hiker on the Appalachian trail who goes missing; Beverly, the Maine game warden who leads the search for her; and Lena, the disabled woman living in a retirement community who takes a special interest in the case and becomes an armchair detective.

But this is so much more than a lost in the woods story.

It’s an exploration of the often complicated mother-daughter relationship. I won’t ruin the story by getting into specifics but the author did a fantastic job of highlighting the inner lives and struggles of these women. I particularly enjoyed the portrayal of Beverly. Her strength and perseverance, along with the volunteers who led the search for Valerie was a highlight of the novel.

I loved the nature scenes and descriptions of the hardships of hiking the AT.

I struggled a little bit with the circumstances that surrounded Valerie’s disappearance. It didn’t ring true for me and I was frustrated with her character. There was also a side character whose presence made little sense to me.

But, still, there was a lot to enjoy here - it’s not just a physical survival story, but an emotional one as well. There’s more than one way to be lost.

LOVED the AT details. I'm a sucker for an Appalachian Trail hiking story. It always makes me want to set off on a hike and this book was no different. I also loved all the foraging details and Bev's story. Where i got bogged down was the SERE plot details and Daniel's motivation. Still, I'd recommend this book as a fast, satisfying read.

A novice hiker goes missing while traveling the Appalachian Trail, spurring a small, nearby Maine town into action.
After a few books that were pretty meh, it was nice to get into one that I felt invested in.
Thanks to #netgalley and #simonandschuster for this #arc of #heartwood in exchange for an honest review.

What an amazing book. I can totally see why this was chosen as a Read with Jenna pick. The characters are nuanced and have a depth that makes you understand them to their core. The writing has a lyrical quality to it and I found myself lulled into this world. Heartwood is a wonderful book.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for an e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

42 year old Valerie Gillis is experiencing her “Wild” moment, taking on what many would consider the impossible task of hiking the majority of the Appalachian Trail. Long repressed past memories bubbling to the surface in her adult life have presented her with the decision to take a solo trek on the trail to truly dig deep and work through her swirling emotions with the hopes of moving on to a new chapter in her life. When she suddenly disappears toward the end of her trek in Maine, Lieutenant Beverly of the Maine Game Warden department jumps in to lead the investigation to hopefully rescue Valerie. As the investigation progresses, Beverly starts to have an unexpected almost parallel experience to Valerie, addressing long held emotions of her own that come bubbling to the surface and her desperation to find Valerie transcends to a whole new level.

🌲Additional POVs are brought into the story to add to the mystery surrounding Valerie’s disappearance and the will they or won’t they find her scenario, but I actually felt that they detracted from the primary storyline and sort of muddied it. Ultimately, I found the missing hiker storyline to actually be a background storyline to the bigger topic of emotional exploration, especially from a mid-life female perspective.

🌲I thought the description of the AT and what an investigation of that magnitude would involve was fascinating. The descriptions specifically of the treacherous northern part of the trail and the statistics of the timelines in locating a missing hiker were eye opening.

🌲As I mentioned above, while this was billed as a mystery, I thought that the mysterious element to the book was a slight misdirection and that the true purpose of the book was to convey female emotional conflicts during mid-life. If I had gone into the book with this knowledge, I think I would’ve had a completely different perspective of the book. I also felt like the ending was slightly predictable.

Heartwood tells us the story of a lost hiker on the Appalachian Trial.

The author takes us on a journey of the search and rescue mission that is full of suspense with gripping characters.

You will need an entire day for this book as you will not want to put in down.

I thank NetGalley, and Simon & Schuster for the advance reader copy. My opinions are my own.

I love a good book with suspense AND lots of heart, and Heartwood checks both of those boxes in full! This stunning book will be a winner with so many friends and readers because of the depth of the story and the tense moments that keep you flipping pages!

Quick synopsis: Valerie Gillis goes missing while hiking the Appalachian Trail. We journey alongside those searching for her through interviews with her husband and another fellow hiker on the trail, the lead warden's thoughts and experiences, and most surprising of all, Lena- a 76 year old forager with the heart of an explorer but the reality of living in near seclusion in a retirement home. All of these pieces come together as each race the clock to find her.

The only critique I have was that the ending seemed extremely rushed after such a long build up, and many people's accounts don't really end up playing the part you'd think they would once the climax and solution are revealed.

All in all, a solid four star that I'd recommend to almost anyone I know!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! The structure of the book and the writing style were excellent. My favorite chapters were Valerie (Sparrow's) chapters that included beautiful letters to her Mom during the time she was lost on the Appalachian Trail. Her story of how she went missing is told slowly throughout the book, alternating perspectives with the Lieutenant leading the search, and Lena, a woman whose storyline ties in beautifully in the last part of the book. A beautifully written literary mystery!

"Here's an idea: 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."

A solid 4.5.

I couldn’t put this down. Read it in a day and stayed up late to finish. Thanks to Netgalley for a free advanced copy in exchange for an honest review

Heartwood took my heart, literally. It is the story of a backcountry hiker who loses her way. It is a twisty tale of suspense and intrigue. It becomes an international story and one that involves the occult, theorists of all kinds, the husband, and the Game Warden Beverly tasked at the end of her career with finding Valerie. The mystery is especially intriguing because Valerie is an experienced hiker. In an interesting turn of events days after Valerie is missing, when she is considered dead, clues finally lead to what is her final resting place. Or is it? Loved this book! Thanks to #NetGalley#Heartwood#AmityGaige for the opportunity to read and review this excellent book.