This was an excellent balancing act of tension and heart. I was riveted from the jump and couldn't put the book down to make dinner. The alternating POVs added depth. I will read whatever Amity Gaige writes!

Valerie Gillis has walked hundreds of miles along the Appalachian Trail trying to outrun the toll her life took during the pandemic. She left behind a husband, medical war stories, guilt she could not shake, and what she hoped might be healing. On the trail she carries her supplies, her letters home, her memories, her fear. When she fails to arrive at the next trailhead the search begins.

Lieutenant Beverly Miller leads the effort through Maine’s deep woods where every turn can hide danger or hope. She carries her own burdens of motherhood and duty and knows all too well how loss can chase you even when you try to do everything right. Meanwhile Lena Kucharski watches from afar in her retirement home working through regrets and longing over a distance that feels both physical and emotional. Valerie’s journal entries become a lifeline not just for her but for Becky and Lena and anyone who has ever hoped that love might still matter when everything seems lost.

Gaige writes with the patience to let grief settle and the courage to show that resilience isn’t the absence of fear but the act of walking forward anyway. Heartwood is a story about what it means to disappear from the world outside and to be found again even if nothing goes back to how it was. It reminds you that survival is rarely about triumph alone

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for sending a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I think this book might have been a bit too literary for me. I was super into the beginning but felt like it lost steam as the book went on. I didn’t really enjoy Lena’s storyline as much as the other two. But loved learning a bit about the Appalachian trail, and the ending quote about love was beautiful.

RECAP: When hiker Valerie Gillis vanishes in the Maine woods, she leaves behind haunting letters as she fights to survive. Maine Game Warden Beverly leads the search, while Lena, a retired birdwatcher in Connecticut, pieces together clues from afar, uncovering that Valerie’s disappearance may be no accident.

REVIEW: I went into this blind and was pleasantly surprised. It gave somewhat God of the Woods vibes? But I wouldn’t comp the 2, besides the fact that I’d consider them both atmospheric and revolve around a wilderness mystery with different narratives. I’d recommend this to someone who prefers a quieter story vs something that’s fast-paced and twisty.

this was fine. had a bit too much poetry and conspiracy theory and Outside POV for a thru hiker got lost in the woods story but whatever

Thank you @netgalley for the Advanced Reader Copy of Heartwood by Amity Gaige. It’s the story of a woman who disappears while hiking on the Appalachian Trail in Maine. It’s told mainly from the perspective of Beverly who is the head of the search team for Maine, we also get writings from the journal of the missing woman, written while she is being searched for. And there are interviews with people who may have information on when she was last seen, or had interactions with her. It’s a good story, told in a different manner. It definitely keeps you reading and I really was worried about what the outcome would be. #heartwood #amitygaige #readwithjenna #netgalley #bookstagram

This is one where I highly recommend the audiobook version! The multi-cast narration was excellent and really added to the story. I felt like I was listening to a true crime nature podcast (like Park Predators). No, it’s not told as a podcast, but the multiple POVs, newspaper/news report additions, and general story-telling nature made it feel as such.

When an experienced hiker goes missing while doing a 2,000 mile hike on the Appalachian Trail in Maine, the search and rescue team is confident at first that they will be able to easily locate 42-year-old Valerie Gillis (aka “Sparrow”). As more time passes, lead investigator Beverly becomes less optimistic. Meanwhile, the story alternates between Sparrow herself and 76-year-old birdwatcher and nature enthusiast, Lena, who is watching the investigation unfold from her retirement community states away.

Thank you to Amity Gaige, Simon & Schuster, & NetGalley for the ARC! All opinions are my own.

I received a free ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this book. While it was labeled a thriller, I felt like it had more depth than most traditional thrillers. I liked the multiple narrators. I liked each of their back stories and how those contributed to the main storyline. The book moved at a good pace. I learned a lot about the Appalachian Trail. I think the author must have done some great research because she really painted a vivid picture. really felt like I was there.
4.5

This is a well-written book with interesting characters but it was just not for me. I'm a big thriller reader and a hiker so the plot really appealed to me but I had definitely seen this one marketed as much more suspenseful than I thought it was (this has been a publishing trend lately that I find frustrating). I think as a character-focused novel it's very effective. The different women were interesting and had depth, but the book gives away what has happened to the MC quite early which really dispelled all of the tension for me and (spoiler ahead) I am still quite flabbergasted that we are supposed to believe that an experienced female hiker just followed a random guy off trail just because he said she should.

Great characters support this book about a search for a woman missing. Themes of the bonds of motherhood, survival, and what it means to be lost literally and figuratively provide reflection to the reader during the search. This book was a nice surprise.

This was such a different vibe for a thriller type book. There were several POVs and even a bit of a cozy mystery vibe with the elderly armchair sleuth. Although I didn't think it was altogether a thrilling book, I did very much enjoy the format and the pacing.

A story, told through multiple points of view, about a woman missing during her journey of hiking the Appalachian Trail. I enjoyed the POVs of Bev, the Warden in charge of the search for Valerie, and Valerie’s journal entries. The third point of view is a woman, Lena, living in a retirement community a couple states away- despite the connection to the story, I would have enjoyed this book more without this POV. Overall, I enjoyed this book. Those looking for a slow-burn suspense may enjoy this.

My favorite part of this book was the setting. The writing was atmospheric and immersive - making me feel like I was in the woods.

The rest of the story was okay. There are a lot of books about being lost and the stakes in this one were too low. I was hoping for a faster, more suspenseful pace. It shifts through three different perspectives and one (I won't say which to avoid spoilers) is VERY random. It is such an outlier that the plot became predictable because why else would this POV matter?

Overall, Heartwood was a decent read, but one I'd suggest borrowing from the library instead of buying it.

I received an advanced copy from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Normally I don’t love ‘lost in the wilderness’ type books, but this one jumped around between enough POVs and gave us dramatic irony from so many different angles that I really felt entertained in the best way possible. Listening to it on audiobook, with different characters having voices that felt so distinct and real, brought this story to life extra for me. I found myself caring about the safety and well-being of the FMC, and was gripped until the final resolution. I give this one 4 ⭐

*Thank you again to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.*

This book had great writing, great characters, and great ideas. But somehow I was unable to connect with it. May be just my state of mind at the time. Everyone else seems to love it though so take with a grain of salt.

Just closed Heartwood and wow—what a ride. It plunges you into the depths of the Maine wilderness, where a nurse named Valerie vanishes during a healing hike on the Appalachian Trail. Then the story unfolds through her haunting journal entries, the driven warden leading the search, and a feisty older woman who becomes an unexpected online sleuth. The way Gaige weaves these perspectives builds real tension and emotional depth.

I was completely immersed. The writing is gorgeous—thoughtful and gripping at the same time. The wilderness isn't just a setting; it’s a character in its own right, beautiful and brutal. And the themes of survival, mother-daughter bonds, and how we try to save each other? Just so resonant. This one’s unforgettable—a literary thriller that feels like it can reach straight through the book.

Heartwood overall is a great premise and story that after finishing I never thought about. Amity Gage is a good writer but I feel that it has no staying power after an interesting premise and suspense filled story.

Heartwood by Amity Gaige
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Valerie has been hiking for awhile on the Appalachian trail when she goes missing. A search is started to find her led by Game Warden Beverly. Following any tip she can track down Beverly combs the area hoping to find Valerie alive.
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What I liked:
-First of all I enjoyed learning about the Appalachian Trail, including my own googling in between reading sessions. I love that reading fiction books is still a way to learn things.
-I really liked that there were a lot of types of POVs throughout the story: letters that Valerie wrote while on the trail, interviews with other hikers who met Valerie, as well as an “armchair detective” who got very investigated.
-I enjoyed how passionate Beverly was about her job and how seriously she took finding Valerie.
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4⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ The story went in a direction I didn’t expect and it was a really solid slow burn mystery.

Set post-pandemic, Heartwood follows Valerie Gillis, a 42-year-old nurse overwhelmed by COVID-19’s emotional toll. Seeking healing, she sets out on the Appalachian Trail in Maine—only to vanish 200 miles from her destination.

I really enjoyed this book. It was fast paced, without being too much. The Northeast has a special place in my heart, and I loved being able to visit there through this story. I was able to figure what had happened pretty soon into the book, but that didn’t stop me from enjoying the way everything played out.