I was intrigued by the premise of this book, and love the way Maine and the natural world were rendered throughout this novel. The multiple POVs didn't all come together for me, but I was engaged enough to need to read for the discovery of how the book would end.

A nurse hiking the Appalachian trail to recover from post-covid burnout; a glass ceiling-breaking female game warden, an angry 72 year old retiree estranged from her daughter; these and other well-wrought characters intersect as a search for the nurse, gone missing from the trail, extends beyond hope of finding her alive. A real page turner.

I finished this book in one day. I was riveted and the narration moved so smoothly that it went by quickly. I think I wanted more from it in terms of a mystery. There was no real "gotcha," which I was expecting. I wasn't surprised by the outcome as soon as the "young kid/man" was introduced. That said, the characterization was SO GOOD. THIS is what was the crux of the novel, for me...despite me going in thinking it would be more of a survival and adventure story. I would definitely read all her books going forward.

I enjoyed this book very much. A heartfelt story that I related to so much. I feel like buying this and gifting it to all my female friends.

The core of this novel concerns two women -- one who is lost hiking the Appalachian Trail in the Maine woods and the state warden who leads the search over a period of weeks. Along the way we are introduced to a variety of supporting characters, including friends and family that have their own issues and oddities. This could become trite but covers new ground as we see things unfold from both perspectives. The hiker has some experience -- start the trail in the DC area and nearing its end in Maine -- but is trapped under mysterious circumstances. The warden has her own issues, working in a predominately male world -- and again this could veer into a trope but stays interesting, fresh and authentic. I liked the descriptions of the characters and the conditions they find themselves in, having done my share of day hikes and a few overnights. But even if your experience of a forest is from a paved park path you will find the novel engaging and you will be rooting for the rescue a few chapters into the book.

Heartwood had my heart pounding. At some point, around a third of the way in, there is no option but to finish this creative, unusual and gripping novel in one big gulp. Ostensibly, the book is about a woman who goes missing on the Appalachian Trail, the lieutenant game warden tasked with the search, and an older woman living in an assisted living facility who becomes an on line sleuth. But the book is about so much more, and mostly about the bonds between mothers and daughters - how they break, why they break, and whether they can be repaired. It is also about how to live a meaningful live in our chaotic, fractured post-pandemic world. Highly recommend this superbly written and unique novel. Thank you to Simon and Schuster and NetGalley for the ARC.

I was especially intrigued when I was asked to read this new book by Amity Gaige as I have through-hiked the Appalachian Trail. And I want to emphasize that it all rang very true.

A hiker who went missing in 2013 and survived for 26 days is the inspiration for this novel. But other than a few similarities (both were nurses, for example) this is a purely fictional novel and is nothing like the story of Geraldine Largay.

It is told from the viewpoints of the lost hiker (Sparrow), the woman leading the search (Bev) and a woman in a senior living facility who is following the case through the media.

There are a few twists and turns along the way, but the book is mostly about relationships. I will not deny that I cried a few times. Heartwood is definitely worth the read because it is very real, and very true to what it’s like to hike the Appalachian Trail and the very real terror of getting lost in the dense Maine woods.

Thanks to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for the chance to read and review 'Heartwood' by Amity Gaige.

This is an excellent missing person thriller that although it happens quite slowly over the period of many days keeps you wound up to know what the outcome will be.

We follow the story from multiple viewpoints and, like Stephen King's classic 'Carrie,' through various media. The main viewpoints are the missing person herself through the medium of 'letters' she's writing to her mother, the head of the search effort from whom we get a straightforward character point-of-view, transcripts of tip line phone calls and emails, a fellow hiker of the missing person through the transcript of a ranger service interview, a seemingly unconnected older woman in a care home. plus several others. They're all knitted together really well and, throughout, wild rural Maine and the Appalachian Trail are key characters in the story as well.

I noticed that the theme of parenting is very prominent - the missing woman and her mother, especially; the head ranger and her mother; the Black/Dominican hiker and his father; and the older woman in the care home and her daughter. The blurb talks about the novel being 'redemptive' and, without giving too much away, it's in these reflections on parenthood that we get to witness whatever redemption is available.

All-in-all, a gripping and engrossing story to the very last.

Added bonus, if I ever find myself on the Appalachian Trail or in the wilds of Maine I'll know a few tricks as to how to not get lost and, if I do, how to find my way back! :)

Nothing like the typical mystery/search for a missing person sort of novel, but that is the basic gist of the plot. The character development makes all the difference in this book...there are quite a few of them, but all are distinct and intertwined. A wonderful book that I couldn't put down!

This was pretty good! Some of the more technical aspects of the i kind of glossed over, but all in all it was a pretty good story. The characters were well written and engaging, the back and forth that seemed confusing at first ended up making sense. It was a good story told from multiple perspectives.

I picked this up believing it would be a survival thriller – and that it would perhaps turn into a full blown murder/crime mystery – about a missing hiker on the Appalachian Trail. I've enjoyed novels in this vein previously, like Jane Harper's Force of Nature (the second Aaron Falk novel), so I kept reading in hopes that state game warden Bev would prove to be our intrepid sleuth, or that missing AT-hiker Valerie would overcome some malicious foe in the Maine woods in a heroic battle for survival. And while those elements aren't entirely missing from "Heartwood," the author seemed much more interested in ruminating on the melancholy issues of traumatic childhoods, motherhood and loss, than telling the more heightened story I was looking for. I appreciate Amity Gaige's very clearly well-researched descriptions of the Maine wilderness. But I think I was expecting the quick, tight pacing of a mystery, with clues and motives and the tropes of a detective novel, and there were just too many disconnected POVs and detours here instead.

I read this book in close to one sitting and have been thinking about it ever since. I adored the Maine setting (I’ve read a lot of books set there recently and this was a refreshing new take on it) and was captivated by the mystery as well. I particularly loved the character of Beverly but found everyone layered and well drawn.

I am rating this two stars because I finished the book, which is why it rates that high. I read through to the end, hoping that things would all come together, but I still feel unsatisfied and that loose ends are yet to be tied.
The characters are poorly developed. Lena needed more; I see how she fits with the story, but her involvement is more of a tease that helps a plot point. Valerie is written in a way that makes it hard to know what I'm hoping her outcome will be. And Beverly, ugh, there is no need for anyone to be that wrapped up in playing the martyr, especially when nothing isn't necessary to progress the story.

“Heartwood” by Amity Gage is a missing person thriller that will keep you up all night. Like all great quests, it will bring you back changed, perhaps with a little more depth and appreciation for who and what we are.

When forty-two-year-old Valerie Gillis goes missing on the Appalachian trail, the appropriate protocols are followed. The Maine State Game Warden is called in and a search begun. We see Valerie through her journal entries to her mom. At the same time, we follow the search team, led by Lieutenant Bev, and we are periodically pulled away to spend time with seventy-six-year-old Lena who lives in a retirement home several states away.

All the characters in this novel have back stories that make them human and accessible. This is a thriller, but it is also a love story, or rather a series of love stories that intertwine and touch like the roots of a stand of trees.

I could say that “Heartwood” is a love song to the mother, but that would downplay the pulse quickening tension, the twists of plot, and the very real experience of walking the craggy and precipitous path Amity Gage has set out for us. The interplay of the wonderful cast of characters, including Maine and the Appalachian Trail, can’t be easily explained without taking away some of the experience of this book. I recommend you read it and see if you agree. Amity Gage has done it again!

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for the ARC and the opportunity to write this independent review.

If you enjoyed Liz Moore's THE GOD OF THE WOODS or Chris Whitaker's ALL THE COLORS OF THE DARK, OR you just want an atmospheric novel set in the wilderness of Maine, you'll want to make sure you put this gorgeous literary thriller at the top of your TBR for 2025. Told from multiple perspectives, HEARTWOOD follows a search and rescue team in a race against time to find an experienced hiker who has mysteriously disappears on the Appalachian Trail.

Wow! I never would've normally chose a book like this, and I am so grateful to Netgalley for that exact reason. It offered me something outside of my usual choice, and it was fantastic.

This book is extremely well written, and the concept is fascinating. I had no idea people went missing on the Appalachain Trail at all, let alone the countless ways that happens (ie. getting lost due to disorientation, breaking a bone and becoming immobile where no one knows you are, falling down a mountain after trying to get higher for cell phone service).

The story is gripping. The characters are well developed and with depth. Highly recommend.

A fascinating literary thriller/survival tale. I really enjoyed the take on the mother-daughter relationship and felt especially connected to Lt. Bev's storyline. I would read a whole book of Bev! I really enjoyed reading this and did gulp it down in just a few days. I 100% would suggest people read this, especially those interested in "survival" tales with emotional weight and strong writing.

Ugh, I wanted to love this so bad! But I felt like I just slogged through most of it. Throughout the story, I felt just as lost as the hiker (and not in a good way). It was slow most of the time and so many different characters and it was just too much going on without the payoff I was hoping for in the end.

The story revolved around a missing hiker named Valerie who went missing off the AT in Maine. I feel like the main character was moreso Lt. Bev who was the state game warden charged with the task of the search. Throughout the book, there are interviews with potential "suspects" and journal entries of Valerie, and also a random lady named Lena who you really don't know has a connection to this search for most of the book. Throughout the book, there were themes of love and loss and motherhood. And then a small but weird take on a government conspiracy/mental illness storyline with a kid named Daniel that just didn't flesh out well for me. The book did start picking up around the 65-70% mark. but that's partially due to me wanting to just finish it haha. I did appreciate the ending though.

I WILL SAY - I wanted to read this because I'm obsessed with Maine and the backwoods and all the dangers and mystery it entails. This part of the story did not disappoint. I loved hearing Bev's perspective on why she loves the backwoods, the descriptions of the wildness of Maine. I loved that part. Mainly why I gave the book 3 stars.

So, I'm a bit disappointed because I had such high hopes going into this book, but there was just too many storylines that dragged on for me to love it the whole way through.

Heartwood by Amity Gaige is a breath-taking novel about a search for a missing hiker on the Maine portion of the Appalachian Trail. The hiker, Valerie Gillis, is a registered nurse who is seeking solace from the trauma of caring for Covid patients. As she observes toward the end of the book, “I am crushed between empathy and impotence.” Several characters play important roles in the search for Valerie, including a Maine State Game Warden and her staff, an elderly woman in a Connecticut retirement community and an overweight man from the Bronx who hiked much of the trail with Valerie. Like Valerie, each of these characters is searching for solace in their own way. Gaige does an excellent job describing the ardors of hiking such a challenging trail (and distance) and an equally fine job portraying the rigors of searching thousands of miles of wilderness. All the major characters are well-developed and likable, and the plotting is propulsive. There is nothing not to like about Heartwood.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the eARC in exchange for this review.

What would you do if you were lost deep on the trail? Would you know how to survive? This story was very believable and it was well told. Most rangers don't want to live in the far reaches of Maine but it works for hiding from your family until a high profile missing woman's case ends up in your backyard. As the woman in the wilderness stays lost, the harder the entire team must look to make it a search instead of a recovery. Based on a true story, this book definitely makes you think twice about taking a walk in the woods