Welcome to Litsy!

Oh my gods. The ending of this book just gutted me. But in a good cathartic way. This is about a woman who gets lost while hiking the Appalachian Trail. But it‘s about so much more. The descriptions of the trail, the hikers, the environs, the search, the searchers, the family, shows how much more complicated the Appalachian Trail actually is and how unprepared most of us are to be out in raw nature. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Suspenseful read about a lost Appalachian Trail hiker, a Maine game warden leading the search, and an older woman following the hunt online. The three women's stories intersect, and they also include poignant observations about love, loneliness, and the wilderness. Recommended.

No woman is a star. No woman is a god or a tree or a magician. But for a while, in your arms, the universe was the right size, and I knew where I was 🤱

I truly enjoyed this one.

I realized that I really like stories like this, where a hiker must battle not only their own inner self but also the harsh surroundings of the trails and all that it entails.

Even though I figured out the mystery early on, the writing was so captivating that I just had to keep listening.
The audio was extremely well-done.

Just starting this and it looks promising. I love Maine, and have always secretly wished I could hike the Appalachian Trail (I'm nowhere near in shape for it, but there's something appealing about the idea). Looking forward to a good read!

A tender story about mothers an daughters and the beauty and danger of nature. I highly recommend this book.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

An introspective wandering through the woods. I found myself rewinding at times just so I could luxuriate in beautiful sentences. The characters were magnetic, enhanced by the multicast audiobook narration. 🎧

I never quite knew who the MC was until I realized the focus would remain on three POVs as one goes missing on the Appalachian Trail of Maine. There is a mystery here but mostly it serves as the catalyst to reveal the life stories of those 3 women each with ownership to that mystery. …I can imagine this as a book Jenna‘s production company might adapt for screen.

While there‘s a missing hiker and the search for her is at the core of the narrative, this isn‘t really a mystery/thriller. It‘s about three women - Valerie, the missing hiker; Bev, the Maine Warden leading the search; and Lena, an elderly woman in Connecticut who remotely aids the search - who they are, what formed them, and how they navigate through the world. It‘s well-written, engaging, and I was invested in the outcome from the beginning.

An irreverent review to Netgalley:

Thanks so very little for making me want to cry. I miss my mom. I miss my mom everyday. If my mother made me the person I am today don't thank her for that either.

There were some portions where I deeply hoped Valerie‘s disappearance wasn‘t going the way I feared it might. And it didn't. Still, it did end in poignancy for me. 'Cause I miss my mom.

I give lousy book reviews, sorry about that.