The House in the Pines
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- Create Date：2023-01-06 00:51:41
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Ana Reyes
- ISBN：1408717689
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Summary
This is the story of a house。
The cabin lies deep in the woods， where the trees are so dense it’s easy to miss。 On the outside it might look like it’s crumbling， crawling with weeds， but on the inside it’s warm and cosy。 A fire crackles in the fireplace。 Dinner simmers on the stove。
Maya once saw this cabin as an idyllic place， like a cottage from a fairy tale， but now she knows the danger that lurks beneath。 The summer she visited the cabin was the summer her best friend Aubrey died。
Now， another woman from Maya’s hometown has died in the same strange， unexplained way， and Maya believes only she can save the next innocent girl。
Guided by her fractured memory and a mysterious， unfinished book by her late father， Maya returns home to face the house in the pines and the man who waits there – the man she’s tried so hard to forget 。 。 。
The cabin lies deep in the woods， where the trees are so dense it’s easy to miss。 On the outside it might look like it’s crumbling， crawling with weeds， but on the inside it’s warm and cosy。 A fire crackles in the fireplace。 Dinner simmers on the stove。
Maya once saw this cabin as an idyllic place， like a cottage from a fairy tale， but now she knows the danger that lurks beneath。 The summer she visited the cabin was the summer her best friend Aubrey died。
Now， another woman from Maya’s hometown has died in the same strange， unexplained way， and Maya believes only she can save the next innocent girl。
Guided by her fractured memory and a mysterious， unfinished book by her late father， Maya returns home to face the house in the pines and the man who waits there – the man she’s tried so hard to forget 。 。 。
Reviews
Shelley
，
The House in the Pines by Ana ReyesRating （3/5） ⭐️⭐️⭐️The House in the Pines was overall a fairly good debut novel。 Im a little bummed because I was so excited to read this as it’s synopsis really sparked my interest。 I felt a lack of connection to the characters; & felt that some parts dragged on。 The only reason for the rating being 3 stars and not 2 stars was because I really enjoyed the ending。
Leah M
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Thank you to libro。fm for providing me with an ALC of this audiobook。 All opinions are my own。I was initially intrigued by the premise of the story， and felt like there was so much potential to this story。 We have a biracial woman who is going through benzodiazepine withdrawal and facing unresolved issues from the past that have been resurrected。 Maya has never quite come to terms with the suspicious death of her best friend Aubrey while they were in high school， and blames a man she was dating Thank you to libro。fm for providing me with an ALC of this audiobook。 All opinions are my own。I was initially intrigued by the premise of the story， and felt like there was so much potential to this story。 We have a biracial woman who is going through benzodiazepine withdrawal and facing unresolved issues from the past that have been resurrected。 Maya has never quite come to terms with the suspicious death of her best friend Aubrey while they were in high school， and blames a man she was dating named Frank， despite the fact that he never laid a hand on her。 While she's been working hard to move on， seven years later she comes across a video of a woman sitting across from Frank in a restaurant， and the woman suddenly drops dead。 Maya becomes convinced that Frank is to blame。Maya is the epitome of an unreliable narrator， making it difficult to take what she says at face value。 She spends much of her time drinking， adding even more unreliability to her narration。 The story is a bit convoluted by the insertion of flashbacks to Maya's high school years， her relationship with Frank and her friendship with Aubrey。 It's clear that something fishy was going on， but back then， Maya was smoking marijuana and that made it difficult to trust what she was saying。 The story feels a bit disjointed and choppy， but I wanted to know what happened。 I did love the way that Maya's Guatemalan heritage is given an important role in the story， despite the fact that her father passed away before she was born。 Her mother made a point of connecting Maya to the other side of her heritage， and keeping her in contact with her family members， teaching her about the culture and history of her father's people。 I even learned more about this history of Guatemala， some things I never knew about， and it was really interesting。 Overall， the big reveal at the end was somewhat anticlimactic， but I did enjoy a good portion of the story。 。。。more
Lou
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Just read this is a Reese Witherspoon book club pick for January。 The book wasn't terrible， but wasn't the best I've read。 Would rate it a 3。5 stars if I could。 Flowed fairly well， held my interest through the whole story。 Found the characters intresting。Thanks to the Author and publisher for a copy of this ARC。 The opinions expressed are my own。 。 Just read this is a Reese Witherspoon book club pick for January。 The book wasn't terrible， but wasn't the best I've read。 Would rate it a 3。5 stars if I could。 Flowed fairly well， held my interest through the whole story。 Found the characters intresting。Thanks to the Author and publisher for a copy of this ARC。 The opinions expressed are my own。 。 。。。more
Emma Oldham
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BrilliantGripping from beginning to end。 Excellent read， couldn't put the book down， read it in one day。 Can't wait for more from this author。 BrilliantGripping from beginning to end。 Excellent read， couldn't put the book down， read it in one day。 Can't wait for more from this author。 。。。more
Gaby Viem
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3。5 stars。 First book of the year has been read！
Teri
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The mysterious key on the cover， something deep in the woods， hazy memories， and a sudden death。 If books had tentacles， these reached out and pulled me in。It’s been seven years since Maya’s best friend dropped dead， and Maya’s still struggling。 No longer able to get the sleeping medication her doctor prescribed several years ago， she’s also suffering from withdrawal and hiding it from her boyfriend。 With a history of mental illness in her family， everything she’s dealing with， and the occasiona The mysterious key on the cover， something deep in the woods， hazy memories， and a sudden death。 If books had tentacles， these reached out and pulled me in。It’s been seven years since Maya’s best friend dropped dead， and Maya’s still struggling。 No longer able to get the sleeping medication her doctor prescribed several years ago， she’s also suffering from withdrawal and hiding it from her boyfriend。 With a history of mental illness in her family， everything she’s dealing with， and the occasional tone of the story， I even questioned if Maya is an unreliable narrator。 Are her memories real？The chapters rotate seamlessly between the summer Maya meets Frank and the present when she’s determined to discover what really happened。 Although she’s not always likeable， I understood her burning need to learn the truth。 It’s just the way she goes about it is pretty selfish sometimes。 Her memories feel off kilter from that summer， and it’s a slow burn until the final reveal。 My suspicions were partly correct and while fascinating， they’re pretty chilling。Pacing is a little uneven， but fans of psychological thrillers and unreliable narrators will spend an enjoyable few hours with this novel。I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley。 Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own。 。。。more
Jessicarose
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A murder mystery， a years old trauma of the loss of a friend and a creepy antagonist。 All thumbs up on my end。 I thought the author could have made this novel a bit longer， as there is a lot going on and a slower pacing would have been helpful。 The writing is very descriptive， but in the best way， which brings my rating of this up to a 4。 I don't think you would regret the time you would spend on reading this。 A murder mystery， a years old trauma of the loss of a friend and a creepy antagonist。 All thumbs up on my end。 I thought the author could have made this novel a bit longer， as there is a lot going on and a slower pacing would have been helpful。 The writing is very descriptive， but in the best way， which brings my rating of this up to a 4。 I don't think you would regret the time you would spend on reading this。 。。。more
Coffee&Books
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 This was an OK read。 I lost focus and mostly skimmed。 It seemed rambly and takes a while to get into the meat of the book。 Also delves a bit into speculative/super natural， which I don't really get into。 The writing doesn't suffer， but I have a hard time following novels where the explanation for nonsense occurrences is。。。 MAGIC。 I don't feel like this book is marketed this way- I thought this was a thriller。 This was an OK read。 I lost focus and mostly skimmed。 It seemed rambly and takes a while to get into the meat of the book。 Also delves a bit into speculative/super natural， which I don't really get into。 The writing doesn't suffer， but I have a hard time following novels where the explanation for nonsense occurrences is。。。 MAGIC。 I don't feel like this book is marketed this way- I thought this was a thriller。 。。。more
Meghan ReadsBooks
，
The House in the Pines by Ana Reyes is a moody， atmospheric read， thank you to Dutton and NetGalley for the review copy。 This is a slow burn unreliable narrator story that had for me some unique plot points with missing time， unexplained deaths， and connections to the past and memories that come to surface。 The intrigue of the plot is the desire to understand what Maya herself is trying to uncover about her friend's death and her past memories and struggles with missing time and with her family The House in the Pines by Ana Reyes is a moody， atmospheric read， thank you to Dutton and NetGalley for the review copy。 This is a slow burn unreliable narrator story that had for me some unique plot points with missing time， unexplained deaths， and connections to the past and memories that come to surface。 The intrigue of the plot is the desire to understand what Maya herself is trying to uncover about her friend's death and her past memories and struggles with missing time and with her family relationships。 A few limitations: I think a lot of readers of this kind of book are feeling a bit burnt out with the addiction/unreliable can't sleep narrators （think Hidden Pictures， Stacy Willingham's work as recent examples） and I am one of them。 Maya was a great character and I liked her so that wasn't an issue but I just am not sure if all books need this character note in order to succeed？The ending is going to possible frustrate readers。 The book was a bit too much of a slow burn for me to find the ending satisfying。 I love a good slow burn that keeps me engaged and that has a pay off that is satisfying and this fell a bit short。I do think though fans of Stacy Willingham's new book and those who enjoy books such as Hidden Pictures， work from Jennifer Hillier and the recent book What Lies in the Woods 。。。more
Liz Dombrowski
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I can see why Reese Witherspoon chose this as her January Book of the Month for her book club。 its fast paced and I completely devoured this in one sitting。 Thank you netgalley & the publisher for the ARC， in exchange for an honest review。
Tami （Books Bengals and Coffee）
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“The House in the Pines” is strange and twisty， with dark， interesting themes。 This is my first ever Ana Reyes read。From the blurb: Maya was a high school senior when her best friend， Aubrey， mysteriously dropped dead in front of the enigmatic man named Frank whom they’d been spending time with all summer。Seven years later， Maya lives in Boston with a loving boyfriend and is kicking a secret addiction that has allowed her to cope with what happened years ago， the gaps in her memories， and the l “The House in the Pines” is strange and twisty， with dark， interesting themes。 This is my first ever Ana Reyes read。From the blurb: Maya was a high school senior when her best friend， Aubrey， mysteriously dropped dead in front of the enigmatic man named Frank whom they’d been spending time with all summer。Seven years later， Maya lives in Boston with a loving boyfriend and is kicking a secret addiction that has allowed her to cope with what happened years ago， the gaps in her memories， and the lost time that she can’t account for。。 When she comes across a recent YouTube video in which a young woman suddenly keels over and dies in a diner while sitting across from none other than Frank， her past comes rushing back。 Maya decide shes going back to finally discover what happened。I’m not always a fan of flashback chapters， but I felt it really worked here。 We see Maya now， as she takes us along and discovers what really happened to her best friend， along with past Maya， giving us background information into the type of friendship she’d had with Aubrey。 Then there’s Frank， an absolute enigma。 Maya had no interest in him from first meet and then suddenly， as though he’d cast some sort of invisible spell on her， she finds him fascinating and wants to spend every waking moment with him。 Interactions with him were equal parts interesting and downright scary， because I never knew what was going to happen from one minute to the next。 Then， we add in Maya's addiction。 Is she an unreliable character？ What is the truth？ The House in the Pines was creepy and suspenseful。 This psychological thriller will definitely take you on a ride！Many thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Group Dutton for the opportunity to read The House in the Pines by Ana Reyes。 。。。more
Amanda
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A really solid debut with a fast paced mystery
Haley
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Maya witnessed her best friend， Aubrey， die under very weird circumstances。 Aubrey was talking to Maya's summer fling， Frank， when she just fell over and died for no apparent reason。 Maya has tried to drown out her guilt and sadness by abusing a prescription drug and alcohol。 Now it is seven years later and another woman has died in the presence of Frank and Maya can't help but think this isn't a coincidence。 She decides to head back home， get herself together， and find out what she's missing。。。 Maya witnessed her best friend， Aubrey， die under very weird circumstances。 Aubrey was talking to Maya's summer fling， Frank， when she just fell over and died for no apparent reason。 Maya has tried to drown out her guilt and sadness by abusing a prescription drug and alcohol。 Now it is seven years later and another woman has died in the presence of Frank and Maya can't help but think this isn't a coincidence。 She decides to head back home， get herself together， and find out what she's missing。。。 or maybe what she was forced to forget。I really enjoyed the second half of this book and the storyline is one I've never experienced before。 The first half was slower and the jumping of timelines got a little confusing。 Overall， it was a decent book that kept me guessing。Thank you to Ana Reyes， Penguin Group Dutton， and NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange of my honest review。 。。。more
Kristin
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Do you ever wish you were reading a book and immediately the book jumps into every detail you were hoping for？ Have you ever read a book that cut straight to the chase and starts the story almost immediately from the get-go？ Well， this is the book for you！ This is such an impressive debut novel， and I was thrilled to have the opportunity to read this prior to pub date。 The book follows the life of Maya， and we quickly learn Maya is a very interesting， hey complicated character。 Without spoiling Do you ever wish you were reading a book and immediately the book jumps into every detail you were hoping for？ Have you ever read a book that cut straight to the chase and starts the story almost immediately from the get-go？ Well， this is the book for you！ This is such an impressive debut novel， and I was thrilled to have the opportunity to read this prior to pub date。 The book follows the life of Maya， and we quickly learn Maya is a very interesting， hey complicated character。 Without spoiling too much， I will say this book is a mix of psychological， paranormal and what in the world just happened。 Honestly， it’s the best mix of it all。 We learn about Frank， a mysterious guy who works at the library， but does he have some sort of magical powers？ How does time fly when you are with him？ Then， we have the death of not only one （Aubrey， Maya’s best friend）， but another girl in the presence of Frank。 How did two different girls drop dead in front of Frank？ Did he do it？ Did a ghost do it？ There is so much more than meets the eye。I will say that the first half of this book had me hooked。 I couldn’t put it down， but as the story unfolded—the intrigue started to wane。 Don’t get my wrong， it was a good little psychological thriller， but the ending was a tad far fetched。 Again， I hate spoilers， so I won’t say much—but， I wish the book had a slightly better/more believable ending。 It was twisty， but rather slow。Thank you NetGalley for the ARC。 。。。more
Amber ♡︎ cvillebooksandwine
，
*sigh* I was really hopeful for this book despite seeing poor reviews。 I was especially excited when they announced that it would be Reese’s January Book Club pick。 The synopsis grabbed me and it sounded great。 Unfortunately， this book was all over the place and nothing really happens。 IMHO- It’s just drinking， pill popping and unorganized ramblings。 I kept hoping that the further I got into the story it would pick up but it just never happened。
Karen （idleutopia_reads）
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More of a three star book but I'll give it four since there were elements of the book I liked。 I'm not a huge thriller reader so that has a lot to do with my experience with the book。 Sort of spoilers but the ending was really rushed which made a big impact on my reading。 More of a three star book but I'll give it four since there were elements of the book I liked。 I'm not a huge thriller reader so that has a lot to do with my experience with the book。 Sort of spoilers but the ending was really rushed which made a big impact on my reading。 。。。more
Michelle
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Thank you to Dutton Books and Netgalley for the electronic advanced copy of The House in the Pines。 After seeing a video of a young woman mysteriously dropping dead while taking to a man， our main character， Maya， revisits her troubled past to find out what really happened to her friend who died under similar circumstances in the presence of the same man。 No one believed her when she blamed him then。 Will they now？The book is a decent thriller that although slightly unbelievable is not too far f Thank you to Dutton Books and Netgalley for the electronic advanced copy of The House in the Pines。 After seeing a video of a young woman mysteriously dropping dead while taking to a man， our main character， Maya， revisits her troubled past to find out what really happened to her friend who died under similar circumstances in the presence of the same man。 No one believed her when she blamed him then。 Will they now？The book is a decent thriller that although slightly unbelievable is not too far fetched the way the author tells the story。 I'd recommend checking this out if you like mysteries。 。。。more
Lydia Norton
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For a full review， visit The Librarian's Lunchbox。 Thanks to Penguin Random House for the ARC in exchange for an honest review！ Maya is in her senior year， and has just fallen in love for the first time。 Frank is the charismatic， mysterious part-time librarian who claims to have built himself a cabin in the woods behind his ailing father’s house; he’d love to show it to her sometime。 Then one day Maya’s best friend Aubrey drops dead suddenly while talking to Frank…and Maya thinks he had somethin For a full review， visit The Librarian's Lunchbox。 Thanks to Penguin Random House for the ARC in exchange for an honest review！ Maya is in her senior year， and has just fallen in love for the first time。 Frank is the charismatic， mysterious part-time librarian who claims to have built himself a cabin in the woods behind his ailing father’s house; he’d love to show it to her sometime。 Then one day Maya’s best friend Aubrey drops dead suddenly while talking to Frank…and Maya thinks he had something to do with it。Seven years later， Maya is living in Boston with her boyfriend， Dan， trying to kick a Klonopin habit and not doing very well。 During a bout of insomnia， she watches a not-quite-viral video of a woman suddenly dying in her hometown’s diner; and she’s sitting next to a man who looks very familiar。 Suddenly， Maya isn’t so sure exactly what happened that summer， so she heads back to her Berkshires town to dive deeper into Frank。 Who is he really？ And what is he hiding in that house in the pines？The House in the Pines was mysterious， but not as mysterious as Frank himself。 Frank was by far what kept the pages turning for me。 There was a smaller mystery surrounding Maya’s father and the book he wrote before he was killed， but I was much less invested in that than in knowing exactly who Frank was。 Unfortunately， the reader never gets all the answers。 Reyes does a good job of making the reader question whether Frank is really a killer。 Did Maya have a small psychotic break after the death of Audrey？ Is the opioid withdrawal messing with her perceptions？ Or is Frank somehow responsible for not just one but two deaths of young women， without even touching them？ It’s a compelling mystery。 As the book delves deeper into what happened with Maya and Frank that summer， the more sure I became， as a reader， one way or the other。The book lost a star at the end， only because I didn’t get all the closure I needed。 The how’s and why’s and motivations of the characters seemed glossed over。 I wanted to know exactly what happened to Frank at the end of the book， but the book ends before the reader knows for sure the outcome of Maya’s investigation。Otherwise， this book was a page turning， pulse pounding， thrilling debut by a talented writer。 It reminded me a bit of Sarah Pinsborough‘s storytelling， in all the right ways。 。。。more
Shelby （allthebooksalltheways）
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What a clever book！Review to come！
Kristin （Always With a Book）
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Thank you Librofm/Penguin Audio for the ALC and Dutton/Netgalley， #partner， for the advanced e-galley of The House in the Pines in exchange for my honest review。When I was pitched this book， I have to say the cover completely drew me in。 But when I heard it was about memory and manipulation， I knew I had to read it…those are some of my favorite tropes in a psychological thriller and they totally come together here in such a unique premise！I loved the way this story played with memory， how we som Thank you Librofm/Penguin Audio for the ALC and Dutton/Netgalley， #partner， for the advanced e-galley of The House in the Pines in exchange for my honest review。When I was pitched this book， I have to say the cover completely drew me in。 But when I heard it was about memory and manipulation， I knew I had to read it…those are some of my favorite tropes in a psychological thriller and they totally come together here in such a unique premise！I loved the way this story played with memory， how we sometimes put certain memories aside to protect ourselves from past incidents by self-medicating， however in doing so that leads to a whole new set of problems。 Maya has been self-medicating ever since Aubrey died and now has been struggling with addiction ever since。 I loved the way the author developed her character。 She was so dysfunctional and had a sense of unreliability to her， yet you could not help but want to root for her。 You wanted her to find answers to what was going on。 Frank， on the other hand， gave me the creeps right from the first time we meet him。 And I loved how we don’t learn the full picture of him until absolutely necessary。 This character development for both is just stellar writing！This book is crazy addicting。 It moves back and forth in time and I will admit there is a lot going on – sometimes I did feel it might have been just a bit too much – but I still found myself totally engaged。 There is a lot to unpack here， so if your bookclub reads psychological thrillers， this would make for a great bookclub pick！This is a debut novel for Ana Reyes and I’m excited to see what comes next from her。Audio thoughts: This is the type of book I love to listen to because you just cannot put it down。 Yes， it does start off a little slow and there is a lot coming at you at once， but it eventually picks up and you don’t want to stop listening。 The narrator， Marisol Ramirez， did a great job bringing this book to life and I thought her pacing and intonation was spot on！You can see all my reviews at: https://www。alwayswithabook。com 。。。more
Annette
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Maya is obsessed with finding out what really happened in a video she saw。 It reminds her of how someone else died。 Maya bothered me， her drinking and drugs drove me crazy。 The story flips back and forth which I found a bit annoying。。 This just wasn’t my favorite book
Barb Lie
，
The House in the Pines by Ana Reyes is a stand-alone psychological thriller。 Maya， the main character of this story， is haunted by the mysterious death of her high school best friend 7 years ago。 Her memories are very hazy， with her unable to remember the past， as well as trying to get herself off of her addiction to Klonopin。 While in high school， Maya started dating Frank， who seemed a bit of a loner， and her best friend， Aubrey worried about Maya and her relationship with Frank。 Maya began to The House in the Pines by Ana Reyes is a stand-alone psychological thriller。 Maya， the main character of this story， is haunted by the mysterious death of her high school best friend 7 years ago。 Her memories are very hazy， with her unable to remember the past， as well as trying to get herself off of her addiction to Klonopin。 While in high school， Maya started dating Frank， who seemed a bit of a loner， and her best friend， Aubrey worried about Maya and her relationship with Frank。 Maya began to act strange， not able to remember some things， and when Aubrey mysteriously drops dead， while sitting across from Frank; Maya suspects that somehow Frank had something to do with her death。 Unable to prove anything， Maya leaves town to go to college。7 years later Maya sees a You Tube video， showing a woman who suddenly keels over dead in a diner， with the man sitting across from her， being Frank。 Plunged into her nightmare， Maya decides to return to her hometown to find out the truth from all those years ago。 She is determined to find a way to get past her trauma， and learn how Frank is manipulating people。 Maya’s Guatemalan father wrote an unfinished book， that when she reads， she begins to suspect the unique connections to whatever Frank is able to do。 As the story races to its climax， we do discover what is happening， but with that said， I do not want to give spoilers。 You will need to read this book to find out。Overall， I did have mixed feelings about this book。 It was a unique story， suspenseful and interesting。 I just thought there was too much going on between the past and present， leaving me a bit confused at times。 Early on， I did like Aubrey and Maya’s friendship， and Maya’s mom was very good。 Frank was a bad character， especially the more we learn。 The House in the Pines was well written by Ana Reyes， as for the most part， it kept your attention throughout; with suspense， memories of the past， addiction， and confronting the truths。 If you like psychological thrillers， I suggest you read The House in the Pines。BarbThe Reading Cafe 。。。more
Kristy Hidalgo
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Maya is having a rough time。 She is going through Klonopin withdrawal when she sees a surveillance video of a girl being murdered in the presence of her ex-boyfriend。 The story follows Maya as she goes back to her hometown to confront her past and her best friend's murder 7 years ago that she knows is the fault of Frank， her ex-boyfriend from the surveillance video。 I was swept along in this book and the foray into Maya's past as well as her mind。 This is a solid thriller with an interesting pre Maya is having a rough time。 She is going through Klonopin withdrawal when she sees a surveillance video of a girl being murdered in the presence of her ex-boyfriend。 The story follows Maya as she goes back to her hometown to confront her past and her best friend's murder 7 years ago that she knows is the fault of Frank， her ex-boyfriend from the surveillance video。 I was swept along in this book and the foray into Maya's past as well as her mind。 This is a solid thriller with an interesting premise。 The ending wasn't what I hoped for but it was still good。 Thank you to Netgalley and Dutton/Penguin Random House for a free copy of this ebook in exchange for my honest review。 。。。more
Jay Dwight
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An atmospheric， creepy thriller that will have you guessing what has been happening and if there’s a sinister reason to events。 Maya has been haunted by her best friend Audrey passing away in front of her when they were both 17。 She’s not sure how， but Maya believes the guy she was seeing at the time， Frank Bellamy caused Audrey’s death。 Nothing could be substantiated， and no charges were laid。 Now 7 years later， Maya sees a video showing a woman in her old hometown dying in very similar circums An atmospheric， creepy thriller that will have you guessing what has been happening and if there’s a sinister reason to events。 Maya has been haunted by her best friend Audrey passing away in front of her when they were both 17。 She’s not sure how， but Maya believes the guy she was seeing at the time， Frank Bellamy caused Audrey’s death。 Nothing could be substantiated， and no charges were laid。 Now 7 years later， Maya sees a video showing a woman in her old hometown dying in very similar circumstances， and again Frank is nearby when the death occurs。 Maya is desperate to prove a link between Frank and the deaths。 Is there one？ And if not， what has caused these two extremely rare but similar deaths。 。。。more
Linda
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I predict Ana Reyes will soon be an author readers follow with enthusiasm。 I’m already hoping she’s working on her next novel。 I’ve been in a fiction reading slump lately。 None of the novels I’ve started kept my attention。 The House in the Pines’ main character grabbed my attention from the beginning and I just had to find out how it all turned out。 Such a satisfying book which I’ll be recommending to my friends！
Missy
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Book #1 read in 20233。5 ⭐️Thank you to @duttonbooks and @netgalley for the #gifted digital ARC and @PRHaudio for the complimentary audiobook。Summary:When Maya sees a video of a girl dying at a table in a restaurant， she immediately recognizes the man she’s with。 In fact， that same man was with her friend， Aubrey， when she died。 Maya needs to know what happened so she can finally get closer about the past。💭Characters: Maya is a hot mess。 From the first chapter， we find out she’s off her antipsyc Book #1 read in 20233。5 ⭐️Thank you to @duttonbooks and @netgalley for the #gifted digital ARC and @PRHaudio for the complimentary audiobook。Summary:When Maya sees a video of a girl dying at a table in a restaurant， she immediately recognizes the man she’s with。 In fact， that same man was with her friend， Aubrey， when she died。 Maya needs to know what happened so she can finally get closer about the past。💭Characters: Maya is a hot mess。 From the first chapter， we find out she’s off her antipsychotic medication。 She insists she doesn’t need it but the people closest to her （mom） and her family history indicate she does。 She’s so unreliable as a narrator that I honestly didn’t know if I could believe anything she thought。 Frank appears manipulative， but we only know of Frank through Maya’s viewpoint。 Same with Aubrey。Plot: The story was a bit all over the place。 It seemed to be running in a linear way but once the flashbacks were introduced， I often found myself confused between past and present。 The way new characters， and old ones， were introduced also seemed disjointed。 The story itself was interesting， and I wasn’t sure where it was going although I had my suspicions。 It was interesting to see those realized。 Pacing: The pacing was not overly fast， but things happened in a way that I felt I was always a step behind。 The alternating between past and present happened at breakneck speed in some cases。 But the narrative felt slower。 Writing: I really enjoyed Reyes’s writing style。 There was a flow in it， especially in the flashback scenes that kept me reading。 Enjoyment: Overall， I am glad I read this book and know that I want to read more by this author because of her writing style。 。。。more
BookNerdsBrainDump
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Short Take: A lot of buildup， leading to not much。（*I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book。 All thoughts and opinions are my own。*）Greetings， duckies， and Happy New Year！ There are a lot of things I would like to accomplish this year， but I’ve learned over the last few decades that it’s better to just try to do a little better every day than to set myself up for larger-scale failure down the road。 Of course， I want to read a lot more tasty books， and share my brilliant insi Short Take: A lot of buildup， leading to not much。（*I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book。 All thoughts and opinions are my own。*）Greetings， duckies， and Happy New Year！ There are a lot of things I would like to accomplish this year， but I’ve learned over the last few decades that it’s better to just try to do a little better every day than to set myself up for larger-scale failure down the road。 Of course， I want to read a lot more tasty books， and share my brilliant insights with the world， so let’s start with that one， shall we？When Maya was a newly-graduated seventeen year old， she fell head over heels for slightly older Frank。 He was sweet， slightly geeky， and building his own cabin on family property。 It was all sunshine and roses， until Maya’s best friend Aubrey dropped dead while talking with Frank。After Aubrey’s death was ruled as “probably just some freaky medical thing” （I’m paraphrasing）， Maya moved away and moved on with her life。 Until seven years later， when she comes across a youtube video of a young woman talking to Frank in a diner… and falling down dead。 Of course， Maya has to return home to Uncover Secrets From Her Past。 Of course Nothing Is What It Seems。 And of course Frank has Dark Secrets of his own。Nerdlings， there was a lot of love about this book。 First off， Maya is going through withdrawal from her prescribed Klonopin， and I think that’s a subject we need to address more as a society。 Also， there are some delicious passages dealing with a little-known myth， and some fascinating bits of life in Guatemala 20-some years ago。But for all the yummy bits and pieces， the ending fell flat on its metaphorical face。 There were a lot of threads that sort of came together and then a kind of weak， kind-of happy non-ending。 I came away feeling like the author couldn’t settle on a super cool finale， so she just shrugged & let it be over。 The Nerd’s Rating: THREE HAPPY NEURONS （and a full-size Snickers。 Because now I need something genuinely satisfying。） 。。。more
ElphaReads
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Thank you to the publisher for giving me an ARC of this at ALAAC22！A very strange and unsettling thriller that made me wonder if it was more horror based or more thriller based。 I liked the way that the story was told through two timelines and how they came together， and there were some genuinely interesting reveals and twists。 That said， I think that it kind of petered out and dragged on a bit at the end， and while I don't really mind a lack of closure for the most part， this one felt a little Thank you to the publisher for giving me an ARC of this at ALAAC22！A very strange and unsettling thriller that made me wonder if it was more horror based or more thriller based。 I liked the way that the story was told through two timelines and how they came together， and there were some genuinely interesting reveals and twists。 That said， I think that it kind of petered out and dragged on a bit at the end， and while I don't really mind a lack of closure for the most part， this one felt a little too unresolved in some ways。 That said， a solid read by all accounts。 。。。more
Jamele （BookswithJams）
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This is a slow burn thriller that is atmospheric and creepy and had such an interesting plot。 The audio was very well done and while the pace was a little slower， it was still a ‘quick’ read that I listened to in one setting as I had to know how it would end。 I thought the ending was great and overall I enjoyed this one。Thank you PRH Audio for the ALC and NetGalley / Dutton Books for the ARC to review。
Taylor M
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Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for the digital ARC！This was a very well done unreliable narrator thriller but for some reason （I will elaborate）。 this didn't hit the mark for me。What it boiled down to was the narration was SO unreliable it felt like it somewhat dragged on and felt unbelievable。 I felt midway that I really had to slog through this。That being said I still enjoyed it but not as much as I thought I would。 Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for the digital ARC！This was a very well done unreliable narrator thriller but for some reason （I will elaborate）。 this didn't hit the mark for me。What it boiled down to was the narration was SO unreliable it felt like it somewhat dragged on and felt unbelievable。 I felt midway that I really had to slog through this。That being said I still enjoyed it but not as much as I thought I would。 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The House in the Pines
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The House in the Pines&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft