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The House in the Pines
Armed with only hazy memories, a woman who long ago witnessed her friend's sudden, mysterious death, and has since spent her life trying to forget, sets out to track down answers. What she uncovers, deep in the woods, is hardly to be believed....
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 the 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. But her past comes rushing back 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. Plunged into the trauma that has defined her life, Maya heads to her Berkshires hometown to relive that fateful summer--the influence Frank once had on her and the obsessive jealousy that nearly destroyed her friendship with Aubrey.
At her mother's house, she excavates fragments of her past and notices hidden messages in her deceased Guatemalan father's book that didn't stand out to her earlier. To save herself, she must understand a story written before she was born, but time keeps running out, and soon, all roads are leading back to Frank's cabin....
Utterly unique and captivating, The House in the Pines keeps you guessing about whether we can ever fully confront the past and return home.
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 the 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. But her past comes rushing back 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. Plunged into the trauma that has defined her life, Maya heads to her Berkshires hometown to relive that fateful summer--the influence Frank once had on her and the obsessive jealousy that nearly destroyed her friendship with Aubrey.
At her mother's house, she excavates fragments of her past and notices hidden messages in her deceased Guatemalan father's book that didn't stand out to her earlier. To save herself, she must understand a story written before she was born, but time keeps running out, and soon, all roads are leading back to Frank's cabin....
Utterly unique and captivating, The House in the Pines keeps you guessing about whether we can ever fully confront the past and return home.
321 pages, Hardcover
First published January 3, 2023
About the author
Ana Reyes
1 book1,025 followersAna Reyes has an MFA from Louisiana State University. Her work has appeared in Bodega, Pear Noir!, The New Delta Review, and elsewhere. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and teaches creative writing to older adults at Santa Monica College. The House in the Pines in her first novel.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 12,652 reviews
December 14, 2023
Okay…semi-unpopular review is heading to disappointment highway!
This book picked my interest with its face pacing psychological thriller concept narrated by unreliable heroine Maya suffering from drug withdrawal and hazy memories fueled with gin shots. Her perception is foggier than December in London. She believes that her friend Aubrey hasn’t died because of natural causes. She’s murdered by Frank, the elder guy she’s dated who worked as a librarian at their small town Berkshires.
After seven years later, she has Klonopin withdrawals, hiding the truth from her boyfriend Dan she’s living with, suffering insomnia and obsession about a YouTube video that shows a young painter named Cristina dies behind her boyfriend’s eyes as they sit at the dinner. That boyfriend is the same man haunting her for seven years, who might be responsible for her best friend’s Aubrey’s death.
Isn’t it interesting two healthy young women dropped death after talking with the same guy? Is he death whisperer? Is he an evil magician?
Nobody believes in Maya ( probably I also had so many doubts) including her boyfriend and her mom who dragged her to the psychiatrist at the age of 17 because she’s afraid of her daughter shows same signs with her mentally I’ll sister who took her own life! But Amaya returns back to her hometown and confront her past, going back that cabin in New England woods where everything started.
The things I liked: the conjunction between past and present, Guatemalan heritage and mysterious book of Maya’s father, the folklore, the psychological foundation of the book.
Things I didn’t like: last third of the book was vague and a little pointless. The big revelation was way too much far fetched for me. I didn’t buy it! And the conclusion is a little vague, semi satisfying.
I believe in the unique abilities of human brain and how it could be manipulated but some parts of the explanations about events seem a little illogical for me!
I’m giving three solid stars because it was still intriguing, face paced, truly hooked me till the end. But I was expecting more satisfying ending!!
Special thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Groping Dutton for sharing this digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest thoughts.
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This book picked my interest with its face pacing psychological thriller concept narrated by unreliable heroine Maya suffering from drug withdrawal and hazy memories fueled with gin shots. Her perception is foggier than December in London. She believes that her friend Aubrey hasn’t died because of natural causes. She’s murdered by Frank, the elder guy she’s dated who worked as a librarian at their small town Berkshires.
After seven years later, she has Klonopin withdrawals, hiding the truth from her boyfriend Dan she’s living with, suffering insomnia and obsession about a YouTube video that shows a young painter named Cristina dies behind her boyfriend’s eyes as they sit at the dinner. That boyfriend is the same man haunting her for seven years, who might be responsible for her best friend’s Aubrey’s death.
Isn’t it interesting two healthy young women dropped death after talking with the same guy? Is he death whisperer? Is he an evil magician?
Nobody believes in Maya ( probably I also had so many doubts) including her boyfriend and her mom who dragged her to the psychiatrist at the age of 17 because she’s afraid of her daughter shows same signs with her mentally I’ll sister who took her own life! But Amaya returns back to her hometown and confront her past, going back that cabin in New England woods where everything started.
The things I liked: the conjunction between past and present, Guatemalan heritage and mysterious book of Maya’s father, the folklore, the psychological foundation of the book.
Things I didn’t like: last third of the book was vague and a little pointless. The big revelation was way too much far fetched for me. I didn’t buy it! And the conclusion is a little vague, semi satisfying.
I believe in the unique abilities of human brain and how it could be manipulated but some parts of the explanations about events seem a little illogical for me!
I’m giving three solid stars because it was still intriguing, face paced, truly hooked me till the end. But I was expecting more satisfying ending!!
Special thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Groping Dutton for sharing this digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest thoughts.
medium blog
January 17, 2023
Reese, girl… you sure you liked this? This was not good.
January 20, 2023
A Reese's Book Club Pick AND my 20th Reese Read
2.5 STARS
Look at the cover! The key, the creepy log house and the spooky woods!
On her website this is described in a quote as a "can't put it down thriller", well, no! I would not describe it that way.
Not a complete flop, but it slowly fizzled as the plot was revealed.
I liked Maya, but she suffered from ALL the things - lack of sleep, drug addiction/withdrawal, and teetering on the edge of psychosis. Definitely an unreliable narrator.
I do enjoy debut and while the premise drew me in, the writing felt uneven/choppy and the transitions weren't smooth sailing.
Then the ending was so disappointing. It felt like the author just pulled it out of a hat! 🎩
Released Jan 3,2023 / purchased from Amazon
2.5 STARS
Look at the cover! The key, the creepy log house and the spooky woods!
On her website this is described in a quote as a "can't put it down thriller", well, no! I would not describe it that way.
Not a complete flop, but it slowly fizzled as the plot was revealed.
I liked Maya, but she suffered from ALL the things - lack of sleep, drug addiction/withdrawal, and teetering on the edge of psychosis. Definitely an unreliable narrator.
I do enjoy debut and while the premise drew me in, the writing felt uneven/choppy and the transitions weren't smooth sailing.
Then the ending was so disappointing. It felt like the author just pulled it out of a hat! 🎩
Released Jan 3,2023 / purchased from Amazon
December 18, 2022
I don’t even have the emotional capacity to write a review that outlines all of the things I didn’t like about this book. 🙄
February 15, 2023
Dear Reese Witherspoon:
If you could please stop being so cute and coming off as such a nice, friendly person to make it easier for me to avoid your terrible book club selections I would really appreciate it. If you can’t do that, then when it comes to the options you select for us to read, I’m telling you . . . . .
So thanks to my mad girl crush on Reese that I’ve had since I was a child and she starred in The Man in the Moon, I can’t resist her siren’s song and her (nearly always) awful book choices. In all honesty, I live in perpetual fear that I will miss out on another Paper Palace which earned a rare 5 Star from me and was one of the best things I read that year. Buuuuuuuuut, most of the time they are pretty crappy and this was no exception.
Obviously The House in the Pines was a had me at hello since it featured not only a house on the cover, but also a house in the name. How could I not immediately want it, right? Then I started reading it and not only do we have a triple whammy of an unreliable narrator (she’s an insomniac . . . because she’s going through Klonopin withdrawal . . . . and she’s boozing to take the edge off/help her go night-night). Again . . . .
Can we just be DONE with the unreliable drunk woman in the window of the train across the street crap at this point? It is suuuuuuuuuuch a dead horse that has been beaten to a pulp.
So anyway, said Girl on the Klonopin is returning to her home town to do some Scooby Doo-ing in regards to a death that was ruled accidental, but which looks very similar to her BFF’s accidental death back in the day – and the kicker is the same feller was present at both of them. For some reason our little boozehound believes this dude will now be coming for her . . . . even though he has made no contact ever . . . .
I knew was the twist was going to be at around the 40% mark – which would maybe be good for me in a thriller since I’m a pretty good Velma myself – but unfortunately it was due to all of the filler rather than any red herrings. The entire storyline regarding the father’s book and everything in Guatemala added absolutely nothing to this book and could have/should have been left on the cutting room floor. Less is almost always more, authors.
If you could please stop being so cute and coming off as such a nice, friendly person to make it easier for me to avoid your terrible book club selections I would really appreciate it. If you can’t do that, then when it comes to the options you select for us to read, I’m telling you . . . . .
So thanks to my mad girl crush on Reese that I’ve had since I was a child and she starred in The Man in the Moon, I can’t resist her siren’s song and her (nearly always) awful book choices. In all honesty, I live in perpetual fear that I will miss out on another Paper Palace which earned a rare 5 Star from me and was one of the best things I read that year. Buuuuuuuuut, most of the time they are pretty crappy and this was no exception.
Obviously The House in the Pines was a had me at hello since it featured not only a house on the cover, but also a house in the name. How could I not immediately want it, right? Then I started reading it and not only do we have a triple whammy of an unreliable narrator (she’s an insomniac . . . because she’s going through Klonopin withdrawal . . . . and she’s boozing to take the edge off/help her go night-night). Again . . . .
Can we just be DONE with the unreliable drunk woman in the window of the train across the street crap at this point? It is suuuuuuuuuuch a dead horse that has been beaten to a pulp.
So anyway, said Girl on the Klonopin is returning to her home town to do some Scooby Doo-ing in regards to a death that was ruled accidental, but which looks very similar to her BFF’s accidental death back in the day – and the kicker is the same feller was present at both of them. For some reason our little boozehound believes this dude will now be coming for her . . . . even though he has made no contact ever . . . .
I knew was the twist was going to be at around the 40% mark – which would maybe be good for me in a thriller since I’m a pretty good Velma myself – but unfortunately it was due to all of the filler rather than any red herrings. The entire storyline regarding the father’s book and everything in Guatemala added absolutely nothing to this book and could have/should have been left on the cutting room floor. Less is almost always more, authors.
January 6, 2023
I did not like this book at all. It seemed like a thriller written by someone who does not know how to write thrillers. This book was ALL over the place! The dual timelines did not work and made it hard to figure out what was happening. Way too many plot holes for me. The pacing of this book was bad. Everything about this book was bad. If you want to read a good thriller don't read this.
January 21, 2023
**Many thanks to NetGalley, Dutton, and Ana Reyes for an ARC of this book! Now available as of 1.3!**
What if looks really COULD kill?
After many years mourning the death of her friend Aubrey during high school, Maya decides to return to her hometown in the Berkshires to find out. A YouTube video has surfaced of a young woman sitting across from a man named Frank...the SAME man who was with Aubrey the night she died. In the video, this new woman appears to drop dead while her gaze is firmly trained on Frank.
Maya feels this is more than a coincidence, and leaves her current beau in Boston to begin her own investigation into all the secrets Frank has been hiding. You see, Frank is also Maya's ex and she has plenty of questions of her own about the strange goings on of her past and the all-consuming pull Frank held over her so many years ago. While she is back home, Maya tries to keep her Klonopin addiction at bay, and discovers that her Guatemalan father's book (unfinished, due to his untimely death) may have some unique connections to her current situation. Can she put together the MANY pieces of this strange, interconnected puzzle before it's too late and Frank claims yet ANOTHER life? And why exactly can't she remember more about Frank's strange cabin in the woods?
It's funny, because while reading this book, I didn't feel at all that it was over the top or confusing, but trying to sum it all up in a synopsis just now...there is a LOT going on here. It SHOULD have been too much. And yet, for reasons I'm not sure I completely understand... I thoroughly enjoyed it! Reyes has a way of drawing you in from the very beginning, and I got some great atmosphere, a unique mystery, and easily accessible characters from the jump. Though I suppose the plot gets a bit intricate as it bounces from past to present and back again, it never felt that way. I was enthralled by Maya's experiences and so eager to learn more about her past.
Of course, if you are one of many readers who is OVER the pill-popping 'can we trust her' trope...you might want to avoid this. It only tends to annoy me on a case-by-case basis (and didn't here, although her habit was mentioned more than it needed to be) and I don't feel it detracted from the narrative too much, but if you are fed up with addicted protagonists, this won't be the book for you.
What Reyes does well and other writers in the genre sometimes fail to do, however, is present something that FELT very unique and fresh. I know there are other books that bear some resemblance to this one in some ways, but because there were so many elements in play, I didn't quite know what to expect and felt a decent level of surprise at the ending. Was it a PLAUSIBLE explanation? Maybe not, but I just sat back and went with it. After the journey I went on with Maya, I felt it was a solid end to her story, whether or not it FULLY made sense felt sort of irrelevant to me: it was interesting and unique, and THAT won the day.
If guilty pleasures could come in book form...side by side with Ben and Jerry's, trashy TV, and belting out show tunes in the shower, this one could hold its own...in the BEST possible way! 😉
4 stars, rounded up from 3.5
Now a Reese’s Book Club pick!
What if looks really COULD kill?
After many years mourning the death of her friend Aubrey during high school, Maya decides to return to her hometown in the Berkshires to find out. A YouTube video has surfaced of a young woman sitting across from a man named Frank...the SAME man who was with Aubrey the night she died. In the video, this new woman appears to drop dead while her gaze is firmly trained on Frank.
Maya feels this is more than a coincidence, and leaves her current beau in Boston to begin her own investigation into all the secrets Frank has been hiding. You see, Frank is also Maya's ex and she has plenty of questions of her own about the strange goings on of her past and the all-consuming pull Frank held over her so many years ago. While she is back home, Maya tries to keep her Klonopin addiction at bay, and discovers that her Guatemalan father's book (unfinished, due to his untimely death) may have some unique connections to her current situation. Can she put together the MANY pieces of this strange, interconnected puzzle before it's too late and Frank claims yet ANOTHER life? And why exactly can't she remember more about Frank's strange cabin in the woods?
It's funny, because while reading this book, I didn't feel at all that it was over the top or confusing, but trying to sum it all up in a synopsis just now...there is a LOT going on here. It SHOULD have been too much. And yet, for reasons I'm not sure I completely understand... I thoroughly enjoyed it! Reyes has a way of drawing you in from the very beginning, and I got some great atmosphere, a unique mystery, and easily accessible characters from the jump. Though I suppose the plot gets a bit intricate as it bounces from past to present and back again, it never felt that way. I was enthralled by Maya's experiences and so eager to learn more about her past.
Of course, if you are one of many readers who is OVER the pill-popping 'can we trust her' trope...you might want to avoid this. It only tends to annoy me on a case-by-case basis (and didn't here, although her habit was mentioned more than it needed to be) and I don't feel it detracted from the narrative too much, but if you are fed up with addicted protagonists, this won't be the book for you.
What Reyes does well and other writers in the genre sometimes fail to do, however, is present something that FELT very unique and fresh. I know there are other books that bear some resemblance to this one in some ways, but because there were so many elements in play, I didn't quite know what to expect and felt a decent level of surprise at the ending. Was it a PLAUSIBLE explanation? Maybe not, but I just sat back and went with it. After the journey I went on with Maya, I felt it was a solid end to her story, whether or not it FULLY made sense felt sort of irrelevant to me: it was interesting and unique, and THAT won the day.
If guilty pleasures could come in book form...side by side with Ben and Jerry's, trashy TV, and belting out show tunes in the shower, this one could hold its own...in the BEST possible way! 😉
4 stars, rounded up from 3.5
Now a Reese’s Book Club pick!
March 8, 2024
womp womp
February 2, 2023
I'm begging Reese's team - next time she chooses a 'thriller' at least three other people need to confirm it's good before officially choosing it
December 7, 2023
An ancient poplar loomed at the entrance to the abandoned road, its rounded mass of huddled gray limbs reminding her of a brain. She passed beneath its lobes, twigs branching like arteries overhead as she entered the forest.--------------------------------------
Deep in these woods, there is a house that’s easy to miss.Maya Edwards is 25, not well off, ½ Guatemalan, ¼ Irish, ¼ Italian, with no career drive after getting her degree from Boston University. She is from Pittsfield, MA, where her mother still lives. Her father died before she was born. Not the only significant death in her life. When she was 18, her bff, Aubrey, died a mysterious death, at the hands, she believes, of a man they had both dated. But, despite her being present when it happened, there are no viable clues with which to make a case, and folks thought her nuts for even trying. Today Maya has a life, just moved in with her boyfriend, is about to meet his parents, when she sees a video on Youtube. A young woman, in a diner with her bf, suddenly keels over dead. A close look at her table partner reveals the same man who had killed her friend. She is terrified that he might continue to kill women and may be coming back to Pittsfield to clean up loose ends.
Most people, in fact, would take one look and insist it’s not there. And they wouldn’t be wrong, not completely. What they would see are a house’s remains, a crumbling foundation crawling with weeds. A house long since abandoned. But look closely at the ground here, at this concrete scarred by sun and ice. This is where the fireplace goes. If you look deeply enough, a spark will ignite. And if you blow on it, that spark will bloom into a blaze, a warm light in this cold dark forest.
Ana Reyes - image from her site
Maya keeps having dreams about a cabin in the woods, a welcoming abode, with a warm blaze in the fireplace, the burning pine logs adding their scent to the room, the log walls offering shelter from a strong wind. It is cozy, feels like home. But there is danger there as well. Frank is there in the dreams, always there. She struggles to understand the sounds she hears, but realizes they are coming from Frank, who appears suddenly behind her, and she wakes, drenched in sweat. So, what’s up with that?
The central mystery (well, there are two, the first one is whether Frank actually killed those two women, and if so how, and) what is the deal with the strange house in the woods that haunts her dreams, the House in the Pines of the title.
Maya is not the most reliable of narrators. She is going through withdrawal from Klonopin. It was prescribed to help her sleep, but the scrip can no longer be filled and she is trying to go cold turkey. She has used alcohol liberally to help her both sleep and drown out the darkness that troubles her. Is she imagining things? Are the drugs and alcohol causing her to hallucinate? Is the stress of white-knuckle withdrawal impairing her ability to reason?
I was living in Louisiana, working toward my MFA in fiction, and, like Maya,…had suddenly quit Klonopin after several years of taking it nightly for sleep. The doctor who had prescribed it back in LA never said anything about addiction, while my new Baton Rouge doctor treated me like an addict when I asked her for it. She cut me off cold turkey, and I went through protracted withdrawal syndrome, the symptoms of which inform Maya’s experience in the book. Writing about benzodiazepine withdrawal—albeit from her perspective—helped me through it. - from the Book Club KitThe story flips back and forth between the present day and seven years prior. We get to see her friendship with Aubrey, and how Frank had come between them. We see how her current troubles with withdrawal and her determination to look into the Frank situation may be interfering with her current serious relationship.
Maya does her Miss Marple thing to try to find out what really happened to Aubrey, to find out how Frank killed her, and one more thing. During the few weeks in which she dated Frank, there were multiple episodes in which she lost hours of time. Did Frank drug her? There is peril aplenty, as we take Maya’s word that Frank is a killer, so all her activity might be putting her in mortal peril. If only the cops had taken her seriously, but you know the cops in such almost stories never do.
Pliny the Elder said Home is where the heart is, but how can a place that feels so home-like also be so terrifying? This reflects some events and concerns in Reyes’s life.
The inspiration was mostly subconscious. I was living alone in a new city, cut off from any place I’d call home, when I wrote the first draft. This lonely feeling inspired one of the book’s major themes, which is the universal yearning to return to a place and time of belonging. That theme shaped the story and helped me build the titular house in the pines. - from the Book Club KitReyes incorporated several elements of her life into the book. In addition to struggles with addiction, both Maya and Ana are half Guatemalan. Both were raised in Pittsfield, MA. The book took seven years to write, and the gap between Aubrey’s death and Maya’s return to the scene of the crime is seven years.
In order to solve the mysteries, Maya must figure out the imagery in an incomplete book her father had been writing when he died in Guatemala. The references take one a bit afield, but if you dig into them, you will be rewarded. I posted some info in EXTRA STUFF.
Maya’s father’s book points to an important truth about the danger she’s in. For me this was a metaphor for inherited trauma. Like so many people with roots in colonized places, the violence of the past has a way of showing up in the present in unexpected and highly personal ways. This is true for Maya in a very literal sense. To save herself, she must understand a story written before she was born. - from the Book Club KitThere are some fairy-tale-like references in here, but I am not sure they are much more than added in passing. One can see certainly see Frank as a seductive wolf, a la Little Red Riding Hood. A musical group dresses as the fairy godmothers, lending one to consider Sleeping Beauty, which is further reinforced by Maya’s several episodes of lost time, and, ironically, her difficulties with sleep. Woods, per se, have always been a source of fear in Western lore.
So, is it any good? Yep. Ana is certainly flawed enough for us to gain some sympathy, although she cashes in some of those chits with occasional foolish decisions. Secondary characters are a mixed lot. Her boyfriend is thinly drawn. Mom has more to her. Her teen bud, Aubrey, even more. Frank is an interesting mix of loser and menace. The strongest bits for me were a visit to Guatemala and the depiction of the attractiveness of the house. I will not give away the explanation for it all, but, while it may have a basis in the real world, I found it a stretch to buy completely. Still, righteous, if damaged, seeker of truth digging into the mysterious, while imperiled by a dark force, with little support from anyone, with a fascinating bit of other-worldliness at its core. I enjoyed my stay in the cabin. Page-turner material.
The image is both comforting and really sinister at the same time once we learn more about it.
Exactly. That's definitely what I was going for, that dark side of nostalgia. - from the Salon interview
Review posted - 01/27/23
Publication dates
----------01/03/23 - hardcover
----------12/05/23 - trade paperback
I received an ARE of The House in the Pines from Dutton in return for a fair review, and another log on the fire. Thanks, folks, and thanks to NetGalley for facilitating.
This review has been, or soon will be, cross-posted on my site, Coot’s Reviews. Stop by and say Hi!
=============================EXTRA STUFF
Links to the author’s personal, FB, Instagram, and Twitter pages
The House in the Woods Was a Reese’s book club selection for January 2023
Interviews
-----NY Times - Teaching Writing to Retirees Helped Ana Reyes Stay Focused by Elisabeth Egan
-----Salon - "House in the Pines" thriller author on the "dark side of nostalgia" with a narrator no one believes
-----Writer’s Digest - Ana Reyes: On Working The Writing Muscles by Robert Lee Brewer
-----Professional Book Nerds - Talking The House in the Pines with Author Ana Reyes by Joe Skelley - audio – 40:00
Items of Interest
-----Book Club Kit
-----Gnosis.org - The Hymn of the Pearl - The Acts of Thomas
Songs/Music
----- Emily Portman - Two Sisters - referenced in Chapter 5, although by a different performer
-----Bobby Darin - Dream Lover - playing at the Blue Moon Diner in Chapter 10
-----Mano Negra - El Senor Matanza - noted in Chapter 11 as Maya’s new favorite band
----- Nine Inch Nails - The Downward Spiral - mentioned in Chapter 17
----- The Foo Fighters - There is Nothing Left to Lose - mentioned in Chapter 17
-----Lenny Kravitz - Mama Said - mentioned in Chapter 17
July 6, 2024
**3.5-stars rounded up**
A fun debut novel! I liked this one a lot. The House in the Pines contains solid storytelling and an intriguing premise.
This story follows Maya. When Maya was a Senior in high school, her best friend Aubrey, died suddenly, mysteriously and with no identifiable cause, directly in front of Maya's eyes. The only other person around, a young man named Frank, fled the scene.
Seven years later, Maya lives with a loving boyfriend, has a job she enjoys, although isn't challenged by and is working through kicking a prescription drug habit.
Maya has struggled with the circumstances of Aubrey's death ever since. Due to this, she has understandably had trouble with sleeping and the pills sort of took the edge off, helped her to suppress the overwhelming anxiety.
At this point, the prescriptions have run out. She needs to stop. It's going about as well as would be expected, which is to say, not well at all. Then Maya makes a disturbing discovery.
Maya comes across a YouTube video showing a young woman, sitting in a diner booth, suddenly keel over and die. Sitting directly across from this woman is none other than Frank, the same man who happened to be sitting right next to Aubrey at the time of her death.
Maya is rattled. It seems like proof to her. She always knew Frank did something to Aubrey and now this other girl, this sort of proves it, doesn't it?
After a disastrous dinner at her boyfriend's parent's house, Maya knows she can't live with not knowing the truth any longer. She packs her bags and jumps a bus for her hometown of Pittsfield.
Her Mom still lives there in the house that Maya grew up in and welcomes her home with open arms. It's hard for Maya to be back there after everything that happened, but she knows she needs this resolution in order to move forward.
Additionally, her mother, who has years of experience as an EMT, may be just the person to help Maya through the painful withdrawal process.
Maya finally feels able to face her past. She throws herself into an investigation, not only of what happened to her and Aubrey all those years ago, but also to the young woman at the diner.
I was really intrigued by this story. It pulled me in from the start. I enjoyed how Reyes structured the telling of the story. There are both past-and-present timelines, as you slowly piece together what happened between Maya, Frank and Aubrey that summer and how that has impacted Maya's life ever since.
When she meets Frank at the local library, inexperienced Maya is taken in by the older boy right away. It's not necessarily his looks, but more a certain magnetism he has that is hard to resist.
Frank knows just what to say and it seems they have similar interests. Before too long though, Maya begins to notice certain things about their time together that make her greatly uncomfortable. In fact, she becomes so ill at ease around him, she actually begins to fear him.
Additionally, Frank's presence is putting a strain on her other relationships. Always thick as thieves, Maya and Aubrey are spending less time together than ever.
Once Maya finally admits to Aubrey the truth behind her relationship with Frank, Aubrey surprises her. She's afraid of him too. Just as the two girls begin to make connections, on that very day, Aubrey ends up dead.
I could really sympathize with Maya. The events of that summer were truly traumatic and it definitely had lasting repercussions on her life. Finding and watching that video brought it all back for her.
It's like she was forced to relive it. I appreciated that her character was willing to return home and face all her fears and it did get creepy.
I really enjoyed the pace of this as well. I couldn't put it down once I started. While I found some reveals fairly predictable, if you've recently read , you may see it too, I still enjoyed the story a lot.
Overall, I am so glad that I picked this one up. It was quick and fun, yet thoughtful and slightly spooky. I am really impressed with this as a debut.
Thank you so much to the publisher, Dutton, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I can't wait to pick up more from Ana Reyes in the future!
A fun debut novel! I liked this one a lot. The House in the Pines contains solid storytelling and an intriguing premise.
This story follows Maya. When Maya was a Senior in high school, her best friend Aubrey, died suddenly, mysteriously and with no identifiable cause, directly in front of Maya's eyes. The only other person around, a young man named Frank, fled the scene.
Seven years later, Maya lives with a loving boyfriend, has a job she enjoys, although isn't challenged by and is working through kicking a prescription drug habit.
Maya has struggled with the circumstances of Aubrey's death ever since. Due to this, she has understandably had trouble with sleeping and the pills sort of took the edge off, helped her to suppress the overwhelming anxiety.
At this point, the prescriptions have run out. She needs to stop. It's going about as well as would be expected, which is to say, not well at all. Then Maya makes a disturbing discovery.
Maya comes across a YouTube video showing a young woman, sitting in a diner booth, suddenly keel over and die. Sitting directly across from this woman is none other than Frank, the same man who happened to be sitting right next to Aubrey at the time of her death.
Maya is rattled. It seems like proof to her. She always knew Frank did something to Aubrey and now this other girl, this sort of proves it, doesn't it?
After a disastrous dinner at her boyfriend's parent's house, Maya knows she can't live with not knowing the truth any longer. She packs her bags and jumps a bus for her hometown of Pittsfield.
Her Mom still lives there in the house that Maya grew up in and welcomes her home with open arms. It's hard for Maya to be back there after everything that happened, but she knows she needs this resolution in order to move forward.
Additionally, her mother, who has years of experience as an EMT, may be just the person to help Maya through the painful withdrawal process.
Maya finally feels able to face her past. She throws herself into an investigation, not only of what happened to her and Aubrey all those years ago, but also to the young woman at the diner.
I was really intrigued by this story. It pulled me in from the start. I enjoyed how Reyes structured the telling of the story. There are both past-and-present timelines, as you slowly piece together what happened between Maya, Frank and Aubrey that summer and how that has impacted Maya's life ever since.
When she meets Frank at the local library, inexperienced Maya is taken in by the older boy right away. It's not necessarily his looks, but more a certain magnetism he has that is hard to resist.
Frank knows just what to say and it seems they have similar interests. Before too long though, Maya begins to notice certain things about their time together that make her greatly uncomfortable. In fact, she becomes so ill at ease around him, she actually begins to fear him.
Additionally, Frank's presence is putting a strain on her other relationships. Always thick as thieves, Maya and Aubrey are spending less time together than ever.
Once Maya finally admits to Aubrey the truth behind her relationship with Frank, Aubrey surprises her. She's afraid of him too. Just as the two girls begin to make connections, on that very day, Aubrey ends up dead.
I could really sympathize with Maya. The events of that summer were truly traumatic and it definitely had lasting repercussions on her life. Finding and watching that video brought it all back for her.
It's like she was forced to relive it. I appreciated that her character was willing to return home and face all her fears and it did get creepy.
I really enjoyed the pace of this as well. I couldn't put it down once I started. While I found some reveals fairly predictable, if you've recently read , you may see it too, I still enjoyed the story a lot.
Overall, I am so glad that I picked this one up. It was quick and fun, yet thoughtful and slightly spooky. I am really impressed with this as a debut.
Thank you so much to the publisher, Dutton, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I can't wait to pick up more from Ana Reyes in the future!
January 2, 2023
The House in the Pines
by Ana Reyes is an atmospheric psychological thriller with an unreliable narrator. This debut novel features twenty-five year-old Maya who is still haunted by her childhood best friend’s death (Aubrey West) in front of herself and Frank Bellamy. Seven years after that incident, Maya has tried to start a new life. She has moved in with her boyfriend, Dan. She’s trying to kick a secret drug habit that started when they were originally prescribed for her after the incident in high school. Then Maya sees an online video of another girl sitting across a diner table from Frank. The girl dies on camera and Maya’s past hits her like a brick. With fuzzy memories of the events seven years ago, Maya is determined to discover the truth of what happened then and more recently.
Maya and Dan’s characters have depth. Maya is intelligent, loves poetry and reading, and likes a good buzz. However, she hasn’t been able to write after college. Is she delusional, is she in danger, or is it all a dream? Dan is kind, open and honest, loves books, is studying for law school exams, and is a procrastinator. The secondary characters of Maya’s mom, her friend, Aubrey, and Frank play pivotal roles in the story.
The premise for this book was good and the characterization and atmosphere were great, I felt the story could have taken place anywhere, not Boston, Amherst, and Pittsfield, Massachusetts. Additionally, the story felt disjointed. The story goes back and forth in time and this disrupted the flow and adversely affected the pace. Despite this, it’s a good novel with some important themes including addiction, communication, honesty, trust, and manipulation. I also learned something about Guatemala and its history of internal conflict. The way this information played into the story line was unique.
I definitely wanted to know what really happened to the two young women that died. Were their deaths natural? While the ending tied up most threads, there were still a couple left up in the air. I wanted more closure and less of an abrupt ending. However, the ending plot twist was unique and intriguing. The last 25 percent kept me turning the pages rapidly.
Overall, this psychological thriller felt menacing and chilling at times. It also had suspense, interesting characters, and a thought-provoking story line. If you enjoy psychological thrillers with an unreliable narrator, then this may be the book for you.
PENGUIN GROUP Dutton and Ana Reyes provided a complimentary digital ARC of this novel via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own. Publication date is currently set for January 03, 2023. This review was originally posted at Mystery and Suspense Magazine.
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My 3.13 star rounded to 3 stars review is coming soon.
Maya and Dan’s characters have depth. Maya is intelligent, loves poetry and reading, and likes a good buzz. However, she hasn’t been able to write after college. Is she delusional, is she in danger, or is it all a dream? Dan is kind, open and honest, loves books, is studying for law school exams, and is a procrastinator. The secondary characters of Maya’s mom, her friend, Aubrey, and Frank play pivotal roles in the story.
The premise for this book was good and the characterization and atmosphere were great, I felt the story could have taken place anywhere, not Boston, Amherst, and Pittsfield, Massachusetts. Additionally, the story felt disjointed. The story goes back and forth in time and this disrupted the flow and adversely affected the pace. Despite this, it’s a good novel with some important themes including addiction, communication, honesty, trust, and manipulation. I also learned something about Guatemala and its history of internal conflict. The way this information played into the story line was unique.
I definitely wanted to know what really happened to the two young women that died. Were their deaths natural? While the ending tied up most threads, there were still a couple left up in the air. I wanted more closure and less of an abrupt ending. However, the ending plot twist was unique and intriguing. The last 25 percent kept me turning the pages rapidly.
Overall, this psychological thriller felt menacing and chilling at times. It also had suspense, interesting characters, and a thought-provoking story line. If you enjoy psychological thrillers with an unreliable narrator, then this may be the book for you.
PENGUIN GROUP Dutton and Ana Reyes provided a complimentary digital ARC of this novel via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own. Publication date is currently set for January 03, 2023. This review was originally posted at Mystery and Suspense Magazine.
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My 3.13 star rounded to 3 stars review is coming soon.
February 15, 2023
I didn’t enjoy this book but I still wanted to know what caused the deaths…I couldn’t find any spoilers so I had to finish the book. If you feel the same way, please accept this gift: it was hypnotism
Hypnotism! I was so annoyed by this
The cabin in the woods doesn’t really play too much of a part in this book and doesn’t even appear until 60%
I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
Hypnotism! I was so annoyed by this
The cabin in the woods doesn’t really play too much of a part in this book and doesn’t even appear until 60%
I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 23, 2023
Why did I pick this book?
It’s Reese’s pick, so I was curious.
And to be honest, I have no energy to discuss it.
But I will say that it was far from thrilling, very repetitive and confusing.
The conclusion was ingenious but unfortunately the poor execution ruined it.
This one was definitely not for me.
PS: the only update is that I realized that I forgot to rate this book, when I finished on February 9, 2023.
It’s Reese’s pick, so I was curious.
And to be honest, I have no energy to discuss it.
But I will say that it was far from thrilling, very repetitive and confusing.
The conclusion was ingenious but unfortunately the poor execution ruined it.
This one was definitely not for me.
PS: the only update is that I realized that I forgot to rate this book, when I finished on February 9, 2023.
May 9, 2022
3.5***
This psychological thriller is from a debut author! It is fast paced and kept me vested for more.
Memories of her best friend's death have kept Maya under the influence of self medicating to forget the past. Her friend Aubrey died in front of a man named Frank that they were both interested in and almost split their friendship.
It has taken Maya years to process the healing and space between her childhood home. A You-Tube video surfaces of a woman dying in a restaurant in front of Frank and this brings all the nightmares to the surface. Maya travels back to The House in the Pines to confront her fears and find the truth behind Frank's manipulation.
A quick-read with a lot of punch to it! It highlights how our memory can put aside the truth to help us survive.
Thank you NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Dutton for this title in exchange for my honest review.
This psychological thriller is from a debut author! It is fast paced and kept me vested for more.
Memories of her best friend's death have kept Maya under the influence of self medicating to forget the past. Her friend Aubrey died in front of a man named Frank that they were both interested in and almost split their friendship.
It has taken Maya years to process the healing and space between her childhood home. A You-Tube video surfaces of a woman dying in a restaurant in front of Frank and this brings all the nightmares to the surface. Maya travels back to The House in the Pines to confront her fears and find the truth behind Frank's manipulation.
A quick-read with a lot of punch to it! It highlights how our memory can put aside the truth to help us survive.
Thank you NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Dutton for this title in exchange for my honest review.
March 17, 2023
So here’s another book that I was leery about reading due to all the mixed reviews- BUT I am so glad that I picked it up because I actually enjoyed this book. Yes, the back and forth chapters between present day and seven years ago was a bit confusing (I had to read on, before I could say- Oh, we’re back here again…). However, the storyline held my interest because it’s very different from the usual psychological thrillers that I read with the unreliable narrator.
Our unreliable narrator in this story is Maya. Maya has been addicted to Klonopin and alcohol for the past several years. Maya no longer has her Klonopin, and is experiencing withdrawal symptoms. Some of the withdrawal symptoms are paranoia, hallucination, and insomnia.
One night while not being able to sleep, Maya witnesses a woman drop dead in front of her ex boyfriend on a YouTube video. This is very strange, as her best friend, Aubrey, suddenly died in front of this same ex boyfriend, named Frank.
After watching the video, Maya leaves her present boyfriend, Dan behind to go back home and try to piece together what happened with the girl in the video and Frank. Maya also wants to find closure on what happened to her friend, Aubrey from seven years ago.
Back home Maya starts to remember her father and his Guatemalan roots. She thinks about the book he started to write, and how she used to translate the words to English. I enjoyed learning about the history of Guatemala, and I did see how it became useful in the story.
I did not expect this book to end the way it did, but I really enjoyed the little surprise. If you are on the fence about reading this book, I say give it a shot! This was a Reese Witherspoon book club pick for January 2023, and it did not disappoint. 🔑
Our unreliable narrator in this story is Maya. Maya has been addicted to Klonopin and alcohol for the past several years. Maya no longer has her Klonopin, and is experiencing withdrawal symptoms. Some of the withdrawal symptoms are paranoia, hallucination, and insomnia.
One night while not being able to sleep, Maya witnesses a woman drop dead in front of her ex boyfriend on a YouTube video. This is very strange, as her best friend, Aubrey, suddenly died in front of this same ex boyfriend, named Frank.
After watching the video, Maya leaves her present boyfriend, Dan behind to go back home and try to piece together what happened with the girl in the video and Frank. Maya also wants to find closure on what happened to her friend, Aubrey from seven years ago.
Back home Maya starts to remember her father and his Guatemalan roots. She thinks about the book he started to write, and how she used to translate the words to English. I enjoyed learning about the history of Guatemala, and I did see how it became useful in the story.
I did not expect this book to end the way it did, but I really enjoyed the little surprise. If you are on the fence about reading this book, I say give it a shot! This was a Reese Witherspoon book club pick for January 2023, and it did not disappoint. 🔑
April 18, 2023
1.5 stars
Cannot express how disappointing this book was. I was expecting a riveting mystery/thriller and got a convoluted mess instead. Also, would love to see the end of the pill popping/unreliable female narrator in mysteries: it's incredibly overdone and I'm tired of it.
I won't go much into the plot (because there wasn't much of one) but the story had potential to be interesting if it weren't written in such a confusing manner. Also by the time we got to the reveal it was incredibly anti-climactic. I listened to the audiobook and that was fairly okay.
Cannot express how disappointing this book was. I was expecting a riveting mystery/thriller and got a convoluted mess instead. Also, would love to see the end of the pill popping/unreliable female narrator in mysteries: it's incredibly overdone and I'm tired of it.
I won't go much into the plot (because there wasn't much of one) but the story had potential to be interesting if it weren't written in such a confusing manner. Also by the time we got to the reveal it was incredibly anti-climactic. I listened to the audiobook and that was fairly okay.
December 23, 2022
During their last year of high school, Maya's best friend, Aubrey dropped dead while in the presence of Frank, a man they had been spending time with over the summer. Seven years have passed, and Maya has a secret addiction to klonopin which she has been keeping secret from her boyfriend, Ben.
After seeing a YouTube video where a woman named Cristina die in the presence of her boyfriend. The boyfriend is none other than Frank, the same man who was there when Aubrey did. Fueled with foggy memories, insomnia, klonopin withdraws and a quest for the truth, Maya returns to her Berkshires hometown.
While at home she discovers her father's unfinished book and tries to understand the story that was written before she was born and try to figure out why all roads point back to Frank. With those she loves doubting her, Maya seeks out to learn the truth.
This was a book I had high hopes for, but it failed to wow me. I put this in the liked but didn't love category. The author does a good job looking at addiction and memory. This book was atmospheric which I love in books, but again, I thought this was just ok at best. It was a little slow and when the reveal happened, I wasn't overly excited about it. The best part of this book for me was the atmosphere the author created.
Thank you to PENGUIN GROUP Dutton and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.
Read more of my reviews at www.openbookposts.com
After seeing a YouTube video where a woman named Cristina die in the presence of her boyfriend. The boyfriend is none other than Frank, the same man who was there when Aubrey did. Fueled with foggy memories, insomnia, klonopin withdraws and a quest for the truth, Maya returns to her Berkshires hometown.
While at home she discovers her father's unfinished book and tries to understand the story that was written before she was born and try to figure out why all roads point back to Frank. With those she loves doubting her, Maya seeks out to learn the truth.
This was a book I had high hopes for, but it failed to wow me. I put this in the liked but didn't love category. The author does a good job looking at addiction and memory. This book was atmospheric which I love in books, but again, I thought this was just ok at best. It was a little slow and when the reveal happened, I wasn't overly excited about it. The best part of this book for me was the atmosphere the author created.
Thank you to PENGUIN GROUP Dutton and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.
Read more of my reviews at www.openbookposts.com
January 11, 2023
Maya wants to be a writer like her father who'd died at a very young age in Guatemala so Maya only has the stories that her mother has told her about her father. At the age of seventeen Maya's best friend (Aubrey) was talking to Maya's ex-boyfriend (Frank) and just dropped over dead, literally. Maya has always believed Frank had something to do with Aubrey's death but she didn't know how he did it and after police investigations they just thought Maya was delusional with grief.
Seven years later Maya is living contentedly with her boyfriend although she has never gotten over Aubrey's sudden death. One day Maya comes across a UTube video of a girl dying in a diner and guess who is sitting across from her when it happens? Yes, it was Frank in the video. Now how's that for a coincidence. Maya makes it her mission to find out what happened to this girl because she knows now he did kill Aubrey but how can she prove it.
Maya has no idea the can of worms she opens will bring about more questions than answers and she must face that there were many things she can't remember about her relationship with Frank when she was a teenager and if she does confront him again it could be her life at stake this time and there won't be anyone there to save her.
This book was definitely entertaining but had some flaws as well. The author did a good job with the realism over in Guatemala which was very interesting and she also kept me intrigued about the mystery of the girls deaths and Frank's involvement. It was a good storyline that I had to keep reading to find out what really happened. Some of the parts that bothered me were the chapters sometimes would go back and forth but you didn't know which timeline you were in and that was distracting for me. Also, the present timeline kept the characters shallow whereas in the past they had more depth to them. I thought I figured out how Frank was involved yet I just couldn't figure everything out so that was a plus. All in all it was an okay book but I'm glad I read it since it was a different type of psychological thriller.
I want to thank the publisher "Penguin Group Dutton" and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this novel and any thoughts or opinions expressed are unbiased and mine alone!
I have given this book a rating of 3 MYSTERIOUS PSYCHOLOGICAL 🌟🌟🌟 STARS!!
Seven years later Maya is living contentedly with her boyfriend although she has never gotten over Aubrey's sudden death. One day Maya comes across a UTube video of a girl dying in a diner and guess who is sitting across from her when it happens? Yes, it was Frank in the video. Now how's that for a coincidence. Maya makes it her mission to find out what happened to this girl because she knows now he did kill Aubrey but how can she prove it.
Maya has no idea the can of worms she opens will bring about more questions than answers and she must face that there were many things she can't remember about her relationship with Frank when she was a teenager and if she does confront him again it could be her life at stake this time and there won't be anyone there to save her.
This book was definitely entertaining but had some flaws as well. The author did a good job with the realism over in Guatemala which was very interesting and she also kept me intrigued about the mystery of the girls deaths and Frank's involvement. It was a good storyline that I had to keep reading to find out what really happened. Some of the parts that bothered me were the chapters sometimes would go back and forth but you didn't know which timeline you were in and that was distracting for me. Also, the present timeline kept the characters shallow whereas in the past they had more depth to them. I thought I figured out how Frank was involved yet I just couldn't figure everything out so that was a plus. All in all it was an okay book but I'm glad I read it since it was a different type of psychological thriller.
I want to thank the publisher "Penguin Group Dutton" and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this novel and any thoughts or opinions expressed are unbiased and mine alone!
I have given this book a rating of 3 MYSTERIOUS PSYCHOLOGICAL 🌟🌟🌟 STARS!!
October 13, 2023
This was between 3-4 for me. 😵💫 It had a lot of potential. 🤓 Parts are so incredibly intriguing. 🤓 But there are so many unanswered questions…. I was left kinda thinking, do I even care to know? 🤷🏼♀️
Shelved as 'read-audiobooks'
January 31, 2023Thank you Libro.fm for my gifted ALC in exchange for an honest review. IYKYK, my reviews are always honest.
Audiobook rating: sorta enjoyed, sorta drifted off.
Performance: okay | Plot: disparate | Ending: hmmmehhhh
I felt this one had potential, but even with my ear holes there were too many details that led me to zoning out. I definitely would've yeeted this if I had used my eyeballs. The flashbacks between Aubrey and Maya seemed like they were straight out of HBO's Euphoria or from the glory days of Tumblr. Plus she mentioned Goodwill way too many times.
While it was interesting to learn about Guatemalan history and lore, I felt it didn't fit naturally with the modern day mystery at hand. It seemed like the author had two separate book ideas and forced them in one. Kinda like if you're making a sandwich and one side has peanut butter while the other side is half a grilled cheese. Separately, each slice works, but together, it's kinda narsty.
Audiobook rating: sorta enjoyed, sorta drifted off.
Performance: okay | Plot: disparate | Ending: hmmmehhhh
I felt this one had potential, but even with my ear holes there were too many details that led me to zoning out. I definitely would've yeeted this if I had used my eyeballs. The flashbacks between Aubrey and Maya seemed like they were straight out of HBO's Euphoria or from the glory days of Tumblr. Plus she mentioned Goodwill way too many times.
While it was interesting to learn about Guatemalan history and lore, I felt it didn't fit naturally with the modern day mystery at hand. It seemed like the author had two separate book ideas and forced them in one. Kinda like if you're making a sandwich and one side has peanut butter while the other side is half a grilled cheese. Separately, each slice works, but together, it's kinda narsty.
February 13, 2023
This thriller was a little all over the place and a had a slower burn than I typically prefer for thrillers, but I still found myself unable to look away once I got into it. I should also say the narrator is super unreliable. She is addicted to alcohol and pills and is coming off of an anti-anxiety med which has some symptoms that make it hard to tell what is going on. The book shifts between past and present without notice, but I didn’t mind that and liked getting to know the story now and in the past. It’s been seven years since Maya’s best friend dropped dead in front of her while her boyfriend at the time was talking to her. Seven years and Maya struggles with sleeping but then she chances upon a video of a woman who just drops dead with no medical cause and she has a blast from the past because her old boyfriend Frank is sitting there with her and talking. Maya is determined to learn what magic Frank possesses and how he seems to keep talking women to death. This is a bumpy ride and overall I gave it 3.5 stars rounded up because it is especially good for a debut. Can’t wait to see where Ana Reyes goes next.
February 24, 2023
The more I think about it, the more I didn’t like this book. I had high hopes with it being a Reese pick but it was a no for me.
The main character just had all the issues.. everything. And we are meant to believe anything she said or did? And she wasn’t a nice person either. Nothing about her was likeable, she was a bit of a brat and I stopped caring about what was going to happen.
And that ending… not worth the wait. Just no.
Thanks to Libro.fm for the ALC.
The main character just had all the issues.. everything. And we are meant to believe anything she said or did? And she wasn’t a nice person either. Nothing about her was likeable, she was a bit of a brat and I stopped caring about what was going to happen.
And that ending… not worth the wait. Just no.
Thanks to Libro.fm for the ALC.
June 10, 2023
3.5 stars rounded up. The House in the Pines was Ana Reyes’s debut novel. I listened to the audiobook that was narrated by Marisol Ramirez. The cover of this book initially pulled me in. You have to admit that it is pretty creepy! The beginning and ending of The House in the Pines were strong and atmospheric. I lost some interest when the middle part of the book took a slower turn and thus my 3.5 rating. The House in the Pines alternated between the past (before Aubrey’s death) and the present.
High school infatuations were so easily misconstrued at times. Maya became infatuated with Frank when he started to pay attention to her. He was quite a bit older than Maya but perhaps that lent to her infatuation. Maya’s relationship with Frank grew serious, at least for her, very quickly. She loved how much they seemed to have in common. Maya’s best friend, Aubrey, soon became jealous and angry with how much time Maya was spending with Frank. Aubrey was determined to get to know Frank despite Maya’s reluctance. When Frank started to show interest in Aubrey, Maya’s and Aubrey’s roles reversed. Maya became angry with Aubrey and jealous of the attention Frank was showing her. Then the most unexpected thing happened. Aubrey died right before Maya’s eyes. Maya, Frank and Aubrey had been together when Aubrey died. Maya believed that Frank had killed Aubrey but had no solid proof. Maya was so traumatized by her best friend’s death that her mother had made her go and see a psychiatrist. The psychiatrist prescribed antidepressants for Maya which she later became addicted to.
In present day, Maya had graduated from Boston University and was living in Boston and working at a plant nursery. She was living with her boyfriend, Dan, and was very much in love with him as he was with her. Maya was still taking the antidepressants that had been prescribed to her all those years ago. but was now highly addicted to them. She also suffered from being able to sleep without the aid of her pills. When her pills began to run out, Maya turned to alcohol and quickly became addicted to the alcohol. Her boyfriend, Dan, recognized that something was off with Maya but she was unwilling and scared to share her story with him. Then one day, Maya saw a video online that had gone viral. It was a video of a young woman who eerily resembled Maya. The woman was at a diner with Frank, the Frank who she still believed killed Aubrey, when the woman died. Was it a coincidence? Maya was unable to let it go. This was her chance to prove that Frank had murdered Aubrey all those years ago and now had murdered another woman. Maya decided that she would return home to Pittsfield and stay until she found proof that Frank had been responsible for both of these deaths. Would Maya be able to find the evidence she needed? Would she be able to discover how Frank had killed both Aubrey and this other woman without putting herself in danger? Could Maya get enough evidence so that the police would believe her this time?
The House in the Pines was a good debut psychological thriller. It focused on the themes of friendship, family, addiction, mother/daughter relationships, infatuations, trust, being honest with those we love and believing in ourselves. I would definitely be up for reading another book by Ana Reyes. The premise of the book was very original. I recommend reading this book if you enjoy psychological thrillers and you can get over a slow pace in the middle of the middle of the book.
High school infatuations were so easily misconstrued at times. Maya became infatuated with Frank when he started to pay attention to her. He was quite a bit older than Maya but perhaps that lent to her infatuation. Maya’s relationship with Frank grew serious, at least for her, very quickly. She loved how much they seemed to have in common. Maya’s best friend, Aubrey, soon became jealous and angry with how much time Maya was spending with Frank. Aubrey was determined to get to know Frank despite Maya’s reluctance. When Frank started to show interest in Aubrey, Maya’s and Aubrey’s roles reversed. Maya became angry with Aubrey and jealous of the attention Frank was showing her. Then the most unexpected thing happened. Aubrey died right before Maya’s eyes. Maya, Frank and Aubrey had been together when Aubrey died. Maya believed that Frank had killed Aubrey but had no solid proof. Maya was so traumatized by her best friend’s death that her mother had made her go and see a psychiatrist. The psychiatrist prescribed antidepressants for Maya which she later became addicted to.
In present day, Maya had graduated from Boston University and was living in Boston and working at a plant nursery. She was living with her boyfriend, Dan, and was very much in love with him as he was with her. Maya was still taking the antidepressants that had been prescribed to her all those years ago. but was now highly addicted to them. She also suffered from being able to sleep without the aid of her pills. When her pills began to run out, Maya turned to alcohol and quickly became addicted to the alcohol. Her boyfriend, Dan, recognized that something was off with Maya but she was unwilling and scared to share her story with him. Then one day, Maya saw a video online that had gone viral. It was a video of a young woman who eerily resembled Maya. The woman was at a diner with Frank, the Frank who she still believed killed Aubrey, when the woman died. Was it a coincidence? Maya was unable to let it go. This was her chance to prove that Frank had murdered Aubrey all those years ago and now had murdered another woman. Maya decided that she would return home to Pittsfield and stay until she found proof that Frank had been responsible for both of these deaths. Would Maya be able to find the evidence she needed? Would she be able to discover how Frank had killed both Aubrey and this other woman without putting herself in danger? Could Maya get enough evidence so that the police would believe her this time?
The House in the Pines was a good debut psychological thriller. It focused on the themes of friendship, family, addiction, mother/daughter relationships, infatuations, trust, being honest with those we love and believing in ourselves. I would definitely be up for reading another book by Ana Reyes. The premise of the book was very original. I recommend reading this book if you enjoy psychological thrillers and you can get over a slow pace in the middle of the middle of the book.
April 30, 2023
Where’s Reese, I just wanna talk
January 27, 2023
I usually love the book recommendations of the Reese Witherspoon Bookclub. But I definitely did not like this one. As fascinated as I was to learn this debut novel was inspired by the author's masters thesis, I felt my interest levels decreasing as the chapters switched back and forth from the present to the past. The ending flatlined for me.
Goodreads review published 26/01/23
*Also reviewed on KOBO*
Goodreads review published 26/01/23
*Also reviewed on KOBO*
October 21, 2022
THE HOUSE IN THE PINES focuses on Maya's grief and determination to find out the truth about her high school best friend Aubrey's death. Maya suffers from a lot of trauma after her best friend's death and she abuses Klonopin and alcohol to mask the grief. Her boyfriend Dan is supportive towards Maya's grief, but Maya knows that she needs to learn how to cope with these memories. When Maya visits her mother's house, years after Aubrey's death, she believes she can handle the emotional baggage her hometown once gave her. However, when clues to Aubrey's death in fact link her to her ex-boyfriend Frank, Maya has to find out the truth about what happened to her best friend.
Ana Reyes' debut mystery/thriller, THE HOUSE IN THE PINES, suffers from doing way too much at the same time. It was really hard for me to focus on one thing because everything and the kitchen sink was thrown in before page 50. I really struggled with following this narrative, and the drinking/pill popping trope is so overused at this point. However, I do think there's a reader / audience for this book. The synopsis is calling it "utterly unique" and I can see that because as the story develops after the halfway mark, it is indeed very different than I expected. Readers will either love or hate the ending, which will make for great book club discussions.
Ana Reyes' debut mystery/thriller, THE HOUSE IN THE PINES, suffers from doing way too much at the same time. It was really hard for me to focus on one thing because everything and the kitchen sink was thrown in before page 50. I really struggled with following this narrative, and the drinking/pill popping trope is so overused at this point. However, I do think there's a reader / audience for this book. The synopsis is calling it "utterly unique" and I can see that because as the story develops after the halfway mark, it is indeed very different than I expected. Readers will either love or hate the ending, which will make for great book club discussions.
January 9, 2023
THE HOUSE IN THE PINES relied heavily on the fact the protagonist is suffering from klonopin withdrawals which makes her somewhat of an unreliable narrator. this has been done so many times in mysteries/thrillers so if you're going to do it, the story better knock my socks off. buuut unfortunately it didn't.
i found it to be extremely predictable. i knew what would happen so quickly that i'm almost wondering if that was the point?? there wasn't anything that occurred in the book that shocked me or left me in awe.
on a positive note, i did eventually find myself somewhat invested in the story, but mostly because i hoped to be proved wrong with my suspicions. it was atmospheric and i enjoyed the scenes at the cabin (wish we would have gotten more of that). i also appreciate that the author went a little out of the box with the plot
overall i'm super bummed out ... if you enjoy a slow burn, atmospheric read without any big twists, then give it a shot!
2.5 stars
i found it to be extremely predictable. i knew what would happen so quickly that i'm almost wondering if that was the point?? there wasn't anything that occurred in the book that shocked me or left me in awe.
on a positive note, i did eventually find myself somewhat invested in the story, but mostly because i hoped to be proved wrong with my suspicions. it was atmospheric and i enjoyed the scenes at the cabin (wish we would have gotten more of that). i also appreciate that the author went a little out of the box with the plot
overall i'm super bummed out ... if you enjoy a slow burn, atmospheric read without any big twists, then give it a shot!
2.5 stars
September 5, 2022
I enjoyed this book and thought it was a unique premise. The story centers on Maya, whose best friend Aubrey died suddenly while with the guy Maya was dating named Frank. There is something weird and creepy about Frank that Maya can’t put her finger on, but she is convinced he had something to do with the death. 7 years later she sees a video posted online where another woman seemingly just keels over and dies while also in Frank’s presence and Maya knows she has to get to the bottom of what Frank is doing to these people.
The story goes back and forth between the current timeline and the time around Aubrey’s death, which also gives insight into Frank’s mysterious hold over Maya. Maya is battling an addiction to prescription drugs in the current timeline and I felt that she was a believable and sympathetic character. The book was creepy even when nothing creepy was outwardly happening and I was fascinated upon finding out what was really going on.
The only part of the story I really didn’t get was the connection to the book that Maya’s father had been writing. This seems to be really symbolic, both in the synopsis and throughout the story itself, but I couldn’t make the connection between that story and what was happening to Maya.
Overall, I really liked this book and found it to be a unique and engaging read. I’d recommend it to those who enjoy psychological mysteries. Thanks to Netgalley for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
The story goes back and forth between the current timeline and the time around Aubrey’s death, which also gives insight into Frank’s mysterious hold over Maya. Maya is battling an addiction to prescription drugs in the current timeline and I felt that she was a believable and sympathetic character. The book was creepy even when nothing creepy was outwardly happening and I was fascinated upon finding out what was really going on.
The only part of the story I really didn’t get was the connection to the book that Maya’s father had been writing. This seems to be really symbolic, both in the synopsis and throughout the story itself, but I couldn’t make the connection between that story and what was happening to Maya.
Overall, I really liked this book and found it to be a unique and engaging read. I’d recommend it to those who enjoy psychological mysteries. Thanks to Netgalley for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
December 10, 2022
Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free, electronic ARC of this novel received in exchange for an honest review.
Expected publication date: January 3, 2023
As a teenager, Maya watched her best friend die unexpectedly and seemingly without cause, right before they were both ready to set off for college. The only other person to see Aubrey die was Maya’s love interest, Frank, but he swore up and down he had nothing to do with it, even though Maya had seen the two of them speaking moments before Aubrey’s death. The police had agreed with Frank; after all, Frank had not made any physical contact with Aubrey and it really isn’t possible to kill someone with just a look. Is it?
Years later, Maya is trying to rebuild her life with a job and partner that she loves. But when she sees Frank on a TV news feed, she is brought back to that horrible time in her life. And when the woman Frank is with seems to drop dead right in front of him, without so much as a touch, Maya knows that Frank is up to something. In order to bring Frank to justice, can Maya jeopardize her relationship, her career and even her sanity?
“The House in the Pines” is a clever, suspenseful debut novel by author Ana Reyes. Touching on mental illness, addiction, gaslighting and emotional abuse, Reyes delivers a gripping read. Narrated by Maya in two time periods (before Aubrey is killed, and afterward, when Maya is an adult), “Pines” is a slow burn, but as the plot develops, it quickly turned into a non-stop page turner.
Maya has struggled with addiction since the death of her best friend, has been labeled “crazy” by doctors and even her loving mother, and is fearful that her boyfriend will leave her if he ever finds out the truth. She is an exceptionally powerful character who is so dysfunctional and human, I couldn’t help but root for her. Right from the start, there is something not quite right about Frank but Reyes keeps this secret hidden until the deliciously twisted ending, which was unexpected yet still extremely entertaining.
It took a bit for me to get into this novel, as I was trying to sort out timelines and characters, but once the story caught me, I was hooked. To think that this is a debut novel definitely speaks to Reyes’ creativity and talent, and I have no doubt she will be one to watch in 2023 (and years beyond).
Expected publication date: January 3, 2023
As a teenager, Maya watched her best friend die unexpectedly and seemingly without cause, right before they were both ready to set off for college. The only other person to see Aubrey die was Maya’s love interest, Frank, but he swore up and down he had nothing to do with it, even though Maya had seen the two of them speaking moments before Aubrey’s death. The police had agreed with Frank; after all, Frank had not made any physical contact with Aubrey and it really isn’t possible to kill someone with just a look. Is it?
Years later, Maya is trying to rebuild her life with a job and partner that she loves. But when she sees Frank on a TV news feed, she is brought back to that horrible time in her life. And when the woman Frank is with seems to drop dead right in front of him, without so much as a touch, Maya knows that Frank is up to something. In order to bring Frank to justice, can Maya jeopardize her relationship, her career and even her sanity?
“The House in the Pines” is a clever, suspenseful debut novel by author Ana Reyes. Touching on mental illness, addiction, gaslighting and emotional abuse, Reyes delivers a gripping read. Narrated by Maya in two time periods (before Aubrey is killed, and afterward, when Maya is an adult), “Pines” is a slow burn, but as the plot develops, it quickly turned into a non-stop page turner.
Maya has struggled with addiction since the death of her best friend, has been labeled “crazy” by doctors and even her loving mother, and is fearful that her boyfriend will leave her if he ever finds out the truth. She is an exceptionally powerful character who is so dysfunctional and human, I couldn’t help but root for her. Right from the start, there is something not quite right about Frank but Reyes keeps this secret hidden until the deliciously twisted ending, which was unexpected yet still extremely entertaining.
It took a bit for me to get into this novel, as I was trying to sort out timelines and characters, but once the story caught me, I was hooked. To think that this is a debut novel definitely speaks to Reyes’ creativity and talent, and I have no doubt she will be one to watch in 2023 (and years beyond).
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