I wanted to like this book, I really did. The premise was interesting and I didn't mind the clearly very unreliable narrator. But it just went off the rails so quickly that it was bizarre. I understand the point of the dual timelines, but it didn't work well. I can't articulate what didn't work but it just didn't. The book moved very slowly (there are only so many times Maya can say she's afraid that she's going to end up back at the psychiatrist's office). I'm not sure why, over the seven years between Aubrey's death and the present day, she wasn't able to put any of this together, but I guess if she did, there would be no story.

The end just came and left many loose ends, which is a giant pet peeve of mine. It seems that the author was done writing and just ended the book, leaving so many things unresolved. If the writing is going to be that lazy, at least provide an epilogue.

It seems like most people do not super enjoy or “love” this one but I thought it was very good!

It starts off with a woman, seeing CCTV footage of a woman dropping dead at a diner. Then she notices the guy next to the woman and realizes that she knows him. This starts the book by saying this is not the first woman that he has been next to when she has dropped dead.

Throughout the book you realize that our MC may not be the most reliable. I love an unreliable narrator, as long as it is not some whiny, self sabotaging, “woe is me” person. I did not feel like our narrator was this way.

Anyway! I do not want to talk too much about the book because I do not want to give anything away. I think going into this book blind is the best way to go!

Are there super natural elements to this story? Is our narrator withholding the truth? Is there more to the story than we know? Who is this mysterious man? What is the truth?

Read this one if you enjoy:
🤔 an unrealiable narrator
👻 unexplainable events
🗝️ mysterious houses that may hold the key to it all
☠️ unexplained deaths & the search for answers


Thank you to NetGalley and Dutton for the free ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I’m not sure how I feel about this one still. I liked it while I was reading it but I found it very forgettable. I did really like the characters and the story line.

Ana Reyes’ debut novel, THE HOUSE IN THE PINES, is an exhilarating, eerie and atmospheric thriller that is already joining the ranks of THE LAST THING HE TOLD ME, THE LAST MRS. PARRISH and THE CLUB as Reese’s Book Club selections.

“Deep in these woods, there is a house that’s easy to miss. Most people, in fact, would take one look and insist it’s not there. And they wouldn’t be wrong, not completely.” Where a crumbling foundation covered in weeds makes its home in the woods of the Berkshires, Maya saw the bounds of reality and truth broken, her innocence stripped away and her best friend killed. But that was during the summer when she was 18, shortly before she went to Boston University on a full-ride to become a writer. She hasn’t accomplished her goals exactly, but she is more or less happy and fulfilled, particularly in her relationship with kindhearted, stable Dan.

Through building a home with Dan and keeping her head down at her garden center job, Maya has tried to put that awful, hazy summer behind her. And then she sees the video, “Girl Dies on Camera.” Not quite viral, but popular enough to show up on her feed, the video is a grainy shot from the security camera of a 1950s-style diner in her hometown of Pittsfield, Massachusetts. In it, a man and a woman sit at a booth, the man talking nonstop while the woman seems to lose focus. Suddenly, with only 10 seconds remaining, the woman drops dead on the Formica table. When the man looks up in shock, he makes eye contact with the camera and Maya sees him: Frank Bellamy, the man who killed her best friend seven years ago.

The connection alone would be enough to drive anyone crazy, but Reyes quickly casts Maya as an unreliable narrator. Not only is she remembering an event that occurred seven years ago, when she was an unaware and overly trusting teen, she is currently experiencing Klonopin withdrawal, which has left her increasingly isolated as she has hidden it from her boyfriend for more than two years. The symptoms include fevers, night sweats, seizures and hallucinations. Although she feels certain she is not inventing Frank’s eyes in the video, there is enough room for doubt that even she starts to question herself. The only way to find out the truth, it seems, is to go back to her mother’s and revisit --- physically, emotionally and mentally --- Pittsfield, where Frank still lives, along with her drug-addled, teenage-filtered memories of what really happened the last time a girl keeled over dead in Frank’s presence.

Alternating between Maya’s childhood --- along with memories of the stories of her deceased father, killed in Guatemala’s Silent Holocaust --- and her present-day search for answers, Reyes presents readers with a relatable yet deeply unreliable narrator whose fear, even when it seems most unrealistic, leaps off the page, pulling readers with it. In addition to her withdrawal symptoms, Maya reveals that she is genetically predisposed to mental illness, which adds urgency and a creeping sensation of doubt to her already high-energy, paranoid state. Even with uncertainties adding up, it becomes clear that something happens to girls when Frank is around, especially as she digs deeper into his most recent “victim’s” relationship with him.

Like Maya, the young woman was obsessed with Frank before her death, isolated from most of her friends and loved ones as a result. And she spoke of a cabin in the woods where she planned to live with Frank. Maya can recall with chilling accuracy every detail of the cabin, from its cathedral ceilings to its rustic decor and crackling fireplace. But her memories stop there, often with a splitting headache and flashes of something far more sinister. If she is to reclaim her present, continue her life, and find justice not just for this woman but also for her beloved best friend, she will have to return to the cabin and piece together her hazy, unbelievable memories.

A riveting whodunit combined with an unreliable narrator and a dual timeline is an instant win for me. Even more impressive is how stellar Reyes’ writing is: it's crisp and brisk, but also complex and expertly woven. The control she has over the narrator and her hazy memories is reminiscent of Gillian Flynn. But while the trope of an unreliable narrator has become common in the genre, Reyes doesn’t rely on shocking twists alone. Instead, she uses Maya’s voice and the mystery of her friend’s death as only the foundation, building upon them the account of a complex female friendship, a literary connection spanning continents, and a compelling, timely story of substance abuse.

The result is several books’ worth of mysteries, dysfunctional relationships and unsolvable murders. Yet the novel never once lets up the tension or readability. While the ending is a tad rushed, this is a common misstep for first-time authors. In no way does it take away from the cleverness or addictive nature of this startling debut. THE HOUSE IN THE PINES announces the arrival of a brilliant new voice in the thriller genre --- a confident, assured writer who already is making popular tropes her own.

As much as I love a good thriller, I found this plot to be a bit far fetched and it was ultimately not for me

This book was all over the place the blurb sounded amazing. But when I got the book ash’s started reading it I was so disappointed because there were parts that were so incredibly captivating add way to follow.. I was left with so many unanswered questions….

This book is not at all what I expected, and not in a good way. I did not enjoy this book, it was boring and didn't have much to do with a house in the pines.

I truly wanted to like THE HOUSE IN THE PINES, but Maya didn't connect with me. I will say that Reyes's writing style was good and moved the book forward. Unfortunately, it just couldn't save this one for me.

There was so much hype around this book that I went in with incredibly high expectations. Unfortunately, I figured it out almost immediately, and this just ended up being just ok for me. The writing was engaging, so it was still a relatively quick read. However, I continued hoping that there would be more twists and turns.

The House in the Pines by Ana Reyes presents an intriguing take on the mystery genre with its use of an unreliable narrator, injecting a layer of uncertainty and suspense. While the concept had the potential for greatness, some elements left me feeling somewhat unfulfilled.

The unreliable narrator, a staple of mystery novels, was executed with skill, keeping me on my toes as I questioned the authenticity of the protagonist's perspective. The constant sense of doubt added a uniqueness to the storytelling, creating an atmosphere of suspense that kept me engaged throughout.

However, the plot felt that it was missing pieces for me. While the gaps were intentional (I believe) to heighten mystery and suspense and to add to the feeling the character was experiencing, they often left me feeling a bit too disoriented. Some key elements of the plot seemed to be missing or glossed over, making it challenging to fully grasp the intricacies of the mystery. As a result, certain revelations felt abrupt or lacked the necessary buildup, diminishing the impact of critical moments.

Despite these shortcomings, Reyes successfully captures the essence of the unreliable narrator, creating an atmosphere of uncertainty that permeates the entire novel.

While the novel has its moments of brilliance, it falls short of achieving its full potential. It may appeal to readers who enjoy a more enigmatic and ambiguous storytelling style, but those seeking a more cohesive and fully realized mystery might find themselves wanting more.

I had high hopes for this book and while I enjoyed the writing style, the book wasn’t earth shattering for me. It’s a good story, but I found it to be a little predictable and not as thrilling as I was hoping for.

The House in the Pines is engaging and extremely readable, a vacation read for sure. It won't change the world but it's a fine "for-fun" read.

Unfortunately this just wasn't for me. I found it too slow moving and ultimately had to DNF. I will still keep my eyes out for other books by this author in the future though.

This book immediately caught my attention for the premise. The House in the Pines follows Maya, who lost her best friend at seventeen when she was murdered. Maya doesn't remember much from that night but she is sure she knows who killed her best friend Aubrey. Years later another woman dies and Maya must confront the past.
I enjoyed this book and was so intrigued to see where it would go, however without spoilers I felt like the direction that it went was very unexpected for me and I was left with some plot holes. I liked the pacing of the book and the past and present timelines. Giving 3 stars because I was definitely intrigued and wanted to finish it, but wanted a different ending!

. While this isn’t really a thriller that keeps you on the edge of your seat, it does compel you to keep turning the page to see what will happen next. It has some very unique aspects to the story and I am excited that the author chose to use them. It sure makes me wonder if the why and the how could ever, or has ever, happened.
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“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. . . .”
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This tag line sets the tone for a wild ride for Maya, and us. New events entangled with her unresolved problems from the past make for poor decisions and pure determination to uncover answers.
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This was a Reese Witherspoon choice last January which is probably why I picked it out. I enjoyed the twists and felt the characters were multidimensional and interesting. The premise was great.

Thank You to NetGalley for the free digital e-book ARC.

I wanted to love this book more than I did. This is the first time reading this author and I was a bit of disappointed aftet reading the description and then starting the book. At times, the book is a little slow and confusing. The confusion could be due to the 2 timelines that make you wonder which information is for each story. I like the cover of the book.

Maya is a chaotic and often times unreliable narrator as she is a drug addict. She is trying to ween herself off Klonopin, that she does not even have a prescription for while also taking shots and other drinking. These have allowed her to copy with her trauma, lost time, and memory lapses. Maya takes a break from her live-in boyfriend to try and kick the secret addiction, and solve a friend's death. She believes her friend, Audrey, died by Frank's hand. The same Frank who had had quiet the influence over her back in the day. Maya leaves Boston and heads to her hometown to figure out what happened that fateful summer.

While at her mother's Maya learns about her deceased father. He was from Guatemala and an author. He wrote a book and Maya reads it to try to discover more out about her father, understand the hidden messages to stories long before she was born in order to save herself.

This was a really thrilling and engaging read. The author does a really great job at describing the setting and making you feel like you’re actually there. I also had like, no idea what was going on during the first half of the book and was definitely taken by surprise as the story unfolded.

I also listened to Ana Reyes’ episode on The Professional Book Nerd podcast, and it was really interesting to hear her talk about the book and her writing process. She definitely put a lot of heart into this one, and I hope she plans on releasing more books in the future!

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Maya returns to her hometown to cope with trauma from her past. As a teen, her best friend died mysteriously. Seven years later, another girl dies in the same way. Maya decides to confront her past and search for answers.

The House in the Pines is told from Maya’s point of view in the past and present. The past is from her senior year in high school and the present is seven years later. Maya is an unreliable narrator who has self-medicated for years.

I love unreliable narrators, and was intrigued by the premise of this book. Unfortunately, the writing didn’t completely pull me in. That said, I still found The House in the Pines to be an entertaining debut novel.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Though this book received a lot of attention, I just couldn't get into it. I didn't connect with the characters and the story felt really slow for me. The premise was intriguing, but the execution just didn't really work for me.

This book was just ok for me, I found it to be a bit long and another book where your pretty sure the narrator is unreliable.
Maya is our narrator whose in the present, and were given flashbacks of her friendship with Aubrey and their relationship with a creepy man named Frank. Aubrey died 7 years ago and now another woman's death has taken place with Frank whose close by. We’re left wondering could Frank be involved in both or is it just a coincidence?
Isn’t it odd how two young women who are healthy has dropped death after talking with the same guy? It was interesting but I’ve grown tired of the drunk and drug addicted characters and the last third of this book was a bit pointless and left me wondering.