Sadly, this book was a DNF for me. I didn't feel the pace was up to what I was looking for. That said, I know plenty of people will enjoy it, it just wasn't my personal cup of tea! Thank you NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this one before its publication date.

I really enjoyed this fascinating debut.

Maya is haunted by a tragic event that happened the summer before she was going to leave home for college. Years later, she's attempting to kick an addiction she's kept secret from her boyfriend. An addiction she developed in trying to cope with what happened.

So she's already not in the best frame of mind when a viral video sets her quest to find answers in motion. In the video, a woman is sitting across from a man in a diner. The woman suddenly dies right there at the table. That's crazy enough on its own but Maya also recognizes the man sitting there.

Maya met Frank that fateful summer. Frank was mysterious and charismatic and she instantly became infatuated. She started spending all her time with him and losing time in his presence. It leads to tension between her and her best friend Aubrey who doesn't trust Frank. Then Aubrey suddenly drops dead while talking to Frank just like the woman in the video.

Maya's memories of that day and every day spent with Frank are hazy. She decides to go back to her hometown and figure out how Frank could have possibly killed them without touching them. She's certain he's to blame, there's just too many things she barely remembers or understands concerning him.

Will she get the answers she seeks if she returns to his cabin in the woods?

The House in the Pines is a brilliant tale of psychological suspense. Atmospheric and unique, I was thoroughly intrigued and in the end I was actually pleasantly surprised by the explanation of it all. I love that it didn't go in the direction I was expecting.

Thank you PENGUIN GROUP Dutton and NetGalley for the e-ARC.

I was super interested in this book initially because of the premise: can someone kill with a word or a look? The book posits that it's possible, but how? Which is the main mystery behind Frank.

The book flashes back and forth between the Maya's past, the past of her parents, and the present. There are no indications of what timeline we're in, so you have to read a couple of paragraphs until it makes sense. I think this could have been solved by having headings (1 year ago, etc.) and I wouldn't have been so frustrated that I was unnecessarily confused.

The chapters in the present and the ones that focused on Maya attempting to uncover the truth of Frank were my favorites and the most interesting parts of the book. I was eager to discover the information along with her, and ultimately answer the question posed by the novel.

Unfortunately, that was where the good parts ended for me. I was expecting a high-octane, quick-paced, bingeable story and didn't get it. There were times that I struggled to get through a few chapters and didn't find myself wanting to pick it up for long periods.

It sometimes felt like the author was trying to pack too much into the book, between the plot line of Frank, Guatemalan myths and culture (which I did enjoy), and a ton of backstory that didn't ultimately go anywhere. What resulted were muddy chapters the reader had to try and wade through.

The answer to the question comes pretty close to the end, and then it felt like a quick sprint to the end of the book. (view spoiler) so the ending was a bit of a disappointment.

I wanted to love this book, but I found myself more frustrated with it than anything. Some people will and have liked this book. My expectations for it just weren't met. I won't say it was a WASTE of a book but I don't think it will be one that I suggest to others.

This one was a little all over the place for me. It also uses the 'under the influence of drugs/alcohol, unstable woman' trope that I am just not a big fan of. Maya witnessed her best friend Aubrey drop dead while talking to Frank, the guy Maya had been dating that summer. Years later while suffering from insomnia due to Klonopin withdrawal and self medicating with alcohol Maya stumbles along a news story video of a young woman that drops dead in a diner, and she's with Frank too. This leads to Maya heading back home to try to find out what happened to her best friend all those years ago. You get 2 Maya POV's, one from the summer after her senior year of high school, and her currently. It's hard to say too much without spoilers so I'll just say this was an entertaining read, but not my favorite. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for my advance copy.

This book had an interesting premise, but I just couldn't get lost in it. It felt like the story fell flat at times, and was almost just too matter of fact. I also felt like at times it took me a while to discern if the character was in past or present. There may have been too many "side stories" for me to really get a good sense of the plot.

This book didn't turn out to be quite as suspenseful as I thought it would be, I found it slightly boring. For that, I don't feel like I would recommend this book.

I wanted to love this story so much but it honestly fell so flat for me. The plot was interesting and really keeps you sucked in throughout the entirety of the novel. The chapters are short and make for an easy read. But I was constantly finding myself bored, and then you get to the end and it’s honestly the biggest disappointment.

This story is FILLED with plot holes that you never get answers for. The ending is honesty terrible. This story sets you up for so much, and then the book ends and you get answers for nothing, and nothing happens to Frank. Maya moves on with her life and nothing comes of what is supposed to be the main plot of the story.

We get the story about Maya’s father in Guatemala and I found myself wondering what the purpose of adding that into this story was, it added nothing to the plot and seemed like a chapter filler.

Disappointing was an understatement, and unfortunately this was my lowest rated book of the year.

For a debut author, this book has a lot going for it—a psychological thriller with an unusual premise, and a story that keeps readers guessing.

Maya is a young woman who witnessed her best friend fall over dead one day. The problem is no one knew why or how she died. Except Maya knew, but no one would believe her. The only other witness was Frank, a young man Maya had just broken up with and one that her friend thought was dangerous.

Maya has since become addicted to sleeping pills and alcohol. When she sees a video of another death similar to her friend’s, she becomes a bit unhinged. But no enough that she is unable to take action. Maya decides to find out what happened so she can move forward and hopefully get justice for her friend.

I’m not giving any spoilers here, just saying this was one of the most unusual psychological thrillers I have ever read. I liked it, but it moved a bit slow at times. I would definitely consider reading another novel by Ana Reyes.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Penguin-Group-Dutton for allowing me to read an advance copy. I am happy to offer my honest review.

This story had a creepy, atmospheric vibe, but the plot was confusing and absurd. The timeline alternated between past and present, but without any chapter headings, I was often left trying to figure out "where" I was in the story.
The premise just felt absurd. While I was rooting for Maya a bit, I honestly didn't feel very invested in the story.

"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."

Time running out and hidden messages? YES YES!

An interesting debut! This was a really quick read and different than what you normally see- which always gets my attention!

Maya has been traumatized with her friend's passing and copes through addiction. She's never truly healed as it happened right in front of her. When she discovers another woman has been murdered in the company of someone she once knew, she thinks he may have had something to do with it! She is determined to find answers and returns to her hometown to investigate further and hopefully find a little bit of closure.

There are dual timelines- which i love in a thriller. There is an emphasis on the Guatemalan culture which brings a uniqueness to the storyline. Overall, I think it is definitely WORTH THE READ! By the end of the novel I was completely engulfed in the story. Unique, Slow burn, suspenseful, filled with mystery, and an ending you may or may not enjoy... for me- I thought it was clever!

THANK YOU NETGALLEY AND THE PUBLISHERS FOR AN ADVANCED COPY IN EXCHANGE FOR MY HONEST REVIEW AND OPINIONS!

Publication date is right around the corner - January 3rd 2023!

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.

Well I wasn't expecting that! No spoilers about this thriller which sees Maya, a young woman struggling to detox from the Klonopin she started taking after the sudden death of her BFF when they were in high school. Audrey was with Maya's boyfriend Frank when she literally dropped dead and now, years later, another woman has done the same. Maya's come home hoping for answers as to what happened to Christina, a talented artist. What is it about Frank? What is it about the cabin he built in the woods behind his father's house? Why doesn't Maya remember long stretches of time that she spent with him? This moves back and forth in time between Maya's 18th year and the present to outline her relationship with Frank. To be honest, this wanders a bit into interesting but not particularly relevant territory (or is it) such as the story of Maya's parents and her father's unfinished novel. Maya's detox not as harrowing as it could be but it adds to the atmospherics. I realized when I finished this that I should have anticipated part of the answer but I didn't, which is a good thing. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A page turner.

THE HOUSE IN THE PINES had an interesting premise that was unique. I however suspected the twist in the book early on, at least as a potential possibility. I found that the first half of this book really droned on, only picking up slightly for the remainder of the book. Mayas back and forth regarding truth vs psychological state is what kept me invested. THE HOUSE IN THE PINES is definitely a slow burn read. It did seem repetitive at times. I also found myself really having to attend to determining if a chapter was then vs now - it would have been easier to follow along I think if this had been clear. Overall, not what I expected. I also felt that the suspense was minimal, and reveal mediocre (but that was likely in part that I had predicted it).

Eh, unfortunately this just didn’t work for me. The pacing was super slow and I struggled to even get into it. I also wasn’t a huge fan of the MC. Overall, it just felt like work to read this one.

3.5 rounded up!

I liked a lot of it; it was super atmospheric. I personally would have enjoyed more twists and less background details.

I had a hard time liking the character, she was just fine, but I’m personally over the unreliable female in thrillers. I think this would make a great book club choice as there’s lots of characters and details to discuss!

While I enjoyed the characters, the narrative was slow and disjointed. The flip flop between past and present was abrupt, and since the main character was in both, it wasn't immediately apparent which timeline I was reading. The concluding twist wasn't very believable or surprising. I can't really recommend this one.

Thanks to NetGalley and Dutton Publishing for an advanced reader copy.

There was definitely a lot going on in this thriller - mystery, unreliable narrator, multiple timelines. However, it was not very well distinguished and felt like it was all thrown in all at once. The "twist" was definitely very unique although readers will need to suspend belief to enjoy, which I did. Overall, an enjoyable read, but could have been cleaned up.

Thanks to NetGalley and publisher for advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Group Dutton for gifting me a digital ARC of this debut novel by Ana Reyes - 4 stars!

When Maya was a senior in high school, ready to head off to Boston University on a well-earned scholarship, she watched her best friend die in front of her. Aubrey was sitting across the table from Frank, an older man that Maya was infatuated with, when she just keeled over. Seven years later, Maya is struggling - she's trying to get off a prescription medicine that she was given to cope with Aubrey's death. Maya comes across an online video of another woman who dies just like Aubrey did, sitting across the table from Frank. She becomes obsessed with trying to figure out what happened to these women, so she heads back home with her mom.

This was a creepy feeling, kind of mystical book that I very much enjoyed. The story goes back and forth between Maya and Aubrey when they were younger and the present time, so that we get the back story as Maya is trying to solve the mystery of these women's deaths. There's also the thread of an unfinished story written by Maya's father, who died in Guatemala before she was born. An intriguing debut - I'm anxious to read more from this author!

I love a book that feels thoroughly disorienting, while consistently raising the stakes and suspense, and The House in the Pines is that book. I loved the dual timeline structure as Maya tries to decipher what happened to her in the past. You’ll be dying to get to the end and unable to put this one down

I stopped reading at about a third of the way through. I don't like the thriller trope where the main character is a self medicating alcoholic and the plot was boring with no signs of getting better.