Maya’s best friend was murdered right in front of her eyes and she knows that her ex boyfriend, Frank, is responsible. Maya just doesn’t have any proof and Frank got away free. Years later, Maya stumbles upon a video of a woman dying on camera. After watching it, she realizes yes, the woman mysteriously dies but she is also in the company of Frank. Maya is now paranoid and determined to prove that Frank is a killer- but how?

The House in the Pines is a great murder mystery/ psychological thriller for anyone that likes the genre without the blood, guts and gore you get with some books. A real page turner that I found a hard time putting down!

Maya's friend dies in a mysterious way and years later Maya sees another woman also die in the same mysterious way. The story began with such an interesting premise, but ultimately didn't stick the landing. There is talk throughout of magic, but it doesn't go all in. For this kind of a book to work, you either need to go all in on the magic or just don't include it. In the end, the story fizzled out and left me feeling kinda meh about the whole thing.

I’m having a hard time grappling with what I just read . I loved it so much I’m having a hard time putting it into words. The elements of this story are far beyond a typical thriller.

I loved the culture of Guatemala, the stories, the family bond, the history, the love and of course the demise of what war can do to the innocent. I was completely shattered hearing the story of Maya’s father . He had so much promise, a writing career, a family and a daughter he would never get the opportunity to meet . Stolen, way too young from a family who loved him dearly, and a daughter who would never get to physically meet him.

Friendship…

Aubrey and Maya’s bond was strong. They loved each other endlessly and one would end up dying to just protect the other.

Mother…

Maya’s mom is one to admire, she was probably my favorite character . Her term of endearment “muffin” still lingers close to my heart . There was nothing Brenda wouldn’t do for her daughter and I hope to be half of the mother she is someday .

Frank…

Cruelty sometimes lies beyond physical abuse but I have been warned not to drop a spoiler so I will leave you with this… Frank is one of the most complex and intricate characters I have ever met in a book. I’m dizzy to say the least .

The House in the Pines is beyond any 5 star book you will ever read. The detail, the characters, the plot and the twist will have you rethinking what you read long after concluding.

Ana Reyes, this might have been your debut but good lord almighty you are a power house and a force to be reckoned with . Reyes, you made a lifetime fan out of me .

Five Stars

This book is about a young woman, Maya, who has disturbing memories of here best friend dying seven years ago suddenly and mysteriously. She is trying to prove that her friend was murdered and at the same time trying not to have everyone think she is crazy. I found the book interesting but at times a little far fetched and confusing and I thought it ended rather abruptly.

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Group Dutton for the opportunity to read this digital copy for an honest review.

I wanted to enjoy this but I feel like it was not what I was expecting, I was left wanting more but also... not wanting to read another.

SYNOPSIS:
Maya is getting ready to leave for college when her best friend, Aubrey, mysteriously drops dead next to Maya's 'fling' of sorts, Frank. Seven years later, Maya is trying to come to terms with everything and falls into the slippery slope of medication dependence. Maya is getting ready to take a big step with her new beau, Dan, when she sees a viral video that is too similar to the death of her best friend to ignore. To make it worse - Frank is sitting at a table with this woman when she mysteriously dies too. Maya is determined to get to the bottom of this so heads back to the place where it began for her. What stands in her way? The trauma from Aubrey's death, her medication withdrawal, the mystery that is Frank and the fact that no one seems to believe her.

REVIEW:
I liked this book but I think my expectations were far higher than what I got from it. The premise of this book was intriguing and my spooky szn loving self couldn't wait to dive into this.

I personally was confused by the dual perspectives from past and present - sometimes it was present and present then past, or past and present and past, so I had to reread a lot throughout the start of the chapters to understand what time period I was in.

When the 'big twist' finally made its way through - I again, had to reread to make sure I really understood what was happening. While it was quite farfetched for me, it was an interesting take on the situation. I will say I definitely thought the twist was something different than what it was - so I really liked the surprise element there.

This book was definitely unique and unlike anything I've read before. Happy to be one of the early readers of Ana's debut novel and will definitely keep my eye out for any future releases from her!

While the ending was really vague and I definitely wanted a more concrete answer on what happened to all parties involved - it was still a decent read. A great kickoff to spooky szn :)

Thank you to NetGalley & Penguin House Dutton for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!!

I thought the concept of this book was really interesting, but found the outworking of it a bit confusing and the writing felt wooden.

*Thank you to NetGalley & Dutton Books for the ARC of this book. It comes out on January 3, 2023.

3.5 Stars!!

Great premise! I loved how creepy the story begins. I think this story if written from Frank's perspective (past and present) and being interwoven with Maya's could deliver the homerun potential that this story has.

I found myself getting irritated with Maya at times and I feel like the backstory with Guatemala and her father are irrelevant to the story. I felt like it took up space.

Otherwise, the plot is really interesting, I started to like Maya when she decided to stop being a doormat and to do something about it. I feel like the ending left me with a lot of follow up questions and I would really love to know more about Frank and his relationship with his father.

A special thank you to NetGalley, PENGUIN GROUP Dutton, and Ana Reyes for providing me with an ARC.

Debut novel and interesting read. Hard to write this review without giving anything away but the book is a decent read. Told in past and present tense you get background information while trying to figure out if Maya is actually crazy or if there is good reason for her paranoia.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thank you NetGalley, Ana Reyes and Dutton (Penguin Random House LLC) for hearing my honest review. Looking forward to reading more with you
#partner

A majority of the story was well written, a good psychological thriller that was leading down the right path, and then it fell flat. The ending didn’t wrap up with answers like I was anticipating - it all just seemed sort of vague and unbelievable. Could just be me and my mindset right now, I will try again later! The synopsis is exactly my kind of story.

BOOK REVIEW
The House in the Pines by Ana Reyes

“There was danger here, just beneath the surface of things. Woven in to the fabric of this place.”

How lucky do I feel to be reviewing Ana Reyes debut novel! I initially picked this book because of the cover. I love thrillers, and the description seemed promising. Now, after 3 days of reading, I am so happy I picked this up.

Maya, our main character, is haunted by the death of her childhood friend who dropped dead next to her ex-boyfriend Frank for no apparent reason. Now, 7 years later, Maya is still struggling with the after effects of her friends death when she comes across a video of an eerily similar incident in her home town. The strange thing about it, is that Frank appears in this video. Could it possibly be connected?

“Grief can make the imagination extra creative.”

This book was so fun. I love creepy, dark, and twists, and this had all of the above.
This book begins with an amazing prologue that immediately sucks you in. It was just the right amount of suspense and dark wonder. The writing is mostly very simple descriptions that are so on point you can almost feel yourself in the moment. At the same time, there are some small parts that seem a bit over descriptive. The author uses great music, film, and literature references, and there’s also a fair bit of history that I learned in this one.

This title was deliciously creepy at times, and although I figured out the twist a little early, It’s almost like it wasn’t intended to be saved for the end.

All in all, this was a great read, and I’m so thrilled that Ana Reyes is entering our world of psychological thrillers!

This book releases in January 2023

Thanks to #netgalley and #penguin for the ARC

The preview sounded very interesting and drew me in, but I had a hard time keeping my attention on the book. Seemed predictable.

Reivew posted on Goodreads, 19 July 2022:

THE HOUSE IN THE PINES has an interesting premise that drew me in. I wanted to know who Frank was, what he was up to, and if he really was responsible for the deaths of multiple women. Maya is a sympathetic heroine; I wanted her to succeed in finding out what had happened to Aubrey and to herself. On the whole, I found her plight compelling. The story held my interest for the most part, but the plot moves a lot slower than I would have liked. I definitely wanted more tension, more twists, and more complexity in terms of both story and characters. The somewhat open-ended finale left me feeling frustrated as well. I was left with too many questions for the book to feel truly satisfying. For all these reasons, THE HOUSE IN THE PINES was just an okay read for me.

This was so great! I highly recommend this - the title and cover is PERFECT. I absolutely love it all! 5 stars

Maya is looking at cat videos when a strange video pops up about a girl suddenly dying in a diner as she’s listening to a man. This is horrible, but even more shocking is that she recognizes the man sitting with the girl in the video. Several years previously, Maya’s best friend died in a very similar way as she was talking with that same man, Maya’s boyfriend, Frank.

This was definitely unique and interesting, but a bit confusing at times. It left me feeling a bit melancholy, thinking of so many wasted years as Maya slowly emerges from her foggy past.

Thank you, Netgalley, for the opportunity to review this book.

I had the hardest time finishing this book. I was super interested when I read the synopsis and the premise was promising, however the execution was poorly done. The pacing was just off and I often found myself losing interest.

The idea of The House in the Pines is very compelling, but I felt as though this novel relied too heavily on its incoming plot twist. And while I found the conclusion satisfying, the pacing is off for the rest of the novel. The lack of dialogue and such immense focus on the past also kept me out of tune.

This book was a page turner from beginning to end. A traumatic childhood occurrence leads to a hidden addiction from the true love of her life. Yet she will have to face the childhood fears to overcome and love her life free from fear and addiction. Highly recommend. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This book had some potential but just wasn’t there…

Seven years ago Maya’s best friend die. She believes an her old boyfriend Frank, who Maya briefly dated is the one to blame. When a similar girl is killed in the presence of Frank, Maya heads home to figure out if he is behind it.

I was wrapped into this book for about 70% of it. Then it felt like it started to become vague and wrapped up quickly. I have questions… What happened to Frank?? I

The chapters I feel like need a “Now” and “Then” on the chapters because the started of the chapters I didn’t know if it was 18 year old Maya or present day Maya.

But the beginning of the book was so good! I was so invested in the story. I wanted to know if Maya who crazy or not.

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin for letting me read and review.

The House in the Pines is tagged as a memory manipulation thriller, and boy is that accurate. This story follows Maya and her weird relationship with an odd guy named Frank, and how her best friend just dropped dead while talking to Frank and she never saw him again. It sent Maya into a life of self-medication and frustration for years about her missing memories of that summer she spent with him. That is until she happens to come across him again in a YouTube video where another girl meets the same fate as her best friend and she returns home to figure out just what is going on with this guy.

Holy cow, guys. This is a slow burn, but I didn't want to put it down until I found out exactly what happened. I had a completely different theory than what it turned out to be and I loved that I wasn't able to guess it correctly because I'm usually pretty good at guessing what the plot twists will be. I highly recommend this book to those who like a slow-burn psychological thriller.