I love thriller and this book was great! Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read and review this title.

Couldn’t wait to read this book after seeing it was a Reese’s book choice. I was quite disappointed though overall, I found it to be slow going and it didn’t keep me wanting to pick the book up.

I really enjoyed this. The synopsis really grabbed me and I loved the intrigue of how people could be getting killed without any touch and also the creepiness at times kept me on the edge. I also enjoyed the Guatemala side story and getting to know Maya and her full story. Definitely a great page turner for me, my first book by this author and I will be checking her out in the future. Thank You to the publisher and Netgalley for this early proof.

I love a good isolated thriller and that’s exactly what I was expecting from this very atmospheric, intriguing cover. Unfortunately, it took a weird turn that I wasn’t prepared for and I didn’t quite get what I bargained for.

Seven years ago, Maya’s best friend Aubrey died suddenly and Maya has always suspected that a man called Frank played a part. However, she has never been able to prove anything. Now a viral CCTV video has emerged of a girl dying suddenly in a diner while sitting opposite a man who is undeniably Frank. Maya is compelled to return to her hometown and figure out what happened to her seven years before and maybe even solve the mystery of these two strange deaths.

Maya has some addiction issues, which makes her an unreliable narrator. It also means that she is particularly vulnerable to being manipulated and tricked, so I couldn’t really trust her version of events as the truth. Therefore, I was quite confused as to what was really going on until it was spelled out for me. Unfortunately, I don’t really enjoy being thoroughly confused during thrillers because I love playing detective. If I’ve got nothing tangible to build my case on, I just end up frustrated!

I understand that Maya has always been easy prey for shady characters but I still couldn’t really understand her instant connection to Frank. They meet at their local library and I suppose that librarians are often considered very trustworthy. However, I did feel that Maya really gave a lot of herself away very quickly. She reflects on this in the chapters set in later years but she does still harbour a lot of the demons that she had earlier, making me doubt that she’d really changed. I did wonder whether she was going to fall prey to Frank again on her return.

As well as having an inebriatied mind, Maya has a rich imagination. Therefore, she ticks every single box required for a stereotypical, helpless victim. On top of this, she didn’t really have a lot of fire to redeem herself as a relatable, likeable heroine. Apart from wanting to find out what happened to Aubrey, she just seemed to be a very passive part of her own story, which was disappointing.

There was one very creepy part where Maya turns up at the house that Frank lives in with his dad. Frank isn’t in the main house, so Maya is greeted by his dad. I think the smile and sinister vibes that Frank’s father emanates was the only time I got genuine chills from this book. I really expected to be more scared than I was, so this tiny moment was much appreciated!

The House In The Pines is a strange mystery with a turn that I think was supposed to be shocking but was actually a disappointment for me. I didn’t believe that it was possible, which meant that I couldn’t really get invested in the story. I think the twist could have been delivered in a smarter way with better execution, if the events of the book weren’t quite so farfetched.

I was delighted to receive an ARC of this book as it was chosen as the Reese's Book Club January read. The premise of the story line was intriguing and the book read as a strange fever dream - Maya is an extremely unreliable narrator which was confusing - whilst it added to the aura of mystery I eventually became irritated by the feeling that something was just "not right"....I won't give away the ending...

I had been so excited to read this book as I cannot resist a book featuring a wood or forest. The plot intrigued me
Unfortunately this book really wasn’t for me and almost DNF’d it. I did want to know if it was all in Maya’s head and how someone could kill without actually doing anything to the victims. So I was interested enough to keep going but when the grand reveal came at the 80% mark I rolled my eyes. I was so disappointed
I didn’t enjoy any of the characters and i do enjoy unreliable narration but it just didn’t work
I’m not writing off the author though. I’ll try their future books. This book seemed to be related to their thesis so was maybe more of a passion project which is why they pushed the twist that i absolutely hated

The synopsis of this novel intruiged me but sadly I didn't feel the story filled me with the same expectations. It wasn't that I disliked it I just felt there was a lot of story and reading before getting to the ending. I wish the author much success

The House in the Pines by Ana Reyes is an atmospheric and suspenseful thriller that works well to hold the attention of readers. The novel follows Maya, a woman who witnessed the sudden and mysterious death of her best friend seven years ago. Maya discovers an online video depicting a man and woman in a diner, with the woman dropping dead at the table, and realises it is the same man responsible for the death of her best friend. She decides to confront her past by travelling to her Massachusetts hometown in the Berkshires, where she believes the truth lies.

The House in the Pines utilises some clever plot devices that offer a bit of freshness to the thriller genre. The characters are well-developed and interesting and there are some suspenseful scenes. The backstory is well-developed enough to enhance and advance the plot. The plot is full of twists and surprises, keeping the reader guessing until the very end. The scenes are vivid and the dialogue is believable. The pacing is also effective, as the story builds tension steadily and gradually.

I personally struggled to engage with it, however. Maybe the thriller genre just isn't for me or maybe I'm very picky but I found myself not really caring about the resolution of the mystery. An enjoyable enough read but not enough to elevate it above 3 stars for me.

The House in the Pines by Ana Reyes is the Reese Witherspoon book club pick for January, and although I find her choices can be hit and miss, I said I’d give this one a go after spotting it on #Netgalley.

Maya has just moved in with her boyfriend Dan but is hiding her klonopin withdrawals from him, including the potential side effects; paranoia, hallucinations, and insomnia. She’s barely holding on by a thread when a viral video throws her completely off kilter; a woman in a diner seemingly drops dead of no obvious cause. Beside her is a man Maya recognizes instantly; she believes he killed her best friend Aubrey seven years ago in very similar circumstances, but he was never charged with any crime.

Maya decides it’s time he paid for what he did, and so she heads back to her home town to solve the mystery.

What I liked about this book; I thought the thriller aspect was original and quite creepy, and I was really keen to find out what happened to the women who had died. I also found the cabin scenes propelled the story forward and I wish there’d been a bit more of that.

Things I didn’t love; while I found the references to Guatemala interesting, I’m not sure they added to the story that much.
Maya is a classic unreliable narrator, and at this stage of reading thrillers, I’m wondering is that particular trope a little overdone. Are there any women solving mysteries that aren’t dependent on drugs or alcohol?!

Parts of the book felt a bit dragged out, and I was hoping to get to the crux of the story a little quicker. This is much more of a slow burn mystery than it is a thriller, in my opinion. I thought the mystery itself was actually fascinating, but felt the jumping around between timelines confused matters rather than revealing more of the backstory.

Overall I think the premise of this book is both unique and intriguing but it just didn’t quite hit the mark for me.

This book grabbed me from the outset! I couldn’t have loved it more and instead of drawling on with reasons why you should read it, do yourself a favour, stop reading these reviews and grab a copy! Go in cold! You won’t be able to put it down!!
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Thank you SO much to the publisher and netgalley for my ARC!

The House In The Pines by Ana Reyes
~~~~~
⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3 stars
Thank you to NetGalley and Little Brown Books for providing me with an e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
#TheHouseinthePines #NetGalley
~~~~~
Maya's best friend Aubrey died 7 years ago; she dropped dead while talking to Frank, a man Maya had been dating.
Now, another woman from Maya’s hometown has died in the same strange, unexplained way whilst talking to Frank, and Maya believes only she can save the next innocent girl.
~~~~~
This had me really intrigued for a while. Maya is a thoroughly unreliable narrator, and you cannot be sure that what she's saying, feeling or remembering is real or due to her withdrawal from anxiety medication (plus the copious amount of alcohol she drinks to try and even herself out.)
We follow a dual timeline, present days and seven years previously, leading to Aubrey's death, which I really liked. The writing was actually pretty good - I found it quite atmospheric, with some beautiful descriptions (especially of the titular house in the pines) and in certain scenes, there was definitely a creepy feeling and certain things happening that made you feel off-kilter.
I loved the inclusion of Maya's Guatemalan heritage and how her dad's unfinished book weaved through the story.
I worked out what was happening before it was revealed and I'll be honest, I rolled my eyes then firmly suspended my disbelief to keep going.
The ending wasn't so much open-ended as a bit wishy-washy, in my opinion. But, all in all, I thought that was a solid debut with good writing and I would read more from this author.
~~~~~

The plot is as deep and dark as it gets, multi-layered with 'who knew what when?' as the strands come together and the finer details get filled in. This is an absolutely compelling, gripping book full of mystery and suspense. Only a few authors can write deeply involving psychological drama of the very highest quality.

The E-Book could be improved and more user-friendly, such as links to the chapters, no significant gaps between words some text written has been typed in red and a cover for the book would be better. It is very document-like instead of a book. An example of this in pink font throughout the book is the codes S28 and N29 in the middle of the sentence. A star has been deducted because of this.

This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and would read more of their work. Thank you very much to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

I really enjoyed this debut novel!

So happy to find an engaging read that I want to keep on picking up and finishing - the last pages just flew by!

It’s a “guess what happened” thriller mixed in with how past trauma affects us in the future and how naming it and coming to terms with it helps you to live with your shortcomings nonetheless.

Truly, happy I picked this up and can’t wait for the next novel from this author ☺️

Thank you for the ARC, NetGalley!

My Five Word TL:DR Review : Liked but didn’t love it

I will start this review with the positives. I certainly think this is an impressive and fairly unique debut, Ana Reyes succeeds in creating a great atmosphere and I enjoyed her style and would be keen to pick up any books she writes in the future. I also enjoy a story told in a dual perspective and added to that a slightly unreliable narrator and you have my attention. But, I felt like the pacing was off a little – for me at least anyways. I reached a stage where I was becoming a bit annoyed, at this point, instead of enjoying the suspense I found myself becoming frustrated. This could of course be my reading mood at the time but I just felt too much ‘drag’.

Anyway, a little about the plot.

As the story begins we meet Maya, in a loving relationship and living in Boston. However, look a little closer and it turns out that Maya is keeping secrets. She has become addicted to painkillers to try to keep at bay the mysterious death of her best friend and is really struggling with withdrawal because her supply has dried up. On top of this, after witnessing a strange YouTube video in which a young woman dies unexpectedly her memories from that time begin to creep back in unwanted – the reason being, the unknown man in the video, who was talking to the woman just before she keeled over, is Frank, Maya’s love interest when her own best friend died in similar circumstances. Maya decides to return to her home to finally search for answers.

There is so much here that is done very well. I got a great feel for Maya and her best friend Aubrey. They have a close friendship until Maya’s interest in Frank begins to drive a wedge between the two, ultimately leading to jealousy. The relationship between Maya and Frank is also really well done. Frank seems to be too good to be true. He’s elusive and mysterious, giving very little away about himself whilst at the same time manipulating Maya who seems to experience disturbing memory lapses during his presence, which she generally puts down to time flying when she is in his company. He’s an unusual character, his charm barely masking a general feeling of something more sinister lurking beneath the surface. You have an overall ‘bad’ feeling about him.

The story jumps back and forth to Maya’s highschool days and the present time (approx 7 years later) when she’s trying to kick addiction, hold down a job, keep her relationship steady and discover the missing elements of that mysterious summer from her past. On the whole I enjoy a split timeline and that was the case here. Between the past and present we jump back to the strange encounter with Frank and the author begins to lay the trail of crumbs that something is not quite right. At the same time we jump forward to the present where Maya struggles with her withdrawal and begins slowly to recall events from the past.

I mentioned the atmosphere. On the face of it this is a regular story where something just feels off – mainly anything in relation to Frank – but steadily Reyes builds up the tension. I can’t deny I was fascinated to read the final scene with Aubrey and found the jaunts to the house in the woods equally compelling and would have liked more.

Okay, the only thing that really held me back here was the pacing. I definitely felt myself flagging by the middle. Of course I was desperate to know what was really going on so I was turning the pages like a maniac but, put simply, for me the eventual reveal was too drawn out and in fact, considering how quickly the ending then rushed in it felt a little unbalanced. I must also mention that the unreliable narrator feels as though it is slightly overused (although I usually like it)- or perhaps I’ve simply read to many similar books recently.

Regardless of my slight reservations I do think this was a good read and the conclusion felt unique to me. I enjoyed the writing and would love to see what this author comes up with next.

I received a copy through Netgalley, courtesy of the publisher, for which my thanks. The above is my own opinion.

My rating is 3 of 5 stars

This story about Maya, a young girl whose friend dies when they are teenager, is convinced there's foul play at work. The trouble is she can't prove it and it frustrates her. Fast forward some years, and she is in a long term relationship and as happy as she can be. There is a video that she sees that shows a girl sitting in a café with a man opposite her. This girl suddenly lurches forward and is dead. This brings back all her memories from before and she recognises the man as her ex boyfriend. She realises that she has to find out what happened and this starts her off on a journey to discover what happened to herself as well.
It was good but it didn't really grab me. The plot was good, there was a lot of detail about Maya the main character but all the other characters were a lot less.
I received a free arc book for an honest review.
#Netgalley, #littlebrownbookgroup_uk, anareyeswriter.

An atmospheric and mostly engaging debut thriller. Told through dual timelines and great for fans of slower-paced psychological thrillers. I enjoyed the characterisation and the setting, but was left wanting a slightly more satisfying conclusion and I felt there were some loose ends that could have been tied up.

Thanks to the author, Little, Brown Book Group and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this enjoyable book.

I enjoyed this more than I expected. The main character, Maya, is well developed and the mystery is carried well through the development of the story. Enough mystery to keep you with the story although the father’s unfinished book concept is a bit of a loose connection tool.

I chose this book because of the title. I have a thing for trees.

Maya, the main character is coming off sleeping tablets and is suffering withdrawal, She can't sleep, but when she does her dreams are vivid, and always lead her back the the cabin in the woods where she feels strangely calm, and Frank is there, whispering in her ear.
One of these nights when she can't sleep, she leaves her boyfriend , Dan, sleeping and takes her laptop to check recipes and watch video clips. It is then that she sees a video on-line entitled "girl dies on camera" This happened in a diner in her home town. What she sees on the video, captured by the CCTV is this girl coming in with Frank!

Maya's best friend Aubrey had fallen over dead just before Maya had left for college. She too had just had a conversation with Frank.

Coincidence?

As the plot develops, we see Maya uncovering parts of her past, and events unfold and the truth reveals itself.

This is a thriller, that at times will have you on the edge of your seat.

The plot switches from 'then' to 'now' and I found this challenging to start with, until I got used to it.

Although what seemed to be an interesting concept, unfortunately, I did not enjoy the book on this occasion. The book's pace was not consistent throughout, and I felt it had the potential for more. It isn't personally to my tastes but may be to someone else.
⭐️⭐️⭐️

This is definitely a new adult mystery/thriller. It needs to have trigger warnings at the beginning. By knowing Maya’s addiction history from the start, it makes the reader question whether she is a reliable narrator or not. Are the things she described reality or a figment of her imagination? It makes the rest of her loved ones questioning her state of mind seem a lot more realistic/relatable. Frank’s childhood trauma didn’t redeem him in anyway and if anything, villainized him more in my eyes- why would he subject others to the terrible things that happened to him?