The House in the Pines

Reese's Book Club (A Novel)

By: Ana Reyes

Narrated by: Marisol Ramirez

Length: 8 hrs and 34 mins

Publisher's summary

An instant New York Times bestseller!

“This is an absolute, can’t-put-it-down thriller. . . . It’s truly a wild ride that had me flying through chapter after chapter—which I think is the perfect way to kick off your year of reading.”—Reese Witherspoon (Reese’s Book Club Pick January 2023)

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, 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.

©2023 Ana Reyes (P)2023 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

This is an absolute, can’t-put-it-down thriller. . . . It’s truly a wild ride that had me flying through chapter after chapter—which I think is the perfect way to kick off your year of reading.” —Reese Witherspoon (Reese’s Book Club Pick January 2023)

“The House in the Pines has a great hook, a beautifully painted central protagonist, and a genuinely creepy villain. I loved it. Superb.” —M. W. Craven, bestselling author of The Botanist

“It’s a back-and-forth book that’ll leave you on the edge of your seat, for sure.” —New York Post

Great storyline

Story line was great- loved the mystery. But it was hard in the audio version to decipher what portions took place in the past and what was happening in present day.

Loose pieces

Too many loose pieces without development. Beginning and middle was okay. Ending lack luster. Fell asleep in last 10 minutes 5 times.

Weird

This book was an ok read, but very strange. Back & forth from present to past took a little getting used to.

Keeps you on your toes

Always a way to keep you guessing, but we’ll written, welll performed. Some times a little confusing when slipping back and forth between flashbacks, bit overall I enjoyed it!

Not the best

Difficult to follow, past and present tense melded together and indistinguishable. I was hoping for a suspenseful thriller but this story fell flat for me.

Didn’t love it

There was zero climax throughout this entire book. I honestly didn’t know it was about to end and was shocked when I saw there was 28 minutes left. Some books I listen to are pretty slow and then there’s a huge twist. That did not happen with this one. Would not recommend the listen.

Interesting storyline

Didn’t love the ending, or the voice reading. But the story was interesting and compelling.

🤦‍♀️

I just wanted it to end already. I finished it but only because I spent a credit on it. The story dragged, the characters were not very likable and the plot was kinda lame. I wasn’t too fond of the performance by the reader either.

Pretty good read

This novel was a different plot line than I have read before. I enjoyed it. The only problem I had was the author’s writing style was a little confusing. The storyline flips back and forth between the past and the present but there is no way to know which time you are reading about at the beginning of each chapter. I would be reading thinking I was continuing the present day story only to realize nope I was back in the past. Overall I liked this book.

Confused on the ending

This definitely wasn’t a genre that I would normally read but I am following Reese’s book club and have liked a lot of the books that are suggested. This book was a bit slow to start but then I couldn’t put it down after Chapter 10. I felt like the story was left open for a future novel or just cut off too quickly without giving it proper closer… I can’t decide which it is so I give it a 3.5 almost 4 on the story line.