The House in the Pines

A Novel

By: Ana Reyes

Narrated by: Marisol Ramirez

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.

Never got better

Poor overall story structure. Characters names and identities were confusing. Do not bother with this book.

Excellent narrator

I love thrillers, and stories with non-linear timelines and unreliable narrators. This one was a murky and unfathomable mess. The protagonist is whiny and weak, the plot dumb and predictable, the cast of supporting characters tiny, yet still barely sketched out stereotypes. I read it for book club or I would have stopped halfway through. I hope the author tries again, I think she started from a good place.

Weird!

The story line is so strange! Not believable and odd characters. Wouldn’t recommend although this book gets rated well by others.

It had some twists and was interesting

The characters and narration was good. The story was a little confusing as it went in and out of different times. The way he was able to manipulate women was odd.. and i didn’t understand it.

Slow, to start hard to stay with

Creepy hard to follow stuck with it til the end. I think difficult to want to continue not good for me

Seemed too bizarre for my liking.

Not the best I’ve listened to. Seemed disjointed and story did not flow well for my taste.

Just okay

So slow. So choppy. Unlikeable protagonists. And I also didn’t like the narrator of this book.

The booked dragged on

Unfortunately, this book was terrible. I was bored the whole time except for maybe one hour.