The House in the Pines: Reese’s Book Club: A Novel
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.
From the Publisher
Publisher : Dutton
Publication date : December 5, 2023
Language : English
Print length : 336 pages
ISBN-10 : 0593186737
ISBN-13 : 978-0593186732
Item Weight : 2.31 pounds
Dimensions : 5.5 x 0.72 x 8.19 inches
Best Sellers Rank: #10,322 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #243 in Murder Thrillers #501 in Psychological Thrillers (Books) #750 in Suspense Thrillers
Customer Reviews: 3.6 3.6 out of 5 stars (21,862) var dpAcrHasRegisteredArcLinkClickAction; P.when(‘A’, ‘ready’).execute(function(A) { if (dpAcrHasRegisteredArcLinkClickAction !== true) { dpAcrHasRegisteredArcLinkClickAction = true; A.declarative( ‘acrLink-click-metrics’, ‘click’, { “allowLinkDefault”: true }, function (event) { if (window.ue) { ue.count(“acrLinkClickCount”, (ue.count(“acrLinkClickCount”) || 0) + 1); } } ); } }); P.when(‘A’, ‘cf’).execute(function(A) { A.declarative(‘acrStarsLink-click-metrics’, ‘click’, { “allowLinkDefault” : true }, function(event){ if(window.ue) { ue.count(“acrStarsLinkWithPopoverClickCount”, (ue.count(“acrStarsLinkWithPopoverClickCount”) || 0) + 1); } }); });
Original price was: $1,686.47.$786.08Current price is: $786.08.
9 reviews for The House in the Pines: Reese’s Book Club: A Novel
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Original price was: $1,686.47.$786.08Current price is: $786.08.
Tammy –
Great mystery, loved the atmosphere, writing sidetracked a bit though.
I loved the catchy name.. and book cover.. it looks creepy, right.. “The House in the Pines” by Ana Reyes is the authors debut novel about a woman named Maya, who seven years ago, had a best friend Aubrey who died “mysteriously.” That was the summer before starting college, it’s also when they both had met 20-year-old Frank who worked at the local library. Present day.. Maya is scrolling YouTube and comes across a video with this same man sitting in a diner with a young girl that is slumped over their table, she had just died, and yes if you didn’t guess, “mysteriously.” Whoa.. that instantly peaked my interest, what a strange coincidence. This starts an obsession for Maya in finding out what happened to this girl, also investigating deeper into her friends death.I enjoyed the premise of this book. I thought the mystery behind what happened was fantastic. It kept my attention, then the story detoured into another storyline/other things (sidetracked) a bit that detracted me from the original story. I liked the suspense, the atmosphere, and thought the intrigue was spot on, as was Maya’s character because I just love unreliable narrator’s. Even though this debut wasn’t as exciting as I’d hoped, I’m looking forward to seeing more from AR 😊. 3 stars — Pub. 1/3/23A Reese’s Book Club Jan ‘23 pick
Stacia Levy –
Magical and Mysterious
In this mystery, protagonist Maya pursues answers to the question of what happened to her best friend, Aubrey, back in their senior year in high school. Maya is now a grown woman, living with Dan, her law school student boyfriend, but the question of Aubrey’s death has haunted Maya for seven years. The inability to process Aubrey’s death has propelled Maya into therapy and use and misuse of various medications. And Maya even really knows what happened to Aubrey: she dropped dead one summer day while talking to Maya’s boyfriend at the time, Frank Bellamy. Maya is convinced Frank somehow caused the death, despite a police investigation that determines he did not. Aubrey simply suffered “sudden death,” an event in which a person expires from an unknown cause. Nevertheless, Maya has never let go of the conviction, and fear, that it was Frank. Her suspicion causes her to lead her life “off the radar” to not attract Frank’s attention. People in Maya’s life have dismissed her fear as paranoia. However, her convictions are validated when Maya views on social media a video that has gone viral. In the video, Frank Bellamy is sitting with a woman who collapses and dies in much the same way as Aubrey did. Maya is propelled on a quest to find out, once and for all, what really happened to Aubrey and Cristina, the woman in the video, and what Frank’s power is.The book is well-written, with sufficient suspense to keep the reader turning pages to figure out, along with Maya, the fates of Aubrey and Cristina. The author freely plays with time, moving back and forth between the past and present. Dreams and symbols are incorporated into the narrative as well. This gives the story a somewhat mystical quality, like the magical realism that Maya’s late father Jairo wrote. In the end, Maya is able to unravel the mystery of Aubrey and Cristina’s deaths, at least to a degree.The narrative at times needs better transitions as it moves between past and present—but the jarring effect due to their lack may be deliberate, demonstrating the number of consequences the past can have on the present. In addition, although some questions about Aubrey and Cristina’s deaths, along with Frank’s involvement, are clarified, the explanation still seems incomplete and unclear. But that, too, may be a deliberate authorial choice. A lot of life is incomplete and unclear—like the nightmares that haunt Maya.
Romance Reader SW 💓 💕 💖 –
Women need support when abused
I bought this from Amazon, wanting to receive this book quickly to participate in the Reese’s Book Club discussions. I revieved it within a couple of days of ordering.Some mild spoilersThis story outlines the harsh impact of falling under the influence of a predator. The telling of the tale lets the reader see it before the characters. And women having to navigate a very skillful sociopathic gaslighting abuser without the understanding and belief from their surrounding loved ones is portrayed. How many women have had to navigate trauma without a supportive environment and family?As to the seriousness of benzodiazepine withdrawl, sadly it was not taught in the medical education systems to be avoided by a tapering. The same is true of other psychotropic meds such as anti depressants.Mayas connection with her mother and father save her.Folks criticizing the novel have said that Frank did not “Get what he deserved.” Sadly this is the reality of women and violence, the perpetrators continue to walk among us. Yet Maya did get what she deserved, the love, empathy and belief of her mother and husband.
Caroline Winters –
meh
I really wanted to enjoy The House in the Pines, but I found it difficult to keep pace with the story. The writing felt disjointed at times, which made it hard to follow the plot smoothly. The characters, while intriguing on the surface, were not fully developed, and I often struggled to understand their motivations or connect with them on a deeper level.The premise had so much potential, but the execution left me feeling confused rather than gripped. Instead of being pulled into the mystery, I found myself having to reread passages just to keep track of what was happening. Unfortunately, it didn’t deliver the immersive, page-turning experience I was hoping for.
Vanitha –
Book condition is bad. Very bad binding.
Dikshita Damodaran –
Read this book as a part of Reese’s book club and it just didn’t work for me. It is a perfect example of how a book can start on such a high note and turn so disappointing by the end.So many gaps in the plot line, such an abrupt ending, unanswered questions.
Anonimo –
Easy read, interesting comcept, the plot loses direction and interest in the middle.
Lesley K Mallett –
Not the best read but good enough for a rainy day.
Shopedb –
I enjoyed the book like a regular one. Not page turner but nice enough to read quickly. The end however was a bit flat compared to the rest