Ratings33
Average rating3.2
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 Jan ’23 Pick) 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, mysteriously 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.
Reviews with the most likes.
I liked the Guatemalan parts of Maya's story and history. Her dealing with her addiction issues was pretty well done. Her romantic relationship was also well done. She was struggling with several things, but she wasn't hopeless in the struggle. The actual thriller/ mystery part was a bit slow going and the twist was kinda drawn out. So the pacing was a bit weird. The characters were good, but the plot struggled.
Could not tell what was happening because it kept switching randomly from past to present and I didn't know where I was in the timeline.
Honestly a pretty boring thriller, doesn't really pick up until you're halfway through the book. I thought the main character was highly unlikable. The twist was impressive and not at all what I expected but there was also no way to have guessed it which is likely what made most of the book boring