The House In The Pines.

 

 

✰✰✰✰✰

4.5 Stars  

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.... 

 

 ❀❀

 
Captivating. 

I have read several books recommended by Reese’s Book Club and loved most of them. I should not be shocked. Yet I find myself caught off guard by another amazing story. I’d heard about House in the Pines for a while and finally had a chance to check it out from the library. I’ve read a few thrillers over the years, and what I liked about this one was that it was unique and unlike any other novel I’d read before. I believe that the title: The House In The Pines will catch the reader’s attention. As a thriller fan, I couldn’t stop wondering about the tale behind the title. 

Maya was different from the characters that I typically read about. I believe that is what distinguishes her. When it came to situations like hers, she thought differently than everyone else. However, that did not stop her from investigating and trying to piece together the truth of her best friend, Aubrey’s death. That was one of the things I admired about Maya: she never gave up, even when others refused to believe that Frank was involved. Like Maya, I knew that there was something about Frank; that he knew something that others did not. 

There were quite a few mysteries surrounding this story. There were a couple of moments that I felt were dragging on a bit too long but overall, I couldn’t pull away from this story. There was a lot that was going on in this novel, yet it didn’t feel confusing; everything fell together for me. I couldn’t believe that this was the author’s debut novel, and I can’t wait to see what adventures await us next.