A review by booklistqueen
The House in the Pines by Ana Reyes

dark mysterious slow-paced

3.0

 The summer before heading to college, Maya became infatuated with Frank but their rocky relationship ended with Maya's best friend suddenly dropping dead in front of him and Maya has always suspected Frank did it somehow. While trying to kick a prescription drug addiction, Maya is shocked to see a YouTube video of another woman dropping dead in front of Frank. Returning to her hometown to search for answers, Maya tries to remember the blank spaces in her memories of that summer and finds clues in her deceased father's book.

Normally I enjoy the thrillers chosen by Reese's Book Club pick, but I was bored by The House in the Pines. Although Reyes paints an atmospheric scene, Maya's memory gaps make for a slow confusing retelling that doesn't keep you gripped. One of my biggest issues was that Maya is painted as an unreliable narrator, Though everyone else in the story seemed to, I didn't doubt Maya at all, making the big reveal feel unsatisfying.