Set against the haunting backdrop of the Scottish Highlands, Francine Toon's novel is a gripping blend of modern gothic and suspenseful thriller. The story unfolds in a small, isolated village, where Lauren and her father Niall encounter a mysterious woman on a desolate road. Her sudden disappearance the following morning reignites the dark undercurrents of the community, already shadowed by past tragedies and secrets.

Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

Unfortunately the download didn’t work and it didn’t appear on my kindle in time. I would still very much like to read this title.

This book had so much potential but I felt that it failed to deliver on the mystery part.
This book lacked tension and was boring in parts.

Unfortunately this one just wasn't for me. I gave it a good shot but have ended up having to DNF.

Some formatting issues on the version I was sent may not have helped.

In a small village in the Scottish Highlands, Lauren lives with her father, Niall. Her mother disappeared when she was younger, no-one mentions her, and any questions are met with vague answers from friends and family alike. Surrounded by a huge pine forest, the drive home from school and the town centre is eerie and dark - and made even more so when a young woman steps out in front of her fathers car. Disoriented and silent, she is taken home by Lauren and her father, but is gone by the time Lauren wakes up. But even stranger still is that her father has no memory of picking up this woman. She is seen around the village, in fleeting glances or even having more interaction with others. But no one remembers. Except Lauren. Determined to find out who she is, and whether this strange woman could be her missing mother, Lauren embarks on a mission to find out what the villagers know, and are most definitely hiding. When a local girl goes missing, Lauren's mission becomes even more urgent.

Francine Toon has written a remarkable debut novel, full of atmosphere, with haunting and unsettling moments. Highly recommended, and I look forward to her next novel.

8 autumnal books that you should read right now
As soon as it turned 1st September, I was all ready to curl up with a book and a blanket. I had a look through my TBR and picked out some autumnal books – and I thought I’d share them with you too!

Pine by Francine Toon
This chilling gothic thriller is a beautifully autumnal book to curl up with. Lauren and her father Niall live alone in the Highlands, in a small village surrounded by pine forest. When a woman stumbles out onto the road one Halloween night, Niall drives her back to their house in his pickup. In the morning, she’s gone.

Pine is creepy, atmosphere and strange. I loved every second of it. The mystery is addicting and will even make you feel uneasy a few times. An interesting read!

Wow is really all I can say. I'm so glad I got the opportunity to read this galley copy because a publisher friend of mine had been raving about it. Five stars.

Thanks to Random House UK and NetGalley for the Advance Review Copy in exchange for an honest review.

Woohoo! A book set in the Highlands and not just anywhere – my neck of the woods! Full disclosure, I grew up in pretty much the middle of nowhere. My school bus took over an hour just to get to school and not because of traffic, it was just that bloody far away. There were numerous times reading this book that I felt the narrator’s pain SO hard. As an adult I can look back on my childhood home and think it sounds lovely. As a child...not so much.

It’s quite hard to categorise this book. Atmospheric mystery maybe? Gothic thriller? There’s definitely a supernatural element to the story but it’s firmly couched in reality too.

Lauren and her distant father come across a young woman in white when they are returning from guising (NOT trick or treat people, GUISING) and take her home. The woman bears an uncanny resemblance to Lauren’s missing mother, yet aside from Lauren, it seems that people forget about her as soon as they have seen her.

I really liked Lauren and I think the author did a great job in capturing her life and feelings. She’s a little odd, a little different yet seems comfortable with who she is and her rather eccentric home life. The other characters didn’t resonate with me so much and I felt like some of them lacked character development. I found myself getting extremely frustrated with Lauren’s father and quite frankly just wanted to give him a slap and tell him to man up.

I did have some niggles with some of the continuity. Forgive my pickiness but I really couldn’t help myself. The story is set in the current day (ish- there's 4G mentioned for example, which is pretty recent in remote Highland areas, if at all) but some of the other references were to things that are long since closed or gone like Pentangle (2005, RIP), Highlander Crisps (2013) and Waltzing Waters (2011). I think the chances of these being remembered by a young teenager is slim to none. Also, there aren’t any polecats in the Highlands.

Overall, I did enjoy this book even if it was a little slow at parts. People not from this area of the world might struggle more with the rather sedate pace of things at certain points. The pace picked up towards the end and as someone who isn’t normally a huge fan of the genre, I'd say it was an above average thriller.

Lauren and her father, Nial MacKay, lead a simple life in a small village in the Scottish highlands. When they return one evening after trick-or-treating, a skinny figure in a large white dressing gown appears next to the road. Nial decides to take the woman home, but Lauren senses that something is wrong and unearthly about the woman’s clothing and hair. She smells musky, like warm blood and soil – “like a nocturnal animal that has come out from its den”.

When Lauren wakes up the following morning the woman is gone and her father has no recollection of the incident. Shortly after there are more incidents of people noticing the ghostly woman, yet they all seem to forget about it afterwards – all except Lauren.

Full review available here: https://wanderingwestswords.wordpress.com/2020/03/14/pine-francine-toon/

This book is certainly being praised to the hilt currently and I can see why. Francine Toon’s debut novel centres on Lauren and her father, Niall, living a fairly isolated existence in the Scottish Highlands. It soon becomes clear that Lauren’s mother, Christine, vanished when Lauren was a baby, traumatising her father and the remote community where this is set.

‘Pine’ (Oren, Lauren’s Christened name, means pine) is a creepy novel, largely due to its Gothic setting: gloomy forests, damp cellars, locked rooms. But, Toon’s characterisation - Vairi, for example, and the gossippy Angela - add to this. What I really appreciate is the focus on viewpoints from the third-person - especially Lauren’s, and the way she is ostracised on the bus, and at school, highlighting how cruel children can be, even at primary school; and that of Niall - a haunted man, one who is a suspect, to a degree, largely due to the way we are, perhaps, forced to see single men - as in his behaviour at Catriona’s house.

Toon creates some beautiful imagery here. Her similes, though, particularly near the beginning, are often surplus to requirements, I feel. The mysterious elements of the novel - the figure that others can’t see, the noises and the disruption - are perhaps not necessary considering such things dissipate as the novel reaches its climax. Here, Toon merges the everyday with the fantastical - all linked to Christine’s disappearance and the life she led, with healing and candles.

In many ways, this is a human story, of the destruction a disappearance can have on a community - and also how people can be supportive but harbour grudges regardless of truth. Toon interweaves fantasy elements, too, making this evocative and spooky.

An accomplished debut.

Thanks to the publishers and Netgalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

I loved the cover of this book and was drawn by the spooky, rural and Gothic elements of this book. While I loved the atmospheric feel of this book, and it is brilliantly written, with a captivating location that is eerie and alluring, ultimately I just found the book was lacking in terms of plot. For most of this book this was about a man and his 10-year daughter struggling with the grief of their mother's disappearance and the effect it has on their life. Nothing much happens until the 70% mark and the ending was so rushed, that when things were revealed I was like, "Huh? That's it!" Also there wasn't enough answers and events weren't explained. There just no payoff and having invested time reading through the book hoping I'll get answers for these strange events, it was just frustrating. Also I feel like this book wasn't marketed properly. This felt more literary Gothic, than horror.

The point of view alternates between 10 year old Lauren and her father Niall.

Laurens mother disappeared mysteriously when Lauren was a baby, Niall has never got over it and regularly drinks in order to dull the pain of abandonment.

The story is a slow burner, but very well written. There is a chilling air of suspense woven throughout the supernatural thriller. It is not my usual genre of choice but I'm really glad I read it. Once I started, I couldn't put the book down. I read it all over the course of a day.

10 year old Lauren is mature for her age, so it doesn't feel like reading a children's book, but her observations are in keeping with what you would expect a 10 year old to notice.

The foreshadowing was well done, the last 20% of the story really leaves you wondering how it is going to end!

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC in return for an honest review! Loved it!

An evocative, moreish story which got under my skin and kept me reading. Perfect for a winter read snuggled up under the blankets by a roaring fire.

This is an atmospheric thriller perfect for Autumn/winter months. It's a slow burner, not like a very fast-paced thriller. It'd be good to know what to expect. Nevertheless, I enjoyed this book and the writing.
Thanks a lot to the publisher and NG for this copy.

Lauren is 10 years old and lives with her father in the forested hills of the Highlands. Her mother disappeared when she was small and odd things seem to happen in the community. A woman appears one night and then disappears, Lauren's room is moved around and then a girl goes missing

There are some really positive reviews of this book but I found it very slow to pick up. The first part is mainly scene-setting and drags a little. When it does pick up I found the 'magic' theme a little annoying. In terms of characterisation, Lauren could have been any age.

Pine is a slow burner thriller set in the rural Scottish highland community.
The story begins with the discovery of a woman on a dark road one Halloween. The woman is taken in by Lauren and her father Niall but has disappeared come morning with only Lauren remembering she was even there. When another disappearance occurs it begs the question, could the events be linked?

If you're looking for something unsettling and atmospheric I would recommend picking this book up. Especially around the Autumn/Winter months as it is quite the atmospheric read.

Lauren, her father and their dog Jameson live alone at the edge of the forest in a tiny village in the Highlands where everyone knows everyone else (and their business). Lauren, or Oren as she was christened misses her mother, although she didn't really know her at all as she disappeared 10 years ago. She was the love of her dad Niall's life and he still deeply misses her, drinking to forget.

One Halloween night they spot a woman in the road and take her home only for her to disappear in the morning. Lauren's dad denies all knowledge of her but Lauren sees her around and wonders. Lauren is different and bullied at school. She wishes mum was still here - she dabbles in her mum's tarot cards and the occult.

An atmospheric tale which was slightly creepy and dark in places with a few twists along the way. Would recommend.

Dark, ominous and otherworldly, Pine is a subtle, creeping novel that infiltrates your subconsciousness with its sense of mystery. It isn't scary, per se, but quietly unnerving with a disturbing conundrum waiting patiently to be solved. I was wholly absorbed in Pine, looking for good reasons to be reading during, traditionally, non-reading times. So glad the rainy weather conspired to help me!

Here, our protagonist is a charming, sweet girl of ten, Lauren. She lives with her dad, Niall, and dog, Jameson. Her family has been the center of rumor and speculation since her mother disappeared whilst Lauren was a baby. Living in the remote, heavily wooded highlands of Scotland, there are few places for her to escape the whispers and taunts from her schoolmates. Interestingly, our girl has picked up a passing fancy with the occult becoming fascinated by relics, like tarot cards and supernatural texts, left by her mother. She is thoroughly fascinating as she tries to understand the mystery of the woman who stumbled into the road in front of her father's truck to be brought home, cared for and vanished without a trace by morning. Her father has no recollection but Lauren remembers it all with clarity.

The depth of probing into the darker corners of human emotion is professional-grade in Pine. Niall has great turmoil roiling inside him and only drink brings him calm. Not the ideal situation for a young girl to live with but one that feels authentic and believable. The trauma of her mother's disappearance has left deep scars in both of them though the wounds fail to heal. Much revolves around the unease and that is the platform this story is artfully constructed on. Spine-tingling and original, Pine left me guessing and keen to understand what this novel was trying to say. I felt and appreciated the otherworldly elements as they created tension that only eased with the climax. I great read that delivers more than meets the eye.