A little bit weird and far fetched, don't want to say too much and give away the readers M.O.
It was one of those books where to say, ' just a couple more page's and then it's 2 hours later!
Good book though a little unbelievable

The House in the Pines was an interesting psychological, slow burning thriller.

'If you look closely enough at anything, patterns will emerge.'

With this being Ana Reyes' debut novel, this wasn't a bad experience and for the most part I found it to be quite an enjoyable, entertaining and atmospheric read. However, I did feel that the pacing was a little erratic, and as a whole the plot felt quite drawn out.

I did like the premise and the writing itself was well executed throughout.

Maya's friend is killed in the company of Frank, and then another girl dies in similar circumstances. She investigates Frank, and discovers his strange history, whilst suffering from huge memory gaps.
Although it was difficult to read, as it doesn't flow easily, and I found the writing awful, the idea was interesting, involving medical experimental studies.

I felt that this was a bit too long, over-exaggerating and, at times, pointless, and full of suffering. There were themes of manipulation and exploration but i wasn't as entranced as I was lead to think. The conclusion was vague, unsatisfying and relentless and I did not enjoy this at all.

I really enjoyed this dark psychological thriller. The important thing for me was it stood out from the others in this genre. The author is a very gifted writer in that I was totally sucked in. A few creepy twists thrown in too. A dark and twisted winter read xx

The House in the Pines is one of those books that didn't quite hang together for me.
Our story focuses on Maya and her problems accepting the death of her friend. Maya has spent years trying to convince people that she isn't mad. Her addiction to anti-anxiety drugs and subsequent withdrawal has caused hallucinations and paranoia - but she is adamant that she needs to go home and confront the person she feels is responsible.
There were parts of the story that intrigued me, but the story about her father felt like a thread on which to hang the reveal about Frank and didn't quite sit right. After so long being told she was crazy, it seems to have come from nowhere that someone would believe her.
While I enjoyed the story I don't think it will stay with me. However, I'm grateful to NetGalley for giving me the chance to read and review this.

This book sent chills down my spine.
Extremely creepy and atmospheric, makes you want to read more.
I really enjoyed reading this book, trying to work out the mystery was addictive and slightly scary too, really had your heart racing in places.

An offer kilter and clever thriller, an intriguing main protagonist makes for an addictive read.

I loved the spooky sense of it and the disturbing undertones. The story itself is hugely compelling and a bit different which is always welcome.

Loved the writing it is absorbing and really digs deep to make you feel every element of the tale unfolding on the page.

I loved it. Tense, atmospheric and entertaining.

I really enjoyed the plot and characters within this book. However, I found the pacing to be too slow for my taste, which is why the rating is a bit lower. The actual storyline was very interesting though.

This book is manic and that is exactly why it’s so entertaining! Between the dual timelines and the incredibly unreliable narrator, I had no idea what was going on until the end but I was desperate to find out. I loved that Maya is a book nerd - know your audience and all that!! The author does a great job of creating a tale that is creepy, mysterious and intriguing and I kept changing my mind about what direction this book could be going in. Some of it can get confusing and the twist is a little far fetched but if you are looking for a quick, lighthearted, fast paced, fun read that’s not too heavy I would recommend House In The Pines.

This is a hard one to judge for me because I enjoyed the content and I thought the premise was a good one and the story kept me engaged, however I thought the pacing was all wrong and just didn't fit well with either me or the content. I did enjoy aspects of it though and I think that a lot of people will enjoy it.

3.5 stars

Unfortunately this one just didn't work for me.
I feel the pacing was too slow meaning it felt like an effort to pick up and read.
Slow pacing might work for others, but for me, the pay off didn't make it worth it.

An idyllic cabin in the middle of the forest offers warmth, comfort, safety and a feeling of being loved. The summer Maya visited this cabin, her best friend Aubrey died unexpectedly and suddenly. Now, another woman from Maya's hometown has died in the same strange, unexplained way. Maya believes that she can save the next innocent girl, as she knows that the two deaths are connected to a man from her past.

The novel begins promisingly, but then turns into a one-way street, as the author gets too involved with describing Maya's addiction to pills, where we are aware that this addiction is connected to Aubrey's death, then she only touches on Maya's Guatemalan heritage, skips in the descriptions of the connection with Maya's mother, boyfriend and last but not least Frank. Unfortunately, the characters are too two-dimensional for full reading pleasure.

It would be better if the author went deeper into the development of the story of the influence of our own and other people's thoughts on our reality and how this influence can change a person's life or even lead to death.

2.5/5

Sadly this one didn’t work for me. DNF at 24%. I didn’t enjoy the main character Maya and the story just fell a bit flat.