The House in the Pines: Reese's Book Club: A Novel

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 Pick January 2023)

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, 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.

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Published Dec 5, 2023

336 pages

Average rating: 5.66

875 RATINGS

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Community Reviews

Cookingwithmonny
Jul 01, 2025
4/10 stars
Not my favorite. Weird storyline.
AbbeyLileTaylor
Aug 29, 2023
8/10 stars
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Oh, @librofm! Once again you have brought me a story that kept me on the edge of my seat from page 1!
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I can't hardly talk about it without giving the entire story away.
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But I will say this... Did you ever date one of those smooth-talkers that made you believe anything? And you'd question everything they said or did once you were no longer in their presence, but fell under their spell the very second you were? #IHave
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Welcome to Maya's world.
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Everyone thinks she's crazy. Even you, as the reader, may think that at times, too. But don't walk away...stay and enjoy the ride.
patdbby
Jul 25, 2023
6/10 stars
I enjoyed the story and how the book was written but it was a slow slope. It ended pretty soft after a breakthrough and I expected more. Leaves you with a feeling that the story was unfinished. It could have been more.
bumbling_bee
Jun 29, 2025
7/10 stars
An OK read for those who are just getting into thrillers. Story kind of drags in the middle and makes excessive mention to protagonist's drug use as a red herring, which I found ultimately fails in its purpose. The hypnosis angle was unexpected, though, and the ending was sweet [if brief].
stackedlibrarian
Dec 11, 2024
8/10 stars
3.5

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