After a disastrous dinner at her boyfriend's parent's house, Maya knows she can't live with not knowing the truth any longer.

ANA REYES

Maya has no idea the can of worms she opens will bring about more questions than answers and she must face that there were many things she can't remember about her relationship with Frank when she was a teenager and if she does confront him again it could be her life at stake this time and there won't be anyone there to save her. A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides that feature detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, quotes, and essay topics. This seems to be really symbolic, both in the synopsis and throughout the story itself, but I couldn’t make the connection between that story and what was happening to Maya. By focusing not on whodunnit but how and why, Ana Reyes’ stellar debut explores the many ways our memories can fail us—and how they can set us free.

When she was 18, her bff, Aubrey, died a mysterious death, at the hands, she believes, of a man they had both dated. Dan is kind, open and honest, loves books, is studying for law school exams, and is a procrastinator.

The House in the Pines: A Reese Witherspoon Book Club Pick

During the few weeks in which she dated Frank, there were multiple episodes in which she lost hours of time. Maya was a high school senior when her best friend, Aubrey, mysteriously dropped dead in front of the older man named Frank whom they’d been spending time with all summer.The flashbacks between Aubrey and Maya seemed like they were straight out of HBO's Euphoria or from the glory days of Tumblr. Once Maya finally admits to Aubrey the truth behind her relationship with Frank, Aubrey surprises her.

The House in the Pines by Ana Reyes | Goodreads

One of the most coveted designations in the book industry, the Kirkus Star marks books of exceptional merit.So we’re meant to think that Oren tried his hypnosis techniques on his son, Frank, who apparently learned them and used them to murder two people by causing their hearts to stop.

House in the Pines - Jen Ryland Spoiler Discussion for The House in the Pines - Jen Ryland

She left the cabin covered in dirt, unsure of how it got there, and a sense that something was terribly wrong. However, when she is 25 years old, a viral online video catches Maya’s attention and brings her trauma back to the surface. Now, eight years later, Maya is living in Boston with a new boyfriend and is trying to kick her addiction to the medication she’s been secretly taking to cope with the trauma of Aubrey’s death. Maya grabs a kitchen knife, leaves a note for her mom and goes to Frank’s favorite bar to confront him.While not a perfect story, there’s actually quite a bit of depth and I was so interested in where the story would go. One night while not being able to sleep, Maya witnesses a woman drop dead in front of her ex boyfriend on a YouTube video. The House in the Pines has a great hook, a beautifully painted central protagonist, and a genuinely creepy villain. I know there are other books that bear some resemblance to this one in some ways, but because there were so many elements in play, I didn't quite know what to expect and felt a decent level of surprise at the ending.