Reviews tagging 'Alcohol'

The House in the Pines by Ana Reyes

41 reviews

kmleonardi's review against another edition

mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

Interesting story and idea. Different than most others I've read, but I felt it started to drag on toward the end and then ended without any real resolution. Yes, it had a somewhat "happy" ending, but it just felt unfinished.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Grief, Murder, and Alcohol

Minor: Gaslighting

amberk032's review against another edition

challenging dark slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, and Alcohol

lpdx's review against another edition

dark mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Alcohol

Moderate: Fire/Fire injury

Minor: Forced institutionalization

hnnhhrsvsk's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

The House in the Pines is a masterpiece in the thriller-mystery genre. The author creates such an eerie atmosphere that draws you in deeply, quickens your pulse, and makes you want to read just one more chapter. The main character tries desperately to unravel the mystery of the death of her best friend seven years prior, but is shrouded by self-doubt, pill her withdrawal and alcohol, and disbelief from every person she reaches out to for help, to the point where you pain for her, but also question her reliability. The narrative switches back and forth between past and present as the main character slowly starts to remember what she was forced to forget. Certified page turner. 

Only theee small critiques I have:

• The title is The House in the Pines, but the author almost exclusively refers to said location as the cabin in the woods. I wished she used the title a bit more!
• I would have loved to learn more about what happened to Ruby!
• Some mention of whether a chapter was set in the past or present would have been helpful, especially for the chapters where she is revisiting a location. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Drug use, Toxic relationship, and Alcohol

Moderate: Death

javafenn's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

I’m not entirely sure what to think of this book. The premise was good and ultimately the plot twist was good but there wasn’t much of a resolution and it just kind of… ended. I gave it 3.5 stars because it did keep me engaged but the ending was so abrupt and uneventful that I had to rewind it several times because I thought o was missing something. There was a lot I wish there was more of, I guess.  

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Gaslighting, and Alcohol

lnezzy16's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Murder, and Alcohol

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Chronic illness, Genocide, Mental illness, and Toxic relationship

ktwinkiebell's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.0

Did not enjoy the writing style. The flashbacks felt clunky and were not noted. The "plot twist" was a 0/10.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death

Moderate: Drug use and Alcohol

typedtruths's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.25

major flop. one of the most underwhelming mysteries i have ever read. not a shred of atmosphere or entertainment. i was most invested in maya reconnecting with her heritage and dealing with her trauma. and the twist? laughable

▷ Representation: Maya (mc) is Guatemalan-American and has insomnia and substance addictions.

Blog • Trigger Warning Database • StoryGraph 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Drug use, Mental illness, and Alcohol

Moderate: Alcoholism, Death, Gun violence, Vomit, Grief, and Death of parent

Minor: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, and Terminal illness

➸ Trigger warnings for psychological domestic and child abuse mentioned, alcoholism and substance addiction discussed, insomnia and nightmares, alcohol consumption and abuse, graphic drug use and abuse (recreational and medicinal), a parent with a terminal illness mentioned, emesis, death of a father from gun violence recounted, death of an aunt from an overdose mentioned, murder of a best friend recounted, and loss of autonomy (abuse of hypnotherapy).

justinecarmela's review against another edition

mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

I wanted to like this and was genuinely intrigued, but the solution to the mystery was, I’m sorry, dumb. Too far-fetched and nonsensical. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Drug abuse and Alcohol

books_baking_brews's review against another edition

dark mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child death, Mental illness, Death of parent, Gaslighting, and Alcohol