The Last House on Needless Street

I will give credit to the author for a very complex plot; however, I can't say I really enjoyed this book. This is a long confusing book in which the main characters are all suffering with mental disorders of one type or another. Due to this, the character narrations and time flow can never be trusted. Through these narrations plot points are doled out in confusing dribs and drabs and it is not until almost the very ending that the true story is revealed. Though many consider this book to be part of the horror genre, and while it at first has the feeling of horror, the book deals mainly with child abuse that occurs every day in the real world and the often unforeseen and lasting consequences from such trauma. I would say that the book falls more within the mystery genre and has absolutely nothing to do with supernatural horror.

Holy cow what a book! I've been describing it as a thriller/mystery - definitely a page-turner!

3.5 stars.

OH WOW!!!

This has completely blown me away and the afterword, not the ending, but the afterword has left me feeling really teary. Actually that's wrong, I was feeling a tad emotional at the end but the afterword ended me.

Probably not for everyone, some people won't get it but if Richard Madeley did and you don't, you need to ask your self some serious questions. about where you are heading :)

AVOID AVOID AVOID all reviews that give anything away. Not knowing is essential.

A story that seems very familiar. There is a missing girl, a weird man in a boarded up house who regularly looses hours if not days he can't remember, and the sister of the missing girl still on the search years later.

But then there's also a talking cat and this is where things got a bit more interesting.

The story is small in scope, taking place only with a handful of characters and locations, which makes it very easy too read and it flows great.

The atmosphere throughout is very tense and the slow dripping of new information keeps the mystery interesting.

That is until at a certain point the “unreliable narrator” trope is getting a bit too much and it became pretty clear where the story will be going. There was a lot of drag in the third act and some chapters blended together because the characters kept repeating the same stuff again and again.

In the end it was enjoyable enough because it took some turns away from the usual tropes.

I started reading this and almost put it down but then a few chapters in it grabbed me.

The book morphs quite a bit until I couldn't put it down. The book is told in four people's point of view. Ted (main adult in story), Olivia (the cat), Lauren (a child) and Dee (adult who lost her sister). I really enjoyed this back and forth in perspectives. You are always getting part of the story but never the whole story until the last few chapters.

I will be looking for more books by this author.

Book Club Pick #12

This was well done, but at times was very hard to read because of the subject matter and I questioned why I was continuing to read it since it was so heavy. In the end, the author resolves the story into something hopeful and kind of beautiful.

Amazing! It's been a month since I finished it and I still can't stop thinking about it!

This book was jarring and complicated - difficult to follow at times. But I did want to stick it out to see how it would resolve. Ultimately worth it - the ending was good (thankfully).

2.5

3.5 rounded up to 4

For the most part of this book, I was perplexed. “What's going on? What am I even reading?” But by the halfway mark, the author very cleverly revealed certain aspects of the story. I will say if you can get past the strange first half and multi POV narrative, you may not only guess the twist but also like the book. At the end of it all, I think I liked the way the author handled certain real life issues.

Tried reading this earlier in the year and couldn't get into it, but all the blurbs from authors I love motivated me to try again. Glad I stuck with it this time. 4 Bible-loving cats out of 5.

This book kept me hooked from the first chapter! Catriona Ward is an amazing writer!
This was my favorite read of the year ❤️

There are so many layers to this book. I loved them all. It's part horror (but not scary more creepy) and definitely part mystery thriller. Ted was interesting Trying to figure him out was great. I did guess the “twist” when Olivia the cat and Lauren started plotting together. I'm not going to say any more about that though for those who read this and want to be surprised.

I am going to say I loved the book and like many others Olivia the cat is my favorite character.

I think a lot of care and cleverness went into Ted's story, it had great heart and twists. However I wish the same went into Dee's side and the two stories were bridged better. But overall good, captivating read.

Reread for a horror book group, and definitely found revisiting it to be worthwhile. Not a ton of forward action theoretically but Ward puts so much craft into her work that it still manages to be affecting.

I just...wow. I don't know what I was expecting but it was definitely not this.

This is an amazing story. I cannot say much without spoiling anything (and that would be such a shame!), but I will say that the author made me feel a plethora of emotions. This novel grabbed me and never let go.

This one is going to stick in my head for a long time, I feel like. I highly recommend it. Be warned though, there are major triggers in this one. I can't really say which ones (again, spoilers), but, yah, read with caution.

This is an interesting book but I could see why some readers did not like it. Took me a while to get into this book. I mostly stuck with it because it had gotten so many good reviews. I was probably about half way through before I started figuring out what was really going on. To fully understand what is happening, it needs to be read through the ending. As the author points out, in her afterword, this book is more about survival and hope than anything else. This book is worth the read.

some of my dislike of this was definitely personal preference. the childish writing style, while i understand its purpose, drove me up the wall. i also figured out the twists relatively early on. also, nothing about this felt particularly horror. i didn't absolutely hate this but if i didn't have the audiobook i absolutely would have dnf'd this book.

The Last House on Needless Street will disturb you, and surprise you. If you think you have it figured out, you most likely have no clue.

Ted lives with his cat Olivia in a ramshackle home. Sometimes Ted's young daughter Lauren visits. Something isn't right in the home, and something isn't quite right with Ted.

Dee is haunted by her sister Lulu's disappearance. She went missing years ago on a family trip to the beach. Dee is desperate to find out what happened to Lauren, hoping she's still alive. Dee moves to Needless Street and soon discovers that not everything is as it seems.

It's difficult to say too much without major spoilers but I will say that Catriona Ward is an amazing storyteller. I was absolutely immersed into the book. It's truly disturbing and if I'm going to be honest, sad. You will think you have it figured out hundreds of times, only to discover the haunting, shocking truth. It's definitely different and any fan of horror should read this book. Also, The Afterword is a must read. It shows exactly why Catriona decided to write this story.

I really want to say more but it's difficult without spoiling the entire plot.

What. A. Wild. Ride. This book was such a surprise to me. While reading thrillers/horror as regularly as I do, I'm not always super shocked by the big twist. However, this one had me. This one will have you wondering what is going on and then when you get to the twist, there's more following.

I started this book all kinds of confused. I had read a few vague reviews and of course the blurb and my brain immediately tried to make sense of what was going on and what the “secrets” were. I have a bad tendency to try to learn the twists as soon as I start reading the first page. I think this added to my confusion. After getting a ways through the first half I finally decided to stop trying and to just embrace the story. I think that is when I started to truly enjoy it. The way the characters are woven together and each have their own story that adds to twists throughout the book was so beautifully done. It's hard to not have empathy for all of the characters, including the ones that are the “bad” characters. I thought this book had a lot of heart and did a great job at addressing the different ways trauma and pain can manifest. It's not something you see put out there that often. I listened to this on audio and thought the narrators did a great job.

Thank you Netgalley and

With all the hype being blasted about this one, and the spookiness of the premise and cover I had to snag it. That being said, I'm in the minority as far as loving it.

It's not bad, but (for me) it's not all that great either. I knew almost right away what was playing out. That was disappointing. I was hoping for more in the twisty, I won't see it coming department, but alas not to happen.

However, it does fit perfectly for Spooktober and Fall reads as the creepy, psychological vibes are there. The writing is good and will keep readers engaged. If I didn't figure it out so early on I would have enjoyed it more.

Even though I am of the unpopular opinion on this one, I still say grab it and give it a go. Readers who enjoy psychological, gothic-esque reads will probably enjoy this one.

I sincerely appreciate the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a review copy. All opinions expressed herein are mine and mine alone.

2.5