I received this an ARC through Netgalley. The Last House on Needless Street, just wow! Just when I thought I knew where the story of Ted, Lulu, and Dee was leading, everything got turned on it's head. More mystery and suspense than horror. A must read!

This book was a lot of fun and I think students would love reading it during Halloween in addition to classics like Poe.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an early read! So I confess, I was lured into reading The Last House on Needless Street by a variety of factors – the beautiful cover, the title, the cat, and an enthusiastic blurb from none other than Stephen King.

The story is told through a variety of voices. There is Ted, a lonely young man living a solitary life in the house he grew up in, occasionally seeing a therapist he calls “the bug man”. We know pretty quickly that something is off about Ted, but what exactly unfolds over the course of the book. Then there is his daughter Lauren, who visits Ted. She has episodes that aren’t really explained, and her comings and goings to the house are somewhat mysterious. And then there is Ted’s cat Olivia. We hear from her as well, and how she takes care of her Ted.

The story really begins eleven years ago, with the disappearance of a little girl named Lulu. She was vacationing with her family at a lake near Ted’s house. She wandered off to follow her sister Dee and was never seen again. Ted was seemingly a suspect in the disappearance, but nothing could ever be proven against him. Lulu’s sister Dee, the final voice in the novel, moves in next door to Ted. She has never stopped looking for her sister, and she thinks she has finally found the answer with Ted.

While the book copy calls this a horror novel, I would say it is more psychological suspense. There are some creepy moments, like when Dee follows Ted into the woods, but really the suspense is more in the unfolding of the truth about Ted, about Dee’s guilt about her sister’s disappearance, and about the real roles of Lauren and Olivia in Ted’s life. If you like unreliable narrators; if you like Stephen King; if you like authors like Alex Michaelides, Ruth Ware or Paula Hawkins, then give this one a try!

Wow!! This book is mind blowing! Not to give away spoilers, but once you get past the initial adjustment to the main character, Ted's narration it becomes addictive! If you can figure out the twist before its announced, you will still be in for some mind blowing twists! Do not read the Afterward until you finish the book, but be sure to read it! Not only did this book grab and request my undivided attention, it really taught me as well.

There was something intrinsically wrong with this book or rather with how plainly shocking it was to read it from beginning to end. It was the type of horror book where you make up your mind at the beginning about who the evil truly is in this book but along the way while reading it, you discover so much more than you bargained for.

This was a story about Ted, a man who lived alone on a street called Needless street. A man who centered around a little girl who disappeared so long ago with him as the prime suspect despite being cleared. When we first meet him, we are introduced to Lauren and Olivia.. Lauren his “daughter” who claims to be a kidnap victim & Olivia.. a cat who doesn’t act like a cat.

Enter Dee, another character and the elder sister of Lulu, the little girl who disappeared so long ago and who Dee is desperate to find. Unlike the detective of the case, Dee isn’t so sure of Ted’s innocence & when she learns of his daughter Lauren’s name, Dee can’t help but put two and two together as the reader in this point in time does as well.

But here’s the thing.. the more we get to know Ted, the more we realize that Ted has been through his own fair share of trauma & all may not be as it seems inside his home. Or in the woods where the “Gods” are buried or most importantly in the events of the past that are just screaming to get out.

I found this one really interesting. The story flowed well and kept my attention. I really enjoyed the writing style and the twists and turns. I’ll definitely be following this author to see what other ones they have written! I would recommend this one to a friend.

This author is new to me, but I was looking for a horror/spooky book to read, and this one seemed to have good reviews, so I thought, aww what the heck. Why not?

This book has twists and turns, and just as you think you've got it figured, think again.

I would recommend this book to all, thriller / horror fans, but it is more thriller than horror.

But that being said, I will now read more books by Catriona Ward.

This took awhile more to read than usual because I was reading a lot of other books, but wow!!! This is a heck of a book, a page turner and a must read for an thriller/suspense fan. To top it off? Stephen King, himself recommends it as a must read too!

This book has it all. It is creepy AF and it will keep you reading long past your bedtime. I have never heard of this author but it was recommended to me on upcoming must-reads on Netgalley. So glad my request was accepted. I hope the author's next book is as good as this one!

RECOMMENDED!!!

Thanks to Netgalley, Catriona Ward and Macmilloan Tor Forge Nightlife for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Already available: 9/28/21

Book Review: The Last House on Needless Street by Catriona Ward

The Last House on Needless Street is an adult thriller about a secluded and isolated man surrounded by the whispers of his dark past and when a new neighbor tries to befriend him his entire world comes apart.

Ted has lived alone since his parents disappeared some years earlier. Dee lost her sister Lulu years before on the shores of a nearby lake where she vacationed with their parents. Needless Street and the secrets of the past will bring these two strangers together and a series of horrifying truths will come to light.

This is a very slow burn thriller and in the first 70% I wasn’t even sure what was happening or who the villains are as it’s told in alternating chapters between Ted, his indoor cat named Olivia, his daughter Lauren and Dee. The narrators are all unreliable and most of the events in the home are banal and disgusting because Ted lives in squalor and is a binge drinker. Olivia the cat is an amusing point of view but it’s hard to tell exactly where the story is going despite tiny peeks behind the curtain. When what is really going on in the Last House on Needless Street is revealed the story finally kicks into high gear until the sad (but ultimately hopeful) conclusion.

This book is a twisty and fascinating read. Despite the slow start I really enjoyed the last 1/3 of the book and couldn’t wait to see what was going to happen next.

4 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Wow...and I mean wow

This book was already high on my To-Be-Read list and then I read the blurb written by Stephen King and it popped right to the top - and rightly so I found out after finishing it.

I'm not going to go into details about the book because that would create dreaded spoilers and no one wants that with this book. Go into it blind.

This is probably one of my top five books in the last five years - including all genres. And I will definitely be reading it again one of these days (not something I do very often). But there are a lot of dark, hidden corners in this story that I want to be able to catch and I'm not sure I did this first time around.

I highly recommend this book to those readers who like psychological thrillers but be warned this isn't for the faint of heart.

I received this book from Tor Nightfire through Net Galley in the hopes that I would read it and leave an unbiased review.

The Last House on Needless Street is a very dark, atmospheric and disturbing tale about a boarded-up house at the end of Needless Street whose inhabitants include a man who drinks quite a bit, an angry teenage girl who is a recluse, and a cat that seems to have a religious side.

I really don't know how to describe this book without giving anything away so I am not going to even try. It should be enough to know that Stephen King and Joe Hill think it is a fantastic book and the majority of reviewers seem to be equally enthused.

I had absolutely no idea what was going on or who fit in where but everything became clear as I progressed through the novel. I found the story to be riveting and unexpectedly touching. The book is one of those spine chilling psychological thrillers that end up being more than they appear to be at first glance. I highly recommend this one. The writing is top notch, captivating, and will keep you up reading to the very end.

The Last House on Needless Street is a special book, one that I was not expecting and still pretty interesting. The beginning is pretty confusing and odd, but then starts to make sense as the book progresses. I started to believe I had what was happening figured out and I was correct, but the end still held a surprise for me. Unfortunately the end start to become a bit more confusing and seemingly random again.
This is a hard book to review without giving away spoilers, so I will have to end with saying that parts of this book worked for me and others did not. I didn't love it, but also didn't hate it! Be sure to read the Author's Note at the end of the book for more understanding.

Thank you for the opportunity to read and review this title. Unfortunately this title didn't work for me. It was really hard to get into the story.

This book was very good. Had me trying to figure out what was going on til the very end. I had no idea what DID meant. It means dissociative identity disorder. Definitely a must read book!

WOW, that was a lot of crazy. Like, a LOT of it. It was very well written, and I know this because I do not enjoy reading crazy, like when you are in the mind of madness, reading its point of view, being confused the whole stupid time and just wanting it to hurry up and make sense already... and yet somehow I kept going and was always ready to pick it back up after having to pause for real life (I'm a slow reader).

I'm going to give it 4 stars instead of 5 because there were a few things that irked me - mostly the cat's part, which is an odd thing to hear me, of all people, say, since I'm very much a cat person and honestly the fact that a cat was featured was one of the things that grabbed me at first glance. It just felt a little contrived much of the time, but clearly not enough to dissuade me from reading on.

Books always say they are going to twist and turn and shock you with the ending, and I usually roll my eyes and figure out at least a portion of the "twist" but this one had me reeling, all the way to the end. Just WOW.

First, know that you aren't alone if you are totally wrong about this novel. It is so full of twists and turns that what you first think is true is completely false, thanks to the storytelling skills of Catriona Ward. The story of Ted, his daughter Lauren and a cat named Olivia steal the show from the narrative of a missing child and her desperate sister Dee.

The entire book is written in such a way that the mysteries keep piling up and the reader begins to wonder how all these secrets are going to be disclosed before the story comes to an end. But have no doubt, when these secrets are unleashed, this psychological dark fiction will leave you off-centered and a bit stunned.

The Last House on Needless Street by Catriona Ward is a truly dark and unnerving psychological thriller told from three main perspectives.

- Ted: a man who lives in a boarded-up house with his cat and his daughter who occasionally visits.

- Olivia: a highly intelligent cat who loves the bible.

- Dee: the sister of a missing girl who's convinced that Ted kidnapped her sister, so she moves into the house next door to spy on him.

Now, story’s pacing might not be everyone’s copy of tea. This book is a true slowburn. The book goes from mundane everyday tasks like eating and house repairs to jarringly messed up. On one hand, I found this juxtaposition created a sense of uncanniness and unease throughout the novel. On the other hand, I also found the story boring in parts.

I think it’s also important to note that a lot of information is withheld from the reader upfront, but half the fun is trying to unravel what’s going on. The story is filled with twists and turns. Some reveals I saw coming, others stunned me.

My biggest issue with the book though I felt that the story should have wrapped up earlier. The climax happens around two-thirds of the way through, and yet the ending just drags on.

All in all, I have mixed feelings about the story’s pacing, but I do ultimately have to give kudos to the author since I don’t think I’ve been this shocked and disturbed from reading a book in a long time.

Many thanks to netgalley and the publisher for providing access to this book.

Wow! What a great book! I went in not knowing anything about it and what a ride! I'm not sure how to review this without spoiling anything, but *needless* to say, this was a fantastically gothic horror novel that held my interest. Would read it again!

Happy pubweek to @catward66 and 𝕋𝕙𝕖 𝕃𝕒𝕤𝕥 ℍ𝕠𝕦𝕤𝕖 𝕠𝕟 ℕ𝕖𝕖𝕕𝕝𝕖𝕤𝕤 𝕊𝕥𝕣𝕖𝕖𝕥!

To say I loved this book would be an understatement-HOLY 🐄. 𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐂𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐝𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐮𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐚 𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐯𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐜𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐜𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫!

I will never be able to articulate my feelings and 💭 on this without spoilers so I will keep this review brief. Requested this solely from the hype and it did not disappoint 👏🏻. I’m really enjoying reading without the premise of expectation- I couldn’t have picked a better book than TLHONS to express it.

𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒂𝒕𝒎𝒐𝒔𝒑𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆? *CHEF’S KISS*! MYLANTA, I haven’t been creeped out by a book since…UM, NEVER. I freaked myself out in my own backyard one night taking the dog out and my neighbors probably think I’m loony (but remember: never call a woman insane 😉).

𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒏𝒂𝒓𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒔? COMPELLING! You’re going to love some, hate some, and scratch your head trying to understand some. Ted’s cat, Olivia was a flippin’ riot & had me in stitches with her commentary on life- her #cattitude was ❗️ON. POINT.❗️

𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈? SUPERB and LYRICAL! Hooked from the first page (even sifting through the style as I’m not normally reading from the POV of a 🐈‍⬛), and I was never let go. The attention to detail that Ward brings into each chapter is incredible. I found myself many times smelling, tasting, and feeling everything my eyes were drinking in.

𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒑𝒍𝒐𝒕? TERRIFYING and HEARTBREAKING! This obviously I can’t go into much detail with, but there is SO much more than meets the eye. So many ingredients to this recipe and it tastes much different than you’ll imagine (see what I did there 😉)

A FREAKING ROUND OF 5 ⭐️ to this book, & thank you to @netgalley, @tornightfire, and CM for the opportunity to read this ahead of time! ❤️

This was an interesting psychological thriller with ALL the twists and turns. I finished it, but I'm not quite sure what exactly I read and I'm not 100 percent convinced it all made sense. One of my criticisms of this book is that it really tried hard to do too many things, without absolutely convincing me it did any one thing great. I won't say more so as not to inadvertantly give anything away.