I have had Catriona Ward on my reading radar for a long time but have never gotten around to reading her books. That all changed when I got an email from NetGalley for The Last House on Needless Street promoting the book was “Read Now” for the first 100 members. I jumped on that. I am glad that I did, even if this book was one of the more disturbing books I have read to date.

I wish I could get into more of the plotline, but I will stick with a fundamental outline. Ted is a loner who lives in a rundown house. He was also a former suspect in the kidnapping of Lulu 11 years earlier but had an alibi. Dee is Lulu’s sister, and she is convinced that Ted is behind Lulu’s disappearance. So she rents the house next door to him and spies on him. But not everything is what it seems. What happened to Lulu? Who is being kept in the freezer? Why can’t Olivia go outside?

I had a bit of a problem trying to figure out how I would review The Last House on Needless Street. Why do you ask? Because anything I write or want to reveal could potentially be a spoiler.

I am going to warn everyone; this is a very dark book. This book is one of the darkest books that I have read in a long time. It took me a while to process it after I was done reading because of everything that happened. I suggest that if you do decide to read the book, that you do with an open mind because nothing is what it seems!!

This book does start weirdly, and it stays that way while the author introduces the main characters (Ted, Dee, and Olivia). Once the introductions are made, the book does even out some and stays that way until about the middle of the book. That is when the first of several shocking twists are introduced.

The pacing of The Last House on Needless Street was fast. There was a slight lag in the middle of the book (when Ted was meeting with his Dr), but it wasn’t enough to throw the reader off track. The author kept up the fast pace until the end.

The end of The Last House on Needless Street played mind games with me. Everything that I thought about the book was turned on end. I was not expecting what was revealed, and it shocked me. I had to sit and think about what happened before I wrote this review. Also, do NOT skip the author’s note. It sheds so much light on everything.

I would recommend The Last House on Needless Street to anyone over the age of 21. There is no sex, but there is violence and language.

Spooky, psychologically thrilling, and wild. I really enjoyed this novel and will be reading more by this author soon. This is superbly written and executed. A MUST READ for October!! I love being wrong and having plot thrown into my face. Love the layers. Love the suspense.

A gritty, intense, fast-paced, riveting, artful melding of stunning psychological thrills and nail-biting suspense. An edgy mystery full of dark secrets, shocking plot twists and pulse-pounding, palpable tension. A MUST for those who thrive on superbly-written, unputdownable thrillers!

#TheLastHouseonNeedlessStreet #NetGalley

*I received a complimentary ARC of this book in order to read and provide a voluntary, unbiased and honest review, should I choose to do so.

A cat, young girl, and a not-very-well-adjusted man live together in a falling-apart house at the end of a remote street. And a few things seem… just a little off. Well, hold on to your seat, it’s all about to get wild.

I loved the creepy feeling this book delivers so consistently. This mind bender of a horror novel keeps you wondering what on earth is happening, firmly in that pleasantly-anxious place. I adored noting the small inconsistencies between the narrators, collecting clues and trying to make sense of them. Everything just sounds so ominous! Really masterful, and a true joy to puzzle over.

This is the exact kind of book I always crave, (and crave particularly as the calendar turns to October), but the thing I always forget about unsettling books is that unsettling things happen in them. So, content warnings on abuse and child abuse in particular. This book is well-written and, I thought, ultimately extremely gratifying, but there’s some tough stuff along the way that made me squirm.

I guessed some of its secrets, but there was still plenty of payoff in learning the details of how this intricate puzzle box is assembled. For such an unrelentingly nerve-jangling book, it ends in such a satisfying and deserved ending. I recommend this book to anyone who is in the mood for a thrilling, creepy page-turner!

I finished this last night and had to sleep on it before I posted a review because I wasn't entirely sure how I felt about the book when I finished it. To me, that's always a good thing.
The slow reveal of what's happening here, along with the variety of mostly unreliable narrators kept me intrigued from the very beginning. I never expected to enjoy a book with part of the story told by a cat. What we learn along the way as Ted, Olivia, Lauren and Dee share their versions of the story is just horrifying and heartbreaking.
Although the subject matter was disturbing, I would definitely recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good psychological thriller.

Creepy page turner. Spine tingling goodness perfect for fans of Gothic atmosphere, haunts, fans of Haunting of Hill House. A stunning, engaging tale that will keep you up at night.

I just don’t know what to say about this book. I should’ve guessed it wasn’t for me when Stephen King endorsed it. While I love his older works, his newer novels are too out there for me.

It’s a bit gruesome and it was a little hard for me to read at times, but I was wondering if I knew what was happening. You have to stick with it since more than half the book you spend wondering exactly what is going on, but it does fall into place like a jigsaw puzzle, piece by piece.

Even though it isn’t for me, I believe people will be talking about this book all through the fall and those that are Stephen King fans will love it. It does fit the creepy Halloween vibe.

Wow! I spent the first half of this book trying to figure out exactly what was going on and I had plenty of guesses. I was wrong on almost every count. My head was spinning with all of the twists and turns and I couldn’t stop listening. I am so glad that I took a chance and decided to give this book a try.

This story is told from three different points of view. Ted, his cat Olivia, his daughter Lauren, and their new neighbor Dee. I have to say that the cat was my favorite of the group. Years ago, Ted was suspected of having some involvement in the disappearance of a little girl. That girl’s sister wants to see what Ted might know so she moves into the house next door. I wanted to know more about Ted, his housemates, and just what he might have done in his past. This was one of those books where you knew that there was more going on than it seemed.

Christopher Ragland did a phenomenal job with the narration of this book. I believe that this was my first experience listening to his work but I would say that I am a new fan. The voices that he used for each of the characters were distinctive and fit the personality of the characters perfectly. He added a lot of emotion and excitement into his reading which helped to bring the story to life.

I would recommend this book to others. I think that this is one of those books that it is best to go in as blindly as possible so I have kept my review brief. I look forward to reading my of Catriona Ward’s work in the future.

I received a digital review copy of this book and audiobook from Macmillan-Tor/Forge and Macmillan Audio via NetGalley.

O…K… I had heard a lot about this book and was thrilled to read it moving into the fall/Halloween season. I’ve seen it described as suspenseful, spooky, and a “gothic masterpiece.”

When a 6 year old girl with a popsicle goes missing from a beach on a lake, her sister never stops looking for her years later, even after her mother leaves and her father passes away. However, the book is written around a suspect that has been cleared in the girl’s disappearance, who lives in a boarded up house on Needless Street, his Bible reading cat Olivia, another cat - Night-Cat, and a girl named Lauren with feet that don’t work. I will leave that to settle for just a moment…..

I can honestly say that I didn’t hate this book, but I didn’t love it either. It was very slow moving but it was like a train wreck, I couldn’t put it down because I just had to know what happened! It took a very interesting turn that was semi-predictable and then a jaw dropping twist just when you thought you had it figured out.

I have to say that the afterward really kind of pulled it all together and explained how the author came up with a good chunk of it. I was glad to see that.

So I wouldn’t say that it is spooky or gothic, but if you like a very weird and strange book that moves kind of slow, then this is one for you!

⭐️ 5 STAR REVIEW ⭐️
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🍂🍁 The Last House on Needless Street—perfect for spooky season—goes live today! 🍁🍂
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SUMMARY: Ted Bannerman lives in the last house on Needless Street with his daughter, Lauren, and his cat, Olivia. After the disappearance of a young girl 11 years prior, local residents began throwing rocks through the windows with such regularity that Ted stopped replacing the glass and boarded up the exterior instead. No one could prove Ted had anything to do with the girl’s disappearance, but a woman has recently moved into the neighborhood determined to find justice.
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This psychological thriller is fantastic and delivers the perfect amount of edge-of-your-seat suspense!! Just when I thought I had everything figured out, the story shifted in unexpected, yet totally seamless ways. It’s definitely a book you’ll want to head into with minimal information (so as to avoid spoilers), but it’s so wonderfully complex, I could see myself reading it again in the future, despite already knowing the outcome.
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I also liked it because while it kept me on the edge of my seat, I wasn’t overwhelmed with dread like I sometimes get when I read things that are actually super scary. I even found Olivia’s sections to be pretty funny!
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If you’re looking for a suspenseful new read for spooky season, this is the one to get!!
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Thank you to Catriona Ward, Tor Nightfire and NetGalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review!!

Wow! I predicted the wrap-up of this book early on, I changed my mind several times, I was wrong about everything! That is not where I saw this going! I have so much to say about this book, but I don't want to spoil anything for anyone, you just need to read it.

Ted lives in "The Last House on Needless Street" with his daughter Lauren, and his cat Olivia. Lauren isn't allowed outside, Olivia isn't allowed outside. There's a new neighbor next door, what will she hear, or see? There are secrets in the woods behind Ted's house, will they be discovered? As this story revealed it's secrets, my need to go back and reread chapters grew! Pay attention to details, especially the ones that keep changing, The timeline is disjointed, descriptions change, stories change. I had so many questions, but they were all answered in the end. This book will confuse you, you will think that nothing is making any sense, stick with it, it will all be revealed in the end!

Thank you NetGalley for the eARC!

𝙷𝚊𝚙𝚙𝚢 #𝙱𝚘𝚘𝚔𝙱𝚒𝚛𝚝𝚑𝚍𝚊𝚢 𝚝𝚘
𝚃𝙷𝙴 𝙻𝙰𝚂𝚃 𝙷𝙾𝚄𝚂𝙴 𝙾𝙽 𝙽𝙴𝙴𝙳𝙻𝙴𝚂𝚂 𝚂𝚃𝚁𝙴𝙴𝚃
𝙱𝚢 𝙲𝚊𝚝𝚛𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚊 𝚆𝚊𝚛𝚍 @𝚌𝚊𝚝𝚠𝚊𝚛𝚍𝟼𝟼 🐈‍⬛🔪
𝚃𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚔𝚜 𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚙𝚎𝚘𝚙𝚕𝚎 𝚊𝚝 @𝚝𝚘𝚛𝚗𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚏𝚒𝚛𝚎 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚖𝚢 𝚝𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚞𝚛𝚎𝚍 𝚌𝚘𝚙𝚢!

💬 #𝚚𝚘𝚝𝚍 𝙷𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚋𝚘𝚘𝚔? 𝙾𝚛 𝚒𝚜 𝚒𝚝 𝚘𝚗 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 #𝚝𝚋𝚛 𝚕𝚒𝚜𝚝?

𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚋𝚞𝚣𝚣…𝚒𝚜 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚕. 𝙸’𝚟𝚎 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍 𝚒𝚝 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚋𝚕𝚘𝚠𝚗 𝚊𝚠𝚊𝚢. 𝙸𝚝’𝚜 𝚊 𝚝𝚛𝚞𝚎 𝚗𝚎𝚛𝚟𝚎-𝚜𝚑𝚛𝚎𝚍𝚍𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚔𝚎𝚎𝚙𝚜 𝚒𝚝𝚜 𝚖𝚒𝚗𝚍-𝚋𝚕𝚘𝚠𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚜𝚎𝚌𝚛𝚎𝚝𝚜 𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚢 𝚎𝚗𝚍.” —𝚂𝚝𝚎𝚙𝚑𝚎𝚗 𝙺𝚒𝚗𝚐

𝚃𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚒𝚜 𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚋𝚘𝚘𝚔 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚠𝚒𝚕𝚕 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚊𝚋𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚒𝚝 𝚕𝚘𝚗𝚐 𝚊𝚏𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚏𝚒𝚗𝚒𝚜𝚑.

𝙰𝚗 𝚎𝚡𝚌𝚎𝚕𝚕𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚘𝚛𝚒𝚐𝚒𝚗𝚊𝚕, 𝚜𝚝𝚘𝚛𝚢𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝚞𝚗𝚗𝚎𝚛𝚟𝚒𝚗𝚐. 𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚋𝚘𝚘𝚔 𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚛𝚝𝚜 𝚘𝚏 𝚖𝚎𝚝𝚒𝚌𝚞𝚕𝚘𝚞𝚜𝚕𝚢 𝚜𝚕𝚘𝚠 𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚊𝚕. 𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚋𝚘𝚘𝚔 𝚒𝚜 𝚒𝚗 𝚙𝚞𝚣𝚣𝚕𝚎 𝚙𝚒𝚎𝚌𝚎𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚊𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚢 𝚌𝚊𝚛𝚎𝚏𝚞𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝚌𝚕𝚒𝚌𝚔 𝚝𝚘𝚐𝚎𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚎 𝚝𝚘𝚘 𝚜𝚎𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚏𝚞𝚕𝚕 𝚜𝚌𝚘𝚙𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚊𝚕𝚕 𝚙𝚒𝚌𝚝𝚞𝚛𝚎. 𝚃𝚘𝚕𝚍 𝚒𝚗 𝚊 𝚝𝚘𝚝𝚊𝚕 𝚘𝚏 𝚏𝚒𝚟𝚎 𝚗𝚊𝚛𝚛𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚟𝚎𝚜, 𝚠𝚑𝚒𝚌𝚑 𝚊𝚕𝚜𝚘 𝚒𝚗𝚌𝚕𝚞𝚍𝚎𝚜 𝚊 𝚋𝚒𝚋𝚕𝚎 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚌𝚊𝚝. 𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚛𝚊𝚌𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚍𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚕𝚘𝚙𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚒𝚜 𝚘𝚏𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚛𝚝𝚜, 𝚝𝚘 𝚜𝚊𝚢 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚝. 𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚊𝚞𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚛 𝚐𝚛𝚊𝚋𝚜 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚊𝚞𝚍𝚒𝚎𝚗𝚌𝚎 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚊 𝚙𝚛𝚎𝚌𝚒𝚜𝚎 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚌𝚕𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚕𝚢 𝚠𝚛𝚒𝚝𝚝𝚎𝚗 𝚜𝚝𝚘𝚛𝚢𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚞𝚗𝚏𝚘𝚕𝚍𝚜 𝚒𝚗 𝚊𝚗 𝚊𝚖𝚋𝚒𝚐𝚞𝚘𝚞𝚜 𝚠𝚊𝚢.

🐈‍⬛🔪

𝚑 𝚊 𝚜 𝚑 𝚝 𝚊 𝚐 𝚜 :
#𝚃𝚑𝚎𝙻𝚊𝚜𝚝𝙷𝚘𝚞𝚜𝚎𝙾𝚗𝙽𝚎𝚎𝚍𝚕𝚎𝚜𝚜𝚂𝚝𝚛𝚎𝚎𝚝 #𝙲𝚊𝚝𝚛𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚊𝚆𝚊𝚛𝚍 #𝚃𝚘𝚛𝙽𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚏𝚒𝚛𝚎 #𝙽𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚏𝚒𝚛𝚎 #𝙷𝚘𝚛𝚛𝚘𝚛 #𝙷𝚘𝚛𝚛𝚘𝚛𝙽𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚕𝚜 #𝙳𝚊𝚛𝚔𝙷𝚘𝚛𝚛𝚘𝚛 #𝙷𝚘𝚛𝚛𝚘𝚛𝙰𝚞𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚛𝚜 #𝙷𝚘𝚛𝚛𝚘𝚛𝚁𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚜 #𝚁𝚎𝚊𝚍𝙼𝚘𝚛𝚎𝙷𝚘𝚛𝚛𝚘𝚛𝙱𝚘𝚘𝚔𝚜 #𝚂𝚙𝚘𝚘𝚔𝚢𝚁𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚜 #𝙽𝚎𝚠𝚁𝚎𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚎𝚜 #𝙽𝚎𝚠𝙱𝚘𝚘𝚔𝚜𝚃𝚞𝚎𝚜𝚍𝚊𝚢

I enjoy a scary thriller once in a while. This one definitely fit that bill. Serial killers. Missing children. Creepy cats. All of these things kept me on my toes and kept me turning the pages. Ted is an odd man, raising his daughter. Dee is a woman convinced that Ted kidnapped her sister. Olivia is the creepy cat. All of these characters intertwine to create a story that is haunting and unusual. Don't go into this story thinking you know what is going to happen. Believe me, you don't.

I could not get into this book. It was the cat's perspective for me. Plus, I couldn't really get what the story was about. DNF'd.

TW: Child abuse

In a boarded up house on Needless Street live a family of three: Ted, a man who mainly keeps to himself, Lauren, a teenage girl who is not allowed to go outside and Olivia, a house cat who keeps Ted company. All three of whom, are bound together by a terrible secret. Dee’s sister Lulu went missing years ago at the lake, her only clue is a picture which shows the home on Needless street and the strange man who lives inside who was questioned by police and acquitted of suspicion. Something does not sit right with Dee and she is not convinced and has decided to take matter into her own hands by moving to Needless street herself. As Dee investigates the mysterious house on Needless Street, she starts to get closer and closer to the truth which reveals that everything is not as it seems.

This book has been on my mind ever since I finished it, it was one of the strangest most unique reads and it intrigued me from the beginning. The first couple of pages were so strange yet I was so captivated and hooked to go forward and connect the dots. This book initially reads as a horror novel with creepy and gruesome descriptions but then just completely evolves into something else and the twists are slowly interwoven throughout the plot. It is really hard for me to describe this book, it gave me The Book of Accidents vibes but then with a twist of mystery. It was so bizarre to read the chapters from the POV of Olivia the cat, this book was packed with a lot of twists some of which were a little hard to keep up with and at times I did find myself confused and having to go back and re-read. There were some important details that were only really mentioned once and not repeated so it is important to pay close attention while reading because you may just miss something key. I do remember reading that one sentence and having that ‘Ah’ moment where everything just sort of clicks in your brain and you figure out what is going on. I do think this will not be everyone’s cup of tea but if you are looking for an ideal spooky read for Halloween this is a great option! Happy Pub Day! I would like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

P.S. There is an after note from the author that I highly recommend to read!!

Stephen King duped me again! I really need to stop getting lured in with these author’s reviews. I got the marketing email for this book from NetGalley with King’s big bold statement, “A true nerve-shredder that keeps its mind-blowing secrets to the very end.” Right there I was like yup add to the TBR cart.

This book did NOT shred any nerves and the secrets were annoying and predictable.The “horror” of this novel was about as unsettling as seeing someone’s old grocery list in your shopping cart. And can we talk about how derivative this book is??? This is not a creative work, but a mash-up of every other successful horror release that Ward somehow strangles into a lifeless pulp.

The first few chapters are confusing, you start out in Ted’s head, who you aren’t sure if he’s a child or a mental ill adult. Then you switch to Olivia, a lesbian, religous talking cat. I was almost out there, but I gave it a few more chapters and then the plot became clear. Six year-old Lulu goes missing near Portland, and now 11 years later her sister Dee is still searching for her. Dee’s chapters are coherent and she believes Ted is the one who abducted her sister. She moves next door to Ted, who says he has a daughter Lauren. We then get chapters in Lauren’s POV. Is she Lulu? Is Ted a serial killer? Who the eff is the talking cat?

I would recommend doing a U-turn on this street.

Happy US pub day to 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘏𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘰𝘯 𝘕𝘦𝘦𝘥𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘚𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘵! It is out today, September 28, 2021. I received a gifted physical copy from @archie.loves.to.read (thank youuuu!), and ended up also getting a digital one from NetGalley. Many thanks to @netgalley, @tornightfire and @catward66 for the digital review copy! ⁣
This book definitely grabbed me from the beginning. I spent most of this book wondering what the heck I was reading—in a good way. I wavered back and forth in my feelings towards Ted. I was immediately enamored by Olivia, the talking, Bible-reading cat! While the book took an unexpected turn, it kept my attention throughout the whole story, and I definitely recommend it. I appreciated the author’s afterword, which ties everything together nicely with a thoughtful explanation.

Scary! Scary! Intense! Provocative! This is one of the scariest books I’ve ever read, and I can’t believe I actually. Sat and read it because this is not my typical genre but it’s written very well,
Its very lyrical in nature so there’s beauty in the madness!
I received this book from NetGalley and exchange for a fair and honest review.

ended up going back and forth between the print and the audio. Although I can see where this book would be appealing to others (particularly those who like animal narrators) but unfortunately this is a case of "not for me"

Thank you NetGalley, Catriona Ward, and Macmillan-Tor/Forge for the ARC of this book! I thought this book was going to be a scary horror novel, especially with a Stephen King quote on the front cover. However, what it turned out to be was very unexpected. I couldn’t figure out why the author wanted the book to be from the suspected kidnapper/murderer’s perspective or why I should feel empathy for him like I was being led to feel. This made me suspect something was up from pretty early on. The twists and turns that kept happening held me more in the second half of the book than in the first, but I enjoyed this book enough overall. I loved the perspective of the cat, which was super unique. I do think that the perspective of Dee was almost unnecessary. She was not a sympathetic character despite who she was supposed to be in the story - the sister of the little girl who went missing. I can see why she was added, but I wasn't a fan. I would recommend this book to people who aren't actually looking for a horror novel.