Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

I went into this wanting a dark, creepy read, because I love that kind of thing, and it was that, but I could not get into a book where I was reading from a cat's perspective. And, I am a HUGE cat lover, but I just couldn't do it.

Not sure how I felt about this book. Part of me liked it and part of me didn't. It all came together at the end, but it just didn't connect completely.

I don't even have words for this book. So completely different than anything I have ever read before! The twists kept coming and my mind was blown each time! I loved The Last House on Needless Street.

I can not recommend this book enough! I read The Last House on Needless Street in one day. This thriller/suspense book is one of best books of 2021.. I appreciate net gallery and selected publishers for this early copy

I'm not going to talk about the plot at all. You need to read it to believe how ingenious it is and I don't want to spoil anything.
This book will twist you up, wring you out, and throw you on the floor. It's that unsettling. I try not to gush over books but this one starts off good and then it gets better fast.

I'm dizzy with the details of such an intricate story line and the way it all came together. The synopsis claims "It's not what you think" and how many times have you heard that before? Except this time it's true. I don't care how many psychological thrillers you have read or how quickly you have figured out the endings of any of them. No matter what you think, and no matter where you believe this story is headed it's not. Anything else I can say seems pointless so I'm just stopping here stunned by the brilliance of this novel.

I picked this book up, thinking it would be something different than it turned out to be. And I am glad that it did. If I looked at the author's description of the book, I would have seen the warning that the story would not be what I at first expected. While reading the different character's points of view or storylines, I was wondering what was going on but kept going thinking one of the characters (you'll understand when you read this book) was a unique take on this type of story. Still, even then, it got incredibly curious and strange.
The author did a spectacular job of writing a story of a unique condition in an intriguing manner. I recommend this book to everyone who enjoys psychological thrillers and mysteries.

This was absolutely freaking phenomenal. I can’t believe I almost didn’t pick this up. Truly would have missed out. Trust me, just read this

Many thanks to NetGalley, Macmillan Tor/Forge and Macmillan Audio for gifting me both a digital and audio ARC of this amazing book by Catriona Ward - 5 stars!

This is the story of a serial killer. A stolen child. Revenge. Death. And an ordinary house at the end of an ordinary street. All these things are true. And yet they are all lies... You think you know what's inside the last house on Needless Street. You think you've read this story before. That's where you're wrong. In the dark forest at the end of Needless Street, lies something buried. But it's not what you think..

Typically, I try to give a short synopsis of the book in my own words. However, you need to go into this book as blindly as possible and I was afraid I would give something away that would ruin the reader's experience, so I just copied the publisher's words. This book had me twisted and turned in all the best, creepy ways. I experienced all the emotions - horror, disgust, fear, sadness, hope. Be sure to read the author's afterword to understand the book even further.

Highly recommended!

4.5 stars.

This book is very hard to review without spoiling. But I will try.

It starts with Ted; an unmarried, unemployed, socially marginal Oregon native who goes to great lengths to conceal his true nature and move on from his disturbed history. Unfortunately, Ted’s efforts to bury his past are impeded by a new neighbour, Dee, who’s spent eleven years trying to track down the person who killed her sister on an out-of-town beach trip. Unbeknownst to anyone, Dee has come to Needless Street to seek justice for her sister, and she’s certain she’s found the person responsible. She only needs proof, however difficult it is to obtain. Ted is always careful, watching. And nobody is telling the truth.

One of the most compelling psychological thrillers I’ve read in a long time, this novel is also incredibly atmospheric – you spend so much of the story in the confines of Ted’s house that you feel as much a prisoner as Olivia and Lauren navigating the disarray and dangers within, a sensation that stays with you well after the story ends. Ward’s strength is equally in creating very strong characterizations.
As cryptic as Ted’s position and intentions within the novel are, I found his perspective to be compelling and refreshing, especially as his upbringing is slowly teased out. The same can be said of Dee, whose traumatic past has dissolved her own life into “nothing” but the obsessive pursuit for her sister’s killer. While a very intense read, the darker tones of the novel are counterposed against the perspective of Olivia, Ted’s deeply catholic, gay cat who attempts to reconcile her desire for freedom with her companionship and loyalty to her owner.

All in all, this is a novel that makes you think, while at the same time I guarantee that you will not be able to anticipate the twists that come. The Last House on Needless Street is a cocktail of different narratives, histories, and genres, all while being an unerringly captivating and singular story.

Many thanks to Macmillan-Tor/Forge and Netgalley for this incredibly inventive read!

Thrilling, suspenseful, creepy, eerie, intriguing, addictive, compelling, and full of surprises and what the heck is going on moments, this book will have you hooked! This book was such a wonderful blend of all of these elements, and more, and it worked wonderfully for an edge-of-your-seat, what the heck, and keep you guessing book. I devoured this book in a day and couldn't get enough of this strange, mysterious and unique family. I mean...a cat that likes to read the bible? A child that isn't allowed outside after last time? And a man in charge of the family that on the best of days has lapses in memory and gaps of time that he cannot recall. It begs the question: what the heck is going on?

I loved reading about all three unique characters in this family trio - the man, the cat and the young girl. Such an interesting and unique concept for a novel and I really enjoyed it. There were several twists that I did not suspect nor did I see them coming when all was revealed, and it kept me hooked to the last page for sure.

A definite must-read to add to your TBR! You will not be disappointed.

Well done Catriona. I am looking forward to your next novels.

The Last House on Needless Street by Catriona Ward was received directly from the publisher and I chose to write a review. Firstly, this is the first I have read of this author, and I would certainly read her works again. This book is one of those books everyone occasionally reads that is like peeling the proverbial onion. There are many things going on, though not enough that the reader needs to take notes, and they slowly unravel until an acceptable ending. With tinges of serial killing, tinges of a gothic thriller and tinges of whatever you would call Alice in Wonderland. With Halloween quickly arriving, you or anyone who enjoys the season should give this book a read.

4 Stars

"Catriona Ward's The Last House on Needless Street is a shocking and immersive read perfect for fans of Gone Girl and The Haunting of Hill House.

In a boarded-up house on a dead-end street at the edge of the wild Washington woods lives a family of three.

A teenage girl who isn’t allowed outside, not after last time.

A man who drinks alone in front of his TV, trying to ignore the gaps in his memory.

And a house cat who loves napping and reading the Bible.

An unspeakable secret binds them together, but when a new neighbor moves in next door, what is buried out among the birch trees may come back to haunt them all."

The reason you should ALL read this book, does the cat do exorcisms from studying the Bible?

When I first picked up this book I stopped after reading the first chapter thinking that it wasn’t for me. When I picked it up a second time I was hooked and ended up binge reading the rest of the book in one sitting. The plot was original and caught me off guard. I am still sitting around thinking about what happened in the book. It is safe to say that this book left a lasting impression. I don’t want to say anything about the plot and potentially spoil it for anyone.

If you don’t read any other part of my review but this, I would be okay. DO NOT READ SPOILERS FOR THIS BOOK. GO INTO IT BLINDLY!

I was able to both read and listen to ARCs of this book and, in complete honesty, I preferred the audio version over the actual reading experience. The narrator did an excellent job distinguishing between the characters’ voices and with the physical reading experience, it did not have the same impact.

When you do pick this book up in any format, stick with it through the end. You may feel the need to not finish this book however, it does come together in the end. Trigger warnings are aplenty in this book. Without giving anything away, I can say that this was not my favorite read of this type of novel.

Overall, I gave the audio format 3.5 crowns and the physical version 3 crowns.

This is hard one for me to review because I feel that anything I say will give a hint toward a spoiler.

This was a very weird book so if you love weird books and feeling like "What in the world is going on here exactly?" then this is the book for you! This is a slow burn story....I mean SNAIL slow.... told through three POVs. One of those is a talking cat, and if you know me, you know how much I loved that! :) Olivia the cat was the BEST! I kept waiting for something to happen and kept reading, not really liking what I was reading, but I was determined so I could give an honest review. Then a weird/crazy twist happened and it totally turned me off. This uses one of the plot devises that I HATE (and if you'll be spoiled if I tell you what that is).

I see many like this story and other than hearing from the cat's POV, I don't have anything very good to say about this story. I'm not sure *I* would call this horror but more of a dark psychological thriller. Some gross things do happen so I suppose that's why it received the genre it did.

Thank you to Nightfire-MacMillon for this advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

5 STARS

This is the story of a serial killer. A stolen child. Revenge. Death. And an ordinary house at the end of an ordinary street.

All these things are true. And yet they are all lies...

.
.
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OMG y'all. THIS. BOOK. I have SO MANY feelings.

I'll be honest here: I was initially drawn to THE LAST HOUSE ON NEEDLESS STREET because there was a cat on the cover. However, I stayed for the roller coaster ride of emotions that Ward packed into her book. I literally could not put it down and finished it in one sitting.

As many other reviewers have mentioned, this one is super hard to review without giving any spoilers. It is best to go in blind, because everything that you think is true...is a lie.

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and publisher for my ARC! THE LAST HOUSE ON NEEDLESS STREET is out on September 28th.

Dark and Disconcerting

4.5 stars

“The world is full of stuff that doesn’t make sense. But maybe they are connected.”

The Last House on Needless Street is a dark and disturbing story about a man, his teenage daughter, and his bible-reading cat, Olivia. This is all I can say without giving too much away.

There are many layers to the plot and the characters. In the beginning, it is hard to grasp what is going on. The timeline is confusing, and the narration is disorienting: The characters’ version of reality often shifts, throwing another wrench into what the reader thinks they know. The narration of events is unreliable and, at times, frustrating. Slowly, things come together, revealing a dark and disturbing secret about one character and their past.

The characters are eccentric--they made me feel unsettled and uncomfortable. My favorite character was Olivia, the cat. Her voice was perhaps the most consistent and comforting.

Thankfully, there are bits of humor woven in to lighten the dark and heavy tone.

When I reached the halfway point, I figured out what was going on with the main character. I was a little disappointed as I thought it was a cover-up of their actions, but as more of the “why” was revealed, my feelings shifted, and I realized that there was a horrific aspect of this story that I completely missed.

This is a heartbreaking story of survival and perseverance told through the eyes of the suffering and wounded. The characters got under my skin; I won’t forget them anytime soon. Many props to Ward for taking an original slant on a popular trope--the missing child.

I received an ARC of this book from Macmillam-Tor/Forge and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

It will be very hard to review this book without any spoilers, but what an interesting way to tell a story of a mental illness. At times the storytelling is affected by stereotypes and clichés, but overall it created enough mystery to keep the reader engaged.

A girl was gone missing, and there was one suspect who had an alibi. People thought about this guy only because he was little "weird"; however, do we really know if he was weird or circumstances forced him to be this person? Older sister, Dee, of the missing girl decided to move right next to this guy where her sister had disappeared. She was so sure that this guy, Ted, was the culprit. On the other had, Ted was trying to live his life with his little kitten, Olivia, and daughter, Lauren.

Story had been told from perspective of Ted, Dee, Olivia, and Lauren. You should pay attention to details as they give away personalities of the each character, holes in the storyline, and all the discrepancies. If you are interested in mystery/thriller and the mental illness, go for it.

This one has been really hard for me to get into. It’s super bizarre and confusing. I see it getting solid reviews elsewhere but for now it’s a DNF for me. Maybe I’ll try again another time.

Thank you to Netgalley for a preview copy of this book. How does one even begin? I'm a speechless Julia Child after eating a french meal with tons of butter! I went into to book not knowing hardly anything about it, except that it was supposed to be a fabulous, well-written story. And indeed it is both of those things. But it is much more, so much more than that! There were times when I wanted to stop reading this book. It was just too much to take in at once. But like every amazing story, you have to keep on. You have to know what is going to happen next. I HIGHLY recommend that every reader goes into this book knowing next to nothing about it---it will blow you away. You will have to be comfortable with being uncomfortable...and not understanding why things are happening during the first 1/3 of the book. Once the cards are laid on the table, they can never be picked up. You can never go back to not knowing. I cannot wait to read more from this author. Ward has an amazing imagination and will undoubtedly become a bestselling writer.