I don't know really what to say about this book because I don't want to give anything away. As others have written, it is probably best to go into this cold and just let the story unfold. If you like psychological thrillers or spooky mysteries then I suggest you give this book a try. I think this is a book that one will either really like (see all the great reviews) or find it just okay. I fall into the latter category, but that it mostly because I am not a fan of this kind of writing or genre. For me this book was just okay and it was a grind to get through it and I can't say it was worth the effort. It was enjoyable and different enough, but I felt I kind of wasted my time reading this book. It is a quick read though.

An intriguing plot with interesting voices which kept me turning pages. Interesting twists with a satisfying conclusion.

The Last House on Needless Street by Catriona Ward is an intense psychological thriller. Love the unreliable narrator trope coupled with flashbacks a la Gone Girl? Then strap in for this roller coaster ride!

Ted is a weird guy living in a dilapidated house with his daughter and Bible reading cat. Dee Dee’s sister went missing at a nearby lake, years earlier. Dee Dee thinks Ted had something to do with Lulu’s disappearance despite him having an alibi. She moves into the house next door to do a little investigating.

Catriona Ward skillfully gives each character their own, incredibly realized voice and point of view. Each secret revealed leads to more questions in this intricately woven story.

The tension slowly but unrelentingly heightens and the overall feel of creepy house unease leads to truly horrifying moments as Ted and Dee Dee’s stories intertwined.

I loved every horrifying moment of dread-soaked writing!

Well written with good character development but very predictable to me. I just couldn’t get into it. Is the girl a girl or a cat? Are we really listening to a POV from a cat the entire story? I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

The summary for this book does not offer spoilers, and I won’t either. The writing style for this book is truly unique. I found myself drawn in to the thoughts of the characters, even though their thoughts were not necessarily pleasant. But from the very first sentence of the book, I was hooked. We are taken on a meandering journey through the day-to-day lives of characters impacted, in one way or another, by the disappearance of ‘Little Girl With Popsicle.’ The story is intriguing, and the journey to the outcome is different than any I’ve taken before. The way the author spins the tale is magical and engaging, not to mention violent, scary, and disturbing at points.

The only very minor criticism is that I would have been happy for the story to end earlier than it did. The closing chapters were interesting, but in my opinion did not contribute to the overall arc of the story. But I can see why the author is compelled to include those chapters.

A copy of ‘The Last House on Needless Street was provided to me by Macmillan-Tor/Forge, Tor Nightfire /Net Galley for an honest review.

Where to start? This is a horror story narrated by an unusual cast of characters. A few of which are a creepy guy in a creepy house, a woman hoping to solve her sister’s disappearance, and a Bible reading cat. There’s not much else to be said without getting into spoilers, but this was a roller coaster of a novel that kept me wondering and engaged till the last page.

Good god. Another King endorsed novel that just took my time away and gave me nothing in return. No horror, zero suspense, a talking religious cat who reads a bible, a seriously disturbed person, and another yes another child who acts ay too adultlike to be believed. Sorry this novel did nothing for me. Thanks for the opportunity for myself to give ‘er a whirl though, netgalley .

Although some of the characters were well-written (especially the cat) it was pretty easy to guess what was going on, and this made the middle part of the novel drag. Some plot holes needed attention. The afterword (contains spoilers, don’t read it first) is a welcome addition to the novel.

If you’re looking for an easy beach read and have a high tolerance for darkness and despair you’d enjoy this.

Thank you to the publisher for the opportunity to review the ARC via Netgalley

Come in to this book knowing next to nothing about the plot and you will be all the better for it. It took me about half the way through it to have what I thought was a firm-ish grasp on what exactly was going on, but everything I thought or suspected was completely upended shortly thereafter. Unpredictable, wonderfully written, utterly heartbreaking. I haven't had a reading experience quite like this ever!
A big thank you to NetGalley and Tor for making an early copy available!

To say that I was excited to read this book would be like saying that as a child, I was excited for Santa. It does not even begin to describe the anticipation leading up to what I could only hope would be an unforgettable Christmas morning. The Last House on Needless Street was every single one of my childhood wishes wrapped up and left for me to unwrap every page.
I first heard about this book when Stephen King recommended it, months and months ago. As I started to see more and more people talking about this book on Instagram, my desire to get my hands on a copy grew and grew. Do you know who my Secret Santa was this year? Yep, Tor Nightfire and access to a DRC!
Okay, you probably didn't need to know all that, but I wanted to convey the fact that my expectations were indeed sky high. So what is this book about then? It is the story of a man, his daughter, and a cat who live in a boarded-up house at the end of Needless Street. Or perhaps it is a story about a missing girl and the lengths her sister will go to find her. Or perhaps both sentences are true and false. What I do know is that it starts as one story and ends as another.
So vague, so intentionally vague, because I do not want to give anything away. Did it live up to all the hype? Yes, and yes, and definitely yes! I was left trying to figure out what I had just read more than once. Every page left me wanting more, and do not think for one minute that my Fitbit was pleased with me the next morning. Sorry, not sorry Fitbit!
I could not put this book down. A bad man, a good woman, an articulate cat, and a wounded girl. These are truths as well as lies. Don't even look at reviews that may or may not contain spoilers until you read this book. Then, if you are like me, you can peruse reviews and see what other people thought and felt. In case I didn't mention it, I loved this book!

It was a great book !! The character were amazing and well developed . Very easy to read I strongly recommended this boon

Wow. This books was a wild ride!

Trigger warning: plot involves childhood trauma.



Still with me?

Okay, good.

I feel like this novel was split into quarters for me, in terms of my enjoyment. The first quarter I found myself enjoying the ride, though slightly confused as to the narrative structure (saying more may give away plot, so I'll leave it at that). The second quarter started giving me more depth, and an inkling of a really good missing persons mystery. Nothing spectacular, but really good bones.

The 3rd completely pulled the rug out from under me.

The fourth I could not stop reading and devoured in a sitting.

It's that good people. For those of you who love character development, and twists and turns that come out of no where, look no further. It will leave you breathless.

It will make you question your perception of self.

And best yet? It will make you question who the real monsters are in the world today.

MARVELOUS

Bravo. BRILLIANT. ATMOSPHERIC. Now I know why I have been hearing so much about this book. I went into this expecting a gothic horror, and I got so much more. I am extremely surprised by the emotion this brought out in me. You can't really say a whole lot about it without giving away a bunch of stuff, I think, but I will tell you there is a character who is a gay cat (not in a cartoony way). So that tells you everything you need to know.

This is probably not going to be for everybody. It is probably going to be confusing at first for most people, but you have to stick with it through the end if you are at all enjoying it. The author's writing is ... beautiful in many places. She must be the Queen of [original, not cliched] Metaphors. This is absolutely going down in my favorite of all time list. This is one of those books that's going to stay with me for a long time.

The narrator for the audiobook, Christopher Ragland, does a superb job. You seriously forget that you are listening to a man talking sometimes (when he does feminine characters).

An enormous thank-you to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for ARCs of the ebook and audiobook.

What a disappointment of an ending. This wasn't a scary or frightening read at all - I felt sorry for all the characters and pitied them but didn't feel like any single one of them was particularly worth rooting for.

This compelling, twisty thriller was an amazing read!
The book blew my mind, this is a story with so many layers that it is difficult to know where to start a review
Without giving too much away!
Im so damn impressed with the writing. The plot holy freaking cow!
Overall you won't want to miss this crazy wild ride!
I absolutely loved and enjoyed reading this.
I can't thank NetGalley, Macmillan-Tor/Forge and author for this ebook copy!

This is a brilliant novel where nothing is at it seems. Yes, rather gothic in all the right ways, yes rather dark in all the right ways, yes, rather sinister in all the right ways and yes, rather different than any other missing child books out there. Just read it, don’t read the reviews or synopsis. Just read the book.

“There’s a monster inside each of us. If you let yours out, Ted, it might not eat you.”

This quote sums up the whole book I’m so many ways. It truly was a wild ride. Just when you think you know what’s going on, you really don’t. This book is genius, dark, confusing, heartbreaking, and intriguing. It’ll give you hope, then rip it away.

When I started reading it, I thought it was going to be a dud. However, it didn’t take me too long to be sucked into the chaos that was unfolding. I highly recommend the journey full of emotional whiplash that this book will take you on.

This book is getting tons of buzz for being a brilliant, twisty horror thriller—and it definitely is. But it’s also one of the most beautiful books I’ve read in ages. And I mean true beauty. The kind that breaks you open and stitches sadness to awe. These are characters I will be living with for a long time, and Ward's economical narrative prose makes this a book to be admired (and revisited) for its craft as well as its story.

The Last House on Needless Street tells the story of a family who lives at the edge of the woods. They aren't your typical family (one of them is a cat who reads the Bible), but like all families they have their ups and downs. And they have a secret. When the secret is on the verge of being exposed the story really begins.

This book was weird. The characters were strange...the pacing was painfully slow...and the prose was written in a way I had a hard time following. I saw so many positive reviews so I thought I'd love it, but I found myself wishing it was over more often than not. It wasn't worth all the long ramblings for something less than mediocre. Save yourself the time.

I was given this book in exchange for my honest opinion. Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan-Tor/Forge for this ARC.

The deft pen of the author makes this title an intriguing but challenging book to get into, as well as a beckoning, trust-me call to continue to read.

But the beginning of the book with the characters we're introduced to failed to engage me enough to keep reading in preference to other beckoning, promising reads. I'm DNFing this strange but potentially powerful book; I hope others can hang in there to reap the rewards.