My Heart!

THE LAST HOUSE ON NEEDLESS STREET – by Catriona Ward – Dark Fiction – Highly Recommend!

I don’t want to delve deeply into the storyline, Dear Readers, one that will surely keep you glued to the mind-bending narrative with its various twists and turns…

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

‘How many times can someone bend before they break forever? You have to take care, dealing with broken things; sometimes they give way and break others in their turn.’

Thank you, NetGalley and Nightfire (Macmillan Publishing Group, LLC.), for providing me with an eARC at the request of an honest review.

The Last House on Needless Street has been living with me for several months now. I read it at the end of February, and I’ve thought back to it several times since then. Initially I decided to read it because there was a lot of buzz about it on Book Twitter. You know, I’m really glad I did. This definitely wasn’t one of those over-hype situations. I mean, don’t get me wrong – there was a ton of hype. But I think Needless Street earned it in a big way. This really is an engrossing, twisty, unpredictable, frightening story.

This type of story, to me, always feels very hard to review. What can be said that won’t give anything away? I am not sure, but bear with me as I give it a shot.

This is a very sad book about very sad things happening to a very sad group. I just want to throw that out there in case you thought this might be a typical psychological thriller or straight up horror story. It is kind of both of those things. But also – this here is a crying book. Needless Street and the fucked up stuff that happens there is going to break your heart into about a million and one little tiny pieces.
“How many times can someone bend before they break forever? You have to take care, dealing with broken things; sometimes they give way, and break others in their turn.”

It’s a rumination on the horrible consequences that result from horrible actions. It is about the cycles of abuse, and mental illness, grief and pain. But it’s also about the strength of humanity, and the great lengths our we will go to in order to protect ourselves from our own ugly realities. It’s a story about constructs – physical and mental, and how they not only protect us from the outside world, but also how they alienate us from it.

Also, my favorite character is the cat. 😅

I don't think there are any words that can adequately describe how simultaneously magnificent and disturbing this book is. At least, not without ruining all the bits and pieces that make it just that. One of the best horror/mystery/thriller books I've ever had the pleasure of reading. This title is definitely worth it's salt and deserves all of the hype it gets. If you want more of a plot blurb of the book, please go check out the publisher's release for it as I don't want to give too much of anything away. All I can say is that you get a mix of various POVs in this book that include: Ted, a man who lives in a boarded up house at the end of the street; Lauren, his daughter; Olivia, his cat; and Dee, a new neighbor who moves into the old house next door. How they factor into each other's lives is up to you to find out. When I tell you nothing is what it seems, this book definitely doesn't skimp on the delivery of that sentiment.

A sad, disturbing, labyrinth of a tale with an oddly satisfying ending. Top tier author for me. Will auto-read anything else she puts out and have already purchased one of her backlog titles as I type this. P.S. Olivia is my fave. She may be yours too. Grab a copy if you're a fan of horror, psychological suspense, or you love fictional cats that can talk and have major sass.

A serial killer, a missing kid, and a cat?

There is a house at the end of Needless street. A typical house but what is happening here is NOT typical. A man who drinks an awful lot lives here. Along with some girl who isn’t allowed to leave and a really odd cat. And secrets. Lots of them. Someone new moves next door and hopefully we will figure out these secrets!

I have to admit this book seemed way to crazy for my taste at first. I almost DNF but I was doing a buddy read so I kept at it. I am VERY glad I did! I ended up really liking the book. Things definitely became more clear as the book went along. And more pieces of the puzzle were dropped along the way. I thought I had it figured out but then I was wrong.

My buddy reader and I had some good thoughts that always led back to the darn cat. Lol. Definitely a great story for discussion and trying to figure out what the ending would be.

I’m definitely glad I continued and finished the book! Thank you to for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

Once again I am reviewing a book far past the publication date and I apologize. Though this time, having decided to wait was an unfortunate decision because it meant I was spoiled to the biggest twist in the book.

The Last House on Needless Street is not what it appears to be at first glance. The description makes it seem as though it's a tale of kidnapped girls, a drunk with a memory problem, and a cat who sees it all. But instead it's an examination of various types of mental illness.

Honestly, I wish it had been what it seemed to be at first instead of what it turned out to be. If it had then I probably would have given it more stars but I just did not like what this book tried to do.

What an absolutely incredible book. Really wish I had read this sooner. It was nothing like I had expected but in the best way possible. From beginning to end, the entire plot unfolded in unexpecting ways. I'm really looking forward to reading more from the author.

Ok no one properly warned me about this book!! Like damn

I think I got about 20% in and was so super confused that I got on goodreads to read some non-spoilery reviews, and I was CONVINCED everyone saying it “all comes together slowly” was lying. I did not understand anything for a majority of the book, until things started becoming obvious.

Only, nothing actually became obvious until the very end, when things were explained and fully uncovered. Because the story shifts like the tides, you think you start to understand, but you really don’t. Or at least I didn’t. Which might sound frustrating—and it kind of was for a while—but it is so deeply impactful when you see and hold every piece of information in your hands. The author’s note is also important to gaining the full picture, so don’t skip it!

I was uncomfortable so often while reading that I had a hard time putting my Kindle down, because if I had a spare moment to myself and my thoughts, my mind involuntarily went back to the story and how gd disturbing it felt (a little Olivia reference for your pleasure!!) I HATED not knowing what was happening with the cast of characters, especially as things became more complicated. I feel like this sounds negative, but I mean it completely positively. The author crafted the story cleverly and compassionately, which I think is why I had such a strong reaction.

I was ready to rate this 4 stars, maybe because I felt so disjointed for the first (at least) 20%. But as I was typing and realizing that I will not soon forget this story, I decided it needed rounding up!

*I received an eARC of this book on Netgalley but this did not affect my rating.

First book by this author, and I had the very cool experience of not knowing whether it was clumsy or very carefully constructed, and going along and realizing slowly how very carefully constructed it was. I need a lot of laying out of things, but it pointed me in the right direction without handing it to me, and then once I knew it, behaved as though I knew it without spelling it out right away.

Anyway, I think the twist was fascinating, but I'm not sure whether I feel like it was problematic. No spoilers, but when you point the story in a kind-of-exploitative direction and then have a twist where it's not exploitative after all--is the book exploitative?

Very creepy on quite a few levels. I'm not sure where I fall completely, but I'll definitely be reading more of Catriona Ward's unreliable narrators.

4 Stars!

Sometimes a book catches your eye and you really want to read it but it just seems to hang out there waiting. Sometimes life just happens. This was the cast with The Last House on Needless Street by Catriona Ward. When I first saw it, I knew I wanted to read it but things kept coming up to keep it from happening. I finally pushed all the excuses aside and dove into the book to find that the anticipation was not for nothing.



The man, the cat, and the teenage girl lived together in the house at the end of Needless Street. That on its own does not sound strange. What was odd, though, is that only the man ever left the house. The teenage girl was not allowed to leave at all and the cat was so afraid of the outside world that it would never think of venturing out. The man, Ted, has a very strange way of thinking that may be caused by his heavy drinking or maybe caused by something else. Lauren, the girl, never seems to be happy and likes to lash out at Ted in odd and often childish ways. And the cat, Olivia, is, well, a cat although one with a hidden dark side the occasionally takes over. They are one big, dysfunctional family on the outside but something much darker when their secrets begin to get exposed.



Years earlier, a girl had gone missing under mysterious circumstances and her sister’s life had changed forever. A life of promise had turned into an obsession with uncovering the mystery behind her sister’s disappearance and enacting justice. Now the woman moves into the house beside the man and is certain that he holds the key to solving the mystery and maybe returning the missing girl to the land of the living. As her investigation begins to unravel the threads that have been woven over the years, the secrets that slowly come to light are darker than anyone could have ever guessed. It is time for the shadow that has covered the last house on Needless Street to be lifted at least and the world may not be ready for what lies in its murky depths.



Tying to describe The Last House on Needless Street is difficult and the best word to sum it up is unexpected. I had no idea what to expect when I first started this novel but can say that what I found was nothing that I expected. Ward weaves a tale that takes many twists and turns that are often shocking and sometimes surprising. While I felt confident that I had an idea of what was happening in the novel, the details that Ward kept throwing out kept me a little off balance. This is a nuanced story that takes some time to unpack even as the pages fly by. The novel flows smoothly and can be cruised through although I found myself repeatedly stopping to backtrack and make sure I did not miss anything. This really is a very strong novel and a “literary” read that has a depth and narrative that transcends genre. I did not know what to expect when I started the novel, and it is safe to say that I did not expect what I found.



Trying to classify The Last House on Needless Street is, in fact, a needless exercise. The novel can been read as horror, psychological thriller, and even as a type of coming of age/redemption story. Ward investigates the darkest of the shadows in the human mind and shines a light at what lies within. There is horror and terrible acts but there is also understanding and, most importantly, understanding. The novel seems to challenge the reader to throw away preconceptions and look at the world in a different manner. It is a call to see what we do not understand as something that is different and not threatening. There is no doubt that darkness is part of the human condition but so is light. Sometimes what is perceived is not what is true and sometimes the monsters are simply scarred victims. Catriona Ward takes a daring look into the human mind and crafts a novel that transcends genre and expectations. This is not a traditional novel, and some readers may have to work in order to unravel the sometimes-jumbled story told from varying perspectives, but it is a very rewarding read for those who are willing to take a chance on the unconventional and sometimes uncomfortable. Highly recommended.



I would like to thank Tor Nightfire and NetGalley for this review copy. The Last House on Needless Street is available now.

WHEW, is this a brain bender! From the deliberately ambiguous beginning to the creeping sense of dread to the first big twist, then the next, and the next—WHAT A RIDE. My advice is to go in knowing nothing. And then when you finish, do all the googling—especially about Ward’s inspiration and research process.

This book has so many fantastic, thrilling, and dark elements. It took me a while to get around to reading this one, but all I can say is the hype was real! If you haven't read it yet would be a great read for the next Fall season. Thanks to the author and publisher for allowing me to review this book.

A strange book with interesting characters and a cat pov. It was well written, unsettling and sad but also a fascinating read.

tw: animal abuse, child abuse

This was one of the most twisted books I’ve ever read and I recommend it to people as such! The twist was something I never would have thought of- the author was a genius for it.

i read this in one furious, ceaseless, page-turning blur. saying a book is 'unputdownable' is definitely a played-out term, but ward's book is fascinating, with every chapter bringing new questions and reveals. just as you think, 'i'll take a minute,' there's a line which has you moving to the next chapter. the characters are fascinating and her changes of tone brilliant, resulting in some whiplash switches, but they're always immensely satisfying.

while much has been made of the various twists and turns -- and justifiably so, as the reveals are set up so organically that you'll find yourself repeatedly gasping as the book goes along -- it's the emotional heft which builds throughout the entirety of the last house on needless street which is its real power. as the final chapters unspooled, i found myself getting more and more choked up, only to read the last paragraph and burst into gasping, gulping sobs. it's cathartic, but it hurts, and while i want to go back and re-read this book as soon as possible, it's going to take me a minute to recover.

I couldn’t get through the first fifty pages. I found it to be boring and uninteresting. I don’t believe this author is for me.

This book was given to me by NetGalley, the publisher and author in exchange for a review.
This is a unique, intriguing, scary, unexpected thriller. From the unique angle, I have never read a book quite like this one. It has several points of view that seem wildly different but by the end of the story
they all make sense. As to the scary part- this book involves a child’s disappearance and it’s effects on the community and family. The author builds tension masterfully so that I did not want to put the book down- had to find out what would happen. I found myself thinking about it when I wasn’t reading.
The unexpected- of course there is a “who done it” angle but I thoroughly enjoyed the
psychological angle also, which makes this book somewhat different from a lot of “thrillers”.
At the beginning of the book I wondered why I was reading such a scary book but by the end I realized I had a unique tale in my hands. There is an afterword which I encourage all readers to take the time to read.

This book is not quite what it seems, and that isn't at all a bad thing.

Ted lives in (you'll never guess it!) the last house on Needless Street, a run down old house that is boarded up in odd ways and visibly falling apart. He lives with his cat Olivia, and his daughter Lauren when she is able to visit. There is something not right quite right about the situation though. and when a new neighbor begins to poke around things begin to unravel in surprising ways.

This story is told through multiple perspectives, including Olivia the cat, a surprisingly devout Christian?

Incredibly unique, this story blurs the lines between horror, thriller and... something unexpected.

4 (rounded up) stars

I am not normally drawn to books in the horror genre but I saw that there was a cat that narrates part of the novel so I was hooked! This horror/thriller starts with a missing child and keeps you guessing throughout about just what happened. I will definitely recommend this title, especially to readers interested in a dark or spooky mystery!

I DID NOT SEE THAT COMING.... should be the catch-phrase for this book.
This story is AMAZING and I loved it all.

From the start, going in completely blind, this story captured my attention and hooked me into its web of whodunnit. I'm not one that puts details in their review.... all I want to say is that going in blind was magical and I wish I could read it again for the first time!!

A huge thank you to NetGalley, Catriona Ward and Viper & Macmillan Audio for providing me with their ARCs of this publication which allows me to provide you with an unbiased review.

This book wasn't at all what I expected, it had a lot more psychological twists and turns, but overall it was really engaging and a thoroughly unsettling experience, which I think is what it was going for.