This book was creepy and dark and oh so addicting!
The Last House on Needless Street kept me on the edge. It has the perfect amount of horror and mystery. It wasn't cheesy like so many books can be, it was downright spooky and succeeded in making me jumpy at night when I was attempting to go to sleep.

I can't wait until Catriona Ward comes out with more books, she's officially on my list of favorites!

This was a really unique book! This is horror and dark literary fiction that takes place in a spooky house on a dead-end street at the edge of the wild Washington woods where a family of three lives. There’s a teenage girl who isn’t allowed outside… a man who drinks alone in front of his TV, burying his head in the sand, 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. I'm usually wary when I hear that a book as the POV of an animal, but I think it was used well here. It took me a minute to understand where this all was going, but it came together in a perfectly spooky way. Would read more from this author!

i LOVED the odd & dark tone to this and really enjoyed the weirdness of reading from the perspective of a cat. it took me a bit to get into because of the strange style but once i was into it, i was INTO it.
i was torn on the twist for a while as it's something that is too often overdone and disrespected in thrillers & horrors, but after reading the authors note and discussing with several people i really do think i love this book. the twist was shocking and i loved what the book had to say overall. truly almost an "anti horror" horror.

Books like this one are some of my faves: very strange and weird to begin with, then as the story starts to unravel everything comes together. The atmosphere is creepy and chilling and the dialogue at times is unsettling. Sounds good right? I thought so. And I mean, there’s a cat. I was sold. If you find yourself confused in the beginning, just keep going. I promise that ending is worth it. Although this one won’t be for everyone, I enjoyed this unforgettable and unique story. P.S. make sure you read the author’s note because she provides some backstory on why she wrote this book and I found it fascinating.

Simply not my cup of tea. Intrigued for a moment until I became confused. This mindset lasted throughout the rest of the book. That unsettled feeling while reading never quite let me connect.

A story surrounding an abduction of a young girl 15-20 years ago. It was never solved and the young child was never found, alive or dead. Her older sister was with her that day and she has never forgiven herself for not keeping a closer eye on her. Decades later she is determined to figure out where her sister is and who took her. She won't stop until she finds her dead or alive.

I assumed incorrectly this would focus primarily on finding out what happened to the child. Also, that it would be told with more suspense. It's very difficult prose to follow and multiple POVs which for some you are constantly guessing from who's or what. There is another story being told as well in conjunction with the first. Its purpose is never quite known until the very end. While it was a significant part of the complete book, I found the abundance of vague hints and being in the dark more than not made for a diminished reading experience. Overall, I simply couldn't figure out what exactly was happening, what had happened, and what was going to happen. Therefore, I ultimately was not invested one way or the other by the time the book ended.

The ending itself was surely not typical. However, the entire book itself was completely unexpected compared to the synopsis. Some would describe the delivery as unusual and clever. On the same token, it could be described as odd and lacking tangible substance. Overall, I came to the conclusion that it was an attempt to create a very dark whimsical tale. Unfortunately, when mixing this cake up, the whimsy was left out while a cup of depressing was used when only a teaspoon was needed.

*Thank you to Macmillan-Tor/Forge via NetGalley for the digital reader copy.

This book started out slowly and picked up pace as it went along, getting stranger and stranger. We follow different points of view, of a cat, a child, and a grown man, all living in one house. As memories and events collide secrets are spilled and horrible truths are revealed. Sometimes the enemy isn’t who you think it is. Sometimes they’re closer than you realize, and that’s terrifying.
This was a dark and heartbreaking read and it ended on a twist that I did not see coming at all. It’s a slow start but we’ll worth it to push through to the end.

This was a very engaging book with lots of twists. I was hooked from the beginning. Just when I thought I had everything figured out, here came another twist. I loved the character development.

This book has gotten great reviews, and the writing was fantastic. However, I did not see the book the same light that many of the reviewers did. I found the book's final revelation to be too gimmicky, reminding me of movies--and there have been so many!--where the protagonist's true identity wasn't known.

This is definitely one of those books that you either love or loathe. I should have learned by now not to pick up books that all are the rage because I am just not that target reader. The Last House on Needless Street was so intriguing to start but as I read, I didn't find it eerie or unexpected at all.

The characters were just okay for me. The differing POVs took me out of the story but that's a pet peeve of mine, not at all the authors. I absolutely hated the cat, which is one part I really thought I'd like but a sanctimonious cat just missed the mark for me. As soon as she was introduced, I had a feeling I knew where the plot was going but I hoped I was wrong that it was that easy. I enjoyed Dee's character and honestly, the mystery there with her missing sister kept me reading.

While the ending does tie up all the loose threads and make the nonsense make sense again, I wasn't shocked by it. Maybe I've read too many horror novels and seen too many horror movies. I feel like people who love thrillers are probably the demographic for this one.

I almost DNF’d this book, but being an optimist when it comes to books, I trudged on. I am so glad I did!

The tale is told by Ted, Olivia, and Dee. Ted definitely has some issues, one of which is that he might be a serial killer. Olivia is his cat. Her purpose is to protect and comfort Ted. Dee is the older sister of one of the missing children. The book slowly reveals itself, twisting and turning, leaving the reader thinking one thing, then something is said or done and the reader must revise what they thought, and then it starts all over again. It is worth the slow, confusing (for me) beginning.

I just reviewed The Last House on Needless Street by Catriona Ward. #TheLastHouseonNeedlessStreet #NetGalley

A woman has made it her life’s mission to find the person who abducted for her sister, who vanished as a young girl years earlier. She tracks down a peculiar, secretive man that she suspects, but who was ruled out at the time of the disappearance, and moves next door to him.
This book is a little hard to pin down for a review. It had several narrators, a couple of which I didn’t really enjoy, and often times I would have no idea what I was really reading.
It started to all come together with about a fourth of the book left, and if I had tons of time on my hands, I might be inclined to go back and reread with fresh eyes. But I don’t and so I’m not going to.
If you prefer stories that are pretty straightforward, you might find this one a little frustrating, but if you’re into more twisty narratives, this could be worth a read.
Thanks #netgalley and #viperbooks for this #arc of #thelasthouseonneedlessstreet in exchange for an honest review.

Unique psychological horror, unlike anything else I have read thus far. I would definitely recommend to those who love twisty plots, horror, and thrillers. I would pick up all of the author's future works, it was so well written and enjoyable.

Catriona Ward offers a captivating and sensitive portrayal of a tortured mind in her captivating book, "The Last House on Needless Street". Ward's dexterous handling of multiple perspectives and points of view leaves the reader mentally exhausted, but richly rewarded for the effort. This is a horror story that is actually defies the conventions of the genre. You won't soon forget Ted, Olivia, Lauren, and Dee.

This book was a wild ride. It took me a bit to figure out what was going on with the shifting perspectives and gaps in the narrative, only to have it take a hard turn in the last 20% or so. The ending is so compelling and so detailed you can’t stop reading.

I'm surprised I didn't love this more. I feel like it's a 3.5 star, but I couldn't justify rounding up to 4. I wasn't blown away by the end. It was alright, but I didn't love it.

Boy howdy, was this one creepy trip of a thriller. It is hard to say much about this book without giving things away, so I'm not even going to bother with a plot summary, because this is the sort of book that is much better if you go into it knowing nothing. Instead, I'll give you a smattering of random quotes and reasons to read it:

- Multiple very distinct points of view (no "voices blending together" problem like many multi-POV novels have)
- One of the narrators is a cat. And she is my favorite.
- "Anyway the trick to life is, if you don’t like what is happening, go back to sleep until it stops." #relatable
- Majorly unreliable narrators (not a spoiler, you can tell almost immediately)
- "I judge people two ways— on how they treat animals, and on what they like to eat. If their favorite food is some kind of salad, they are definitely a bad person. Anything with cheese, they are probably OK."
- A series of well-executed twists
- Addressing of serious topics in respectful ways, though I will refrain from too much elaboration (PM me if you need more info)
- "'There’s a monster inside each of us,' he says. 'If you let yours out, Ted, it might not eat you.'"
- Multi-layered storytelling that subverts some common horror tropes
- The cat doesn't die (thank god)

I'm not saying anything more, except to reiterate that this book is weird and twisty and smart and crazy and all the things you like to see in thrillers. It can get pretty intense, but if you're up for it, the payoff is excellent.

(Also, be sure to read the author's note at the end (once you finish--otherwise you'll spoil things big-time) to get a little more insight on why she wrote the book the way she did. It added a little something extra to the book for me.)

Trigger/content warning: child abuse

This book is a psychologically twisting tale that keeps the reader guessing. When you think you know what the story is, it changes. A great read!

excellent narration of a book I found confusing and off paced at times. The cat as narrator was odd but overall worked. The story alternates between Ted, the cat, and his daughter Lauren. the story centers on a lonely man who lives by himself near the forest. there's odd yet surprising revelations with his daughter but really I was lost most of the time. The plot was confusing

This ended up being better than I feared it would be; the overall picture adds up to be more worthwhile than the sum of its parts. Ultimately sympathetic and understanding of trauma, though perhaps a little heavy-handed and gruesome.

I'm not really sure what to say about this book. From the opening pages I was aware that something wasn't right. That palpable sense of dread is hard to do but so very disturbing when it is done well. The Last House on Needless Street is a giant jumble of things not right but it is executed perfectly.

I am in awe of Catriona Ward's ability to craft a story with characters that are so diverse and real. I wasn't quite sure how all of the loose ends would tie together but it did so in such a satisfying way. I wouldn't necessarily classify this as a horror novel but more of a psychological suspense novel which I highly recommend.