I wish I had been warned there would be so much religious stuff in this book. Every mention of The Lord, The
Bible and "He" speaking was like someone flicking my forehead. If there's this much this early (10% in), I need to get out before I get overwhelmed with needless religiosity.

Aborting now.

I will not rate on any other sites, because it doesn't seem fair.

I am not even going to attempt to summarize this, as I fear that I’ll reveal too much with anything that I say. It’s meant to be a creepy read and if that’s your thing, make sure you take a look at the successfully obscure synopsis on Goodreads.

Anyone who knows me well knows I struggle to relax with lighter reads. While I may occasionally stumble upon a charming tale that encapsulates me, the odds of that happening aren’t great. A dark tale may not be the thing everyone needs, and it isn’t always the best thing for me, but when you throw in a Jesus loving cat’s perspective, which was nothing short of pure hilarity, it certainly helps matters.

In the beginning, I thought this was going to be THE BOOK for me; the one that stimulated all of the happy chemicals in my brain. Coming off the heels of several heavy reads, I needed that relief.
While the book did prove to be a good distraction, it didn’t live up to what I had hoped for.

The biggest issue was that I knew the truth behind what was happening very early on and that was a huge disappointment. One of the most alluring factors of the premise was the promise that I wouldn’t know. I don’t understand how I couldn’t have known, as I thought it seemed glaringly obvious, but the problem may be that I’ve seen this all play out in various ways before.

When I wasn’t yet sure if my assumptions were correct, it was easier to enjoy the story, but I feel a large part of what happened was entertaining only while I was still lost in those questions. Once my suspicion turned to certainty, it was harder to stay engaged, although I was also quite ready to be finished, so I made it through quickly. Despite my perspective change, I’m partially glad I figured it out. I think I would have been very irritated if I’d been shocked by the type of reveals this story provided.

I will say that the author went about all of this in a very unique way and the cat, Olivia, was fun to get to know. I did genuinely need the laugh-out-loud moments her perspective provided. Additionally, in terms of trauma, I was satisfied with the way the author delved into its effects.

Undoubtedly, Edmund Wilson’s quote - “No two persons ever read the same book.” - is true. Many readers have already found this to be mind-blowing. While my opinion doesn’t mirror theirs, I don’t share my experience to dissuade you. I do genuinely hope your own experience is better than mine was, should you choose to pick this one up!

I am immensely grateful to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for my digital review copy. All opinions are my own.

The Last House on Needless Street will be available in the US on September 28, 2021.

Haunting, horrifying, touching, and weird - this book really puts the “psycho” in “psychological thriller,” and is one of the best books of 2021. I listened to the audiobook, which was full of absolutely stunning and spectacular vocal performances by Christopher Ragland.

I really trust the master, Stephen King, for my horror book recommendations, so my when I read his blurb saying this book blew him away, I had to read it. Despite my sky-high expectations, I was NOT disappointed by this twisty, gothic horror book full of mysteries and secrets.

It’s pretty hard to discuss this plot without giving any of the fun away, but here goes my small and vague attempt: Ted lives in a decrepit old house on Needless Street. It has boarded up windows and is poorly kept. Soon, we learn that Ted is not alone in the house. At about the same time, we learn about a kidnapping years ago. Is Ted connected to this event?

The very best thing about this book was the characters. Wait, or was it the twisted, perfectly constructed plot? Anyway, I absolutely loved the character of Olivia, to start, and as I went along I found myself loving all the characters...even the ones that seemed like monsters.. This book is constructed in such a way that each character’s narration gives you more and more clues to not only the central mysteries (there are several!) but also enlightens you about the other characters and their parts in the mystery, as well as their unique and creepy roles in each others’ lives.

I must pause to note that the audiobook narrator does one of the best jobs I’ve ever heard voicing numerous very different characters in this extremely complex and varied audiobook. His narration contributed greatly to my listening enjoyment. He was just perfect.

But I think the plot of this story is the real star. It is just spectacular. It has SO many layers, which peel away until you get to the core of one mystery, only to begin uncovering another. The reveals are shocking, crazy, weird, horrifying, and yet there is so much humanity and compassion in this difficult tale. It has been a long time since I felt so drawn in and connected to characters in a book. I did not want them to leave me when it was over. If you have read this book, at this point you might be a little worried about my mental health. But seriously, all the characters,dark though they may be, were so beautifully and emotionally drawn, and they way they all related to each other was very special.

I will say that I did not find the central mystery of this story too hard to figure out .;The author leaves a LOT of clues. But this in no way took away from my enjoyment. It is a super creative, always unfolding and developing mystery that just sucks you in and doesn’t let go.

I really cannot praise this book enough. I foresee awards and probably a movie adaptation in its near future. I’m also planning on reading the physical version of this book to see if it’s different from the audiobook experience, and to see what else I get out of it, knowing what I now know about the ending.

Bravo to Catriona Ward for doing something so creative, new and different in the horror and suspense genre. A truly engrossing, powerful, shocking mystery that will surely stay with me for a long time. Bravo too to this amazing audio narrator for pulling this book off flawlessly!

Thanks to Macmillan Audio, NetGalley and the author for one of my most anticipated, and now favorite, books of 2021. I need more than 5 stars for this one! 🌟

I really wanted to love this book but I struggled to get invested in the storyline and the narration. I just kept thinking “what am I listening to?”. Sadly, this one just wasn’t for me.

I’m sitting at my microtome at work. It’s almost 5am and I’ve been at work for just over an hour and I think, WTH am I listening to?
Two more hours go by and I say again, WTH am I listening to?
And then it’s clear. Well, not really. I’m listening to a story about madness. Well sort of......There’s a crime, cruel parents and madness. And maybe not in that order.
It will take a minute to get into. You’ll have to push past the cat part and then it will start to come together. I did find it very interesting and thought it very well done. There’s nothing predictable about it. I think my mystery friends will enjoy it.
Audiobook version narrated by Christopher Ragland. He did a great job. I’d definitely listen to him again.

Thank you Netgalley.

I received the audio book to this one!
Such an intelligent, well-written, stylish psychological thriller, written in mutiple distinct voices!
The writing here is just incredible,. And I've never read anything like before!
It takes serious thinking to write like this and Ward did it perfectly!

The house is creepy, that’s all there is to it. It sits alone, abandoned at the end of a dead end street, surrounded by untamed forest. The inhabitants consist of a man who sits blankly, staring at a television, a teenage girl who is not allowed outside after dark and a cat. Ted is a shadow of himself these days and isn’t sure whether he looks forward to visits from his boisterous teenage daughter, or dreads them. Ted gets a new neighbor, Dee, who is sure that Ted is responsible for the disappearance of her little sister 11 years before. And Dee intends to make Ted confess to his crimes, no matter what it takes. A darkly told, thrilling contemporary Gothic

Rating: 9.5/10

Thanks to the publisher and author for an advance reading copy of The Last House on Needless Street for review consideration. This did not influence my thoughts or opinions.

The Last House on Needless Street is as good, if not better, than advertised. Believe all of the hype surrounding this novel from names like Stephen King, Joe Hill, Paul Tremblay, Alex North, Sarah Pinborough and a litany of others. It is an absolutely mesmerizing novel; a bone-chilling masterwork of dark fiction that is as disquieting as it is heart-wrenching. A true standout in the genre.

I’ve been watching the hype surrounding this book for a while now and have been waiting on pins and needles for an advance reading copy so I could absolutely devour it. Not many novels have the ability to instantaneously sink its claws into you, shred every nerve in your body, and leave you a messy puddle on the floor… but this one did. The only others that come to mind are Gone Girl, The Only Good Indians, You, and maybe a handful of others.

I’m sure most of you have already seen the Deadline article where Andy Serkis (yes, THAT Andy Serkis) alongside Jonathan Cavendish will be making a film adaptation (if not, here is the link.) I’m not going to say that is unheard of before a book has even been published world-wide, but it is still a super noteworthy thing. You know, on top of the dozens of other massive praiseworthy articles, lists, etc. it is already making its rounds on.

What I am saying is… READ THIS FREAKING BOOK AS SOON AS YOU CAN.

I found Ward’s writing very intriguing, especially in the onset. It is a completely different style than what I am used to which is probably part of the reason I found it impossible to put down. The way in which she wrote the beginning couple of chapters asked way more questions that it answered and had me searching page after page well into the darkest part of the evening. Much like the synopsis on Goodreads…

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…

every time you think you have it figured out, you are completely wrong. Like, WAY wrong. Even after finishing, (which in order to read this section, you HAVE TO FINISH. Otherwise, you will ruin the book for yourself) I had to read Ward’s Afterward where she explains how she came up with the story idea and all of the research she put into it. Utterly fascinating.

You’ll fall in love with the characters, hate them, feel sorry for them, and will end up in a pool of your own tears by the final turn of the page.

Ward is a very new author to me, and probably most of you. I keep asking myself “WHY?” Why am I just now finding out about her? TLHoNS isn’t a debut; it is actually her 3rd full-length novel. Why did Rawblood and Little Eve fly so far under my radar? Who knows, but I will definitely be purchasing both by the time I am done writing this review.

Time to end the review. I simply have nothing else to give. Buy the book and thank me later.