This was a fun (more under the radar title) to kick off my fall reads. I’m making the shift to horror/fantasy/more thrillers as we move into fall and slowing down on the romances and chick lit titles.
This book centers around a man named Ted. Initially, you think he lives with his Cat and a young girl named Lauren who he says is his daughter. But we start to see the POV of the sister of a girl who goes missing at the age of six. Eleven years later, her sister is still searching for her and she has her suspicions set on Ted.

As we get further and further into the story we see many twist that I admit I did suspect. I was shocked at the intricacy of all these characters. This novel really leans on the mental illness aspect (think Beautiful Mind) to build the horror and shock aspect into the narrative.

I found this book quite engaging and a nice hair raising story to get us into spooky season!

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I've been hearing a lot of buzz about this novel lately. It deserves it. I went in knowing almost nothing and I think that is how a reader should go in. This novel was instantly engaging, hard to read a times and constantly kept me guessing about what was happening. The audiobook narrator is FANTASTIC. I can't state that strongly enough. This book was horror but also a mystery but also really emotional at times. If you want some thing new and different, read it.

the trick to life is, if you don't like what is happening, go back to sleep until it stops. ~ Olivia

The Last House on Needless Street has many layers to the story, like Russian dolls that nestle inside each other.

The story follows Ted Bannerman who lives in a run down house at the end of Needless street. In the first few chapters you start to realize there is something not quite right in Ted's house.

The nearby lake has had kids go missing over the years. Who is The Murderer? Where is the Little Girl with The Popsicle. What goes on in the forest next to Tom's house?

The story is very hard to describe without giving away any spoilers. Good news, this book has been picked up to be made into a movie. The big screen will put it over the edge into a real horror movie. For me this story did not tip the scales to horror genre, more of a creepy psychological thriller mystery. This mystery slowly unfolds with the ending that wraps up all the breadcrumbs scattered throughout the story. I give it 5 stars because I wanted to re-read as soon as I finished the book.

I listened to the audiobook while reading. The narrator did great job with the different POVs. I think my favorite was the narration of Olivia.

Don't miss reading Ward's afterward!

Sadly, I could not get into this book. Everything about it looked like it would grab my attention, but after a couple of hours I realized I had job idea what was going on nor did I care for the protagonist.

I surprisingly ,absolutely loved this book. I wasn’t sure I would at first, but the more I got into it the more I liked it. It was a little confusing at first but you quickly start to connect and care for the characters. And this was the first mystery I have listened to that I can truly and honestly say I had no idea how it would turn out. Most books I can usually figure out the ending very quickly, but this one will absolutely keep you guessing till the very end. Right when you think you know, you realize no you don’t know. Lol I definitely recommend this one to anyone even slightly interested and I myself will be looking for more by this author as this was my first by them. Also for the narrator, I think they picked the perfect person for the job. Loved the different accents and he did great with different characters, you can definitely tell each one apart and it suits the characters personalities perfect. This is definitely one I will listen to again down the road and I have several hundred audio books in my library and very few do I like enough to want to revisit so that says a lot as to how much I enjoyed this book.

Throughout this whole book the question "what in the h*ll is going on," was very prevalent. However there are a few things I knew by the end 1. I am running out to buy this as soon as it comes out in the US. 2. The author did their research for this book. 3. The ending was much more satisfying than I thought it would turn out to be and I will be thinking about little else for a while.

THE LAST HOUSE ON NEEDLESS STREET by Catriona Ward is absolutely brilliant. The pacing is perfect. The breadcrumb trail that she weaves through the story is so well done that you can’t help but continuing to pursue the truth that she masterfully withholds until the bitter end. I cannot recommend this book highly enough. You will laugh and you will cry and you will shudder. But you won’t stop. I will definitely be reading again. I listened to the audiobook and the performance was spectacular. I never drifted away from the story. Brilliant! 5 Stars

Best character of the year so far … Olivia the revenge-peeing, bible reading, lesbian cat.

The story is told from several different points of view. Don’t read the summary, don’t read reviews, don’t pass GO, just read it!! There could be a serial killer, child abduction, murder, death, revenge and one or two twists.

I had to rewind a couple times because I was like … whaaaat!

It’s a fun horror book.

Thank you NetGalley & Macmillan Audio. This book will be published later this month. I plan to buy it.

WOW. What a dark and suspenseful book!

The story surrounds four main characters: Ted, a lonely man suffering from memory gaps, his cat, Olivia, and his daughter, Lauren. We also meet Dee, a young woman looking for her missing sister. Dee soon starts to suspect Ted had some involvement with her sister’s disappearance. As the story unfolds, we are clued into both the past and present lives of the characters. There's very little else I can say about this novel without giving the premise away.

This book has a very ominous and mysterious feel to it—but in the very BEST way! Every time I thought I knew what direction the book was going, something else would happen, and I was left scratching my head.

I listened to the audiobook version of this novel and loved the narration. While the story has multiple POVs, we have one narrator, Christopher Ragland. He did a fantastic job alternating voices and building tension as the plot unfolds.

I enjoyed this book immensely! Make sure to add this to your TBR pile NOW! It’s the perfect chilling story for the Fall/Spooky Season.

Thank you, Macmillan Audio, for my review copy. Additional reviews on BN.com and Amazon to come on pub day.

Advanced Reader’s Copies (I ended up with an egalley and the audiobook) that were provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The audiobook is from Macmillan Audio and the egalley is from Macmillan- Tor/Forge and Tor Nightfire.

Content Warning: Talk of suicide, kidnapping, child abuse and neglect.

For me, THE LAST HOUSE ON NEEDLESS STREET has a very similar reading experience to Shirley Jackson's WE HAVE ALWAYS LIVED IN A CASTLE. So if you liked Jackson's novel, you'll most likely really enjoy this one. They're horror novels that nothing really happens in, there are no jump scares, or salacious moments that trigger your fight-or-flight response as a reader. THE LAST HOUSE ON NEEDLESS STREET becomes horrifying once readers are allowed to know the truth.

On the surface, this is a novel about a recluse living in a boarded up house with his cat and teenage daughter. It's a town that had been in the papers years ago for a young girl that went missing while vacationing with her family never to be found. Narrated from various points of view, readers are introduced to these characters and are tasked with trying to determine which narrator (if any) can be trusted.

Just when I thought I had it all figured out, Ward threw in a twist I wasn't expecting. And then once I thought I knew what was going on this time, another twist was thrown in. The best part about Ward's writing is that at the end, once all is revealed, as a reader you can look back at the earlier parts of the novel and realize that the truth was staring you in the face, you just didn't fully realize it.

This book didn't scare me, but it did creep me out once I knew fully what was going on. I thought the plot twists were expertly executed and kept me engaged despite the slow pace of the storyline.

Christopher Ragland does a phenomenal job with the audiobook narration, to the point where I could have sworn this audiobook was performed by more than one person.

It was a very creepy tale but I just couldn't get over the cat. He had a huge vocabulary but didnt know what Hair was...I'm sorry but I kind of struggled. All in all however, it was a good October title.

It's nearly impossible to describe anything about this book without giving something away, but all the hype you've heard about The Last House on Needless Street is deserved and nothing within this book is what it seems. It is a brilliantly written novel whose many twists and turns never feel contrived or sensational, but instead work as a series of well=paced revelations to show the reader the entire truth of the situation they've been introduced to. There is so much horror, heartbreak, and hope in this book and I cannot recommend it enough, especially if you're able to get ahold of the audio book—Christopher Ragland is an excellent narrator and did such justice to this book and its characters. I'm going to be shoving this book into the hands of so many people when it releases, but if you're a fan of Shirley Jackson or Paul Tremblay specifically, this book needs to be at the top of your list.

4.5 stars

This is one of those books I finished, took out the airpods and went, well huh...how am I going to review THAT.

The simple solution is very minimally. Anything I start to type I feel like I am spoiling something so lets just go with how the book starts...

Eleven years ago, a six year old girl went missing during a trip to the lake. Her older sister, Dee, is still searching for her. There was a suspect, Ted, whose house was searched but nothing was found, he had an alibi and was never charged. We take a trip through his mind throughout this book. We also get glimpses of his life from his cat, Olivia's perspective. When I first listened to the cat's first chapter I was like WTF is going on here but ended up really appreciating her chapters as the story continued. Throughout the book we get chapters from several POVs and are continuously trying to figure out just what is going on in the Last House on Needless Street and what happened 11 years ago.

Categorizing this book is very difficult. I've seen it billed as a domestic thriller and also as a horror. I don't think it fits neatly into one or the other. What it is is a slow unraveling of a story, it will not be for everyone but I for one was enthralled and thoroughly enjoyed the strange, dark, twisted journey.

I went into this book completely blind and didn't even know what the cover art looked like as it hadn't been released when I requested this one from NetGalley. I 100% endorse going into this one as unaware as possible.

As mentioned above I did listen to this one on audio and despite the multiple POV chapters it is a single narrator. At first I wasn't really digging the narration (especially as mentioned above when I got to the cat) but by the end I had grown to really enjoy it. All that to say give it a shot but if a man narrating a cat and a teenage girl and every character, in different voices, is going to be an issue maybe go with the physical or ebook version of this one.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ALC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to

What connects an unstable alcoholic man, his God doting cat, and his daughter that can't go outside to the new neighbor that moved in on Needless Street? Well we are in for a wild ride to find out. Ted lives an mundane, aloof life and he knows he will never fit into society so he doesn't try. He focuses on spending time with his daughter, making his cat happy, and visualizing an ideal life. Then Dee moves in on the street and takes a unique interest to him that makes him wonder if he can have a normal life.

This chilling book gives a lot of comical relief because part of it is actually narrated by Ted's cat. I got several chuckles when we got to experience things through the cat's point of view, however most of the book will have you biting at the bit trying to figure out what is going on. I thought the writing and the narration of this book were outstanding and I see why it's a Steven King recommendation.

Thanks to Catriona Ward, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for the audio ARC in exchange for an honest review! Goodreads review link added below.

Hmm, that was an odd book. I wasn’t able to fully dive into it, nor did I connect with the characters, and the ending my wasn’t mind blowing. The narrators were good though, so was the writing. This is why I am giving it a 3-star.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio & NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I truly don't know what to say about this book. From the beginning, I was searching for a storyline in it to follow, but I found there were so many things happening and so many "people" switching view points.

I found myself wanting... more. A big twist at the end, or a shocking reveal. And although the ending did wrap things up, it still left me with a bit of a want.

The narrator was absolutely incredible - kudos!

If you're looking for a bizarre, twisty read, then I recommend giving this a go.

The Last House On Needless Street sounded like it was going to be really good so I was excited when I was chosen to listen to the audiobook. I had read other reviews on Goodreads and thought I was in for a treat but I just couldn’t get past the narrator and for that reason I can honestly say I can’t give this book a fair review. I know Netgalley authors want stars to be added and feel it would be irresponsible of me to give a low ball star when I in fact didn’t finish the book so please don’t count my 1 star. Thank you Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to listen.

A spooky and atmospheric novel that is absolutely terrifying and had my heart racing until it's conclusion. I really enjoyed listening to this one as an audiobook as secrets come to light. I was hooked from beginning to end.

I have to admit, this book kept me on my toes the entire time. It was so hard to make sense of things at first. And, like any good horror story, it had that unsettling tone that lets you know something creepy might happen at any moment.

Ted, the main character, is a lonely young man that lives alone with his cat. Sometimes his daughter Lauren comes to visit, but right away readers will understand that there is something “off” about Ted’s lonely existence.

Another story is running alongside the one about Ted and this one features, Dee, a troubled young woman who lost her young sister years ago and is desperate to find her and make the guilt she feels go away.

For quite some time I thought I knew where this was going. When Dee and Ted cross paths, you just know something bad is going to happen. But it won’t be what you may think.

I don’t read much horror, but found this one wasn’t too “out there” for my tastes. As far as triggers, there are references to animal and child abuse, but nothing explicit.

I listened to this on audio and narrator Christopher Ragland did an excellent job. Many thanks to NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for allowing me to listen to an early release and give my honest review.

I was confused multiple times while reading this book. I’m not sure if that is because I listened to the audio version? The topic was heavy and I think I was in the mood for lighthearted at this time. Thanks so much to the publisher and NetGalley for the advanced copy.