3.5/5

Thank you to Net Galley for an advance copy of this book.

Yes, I did enjoy it. Yes, it was a page turner. Yes, it was entertaining. No, I didn’t think this could have happened in reality. I did think that Carys was still alive and that Lowri was adopted,quite early on. There were so many clues. The ending was wrapped up too conveniently and wasn’t very believable ..(a) pretending for years that Cary’s was dead and keeping her hidden (b) agreeing to continue with this deception…what would they do when she eventually died (Ruby’s attachment to Carys (C) The quite easy forgiveness of Eli’s, Awen and Lewis (d) Elis suddenly speaking again when he had always signed) (e) the decision to put blame onto the ex, however obnoxious he was (f) the very ending regarding both doctors, senior and the son.

However, it’s still a good read!

This book offers everything you want from a creepy thriller.
Family secrets, children going missing, deaths unexplained and a mansion that is super creepy. It kept me turning the pages from start to finish. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in return for an honest review.

This is a compelling mystery with three-dimensional characters and some good twists and turns. Most of these occurred very near the end of the novel and came thick and fast at that point. I loved the sections of the book that were told in the first person from Lowri's POV. When the story shifted to "the girl's story" sections, I'm not sure the omniscient narrator POV worked as well.
The writer evokes the atmosphere in which the novel unfolds beautifully; the setting was very effective. There's a lot to like about this book, and I enjoyed it for the most part, but I thought the first half of the novel worked better than the last half--the ending seemed a bit rushed, with so much happening all of a sudden. I thought the revelations could have been a bit more gradual and built the suspense a bit more slowly. The hints of supernatural elements at work were well-handled.
All in all, though, I enjoyed the story and would recommend it to lovers of mystery and romantic suspense.

I so wanted to enjoy this book. I am Welsh so am always attracted to books set in my homeland. However I am also an impatient reader, and found this book to be very slow, and I just didn't connect with it. really sorry I didn't enjoy it more.

Dripping with atmosphere and tension, The Last House on the Cliff is a deliciously dark story about loss, grief, family and hope. The writing swept me away, utterly and completely, and I literally carried my Kindle around from room to room, deeply enveloped in the haunting Welsh thriller.

Lowri is raised in a non-traditional way and sees death from a different perspective than most children. She spends a lot of time with her beloved aunt Gwyn. Years later when Gwyn dies, Lowri and her darling daughter Ruby return to Gwyn's home to attend the funeral, reconnect and mourn. Lowri is no stranger to sorrow and grief. Her dear husband has died and she is fiercely protective of her daughter. Strange happenings begin from Day 1 with the eerie appearance of an old doll, a mysterious figure and weird noises. Awel and Elis live in the house and several other characters are introduced. But not everything is at it seems. Layers of mystery, deceptions and sorrow abound...I practically felt the raw emotions and creepiness, yet it is not over the top creepy. The ending is well done.

The Welsh expressions and names are beautiful touches and the writing took my breath away. The chapters are written in the "past" and "present" and not at all difficult to follow.

Readers seeking originality and bits of Gothic atmosphere in their thrillers ought to prioritize this winner..

My sincere thank you to Avon Books UK and NetGalley for the privilege of reading this stellar suspenseful mystery.

The Last House on the Cliff reminded me of Ruth Ware… but Clark doesn’t have a strong enough writing style to make this a fun thriller. She does a lot of telling rather than showing (I am not great at predicting adult suspense, so the fact that I made solid predictions is not good), and the characters were scattered and underdeveloped. I found myself skimming… and when I would find some part of the mystery out, I was just like “oh well. Cool, I guess.”

I still liked the overall setting, though. A little cliched, but it worked.

Lowri is a young widow who lives with her young daughter. Her Aunt Gwyn, who she was very close with as a child, passes away and Lowri goes back to Wales for the funeral and reading of the will. Family secrets, missing children. This is a great read.

Family secrets, a missing daughter, and bodies turning up.

This was an interesting read. A lot of family history to follow along, so I did have to go back a few times to remind myself of who is who.

The twists are scandalous but I didn’t realize I was at the end of the book until I couldn’t swipe over to another page. The end feels incomplete, which is a shame because it was a great novel.

The setting is mainly in an estate that doubles as a mortuary. Since most of the novel is within this setting I wish we were more behind the scenes of the business side rather than just the house. Definitely would have added creep factor!


Overall the concept for the story was gripping. The location and descriptions were beautifully written.

I requested The Last House on the Cliff because the summary alluded that ‘…Ruby insists an old woman is visiting her when no one else is watching, and a tattered old doll keeps being left for Ruby to find. Then Ruby goes missing. Desperately seeking answers no one seems to have, Lowri looks to her dark family past for clues. But the secrets she uncovers suggest that Ruby is not the only one in danger, and time is running out – for both of them…’

Unfortunately, I found the summary more exciting than the book itself. In fact, by the time I finished the book I felt like the summary belonged to another story entirely. By the time The Last House on the Cliff reached the climax it felt more like a letdown because the entire story leading up to it had fallen flat.

Overall, I found this to be an unexciting mystery/thriller with writing that didn’t support what Clark was trying to portray. I think it has all the elements to be a nail-biting page turner, but the way it was written prevents the story from coming together in a way that keeps a reader engaged. The twists and turns weren’t surprising, I didn’t find any of the characters particularly likable, and the entire last 50 pages read as though Clark was trying to explain these key details that weren’t woven into the story organically.

This is an atmospheric mystery where everyone is hiding something. Disappearing children, unexplained deaths, murder, a super-creepy mansion that doubles as a mortuary and historical secrets, among many other plot points, make it an intriguing novel. I really liked Lowri, a single mom who has just lost her estranged aunt. She goes back for the funeral and the reading of the will and many, many things happen. I really liked the titular house, as well as the surrounding nature. I enjoyed the creepiness of a little girl who looks like Merida and is afraid of the empty rooms. That said, the book had too many details and inner monologues for me to truly enjoy, since I’m more of an action reader. Many people will like it but it makes my attention wander. I was also disappointed at Lowri’s reactions at some of the twists - including, mild spoiler alert, not informing the police of something huge. I’m sure many readers will enjoy this, it was just not the type of novel I like.
I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thank you, #NetGalley/#Avon Books UK, Avon!

New to me author but won’t be the last time I read a book by them! It was packed with such suspense I couldn’t put it down! Love that!

Set in Anglesey, North Wales mostly in 2014 with flashbacks to earlier days. Lowri’s Auntie Gwyn owned a funeral home in an old house called Ty Coed Pinwydd, set close to an edge of a cliff overlooking the ocean. As a young child Lowri spent her school holidays with her Auntie until her parents had an argument with Gwyn and stopped sending Lowri to her Aunties for holidays.
After many years Lowri returns to Ty Coed Pinwydd to attend Gwyn’s funeral. Lowri has her young daughter Ruby with her who is constantly asking questions about the old house and the people living in the house.
The house was still the same as Lowri remembered, the same locked rooms and gloomy passages but now more neglected and needing a good cleaning. Everything feels creepy especially when Ruby starts talking about strangers peering from the attic windows or standing outside at night watching the house.
I loved the creepiness and the descriptions of Lowri’s aunties house and the people who lived with her auntie and helped with the funeral business.
This was about grief, family relationships and secrets. Fast paced with lots of twists and turns all with the backdrop of an old spooky house. I loved it.

It wasn’t the best book I’ve ever read. But once you started it you felt you had to keep going just to find out what happened?

Interesting plot that got darker. Could have been written better to improve the book.

This was a fun spooky read! It's very British--lots of vocabulary I was unfamiliar with, but still easy to read. I was so tired but when I started reading, I could not stop until I knew what was going to happen. This author can definitely write the setting of a story, I felt like I was in the gloomy old house in Wales. Lowri comes to her recently deceased aunt old home (a funeral home) for the funeral and the reading of the will. She's had a hard time, losing her first husband, recently divorced, and a single mother to Ruby. While there, Ruby disappears and Lowri is plunged into her worst nightmare. Are her cousins, who live in the home, and the local townspeople who they say they are? Is someone sneaking into the house act evening, as Lowri suspects? And how is this connected to a long ago missing child case? Writing is solid, though the beginning is a bit slow--it picks up when Lowri makes it Wales.

I was made up to be given a copy of this to read. Thank you Netgalley, Ann Wyn Clark and Avon Books UK dor giving me the opportunity to read 'The Last House on the Cliff'

What attracted me most to this book? It's based in Anglesey, the Island I've lived my whole life. It was great to see local areas named and the Welsh language been thrown in ☺️

Lowri has fond memories of holidays in Anglesey with her loving Aunt. Unfortunately due to family rifts Lowri has not seen her Aunt in many years. After her own personal heartbreak, Lowri is notified of her Aunt's passing and returns to Anglesey with her daughter Ruby for the funeral and will reading. After feeling she was being followed/watched things take a dramatic turn.

This book is creepy and full of suspense, it kept me interested in what was going to happen next. For once I didn't guess the final plot.

I found all characters were great and held a lot of secrets which kept me intrigued. I found Elis being my favourite.

Personally, I feel the ending was a little rushed and more could have been explained. Although it didn't ruin the book at all.

A book I will definitely be recommending to others ☺️

A fantastic story with great characters full of twists and turns. I was hooked from page one. I look forward to reading more by Anne

Dark and twisty tale that I loved. Great setting it really brought the book together.
Super creepy a great read. Will re read at halloween!

Thank you to Avon Books via NetGalley for the ARC of this ebook.

Physiological thriller with what felt like a little paranormal activity made for a real page turner. When a woman and her daughter return to her Aunt’s house and funeral parlour weird things start happening to them. Locked doors, feelings that somebody is there along with the appearance of strange things will keep you on the edge of your seat.

Creepy enough to have me looking around my room for shadows this book was absolutely filled with suspense. Delving into the past can uncover a lot of information about the present. I couldn’t put it down and read until daylight to figure it all out.

Excellent story and characters with the perfect setting this book will have you pulled so deeply into this book you will lose all track of time.

I loved the atmospheric setting of this book. A rambling old home that doubles as a funeral home, it’s perched on the edge of the sea where the waves pound below the cliff. After an absence of many years due to family strife, Lowri returns to Anglesey when her Aunt dies to hear the reading of the will, and to bury her. She’s not alone, her young daughter Ruby is with her, and they both desperately need a change in their lives. The older woman who lives in the house gives off a Mrs. Danvers vibe, and she spooked Lowri as a child. Her only ally seems to be the woman’s deaf brother, he’s aged too but Lowri has fond memories of him. The characters are interesting, as are the secrets that are slowly revealed. The pace was a bit slow sometimes but it held my interest, and I definitely didn’t expect twists at the end.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for introducing me to this author, I recommend it for a long, stormy weekend!

This was a dark and twisty tale set in a brooding house in Wales. I really wanted to love this novel, but it was a very slow read. The death of a dear aunt brings Lowri and her daughter Ruby back to the island of Anglesey where she finds many secrets from her past that gradually come to light. Hard to know who to trust, Lowri does her best to navigate her situation and discover the truths hidden behind decades of lies. This novel seemed very drawn out and a little too anticlimactic. I would give it a 3.5 stars.




https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60370597