I went into this book thinking it would just be another average horror novel but boy was I wrong, and that was great! The book takes such an unexpected turn in the story, and it works. This was such a refreshing, thought-provoking book and I cannot wait to read more by this author!

I read The Last House on Needless Street a couple weeks ago & I still find myself thinking about it. It has quite a few narrators which takes some time getting used to but without them the story definitely wouldn’t of come together so wonderfully. First, we have Ted who lives in the house on Needless street with his cat & occasionally his daughter, Lauren. It’s pretty obvious that something isn’t quite right about Ted and that feeling cements itself when you read from the perspectives of his cat & Lauren. Then in comes Dee, who is the sister of a young girl that went missing years ago & she believes that Ted had something to do with that. I think it’s at that point that things got really interesting & I couldn’t put this book down. Unfortunately, I did figure out that main twist pretty early on which bummed me out. I will say that the way it leads up to it & eventually is revealed was pretty clever. I loved the characters & the writing was top notch so I stuck with it till the end. There was some smaller twists towards that end that were entirely unexpected and left me that shocked feeling we thriller lovers crave.

I thought I wasn't smart enough for this book. Turns out, the twists were so absurd that the problem wasn't me. Yes the characters are original, including a talking, bible quoting cat, but the story doesn't seem to connect. You will spend your time reading trying to understand what is going on. Don't even bother guessing, you are wrong. It's kind of like a having a dream where things keep getting more nonsensical the longer you are asleep.

I haven't disliked a book more than when I read "Imaginary Friend" by Stephen Chbosky. Just odd, and I'd like to wake up now.

This book full of surprises. Chapter after chapter you never knew what was coming next. Such a twisty and creative story that kept you guessing until the very end. Even when all was explained, the reader is questioning what he/she just read! I definitely would like to read more books by this author.

Thank you to Catriona Ward, Netgalley, and Tom Dohetry Associates for a copy of this E-arc in exchange for an honest review. First off, if you start this one and are confused- power through and keep going! This was a great read and I didnt realize how much I would love the cat as a narrator/point of view. A great book with a different twist on the thriller/mystery/horror genre. I would advise reading the trigger warnings to decide if this one is for you. 4.5/5 stars!

How can something so beautifully written be so…womp womp? I’m not one for this kind of story. It’s just not for me. It’s been done. I think the hype is just that. Hype. The only thing keeping this from being 2/5 is the cat. I don’t even fucking like cats and Olivia was a wonderfully written little character. I didn’t like anyone else. Not even the characters I’m meant to have sympathy for. Again, BEAUTIFUL prose. Lackluster everything else. I think filing this under horror is a bit of a stretch.

3.5 stars
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Oh, how I wanted to love this book. however, it left me feeling a little underwhelmed. This is by far an unpopular opinion as this book has received so much praise from other readers. I would just like to emphasize that just because I didn't enjoy a book; it doesn't mean that you won't!

The best way for me to explain this book bluntly is, 'The Last House on Needless Street' is like an onion, it has many layers that get peeled back one by one. This book is told via multiple POV's we explore chapters through the eyes of Ted (a very troubled and misunderstood man), Lauren (Ted's daughter), Olivia (a bible loving, god worshipping cat) and Dee (whose sister has gone missing and believes Ted is the cause). I found the story to be a little hard to follow at times and a little confusing, I did enjoy however, how everything came together at the end. I had inklings of what would happen, but I was 100% wrong - it took a turn that I wasn't expecting.

This was indeed a slow-burn, and probably the reason why I wasn't captivated by it. Saying that, if you're looking for the perfect slow-burn, this would be for you.
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I would like to thank NetGalley and the publishers for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This book shuddered my mind.Its such a page turner and intense psychological thriller that I finished it one sitting.
It will play games with your mind and will keep you guessing till the end page. Its dark, its twisty but deep down its something more then a thriller. It deals with human psychology. How mind find its ways to cope with fear and trauma. I don't want to spill any spoilers but this book is highly recommended.

You might not figure out things/ characters intially like I was super confused about the cat reading bible and everything. But all started making sense and connected to each other so well till the end that I couldn't put it down until I finished!

Thank you @netgalley for my complimentary copy.

One of the most original and unexpected books I've read in a long time, the Last House on Needless Street bends the imagination and leaves you guessing until the very end. While the surprises and twists never end, there's also no whiplash involved; every reveal and moment is carefully plotted and deliberately paced. Unnerving, suspenseful, and deeply character-driven, this is a highly recommended read.

Catriona Ward's latest novel is a chilling horror novel, one that succeeded in keeping me up well past my 'bedtime.' And no, I'm not just saying that because I stayed up late reading The Last House of Needless Street.

Everyone can think of at least one house that gives them the chills. A house that always seems empty, unlit, or otherwise gives them a bad feeling. This is the story of one such house. It is the last house of Needless Street, and it is full of problems.

Within these walls, you will find those who need anger management guidance, a trapped teenager, and a cat who has found religion. They're not a likely family, and certainly not a happy family. But their lives will change when they get new neighbors.

“Anyway the trick to life is, if you don’t like what is happening, go back to sleep until it stops.”

First, can I just take a minute to gush about that cover? Because it is divine! Now onto the review. The Last House of Needless Street is one of those books that I've been looking forward to since the moment it was announced, and boy did it live up to the hype.

First, though, I want to mention that a few graphic scenes need to be discussed (so, spoiler warning!). The first revolves around animal death, which happens very early in the book. No, it is NOT the cat on the cover, I promise! But the death is fairly graphic, so consider yourself warned. Likewise, the scenes depicting child abuse are a lot, so again, use caution here.

What is it with me picking slow-burning horror novels this year? The Last House of Needless Street is yet another one, with tension that builds up so steadily that you almost don't realize your anxiety has gone through the roof. Almost. Actually, that makes me wonder how it would do on a second read-through. I will have to add this lovely back onto my TBR list and find out.

Honestly, I'm struggling to find more to say about this book without having it all be spoilers. So, just go read The Last House of Needless Street if you're curious, okay? I promise you it's worth it.

This book was super creepy. This characters are complex and well written, and the story is twisty. This book was overwhelming, but in a good way. Definitely recommend reading this one if you love strange, creepy books that have a lot of layers.

Thoroughly enjoyed this book. Dark and creepy and completely unexpected. I wonder if I'd had a paper copy and was able to flip back more easily if I'd have put things together sooner, but it's probably for the best that I didn't. Can't wait to see what's next from Catriona Ward!

I love to read books with topics like this, unfortunately I can not disclose what this particular topic is because it will spoil the whole entire book for you. I had my suspicions that this was the route the book was taking but I didn’t want to disappoint my poor little heart had it not been the case. I loved the author’s notes at the end and I love that she did extensive research on the matter. This book can be a bit confusing if you don’t have an inclination on where it’s going but trust the process! It wraps up beautifully! I adored all the characters and the setting throughout the novel. I will definitely check out more by this author!

This book just didn't work for me, I think it might be because I've seen too many horror movies but I figured out the big twist based on the wording used a few chapters in so the reveal wasn't exciting or shocking. Instead, the lead up to it just dragged on since I already knew what was going to happen. I do think it'll be a hit with other readers though, the premise is intriguing and the opening chapter definitely had me curious to continue on.

After reading all the glowing reviews, I really wanted to like this book but I just didn’t. The detached narration made it impossible to get to know or care about the characters. To be fair, I have to say that I only made it 25% into the book before I had to stop. I know that if I’m reading less than a page a day then I’m avoiding a book. I have too many books in my TBR pile to slog through a book I don’t care for. Maybe it would have gotten better but if I’m not grabbed in the first 25% it’s probably not going to happen. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me an ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

While the premise is exciting and is bound to grab a variety of readers' attention, the execution felt muddled and intentionally misleading. A difficult title to categorize and judge based off of general checkpoints but it did not stir curiosity in this reviewer and ultimately felt like a literary misadventure upon the initial reading.

It is hard to know where to begin with this book. Let us start with our main characters; Ted and Olivia. Ted is a single man who lives alone in his boarded up house with his cat, Olivia. Occasionally Ted's daughter, Lauren, comes to visit. When Lauren visits, Olivia is put away because they apparently do not get along. Ted was wrapped up in a police case years ago when a young girl goes missing. The police searched his house but did not find anything that worked against him. Since that day, he often though about the girl, who he nicknamed "girl with popsicle." The child going missing was a tragedy. Just as big of a tragedy was Ted's life. Ever since his picture was printed in the newspaper after the child went missing, people would throw rocks through his windows as fast as he could replace them before he gave up and boarded up his house.
Ted lives a lonely life. He loves his cat Olivia and his mischievous daughter Lauren. Making friends was not his forte and he drank too much. Once every couple weeks he went to see his psychiatrist whom he called "the bug man" based on his appearance. Ted was not good at names. From the beginning of this book, I could pretty much tell where this story was going. I was a bit upset about how certain mental health disorders were handled and described. There was not a real "twist" at the end, since I figured it out long before hand. After many psychology classes over the years, it simply was not a surprise. It did upset me a bit at times with how a certain disorder was described at almost the worst it could get. Overall it was a decent read and I would be willing to try books by this author in the future.

Unfortunately I wasn't able to complete this book, I have marked it as a DNF.. I couldn't get into the Main POV character nor his cats POV. This book didn't work for me at all. I'd give it a 2/5 at best.

I was so excited to start this book. First going in I was confused as to what character was speaking and in what time period. The picture soon became clear, but I wouldn’t classify this book in the horror genre. It dealt a lot with mental health issues. It was a decent read.

TWO-CENT TUESDAY

Well, here we are, four months (egads) since my last post. I have nothing to blame but wellness (or lack thereof), pandemic brain and malaise, family emergency and probably just sheer lack of gumption. I have a ton of catching up to do and I don't want to let good titles get short shrift because my act hasn't been together, so...

Below are a few (somewhat) brief $.02 opinions about books I've read or listened to recently. This first catchup set happens to include some of the best books I read this year. I hope you'll consider one or two for your own TBR stack if they strike your fancy.

The Last House on Needless Street, Catriona Ward

Just as a few poets sent me down my recent(ish) poetry rabbit hole, Stephen Graham Jones sent me down something of a horror trek. I'd heard nothing but raves about this one, so when it came across my desk I was curious and anxious to dig in. Man did it blow my expectations out of the water and spun my head around (heck, even Stephen King was blown away). Ted lives in his boarded up family home with only his part-time daughter (Lauren) and a cat (Olivia). Or does he? Dee believes Ted is hiding her long-vanished sister Lulu inside and is bound and determined to get her back. What you think you know, you don't. Some of what you guess might be right, but it doesn't matter because (1) there will be layers and layers on top of it and (2) Ward goes about peeling back the truth in such a loving, horrific, suspenseful way that you will want to read it all over again when you've finished, just to read it with that new education. By far one of the best books I've read this year and another stellar work that has me on the steadfast path to more "horror."