This book started out very slow and very weird but the second half made up for it. I could guess some of the twists coming up and it did feel like some of the characters were introduced just to plug a plot hole and were conveniently disposed of soon after they played their part but overall it did manage to keep me turning the pages. I also appreciated the care taken by the author to show the mental illness discussed in the book with due gravity. Would definitely recommend for fans of I am thinking of ending things.

My phone broke and I wasn't able to listen to this audiobook. I couldn't download it again on my new phone, I'm so sorry for not being able to review this audiobook like I wanted to.

This one was not for me. The religious cat was a little too much for me and I had a hard time even getting to the half way point of this book. I wanted to like it because it felt very atmospheric and I DID like the writing style and will for sure try other books by this author

The narrator for this audio book did a great job giving each character and even the cat their own personality. As good as the narration for this book is it's not enough to keep me listening. I find this story line to be extremely slow and I have no interest in how the book will unfold.

I did not like this book. The plot was confusing. The twist I saw coming a mile away. I wish I hadn't read it.

This book was one wild ride. For the first half I had no idea what was going on and in the second half, I was starting to put things together. It made me think and I had no clue how it would end. To me, that's the recipe for an excellent story.

This book was great! I highly recommend it. It was a non stop page turner! For sure will read more by this author!

I couldn't get into this story or connect to the characters. The narration was not engaging and didn't hold my interest.

This book is amazing and dark and tragic and deep and moving and left me hollowed out. The writing and the story is incredible, and the twist and turns were so wonderfully written that once I reached about a third of the way through I couldn't stop and finished the whole thing.

The narration of the audiobook was very well done. One of the points of view in the story is that of Olivia, who just so happens to be a cat. The meows and purrs that the narrator voices were truly necessary and believable. I never thought I'd review an audiobook based on cat sounds, but here we are! The voice acting was superb, the timing was impeccable. I couldn't have asked for better narration.

I gave this book five stars, and it was one of my favorites so far this year. I don't want to spoil anything, and with this book that's especially tough, but I will say that it's not often that I know where a book is going but that doesn't matter. This was a masterpiece of thrills.

Takes familiar tropes in psychological horror and treats them with the sensitivity and empathy they deserve.

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

Catriona Ward takes the reader on a mind-twisting and haunting journey in The Last House on Needless Street. The many characters and how they relate to one another are complex and well developed…sometimes to a fault. Yet, there is all a purpose within the story.

In the audio edition, Christopher Ragland gives an exquisite performance with distinct voices for each of the characters. The tensions in the story are extremely high, and Ragland brings that emotion into the narration.

I just could not get into this book. So many great things said about it. The narrator is fine but the book was just not for me.

Unique, intriguing, and overall a solid book. This is a really hard book to try and summarize but I kind of like that.

This book has received a lot of pre-publication buzz, so I was excited to dive right in. I saw a few early reviews warning folks to avoid any and all spoilers - which is always sage advice, but especially apt in this case. Told from different perspectives, this book involves a missing girl, a man originally suspected of taking her, Ted Bannerman, a sister looking for answers and a cat. It's an engrossing read from start to finish - and the plot definitely takes some truly shocking turns (really, genuinely surprising - there are things that I am usually quite good at predicting/spotting that took me totally by surprise here!). It kept me on my toes and even had me gasping aloud in some parts. I am not sure I remember when a listen last took me so completely by surprise - I absolutely loved this!

While I physically read most of this, I also enjoyed the sections that I did listen to on audio (the better to never have to stop being immersed in this one!). The performer handles the different characters impeccably. Regardless of the format, though, I couldn't put this one down! I was reading or listening to it at every opportunity. Genre-wise, this slants a bit more towards horror, though it's also solidly a mystery/thriller. It's a definite page-turner, that's for sure! The characters all completely come to life - Olivia, the cat, serves up some nicely comedic moments to help break up some of the relentless tension - and she's a definite scene-stealer. I thoroughly enjoyed the parts of the story that she narrated. I really enjoyed this - even more than I expected to, to be honest. I am really looking forward to hunting down Ward's two previous novels as well as any of her future ones!

This is a well-crafted novel and one that definitely holds unexpected twists and turns! It would be a fun one to talk about with a book discussion group - though I can see that not all book clubs would want to tackle a dark and daring read. My own club probably wouldn't love this the way that I do. It's definitely a top 2021 read for me - and it's always added excitement to discover a new author to follow and love!

I listened to the audiobook version of "The Last House on Needless Street." Thank you for Macmillan audio for a copy of this book.

This book has really blown up in a lot of my FB groups- it gave me a high expectation, which I think made it harder to get through. There are a few different perspectives going on doing this book- including Ted, a cat, a young girl that has gone missing, and an older sister that is searching for her missing sister.

While there were some comic moments for a cat's point of view, as well as the point of view from a man with quite a few strange habits and complexes, there wasn't much else in the beginning that really hooked me into the story. The book is kind of a slow-burn, it really picked up for the last 30%. In a way, the last 30% makes up for the tedious middle, but it's not something that I would often choose to read because getting to that point is not very thrilling. This might be something that I would have found more enjoyable reading as a physical book in order to get through some of it faster.

The narrators did a great job with much of the voicing of a wide variety of characters. As a side note: If the sound of people meowing is annoying, prepare yourselves. There is some annoying meowing that always seemed to be a bit louder and jarring than the sentences around it. >_<.

RATING: 3 STARS
2021; (Macmillan-Tor/Forge, Tor Nightfire) Macmillan Audio

It took me 18 days but I have finally decided on a rating for this book. It might be a bit of a concession, but I think it's the fairest. Ward is a descriptive writer that reminds me very much of Stephen King's writing. She is creative and engaging so I would read any novel by Ward. However, there were aspects of the story that just made me a bit uneasy, and I could see the end coming. Once you kind of figure it out, you lose a bit of the suspense in the story. If you are looking for something creepy, this is a great book for you.

***I received a complimentary copy of this ebook & audiobook from the publisher through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.***

The Last House on Needless Street, a house which has been boarded up to prevent more damage from the people who claim its owner Ted is a kidnapper and a murderer, is quiet most of the time. Occasionally, though, one can hear yelling inside from Lauren, who lives in the house with Ted. Through the points-of-view of Ted, Lauren, and Ted's cat Olivia, the reader learns a little of what it's like to live in that house and how disjointed time is inside of it. Ted is preoccupied with a deity he believes resides in the nearby woods, and in keeping it hidden and appeased.
Dee, whose own preoccupation is solely with finding the person responsible for her young sister's disappearance eleven years earlier, moves in next door to Ted, which only makes him more uneasy. His therapist also proves to be shady and unreliable, making Ted erratic and unable to trust anyone around him.
The book itself is a little long, and the pace is a bit slow, but not so slow that the reader can't stay invested. Arguably the best part of the reading experience is near the end, when the plot twists, and then twists again before the reader has a handle on how the events are unfolding. Well worth the read overall.

Is it possible to love a book this much?! This was a WILD ride. And I was there from the very beginning and clung to every page/word until the very end. Lauren, Olivia, Dee- I was there for it all! The Bible reading cat had me intrigued- I knew that this story was going to take some twists and turns. Lauren was not a character I was fully sold on- until a few chapters in. My mind was RUNNING with possibilities of what was going to happen next. If you are looking for a fantastic read, that you thinking about the books days after you finish it. Then this is the book for you!

I haven’t read many horror books, but I absolutely loved this one. I had no clue what was happening until the ending and that I loved it.