The Last House on Needless Street
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- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-10-19 09:51:15
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Catriona Ward
- ISBN：1250812623
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
Catriona Ward's The Last House on Needless Street is a shocking and immersive read perfect for fans of Gone Girl and The Haunting of Hill House。
In a boarded-up house on a dead-end street at the edge of the wild Washington woods lives a family of three。
A teenage girl who isn’t allowed outside， not after last time。
A man who drinks alone in front of his TV， trying to ignore the gaps in his memory。
And a house cat who loves napping and reading the Bible。
An unspeakable secret binds them together， but when a new neighbor moves in next door， what is buried out among the birch trees may come back to haunt them all。
In a boarded-up house on a dead-end street at the edge of the wild Washington woods lives a family of three。
A teenage girl who isn’t allowed outside， not after last time。
A man who drinks alone in front of his TV， trying to ignore the gaps in his memory。
And a house cat who loves napping and reading the Bible。
An unspeakable secret binds them together， but when a new neighbor moves in next door， what is buried out among the birch trees may come back to haunt them all。
Reviews
Shannon Brookfield
，
Wow。 Brilliant。 I’ll think of this book often。 So well done and that’s all I can say for no spoilers。 If you read this let me know。
Marie-eve
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Such a genius masterpiece 🤩 this book took me for a hell of a ride！ Didn't see the twists coming！ Can't wait to read another book from this author。 Such a genius masterpiece 🤩 this book took me for a hell of a ride！ Didn't see the twists coming！ Can't wait to read another book from this author。 。。。more
Michael
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This is one of those where you really have no idea whats going on but some how you are propelled to keep digging。。。and by the end you want to go back and reread some of the earlier chapters to put it all together。 Maybe I'm an idiot， or maybe it was the whole point， but by the end I still had questions about what exactly happened/went down， but what the book is "about" was loud and crystal clear。 A great book to read at the start of the Halloween season。 At times it felt like revisiting Psycho （ This is one of those where you really have no idea whats going on but some how you are propelled to keep digging。。。and by the end you want to go back and reread some of the earlier chapters to put it all together。 Maybe I'm an idiot， or maybe it was the whole point， but by the end I still had questions about what exactly happened/went down， but what the book is "about" was loud and crystal clear。 A great book to read at the start of the Halloween season。 At times it felt like revisiting Psycho （a favorite of mine）， at times it feels like its going to be a haunted house story， at times a serial killer type story， at times magical （the whole cat character）。。。you really don't know what it will ultimately be for most of the story。 But， its spooky and atmospheric and keeps you on the edge of your seat。 。。。more
Meaghan
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This was annoying。 Hard to follow at times。 I didn’t care much about any of the characters and skimmed it halfway through。
John Jones
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Complete tedium， and it beats me why I slogged through this。 I think it was because I wanted to find out the ending， even though I'd had it semi-spoiled。 Glad I borrowed it and didn't spend anything on it。 I know 'other opinions are available'， but to me， this was boring。 Complete tedium， and it beats me why I slogged through this。 I think it was because I wanted to find out the ending， even though I'd had it semi-spoiled。 Glad I borrowed it and didn't spend anything on it。 I know 'other opinions are available'， but to me， this was boring。 。。。more
Reham
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Wanted to love it， but it was just ok。 The set up was amazing， the ending fell short of my expectations。
Sam Ann
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Without spoilers - this book comes with a massive TW for graphic child abuse and minor animal abuse （though the latter is primarily off screen）， and MH I read this book in one and a half sittings and went through several stages of loving and hating it。 There were points where I thought horrific tropes were about to be employed， dangerous generalisations， and ableist nonsense - I’m happy to report that my expectations （generally made low by the horror genres treatment of abuse and disorders） were Without spoilers - this book comes with a massive TW for graphic child abuse and minor animal abuse （though the latter is primarily off screen）， and MH I read this book in one and a half sittings and went through several stages of loving and hating it。 There were points where I thought horrific tropes were about to be employed， dangerous generalisations， and ableist nonsense - I’m happy to report that my expectations （generally made low by the horror genres treatment of abuse and disorders） were fantastically subverted。 Complete with a bibliography and compassionate discussion， this is a good story that could so easily have been a shock value cash grab。 I’m glad that the author employed their god judgement and researched beyond the stereotypes。 。。。more
Gail Penn
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Not what I expectedThis book was definitely not what I expected。 Somewhat disturbing and sometimes hard to follow but mostly satisfying in the end。
Jenny G
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I decided to read this book because it was highly recommended as the next great psychological thriller。 I really wanted to enjoy it but 100% struggled！！！！！ It was confusing and the different point of views just completely threw me off。 I figured out what it was about pretty quickly but it just didn't flow well。 I almost quit reading it several times。 Not my cup of tea。 I decided to read this book because it was highly recommended as the next great psychological thriller。 I really wanted to enjoy it but 100% struggled！！！！！ It was confusing and the different point of views just completely threw me off。 I figured out what it was about pretty quickly but it just didn't flow well。 I almost quit reading it several times。 Not my cup of tea。 。。。more
Taylor
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Wow！ What an awesome and special book！ There were so many moments where I thought that I had everything figured out， and then another twist came my way， throwing everything into another light！ And here I am at the end， stunned by the heart of this novel。 This really was a very enjoyable story， despite some of the themes （murder， child abuse， kidnapping） and I loved the way it was written！ I'm very excited to see what the author has in store for us next！ Wow！ What an awesome and special book！ There were so many moments where I thought that I had everything figured out， and then another twist came my way， throwing everything into another light！ And here I am at the end， stunned by the heart of this novel。 This really was a very enjoyable story， despite some of the themes （murder， child abuse， kidnapping） and I loved the way it was written！ I'm very excited to see what the author has in store for us next！ 。。。more
Gina Schade
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I decided to read this because all the reviews on the book said it was "scary， spooky， horror"， but I was very disappointed。 I did not find the story scary or spooky in any way。 I decided to read this because all the reviews on the book said it was "scary， spooky， horror"， but I was very disappointed。 I did not find the story scary or spooky in any way。 。。。more
Denise
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Every year there is that one book that nearly all of my fabulous GR friends love， and I shake my head in bewilderment and think that I must have read a different book than everyone else 。。。 well， here is that book for me in 2021！ I went into this one expecting a dark， gothic， horror read， but instead it was just a bizarre， psychological mystery with a cat narrator。 🙄From the second chapter when Olivia， the cat， is talking and quoting the Bible， I had an inkling where the plot was headed， as it i Every year there is that one book that nearly all of my fabulous GR friends love， and I shake my head in bewilderment and think that I must have read a different book than everyone else 。。。 well， here is that book for me in 2021！ I went into this one expecting a dark， gothic， horror read， but instead it was just a bizarre， psychological mystery with a cat narrator。 🙄From the second chapter when Olivia， the cat， is talking and quoting the Bible， I had an inkling where the plot was headed， as it is the most overused thriller trope out there， but I was hoping I was wrong。 I wasn't。 The only thing that kept this from being a one-star read for me was Dee's storyline。 I did find it intriguing， and I was surprised by elements of it。 If the whole book had been more Dee and her sister's disappearance and less Ted， I may have enjoyed it more。 The ending of the book does tie things up succinctly and it makes a bit more sense， but by that time， I couldn't care less about any of it。 Needless to say， this could be "The Last Book on Any Street，" and I still would not give it more than a lackluster 2 stars。 。。。more
Hannah
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4。5⭐️ from me - one of the best books I’ve read in a while， even though I had an idea of where it was going I still managed to be surprised and really enjoyed how everything unfolded。 I couldn’t put it down and even found myself reading whilst cooking just to get to the next bit。 -。5 only for the idea that it is a ‘horror’ which I wouldn’t say it was myself
Amanda
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This was compelling but predictable。
Lindsey
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I’m so glad to be done with this book。 I am still confused and was really hoping for something more/different
Julia
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It was creepy， spooky and made me feel uneasy。 The twist at the end？ All the psychology？ Damn， you could feel this book was planned well and is written even better。 I don't think I ever read such a weird but exciting thriller。 With every page， it became more and more confusing， but the author made it work incredibly。 I'm glad I left this book for the spooky season。 Although there were bits when it was too much to handle at once， it's still an amazing story。 It was creepy， spooky and made me feel uneasy。 The twist at the end？ All the psychology？ Damn， you could feel this book was planned well and is written even better。 I don't think I ever read such a weird but exciting thriller。 With every page， it became more and more confusing， but the author made it work incredibly。 I'm glad I left this book for the spooky season。 Although there were bits when it was too much to handle at once， it's still an amazing story。 。。。more
Alexandra Tolhurst
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Full RTC。 This one is so layered， I feel like I need to sit on it for a bit。
Cass （only the darkest reads）
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Okay so the hype is real！ The Last House on Needless Street is a mind bender and a heart breaker。 I really think this is a book that’s best approached blind。 There is such a complex story at play within these pages and you don’t want anything spoiled。 Just read this one。 I’m grabbing a physical copy soon I loved it that much。 Is The Last House on Needless Street on your TBR this fall？ Thank you to Tor Nightfire and NetGalley for an ARC of this title。
Kim
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2。5 ☆'sI have no words to explain this book。 I just didn't like it。 Couldn't wait for it to end 😕 2。5 ☆'sI have no words to explain this book。 I just didn't like it。 Couldn't wait for it to end 😕 。。。more
Rashmi Binu
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The human mind is an amazing puzzle。 It takes hurt to make us stronger。 A missing child， a family left broken and adrift， the authorities who havent found peace with the case。。。and in the midst of all this is Ted。 Who is He？ Read this one for a roller coaster ride of a mystery。 Trust me， you will be surprised the way things unfold。 There is just no predicting this book！
Rhiannon Loyal
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This book had me questioning my own existence。
Harvey B。 Dorosin
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weirdly untuckingThis story was sort of weird。 In the beginning， it dragged and was kind of slow。 It progressively got better and by the ending， it was actually fairly interesting。 The plot twist was cool。
Shauna
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DNF: I am not sure why I picked this book up。 It isn't my usual type of read。 I do not like books that make me feel wrong reading them。 This is a book where I know something terrible happened， something dark and ugly。 It's a book that tries to make the reader have compassion on the perpetrator when they are finally revealed。 It is twisted。 Anyways， I made it to the halfway point before deciding it wasn't for me。 The writer tells the tale well though。 Wish other readers better luck。 DNF: I am not sure why I picked this book up。 It isn't my usual type of read。 I do not like books that make me feel wrong reading them。 This is a book where I know something terrible happened， something dark and ugly。 It's a book that tries to make the reader have compassion on the perpetrator when they are finally revealed。 It is twisted。 Anyways， I made it to the halfway point before deciding it wasn't for me。 The writer tells the tale well though。 Wish other readers better luck。 。。。more
Justin Langford
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3。5 ⭐️I will say that I struggled with this book a bit。 It took a while to really understand what was going on in the story。 Even from the viewpoints of several characters I felt like the story was not progressing。 It took about 200 pages for the story to really going （the book is only 330 pages）。 I also found myself having to go back and reread chapters because it felt that when something important happened， they came out of the blue leaving me confused。 With that， I will say that that the end 3。5 ⭐️I will say that I struggled with this book a bit。 It took a while to really understand what was going on in the story。 Even from the viewpoints of several characters I felt like the story was not progressing。 It took about 200 pages for the story to really going （the book is only 330 pages）。 I also found myself having to go back and reread chapters because it felt that when something important happened， they came out of the blue leaving me confused。 With that， I will say that that the end of the story was good。 Ward had a great concept and I am glad that I finished it， but I just think that this book was right for me。 。。。more
Caroline
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4。5 ⭐️‘s！！ Loved this book and all the twists and turns。 The perfect October read ❤️
Gizem-in-Wonderland
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One hell of a complicated murder mystery entangled with so many traumas， family issues， mental disorders and multiple personalities that it requires a beautiful mind to figure everything out。 My brain over-exerted itself to the point of physical damage and I’m planning to sue the author for the exaggerated complexity of the novel。 Dear readers， bear in mind that too much is going on here。 I was just looking for a simple thriller for the spooky season and I wound up speculating about it day and n One hell of a complicated murder mystery entangled with so many traumas， family issues， mental disorders and multiple personalities that it requires a beautiful mind to figure everything out。 My brain over-exerted itself to the point of physical damage and I’m planning to sue the author for the exaggerated complexity of the novel。 Dear readers， bear in mind that too much is going on here。 I was just looking for a simple thriller for the spooky season and I wound up speculating about it day and night wondering where it would lead。 I enjoyed the dark mystery， suspense and that thrilling sensation of expectation but even after finishing the novel， the story hasn’t still fall into place for me。 。。。more
Kristin
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Solid 5☆ for me。 I was immensely taken by the story & was completely surprised with the outcome。 I couldn't put it down。 Solid 5☆ for me。 I was immensely taken by the story & was completely surprised with the outcome。 I couldn't put it down。 。。。more
Rachel Bridgeman
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To illustrate how much I love 'The Last House On Needless Street'， I have 4 copies of it。 Viper Books kindly gifted me a signed proof， I had a hardcover from my Abominable Book Club which I gave to my friend， because she really needed to read it， I was gifted a finished copy of the paperback， and then got the Richard And Judy Book Club paperback （it was half price， you cannot go wrong！） as it had extra bits in it。It is a horror story for those who think they don't like horror， a mystery and a th To illustrate how much I love 'The Last House On Needless Street'， I have 4 copies of it。 Viper Books kindly gifted me a signed proof， I had a hardcover from my Abominable Book Club which I gave to my friend， because she really needed to read it， I was gifted a finished copy of the paperback， and then got the Richard And Judy Book Club paperback （it was half price， you cannot go wrong！） as it had extra bits in it。It is a horror story for those who think they don't like horror， a mystery and a thriller which will please the most hardened fan of these genres， and a love story which is unlike anything you have ever read。 Trust me on this。 I have been a big fan of her writing for some time and honestly， she is an incredibly fine writer who transcends genres and classification， she writes damn good books。 In a time where gimmicks and hooks seem to be king ， plot is often overlooked but in this readers humble opinion， without a plot， you cannot hope to support a burgeoning narrative， nor begin to care about the characters。I am going to try my absolute best not to write about spoilers， which is tremendously hard if you have not read the book。 Suffice it to say， that this would be the book I would recommend readers picking up if they were to buy one book this month。 It is that good。。。。。。Still with me？。。。Here we go。It begins with an introduction， of sorts， to Ted Bannerman， who strikes you as not altogether in the moment-he even confesses to mixing up past and present-and his memories which are linked to the disappearance of The Little Girl With Popsicle。He and his family were at the lake， which is close to Needless Street when the girl disappeared， and 11 years later， has yet to be found。''The young feel pain intensely， I think，because they don't know yet how deep it can go。''We are introduced to his daughter， Lauren， with whom he has a fractious relationship， and who he seems to share childcare with， although the mother and he have no ongoing relationship， Lauren is there， and then she isn't， it seems his relationship only exists， and he starts to live， when she walks through the door。 When she is not there， and he visits what we readers presume is psychiatrist/therapist， who he calls 'the bug man'， he secretly asks for help with Lauren under multiple guises as he is scared she will be taken away。''Accidents happen in our house。''The third resident of the last but one house on Needless Street， is the smart， Bible reading cat Olivia， who has a torturous crush on a female tabby cat who pops in and out of the garden， at a pretty regular time。And there we have our trio， who exist within the sphere of this house， which is closed and unwelcoming （deliberately） to the outside world。 It is clear that Ted is a bit off kilter with the outside world， and quite scared of it， which seems to go back in time to that little girl going missing-if it can happen to her， it can happen to anyone。The house appears emblematic of Ted's personality-he keeps his treasures （Olivia， Lauren， a musical box， a picture of his parents， a Russian doll） inside， locked away from the outside world。 In this place， Ted can control what he sees when he looks out， ad can keep those he loves safe。 It discourages visitors， prying eyes， and suspicion， to Ted's mind， however， from the outside， it is an overgrown， under loved house with boarded up windows。''I judge people two ways-on how they treat animals， and what they like to eat。 If their favourite food is some kind of salad， they are definitely a bad person。 Anything with cheese，they are probably ok。''This fragile equilibrium is maintained y routines that are gone through on a daily basis， without any unpleasant surprises。 Until， the only house which is more dilapidated than his， the last house on Needless Street， becomes occupied。Dee， the older sister of Lauren whose life has been in limbo since she disappeared， has dedicated her life to tracking down any and every person on the beach， by the lake ， where Lauren disappeared。 This has brought her to a faded photo of Ted， who could very well hold the key to what happened that fateful day。Even more run down than Ted's house， we are introduced to Dee as she pulls off the wood which covers the windows， she is pulling the house down， inviting eyes inside， under the guise of being new and friendly。 But she wants to move on， and she cannot until she lays her ghosts to rest。What happens when Dee and Ted meet is for you， the reader， to experience as I do not want to spoil it for you。It is a complex narrative with 4 distinct voices-Ted， Olivia， Lauren and Dee- which borders magical realism in the way that the very human interactions are contrasted with the way that Catriona explores the natural world。 The verdant nature of the woods nearby， the bone white birches which form a skeletal canopy， the stillness of the lake versus the feeling of sand， these are things which can be moved， dug up， and hidden within。 What looks like a relatively calm and soothing lake， could be a cover for a hidden danger that has teeth， and is not scared to bite。What I saw was tiredness， a woman who wanted peace through resolution and revenge， and a man who wanted to live a life that he was too scared of。 Both had spent their lives trying to keep danger at bay， in the respect of fear of the unknown， fear of being dislocated， taken away and finally， seen。It is a gripping psychological horror with a massive heart， it will take you to pieces and put you back together again so that you can say 'Read this book。 Please， read this book。'And then you will want to start it all over again。。。。 。。。more
Kayleigh Marie
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I honestly don’t know what to even say about this book！ I feel like the ending was so good， and there was such an important underlying message to the story but getting to that point was infuriating。 Most of the book consisted of you reading something while scratching your head saying “wait what？” The author doesn’t do a very good job at explaining any of what is going on throughout the book up until the very end。
Marta
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