The Last House on Needless Street

The first half of this book is a horrible slog through confusing contradictions and insufferably child-like narrators. The second half is tolerable, albeit cliche and bogged down by too much darkness, but I think I would have almost enjoyed the second half if not for the first.

Then again, I saw the "twist" - it really isn't - coming from the first or second page of the book, so there really wasn't much of a point to reading it other than to discover who really did the killing (and I'd also figured that out by the halfway mark).

I wish I'd thrown this book back at the library - metaphorically; I read a digital copy - one of the ten million times I felt the urge to do so. This was not worth the damage it did to my mental health enduring the Dark Plot-Device Soup the author concocted. Every time I thought no more heavy, dark topics could be tossed into the story, the author came along to sprinkle two to four more atop the landslide of terribleness. It's just exhausting.

I don't even feel like reading anymore, I'm so mentally drained. But I guess I can't fault the book for that part, because I could feel it weighing down on my mental health and still kept going. That's on me, and I should have known better. But I just really wanted to hope that maybe this book would redeem itself when the pieces fell together. (Sadly, it did not.)

Lesson learned yet again: don't think a book is worth seeing through to the end just because it has a gorgeous cover. Don't force yourself to read something that's dragging you down. And if you can see the 'plot twist' coming from the second page, save yourself some trouble and just read something else.

The Last House on Needless Street will disturb you, and surprise you. If you think you have it figured out, you most likely have no clue.

Ted lives with his cat Olivia in a ramshackle home. Sometimes Ted's young daughter Lauren visits. Something isn't right in the home, and something isn't quite right with Ted.

Dee is haunted by her sister Lulu's disappearance. She went missing years ago on a family trip to the beach. Dee is desperate to find out what happened to Lauren, hoping she's still alive. Dee moves to Needless Street and soon discovers that not everything is as it seems.

It's difficult to say too much without major spoilers but I will say that Catriona Ward is an amazing storyteller. I was absolutely immersed into the book. It's truly disturbing and if I'm going to be honest, sad. You will think you have it figured out hundreds of times, only to discover the haunting, shocking truth. It's definitely different and any fan of horror should read this book. Also, The Afterword is a must read. It shows exactly why Catriona decided to write this story.

I really want to say more but it's difficult without spoiling the entire plot.