Book Review: "The Last One at the Wedding" by Jason Rekulak

First things first: if you go into this book expecting another Hidden Pictures, you’ll be disappointed. There’s nothing really scary about this book, unless you hate daddy longlegs. It’s also much more of a family drama mixed with a slow-burn mystery of sorts, rather than a high-octane thriller.

The relative peace of Frank’s breakfast is disturbed when his phone rings. He is shocked to hear the voice of his daughter Maggie, with whom he’s not spoken in three years. He tries to apologize for what happened between them, but she’s not interested in rehashing that issue.

It turns out Maggie is calling to tell him she’s getting married in three months, and she wants him to be there. She’s marrying a man named Aidan, whom she’s known for only six months. Something about it doesn’t quite feel right, but Frank keeps his reservations to himself. When he receives a strange letter in the mail, his trepidations begin to grow.

The wedding will be a colossal three-day event held at Aidan’s family camp, a lakefront estate in the woods of New Hampshire. Frank is excited to spend time with Maggie, and get to know Aidan and his family better. But Maggie mostly avoids him, Aidan is nowhere to be found, and his father, a wealthy business tycoon, seems a bit shady.

The more time Frank spends at the camp, the more questions he has about the relationship between his daughter and Aidan, accusations that Aidan was involved in a tragic event, and Aidan’s family. Everywhere he goes, he encounters another strange thing, but he has no idea what the truth really is.

I think that Jason Rekulak is a really talented storyteller, and throughout so much of this book, I had this creepy feeling as I waited for the next shoe to drop. I’ll admit that some things really caught me by surprise, and I couldn’t put the book down.

Book Review: "We Used To Live Here" by Marcus Kliewer

Oh, Bookstagram FOMO, you are too powerful sometimes!! I don’t read horror very often because I’m a complete and utter coward, but somehow I felt compelled to read this book that everyone has been raving about. And now, if there’s a knock at the door, I freak out!

Charlie and Eve flip houses. But the newest house they’ve bought is all the way in the Pacific Northwest, and it’s not quite the steal that Charlie told Eve it was.

One night, while Eve is in the house by herself, there is a knock at the door. A man is standing there with his wife and three kids, and he tells Eve he grew up in this house. He asks if he could show his family around. It shouldn’t take more than 15 minutes, tops. Eve isn’t really comfortable with this, but she also doesn’t want to disappoint these people. What could go wrong?

This book is utterly CRAZY! I had an eerie feeling from the start and it got more and more intense as I kept reading…and I couldn’t stop reading it. While I don’t like feeling so uncomfortable, this kind of psychological terror is so effective and unsettling.

This was such a fast and compelling read—or maybe I just wanted to finish it quickly! The ending left me with so many questions that I re-read it a few times just to be sure I got it. I know I’ll be thinking of this one for a long while!

Book Review: "The Last House on Needless Street" by Catriona Ward

The Last House on Needless Street is, quite simply, one of the wildest and most unique books I’ve ever read. (What would I expect from a book with a blurb from Sarah Pinborough, of the WTF-was-that-ending Behind Her Eyes?)

There’s a boarded-up house at the end of Needless Street. In that house lives a troubled man who doesn't always have a hold on his memory. His teenage daughter lives there too, and he demands that she stay inside the house. Then, of course, there's the cat, Olivia. Olivia isn’t your ordinary cat.

You need to know nothing more in order for this book to truly work.

This seems like a fairly simple story, but it’s anything but that. It’s creepy, disturbing, sad, thought-provoking, disorienting at times, and honestly, just so unique. It may trigger some (I don’t want to spoil anything by listing triggers so DM me if you’re concerned) but reading Catriona Ward’s afterword definitely makes everything make more sense.

I can't honestly say if I liked The Last House on Needless Street, but I admire the way it all worked together. And if you're a fan of audiobooks, apparently this is one you should listen to.

Thanks to Storygram Tours and Tor Nightfire for inviting me on the tour and providing me a complimentary advance copy of the book in exchange for an unbiased review. This is a perfect book for spooky season!