A review by ericarobyn
The House at the End of Lacelean Street by Catherine McCarthy

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny mysterious sad tense slow-paced

4.5

The House At the End of Lacelean Street by Catherine McCarthy is a heavy yet uplifting story of the many paths a life can take and the beauty of letting go.

I highly recommend going into this read in the dark!

Content Warning: drug use, overdose, self-harm, mention of abortion, grief.

One day, three strangers board a bus with the destination of Lacelean Street. Everyone is having a difficult time and no one seems to know exactly why they are on the bus in the first place.

When they are dropped off, there’s just one place to go – a house at the end of the street. But will these three get the answers they don’t know they’re even seeking?

The combination of dread and mystery will captivate readers immediately as we’re dropped right into the tale like another passenger on the bus. From there, the story slowly reveals things to us right along with the characters and I absolutely loved this element. I became invested in each of the characters’ journeys very quickly and went on quite the rollercoaster of emotions with each of them.

I also really enjoyed the setting! It was equally intriguing and terrifying! I couldn’t help but be nervous that with each lesson, more darkness was about to come through.

And that ending… Phew.

My Favorite Passages from The House At the End of Lacelean Street –

Dawn has elbowed a gap in night’s shroud by the time the bus stops next.

The first floor landing stretches ahead of her. High-ceiling, deep skirting boards, patterned carpet, and dark doors on either side that seem to shrink into the distance. The name Danny Torrance rests on the tip of her tongue, and the image of a kid riding a tricycle looms large, though she cannot pinpoint the reason.

Howard lies on the bed, exhausted and heart sore. This grief feels like an illness, one that weakens him to such a point he believes he is close to death. One prod, a poke of someone’s finger is all it will take to push him over the edge of the cliff.

Her face is a sheet of parchment that has not yet been written on.

The life she led before coming here is a blurred photograph. Monochrome and burnt at the borders, with very little detail in the center. It wasn’t a good life, though. She senses the negative vibes in every pore, every cell of her mind and body.

Anxiety mounts in her chest until she thinks she might have a heart attack. In the last few minutes the sky has dimmed at least two shades, and dark gray clouds have gathered to watch.

My Final Thoughts on The House At the End of Lacelean Street –

This is a must-read for fans of dark mysteries, great character development, and spooky houses!

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