The Block Party by Jamie Day is a literary rollercoaster that immerses readers in the intricacies of suburban life with an irresistible blend of suspense and dark humor. Day's skillful storytelling weaves a web of secrets and hidden desires among the seemingly ordinary residents of Alton Road, where a seemingly innocent yearly neighborhood block party becomes a catalyst for uncovering long-buried truths and scandals. With sharp wit and vivid character development, Day expertly explores the complexities of human nature and the façades we wear in our day-to-day lives. This gripping novel will keep you guessing until the very end and leave you pondering the unexpected twists and turns that define both the narrative and the enigmatic souls inhabiting this captivating suburban enclave. A very entertaining read!

I like how this is told in a dual timeline. The main narrative goes back one year in the past follows the residents of Alton Road as we learn the different secrets each family is keeping and follow them right up to the present day block party. Sprinkled throughout the book are present day updates on a "next door"-type social platform of nearby neighbors trying to figure out what exactly just happened at the Alton Road Block Party which resulted in a murder. These present day social chats were spot on, it truly felt like you could be reading an active neighborhood board and not fiction.

I don't want to give away any details, but Alton Road is full of interesting characters, and there were a lot of surprises along the way. Definitely pick this one up for a fun read!

Great atmosphere. Great characters. Great pace. And great writing. I will definitely be reading Jamie Day’s future books!

This was a great book: suspenseful and nonstop. The only thing was -- there is a lot going on and a lot of characters so it can be hard to keep them all straight.

“The Block Party” had so much promise-a domestic fiction/thriller is typically right up my alley! However, something about the execution was a bit off. There was so much “telling” regarding side stories that the major plot became a bit lost to me. Perhaps there were just too many characters for me to follow, but by the last fifth of the book, I found the story to be dragging on. It was an okay read, but not the fun summer book I had been envisioning. 3 stars. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher.

Ooo, this was messy! This is the perfect example of a story that has not a single likeable character but it's written in such a way to add to the story and make it so intriguing and entertaining. This was a super quick read that just didn't stop. There was constantly something happening or being revealed. The only part that was a little much was the constant preachiness of Lettie. Otherwise, a really fun read.

Traveling With T’s Thoughts:

Well, when I was offered this book, I was hoping I would enjoy it as much as Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty. It’s got a similar vibe, but not quite the same.

At first, I was having a hard time keeping my characters straight. And there were def some characters I cared less about.



What I Liked:

The cover. Gonna be seeing this book on lots of summer reading lists because of the cover.

The setting. Books in a suburban type setting tend to have lots of juicy secrets.



Bottom line: While I was reading it, I did enjoy this book for the most part. There was a bit of “let’s get to the big reveal” from time to time. But if I’m being honest, a couple of months later, after reading the book and getting ready to write the review has made me glad I jotted down a few notes because it’s not sticking with me. Overall, good but not great.



*This book was sent to Traveling With T for review consideration. All thoughts and opinions are mine alone.*

The book blurb hooked me immediately. Unfortunately, the story itself was not very compelling. Thank you NetGalley for the advance ecopy.

This popcorn thriller had me hooked from the first two lines.

“Alexandra Fox meant to have only a couple of drinks at the block party. Three, tops.”

The Block Party is full of family drama, nosey neighbors and so much gossip. It reminded me of a soap opera at times and I loved it!

The story is very slow at times while getting to know all the characters and their backstories, but it was definitely worth it! I look forward to reading more from this author.

This book was so much fun! I love a good neighborhood drama and this one takes place on a cup-de-sac where everyone is tangled up in each other’s drama. A murder is discovered during the annual block party and it seems as though everyone may have a motive. Thanks netgalley and St. Martin’s press for a copy of the e-book.

I gave this a 4.5 stars. It was soooooo good. I loved the dual pov and the seasonal timeline. It was so much fun being able to read about the present day party and then following through the entire previous year to figure out what could've happened in present day. I really enjoyed most of the characters as well. Seeing the different opinions both narrators had about each of the characters was really interesting. If you're looking for an entertaining, drama filled thriller this is the one for you! You'll be rooting for some characters and hoping others get what they deserve. I definitely recommend this book!

In New England, Memorial Day is pretty much the unofficial start to summer. In the Block Party, Memorial Day is the official start to some high drama. You find out right away that something terrible has happened at a seemingly perfect neighborhood's annual Memorial Day block party. The book then goes back in time to share all of the juicy details of what led up to the events at the party. And let me tell you, everyone in this neighborhood has their secrets.

The Block Party was chock-full of domestic drama and suspense, which is a combo I'm here for. I enjoyed knowing that something big happened right in the beginning of the book, and then slowly finding out how things led up to the something big. This one was set in my home state, so I appreciated some of the MA references. I read this with a book club and we enjoyed it! Check out our group pic here: https://www.instagram.com/p/Cu2MvdMr8F9/?igshid=MzRIODBiNWFIZA==

Wow…Alton Road is filled with all the drama!! This booked had me hooked from the beginning with a murder at the annual Memorial Day block party. You don’t know who was murdered or who killed the person. You are then taken back to the previous year block party and in between to learn more about these families and their secrets, scandals, lies, marital problems and so much more. This definitely had me hooked!!! I feel like it definitely had Big Little Lies vibes! Maybe a little bit of Real Housewives vibes too. I absolutely loved it!!

Thank you St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

I recently finished reading "The Block Party" by Jamie Day, and I must say it was quite the rollercoaster of a read. I'd rate it a 3.5, but I'm rounding up to 4 because the suspense kept me turning those pages eagerly. This book centers around a neighborhood block party where a shocking murder takes place, setting the stage for a thrilling mystery.

One aspect of the story that I particularly enjoyed was the way the author presented the plot. Right from the beginning, you know a major event has occurred, in this case, the murder, and the entire book is dedicated to piecing together the puzzle.

The narrative style, which alternated between past and present tense, was something I didn't have a significant issue with, but at times, it did become a bit confusing. Some of the events happening in both timelines were quite similar, and I found myself occasionally struggling to remember if it was past or present.

While I relished the drama woven into the plot, I did feel that certain elements seemed somewhat unnecessary. What stood out most was the frequent discussion of the main character's excessive drinking. While it loosely connected a few threads, it could have been omitted, allowing the central aspects of the story to receive more attention.

I was fully invested in uncovering the mystery in “The Block Party”. If you enjoy a tangled web of secrets & suspense, I’d definitely recommend giving this book a shot.

I would like to thank NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Jamie Day for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

This reminded me of The Neighborhood, which was also sort of a forgettable read. If you want any easy, quick read for the beach, this will work.

I was expecting an over-the-top, family drama soap opera novel (which, by the way, I have no problem with) but this turned out to be too dumb and cliched, even for the genre.
The story was predictable, the characters were canned, and the writing was so-so.
Also, writers that have characters under the age of sixty saying ”booze” should be put in writing purgatory.
Thanks to #netgalley and #stmartinspress for this #arc of #theblockparty in exchange for an honest review.

4🌟🌟🌟🌟! This book was so good, had so much drama and was so addictive!!! The families that live on Alton street thought they all led these perfect lives and they all had issues, and they each watch their perfect lives unravel. Definitely recommend!

Liked the story line, kept me interested from the beginning. Lots of characters to keep up with but neighborhood dramas/domestic thrillers are my jam.

I enjoyed the way this was written - alternating between what led up to the event at the block party and the neighbors' guesses on a Nextdoor type social network, as well as the multiple narrators. There was a little too much drama in one neighborhood to be realistic, but it was still entertaining. I found Lettie to be a very annoying, bratty, and dumb teenage character, but she gets more tolerable by the end.

A fun neighborhood thriller where everyone is a suspect of a murder at the annual Labor Day Block Party where every neighbor has a secret they are trying to hide. If you liked Big Little Lies then you would really like The Block Party.