The Block Party by Jamie Day begins with murder. Every Memorial Day, the neighbors on Alton Road have a block party, one year it ends with the police, ambulances and death. The story then takes us to the year prior, and we see a web of mystery spiraling while uncovering so many secrets. One of the main characters, Alex, has a drinking problem, but she doesn’t think so. Her husband Nick has had enough after she makes a fool of herself and sends her home to sleep it off. There are many characters in this story, you have Emily, Alex’s sister and her husband Ken and their two sons. Then you have the Kumar family, they just move in right after the block party. Another family is Willow and Evan, with their daughter Riley. Riley used to be best friends with Alex’s daughter Lettie, until she rats her out and gets Lettie suspended from school. And finally, Brooke, beautiful widow, the neighbors think she murdered her husband when he fell off a yacht while they were on vacation.

That is a lot of characters. I found it a little overwhelming at first, but I eventually understood it all. There are so many suspicions, secrets, backstories, but the twists are so well crafted, you have to keep reading to see where it all ends up. Which it will, the murder was shocking, the secrets were juicy, and everything was wrapped up in a nice big bow at the end.

I really enjoyed this book. I love a good neighborhood drama that ends in murder.

I would like to thank Netgalley, St Martin’s Press, and Jamie Day for an advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This is a solid 4 🌟 plus!

ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

This book kept me entertained but wasn’t at all what I was expecting. There were some twists but for the most part I could see the big things coming ahead of time. The set up of the book kind of reminded me of Big Little Lies, where you know someone has been murdered, just not who. It was well written and I’m sure many other will enjoy this story too! If you’re looking for a good mystery/thriller, try this book!

(𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬𝘴 𝘵𝘰 @𝘴𝘵𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 @𝘮𝘢𝘤𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘯.𝘢𝘶𝘥𝘪𝘰 𝘧𝘰𝘳 #𝘨𝘪𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘱𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬.) 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗕𝗟𝗢𝗖𝗞 𝗣𝗔𝗥𝗧𝗬 by Jamie Day starts and ends with Memorial Day block parties a year apart. In that year a whole lot happens to the five families at the heart⁣
of this debut. A chorus of voices from a gossipy online community group lets us know from the start that someone at the second party has been shot. Thus, the drama builds over the course of the year with lots of possible victims for a whole host of reasons.⁣
⁣
The bulk of the story is told by two narrators, Alex, the mom in everyone’s business who’s forever promising to dial back her wine habit, and her 17-year old daughter, Lettie, taking us into the teenage angst side of this story. On audio, both narrators do an admirable job, but there are so many characters to keep track of and their stories are so entangled, that it all felt like just too much for me. It’s not that I actively disliked 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘉𝘭𝘰𝘤𝘬 𝘗𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘺. I just didn’t really care. No one in the story spoke to me and the many plot lines felt overly manipulated. You know…eye-roll worthy or a little like 𝘋𝘦𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘏𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘦𝘸𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘴 on steroids!🙄

The drama!! If you enjoy family and neighborhood drama, you'll like this one. I listened to the audio and it was very entertaining.

This was such a great drama!! I loved the different POV and all the secrets that everyone was hiding. From the start of this book I was pulled in right away. This was such a great summer read.

This was fun! I liked how it was told from different perspectives and liked the build up to actual the crime. I had a couple of things figured out, but not all of the little twists. Thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for the ARC.

A page turner! Not only are you guessing whodunit, but who will do it, and what will be done. A suburban neighborhood with so many secrets and plots for revenge among the families. A perfect escape from reality. I can see why many reviewers think this could be a Netflix series. I'd definitely watch! Many thanks to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for an advanced copy.

Okay-I did not see this twist coming. There were a lot of storylines that ended up converging, and while that was interesting, it could be a tad confusing. I also think it maybe didn’t allow for full development of some of the plot lines. Overall, I enjoyed the book. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Thank you to @netgalley and @Stmartinspress for a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. Thank you to @macmillian.audio for a free download of the audiobook.

There is mystery, drama, scandals, murder, and everyone has something to hide! The residents of Alton Road have a lot going for them and your attention will be grabbed right away as stalkers are brought to night, affairs are uncovered, and shady people move to the block. Everything comes to the annual Memorial Day Block Party when someone dies. They way the author blends different characters lives together is impressive. The character development has you guessing who’s involved and who’s innocent.

This is a great read for the summer!

4 stars

#books #bookishlife #booklover #readingisfun #iowabookstagrammers #iowabookstagram #netgalley #stmartinspress #macmillianaudio #ltbreaderteam #theblockparty #jamieday #smpinfluencers

The Block Party was a fun summer read. I struggled a bit with all the characters, but it came together in the end. Read this is you like neighborhood drama and twisty plot lines.

Thanks to #Netgalley and the publisher for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

“The Block Party” is a thrilling and genre-blending book that keeps you guessing till the very end. It seamlessly weaves mystery, domestic drama, and psychological suspense, making it hard to pinpoint just one genre.

Told from multiple perspectives, the story bounces between the present-day block party and the events of the past year, giving a captivating glimpse into the lives of the cul-de-sac’s residents. Alex and her teenage daughter, Lettie, take the lead, making for an engrossing narrative.

As secrets simmer and tensions rise, the characters’ twists and turns add to the gripping allure of the story. Each character’s journey and hidden truths create a web of suspense that culminates at the annual block party. Prepare to be engrossed in the dark secrets and thrilling drama this book has to offer!

Thank you @netgalley and @stmartinspress
for a free copy of this book in return for my honest review.

Murder mystery and neighborhood drama collide in this debut novel. The synopsis was very intriguing. The cover art screams summer. But this one was just ok for me. I feel like the pace was slow and I was bored. I didn’t connect with any of the rich annoying characters. I didn’t outright guess the twists and turns but I also wasn’t blown away and wasn’t surprised by them either.

I really enjoyed The Block Party. I enjoyed seeing it from the perspectives of mom and daughter. It took me a few chapters to get hooked but about 1/3 of the way in, I didn’t wants to put it down. It was a fun little neighborhood suspense story.

While The Block Party wasn’t the most original in this genre - it held my attention and made for an entertaining and quick read!!

What I loved about the book:

1. The twists and surprises through out that kept me reading and wanting to know who did what, their motives, and how the author would wrap up it up.
2. I loved the evolution of the teenagers - felt real to me - as they progressed through the book!
3. It was quick, easy read and one that would be fun to discuss at book club because there is so much going on in the neighborhood!!

What I wished was different:
1. Lots of repeating of mantras by the characters - who were not believable in their commitments.
2. It is hard to be invested in the characters because they are overall not likable.

I received an ARC of this book from St. Martin's Press and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

An enjoyable multiple-genre book, a mystery thriller, a domestic thriller, and a psychological thriller. I am not sure exactly which genre to put it in. The story switches back and forth from the present-day block party to last year's block party and the months in between. There are many characters but the story is told through the point of view of a mother, Alex, and her teenage daughter Lettie. There are a lot of characters to get to know, all the residents of the cul-de-sac. This book is full of domestic and neighborhood drama and of course a murder!

I received an eARC from the publisher and NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

I was expecting a murder mystery. Halfway through and I'm still not seeing it. The only indication that someone might have been murdered occurs at the beginning of the book when the folks on Meadowbrook Online take to their keyboards at the sound of multiple sirens headed for Alton Road. One citizen has a police band radio and hears code 187 — the code for homicide.

What I am reading is the story of the burbs — big houses, fashionable clothes, and too many personal secrets to enumerate. It all seems to center around one woman, Alex Fox, the Alton Road organizer. She is large and in charge for any holiday gathering in which every family in the Alton Road cul-de-sac participates, but most important is the annual Block Party.

The story of this small suburban community tells readers what we already instinctively know. People, no matter their status, have secrets and tragedies they don't share with those who appear to be intimate friends. It tells us that people lie when they should be telling the truth. Other than that, this is the story of the rich bitch side of town falling apart.

I didn't watch "90210" back in the day. I don't watch 'reality' tv now. Nor do I watch any of the 'housewives' shows. However, based on the commercials for these shows, I would imagine that folks who watch them are the target audience for this book.

I will add that as disappointed as I was with most of THE BLOCK PARTY, the writing is good enough that I did finish reading it. The last 20 to 25 pages are filled with emotion and a lot of tension, the elements of a murder mystery missing from the rest of the book. Perhaps if much of the work was condensed down to novella length, I would have enjoyed it more.

3.5 stars
I selected this book from NetGalley because I'm a sucker for a murder mystery and high drama involving rich snotty people. This book nailed the snotty people aspect, but other than that, it was kind of forgettable. None of the characters are particularly likable, but I kept reading because I wanted to know what happened. It's not the best example of this type of book, but I did enjoy the journey nonetheless. Good vacation read.
I would recommend this to others.

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin's Press for the ARC!

The story started out a bit slow for me but the twists and turns at the end made up for it.
That fact that everyone had something to hide, and all the stories and families intertwined with each other, it made for a great summer mystery.

I received a complimentary copy of the book from St. Martin Press through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own

I enjoyed reading the multiple different points of view in this story. All the twists made it fun to read and I enjoyed learning everyone’s story.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for my gifted advance reader copy.

The residents of Alton Road may look put together from an outsider’s perspective, but appearances can be deceiving. Things come to a boiling point at the annual Memorial Day Weekend block party, and not everyone will make it out alive.

This was a fun summer read about an upper middle class New England neighborhood where secrets abound and everyone has something to hide. The drama kept me turning pages even though I found some plot points to be fairly predictable and/or OTT. If you enjoy small town drama, Real Housewives, and rich people behaving badly with a pinch of teenage angst thrown in, this one’s for you.