This domestic thriller is a frothy domestic mystery that exuded "Desperate Housewives" to me. It's set in a well-to-do neighborhood where secrets, infidelities, and blackmail eventually turn into murder. The story starts at the annual Memorial Day block party and then flashes back to last year's block party where the drama started to unfold. The reader gets to hear what's going on in the neighborhood from the adults' point of view through Alex, a couples counselor, and the younger generation's point of view through Lettie, Alex's daughter who is a Senior at the local HS,
The premise was a good one, although it took a little while to build up to. There was a little too much concentration on how many glasses of wine that Alex was drinking to insinuate that it was becoming a problem which took away from the storytelling. Once I made it to the halfway point, things really picked up and I was invested in what was going to happen.
I recommend it to those who love reading domestic popcorn mystery/thrillers. Throw it into your beach bag and immerse yourself into this dysfunctional neighborhood.
Thanks to #StMartinsPress for an early copy in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press and Jamie Day for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

Man this book is so good!!! This domestic thriller was the perfect summer read. Neighborhood murder, stalker, handsome boy next boy, cheating scandal and all. This book is definitely on my top 5 books of all time. It had one moment where I literally gasped out loud. I highly recommend this book. Going to be checking out this authors work!!!

▪️REVIEW▪️

The Block Party ~ Jamie Day

A year of neighborhood drama culminates in tragedy at their annual block party…

The neighbors on Alton Road love a good block party, especially Alex Fox who is charged with doing much of the planning with her husband Nick. In between cocktails, she engages with her neighbors, including her sister and brother-in-law, all the while keeping tabs on her daughter Lettie who has grown reserved and distant. When the block party ends in murder, the secrets on Alton Road that have been bubbling for the last year are revealed and no one will be the same.

So I have been disappointed with thriller reads this year - they’re all the same and just kind of missing the mark for me so when I found myself unable to put this one down, I was pleasantly surprised. More of a domestic drama with some soap opera-esque personalities, I did have to do some re-reading in the beginning to keep track of who was who but it never got too deep where I was thrown off my reading game. The pace quickly picks up and then it’s on!

Speaking of not too deep, most will figure out the twist at the end but I didn’t mind reading about the devious acts of all the characters who seriously need to do some major growing up while their kids watch and try to make sense of it all. This didn’t necessarily change my life but I sure enjoyed the ride. A good summer pick between cocktails and dips in the pool!

Mary's review Jul 04, 2023 ·
it was amazing

A truly wonderful book told through multiple view points. I really enjoyed the characters and the twists and turns that the story took. Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for my complimentary copy!

Ok so I am really on the fence about this book! I do really enjoy the story itself (for the most part) but I felt like it took me forever to finish this book. I wasn’t drawn in like I wanted to be. There are definitely things that I liked about this book, but so much that I didn't. AND I know I am in the minority here.

I loved the Desperate housewives vibe! I used to watch that show all of the time so I did have a visual going on in my head. That being said, I felt like there were too many characters to keep track of, too many secrets, too much going on in this one book - too much drama (and I really hate saying that). I didn’t feel like I could connect with any of these characters.

I did not like Alex AT ALL. Her denial of her drinking problem and not willing to hear her loved ones out was annoying. She just cared about herself and as a mom, this bothers me. My heart went out to Lettie (until she became overly annoying too). I really felt that her mom's drinking issues really put her on the back burner. I could definitely relate her school issues to those that my own children went through.

While I enjoyed the dual timeliness, I did not like the different POVs. There was some content in this book that I was not fond of - this book was loaded with heavy topics. While this debut was not my cup of tea, I would definitely read more of this author's work in the future.

𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐢𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞…
Neighborhood Drama (LOTS)
Thriller/Suspense
Who Done it?
Gossip (LOTS)
Lots of Trauma
Dual Timeline

CW: Alcoholism, miscarriage, rape, attempted suicide, murder, inappropriate relationships, death of a child

𝐏𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞: July 18, 2023
𝐏𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐬: 384

Thank you to @netgalley, @stmartinspress & Jamie Day the Advanced Readers Copy of this book for my honest review!

Neighborhood scandal and I am here for it. Someone is murdered at the annual block party and everything starts to unravel. Told from the perspective of a mother and daughter along with flashbacks to the previous year, the story unfolds as secrets come to light. The beginning was slightly slow, but the mystery kept me intrigued. This is an entertaining summer read. Thank you, NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for my copy.

This is the first book by Jamie Day. The Block Party tackles one of those upper class neighborhoods where everyone has problems. The story starts at the block’s Memorial Day party. By the end of the night, someone has been murdered. The only reason this is a mystery is because it starts with present day and a murder happening at the block party and then goes back a year prior to telling you who was killed. At its core, this is a domestic, contemporary drama focusing on an elite neighborhood that is full of family, friends, and secrets. The drama itself is juicy and the players are morally deficient. I felt towards the middle it slows down too much and it was hard for me to stay focused to continue reading. The names come fast and furious in the initial chapters, but soon you settle in with the assortment of main characters and their individual dramas. The majority of the storylines involve the adults, though a few involve their children, all the plots come crashing together at the present-day Alton Road Block Party.

Many thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Jamie Day

DNF at 20%
Unfortunately, this book was just not catching my attention the way it should and I was already mixing up the characters early on. I'm sure if you like the neighborhood wives and moms type thrillers, this will be right up your alley, but I think it is just not a story I'm as interested in as I originally thought I would be.

A fun neighborhood suspense story that felt a bit "Big Little Lies."

Alton Court is a tony cul-de-sac known for expensive houses and a blowout summer party. This year, someone is murdered. Who is it? Who did it?

I enjoyed the family ties and the intergenerational aspects of this one, which I think worked well.

Suspenseful summer fun!

It's always a good time when a bunch of wealthy neighbors, each with their own drama and secrets, get together for an alcohol-fueled block party. The narration switches back and forth between characters in this one, and many of the characters are unreliable and/or hiding something. The story was fast-paced, keeping readers guessing as to what happened at the block party that would cause police and crime scene units to arrive. The book starts with the party in question and then goes back in time to where all the tension began. Well-crafted and satisfying.

The layout of The Block Party is different, and I didn’t think I was going to like it, but by the end, I changed my mind. It starts off with an annual block party for the residents of a cul-de-sac, and someone is murdered, but the victim is a mystery until the end of the book. After the murder, it goes back a year to the previous block party and covers the lives of the screwed-up residents for the entire year.

It’s funny how an initial impression of characters can be so wrong! Part of the story is told by Lettie, and the rest of it is mostly about her mother, Alex. At the present block party, the reader sees a glimpse of the characters, but without the perspective of the previous year, they’re not quite what they seem.

I don’t want to give away any spoilers, so I’ll just say that there are so many surprises and secrets! Every one of the neighbors has their own secret, and they will all come to light within the year between block parties. It’s one of those books that you can’t wait to see what’s going to happen next!

I received an arc copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for my honest opinion of it. This book received great reviews so I was anxious to read it. However, it was just okay for me until the end. It didn't feel like a psychological thriller until the very end with secrets revealed. The main character, Alex, was really annoying to me through the whole book. She complained to her husband about all the neighbors coming to her with their problems when she was actually the nosy one going to them. We also constantly heard about her drinking wine too. The ending allowed me to give this a higher rating. Otherwise, it was just a typical neighborhood with gossip.

All of the juicy details and scandal of Desperate Housewives mixed with blackmail, murder, and deceit. Alton Rd. will never be the same!

This was an amazing domestic thriller that had everything that made me want more!! Definitely pick up a copy!

#jamiedaybooks #theblockparty #thrillerreaders #domesticthrillerbooks #bookstagram #booksbooksbooks #bibliophile

This was such a fun, rollercoaster of a thriller! You’ve got the whole party: liars, cheaters, nosy neighbors, ex-friends, stalkers, and creeps!

The lineup of characters made the book move so well; there was never a dull moment. And the reveals at the end just wrapped everyone together so smoothly! I love a book that’s easy to follow, even with multiple POVs.

Definitely a great thriller to read for summer!

So this book felt so familiar to me like I had read it before or seen something like it in a TV show or movie. I couldn't shake the feeling through out the whole book. I still can't place where this feeling was coming from even now that I am done with the book. It was a good read though, kept me guessing through the whole thing, not sure how it was going it end. I definitely did not guess how it did end though Jamie really got me there. The chapters where shot and made it feel like the book flew by.

At first I thought this book was a bit too long for my liking. The last 25% made it all worth it. I did end up listening to this on 2.25x and I rarely go over 1.75x.

As someone with bad book amnesia I was impressed by the books ability to stay with me after I finished it. While there were a lot of characters to follow, around 50% into the book I was able identify the husbands, wives and kids easily. No spoilers but the twists were good without being unbelievable. I saw some coming, others I did not. Overall, it was a great summer read! The way Day described a block party and that day to night transition brought me way back to when we had block parties and how crazy things got at night. I’d definitely recommend picking this up!

The premise of this book has me very intrigued but overall I felt like the author was trying to do “too much.” There was too much going on for my liking and it didn’t hold my attention like I was hoping.

It's nearly summer, and the Alton Road cul-de-sac is having their highly anticipated annual Memorial Day block party. Unfortunately, this evening will end in at least one death. But who did it and who is dead? To explain that, we will need to start the story at last year's block party. Over the course of the year, the families on the cul-de-sac unearth secrets, plot revenge, and ultimately learn that they may harbor more than one criminal in their suburban midst.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Recommend if you liked: Locust Lane, Bad Summer People
Content warnings: rape (mentioned, non-explicit), addiction (alcohol & drugs), murder, stalking, suicide

This one was right up my alley! I saw others call this "domestic suspense" and that exactly fits the bill!

We follow multiple perspectives throughout the book, mainly Alex (a divorce mediator who really likes her wine) and her daughter Lettie, in high school and a big proponent for environmental causes. Most of the wide cast is well-rounded, and we get more of their dimensions throughout the year.

Suspense?
As the year unfolds, a lot of controversy comes to light following a slow escalation of crimes that interweaves motives right up to the end. I spent the whole book guessing who might have died! I guessed a couple of the twists, but it was still engaging, and the prose flowed smoothly.

Thanks to MacMillan Audio and St. Martin's Press via NetGalley for providing me access to both an audiobook and ebook. All opinions expressed above are my own.

On the outside Alton Road or "The Altons", as surrounding communities know them, looks like a normal neighborhood full of neighbors who have a wonderful life and they all get along. But if you look a little closer things aren't quite what they seem. Alex is the "leader" of the neighborhood. She seems to be the one who tries to keep everyone together and help them deal with any problems that arise. However, this is beginning to take a toll on her. Her duaghter, Lettie, and husband, Nick, have noticed her drinking has increased a lot. Especially since the NEW neighbors have moved in. Things definitely start goinf side ways and a bit bizarre. The Altons are losing what made them a great neighborhood and everything and everyone is changing and not in positive ways or their unstable sides are finally beginning to show. So who will be in jeopardy of losing it all and who will be saved?

I really wanted to love this one but it just didn't do it for me. There are so many characters with so many storylines that I didn't care about any of them and the teenagers were annoying. I also found the "bug man" subplot really odd.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press for the copy to review.