Block Party opens with a crime being committed during the annual Memorial Day block party and the rest is the book tells the story leading up to that fateful day, slowly revealing clues as to what happened and who was the victim. It had all the vibes of a Liane Moriarty book and Desperate Housewives with a neighborhood chatroom speculating what happened and then the rest of the book dangling clues with dual POVs and unveiling all of the secrets, scandals and deceptions of the various neighbors. This street was full of lies, secret trysts, drama and conflict. No one can be trusted, more and more wild things came to light and everyone was a suspect. It was pure summer fun reading and I was so hooked watching it unfold.

The Memorial Day neighborhood block party is a big event each year on the exclusive cul de sac of Alton Road. Between one party and the next year, the tensions between the neighbors builds as gossip and secrets eventually lead to violence.
There’s something really entertaining about a group of neighbors who are gossipy, back stabbing and interfering and these scenarios usually make really good thrillers. This book had the potential for some good twists and surprises but it just fell flat for me. The “bad guys” were obvious and it seemed like there were really too many motives and far-fetched events leading up to the climax. I felt like the plot was forced and most of the squabbles unnecessary. Overall, the book wasn’t boring but certainly not a five star read.
#NetGalley #St.Martin’sPress

The Block Party is a really fun and juicy read, perfect for summer! This neighborhood had everything: gossipy neighbors, revenge, affairs, stalkers, teenage drama and it all culminated at the annual Memorial Day block party. This one had me guessing and on the edge of my seat until the end!

The Block Party
Author Jamie Day

Thank you, @stmartinspress, @netgalley, @macmillianaudio, and @librofm, for my #gifted e- arc and audiobook! I listened to this one narrated by Megan Tusing and Suzy Jackson, and it was a perfect summer audio read!

The Block Party ~ you'll die if you miss it~

At the annual summer block party for the residents of the affluent Alton Road, there has been a murder.

It's not clear who committed the murder, nor is it clear why, so Jamie Day brings her readers back a year and winds us down the suburban road filled with white picket fences, betrayal, gorgeous gardens, secrets, seemingly perfect homes, and lots of questions as to what goes on behind the beautiful closed doors.

The Block Party is quick, witty, entertaining, and suspenseful, and the many residents of Alton Road have so much going on in their lives that proves once again, that you have no idea what others are going through! Gossip, drama, romance, mystery - The Block Party has it all! Absolutely a perfect summer read!

THE BLOCK PARTY is full of drama and told in two timelines: we start out at a neighborhood Memorial Day block party, which ends with murder. Then we go back in time one year to see how we got to this point.

There’s gossip, cheating, drug and alcohol abuse, secrets, and plenty of mystery. You don’t find out exactly what’s going on until the last few pages.

I know many people enjoyed this one, but it was a bit slow moving for me. I didn’t really connect with the characters so it was difficult for me to get invested. I have to admit that while the ending was satisfying, with some big surprises, it took everything in me to get there.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for an ARC of THE BLOCK PARTY in exchange for my honest opinion.

If you are looking for a book that grabs you from page one, this is the book for you! The Block Party has all the ingredients that make up a tasty summer read—secrecy, gossip, rumors, infidelity, addiction, and murder. Everyone in this exclusive cul-de-sac has something to hide and lots to lose. I read this book quickly because I did not want to put it down. This book was a five star read!

I had very high hopes for this book but unfortunately it just got boring. Many times domestic thrillers start to blend together, and for this one I was really waiting for that thing that made it memorable. But it never arrived. The characters were fun as well as the setting.

Review of The Block Party by Jamie Day

A huge thank you to @stmartinspress as well as @getredprbooks for the copy of this book. I enjoyed reading it with my friends in
the #sqafbookclub. It’s always a good time with that crew! This book was so fun! It screamed of summer, and I loved the entire summer vibe it had. But of course, it is my favorite genre thriller, so it wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows. I loved the neighborhood drama and the mystery and who was murdered and why. It was well written, and I loved the piece throughout the book. I definitely will be picking up the next book by the author.

Synopsis from Amazon:

This summer, meet your neighbors.

The residents of the exclusive cul-de-sac on Alton Road are entangled in a web of secrets and scandal utterly unknown to the outside world, and even to each other.

On the night of the annual Summer block party, there has been a murder.

But, who did it and why takes readers back one year earlier, as rivalries and betrayals unfold―discovering that the real danger lies within their own block and nothing―and no one―is ever as it seems

This read certainly kept my attention as I eagerly read to see who was murdered. I loved the local commentary interspersed through the story. The characters were very interesting and the interconnections between them well thought out and revealed in suspenseful ways.
So enjoyed both Lettie’s and Dylan’s storylines, and amazingly each character’s storyline was interesting and seemed very realistic. The ending brings everything full circle. This read is a perfect blend of family drama and suspense causing the reader to feel they cannot put the book down but have to read more to figure out what is happening.
Many many thanks to Jamie Day, and NetGalley for affording me the opportunity to read an arc of this just released read - which I highly recommend.

What an expertly woven story. I loved reading this and trying to figure things out before they were revealed. A great read.

DNF. Just wasn’t feeling this one. Too many characters. So many unreliable characters. Kind of boring. Drunk female trope. Blah.

I love block parties! Getting to commune with your neighbors can be a bonding experience however, this is one block party that I hope to never encounter! The Block Party contained a quite bit of everything from drama (lots of it), lies, cheating, heavy drinking, revenge, stalking, and even murder. The story is told by two perspectives: Alex; fixer, mediator, heavy wine drinker, the good and responsible neighbor, open minded mother and Lettie; Alex’s rebellious, environmentalist, intelligent, observant, misfit daughter! And did they tell a story! This book had suspense, twist, turns, mayhem and madness. The conclusion was heart pounding! I recommend this book. #THEBLOCKPARTY #NETGALLEY

𝐓𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬💭:
The summer feels of this book captured me. I was really intrigued by the story and i was really in the mood for a summer thriller. Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for my e-ARC and Macmillan Audio for my audiobook. It recently came out this week!

𝐁𝐥𝐮𝐫𝐛📝:
A yearly block party is hosted by the residents of a cul-de-sac on Alton Rd. This year, a murder happens and secrets emerge that shake what once was a peaceful neighborhood apart.

𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠: ⭐️⭐️⭐️/5. This story had so much potential. However, I felt like it focused alot on the drama more than what I was interested in, the murder mystery. I was captivated initially, but I totally got lost in between because of how the plot felt a bit all over the place. I didn’t mind the multiple characters involved, but somehow there were too many stories that the author wanted to tell that I felt were unnecessary. It finally picked up towards the end but it didn’t have that wow factor for me.

𝙍𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙞𝙛 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚: 𝘋𝘦𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘏𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘦𝘸𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘴, 𝘥𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘤 𝘥𝘳𝘢𝘮𝘢, 𝘣𝘭𝘰𝘤𝘬 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘴, 𝘴𝘶𝘮𝘮𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘳𝘴

Someone was murdered at the annual Memorial Day block party that takes place on the very upscale Alton Lane cul-de-sac. But who and why? The narrative of this domestic suspense novel alternates between last year’s block party and the current one and among POVs, particularly Alex’s (she is a divorce mediator) and her teen-aged daughter Lettie’s. Unfortunately, the plot moves pretty slowly, and there are quite a few characters to keep track of — mostly the folks who live in the cul-de-sac, none of whom are all that likeable. However, I really wanted to find out who had been murdered and why so I kept flipping pages. The ending was a fitting one, making this an overall decent read.

While The Block Party was slow to start, once it hit the 50% mark it went by quickly.
There are two narrators - Alex and Lettie, who are mom and daughter in the neighborhood. Alex was a bit of a neighborhood busybody and Lettie was an anti-establishment type teenager set on revenge. There are many other characters and at times I mixed up two of the husbands (whoops) but overall, this was a good summer thriller read perfect for reading during down time on my recent work trip!
The story was interesting and there were some twists I didn’t guess (but others I did), which I appreciated! I recommend The Block Party to fans of thrillers/mysteries that focus on rich people behaving badly. Note that I received an advanced review copy, receipt of which did not impact my review.

The beginning of this book really hooks you in, but then the rest is drawn out and boring. This could’ve been so much shorter. Some of the storyline was a bit unbelievable, for example how some of the neighbors were linked. I enjoyed getting to know the neighbors, but there were almost too many of them and many were so unlikeable. I was so close to DNFing this book if it weren’t for wanting to know who was killed and who did the killing. This was just meh. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I found this book boring. I didn’t care about these characters. Also not very believable. I also don’t enjoy books where the main character is a drunk.

I really liked this story; there was a lot going on in the plot, and lots of interweavings between characters, with surprises from the past and present popping up at every turn. While I enjoyed this as a domestic thriller - give me suburban neighborhood drama all day, every day - the writing style was a bit forced or formal, and I felt like some of the relationships were just there for convenience. I didn't get the sense of strong friendships or ties. It felt like the characters even brushed over the deaths pretty easily. All in all a great summer thriller.

Summer is the perfect time to throw a party with all your neighbors! I enjoy getting to know my neighbors. The neighbors on Alton Road, however, not so much. Jamie Day did a fabulous job giving each neighbor a story of their own and a personality to match. I have my favorites and more that I would try to avoid, but I’ll let you decide which ones you love. Ulterior motives, secret agendas, rivalries, betrayals… Grab your favorite drink and climb into your favorite chair - you’re gonna find this book is to die for!

I was given The Block Party by Jamie Day in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley.

Wow, this book was a rollercoaster of the unexpected. I honestly was a step behind the action at every turn. The book is about the perfect neighborhood and the perfect neighbors who each harbor dark secrets that can be deadly. The story is told in alternating viewpoints which gives the reader a better understanding of actions of the characters, but also leaves you guessing how it is all connected.

The connections of family and friends, of love and revenge, and of life and death on Alton Road will keep you reading this summertime thriller.