At 17% into this book, it just wasn't doing it for me. I tried to keep going but I just couldn't. Wasn't liking the characters or the story itself. I'm way in the majority here but it just wasn't a book for me. I hate to not finish a book but sometimes you just have to move on to the next.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the review copy

The Block Party is set during the annual Memorial Day BBQ hosted by the well-to-do residents of Alton Lane. At the beginning of the book we find out there has been a murder at the party. The story goes back one year to the previous year's party to present day and we get the background on all the characters. There's plenty of drama, secrets, and betrayal between all the neighbors and their own families. Unfortunately all of the characters were unlikeable (especially the two narrators) so the vast majority of the book was boring to me since I didn't care about them or their troubles. I was curious enough to find out who the victim and killer were so I was able to finish. I did like the ending.

Although this wasn't my favorite, I still recommend if you want a quick weekend read with Summer vibes.

Thank you to @netgalley and @stmartinspress for allowing me access to the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

I must admit that this book was not even on my radar until I was sent a synopsis and an invitation to read an advanced copy. Wow! I am so glad that I got the opportunity to read this one. It has everything…YA vibe when Letty is narrating, mom vibe when Alex is narrating and so much drama that it was hard to keep up. I was reminded of the book and show “Peyton Place” numerous times as I read this complex plot with numerous characters. Once I got into the main story (a murder), I couldn’t put the book down. There are a lot of rivalries, tons of secrets and deception galore…enough to satisfy all of the fans of the Little Lies books, for sure. I enjoyed finding out about the characters and all of their many sins, but what I liked most was the compelling and underlying tension in the neighborhood. I didn’t know who to trust and neither did the narrators. There are red herrings and false trails for the mystery, cue the soap opera music for the drama and send in the psychologist to find out if anyone (and I mean anyone) is telling the whole truth. The book was fun to read, a little risqué and a lot of addictive action. There are multiple sub-plots but that did not bother me at all as the author did a masterful job of bringing everything together and tying it all up with a pretty bow at the end. The characters were well-developed but not particularly relatable since I am not in their social class, but reading about the upper class having problems was entertaining. This is a multi-layered, well-crafted and insightful story that made me glad that I don’t live anywhere near any of these people.
Disclaimer
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review, and all opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255, “Guidelines Concerning the Use of Testimonials and Endorsements in Advertising.”

This book is wild.. and I saw others say it too and I’m so glad I’m not the only one who thought so. I honestly didn’t want to put it down and reminded me how much I love mystery/thrillers.

The residents of a cul-du-sac are all entangled in webs of secrets and lies. Every year they host an annual block party, but this year comes with a murder.

I mean come on, if that synopsis alone doesn’t tempt you than I don’t think you know what you’re in for. We interact with different neighbors and all these secret scandals that are well hidden, or so you think. Who doesn’t ever suspect their neighbors.

My only complaint is some of the side characters I didn’t or couldn’t remember so I lost who they were at times and their connections. But all in all, this was just bang bam boom wow!

The Block Party is suspense novel that starts off with murder that takes place during an annual Summer block party. It follows the residents of a cul-de-sac through two POVs, one is from Alex and the other from her daughter Lettie. Lettie's POV have a YA tone, she does come off as some what annoying, I think that was done in purpose from the writer since she is a senior in high school.

The book starts with the murder, and goes back a whole year to get back to the first chapter.
Through out the book, we learn move about several neighbours who live in the cul-de-sac, learning everyone's secrets, and trying to figure out who will get murder and who committed the crime.

I did find that the plot moved slower than I would have prefer, however wanting to figure out who the murder is and whom they killed kept me interested.

Overall, if you are looking for a quick read, that has "Desperate Housewives" this might just be the book for you!

Thank you to for an ARC of this book to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The cul-de-sac on Alton Road is gearing up for its annual block party. They all get together to drink, laugh, and just have a great time. This year is no different except the secrets that people are keeping are starting to seep.above the surface. Last years party went off without a hitch bit this years will end in murder. Follow along as you are taken back to the previous year when secrets start to come to light. You are taken down the path of each persons secrets and lies. Will you be able to figure out who the killer is and why they felt that.murder was the only answer. Great read filled with some twists and turns that will have you guessing the whole way through.

I love a good neighbor drama ala Desperate Housewives and this one delivered!

We start with the annual Memorial Day block party. There has been an "incident" but we aren't privy. Then we flash back to last year's party and it leads us to now.

Every person in the hood has secrets, from the adults to the teens and everything in between.
And the secrets overlap! Lots of bad behavior among this crowd.

This book had drama, suspense and plenty of surprises! You feel like you are there witnessing it all!

I had both the ARC and ALC and switched between. I found both to be well done. Many thanks to Netgalley, MacMillan Audio and St. Martin's Press for my advance copies in exchange for an honest review!

I enjoyed The Block Party. One of my favorite parts was the comments on the neighborhood online community page. So funny!

I was really impressed with this debut by Jamie Day. Set at a block party on Memorial Day, the Block Party is a dual timeline, dual point of view thriller that kept me guessing the entire time. What was so unique about this book was that not only do we not know who the killer is, but we also don’t know who was killed. I loved trying to figure it out while reading.

For this story, I was glad that the author chose to only have two narrators because there were a lot of characters to keep track of. Alex and Lettie are mother and daughter, and we get to find out what happened by having them flashback to the previous year’s block party and learn about their neighbors.

If you love a good thriller with some neighborhood drama thrown in, then this is the book for you. I loved the pacing and the writing style, however I did think there were a few too many characters to keep track of. At times I would ask myself, “who’s that?” even though they’d been mentioned before.

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

At first the story starts off a bit slow but after a few chapters I was sucked into this story. All the secrets and drama kept me trying to figure out the deal with each of the characters. It was well written and moves at a smooth pace that made the story intriguing. I definitely didn’t want the story to end and suggest others check it out if you want a good read.

Thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for the arc.

Took me a bit to get into this book, but once I did I couldn’t put it down. So many twists and turns…. Some I saw coming and others that I didn’t. This book goes to show that you never know what goes on behind closed doors and even the “perfect” neighborhood home, may not be so perfect once you get a look inside.

We are immersed into the drama of Alton Road and its residents from page 1. with this neighborhood block party gone wrong. What happens behind closed doors doesn't always stay there... In this book, we follow Alex and her daughter Lette as they navigate family strife, new neighbors, friendships, relationship turmoil, crushes, and suspicion. I was hooked from the beginning. It's not only a who-done-it, but also a quest to find out who died. And honestly, I could see why most of the characters could have been the killer or the one who was killed.
Content warning: suicide attempt, drug use, child death

This was a super quick, twisty tourney read. I read it in almost one single setting. I love the way everyone's lives slowly intertwine, I thought the characters were interesting and well developed, and that the premise was really compelling. Overall, I had a lot of fun with this one!

This book had a lot of elements I usually really enjoy in a thriller- terrible people in a neighborhood setting. However, this one really missed it’s mark. It was incredibly repetitive.Yes I get it, Alex likes to drink. The amount of times it said “Alex always had time for a drink” got to be a bit much for me. It honestly felt exhausting to read.

In addition, everyone in this book is super unlikeable and you don’t understand the motivations of any of the characters for why they act the way they do. Unlikeable characters isn’t a deal breaker for me but I do need a little insight into their actions. Everyone was very one dimensional.

For a thriller-nothing really happened until the last 10% of the book. They alluded to a murder but you don’t know who was killed or how until the 90% mark.

I would have DNF this book except I felt I needed to finish it to write an honest review. Thank you netgalley for the arc in exchange for this review.

Such a fun read that I couldn't put down! Loved the fast paced story and the conversational tone. It was easy to follow despite the many characters and the twists kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time. Highly recommend for an entertaining end-of-summer read!

Thank you to NetGalley, Jamie Day, and St. Martin's Press for the ARC.

3.5 Stars

All neighborhoods have their secrets, how can they not with so many different personalities and backgrounds. Alton Lane is the place to live. Tight knit, upscale and full of secrets. The annual Block Party is almost like any other block party; food, games, music, catching up with neighbors…unlike others, this one includes murder! The story starts with a bang, literally, and then takes us back to the prior year and builds from there.

I love thrillers and domestic ones especially, this one just moved at a slower pace than I had hoped for. I found many of the neighbors annoying and the situations over the top. I did enjoy the separate connections between the female neighbors.

Thanks to St. Martins Press and NetGalley for this ARC. Opinion is mine alone.

It was so strange to read a murder mystery and not even know who was murdered. Yes, that is right, the reader doesn’t know who the murderer was or who was murdered!

The Block Party was definitely a page turner, with a diverse cast of characters. It is a great summer or vacation read, you know light but keeps your interest, and an ending the reader will be satisfied with.

Thank you @stmartinspress and @netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I noticed all the great reviews on this one but just did not work for me, I had to push through to finish. Many unlikeable characters. I just could not connect throughout the story. I say this has more mystery elements than thriller. Still an ok story, 3 out of 5 for me. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin press for and e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Alex and her husband, Nick, live in a nice community along with their teenage daughter, Lettie. Alex us a divorce mediator and Nick is an architect.

Alex’s sister, Emily, a real estate agent, and her husband, Ken, along with their son, Dylan, live next door to Alex. Emily has just sold a nice home to Samir, Mandy, and their son, Jay.

There’s also Brooke, who became a widow when her husband fell off a cruise ship.

Alex seems to be the one that everyone counts on to do community parties and always decorates for all of the holidays. There is tension in each family and we learn their personalities and secrets.

Each year on Memorial Day, they have an outdoor party where they barbecue, play games, and drink. But one year, shots are heard and people end up dead. Whom could it be?

This is a gossipy yet real portrayal of families and all of the secrets they are hiding problems they are dealing with. For the most part, I liked the characters with the exception of the annoying Bug Man. Someone should have squashed him under their shoe. Numerous times I rolled my eyes at Lettie and her ridiculous climate change agenda. Hopefully, college will mature her. So, a good drama here that I’m sure readers will enjoy.

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I first off absolutely love the idea of this book. I read the synopsis and was hooked from there. I couldn't wait to finish this one. I stayed up late to try to finish it and I was not disappointed. I had my suspisions on what the twist and turns were but I was fairly surprised at the end. If you love murder, secrets, and a little mystery, this is the book for you. A close knit group of neighbors who live on the same block come together and many secerets get revealed. Get ready for the block party of the century.