THE BLOCK PARTY by Jamie Day is a fun and engaging domestic suspense novel filled with secrets, lies, scandal and even murder. The residents of the exclusive Alton Road neighborhood in Meadowbrook have an annual block party, always with lots of drinking and drama. The story starts with the present-day block party when someone ends up murdered, but who is dead, who killed them and why is the subject of much gossip. The speculation takes the story back to the block party one year prior and follows all of the residents going forward leading up to the murder. Bitter rivalries and betrayals come to light and any of the characters could be to blame. Alternating between past and present, the story wraps up with a surprising twist. The comical excerpts from the Meadowbrook community pages gossiping about their well-to-do neighbors were a fun addition. I enjoyed this entertaining neighborhood drama and I thank the author, publisher and NetGalley for the chance to read and review an early copy.

First off, Suzy Jackson should be the go-to narrator of choice for female YA/NA characters! ❤️ Kudos to Megan Tusing as well. I enjoyed this listen! 🎧
As for the book itself, it was a wonderful summer read. The release date was very well timed! So many people dealing with that neighborhood summer BBQ party vibe right now! 😬 There was some back and forth with the POV shifts but it was easy enough to follow. I listened to this book in one day and was riveted from start to finish!

*Thanks to NetGalley, St Martin’s Press (ebook) & MacMillan Audio for the advance copies for review.

The perfect summer domestic thriller is here! The Block Party exceeded all my expectations and takes the reader through a year in the life of a high class neighborhood. Secrets kept by all, lies, and manipulation galore.
The annual Memorial Day block party is off with a bang, and you won’t believe the secrets that have led up to this years party.

Written from the perspective of two of the main characters, this book deals with family dynamics, teenage issues, friends, neighbors, and past grudges.

Thank you NetGalley for this advance reader copy in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC! I love a thriller and I’m often split on books about rich people doing things. This was a winner for me! I felt invested in the neighbors’ stories and enjoyed the very relatable social media neighborhood group interjections. I started to suspect some of the things that were happening, but not all, and kept my attention through the very last page.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I could see this being made into a Netflix series, or movie for HBO max. With that said, I found it a little slow.

There are a few too many characters to keep track of and you don’t find out right away who has died.

I liked how the storyline went back in tame by a year and I didn’t find the timeline to be problematic in anyway. I loved the dual perspective between the mother and daughter. I also really felt a lot of the daughters teenage angst. That character was very well established in my opinion.

Of course because this is a thriller I can’t reveal too much but it was a fun summer read.

This book has the overall feeling of a popular series for sure though, so let’s hope that happens for this author.

I want to thank NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

A fun read! A block full of fun, interesting residents that all have a secret or two. The story breaks out into several families on the block and does a good job of tying everything back together in the end. It definitely has some surprises and twists. Good read! Thank you netgalley for the ARC.

The Block Party is Jamie Day’s latest thriller/neighborhood drama. The action begins during last year’s Acton Road Memorial Day Block Party and spans an entire year. The story is narrated by an alcoholic homeowner and her troubled 17-year-old daughter.

Each year Alexandra “Alex” Fox organizes the Summer Block Party for the residents of Acton Road in upscale Meadowbrook, Massachusetts. Alex is a burned-out family lawyer turned divorce mediator who has fallen off the alcohol wagon again. Alex’s husband, Nick, is a bland architect who gets rightfully frustrated with her alcoholic behaviors. They have a 17-year-old daughter, Elizabeth “Lettie”, who they grounded for half of the summer due to her vandalizing her school with spray paint. Lettie is a social outcast and is very concerned about climate change. She wants to attend college at USC but her parents want her to go to UMass instead.

Alex’s sister, Emily Adair, lives across the street with her philandering husband, Ken, and their two teen-age sons, Logan and Dylan. Logan is a lacrosse player at Syracuse University, while quieter Dylan lives in his shadow. Dylan is close to his cousin Lettie, but their relationship can be tricky since he is dating her bully/former best friend/next-door neighbor, Riley Thompson.

Alex’s best friend, besides her sister, is her next-door neighbor, Willow Thompson. Willow is 37 and estranged from her wealthy fashion photographer husband, Evan. She would like to divorce him due to his excessive partying and general irresponsibility, but she would suffer financially because of their iron-clad prenuptial agreement. Willow’s daughter Riley is the most beautiful girl at the high school.

Neighbor Brooke Bailey is a hot widow who is dating a man 15 years younger than her. Her husband, Jerry, died when he mysteriously fell off a cruise ship a little over a year ago.

The tranquility on Alton Road is a little shaken up when realtor Emily sells a vacant house to the Kumar family. Indian-born Dr. Samir Kumar is a psychiatrist while his blond wife, Mandy, is a psychologist. Their 20-year-old son, Jay, was kicked out of Northeastern and is living with them. Jay quickly befriends the lonely Lettie, while Mandy and Ken Adair are obviously attracted to each other upon meeting.

Soon Ken Adair is seen sneaking away from the back of the Kumar’s house. Meanwhile Jay helps Lettie get revenge on Riley Thompson for turning her in to school authorities. When they follow Riley, they discover that she has a romantic relationship with an older man. Lettie has to decide if she really wants to out Riley because it will hurt her cousin Dylan.

At this year’s Block Party, Alex gets drunk and falls into the kiddie pool. Nick sends her home to sleep it off and when she returns to the party two hours later, the police are there. Later in the evening someone is murdered and the reader has to figure out who and why. The author neatly wraps up everything so that the ending makes sense, but it’s still surprising.

The story itself was good but I had to make notes on the characters because there were so many intertwined relationships. I really didn’t like any of the characters, especially the two narrators; I wanted to slap some sense into them. However, the characters were multi-faceted and not always how they seemed. The plot was excellent.

I received an Advance Review Copy (ARC) from NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This book was a twisty blend of domestic drama in an upscale suburban neighborhood with plenty of teen along with mystery and plenty of deceit. Each family seems to have something to hide no matter how squeaky clean their exterior appears.

This book chronicles the events in the neighborhood as seen from the viewpoint of Alex and her daughter, Lettie over the course of a year. It is told in flashbacks and present day. You are giving some extreme information in the beginning and then the book takes you back to the events that led up the it over the past year.

It became quite frustrating at times to watch the deterioration of some of the characters. I just wanted to reach into the story and chastise them. I wanted to see them each make better decisions and just be all around better people. Even though I figured out most of the twists before they happened, I still really enjoyed this tale of friendship, families and everything that can go wrong in between.

AUDIOBOOK:: The narration was really good and kept my attention from start to finish. I thought it matched the feel of the book well which ensured it didn't detract from it. 4 stars

Thank you to NetGalley for early copies of both the ebook and audiobook. I voluntarily chose to review both of them and the opinions contained within are my own.

Memorial Day, a time for friendship, parties and murder. After setting the scene for the events to come, Jamie Day takes you back one year to the previous block party. It was the day the Kumars bought their house on Alton Road. Emily, their realtor and a resident of the cul-de-sac, introduces Mandy and Samir Kumar to her husband Ken and her sister Alex. Emily and Ken have had trouble in their marriage and she detects an immediate attraction between Ken and Mandy, triggering suspicion. As you meet each of the Alton Road residents they are all hiding secrets. Emily is a divorce mediator who is hiding a drinking problem. Brooke is dealing with a stalker. Willow and Evan, who are heading for a divorce, are oblivious to their daughter’s affair and drug problem and Mandy Kumar has chosen this location for a specific reason that will affect everyone. As the year progresses, Day uses the local community page as a Greek chorus, hinting at things to come. Day throws in twist after twist leading to the block party where not everyone will survive. It is a story of the changes that families face, secrets and revenge that will keep you turning the pages to the end. I would like to thank NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing this book or my review.

I listened to the audiobook and the narrators were great, there were a ton of characters in this book but different voices for each made it easier for me to remember who was who. I loved the way the book was written with different timelines and different POVs. Lots of intrigue and all around good story telling. I will definitely recommend this one and will read more by this author!

So I have to admit, I was a little bit torn about my rating, I found Alex the Mom to be very repetitive and at one point thought if I have to hear this woman talk about drinking wine one more time I’m going to throw the book. As well as her daughter Letty, talk about global warming, and just stupid nonsense about the earth that doesn’t even matter. So, obviously, some of the characters are annoying. The book alternates between Alex and Letty’s perspective, and most of the adults in this book could definitely benefit from a therapist, each one has secrets, and they are all slowly revealed throughout the story. I have to say, though the last 15% blew my mind! I really enjoyed it! Obviously, I didn’t hate it that much or I wouldn’t have made it that far! Overall I’m not sorry that I read it and I definitely probably would recommend it but maybe with a little bit of preparation for some of the annoying issues and the triggers that are contained inside.

Triggers: rape, suicide.

Thanks to Netgalley and St Martins press for my electronic advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review.

The Block Party is a captivating blend of suspense, fast-paced action, and humor. This enthralling tale takes readers on a journey to the seemingly idyllic leafy suburbs, where appearances can be deceiving. With its intricately woven plot and unforgettable characters, this novel showcases the remarkable storytelling skills infused with wit and style.

The Block Party by Jamie Day

Rumors, jealousy, cheating, gossip, lies, and more. All these things make for an interesting community chat page and you can tell that those who don't live on the Alton Road cul-de-sac think that those who do live on the Alton Road cul-de-sac are the cool ones, the movers and shakers of the neighborhood. So throughout the book we get to read messages on the chat page, those looking in at the happenings on the Alton Road cul-de-sac taking joy in those living on the Alton Road cul-de-sac being brought down to mere normal people status. Afterall, the Alton Road cul-de-sac cool adults won't let just anyone into their block party so the only way for the others to enjoy it is to find out what's happening on the chat page (not that you can believe what you hear or read).

Nosiness is the name of the game here. Alex, wife of Nick, and mother of Lettie is very nosy. She excuses this with saying she just wants to help people, to fix things, to make things right. She is a divorce mediator so she has the skills, right? But she is also an alcoholic who won't admit it and she's getting close to imploding when it comes to her constant drinking. Still, she thinks she can fix the ills of the cul-de-sac and nothing is going to stop her from trying (and drinking).

Like mother, like daughter, Lettie is so much like her mother although you could never get her to admit such a thing. She's in her rebellious stage and has just gotten in trouble at school. She's really a good kid, makes good grades, and has big plans for college and a career and the sooner she can graduate high school and get away from her home and lame parents, the better. But while she is stuck here she is going to try to fix things. Except her meddling makes things worse and then she has more to fix and things just pile up. Alex and Lettie do not know when to quit.

The story is mostly sandwiched between last year's block party and this year's block party and a lot goes on. Rumors run rampant, nothing is as it seems to the outside world, everyone has secrets and no one will say what needs to be said. Life just keeps stumbling on until on the night of the present day block party there is a murder. Who could be the victim and who could be the murderer. Take your pick, there are a lot of people who would like to murder a lot of other people. This group is a mess so it was bound to happen. I enjoyed looking in on this mess and wondering who did what. I'm so glad I live in the country and never go to block parties!

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for this ARC.

This was a twisty domestic suspense novel told in dual timelines with two narrators, a mother and daughter. The book starts out at a block party on Memorial Day and goes back a year in time to the previous years block party and fills in with several events throughout the year.

The story has secrets, gossip, deceit, betrayal, cruelty and revenge. I read it in one day as I was invested in seeing how the two timelines were woven together and what exactly happened at the block party. I liked having the perspective of two narrators. I was sympathetic to some characters but found others very unlikeable. There was definitely a lot of secrets in that neighborhood! If you are looking for a domestic suspense read for your summer TBR, give this one a try.

This was a wickedly fun read with lots of surprises and drama. The residents of Alton Road each have their shocking secrets to hide. Chapters alternate between mother, Alex, and her daughter, Letty, with very distinctive voices. I enjoyed the Nextdoor type posts with the residents gossiping about what went down that fateful Memorial Day. A twisty suspense I highly recommend for a fun summer read!

Told from mother/daughter dual POV’s this mystery thriller was a perfect weekend summer read.

I enjoyed the story and all the goings on that was happening in their posh neighborhood. Some of the characters felt a little forced and most were very unlikable but it helped to move everything along and like life we aren’t all perfect.

The back and forth of the POV was very interesting and I liked that the tone changed with the characters as well.

This is definitely more mystery than thriller and for me at least was a very slow burn. I will be recommending this to anyone who enjoys a good domestic mystery.

Thank you to netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

DNF at 20%

Sadly, I knew almost immediately that I wasn't going to get into this book. The narrative structure was all telling with little showing. I didn't like any of the characters -which can ok - unlikable characters can be intriguing in a well-written story, but that didn't apply here. I pushed to read to 20%, and then asked myself, do I care what happens (no), am I at all interested in who was murdered (first chapter, someone at the block party is murdered, but it is not revealed who) (also no). Is this a struggle to read (yes), and am I bored (yes). Time to bow out.

Stars entered only b/c Netgalley makes you leave stars. I don't like to rate DNF ARC's. No rating on the Goodreads review.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press via Netgalley for the ARC. All thoughts and opinions in this review are my own.

The Block Party alternates POVs between Lettie, a feisty high school student, and her alcoholic mother Alex who is apparently the unofficial therapist for all of the neighbors that live in the Alton Road cul-de-sac because well… apparently they’re all crazy and I’m here for it.
The timeline alternates between a current day Block Party and events that occurred a year prior leading up to the party. There’s a rumor that there’s been a murder at the current day block party so pay close attention to the past events!
The Block Party has a lot of different players involved, but the writer does an excellent job of building characters, so I had no problem keeping up with all of the names of said crazy neighbors. I love that I got to be a fly on the wall and watch from a distance as these well-to-do families go through drama until everything just implodes. Just goes to show you never really know what people have going on behind closed doors! The book seemed kind of long, but everything makes sense in the end of the book. It all comes together beautifully with the author leaving no loose ends. And let’s talk about the ending! I NEVER saw that ending coming. I wanted to throw my Kindle across the room I was so surprised! For this being what appears to be this authors debut novel Jamie Day did FANTASTIC. I don’t know how to categorize this book in terms of thriller or mystery but whatever it is I want MORE! Very reminiscent of Liane Moriarty. FIVE WELL EARNED STARS.

Thank you for gifted early ARC st. martins press and to getredprbooks for including me on your book tour and the fun promo box, too!

The Block Party by Jamie Day is one hot debut. Not only do we have a ton of neighborhood drama, but there's also a lot of family drama too. Trust me, it will keep you on your toes. It will turn you into a nosy neighbor wanting to get into everyone's personal business while the pages turn and turn.

Please note, this book is marketed as a thriller but I have to respectfully disagree. It has all of the elements of a mystery.
Even so, its a great summer read that will keep you guessing and guessing.

The block party is told in two POV’s by Alex and her daughter, Lettie.
What secrets do they know about????
There is so much going on within their little community.
Alcoholism
Infidelity
Spousal Abuse
Drug Use
And along with all this….just so many lies, secrets and revengeful things going on make for a very suspenseful read.
A slow burn story with lots of family drama going on.
All in all, a suspenseful domestic mystery thriller.
Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read this book for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.