Loved it!! I would give the book 4.5 stars. From the start I couldn't put it down, I had to know who was killed and why!! I mean there were so many people to choose from and most of them were likely targets to get killed or at least punched in the face. I'm pretty sure you you had to have some type of issue, harboring terrible secrets or be creepy to live on Alton Road. For such a nice/upscale neighborhood, these people had serious problems. The Fox family was the most "normal." I can see why Alex drank so much having to deal with the problems of all her neighbors(stalking, drugs, abuse and so much more). I was definitely surprised when the truth about everything was finally revealed. Things are not always what they appear to be. What was really happening with Mandy and Samir was probably the biggest shock. I thought something else was going on. I had a suspicion about Riley's older man. Revenge was the perfect topic for Lettie's psychology paper. Pretty much the whole book was about revenge. Loved the ending. This was one crazy neighborhood with an even crazier Memorial Day block party.

Definitely recommend the book. It was a great mystery/thriller, that kept me guessing until the end. There were so many twists and turns. Loved the characters, story and writing style. Look forward to reading more books by the author.

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

Jamie Day's wicked knock-out debut, THE BLOCK PARTY, is full of secrets and scandal, a mix of Desperate Housewives meets Big Little Lies in this witty, impressive, addictive domestic suspense whodunit thriller!

A FIRECRACKER!

The book starts with a lively summer Memorial Day block party with neighbors of Alton Road in this exclusive upscale cul-de-sac neighborhood. Initially, we meet Alex, Nick, her husband, and the creepy bug man, Gus.

The party ends in MURDER.

Told from POVs:
Alex, the mediator, loves her wine!
Lettie, the rebellious, environmentalist brilliant misfit daughter (a pistol).

Alex has too much to drink at the party and ends up in the pool, and her husband sends her home. What happened at the block party after she left? MURDER.

From one year ago, leading up to the block party. Epilogue a year later.

We meet the following families:
~The Foxes (Alex, Nick) and daughter, Lettie (17), who has been suspended from school.

~The Adairs with two sons. Ken and wife, Emily (Alex's sister)

~The Thompsons: Willow & Evan (getting a divorce) and (Riley 17)

~The Kumars (new neighbors) Mandy & Samir (psychiatrists) son Jay (20 yr. old dropout). He husband is very controlling.

~Widow, Brooke Bailey (beautiful, lives alone after yachting accident death of hubby).

There is tension between the adults and the teens. The kids are graduating from high school and thinking of college and more. Lettie thinks Riley is the reason for her suspension and teams up with Jay to find out what he is hiding.

Do we ever honestly know anybody as well as we think we do?

A SUMMER SIZZLER!

From secrets, lies, neighborhood politics, revenge, deceit, manipulation, gossip, scandal, and murder, THE BLOCK PARTY has it all. It could have been a series with a cast of well-developed characters, humor, and twisty suspense who and whydunit. I loved Lettie!

AUDIOBOOK: The audiobook was highly entertaining, narrated by (fav) Megan Tusing and Suzy Jackson for an engaging, fun performance.

The bug man reminded me of Linwood Barclay's Take Your Breath Away. I look forward to reading more from this debut talented author, Jamie Day! An author to watch.

Thanks to #StMartinsPress and #NetGalley for an ARC and #MacmillanAudio for an ALC in exchange for an honest review. #SMPInfluencers

Blog review posted @
JudithDCollins.com
@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
Pub Date: July 18, 2023
My Rating: 5 Stars
July 2023 Must-Read Books

The Block Party tackles one of those upper class neighborhoods where everyone has problems. (Privileged problems but that's part of the story.) The novel starts at the block’s Memorial Day party. By the end of the night, someone has been murdered. The reader is kept in the dark about both victim and murderer. The book bounces between the present day and the past year; and between Alex and her daughter, Lettie. There’s a plethora of characters, each filling a slot. Drunk? Check. Cheating spouse? Check. Controlling husband? Check. Troubled teenager? Check. Angry young man? Double check. Widow whose husband died under suspicious circumstances? Check. This will appeal to those that like reality shows with over the top, somewhat cliched characters. These people are so up in each other’s business, it was crazy. Even the Community Page posts are pure gossip, but read like a completely believable (and relatable) neighborhood FB page. You'll be surprised, as the story unfolds, to discover all the ways these characters are tied up together. And who the victim(s) is/are.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this e-arc.*

Reminds me a bit of Big Little Lies but, I wasn't a huge fan of some of the main characters. I couldn't connect with them and I was really annoyed with most of them. There was also so so many characters and mini story lines I couldn't keep track.

This book reads like a streaming mini-series. On a cul-de-sac with five houses there are more backstories involving lies, deception and possible murder, leading up to a climactic annual Memorial Day Block Party. It is a fun read and easy to fly through, and the characters are interesting. We learn early that there's been a murder, but don't know until the end who is the victim, much less the culprit, and just about any permutation could have been possible as their stories are revealed.
It's not deep and sometimes confusing, but it's quick, fun, and includes a couple of laughs and makes for a great summer read.

A juicy, immersive story focusing on one family and their neighbors on an exclusive, wealthy suburban street. Small problems snowball into big ones, and there are plenty of reminders that money can't fix all problems. It can be a little slow at points, but the characters are interesting and there are enough bombshells to break up the story. And the neighborhood social media posts included are entertainingly spot on.

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I enjoyed this novel, but felt it was a bit predictable, especially in this market. The plot is similar to a lot of other mystery thriller books and the characters were overdone, especially the teenage daughter. Her voice seemed forced, as if someone from an older generation placed all of the Gen Z stereotypes into one character and forgot they were once a teenager as well.

TALK ABOUT A PARTY TO DIE FOR...

This book jumps between two years. It is narrated by two characters, a mother and her high school senior daughter. I can't say I enjoyed either character very much.
I was immediately captivated. Unfortunately, the pace of the book was a little slow for my liking. There are several characters to keep track of (not something I normally enjoy). I have rated this book 3/5. There are many who have really enjoyed this book. I would encourage you to see if it's something you would enjoy. It just wasn't my cup of tea.
Thank you to the Publisher and NetGallery for the ARC of this book.

I want to live on Alton Road! The Block Party is a super summer read with characters you will love to love and some you will love to hate. I can’t wait for more from Jamie Day.

If you love a good neighborhood drama, then welcome to Alton Road! For me personally the story starts off slow but when the first twist is revealed be prepared for a rollercoaster ride that rival Space Mountain. With a contrasting timeline between Mother and daughter will see both sides of events leading up one explosive and page turning climax. This is a stellar debut novel, and one you will not want to put down.

The Block Party is the perfect summer read! This debut thriller by Jamie Day was full of both likable and not so likable characters. I couldn’t put it down and really enjoyed it!

The residents of Alton Road live on the very best street in their town. Each year, they celebrate Memorial Day together with a block party. But this year, things take a dramatic turn when the police flock up with their lights blazing. What could have happened?

I did enjoy this one. It definitely kept me guessing about what happened and who was to blame.

It's time for the annual exclusive block party of the residents of Alton Road. Unfortunately the past year has held a ton of drama for many of these neighbours, and tensions are high. The night will end with murder.. But who is involved? And why?

I'm not sure if I've just read too many new books this year with a similar storyline, but this one didn't really work for me. I felt it was slow moving and I was skimming through everyone's stories just to get to the end and find out, though when I got there, I didn't really care. On the plus side, I liked the characters well enough, and there were some nice twists thrown in.

I think fans of this year's The Whispers and A Death at the Party will enjoy this one.

2.5/5⭐

Thank you St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for e-ARC of the book.

During annual Memorial Day block party, something goes wrong but to find out what exactly, we go back a year. This story is told from Alex and her daughter Lettie's perspective. Alex is the perfect protagonist as she is a noisy neighbor who truly wants to help her friends. And Lettie is a teenager knows a little bit more than her parents.

This book was amazing! At the beginning I wanted to peek in the end of the book to see what happened with whom but I decided to follow characters' journey. I was both fascinated and scared while everyone's secrets were unravelled. I still haven't decided whether neighbors like that are exciting or a frightening thing.

Many thanks to NetGalley, St Martin's Press and Macmillan Audio for gifting me both a digital and audio ARC of this debut thriller by Jamie Day - 5 stars!

It's the annual neighborhood block party on Alton Road and all is well. Until there is a murder. We then go back in time one year to discover what could possibly have led up to this murder and the identity of the victim.

I'm a sucker for neighborhood and domestic drama, getting that peek behind the closed doors of those we interact with in our community, whose lives always seem to be just a little better than our own. This story is told from the viewpoints of Alex, who mediates for a living and does her best to fix everyone's lives; and Lettie, Alex's teenage daughter who is on the cusp of making final college decisions and leaving home, but not without some drama of her own. There are many characters and a lot going on here, but I had no trouble keeping everyone straight. There were plenty of secrets, plots, and gossip as well as posts on the online community page (so relatable!) to keep the story zipping along. The ending was perfect and I loved the one-year follow up as well. Definitely a must-read this summer!

The Block Party is a domestic suspense about a murder during the annual Memorial Day block party. It is a quick afternoon read.

The story is told by Alex, and her daughter, Lettie, a high school senior. Every neighborhood has a nosy neighbor and Alex is this one with way too much time on her hands and knows her neighbor's business.

Because it is a neighborhood there are a lot of people to keep track of and lots of secrets to reveal.

The story alternates between last year’s block party and this year’s, but the plot moved too slowly for such a fun idea. I had hoped for something entertaining, but the unlikeable characters took away from the story.

4⭐
Genre ~ domestic thriller
Publication date ~ July 18, 2023
Page Count ~ 367
Audio length ~ 12 hours 31 minutes
Narrator ~ Megan Tusing, Suzy Jackson
POV ~ single 1st & 3rd
Featuring ~ debut, dual timeline ~ now and 1 year earlier, murder, revenge, r@pe references, suicide references, alcoholism, drug use

There are so many people in the neighborhood to keep track of and a whole lotta drama going on. Our two narrators are mother, Alex (3rd), and daughter, Lettie (1st), which gives us an adult cast and teenager cast. Plus we have a chat forum that's full of gossip about those that live on Alton Road.

We know someone is dead, but as the 1 year earlier timeline slowly comes to the present we get a glimpse of a few possible victims and suspects. There are 2 separate revenge plots happening that came together nicely. A bit slow at times, but overall enjoyable as a debut. I did not guess what was going to happen, so that always excites me.

I was fortunate enough to have a kindle and an audio copy.
Narration notes ~ Both did a fine job. Megan was the perfect choice for the teenage narration.

Memorial Day block party gone wrong! This is a twisty summer drama filled with neighbors holding secrets, plotting revenge and someone is going to end up dead at the neighborhood event of the year. This was a fun story, very reminiscent of Big Little Lies. Thank you Netgalley, St. Martin’s Press and the author for this eARC in exchange for my honest review. This book is available for purchase on July 18, 2023

I loved this book, a neighborhood drama with a little bit of whodunit (and who was murdered?), and could not put it down! While the book is more Real Housewives than thriller, it is a juicy gem of a novel.

There are a lot of characters, but they are easily distinguished, and the teenage drama adds a layer to the adult dramas in this crazy neighborhood. Every couple has secrets, and the reasons to kill or be killed multiply over the course of the year leading up to the fateful annual block party. Jamie Day's choice to start at the end and then back up to a year previous was brilliant, giving the reader a taste of what happened and whetting my curiosity about who and why.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the digital ARC of The Block Party by Jamie Day. The opinions in this review are my own.

The Block Party, set in an upscale, elite suburb of Boston, Massachusetts, provided a fast-moving page turner that started with a murder—but who did it? The answer is not so straight forward. Day takes the reader back one year in time to show how the events of the last year leading up to the death unfold, revealing the secrets the residents have buried not only with each other but with themselves. The story is told from the eyes of the mother, Alex, and the daughter, Lettie. The use of the dual narrator is executed beautifully, and each shares a different part of the whole, which converges so well at the right moment. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and highly recommend it!

One of my favorite (shortened) quotes from the book: “Do you know what it’s like to snap?...I’m talking a temporary insanity kind of snap?...Your mind goes kinda blank. Suddenly you don’t care about anything. You just let it all go. Everything you’ve been bottling up, out it comes in one violent action. And when it’s happening, you feel nothing but…euphoria. You’ve been desperate for this kind of release for so long. Then…the fog lifts, and that’s when the regret kicks in. You see the damage you’ve caused, how you left the other person a bloody mess, like…roadkill. Unrecognizable. You feel sick to your stomach, but you can’t do anything about it. You can’t change the past. So you live with the consequences, and life goes on.”