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.”

This was the classic cul de sac filled with homeowner full of secrets doing messed up things to themselves and others. Nothing new but fine nonetheless. It’s a fast read and held my interest. If you want a summer beach read this would do it.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for a honest opinion. 3.5

I absolutely loved this book! While the characters might not have been the most likable, their story was fascinating. With flashbacks that laid out all the players and their possible motives, I was constantly flipping through each of them as either the killer or victim. I really liked that this author did not let me know who had been killed until the end. It kept me turning pages and guessing. Definitely an enjoyable read.

So glad I took the chance on this book that didn’t seem ‘my type’. The way the plot is structured is brilliant, the stream of revelations just don’t stop, the characters are kind of soap opera standards. But this is a Desperate Housewives neighborhood – over the top and weirdly fun. And the whole time you are wanting to know who got murdered. Really enjoyable.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's for the opportunity to read and listen to this book! Synopsis: the residents of the affluent Alton Road block of Meadowbrook, Massachusetts hold an annual Memorial Day block party. It includes all your expected block party activities: music, food and drinks, games, fireworks… and this year, it includes a murder. The residents of Alton Road all have secrets, some darker than others, and at this year’s block party, some of those secrets are going to be revealed.

Spoiler-free review: this one was a hit for me! I enjoyed the past-and-present timelines, the dual POVs between Alex and Lettie, and the intricate web of deceptions and secrets that slowly unfolds throughout the story. It’s another great “rich people behaving badly” suspense novel. The characters and the storyline cover a wide array of very real issues relating to adults, teens, neighbors, and communities. The story wasn’t far-fetched at all like some “realistic” thriller books. The characters were incredibly real and the author did a fantastic job of portraying each character’s unique voice (especially Lettie’s! She was my fave). I’d recommend this one for fans of mystery novels, plot twists, realistic plot lines, and great characters!

Thank you so much to NetGalley for my arc of this book in exchange for my honest review!

Where do I start with this one? Truthfully, I found it very boring and lackadaisical. The story follows several houses that live on the prestigious Alton Road that holds an annual block party where someone is murdered. The story takes place the entire year before the murder with little sprinkles here and there of the present day which is mainly posting on the communities Facebook page (I think this was supposed to add suspense but it really did nothing but make the book more confusing). The story is also told from two perspectives - the MC, Alex and her teenage daughter, Lettie. However, there are about 10 other characters the reader must keep track of which, to me, made the book more confusing. Each character has their own "problems" (I put problems in quotations because to me, they could all be handled better through therapy sessions) which lead the reader to try and guess who the murderer is.

All in all, this book fell really short for me and I found myself rushing to finish it because none of the characters were relatable and there was no real twist. When I found out who the murderer was, I kept thinking "that's it"? Overall, just a below average rating.

The Block Party makes me glad I moved away from the suburbs!

Everyone in the cul de sac is trying to impress everyone else at their annual block party. But they are all burdened with secrets. Secrets that come out after a murder occurs at the following year’s party.

As is always the case in these suburban mysteries, almost all of the characters are privileged and intensely unlikable. I spent the entire book hoping the murderer would kill them all and then themselves. Ugh… The pacing could have been faster too. Overall, The Block Party is an okay book if you haven’t already read a bunch of books with similar themes. It might make a good beach or vacation read. 3 stars.

Thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for a digital review copy of the book.

Loved the premise and I'm a huge fan of multiple POV. My only critique is Lettie. Personally, because of Lettie's age, I felt I was reading YA. The plot kept me engaged and curious....so I'm happy to share this as a must read! I will post reviews on release date. Thank you to the author and publisher for the chance to review!

Alton Road is an exclusive cul-de-sac in a neighborhood. There’s a lot of drama between the neighbors. Good character development and some interesting stories. The story was enjoyable and you want to find how it ends. I did find it to be a slower read.

Alton Road is definitely not the street I would want to live on! Each summer, the residents of Alton Road have a block party. It is always sure to bring drama and excitement. This summer, however, a murder happens. The identity of the victim will keep you turning the pages. The book is packed with drama with multiple characters to thicken the plot.

This book was a decent, quick read. I feel that there could have been less characters involved in the story though. Most of the characters were not made to be likable. I would give this book a 3.5 out of 5 stars.

Although I felt this was a lighter, summer read, there are lots of challenging issues going in this book and in particular, the underlying theme of revenge. How many times has something been done to us and we want to get back at others? But what about the unintended consequences of revenge?

The book starts at the annual Memorial Day block party in a very exclusive cul de sac. Unlike most parties I have been to, there has been a murder. We then flash back to the previous year and we are introduced to a host of characters from the neighborhood. The story is told by Alex, a mom and professional, who has become too dependent on alcohol to get through life and navigate her relationship with her husband. It is also told by her daughter, Lettie, who is grounded for the summer for some graffiti she did as school.

The narrators try to unravel the neighborhood's secrets and sometimes make the wrong assumptions about people's behavior. There are issues of affairs, drug usage, manipulation, stalking, inappropriate relationships, rape and ultimately revenge.

Although there are very serious subjects going on in the book, it does have a lighter feel perfect for the summer with some twists and turns with the mystery of who ends up dead at the block party. It also really made me question, is revenge really worth when you see all of its unintended consequences.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed above are my own.

Alton road is a beautiful neighborhood and famous for hosting an annual party that is exclusive to the area. Tightly wound Alex manages the party while dealing with her drifting husband, angry daughter and generally childish sister. She, like many others on the beautiful block begin to fray under the stress of contemporary life. What she didn’t expect is for someone to get murdered, but who died and who was the killer? Diving into the past, we learn about the not so perfect families on Alton Road and the secrets everyone is hiding. I loved how the book dives into the drama filled stories of all of the characters while leading us to the shocking ending. Enthusiastically recommend!

I received an ARC of this book and leave this review of my own accord. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for allowing me the pleasure of reading this.
#NetGalley #TheBlockParty #KillerThriller #DomesticThriller

If the dark secrets and scandals of those who live in wealthy cul-de-secs are your thing - and you know they are, admit it! - you’ll love The Block Party by Jamie Day. I know I certainly did.

The story begins at a Memorial Day celebration on Alton Road in Meadowbrook, Massachusetts, at which time the three main characters are introduced: Emily Adair, a real estate agent; Alex Fox, the organizer of the party who is Emily’s sister, as well as an alcoholic who embarrasses her husband, Nick; Brooke Bailey, the obligatory sexy single woman, but for a refreshing change of pace this time a widow, not a divorcee.They are, to say the least, a most interesting bunch, each with something to hide. But then it seems like everyone on Alton Road is hiding something.

A murder takes place during the party. However, the identity of the murderer and victim are not disclosed to the reader until the end, which is a great plot device to keep the reader guessing and the suspense flowing. The story shifts back and forth in time from the current Memorial Day to the previous Memorial Day and the Memorial a year from the present. The story alternates being told from the perspectives of Alex and her teenage daughter Lettie. There are also chapters which are written as online chat scripts of conversations of members of the Meadowbrook Online Community Page, who were most definitely not invited to the elite Alton Road event but certainly are talking about it.

The Block Party is not just another domestic thriller. It has all of the elements of what would comprise my idea of the perfect domestic thriller. As a huge fan of that genre, I don’t say that lightly. The author has a great writing style that is exactly tuned to the story she is telling and makes the plot advance seamlessly. While I definitely did not find the characters lovable (or for the most part even likable), I didn’t find them loathsome either. They are interesting, flawed, multi-dimensional characters whose deeds and misdeeds propel a very creative plotline.

I can honestly say this is one of the best books I’ve read so far this year. I highly recommend it.

This book was such an enjoyable read. I was getting some Big Little Lies vibes but in a different atmosphere. Wealthy neighborhood. Big party. Neighbor’s gossip about what is happening. And more. This is told from two points of view (mother and daughter) to get the story from the adult’s POV and the teenager’s POV. The story starts at the end and then jumps back a year before and progresses forward leading up to the eventful night. There were times when it was slow but overall, I was thoroughly entertained.