I love a good neighborhood thriller and this was pretty solid! I actually liked the ending A LOT which I usually end up liking books along the way, and not the ending, but this was the opposite. In some parts of the middle I felt like we really needed more action and it was dragging a bit, but how everything wrapped up in the end was great. Loved all the connections between the characters. Not a fav thriller but will still recommend.

The first thing to be said is that the only reason this is a mystery is because it starts with present day and a murder happening at the block party and then goes back a year prior to telling you who was killed. At its core, this is a domestic, contemporary drama focusing on an elite neighborhood that is full of family, friends, and secrets. The drama itself is juicy and the players are morally gray.

I felt the community group chat of the nearby neighborhood was unnecessary as it added nothing but fodder for gossip and to remind us that this was a mystery not just a drama. I feel this story would have done better with it staying as a family and neighborhood drama escalating to the murder rather than opening with the murder of an unknown person and then going back in time.

Not everything is as it seems on Alton Road and it all escalates at their annual Memorial Day block party. When the secrets come out and the repercussions appear, who will be make it out unscathed?

The Block party is a domestic suspense story about an affluent block party full of secrets. There are many characters but only two of them narrate the story, Alex and her daughter Lettie. There was lots of drama and secrets interwoven throughout the story. Lettie's side of the story reads like a Young Adult novel. As the secrets unfold, we see connections between the neighbors that leave you shocked. Overall, the story was enjoyable and kept me interested. This is a great beach read or casual summer read. I give it 3.5 stars!

I received an ARC of this book from St. Martin's Press and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Jamie Day’s The Block Party is the summer thriller we ALL need.

You never know what goes on behind closed doors. No one knows this better than the residents of Alton Road. After someone ends up dead at the annual block party, secrets begin to emerge. Readers will be shocked to discover the victim’s identity and the circumstances surround it.

The story alternates between past and present timelines. While it is narrated by a mother-daughter duo, Day incorporates the entire ensemble of Alton Road (and the surrounding neighborhoods). Normally adding multiple perspectives adds to the believability, by these unreliable narrators kept me on my toes.

I loved everything about this book!!! Each time I thought I had things figured out, Day threw another twist and turn my way. The ending left me so shocked, I couldn’t stop thinking about it for days.

I highly recommend picking up a copy of Day’s debut novel. I was able to both read and listen to the book and can attest to them being absolutely phenomenal. The benefit of having a physical book was that it allowed me to go back and gain clarification for key details I missed. Whereas, listening to the audiobook brought a sense of humanity to characters I strongly disliked. Each format offered a unique insight. If possible I would encourage readers to consume both formats.

Special thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, Macmillian Audio, and Jamie Day for allowing me to read this book in exchange for my honest feedback.

Is the grass really greener on the other side of the fence? In THE BLOCK PARTY by Jamie Day you’ll see that that may not always be the case. As the neighbors gather for the annual Memorial Day block party/BBQ/fireworks, there are so many secrets and lies going on, whether it’s between partners, parents, siblings, cousins, best friends…you name it. We’ve got two sisters living on the block where one suspects the other’s husband is cheating with the new girl. We’ve got ladies wondering if the new boy is abusive. We’ve got one neighbor trying to teach the other the fine art of getting revenge. Oh, and an exterminator (aka Bugman) who will use ANY opportunity to advertise his business. All of these people gladly(?) come together for that special day. But when a shot can be heard, you’re not really sure who was hit.
This one had me hooked from the beginning. While I think knowing your neighbors is very important and in Philadelphia there are A LOT of block parties, these people are all too close for comfort. Makes for a very fun and interesting read. I like the author’s writing style that had me so glued to the pages, I could only leave the neighborhood when the book was completed. But to tell you the truth, I was happy to see it in my rear view mirror. This would make a great beach read, just make sure someone else is watching the kids. I think it would also lead to very lively and spirited conversations at any book club. Great job!

I love a good neighborhood drama. I found this to be slightly predictable, but the ending came as a surprise. Definitely would recommend!

What I wouldn't give to live in this neighborhood! This neighborhood was filled with drama and just goes to show you never know what might be happening in the house next door!

This was an addictive read for me. I am glad, however, that this is a block party I will never be invited to attend. There are several characters and storylines to keep track of. Thanks NetGalley for the audio eArc.

If you are looking for drama - this book has it in spades! And it's the juicy kind ;-)
The Block Party features many characters and side characters but Jamie Day introduces them and weaves them into the mystery flawlessly. It is a fast-paced, tension filled, who done it... and it left me guessing until the very end. Definitely recommend! Thank you NetGalley and St. Martins Press or the ARC of this book in exchange form honest review.

This is a scandalously delicious summer read!
🌟🌟🌟🌟
Family Drama, Neighborhood Drama, Childhood Drama…SO MUCH DRAMA! I loved every tasty and juicy tidbit. Jamie Day is an awesome author that I’ll be keeping my eye on!

Everything comes to a head at the annual Alton Road Block Party. Long-buried secrets have been clawing their way to the surface and when they mingle with the new secrets on the block, it’s like adding vinegar to baking soda.

“The Block Party” is a volcano of betrayal, obsession, and scandal that has been simmering just under the surface. It erupts and everything (well, almost everything 😈) spews out on a Memorial Day that will forever be memorable!

Alton Road is an exclusive cul-de-sac that is like a world of its own. Wealthy residents seem to live carefree lives in their gorgeous houses. But behind their manicured lawns and picture-perfect windows are scandalous and shameful secrets dying to get out!

The story literally begins with a bang. A murder right out of the gate but we won’t get the details until the end of the book. The story switches between past and present, building suspense, with multiple narrators! I enjoyed piecing together my predictions! I could have done without so much rambling from Alex. Does she have a drinking problem? Hell YES! Do something about it so we can focus on the story, lol.

I received complimentary ARCs of both the ebook and audiobook, thanks to St. Martins Press and Macmillan Audio. The audiobook had incredible narrators and I highly recommend it. All opinions are my own. This is a scandalously delicious summer read!

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The Block Party is a mystery; a who did it. I could not figure it out until the end which is great because who wants to read a book when you guess what is going to happen. The story centers around one street and the neighbors in the town of Meadowbrook. Both teens and adults are part of the story with several different strands of the story but in the end it's all connected.
This is a fast, easy read; one you just don't want to put down. One can identify with the characters in the story.
This is a great, enjoyable story.

Thank you to Netgalley, Jamie Day, and St, Martins Press for an advance copy of The Block Party in exchange for an honest review. I feel like I say this on repeat but for me, theres just something about listening to drama when individuals are rich. I enjoyed following along with the great assortment of characters throughout this story. There were many different storylines in this one that flawlessly came together as the book went on. I definitely found myself rooting for certain characters while I judged other characters harshly. This is definitely full of suspense and I found myself questioning alot of the characters motives. I was very happy with the ending and I thought the author did a fantastic job creating this story. You can pick up this one on July 18th! 4.5 Stars!!

Oh my all the secrets that this neighborhood is keeping! Could have all the troubles been avoided if people would have just been honest and not kept the secrets?

Alexandra (Alex) was the one that was in charge of getting the annual block party organized for the Alton Road neighborhood. There were games, food and drinks. Alex’s husband Nick was concerned with all of Alex’s drinking. Lettie was Alex and Jay’s daughter and she stayed to herself for the most part until she discovered the new neighbor Jay. Jay was Mandy and Samir Kumar’s son that had just moved into this neighborhood and their real estate agent was Alex’s sister Emily. Emily and her husband Ken also lived in this neighbor with their son Dylan their other son Logan was away at college. Logan was the golden boy. Willow and her husband Evan and their daughter Riley were also a part of this area. And, Brooke the single lady that was beautiful and the guys were checking her out on her photo site!

The women are strong and do have each others back throughout all the problems. There is alcohol abuse, mental and physical abuse, drugs and cheating in this book and failed relationships. One of my favorite laugh out loud quote was when Lettie referred to Jay that was constantly using his Vape pen called him Puff the Magic Dragon. I promise you will absolutely love this book and will not put it down until you figure all the lies and deceit out.

I received this ARC from Netgalley for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I love a good neighborhood drama thriller and The Block Party does not disappoint!

Alton Road is an upper class neighborhood with an annual Memorial Day party and someone was murdered. Chapters rotate between Alex and her daughter Lettie. As secrets come out and drama unfolds we discover who was murdered and why.

The story was fun and I enjoyed reading the neighborhood message boards throughout. I couldn’t put it down! If you enjoyed Big Little Lies then The Block Party is for you!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

Let's get this party started!

The story is told in 2 POV's, Alex, a mom, and Lettie, a 17 year old girl. A handful of characters and ages to keep up with, but I didn't hard to keep up with them.

The book starts present day Memorial Day Block Party in Meadowbrook on Alton Road that ends in a cul-de-sac. All is going great except Alex has already had a bit to much to drink and Nick, her husband has discovered she's already had one too many and takes her in the house, where she winds up passing out and wakes up to a bang!!! Didn't take long for gossip to get going on the local community facebook page of who's dead and who did it.

It's dual times, present day and last years Memorial Day Block Party leading up to to the current party, going a few months at a time.

To me, the story was slow, drags and gets a bit repetitive. I wasn't fond of Alex being narrated as a third person, while Lettie is a first person, she also explains way to may things. In all honesty, part of me wanted to dnf it, but didn't because she kept me wanting to know who was dead, who did it, and why.

There were a few jaw dropping moments and that's why I kept going. I was excited to be allowed to read it and I really wanted to like it a lot more than I did,

Thank you St. Martins Press and NetGalley for allowing me the opportunity to read this for an honest review.

Although this book started out slowly for me, I ended up really enjoying it. I look forward to more from this author. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy.

The families on Alton Road all have hidden secrets and the secrets turn into murder at their annual block party. But who is hiding what? This was such a fun read and I did NOT anticipate the ending at all. It was an easy binge read

The Block Party was a fun summer murder mystery read. The residents of Alton Road find that there are a lot of secrets. Over the course of a year those secrets start to come out. Throughout the story we know that someone dies at the annual Memorial Day block party, but it is not until the end that who and why is revealed. We learn through the story of Alex's drinking and marriage problems, Emily and Ken's marriage problems, Brooke's secret job and stalker, the mysteries of the new neighbors, and Willow's divorce. The high school students in the story also have their own issues that come to light. This was a fun read to figure out what happens to all the characters.

I received a digital advance copy of The Block Party by Jamie Day via NetGalley. The Block Party is scheduled for release on July 18, 2023.

The Block Party is happening on an exclusive cul-de-sac. The annual event is put together mostly by Alex, but her neighbors (some of whom she considers friends) contribute. This year, something goes terribly wrong, and one of the guests is murdered (we don’t know who or how). From here, we are taken back to last year’s block party, and follow the secrets and scandals that unfold from that night that lead up to the murder.

The story is told from the point of view of Alex as well as her teenage daughter (Lettie). The two points of view give us different pieces of information and different perspectives on the events, which helps us get a more complete picture. As a character, Alex is more complete, although I did have some issues with consistency in her character. Lettie was not as complete for me. While Day does manage to differentiate her from the adults around her, for me she was not always believable as a teenager.

We do get interruptions of a third point of view throughout the novel. This perspective is messages from a neighborhood chat group, made up of residents of a street a couple of blocks away. These messages start when they hear sirens on the cul-de-sac, which starts up speculation and the rumor mill. The people in the chat are not involved in the events of the main story, and do not seem to interact with the characters in the main story in any way. I think the novel would have been stronger without these chat excerpts, as they did not give us any new information about the events or characters of the story.

In the end, the murder is revealed, pulling together several threads that have been laced throughout the novel, and involving most of the people living on the cul-de-sac. The final resolution was logical and satisfactory, but not particularly surprising.

Overall, The Block Party was a well-crafted mystery/thriller. While it did not hold any surprises or major revelations for me, it was a solid read.

This book was a wild ride and was reminiscent of Desperate Houseswives!

Synopsis:

Alex is always the glue that holds her family together an the annual block party thrown in their upscale neigborhood where there are plenty of secrets behind closed doors. Lately Alex has been relying on wine to help her cope with life a little too much. Her husband Nick is concerned but she is confident everything is under control. Their daughter Lettie is dealing wih her own drama from her ex-best friend, the cute new mysterious boy next door and her unstable cousin.

Emily is Alex’s sister that also lives on Alton road She has two sons and a philandering
Husband who has notice .


There’s been a murder the night of the annual summer block party on the exclusive Alton Road. The residents of the exclusive cul-de-sac are entangled in a web of lies, and scandal that utterly unknown to the outside world or thee residents themselves. The story is tolld in a dual timeline of the previous year leading up to the murder and present day block party.

My thoughts:
I’m so glad Suz chose this for the literary lovelies discussion this month! It’s definitely a wild ride with many unlikable characters that are like a train wreck but you can’t look away. Most of the story is told from Alex’s point of view but about halfway through it was mostly through Lettie’s eyes, her eighteen year old daughter who was probably my favorite character in the book. She wsn far from perfect but ha many redeeming qualities compared to the parents and relatives that raised her.