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.

Interesting and well written I just personally couldn’t get into the story. New neighbors. An annual summer block party. Hidden secrets that will eventually come to light. Difficult to follow at times and a little slow. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I really liked the concept of this book, and the inclusion of the social media posts and comments from people outside of the neighbourhood.

Overall, I found it to be a slow read, and it was sometimes difficult to keep up with all of the characters.

It was a good book, but I wouldn’t say I was wowed by it.

An ARC was provided by NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press in exchange for an honest review.

Overall I enjoyed this book, but there was a lot going on. Not a ton of characters, but enough that I struggled to keep track of who was who and how they were connected. 3.5 stars rounded up.

The story was easy to follow - the neighborhood block party ends in murder and the author takes the reader through a number of scandals, secrets and multiple sub plots amongst many characters. The story kept me engaged and held my attention and did give me vibes of Big Little Lies. I don't see any other books by this author so if this is her debut novel it was very well done! I would love to see this come to life in a Lifetime movie or something. Thank you St.Martins Press and Netgalley for my honest review.

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

What a ride! This must be the wildest Block Party Ever! this is definitely one of those books that you cannot put down, from the characters, to the never-ending shock of finding out a new secret and seeing how it tangled with the others was just amazing. I did NOT see that twist at the end coming but it honestly tied everything perfectly together.

5/5, tis is definitely a MUST read and I cannot recommend this enough.

Time for the annual block party! Every neighbor has their secrets, but which one is actually a murderer? 🤫

2.5 ⭐️ This one seemed to work for so many people, but sadly, not for me. 😕 The writing style felt a bit simplistic (all telling, no showing) and I wasn’t a fan of the chapters from Lettie’s perspective. As a high schooler, her chapters were full of angst and whining, which I never enjoy. There were a lot of characters and details, but nothing caught me for most of the book and I had to force myself to pick it up day after day. The action all happens in the last 15% and while I was curious how things would wrap up, I wasn’t as surprised as I expected to be based on reading other reviews. (I expected the biggest reveal and I think a lot of other readers will too.) There were some smaller reveals that did take me by surprise, but I wasn’t wowed enough to even tip my rating to average. With all of that said, there are plenty of great reviews on this book, so take mine with a grain of salt.

My thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for a complimentary advance copy of this eBook, out 7/18/2023.

One of the things I personally very much enjoyed was the alternating point of view between Alex and Lettie. Allowing the stories of both the younger members of the block (high school/college aged and the stories of the parents/adults on the block to be told simultaneously was crucial to this story. This is especially true because of the way their drama is interconnected and how it unfolds pieces of the mystery for the reader. This was a book filled with intrigue and kept you wondering who was going to be a goner in the end. I also liked the bickering and gossiping that was going on in the town message boards, because although it felt true to what goes on in certain communities. I definitely would not want lo live on this block, but I sure had no problem reading about the people who do!

This summer, meet your neighbors.

The residents of the exclusive cul-de-sac on Alton Road are entangled in a web of secrets and scandal utterly unknown to the outside world, and even to each other.

On the night of the annual Summer block party, there has been a murder.

But, who did it and why takes readers back one year earlier, as rivalries and betrayals unfold—discovering that the real danger lies within their own block and nothing—and no one—is ever as it seems.

My Thoughts:

The Block Party reveals the secrets and scandals of the residents living on an exclusive cul-de-sac, and the story goes back and forth in time. Slowly we come to know how the actions of the characters will turn their lives upside down and even lead to murder.

Alex and her daughter Lettie are the primary characters, in my opinion, although their friends and other family members add to their stories.

It will take the whole of a year from one Block Party to the next to find out how everything plays out. The ending is dark, and the characters’ lives will never be the same again. A 4.5 star read for me.

***

My e-ARC came from the publisher via NetGalley

This book was a roller-coaster ride! Exciting from beginning to end! There are so many twists and turns I had no idea how it would end. There are several sensitive topics covered in The Block Party: rape, substance abuse and suicide to name a few. So I think its important for readers to be aware of potential triggers before picking up this book. The premise of a neighborhood of families coming together to celebrate and all the secrets each one is hiding makes for an excellent summer read. Thanks to the publisher and Netgally for giving me the opportunity to read this book. I'm looking forward to reading more by Jamie Day.

As another reviewer said, this was a block party to which I was glad I was not invited. This book did not appeal to me for many reasons. There were way too many characters and they were not developed enough that you could care about them. Too many intense topics were involved, including rape, infidelity, suicide, alcohol abuse, drug use, etc. The shallow people who filled the pages with insipid tv drama-like lives made it a chore for me to force myself to read through to the last word. I’ll never get that time back!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for my advanced review copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

For more reviews, please visit my blog at: https://www.msladybugsbookreviews.com/. Over 1000 reviews posted!

In a seemingly close-knit community, everyone has their secrets. When a girl seeks revenge on her lifelong friend with the new neighbor's adult son, things go sideways in ways she couldn't have guessed, and not just for her. Fans of domestic suspense may enjoy this.

"How much heartache could have been lessened, lives saved, if people owned up to their hard truths?"

Wow, this was a GOOD one. It was addictive, fast-paced and I just didn’t want to stop reading the story! Though at first it was hard to understand the timeline and dual POVs, the pattern was established quickly and very well.

I loved that this book had drama, thrill, and suspense, but also shed light on more serious issues like drug abuse, firearms, infidelity and addiction. The growth of characters, their blooming relationships, and the stories within stories were amazing to read. I loved that not everything was a happy ending, and how it got across that keeping secrets came with consequences, some of them quite extreme and irreversible. I also loved how the author explored the idea of revenge. And the twists! They were never-ending and truly unexpected.

All in all, I’d say this is a must read to put on your summer list. Thank you to NetGalley and the author for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to the author, publisher and Net Galley for providing a free ARC of this title in exchange for my review.

This was to be a domestic thriller of a neighborhood block party. It was that, but it was a lot more, too. I"m not sure if the "a lot more" was good or bad. Overall, I feel rather disappointed by this book.

The narrators of the book were rather annoying, though I did appreciate the fact that the daughter did have more of a YA feel to narration while the mother had more of an adult POV. The time lines changing from one year to another was a bit confusing. The community gossip was a bit much. And there were just far too many characters. I needed a note pad to keep track of them all. It took away from the enjoyment of the overall story. The addition of abuse, rape, drinking, etc ... really took away from my overall enjoyment.

Maybe my expectations were too high for this one, based on the description and early reviews, but I didn't love this book as much as I'd hoped. Had this not been an ARC and I'd promised to give a review, I don't think I would have finished this one.

2 stars for 'it was ok' The writing style was fine, it was just the subject matter that turned me off.