This book makes me glad that I don’t know that many people who live on my block. No one knows what goes on behind closed doors. Everyone has a life that is unseen, sometimes even to those who live with them. This book is so fun. You have different perspectives telling you what is going on and it covers a little over year span of families living on one block. The people who live on this block have way more exciting lives than I lead, but if you’re looking for a book that has a bit of everything look no further. You will find secrets, betrayals, stalkers, mystery, mayhem, and so much more. Just the perfect summer read. One can easily get lost in these pages.
Thank you so much to St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley for allowing me to read an advance copy of this title.

This was a fun read! It’s like a Lifetime movie with all the twists and secrets and people you love to hate. There are many characters who keep you guessing, and the fact that it all takes place in the small area keeps the story moving at a fast pace. I would recommend this to anyone who likes a good domestic mystery!

This one is so entertaining that I violated my rule of not settling into my recliner to read until everything is done for the day and the bedtime countdown has begun. Not this time, I said - the neighborhood in this riveting story is a train wreck and I'm not gonna wait any longer than necessary to find out who survives.

The scene is the close-knit cul-de-sac group of homes on Alton Road - sort of a hoity-toity bunch of families who, for the most part, have more money than they know what to do with. A few have mostly grown kids, and most aren't exactly living idyllic lives when it comes to marital bliss. They have their share of neighbor squabbles, cops being called in for one thing or another (almost always something benign), and they're known for periodic get-togethers topped by the annual block party. Then one year, the unthinkable happens - as announced on the online Community Page: there's been a murder.

Speaking of that page, I have to say it's a hoot and all too true; I belong to one of those things, and the idiotic comments by various contributors mirrors what gets posted on my real life version. But I digress.

The main characters include Alexandra Fox, her husband Nick and their high-school daughter Lettie plus a handful of other couples and kids who live nearby (such as Alex's sister Emily and her husband Ken and new residents Mandy and Samir Kumar and their college-age son Jay. Chapters are told from various perspectives, mainly Alex and Lettie, starting with the current-year's big block bash when all heck breaks loose. Then, the story backtracks to the same event a year ago, then tracks happenings and (most important) interactions among all the characters - none of whom is totally lovable, by the way - from that point to this year's party. Suffice it to say there's plenty to tell with an abundance of quirky and often unexpected twists. As the end nears, we're aware of plenty of motives, but the who - and whodunit - remains a mystery.

Bottom line? I absolutely loved it. Exceptionally well written, fast-paced, and just plain fun, it's so far my pick for best book of the summer. Many thanks to the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to read and review a pre-release copy.

The Block Party is the first book that I have read by Jamie Day. It has all the signs of being a block buster hit. Taking place in an exclusive area with some snooty characters this murder mystery is a close look at neighbors who are not always what they seem.

Well, there are some normal characters in this book too. However, it read like an American version of PBS Midsummer Murder (without detectives) with more illegal or at least unethical activities than you can shake a stick. You don’t know this at the beginning but as the story progresses from a year back, it is all too clear that somethings are wrong on that street. Then something very bad like murder is bound to happen as the tension builds. Still the ending is one of contentment among those who know the truth.

Interesting read.

An ARC of the book was provided by the publisher through NetGalley which I voluntarily chose to read and reviewed. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This is a block party that I’m glad that I wasn’t invited to!
This book exceeded my expectations and I enjoyed it. I was invested in the story and the characters from the first page all the way through until the last page. The Block Party contained a little bit of everything from drama, lies, cheating, revenge, stalking, and even murder!

This is a great domestic suspense!! Neighborhood secrets come out at the annual block party in a fatal manner. I loved that we didn't know who died because it kept it very suspenseful. I really liked that the points of view were limited to one adult and one teen in the neighborhood.

Thanks to NetGalley and publisher for advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars rounding up to 4. This was a strong debut from Jamie Day. The main story pulled you in - it was suspenseful and interesting. I also liked the community board chats that were found through the book - they were very realistic. My only issue was there were a lot of characters and side stories that weren't really necessary to make it a good book. But overall I enjoyed it and look forward to reading more from Jamie Day. Thanks to NetGalley for the digital ARC.

This was my first book by the author, and though the premise intrigued me, I have to say, it fell pretty flat. The characters were bland and frankly, there were so many of them it took me a bit to figure it out. All in all, not one for me.

Thank you to getredpr, St. Martin’s Press and Jamie Day for the ARC!

It’s that time again - the annual Memorial Day Block Party on Alton Road, where the neighbors get together to socialize and begin their summer. Alton Road is considered the “elite” part of the neighborhood, and the other neighbors know it. For Alex, everything has to be just right; for her daughter Lettie, she is just bidding her time until she goes to college. But when gunshots ring out during the party, it becomes apparent this year’s party is like no other.

This was a fun summer read! The Block Party starts with a bang, and then we are transported back to the prior year’s party, where new people were introduced to the neighborhood and we see the background of several characters. There was a pretty big group of characters but I didn’t have any issues keeping them straight and seeing how their lives interwined was fun. The neighborhood also had a message board where the neighbors outside of Alton Road gossiped and that added a nice touch of humor to this story of domestic suspense. Told from the perspectives of Alex and Lettie, I thought the multiple point-of-view worked well in unfolding this story. With clever twists and a fun plot, this was an impressive debut novel that I can see being quite popular as a beach read.

Trigger Warnings: statutory rape, drug/alcohol abuse, domestic/gun violence

“The Block Party” releases July 18th! This review will be shared to my instagram blog (@books_by_the_bottle) shortly :)

This book is definitely full of all the rich people drama one could imagine. I enjoyed the alternating perspectives between Alex and her daughter Lettie. Though there were numerous characters to keep up with throughout the novel, it didn’t feel overwhelming since we see everything through the eyes of Alex and Lettie. I was definitely interested and kept turning the pages to find out who was killed and who did it, but I have to say that as the reveals started rolling in, I was underwhelmed. To avoid spoilers I won’t go into details, but just know that some of the secrets in this neighborhood are downright disgusting. I prefer my twists to be surprising rather than icky. Nevertheless, this was a quick read that kept me invested to the end. Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for the digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This is a domestic suspense thriller that involves a ton of drama and self-absorbed characters. The writing is fun, and it doesn’t hide much which makes it an easy read, but the characters are so irritating that this was a bit difficult to read.

I tried to get into this book but just couldn't the writing was not great and the story did not keep my interest in the slightest.

The Block Party by Jamie Day was a 5⭐️ for me. I really enjoyed it with its drama, noisy neighbors, cheaters, lovers, addicts and young adults! Yes, all of that was in this novel. It just got crazier and crazier and it was good. I loved the writing style. And I have to say that this was the messiest neighborhood I’ve ever laid my eyes on. It’s told in 2 POV that are past and present narratives. The was shocking with great twist and turns. I read and listened to this. The narrates were Megan Tusing and Suzy Jackson and they were perfect. I highly recommend it.
Thanks Macmillan Audio and St. Martin’s Press via NetGalley.

3.5-3.75⭐️

It looks like a debut, having heard a few early favourable reviews for this I didn’t want to miss out. It’s this fear which keeps my tbr pile massive. A domestic suspense, with a murder at its heart. The annual street party ( is this a US tradition? as I’ve seen it mentioned in a few books )

Having been forewarned that there’s a lot of characters ( there’s 15 families- and 30+ children thank goodness for the no shows!)I kept a list- I’m easily confused!

The time frame moves between the present day Memorial bbq and the previous year, and rounds up on the following Memorial Day. The main narrators are Alex the block party organiser and her daughter Lettie.

What I enjoyed
1. It’s got plenty going on. They all have secrets and lies to protect.
2. Lettie’s PoV gives it a younger vibe.
3. Lots of twists and turns with surprises.
4. We don’t find out who is murdered until the end.

What I wasn’t so keen on
1. I can’t say that I liked any of the characters, so wasn’t invested in the outcome.
2. Unfortunately I have very recently read a similar themed book which I felt was handled more effectively, that I couldn’t help drawn comparisons.
3. I think the cast could have been smaller, it only needed the main players. I don’t feel that it needs the social media group chat - the gossip didn’t add anything and it just added more names into an overcrowded scenario.

For me this was an ok read. I think I would have enjoyed the audiobook book version more.

3.5 stars
The Block Party starts on Memorial Day in an upper class suburban neighborhood. Someone is murdered at the block party. We then go back a year and unravel the lives of the main characters living on Alton Road. It was a good summer read, but a bit lengthy.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for a reader’s copy of this book. My reviews never contain spoilers and are freely given.
The Block Party is a domestic thriller centered on a group of families who live on the same street. Every Memorial Day there is a block party for residents. At one block party, tragedy occurs.
Every family has flawed members and the families are inter-related in ways both obvious and subtle. As you move through the story the relationships become more clear, leading to the tragedy.
The characters are interesting; some detestable and some very empathetic. The story resolves nicely and it is an easy read.

I really enjoyed this story. It was an exciting thriller. The characters, though there was a lot, were easy to keep track of.
I enjoyed when the puzzle pieces started coming together at the end, because it seemed like there was a lot in question. But I think there was one too many things going on. It made the ending drag out a bit.
Otherwise I really enjoyed this book.

This is not your average neighborhood! They’ve got enough drama for an entire city. We’re talking addiction, blackmail, cheating, domestic abuse, marital discord, unruly teenagers, etc. You name it and the folks on Alton Road are most likely connected to it in some way. There’s even a stalker! It’s no wonder someone ends up dead at their annual block party!

I couldn’t ask for anything more in a domestic thriller. This was twisty and shocking. There are a lot of characters, but once you can keep everyone straight, you won’t be able to put the book down. If you’re a fan of Desperate Housewives or On a Quiet Street, you’ll definitely enjoy this salacious neighborhood drama.

This brought back memories of the show, Knots Landing! The residents of the elite cul-de-sac on Alton Road seemingly are living a charmed life, until this year at their annual Memorial Day block party there is a murder. Flashing back over the previous year, all is not as it seems and secrets within the households are revealed. Usually, I don't like books with unlikeable characters, but these residents are so self absorbed and despicable it made for quite the twisted story! Each page is filled with treachery, lies, secrets and deceit! The Block Party is a fast paced quick and very enjoyable read!

Cheating, murder, stalkers and teenage angst are all part of this neighborhood. Every year there is a block party with some years certainly being more memorable than others since it involves murder! There were a lot of characters to keep track of and they were all fairly flawed. Lettie was my favorite. I didn't love the resolution at the end but I thought the twist was pretty good.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.