I was really excited about the premise of this book - who doesn't love a good neighborhood thriller? Overall, this was an easy read & would make a great beach book. While the characters weren't always likeable, I couldn't help but wanting to know more about this neighborhood and what exactly happened at this year's block party. The book did fall a little short for me due to the large number of characters who seemed underdeveloped in places but this was a perfect light thriller for a day outside!

Loved the premise of the book. Could see this turning into a series of "Stories from the Cul de Sac." While I enjoyed the plot and the series, I don't think there was one character that I actually "liked." The combination of flawed individuals and all their secrets felt a little like everything and the kitchen sink at times. Overall a fun and entertaining read. This would be a very good beach read and if I were working in a Public Library this would be on the list for the annual vacation/beach read display. I do think it could make for an interesting book club read since it has so many different issues explored in the story.

I received a complimentary copy of this book "The Block Party" and all opinions expressed are my own. I had both the kindle and audio of this book. I'm glad I went with the audio because I don't think I would have finished the book on the kindle. Definitely a slow start and too much going on. Narrators were good but book was just ok.

The Block Party isn’t my favorite. It feels like it’s going for Liane Moriarty/Sally Hepworth, but it doesn’t work. Overall, excellent concept, poor execution - 2.5 stars

What didn’t work for me:

-Stilted dialogue. No one in real life talks like they did in the book. Admittedly, dialogue that doesn’t feel organic is a huge pet peeve of mine, so I’ll acknowledge i may be overweighting this

-All the characters are insufferable. Okay maybe not ALL. But the main mother/daughter duo that narrate the majority of chapters are SO self centered and annoying that i could help rolling my eyes over and over and over. This is not a nice experience when reading for fun

-The whole book leads up to what happens at the MDW block party one year in the future. The chapters at the end of the book when they’re at the block party are great. The lead up was tedious. It’s a super slow burn and not in a good way

-When I finally reached the interesting final chapters, I FINALLY felt invested in reading on to find out what happens… and then BLAH. There was sort of a twist in HOW the ending happened, but WHAT actually happened was what I expected to happen, so again, BLAH.

Thanks to netgalley for the gifted copy. Opinions are (obviously) my own.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press and Macmillan Audio for the free book.
So much fun. I love a juicy story for summer and this delivered. If you like rich people behaving badly and all of their gossip and drama, you should check this out. Told from the POV of a mom and daughter, it kept the story engaging because both the adults and teens have a lot going on in their lives. The author did a great job of giving snippets of reveals throughout, and I especially liked the community page addition to keep me guessing. There are quite a few characters but once you get into it, I promise they’re all distinct enough to keep straight. The two narrators did a great job, and I highly recommend the audio. Each captured their characters and the other ones perfectly.

The Block Party is a fun murder mystery told from two different points-of-view, Alex and her teenage daughter, Lettie and it kept me guessing until the very end! I spent a long time thinking I knew what was going on and who did it, so the extra revelations at the end were a nice surprise. I both read and listened to this title and I thoroughly enjoyed both experiences, particularly the two narrators for each point of view. This is the perfect summer beach read or listen and I look forward to recommending it to everyone! Big thank you to Macmillan Audio, St. Martin's Press, and NetGalley for the early access in exchange for my honest opinion.

I wanted to like this so much more than I did -- it wasn't BAD, but it wasn't good enough for me to want to tell other people to read it. Too many characters, a continual shift between third person and first person narration, the first person narration coming from a teenage character written in a decidedly un-teenage voice, clunky plotting... it just wasn't for me.

It's time for the Memorial Day Block Party. Alex has done so much in preparation that she deserves a little treat(much booze) and passes out inside. When she awakens, sirens are blaring and it's full pandemonium.

To gain some context, we go back in time to last Memorial Day and revisit that party and the year leading up to the tragic one in question. We meet a whole cast of characters, perhaps way too many.

There's Alex, our main girl, and her daughter who narrates the rest. They're both likeable enough, the wannabe Greta Thunberg daughter is a little annoying but she's a youth. It just felt very long and it had so many side quests that it was getting tedious halfway through.

It's a pretty average domestic drama that started off really clever but just got too clunky. I'd definitely check out more from this author in the future but this one missed the mark for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

This was an easy read, but there were too a many characters who weren't developed and Lettie's storyline was just not it for me... this felt very much like an adult writing as a teenager.

It’s time for the annual Memorial Day Alton Rd block party. The night ends with cop cars galore, and a murder. Who is dead though? And why? We travel back a year to find out more about the neighborhood and the cliques and lies that make up the neighborhood.

Did I start this book the same day that my parents neighborhood had a block party? Yes, yes I did. Don’t worry nobody died at ours, though there was some slight chaos as always. While the people at our party were actually meeting neighbors for the first time, the residents of Alton road know each other fairly well. The street itself could have had its own real housewives show. This is a typical rich people neighborhood with all the gossip, lies, cheating, drugs, etc. I found this one to be thoroughly enjoyable.

I really wanted to love this one and I usually love whodunnit novels but this one was just not for me and it was kinda predictable.

While this book is titled, The Block Party, it's about so, so much more than that. The story does begin and end with said party, and that's what makes it so great. You know something happens, but you have to trek back through the past neighborhood happenings to figure out what that is. The story is told through dual narrators (my fave) - a mother and daughter. They are learning about the secrets and lies of their neighborhood, and they have some of their own. This is one of those thrillers that keeps you guessing. You just aren't sure who is telling the truth, who is "good" or "bad," and what is going to happen next. This was such a great thriller and one that kept me up late reading, and I had to finish the next morning. If you need a really, really solid twisty story where you can't turn the pages fast enough to find out what's going to happen next, THIS. IS. IT. Thanks to NetGalley for the early look at this July 2023 release!

3.5 stars rounded up.
This was a great book if you are looking for a relatively uncomplicated audiobook. It was easy to keep up with and didn’t leave you with the feeling you missed a part if you lost focus for a minute.

The story is your typical suburban neighborhood, where neighbors on Arden street are very close and have a block party every year on Memorial Day. The book spans over a year and the reader is aware from the start that the next Memorial Day there will be a murder. During the year, secrets from each neighbor and their children become revealed, until big twists at the end reveal themselves.

If you are looking for an easy read and enjoy neighborhood domestic thrillers, I would recommend this one for you.

Many thanks to @macmillian.audio for my complimentary audiobook and @StMartinsPress for the arc. All thoughts my own.

This summer must-read starts off with the incident on a "quiet" little cul-de-sac at their annual Memorial Day Block Party. We jump back to the year prior to meet the neighbors and get peeks at all the secrets everyone is keeping. The story is told from Alex's point of view, Alex is the person largely responsible for the annual event and she may or may not have a small drinking problem. We also hear the neighborhood news from her angsty teen daughter Lettie, whose POV is completely different from her mother's. You may think life is perfect on Alton Road but everyone has a secret and everyone (including the men) love to gossip about those secrets. Through the rest of the book we start getting bits and pieces of the murder and it's not until the very end that we find out who, what, and how the event takes place. There are quite a few characters involved but I never felt confused or had any difficulty keeping them straight. This one has all the drama you could want: lies, stalking, cheating, revenge, drinking, drugs, and of course, murder. By the end of this book, I was sure I had everything figured out but I was not quite correct. The devil is in the details as they say. I thought the storyline and all the "secrets" were wrapped up nicely without the need for a sequel, something I appreciate in a good book. I could see this being a blockbuster mini-series for sure but in the meantime, toss it in your beach bag and be prepared to be entertained.

Many thanks to Netgalley & St. Martin's Press for the advance copy and the chance to read this one at the beginning of the summer season!

In this exclusive cul-de-sac, there are secrets and scandals hidden from the rest of the world. Each year, they have a block party. One year, during this party, there was a murder. We follow the story between now (the night of the party) and then (back to one year earlier leading up to the party), trying to figure out who died, who killed them, and why.
"Everyone has secrets. And secrets are hard to keep in this day and age. ... When it comes to getting revenge, you won't get anywhere by playing it safe."
Suburban drama, Desperate Housewives and Gossip Girls are your thing? This book is for you! Is it a thriller? Not really. I kept on waiting for the action to move along. It's told into dual point of views from Alex and her daughter, Lettie. I couldn't relate to any of the characters and most of them really got on my nerves, especially both narrators. The Facebook posts/comments portion was really fun. There is one sub plot (the Wookie one) that I thought was very superfluous and didn't add anything to the story. However I liked that the ending wrapped every little secrets up very neatly.
All in all, the premise was super interesting but I think it fell kind of flat. Let's just say I'm glad I don't live in this neighborhood, and it's just a reminder that nothing is ever as it really seems...
I received an advanced review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

The Block Party tackles one of those upper class neighborhoods where everyone has problems. The story 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, a la Big Little Lies.
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. You get it. I’ll be honest, most of these characters were annoying. 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 at least provide a bit of comic relief.
Kudos to Day for keeping me guessing. I had no clue how this would play out. This would work well as an easy beach read.
I am definitely in the minority as most have loved this. I found it just meh. But I like my mysteries to have a little more depth.
My thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advance copy of this book.

Thoroughly entertaining. This felt like a hoa Facebook group come to life with crime and murder. Definitely will be a top book of the summer. All in all it was a good read. Neighbors with secrets. Some are a little crazy, but still pretty good. Thank you NetGalley for this ARC

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced reader copy of this audiobook. This was a great book, I especially loved the use of multiple narrators which made it feel like I was listening to a movie. The story line was good; I did figure out the big twist on my own, but there were other elements that I didn’

What a page turner!! The high end, much desired neighborhood of Alton Road has soo many secrets embedded in each and every home. As the story unfolds, the secrets start slowly coming out until it all explodes! You won’t want to miss this one!

This definitely isn't like any block party that I attended. Someone is murdered at the Alton Road annual block party. You don't find out who it is until the end of the book. We are taken back in time. You meet the neighbors and how their lives are intertwined. There were a lot of characters and I occasionally had trouble keeping them straight. There was adultery, bullying, blackmail, stalking, mental health issues, alcoholism, violence, and a LOT OF SECRETS.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.