Intrigue. Lies. Murder.
The residents of Alton Road are the envy of the neighborhood. They live in their own little bubble of privilege and entitlement, and nothing bad every happens to them. That is, until the annual Summer block party. It started off just like every other block party, but ended in murder. Who was murdered? Who was the killer? Things like this simply don't happen on Alton Road! Except that the residents of Alton Road aren't quite as squeaky clean and respectable as they let on. They all have some deep dark secrets, and one of them was worth killing for.

Lots of intrigue with this one! I enjoyed all the unraveling of secrets and it had a satisfying conclusion. But....
I have one pretty big pet peeve and that is the perspective of Lettie, the teenage daughter. Half of the story is told from her perspective, and it just wasn't great writing. It felt like Lettie was the author's device used to express all her political views (think Lisa Simpson in The Simpsons), and it got annoying real quick. Even if I agree with said viewpoints, I don't need someone else's political agenda preached at me, and that's what Lettie's chapters felt like. I honestly wouldn't have finished the book because of it if it hadn't been an ARC.
Of all the reviews I've read, I seem to be the only one complaining about it, so maybe it's just a me problem but it's definitely something I wanted to address and something to consider before you pick this book up.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Five families live in the cul-de-sac of Alton Road. The biggest, nicest houses in Meadowbrook. Each household holds it's own secrets until one block party when everyone's deepest secrets are exposed.

This book starts off with a bang! Then sort of fell flat for me from there going back to the previous block party leading up to what went wrong.

We follow the view points of Alex & her daughter Lettie. Which happen to be 2 of the only characters that really have little to no real drama in the story. We're getting all the neighbors drama through them though for whatever reason making the story somewhat boring for me. Out of the 4 other homes on this road, I'm not really sure why the story unfolds from their perspective.

We could've gotten it from Brooke whose stalker is becoming more dangerous. Willow whose husband has not only a drug problem but a dark hidden obsession. Emily whose husband is a habitual cheater & lose cannon. Lastly the newest neighbors Mandy & her seemingly controlling husband Samir.

Another part of the story that I didn't care for is Lettie's. She's a high school senior & her storyline was a lot of teenage drama I could've done without. Yes it intertwines with the story, but it made the story feel young adultish.

I guessed a major twist about half way through, but finding out the ending to the rest of the neighbors secrets kept me reading.

All in all, this was between a 2.5-3 star read.

This domestic suspense definitely gave me “Big Little Lies” vibes with the looming, building suspense surrounding the eponymous “Block Party” and the events that ensue.

We know from the beginning that someone dies, but the victim and motive are what the plot builds to develop. Of course, there is abundant drama and countless possible motives.

I enjoyed the drama and constantly revising my ideas of the ending, but that being said none of the characters were particularly likable/ deep. I felt like this was more surface level plot and action/ drama, which is why it was more of a 3/4 star read for me.

Oooh yes. I have to say this is my cup of tea. Anything that has to do with neighborhood dramas. This one was pretty good. Will read more by this author. Thanks for a copy In Exchange for an honest review

From the first word, The Block Party had my attention. Between the secrets, lies, scandal, and plans for revenge, this book certainly had it all. Because you can be rest assured that there are plenty of characters hiding a multitude of things, all of which will thoroughly shock you.

So what in particular blew me away? Well, let’s start off with the truly mind-blowing character development. And not just for the two behind the dual POV. No, through one blindingly surprising detail after another, we learned oh so much about the bulk of them. And with each new piece of the puzzle, the bigger the pile of red herrings grew. Nothing bad about that.

The only minor quibble I had was linked to this as the mountain of subplots behind this information led to a mildly disorganized and confusing plot. I ultimately had to actually take notes on everything that was revealed just to keep it all straight. Did it bother me enough to put the book down or significantly downgrade my rating? Not a chance, but, at the same time, I felt honor bound to mention it in my review.

Next up on things I truly loved about this book was the premise itself. A neighborhood in disarray with tension and gossip so thick you could cut it with a knife? Yes, please! And let me tell you, Jamie Day certainly didn’t disappoint. So often I read a synopsis with true promise only to find that the book just didn’t live up to my expectations. That couldn’t be further from the truth with this one. It’s everything you could want out of a plot plus more. From the first page until the last, I found myself swept up by this character-driven plot.

All I know is, there was simply no way I could have guessed who was behind all of the evil deeds, which is exactly how I like it. But at the same time, the end result (told through a truly epic climax) felt neither a step too far or over-the-top. Were there moments where I felt the book rang just a bit too melodramatic? Unfortunately, yes. But given all that was going on in this rather disturbing wealthy enclave, I was perfectly happy with it just the way it was. In the end, I loved being taken on this thoroughly addictive, unputdownable, slow building suspense rollercoaster of a ride and I look forward to further books by this debut author! Rating of 4.5 stars.

Trigger warning: alcoholism, divorce, infidelity, bullying, drug use, controlling relationship, miscarriage, drowning death of a child, assault, attempted suicide, drinking and driving, statutory rape, depression

The book starts off in the present at the annual Alton Road Memorial Day Block Party. It’s clear that there are issues between Alex and her husband, as well as many of the other families. Alex gets too drunk and goes to sleep it off, waking up to police sirens. We then find out through an online Community Board that a homicide took place at the block party but don’t know who died yet. Then, the book flashes back to the previous year’s block party and the events that follow, leading up to the next year’s party. We begin to find out the issues of the seemingly perfect families of Alton Road.

This was a 3.5 star read that I’d round up to 4 stars. The story is told in third person POV in some chapters and first person POV by Lettie, the daughter of Alex and Nick, in other chapters. I thought it was interesting that some of the chapters about the past ended with present day messages from the community board about the homicide. It was a way to stay connected to the main reason the story is being told—figuring out who was killed, why they were killed, and who was the murderer. I have to say this book kept me guessing the whole time….who was killed? I never did quite figure it out until it was revealed and I was happy about that. It kept my interest even though I got a little confused at times because so much drama was happening. I enjoyed that it made me think and wonder how everyone and everything was connected.

It gave me major Desperate Housewives vibes and I’d recommend to anyone who enjoys that show like I do! A good read for the summer that comes out on July 18!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

The Block Party is set is the upper middle class neighborhood of Alton Road and as the title suggests, the residents have an annual block party for Memorial Day. We start present day and someone is killed and then we flash back to the year before to figure out how and why that someone was killed. This is a plot devise that I like, however in this case, there were way too many characters and subplots (at least 5) that didn’t necessarily add to the story and made it kind of drag in the middle. There was just way too much going on and the ending was wrapped up a little too nicely. With that said, it kept me reading and I did want to find out what happened.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

Just finished The Block Party, and really enjoyed it! It was a captivating read with a clever twist. Definitely recommend!

This was a good read & I enjoyed this book. I'm glad that I got the chance to read it early and will be recommending it to multiple people who enjoy these types of novels. I enjoyed the writing by this author & the story overall. I'm excited to see what the author comes out with next as I'll definitely be reading it! Thank you to the publisher for my early copy of this book!

Wisteria Lane on steroids!! This neighborhood has so much drama and so many secrets - it’s hard to believe it’s all going on in one location!! This book was fantastic and don’t think you know who’s doing what until the very end!! Thanks for the advanced read!!

⭐⭐⭐.5

𝙏𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙨𝙪𝙢𝙢𝙚𝙧, 𝙢𝙚𝙚𝙩 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙣𝙚𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙗𝙤𝙧𝙨.

📍 Read if you like:
• Neighborhood Dramas
• Multiple Characters
• Secrets
• Plot Twists

I would highly recommend going into this book not knowing much, you’ll get a much better reading experience that way…

Let me start off by saying there were a bunch of characters in this story. It took me a while to figure out who was one - and who belonged in what family. I am a sucker for some drama, especially if it involves a neighborhood.

The book itself was super twisted and addicting. I felt immediately pulled in at the beginning. Every neighbor had some sort of distrust and the whole time I found myself discovering new secrets between them. This is one of those popcorn thrillers you can find yourself flying through,

I don’t want to give away too much of the story with the characters, but I did find the two povs we got interesting. I do wish we got some from the other characters as well - trust me, you will want to know what’s going on in their heads.

I loved the idea of a murder occurring at a Memorial Day block party. Also, we do get some moments from the past about the characters. Let me just say some tea was being spilled…

While the book itself was very interesting, there were some moments I didn’t vibe with. With there being so many characters it did get confusing at times. Also, the theme felt overdone at times… as if it was trying too hard.

This was an addicting thriller with such an interesting neighborhood. Secrets were being revealed while murder was being solved. The characters were interesting for sure. I would highly recommend picking this one up.

Thank you St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the gifted e-ARC in exchange for my honest review, all thoughts are my own!

The Block Party by Jamie Day is a thriller about a neighborhood of dysfunctional people, one of which is murdered. There are no redeeming characters in this book as everyone is just plain awful. Everyone has a secret. Everyone has a motive.
This starts out with the block party. Then it reveals that a murder took place but not who or why. Then it takes back in time to slowly reveal how things ended up with murder. All the characters become suspects and possible victims. As I read through the story, I realized that the victim and murderer could be anyone of them. It made it me keep reading to find out who did what to whom, despite the fact that I disliked all the characters.
I enjoyed the story. The ending reveal of who was murdered, why, and by whom, did not overly surprise me as I had an idea about halfway through the story. I am not a fan of the thriller genre's obsession with making unlikable characters because there is absolutely no one to root for and I hoped they all got what was coming to them. I would recommend this to anyone who likes thrillers with a slow reveal.
Thanks to Netgalley and St Martin's Press for the advanced copy of the book. The opinions are my own.

So many times I considered shelving this as DNF. But as with all ARCs I am granted (thank you St. Martin's and Netgalley) I feel obligated to finish. Ninety percent of this was so uneventful. Yes, some unknowns and whodunits but generally a walk through quicksand that ended in a slip and slide for the last ten percent. Twist and turns are great but not if you quit reading before you get to them. A little consistency throughout would have been appreciated.

This story takes place in a neighborhood over a year's time, one block party to the next. You know starting out that something bad I had happened in this neighborhood, and vou are taken back a vear's time to see what led up to this event. This domestic suspense tale has many different characters who are all connected. However, some are connected in more ways than one.
Different character's perspectives are told as the story moves along. It was interesting to flip between young and old characters throughout the story. There are many different problems the characters are dealing with which makes it hard for the reader to determine which one will lead to the main one.
This book had many different interesting characters and events. I gave this book 4 stars for the character development, domestic suspense and all the different moving parts that came together. It wasn't the most original setting or storyline and I felt that there were parts that weren't necessary which kept the story going longer than it needed to.
Thank you to St. Martin's Press, the author, and NetGalley for this ARC.

I liked parts of this book but the theme feels overdone and this didn't bring anything new to it, Lots of characters and side stories and a bit slow at times but a decent light read for when I am in that kind of mood. would try others by this author

This was A LOT of book to take in. So many families, so many secrets. The ending was jaw dropping (I absolutely love that kind of ending). It was a train wreck that I couldn’t look away from. Even though there was a lot going on I found it to be well written.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC

Neighborhood drama with people all up in each others business and a splash of social media comments what could be better?? This book grabs you from day 1 and then rewinds a year so that the reader can get the backstory on the lives of the many characters. Overall really enjoyed this book - the premise grabbed me, the characters were relatable, there was enough drama without being confusing and while I guessed the motive for one character I was still surprised with other elements of the final plot. I appreciated that the author had multiple characters telling the story and while most of the time it can get incredibly confusing Jamie Day did a great job of balancing the number of storylines so that I wasn't bored or overwhelmed. Overall this book is a 4.5/5 and a very solid summer read. A special thank you to Jamie Day, St Martins Press and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

“Block Party” is smart, twisty, well-crafted mystery with bunch of amazing characters. It was so much better than I expected and I couldn’t wait to see how all of the conflicts would be resolved. The residents are wealthy and completely wrapped up in each other’s lives. There are affairs, secrets from the past, more affairs, and a murder at the yearly block party. There’s no shortage of guesses on who was murdered and who did the deed. The story starts out with the crime and then unfolds beginning at the block party from the year before. The reader is then methodically introduced to the residents as they enter into the story, and although there are several families to keep track of, I had no problem remembering who was who. It did get a little tricky once the affairs are revealed. I found most of the characters unlikeable but I really did enjoy the story and the ride. There was a LOT going on across multiple families and storylines but they all converged at the end in an interesting, albeit implausible, way. I did like the movement of time from the present to the past. It helped tie things up nicely. I also liked the convergence of the neighborhood blog post which kept the tension going by trying to figure out what was going on. The blog was annoying and hateful, just like most real life neighborhood boards, and made me giggle at the accuracy. This book was a great little escape and very few people will be disappointed. Definitely a good beach read. This book reminds me of “Desperate Housewives” mixed with “Big Little Lies” and I absolutely loved it. Thanks to Jamie Day, Netgalley and St. Martin’s press for an arc in exchange for my thoughts. I look forward to reading what Jamie writes next!

As hard as I tried to get into this book, I just couldn't do it! If it weren't for the fact that this was an ARC, I probably would have DNFed.

The main aspect about this book that I did not like was that the title and the synopsis were very misleading. Less than 20% of the book actually took place at the block party - everything else was one big flashback leading up to it.

I also felt as though there were too many characters. I found myself getting confused as to who was who, especially in regards to which characters were married to each other.

Unfortunately I did not find this book to have much of a shock-value, which is important to me when reading thrillers. Personally, I was not eagerly flipping the pages to find out what happened next. Although I did like the author's writing style, I did not like the plot enough to recommend this one.

Thank you to the publisher for providing me with an e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Meadowbrook Community is a lovely place to live or so one would think. However, the Alton Road is full of fake appearances and secrets. The “Altonitee” through an annual block party. This years ends with a bang; a murder! The chapters alternate between Alex and her teen daughter Lettie. Throughout the story you are trying to figure out who was murdered and why. I found the beginning of this story to be slow paced but halfway through it gained traction. Definitely had some great surprises but overall it was a miss for me (too many side stories took away from the main storyline). Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read this ARC.