DNF AT 60%. I feel like I read a completely different book than everyone else did. There were so many unnecessary side plots, which usually I like because it means there are more suspects, but it honestly just felt all over the place. The first chapter is set in the present, when the murder takes place. Unfortunately it really doesn’t set the story up well because I was not interested in reading about the year leading up to the party at all. I also didn’t feel any connection to these characters whatsoever.

Thank you to NetGallery and St. Martin’s Press for this eARC in exchange for an honest review. Please make sure to read trigger warnings.

Like suspense? Check. Like surprises? Check. Like fireworks? Check. Like soap operas? Check. The Block Party by Jamie Day is set in a community called Meadowbrook in a well-heeled neighborhood, Alton Road. I wish I’d had a notebook handy to keep track of the cast of characters, because there are quite a few, and the names and their relationships to one another got confusing. The time frame threw me off a bit, too, because the story begins with present day, then goes back a year and works forward.

However, the events are told by the Fox family females, the mother Alexandra and 17-year-old daughter Lettie. Interestingly, Alex’s story is told in third person, Lettie’s in first person. As we quickly see, Alex likes wine. Loves wine. LOOOOVES wine. It helps her unwind. Perhaps she would not be a reliable narrator if she were a first-person narrator. We’re introduced to many neighbors at the annual block party, which takes place on Memorial Day. This is our first meeting of Bug Man, the area’s pest control guy. To most, however, he’s the pest who won’t leave them alone. Others are Alex’s sister Emily, her husband Ken, and their son Dylan. Dylan is dating Riley, daughter of Willow Thompson and her (hopefully) soon to be ex-husband Evan. Then there’s Brooke, a sexy widow whose husband died tragically while they were on a cruise. The whispers are that it was not an accident. Finally, there are newcomers, Samir and Mandy Kumar, and their 20-year-old son Jay.

As the story moves on, the narration alternates between Alex and Lettie’s stories. If Facebook postings by folks in surrounding neighborhoods are any indication, Alton Road is not paradise by any stretch of the imagination. Alex works as a mediator, but her drinking is driving a wedge between her and her husband Nick. Lettie seems like a sullen, rebellious teenager, but she’s a vegetarian, is environmentally conscious, and she gets grounded after acting on her principles gets her in trouble at school. She seeks revenge on the friend who ratted on her, and this leads to even more serious problems.

As the next block party approaches, there’s been a stalker, threats made against one neighbor, the Bug Man is still a pest, marriages are still tense – or worse, and there seems to be trouble and discontent in nearly every household. The onset of this book mentions a murder, and as the final chapter near, this has still not happened! The victim could be anyone. The killer could be anyone! There are motives aplenty!

I wasn’t sure at the start how I would like this book, but I assure you, it was hard to put down once I engaged with the story. Wow! I was still thinking about it when I went to bed!

I received a digital copy of The Block Party in exchange for my honest review. I wish to thank NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and the author. My opinions and comments are my own.

4 stars

3.5 Stars
This story felt a lot like one I had read previously. Maybe it’s because of the “Bad guys” or maybe I just read too much.

I found this story to be predictable, all the way down to the Why it all happened. Like I said, maybe I read too much.

I will recommend this book if you like suspense.

I’m in a book slump lately and I thought this was going to be the book to break it. It wasn’t.

I barely made it through this. There were so many characters to choose from, and we got two unlikeable narrators. Lettie was one of the most annoying teens I’ve read about in a long time. The obsession with climate change mixed with the extremely naive way she dealt with Jay just made me crazy. Alex, with the constant second guessing herself was just as bad. By the time we got to the crime, I didn’t care about it.

Another issue, the characters didn’t talk like people. They just said everything in the most stilted and awkward way possible.

Here’s to my next book breaking the slump.

Thanks and sorry NetGalley for the book. All opinions are my own.

I SO enjoyed this book! Unlike most mysteries, this one kept me guessing throughout. and that's because everyone had a valid motive to be the killer.

Told in alternative POVs separated by chapter, the character of each suspect in this upper-class neighborhood was exposed. Each narrator also had his/her suspicions as well, and those changed based on the POV. The story is an ever-shifting mosaic of motives, depending on perspectives. It reminded me a little of Big Little Lies in that the reader doesn't know who ends up getting killed - that's also a mystery - and the tension between motive, murderer and the one who will be murdered makes this a page turner.

This is a great summer read!

Thanks to NetGalley, Author Jamie Day, and St. Martin’s Press for an advanced copy for honest review.

We start The Block Party on Memorial Day on Alton Road. This is a prestigious, well to do neighborhood and not just anyone can attend. Alex, having a bit too much to drink, goes and lays down only to be woken by sirens and flashing lights. What has happened? Nothing goes wrong in this neighborhood, especially on the Alton road where all the neighbors know each other. There are many characters in this book, but easy to keep up with and everyone in the cul-de-sac has secrets. Even if you are close with your neighbors, do you really knows what happens behind closed doors? With no spoilers, within the year, from one Memorial Day to the current Memorial Day, one of their own is dead. Who and why?

4 Stars. Recommend!

A seemingly twisted thriller in a how well do you know your neighbors kinda tale. With a cliché whodunit feel to it. It was quick read good for a weekend.

The people on this block were all so messed up.

There is a murder right at the beginning of the book at the Memorial Day block party. Then the book goes back in time a bit and we learn about all the neighbors. The book is told by Alex and her daughter Lettie. Lettie is going into her senior year and her ex best friend got her in trouble for vandalizing the school. Riley lives across the street, but she became a bully to Lettie in middle school. New people move in next door and Lettie finds herself attracted to their son Jay. Lettie talks to Jay about wanting revenge on Riley, but things spiral out of control.

Each neighbor has secrets. Brooke's husband died going overboard on a cruise. Everyone thinks she pushed him. Alex's sister lives next door and her husband had cheated on her. There's something not right with the new neighbors. Riley's parents are getting divorced. And Alex ends up with a drinking addiction. She gets involved in everyone's lives and thinks she can help them. But she also needs help herself.

The book goes back to the previous Memorial Day and then continues until the current murder. I was definitely curious on who would die. I thought I knew, but I wasn't positive since everyone on the block had some serious issues.

I gave this book 4 stars.

Thank you to the publisher for sending me a Netgalley link.

Who doesn’t love a good neighborhood drama? This one hooks you relatively quickly as you find out from the start that there is a murder that happens during the exclusive annual Alton Road block party. You then go back to the previous year’s block party and spend the rest of the book moving towards finding out who was killed during present day. The story focuses on the five families living the exclusive cul-de-sac: the Fox family, the social center of the group; the Adairs, who seem to be the perfect American family, the Thompsons, who are heading towards a nasty divorce; the Kumars, who just moved in, and Brooke Bailey, who may or may not have killed her husband during a vacation.

The book is told in chapters alternating between Alex Fox, the unofficial neighborhood social chair, and her daughter, Lettie, who is a senior in high school. I was worried at first I would get lost with all of the characters from the street that I needed to keep up with, but I didn’t find that to be the case once I got into it. I can’t say I figured out the ending until it was right in front of me and there were a number of twists that I didn’t see coming.

The final third of this book absolutely flew by and I stayed up to read because I needed to know not only who died, but who killed one of their neighbors! A very impressive debut from Jamie Day that manages to keep you guessing and provide you with solid character development all the way through. Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley for providing me with this ARC.

A great book with a bit of a slow beginning that ramps up into a wild ride! Everyone in the neighborhood has secrets, half of them aren't who they say they are and the secrets all come to a head at the annual block party. Lots of flawed characters who may be unreliable. This was a quick read once it picked up steam.

Thanks to St Martin's Press and NetGalley for the ARC.

This was a great book! I loved the plot and premise of the story. It was a fun and thrilling read. The characters made you feel all the feelings too. Definitely recommend this book.

Was different from what I normally read but it was a good book
Characters were believable. I enjoyed the book

Really fantastic story with many-layered characters in a small. affluent neighborhood. This one kept me entertained and interested right to the end. Will be a great summer read!

This wasn't my favorite. It's a quick read, but every single character is a pretty flat, clichéd persona, which made it difficult to care about any of them.

This was a ride! Fast, Twisted, Suspense and Surprise all in one! I loved this one and would read Jamie Day again! Fantastic pace for the book! 4 stars!

This was a very well paced thriller that kept me guessing and interested until the very end. The book starts with a little clue of what's going to happen in the story, then goes back a year and tells you how all the events unfold. Lots of characters with secrets and/or hiding things. Genius writing, great characters and a solid plot. This was a very fun read and I loved it! Definitely some desperate housewives vibes to this book!

I thought this book had so much promise based on the synopsis. There were so many characters and storylines and I thought the writing was a bit juvenile at times. I just couldn’t get into this book or the characters and sadly, I had to abandon it at about 25% of the way through. I do appreciate the opportunity to review this book and I know others will likely really enjoy it.

i think my students will enjoy this twisted ride. A neighborhood thriller with all those characters, differing personalities and back stories. I wish these novels weren't always set in rich neighborhoods as that is very different from where my students live and makes it harder to relate to the characters then if there were more working class and middle class/lower middle class

This was a very twisty thriller/mystery.

I love a good messy rich people story. Tragedy befalls a wealthy neighborhood during their annual block party. You get a taste of what happened, and then it pulls you back to a year earlier and tells the story leading up to the event. This story kept me guessing the entire time. The characters were very likeable and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I will definitely be seeking out more stories by Jamie Day.

What a wonderful debut novel!

The Block Party was a captivating, energizing read. Sure to pick you up out of a slump.

The vibe was definitely Big Little Lies and must’ve been inspired by it but is still unique and not a blatant copy. This kept me guessing until the last quarter or so! The ending was neatly wrapped up.

There were too many characters. At times it was hard to remember who is who and it left some to be poorly developed while some were magnificent. Lettie was definitely a fun character to follow.

Thank you NetGalley and St Martins Press for an advanced copy of this ebook.