This book took me a bit to get into. It begins in present day memorial day block party then proceeds into the year leading up to said block party. Multiple characters with multiple plot line can get a little confusing but in the end the author brought it all together in the last few chapters with a whirlwind ending! I couldn't put it down, I found myself gasping a few times. This is a great book to read for relaxation during the summer.

I wanted to like this book.... suburbs, bitchy women, scandal....

I struggled to get through it. The characters and plot line had so much potential but it really felt like almost a YA novel instead of something for women.

I'm a big fan of books filled with neighborhood drama/mysteries/secrets, and The Block Party delivered on all counts! This book is part Liane Moriarity's Truly Madly Guilty, part Desperate Housewives, and any fans of either will love The Block Party. With classic rock blasting from the speakers, meat sizzling on the grill, red Solo cups overflowing, Told in multiple POV's, with events taking place on Memorial Day, then going back one year to the previous Memorial Day, The Block Party is a light, easy read, perfect for late spring or summer, with enough twists and surprises to keep readers invested and guessing. Special thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for proving an early copy with me in exchange for my honest review.

The Block Party focuses on a group of neighbors living around a cul-de-sac on ritzy Alston Road. Each of the neighbors have secrets and hidden connections, and over the course of one year their twisted lies and hidden agendas all begin to seep out. It all culminates to a climax at the Memorial Day block party. Alcoholism, drugs, infidelity, homicide…this book has a little bit of everything!

The story is told in dual POV. Alex is the planner of the group who throws the block party yearly, and her daughter Lettie is in her senior year of high school. I enjoyed having Alex’s POV more, as Lettie skewed on the young, immature side and her section read more like a YA novel. I think I would have preferred the second view to be one of the other neighbors instead of having two from the same house,

The book is a slow burn, and there are so many characters to keep track of that I had to keep reminding myself who was married to who, which kids belonged to which couple, and who was supposedly having an affair. I wouldn’t call this a thriller, maybe a domestic drama. It was an entertaining read.

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martins Press for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Book Review

The Block Party
⭐️⭐️⭐️
384 Pages

"When it comes to taking revenge, you won't get anywhere by playing it safe.”

Jamie Day’s debut novel, the Block Party, is the perfect combination of Desperate Housewives meets Mean Girls; which, for a reality junkie like me, is right up my alley, err road… Alton Road to be exact.

The Block Party begins on Memorial Day weekend and is told by two POVs: Alex and her teenage daughter Lettie. Alex spends her time drinking wine, gossiping with the ladies of Alton Road and designates herself as the neighborhood watch; Lettie, an awkward teen in her dark phase, plots revenge on a high school bully. Day had me laughing out loud with these characters; quirky demeanor, quick wit, and the best one liners ever!

The posts written on the Meadowbrook Online Community Page had me in stitches! These will resonate with anyone who has ever experienced the nosy neighborhood Nancy.

The Block Party is drama on drama on drama. Be prepared for a multitude of trigger warnings: alcoholism, drugs, rape, miscarriages, stalking, infidelity; Alton Road had it ALL.

If you are looking for a slow burn, suspenseful, family drama, but a relatively easy read (be prepared for 384 pages), The Block Party fits the bill! Light on the murder, heavy on the Merlot.🍷

Available this summer!

Publish Date: July 18

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

All opinions are my own.

Follow the lives of the neighbors in the exclusive Alton St. neighborhood. Each one has secrets they want to keep, secrets they know or suspect about each other and weirdly protective feelings for each other's privacy. But when a girls' night out spills some startling secrets and the new neighbor, Samir appears to be a controlling wife abuser, the neighbors decide to step up their snooping and start interfering in each other's lives (with good intentions of course) leading to some surprising and deadly consequences at the annual Memorial Day block party. Each of the women are fully developed characters and they are the ones to drive the story forward. Add in relatable family issues such as rebellious teenagers, alcoholism, cheating and divorce and readers can easily sympathize with these women. Surprises come swiftly near the end explaining some of the mystery surrounding the neighborhood's newest residents. Author Jamie Day hooks you into these character's lives and keeps you on the line until the very end. A beach read for sure!

This was a fun, cute beach read. Not a lot of substance but I didn’t really expect it based on the title/cover - so it delivered what I expected! There were a few too many characters to track easily, and I really disliked the Lettie and Jay storyline - it was very naive and cliche for a teen. But otherwise an enjoyable book for vacation!

This was a fast paced read and very reminiscent of others in this genre. The setting of a neighborhood where everyone knows everyone else's business - or thinks they do - it always intriguing. I had some reservations about the characters - many of whom weren't very likeable. The mystery was interesting, especially the ending and I'd definitely try another read by this author.

Interesting book. Like many of these types of books, the characters weren't terribly likeable. However, the story kept me turning pages. Thank you for the opportunity to read!

I think the author is very gifted & I liked her writing style. I thought it was actually pretty fun! And I love the online forum conversations - I always think that adds some different perspectives that are fun!

But I was Very bummed about the plot of this book & that fact that this is labeled a “thriller”. They didn’t even get back to the block party until the 80% mark and the “thrill” started happening around the 85% mark. Like it really had nothing to do with a block party, if we are being honest.

This book talked about porn, a women on Only Fans, and a minor/adult in a sexual relationship - those are all things that are totally unnecessary for me in books. It honestly gave me the vibe of a YA book, which I normally won’t pick up because anything that has to do with kids under the age of 18 & issues like this talked about- I find really inappropriate.

Good Book.
It kept my interest and there were many twists and turns.
I guess I just "expected" something more sinister in the ending.
Overall it was a good book and kept my interest.

*Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher/author for providing me with an E-Arc of this book. The following is my honest opinion *

This book was like a mix of 80% Desperate Housewives meets 20% Pretty Little Liars. I thoroughly enjoyed how this book panned out. Jamie Day was able to blend the past POV and present POV without being overwhelmed with information and with every chapter hooking you in deeper and deeper. As I was piecing together the tidbits of information the characters provided, I thought, "I got it now! OMG i cant believe!" Jamie Day throws another curve ball to the readers and keeps you guessing til the near end.

The only down side for me, was that there was snippets of an community page that were included but I didn't understand. It could have been done in a different way or be done with altogether,

Definitely recommend

First I am very thankful to have been given a copy of this novel to read ahead of publication.
Thanks to NetGalley.
I really wanted to like this more than I did. One thing that was hard for me is there were a lot of characters to remember. I had to constantly do a check back to who each were.
This book touched upon a lot of sensitive subjects; rape, drug use, suicide, blackmail to name a few. So reader be aware.
Over all it was well written, a bit long at times but still good.

I really enjoyed this book! There are many characters to keep track of but the author does a great job in my opinion as to making each their own. There are elements that would appeal to fans of different genres from YA to suspense to women’s fiction. This was a fast read that kept my interest the whole time. It would a good choice for a bookclub as there are lots of characters, drama, situations to discuss. And also to see if anyone on your block fits one of the characters.

Thanks to NetGalley, st martins press and the author for the ARC of this book!

I devoured The Block Party by Jamie Day, stopped reading only to get some much-needed sleep. It is a fast-paced story that keeps you on your toes from the first page to the last, a definite page-turner.
Every Memorial Day, Nick, Alexandra and their daughter Lettie Fox participate in theblock party in their elite neighborhood. Actually, they co-host it with their 15 neighbors and their families, however the year the story is set in, most of the work has become Alexandra's responsibility. Not all, on Alton Road, is as it is seen by outsiders; it might just not be the idyllic and perfect place they perceive.
Nick and Alex are dealing with their own issues: Alex's drinking, Lettie's withdrawal and school issues, their work and the gradual distance growing between them. Add to this all of the other characters on Alton Road, and hold on for quite a party.
The story, told primarily from the perspectives of Alex and Lettie, shifts between the day of the party and the year before. I found the family dynamics of the Fox family very believable,and liked them.. Like in every neighborhood, there were good people and not-so- good; sometimes, it was difficult to discern.
I could go on and on, however I urge you to read the book, a five star read. In my opinion.
I did receive an ARC from NetGalley; that in no way impacted my review; The Block Party is simply a very good book..

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and Net Galley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This definitely reminded me a bit of Desperate Housewives with murder in the mix! This book starts with readers knowing there was gunshots on Alton Road during their annual Memorial Day block party. It goes back and forth from last year to present time for us to learn all the drama and twists for the rich families that live on this street. This book was certainly entertaining and had twists that were shocking! Who is dead? What happened at the block party? Get ready for a wild ride!

Quick paced neighborhood mystery with lots of DRAMA!

If you like: teen drama, adult drama, neighbor drama, with a bit of drama on the side, this book may be for you!

I just reviewed The Block Party by Jamie Day. #NetGalley

Really enjoyed this book of a woman running a family business that she cherishes. Lots of obstacles to over overcome but her grandfather would be profundity and she’s not going to let anything get in her way of keeping this family business intact.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Publishing Group for sending me an ARC of The Block Party in exchange for an honest review.

It’s Memorial Day in Meadowbrook, Massachusetts, which means that the fancy folks on Alton Road are throwing their annual Block Party. Are you there, or are you a jealous hater complaining about it online? Because this year won’t just have the usual assortment of wine drunk moms and petty disputes. This year, there will be murder(s)….

The Block Party was almost certainly inspired by the Big Little Lies miniseries. After an initial opening scene in the present, The Block Party rewinds one year and then flows chronologically, so that the book is in the final pages by the time we return to the present-day Alton Road Block Party. And it is only then—after a dozen possible victims and killers and several possible murder weapons have been introduced that you finally learn the identity of the victim(s) and killer(s).

The names come fast and furious in the initial chapters, but soon you settle in with the assortment of main characters and their individual dramas. The majority of the storylines involve the adults, though a few involve their children. But all the plots come crashing together at the present-day Alton Road Block Party. There were a couple of writing choices that confused me. I never figured out why Lettie is the only character whose perspective we get in the first person, and I’m not sure why a murder occurred off page. Perhaps it was to delay the reveal just a bit longer, but it was odd. Still, The Block Party definitely has a fun, gossipy vibe, with lots of suburban drama, buildup, and sharp, sarcastic banter. A solid debut. 3.5 stars rounded up to 4. Recommended.

I really wanted to like this book. I got about 20% into it and was so bored I decided I wouldn’t be finishing it. It starts off relatively strong in the first chapter but falls short soon after.