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

I agree with other reviewers: if you liked Big Little Lies, you will enjoy the book. There are multiple character lines (well done), neighborhood secrets, stalkers, murder, jealousy, revenge…it was great! A great mystery! I would definitely read this author again!

*I received a free electronic copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I was not compensated in any way.

Residents of the exclusive Alton Road community of Meadowbrrok Mass. are gathering for their annual Memorial Day Block Party. Although their lives may appear perfect to the outside world, the people on Alton Road have secrets-- lots of secrets.

A mysterious new couple has moved in with their son, who has recently been kicked out of college. They don't decorate the inside of their house. They are rarely even seen outside. So why does Alex (short for Alexandria) see her brother-in-law sneaking away from their house late at night?

A mysterious stalker is tormenting another neighbor. (Why did her husband die so mysteriously?) Yet another neighbor is in a horrible marriage, held prisoner by a prenup she should never have signed.

A gun is missing and, before the block party is over, more than one person will be dead. Alton Road's residents are about to learn that secrets can be deadly.

Told in turns through the points of view of Alex (short for Alexandria) and her teen daughter, Lettie, the story takes the reader into the lives of this exclusive, wealthy neighborhood and its residents.

This is a swiftly moving no-holds-barred story. Full of twists and turns, it leads the reader into the privileged and messy lives of its many characters. I admit I got a few characters mixed up a couple times. Ken and Evan confused me because they were both a little one-dimensional, serving more as a backdrop to their wives. I think both could be drawn out a little more, considering their roles in the story. For the most part, all the male characters are more one-dimensional. An exception would be Jay, who plays more of a starring role. The females are more fully developed and carry the story. This is why the ending is a shocker. There is zero foreshadowing.

I enjoyed this story. It does move swiftly, without getting bogged down in detail. It moves back and forth in time, which was hard to follow in a couple of places. However, it didn't detract from the overall story.

Read this story if...
... you love small town- community stories
... you love mysteries

If you liked Big Little Lies this book is for you!!

The Block Party tells the story of multiple upper-class families living in a cul-de-sac (Alton Road) that opens up with a double homicide at annual Memorial Day block party. We do not know who has died. We then go back in time and read about events leading up to the block party.

There are several characters and plot lines and the author does a fantastic job at keeping the story moving this way. We find out that there are many deadly secrets in this neighborhood and it is very thrilling to discover.

Overall I very much enjoyed this authors writing style. The story was fast paced, exciting, and kept me engage from start to finish.

Alton Road is a neighborhood where you won't see a Honda Civic in one's driveway but Samir's Lexus, Brooke's Mercedes, and Riley's Beamer. Only 17-year-old Lettie drives a rusty Hyundai Santa Fe, but everybody knows she prefers her bike to reduce her carbon footprint. However, as much as the flashy cars are for everyone to see, the secrets of every family are carefully hidden. You may think you know when everybody is home, but discovering what happens behind the closed door is challenging.

"More is more and less is a bore" seems to be the motto for the plot. There is a double homicide, alcohol abuse, drugs, domestic violence, and sex with a minor. It turns out that beautiful wives can be tormented by their past traumas, and handsome husbands can use their good looks to cover their pathological psychological problems. Alex, the marriage counselor, and Nick's wife, clearly becomes an alcoholic, while her sister, Emily, who lives next door, tries to repair her marriage, but it seems impossible. A beautiful widow, Brooke, has her own secrets - and her own stalker. This is just the beginning.

The novel's timeline starts with the double murder at the Memorial Day block party, but we don't know who was killed. We go back one year and follow the story, starting when the new neighbors buy the house in this desirable community. I especially liked when the story was told from Lettie's perspective – she had a fresh, young voice and was probably the only person who cared about others.

"The Block Party" is a fast-paced thriller, and it will definitely be compared to "Big Little Lies" or "Truly Madly Guilty." It's less of a psychological thriller and more of a neighborhood drama. The author does not explore the characters' issues, just presents them, mainly through the eyes of Lettie and her mother. It would be interesting to bring other characters into focus.

On the other hand, this limited number of narrators – representing two generations – makes even more apparent how little the neighbors can know about each other and how difficult getting into other person's shoes can be. Too often, the best intentions to help someone in need don't evolve into real help. Crossing the street to a neighbor's house can be the longest journey.

This was my first book by this author and man was it a good one! This had just the right amount of suspense that kept me guessing the whole time. Every single time I thought I had it figured out, I'd be wrong again. The way that the author wove the characters stories together and managed a back and forth in the timeline was masterful.

This book is about a neighborhood full of secrets and lies that all comes to one big explosion during the annual block party. It keeps you guessing and coming back for more! I will definitely be watching for this author in the future.

Thank you to #netgally and #StMartin'sPress.

Be sure to check out this book this summer!!

The Block Party was an enjoyable twisty domestic thriller in the vein of Big Little Lies. Every Memorial Day the residents of the fancy neighborhood of Alton Road throw an epic block party. This year's party is different though, because someone winds up dead.

The book opens with that party, focusing on Alex who is hosting the event. She seems to be drinking a lot. And her husband is not happy about it. After an embarrassing event with a kiddie pool, she goes to lie down. She waked up hours later to the sounds of police sirens on her street.

The book shifts to one year before, at the same block party. We are introduced to various neighbors, and Alex's realtor sister who brings potential clients (she is selling the house next door to Alice) to the party. It's really a big house for just the two of them and their 20 year-old-son, but the wife is determined to move in. Alex's spidey senses activate as she observes her potential new neighbors, the husband seems to exhibit controlling behavior.

The book alternates between Alex's point of view and her daughter Lettie, who is grounded for the beginning of the summer. We come to find that this picture perfect neighborhood has lies, cheating, and overall bad blood simmering just below the surface.

If you like BLL and suburbia gone bad, The Block Party will hit the spot for a summer thriller. Thank you to St. Marten's Press and NetGalley for the ARC for my honest review.

My thanks to both NetGalley and the publisher St. Martin's Press for an advanced copy of this book of fiction featuring a crime in suburbia, and the tensions that keeping up appearances has on a private community.

My small little neighborhood has become very social media conscious these last couple of years. Almost everyone is on Nextdoor, sharing tales of tag sales, people not doing their lawns, or dogs doing business. Or they have a Nest doorbell sharing pictures of delivery people doing their jobs, to comments, dogs again doing their business, to comments, and kids riding bikes, to even more comments. Our business is not our own anymore, and there is a very large business making money off of stuff that a person used to whisper over a fence to another neighbor. Now they comment online to the whole community. Instead of bringing people together, this makes us want to be apart. A dog's business on a lawn is a chance to freak out, a kid on a bike touching a driveway, worth an angry letter. And slowly this pressure builds, till on a otherwise happy day, something happens, and suddenly things go dark fast. Welcome to The Block Party by Jamie Day, a story about a neighborhood full of snooty people, and wanabees, and the sudden act of violence that changes everything.

Alton Road is THE cul-de-sac in the town of Meadowbrook, in an exclusive area of New England. The annual block is the biggest affair of the season, a chance for the neighbors to show how they are beating all the other Joneses with their success, travel plans, kitchen redos and more, while slowly hating themselves, their family, and in some cases barely hanging on. The odds are high that something will happen at the party, something always does, a drunken spat between spouses, a kiss in a bouncy house, a near drowning from a stoned child, or even more embarrassing. However this block party is the scene for the first murder in forty years. And it might not be the last.

Talking too much about the book will give a lot away, and there are a lot of twists and turns in this book, and some surprising revelations, a final twist that is almost on the last page. Yes there is a certain amount of disbelief that has to be suspended, and frankly none of these people are worth living next to. The story is a slightly familiar one, being rich is burden and what it does to people, but Day does have a gift with characters and even when they are annoying one still wants to see where they are going, and what might be next. A very clever story, with a good use of satire to make the story come to life.

Recommended for fans who like twists, turns and annoying characters sometimes getting their due. This is a perfect book for the beach, because one will think wow pleasant it is not to look out the window and see the neighbors who seem so similar to characters in the book. Just stay off your doorbell apps.

I am not usually a fan of books that go back and forth between characters to tell the story, but it totally works and is necessary for this one. Who doesn't like a little neighborhood drama? This book has it all. It will keep you on your toes until the very end. I don't want to give away any spoilers. Each character is well developed through out and everything will come out in the end. It definitely does not disappoint.

The Block Party is so much more than just an annual block party and the murder that happens. The neighbors who attend this annual party are filled with secrets and drama. This book is addicting from the opening chapter.

The book opens at the present day block party, and we know someone has been murdered. We get introduced to the neighbors. We then go back a year and start to learn more about the residents of this neighborhood through a mom’s and teenage daughter’s perspective. I love this book because there is so much more going on than the murder. I got lost in all the neighbor’s drama that I would forget sometimes someone had even been murdered since I got wrapped up in everyone’s storylines.

The Block Party has plenty of surprises and ultimately I did not come close to having the ending figured out. The pacing was great and never felt rushed, especially the ending like some books can do. The conclusion was ultimately satisfying and surprising.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press, Jamie Day, and Netgalley for allowing me to read an advanced reader’s copy. This is a great debut novel!

Thank you for the opportunity to review.

I was hopeful that I would love this book as much as I did other neighborhood murder mysteries, but this one fell a little short. I had trouble connecting or caring about any of the characters. It was slow going, but a few nice twists.

What a crazy ride with a lot of dysfunctional families in one culdesac. It was hard to keep the families apart at first and everyone had an issue, even the teenagers. Definitely a crazy ride with several twists that had me intrigued. Thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for the ARC

“Neighborhood drama” – I’m a sucker for these when they are well done. And Jamie Day’s The Block Party is REALLY well done! It is a fast read, there are memorable characters, and the plotting is terrific.

The story begins at last year’s block party and then the multiple residents/families who live on the block are introduced. There are multiple conflicts, relationships, and the murder mystery at the center of the story. As usual, I didn’t guess the ending, but I had a great time trying to figure it all out.

I live on a cul-de-sac which has had a neighborhood block party on July 4th since the early to mid-1980s, and while our neighborhood isn’t quite as full of drama as this one, I still could relate to some of the drama. Four stars, and thanks to St. Martin’s and NetGalley for providing a copy in exchange for this honest review.

4 summer party stars

Who doesn’t love a great Memorial Day block party? Alton Road in Meadowbrook, Massachusetts has an exclusive blockbuster party every year. Food, drinks, music, lots of kids – the works! Alex is planning it again this year even though hosting is supposed to rotate. We find out pretty early that this is someone’s last block party as a murder takes place.

The book then goes back a year in time as we get to know the residents of Alton Road. There’s Alex and Nick, she’s drinking a lot and thinking she is hiding it from everyone. We also get the perspective from her teenage daughter Lettie, and she was a refreshingly real character! Lettie is passionate about the environment and figuring out future college plans.

Alex’s sister Emily lives on Alton Road with her family; Brooke is the gorgeous widow, Willow and Evan are another couple, and there’s a new family too, the Kumars. This might be a first – there is a memorable pest control salesman too, “Bugman.”

As the book goes on, I wondered just who died at the block party and who is the murderer. The pacing was quite good and had some great female characters! There is a surprising amount of drama and secrets in the neighborhood, but this book certainly kept me engaged and reading! There’s a great conclusion in this one that wraps up the plot.

This debut novel will make for a great summer read!

This book was fine. It had a similar vibe to Big Little Lies, but not as good. The book seemed to move a little slow and have some tension, but not enough. There were parts when I was really engaged and others were… meh.

The book is a dual timeline story that comes back to the present. It takes place in a posh neighborhood with the present timeline being the Memorial Day block party.

There are quite a few characters – they’re not too hard to keep straight though (probably due to partially being in a teenagers point of view). Bugman made me so mad!

I thought the little excerpts from the broader neighborhood app were fun.

Dislikes:
There was no need to have the child drowning storyline..

I enjoyed this book. It took a bit for me to get super invested in it. Once I was though it was great. A shocking twist of an ending and some nice emotion.

Oh what a difference a year makes!

It’s the night of the annual BLOCK PARTY on Alton road, with fifteen families attending (despite three no-shows), and thirty something kids. As always, Classic rock blared from the speakers, yard games were being played, meat sizzled on the grill and red SOLO cups were everywhere.

But, for the first time in 40 years, there will be a MURDER in Meadowbrook-and the Community page will light up with speculation about why the sirens are racing toward the start of Summer party.

WHO didn’t survive?

And, WHO is to blame?

The book opens on Memorial Day, Present Day, from the third person POV of the party’s organizer, Alex Fox and then shifts to Memorial Day, One Year Prior.

Over the next four seasons, we will get to know the residents of Alton Road-and their SECRETS-many from the alternating, first person POV, of Alex’s 17 year old daughter, Lettie.

Often I struggle with a YA POV, but this time, these were my favorite chapters! Lettie is the kind of girl you would be proud to call your own-wise beyond her years, caring and sharing my “tongue in cheek” humor. Her father, Nick and their dog, Zoe, round out their family.

The other residents on the block are :

Alex’s sister, Emily Adair, her husband, Ken, and their son Dylan.
Willow Thompson, her soon to be ex husband, Evan and their daughter, Riley.
New neighbors Samir and Mandy Kumar, and their son, Jay.
And, the beautiful Widow, Brooke Bailey, who may or may not have pushed her husband overboard while on a cruise.

Oh, and I would be remiss if I didn’t include Gus Fisher, known as the “bug man”-and it’s not a term of endearment!

Despite the large cast, THIS TIME, character development is strong, and it’s easy to keep track of “Who’s Who” on Alton Road. These feel like characters who might be your friends and a part of your life.

We are kept GUESSING about who WILL NOT be at next year’s BLOCK PARTY until the last 20%, and in those final pages, all secrets are revealed and all questions are answered with a SURPRISING and SATISFYING conclusion.

The story comes full circle, returning to MEMORIAL DAY, PRESENT DAY, with an epilogue of sorts which is MEMORIAL DAY, one year later.

I love “neighborhood stories”, and the only reason that this DEBUT gets 4 stars instead of 5, is that at 384 pages it started to feel just a tad long for domestic suspense. But, if you enjoy these stories as well-I have no qualms about recommending this one!

AVAILABLE just in time for a hot Summer Day read-July 18, 2023.

Thank You to St. Martin’s Press for the gifted copy provided through NetGalley. It was my pleasure to offer a candid review!

Thanks for an early copy of The Block party.

This is your typical neighborhood drama but boy is there a lot going on. Everyone on Alton street looks forward to the annual Memorial Day Block Party but this time there’s murder.

So the story starts out with the incident and good backwards to lead us to what’s going on now.

Povs of Alex and her daughter Lettie. I’m not sure Lettie’s pov was necessary for me, but I liked her character the best. All these people are not good people and of course I loved to hate them all.

Most of this was fairly easy to figure out for me but that didn’t take away the fun for me either.

I enjoyed this one and if you like domestic suspense reads, you will most likely enjoy it too. It’s a fast read and groundbreaking in any way, but I didn’t enjoy it overall and would def read this author again! 3.5 ⭐️

Block parties are supposed to be fun.
This was is filled with alcohol, food, games, and revenge for desert.
The characters and storyline had me hooked from the first page.
Great twist and a great read.

Wow! That was some intense neighborhood drama! The story opens at the annual Alton Road Block Party, told from Alex's wine-soaked POV. Things start to go badly, but before we can see what happened it jumps back in time to the previous year's party so we can follow all the Alton Road drama leading up to the tragic present day events. Alex's daughter Lettie has her own chapters to show us the teenage side of the story. Both main characters are somewhat annoying and they make some pretty terrible choices. Lettie lectures everyone about her various causes in a condescending way and Alex sticks her nose in everyone's business and gossips about them. I was definitely entertained by this mystery though, and surprised by the ending. There were a lot of characters to keep track of and I think adding a map of Alton Road with their names on their houses to the finished copy would be great.

The Block Party exceeded my expectations. I love a good mystery but lately the ones I’ve read can feel formulaic. This did not: I was invested in the storyline as well as the characters. I will admit in the beginning I had a bit of hard time keeping all the characters straight but as the story developed I was all in!