Book Title: The Block Party
Author: Jamie Day
Publisher: Saint Martin’s Press
Genre: Mystery/Thriller
Pub Date: July 18, 2023
My Rating: 3.7 rounded up!

I have been looking forward to this story.
We have lived in the same neighborhood for years and also have an annual ‘Block Party’.
Our gathering is also at the cul-de-sac but at the end of the summer; however, instead of a murder our block party got ‘put’ on hold’ due to Covid.
We also have a neighborhood book club so hoping for a fun block party this summer and we surely will discuss THIS Block Party!

Story starts with Memorial Day and the residence on upscale Alton Road in the Meadowbrook, Massachusetts gather once again for their annual block party. Only this year someone is murdered.
Everyone is a suspect -secrets are revealed and no one really knows who they thought they knew!

Story timeline:
Memorial Day - Present Day
Memorial Day - One Year Ago.
The story one year later follows a whole year and is told from the POV of Alexandra (Alex) Fox the organizer of the block party and Lettie her seventeen year old high school - college bound daughter.
They tell us more about the neighbors then I want to know but it sure kept me guessing.
(Thankfully I saw no similarities between these neighbors and mine!)

I am a plot based fan and really not a character based novel fan but have to admit all this neighborhood drama had me curious.
I liked Lettie more than I thought I would.
Want to thank NetGalley and Saint Martin’s Press for granting me this early eGalley.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for July 18, 2023

Thank you @netgalley for the ARC of The Block Party by Jamie Day. This book reminded me of Liane Moriarty. In the intro, the reader discovers that someone was killed at a block party, but you do not know who it is until the end of the book. All of the characters are unlikable and they all have secrets. It was a fast paced book that kept you guessing the entire time.

Thank you to Netgalley for gifting me an ARC of “The Block Party” in exchange for my honest review! This mystery novel is a classic “who don it?” The book was good and kept me on edge but I did find it to be a bit slow. However I would still recommend you pick this up especially if you’re a fan of mystery!

I am so glad I don't live on this street. The story had potential but there is SO MUCH going on (drugs and alcohol abuse, infidelity, teen drama, rape, murder, spying, digital spying, blackmail, stalking), it was beyond overkill.

It took me a month to get through this book and would have absolutely DNF'd it if it wasn't an ARC. I seem to be in the minority though as there are many 4 and 5 star reviews on The Block Party!

Thank you to Netgalley and St Martin's Press for an advanced copy of The Block Party in exchange for an honest review.

Another rich neighborhood with secrets. The story was well-written, but the concept is pretty overused. All the usual suspects are here - too much drinking, some neighbors are a little closer than they should be, creepy adult child living at home. And everyone trying to keep the facade in place.

This book was a complete trip. Every time I thought I knew what was happening, something else dropped and I realized I was completely wrong. I loved all of the smaller plot twists that led up to the big one at the end! They helped keep the story very exciting without diverting from the main plot. The multiple POV really kept the story moving, as well.

This book does have a lot of characters in it, but they are all definitely necessary to the plot. I also very much enjoyed that there was a combination of young adult/teen drama as well as the adult drama. The difference in age of different characters gave wildly different viewpoints and more twists that having a full cast of adult characters wouldn't give.

I definitely recommend this book to anyone who enjoys thrillers. I think there's something for most people in this book.

Someone gets killed at an annual neighborhood block party. Who gets killed? And why? The story flashes back a year before the block party with many events leading up to it. All the neighbors have their own secrets. You never truly know who you are living next door to. This story goes back and forth between two viewpoints. I didn’t particularly care for any of the characters and the story moved a bit slowly. The way the story was told reminded me a little of Big Little Lies. This wasn’t my favorite but it was still interesting enough to want to finish and find out the answers. Thank you Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

The Block Party opens with Alton Road 's annual Memorial Day block party. A murder has occurred, but who is the victim and who is the murderer? The story is told from two timelines: the day of the murder and the preceding year beginning at the last annual block party. It is from the perspective of Alex and her daughter, Lettie, but has multiple storylines from characters who live on the affluent cul-de sac.

This book was an thrilling story that included suspense, neighborhood drama, family secrets, interesting characters, and shocking conclusion.

Thank you to the author, St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

I found this book hard to follow along with, there are so many characters to keep up with from the beginning. I also thought the storyline was a bit repetitive.

I want to thank NetGalley and St. Martin's Publishing Group for the digital ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.

Plot: I found the plot to be intriguing - its the reason I requested to read it in the first place. The mystery behind a murder that occurs during a regular block party had me interested. We see a years worth of secrets that ultimately lead up to the present day Block Party that results in murder. Is it a completely original idea? Not entirely, but the premise definitely drew me in.

Writing: Now this is where I start to have a problem. I was initially confused when I started reading that the mom's POV of the book was in 3rd person and the daughter Lettie was in 1st. I still don't understand why the author decided to write it that way. I guess so that we can have more perspective from the daughter? I don't know. Since we are reading the 1st person from a teenagers perspective, it felt at times to be a bit childish. The things that Lettie was concerned about and the secrets that she was hiding felt to be immature and things that could have easily been settled had it been an adult in her shoes. As an adult, I am more interested in the perspective of Alex and wish that there was some consistency with that. In my opinion a book should not have to jump between 1st and 3rd person. I also felt as if the writing was more for a Young Adult audience. If you are someone that likes reading dialogue more than anything, this is the book for you. There was a lot of talking, and not a ton of much else.

I didn't feel like I could identify with any specific character. They are extremely wealthy people who argue over things like what college Lettie will go to and Daddy won't pay if she picks a far-away school. I wish there was more depth to the characters outside of just describing what happened and what was said during an event.

The author uses addiction as a motivation for a lot of things that happens in the book, including use of alcohol, opiates, and amphetamines. While I can't expect the author to be an expert in this field, I feel there was a giant lack of information regarding these disorders and, as someone who works with addicts for a living, I found it to be glossed over quite a bit.

Overall, I will say I enjoyed reading this. Despite the flaws mentioned above, I didn't dread picking this up and I genuinely wanted to know what happened in the end. It's an easy read and you will likely fly through it in a couple days.

This cul-de-sec cliché murder mystery novel works, in spite of itself. Yes, we find out on this well-heeled suburban block that someone has died in the first pages, and the rest of the novel flashes back to recount the series of unfortunate events. Almost every male character has some flaw, in keeping with the cliché, but it is still is an entertaining and interesting read nonetheless. The block has its share of troubled marriages: one about-to-be-separated couple, one widowed in a suspicious accident on board a cruise ship, one family whose lost a young son long ago and one alcoholic mom are thrown into the mix. But the novel succeeds anyway, and if you are a mystery fan you will take all of this in stride. The relationships among the characters all ring true and propel the plot along quite nicely. Highly recommended.

Thanks NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC in exchange for my reading opinion.
Revenge and secrets culminate one Memorial Day block party. You think you know your neighbors but you don't. Neighbors lives are connected in ways you would never imagine.

I have been to several block parties and they have always been so much fun to go to but this is one party I am glad I haven't gone too. The book had me reading way into the night and I couldn't wait until I got to the end. Such a page turner.

A quick paced novel that raises questions about just how well we know our neighbors. In an idyllic neighborhood in Massachusetts, everything looks perfect, but secrets lurk within, and each family is struggling in their own way. I enjoyed the characters and the writing for the most part, although (view spoiler) and I do understand why the author chose to keep the story moving with these chapters. I can genuinely say I didn't see some of the big twists coming and I'll look forward to reading more by this author.

I zipped through this read and really enjoyed it. It was an engaging story of what happens behind closed doors-and what happens when those doors open. I appreciated the multigenerational aspect of it.

Told third person through Lettie and Alex with some conversation from the neighborhood page. Apparently Alton Dr is the place to live. Sloooowwwww and not that entertaining. It starts with present then jumps back to explain the past year. Alex involves herself in everyone’s life, while ignoring her drinking. She is a mediator for couples going through divorce and will use that as an excuse for drinking. Lettie is a senior doing the college application thing, tries to get revenge but learns some hard truths.

An alcoholic who has it “under control,” secrets in marriages, infidelity, a stalker, underage drug use, an overdose, adult drug use, underage affair with married man….basically a train wreck you can’t look away from.
Seriously wish I DNF’d this. Argued with myself through half the book. There was enough of an interest to tell myself I was intrigued

I saw someone describe this as a blend of Desperate Housewives with Big Little Lies, which is what caught my eye! I absolutely agree and would throw Pretty Little Liars in the mix as well. This was a twisty book filled with that neighborhood gossip you can’t resist. Made for a fun read with some important messages woven in. I’ll definitely be recommending this one to my circle!

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Jamie Day for the chance to read this digital ARC in exchange for my honest review. Publication date is July 18, 2023.

This book gave major Desperate Housewoves vibes and kept me interested and guessing from page one!

Lots of twists I never saw coming or would have guessed!

It will make you wonder exactly who is living in your cul-de-sac.

If you are looking for a book to escape to that's fun, full of dysfunctional characters and twists and turns, then this is what you want to read.
The story's point of view comes from Alex and her teenage daughter Lettie. Alex is that person who organizes all the gatherings in the neighborhood and knows everyone's business. Her daughter Lettie is the senior in college who is ready to be out from under her parents' control.
The book opens right up with police sirens and gunshots. Then the story goes back to a year earlier and we meet all the rest of the characters in this affluent subdivision. Lies, infidelity, betrayal, drinking, drugs, stalking, murder, secrets.... this neighborhood is involved in it all.
A fun read, but not much more for me. The characters were too dysfunctional for me to connect with any of them. I received a complimentary e-book from Netgalley

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this title.

A great summer mystery. Reminded me of Desperate Housewives or a novel by Liane Moriarty. Neighbors whose lives are intertwined, keeping secrets, spreading gossip, making assumptions. Entertaining and fun. Surprise ending too!