This book gave me major Desperate Housewives vibes and I enjoyed every single second!! It’s a delicious story that I couldn’t put down, eagerly awaiting the next dramatic event, but equally thankful this was not my life. It took me a few chapters to get the characters straight but they were each so unique, I quickly realized who was whom.

The story centers around a street in an exclusive neighborhood, otherwise known as Alton Road. Everyone knows everyone and the story kicks off during an annual block party. Before you know it, gunshots are fired and the police have been called. Who was murderer..& why?

I absolutely adored both the mystery and neighborhood secret vibes, a great book to wrap yourself into!

Thank you NetGalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review. This book comes out 8/1/23

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC. This book was so damn good! It was page turning from the beginning and the plot was very interesting. I loved the twists and turns that it had and I can say that this is a perfect thriller!

During the Alton Road annual block party, rumors start flying on Facebook about why the police have arrived. Rumors are saying that someone is murdered, but who, and why? This book did not end the way I expected, at all. You learn about each family, and discover that any one of these people could be killed, or the killer. I was guessing right up until that twisted end.

The Block Party started off strong, with the first couple chapters reeling the reader in with the death of a main character. The page turner is that though we know there’s been a murder, we don’t know who died, how it happened, or who did it. It was off to a promising start that had me turning the pages to try to learn about each of the characters and the secrets of their lives. About halfway though the story though, there were so many different subplots and little secrets the reader is trying to figure out, it’s almost like that mystery in the beginning is forgotten. The story becomes so focused on the past leading up to the present day that it all becomes a confusing and jumbled story. By the time the last few chapters brought us back into present day, I had forgotten what had even happened in the first couple chapters that set this whole story off. Overall, the idea and concept was good. The characters however were a bit obnoxious and there were so many sub-stories it lost momentum and become confusing.

I love a good neighborhood drama and this book had plenty of it! Lots of storylines, lots of twists. There are some heavy topics covered but nothing that isn’t around the corner in reality. This book was engaging and I didn’t expect a murder mystery to be narrated partly be the teenage daughter, so that added another fun aspect. I enjoyed this book!

This book unfortunately fell really flat for me. There was absolutely no need for so many chapters and so much information that did not add to the plot. I feel as though it was a bit messy without any true ‘wow’ moments. It was so slow paced that at some points I didn’t want to keep reading. The overall story was okay but truly lackluster.


Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this arc.

There is a lot of scandalous stuff happening on this block! Alton Street had a lot going on. It goes into the happening of several neighbors with lots of secrets.
If you like an action packed, keep you guessing book book this one is for you. It almost seemed too much with the secrets and twist. But I was very entertained.
Thank you

OMG this book he so many twists and turns. I rate it four out of five stars! I will recommend this book to others to read.

Great story, a little outside what I normally read, but I really liked it. Kept me guessing until the end which I liked.

Thank you to Netgalley and the author for this Arc.

This story was awesome. The residents of Alton Road throw the annual block party, and usually, all is fun and games. This story brings to you a different view of these residents. Brings to light their secrets. The secrets that hide behind closed doors, the ones that seem to seep out to everyone. Will anyone on Alton Road make it out unscathed at this years Block Party?

I found this book to be a good mystery read. It kept me guessing from page one. The characters were dramatic and fun to watch. The book was filled with drama and had so many crazy things that it's hard to explain. It was written very well and will definitely keep a reader on the edge of their seat. It makes you want more. I have never read this author, but having this Arc makes me want more.

Stormi

This book is about a neighborhood that seems more like a family. It felt like a complicated family with a whole lot of secrets. It was fun to see how all those secrets and mayhem played out by the end of the book. I liked the way the book was written. You are hooked in the beginning with what is happening from the beginning of the book, then you get the background. It was fun seeing the message board comments from outsiders as well. There are several hard things in this book, but overall I liked this book.

Thank you to St. Martin's Publishing Group and NetGalley for the advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review.

Robert Frost said, "Good fences make good neighbors." That was never more true than in the upscale Massachusetts neighborhood of Alton Road where the boundaries between neighbors and friends has been completely blurred-and now the consequences have been deadly.

Alexandra Fox is the consummate planner and has taken the helm of the annual Memorial Day neighborhood block party yet again. As she sets out tablecloths, organizes food and drink, games, and entertainment, it helps her to deflect on the strain of her marriage to Nick, her rocky relationship with her only child, teenage Lettie, and her drinking which has ventured beyond social and is fast becoming a serious problem.

But Alex isn't the only one grappling with serious issues. Her neighbor and sister Emily suspects her husband Ken of infidelity. Fellow neighbor Brooke has a stalker-and a popular Only Fans account that has attracted a few neighborhood admirers. Willow and Evan's bitter divorce rages on as the neighbors take sides and the collateral damage is their daughter Riley. Finally, the mysterious and elusive new neighbors, The Kumar's, may be keeping to themselves for a serious reason.

As the police are called to the block party when someone is murdered, anyone can be a suspect.

This twisty domestic suspense was engaging and entertaining. Spanning a year from block party to block party, we get to know the neighbors' backstories and try to figure out what went so desperately wrong.

Prepare for some true surprises! It's the perfect summer thriller-and you'll never look at your neighbors the same way again (wink).

I appreciated whole heartedly getting this from Netgally.
So the premise of this was pretty intriguing: open the boo with a murder at a block party, then flashback immediately to a year prior to build up the mystery of who could be offed. With a plethora of characters, each with their own skeletons and demons, the 'who' and 'why' was kept off the table until the very end when we caught back to the present. I enjoyed that premise.
This was also told from dual POV, with the main character Alex (who has a drinking problem) and her daughter Lettie (who loves the enviroment).

I'm only giving this two stars because the omniscient narrator voice, which I typically enjoy in multi-POV, multi-character story lines, was TOO knowledgeable. All the characters were very understanding, very quick to narrate-out their emotions in a way that wasn't quite human, and their acceptance of the events unfolding was just illogical. It made it clear that these characters needed to TELL the reader where the story was going, instead of the reader being able to connect the dots themselves.
It made it hard to keep my interest or my investment. Most of the characters, who had compelling storylines, just came off as really flat.

It's an ok read, one I finished, but not one I'd jump to recommend.

This was a fun read full of lots of neighborhood drama and disfunction. The novel begins with the annual neighborhood block party on Alton Rd. But this year, there is a whole new level of drama besides the usual excessive drinking and eating…this year there is a murder! The novel then flashes back to the year before and all of the events leading up to the present day festivities. The neighborhood consists of a wide cast of characters who all seem to have their own dark secrets. Tensions rise and tempers flair all leading up to this one fateful event among the tightly knit community. This was a darkly fun and quirky story with a lot of twists thrown in as well.

Thank you, NetGalley for this advance copy of The Block Party in exchange for my honest review!

I think the blurb says it best:
"On the night of the annual Summer block party, the Meadowbrook community Facebook page lights up with posts reporting sirens descending on the desirable and exclusive cul-de-sac neighborhood on Alton Road. Bit by bit, the comments trickle in, some taking pleasure in their neighbors’ misfortune and others showing concern. The truth eventually comes out. It's not an accident, or a drowning, or a fire, as some had predicted. For the first time in forty years, there's been a murder in Meadowbrook."

I really enjoyed this book! It was fast paced and engaging.
I liked the dual POV with the mother and daughter.
There are some heavy subjects covered, which add a lot of dimension to the story.

This book is absolutely intoxicating. In it, we follow the story of Alex as she and her husband Nick try and acclimate to the thought of their daughter Lettie leaving for college. In their world of "poker nights" and "block parties" - you can imagine that they end up in each other business more often than they should. Alex in particular due to her nature and job as a mediator for divorcing couples, has a special aptitude for putting her nose where it does not belong. Between flashes of the past and the present, the reader needs to try and unravel the story of Alton Road and the secrets that these neighbors keep behind doors. In the end, I truly did not see the plot twist coming!

I would like to thank NetGalley and Jamie Day for allowing me to read this eARC before publication in exchange for an honest review.

I've had a lot on my mind so it took be forever to finish this book but I'm glad I did. I was hooked by the first line, first paragraph, first page... I was confused for a long time when it read along, I couldn't figure out if it was present day or in the past but I finally started making sense towards the end of the book. I would recommend this book, even pacing on this book it still came to mind often!

Many thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and the author, for giving me the opportunity to read this little gem. The digital ARC was presented to me in exchange for my honest review. - Publication date is July 18, 2023.

Let me start out by saying how much I enjoyed these neighborhood shenanigans! The Block Party was a blast. It will make you wonder exactly who is living in your cul-de-sac.

The book starts out in the present day, at the Alton Road, annual Memorial Day block party. We quickly begin to see just how dysfunctional the people in this affluent neighborhood tend to be. We are then taken to an online community page, that reminds me very much of the “neighborhood” app. I got a huge laugh out of this. Basically during the conversation, you find out there has been a homicide.

We now move back in time, to the block party from the previous year. Two POVs take us through all of the secrets, lies, and betrayals, leading up to the big finale of “who’s” & “why’s”.

It was more of a fast paced, fun ride of a mystery to me, rather than an actual thriller. That being said, I still enjoyed it. I did put a few of the pieces together about mid way in the book, but there were so many events unraveling, that I didn’t mind. I have to say that the last little reveal was just a bit anticlimactic, but there are so many more reveals that it doesn’t matter.

Overall ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 1/2!

It’ll keep you reading, and give you some laughs.

Go check this one out!

It’s the annual Alton Road Memorial Day Block Party in Meadowbrook, Massachusetts and attending are a bunch of unhappy neighbors.

Alex, a professional divorce mediator and alcoholic in self-denial
mode, is on her own iffy terms with her husband, Nick. Emily, her Realtor sister, surmises her own husband, Ken Adair, is fooling around with psychologist Mandy. Obviously, Mandy and Samir Kumar must have some issues. Then there’s housewife Willow Thompson, not quite ready to divorce Evan because of an ironclad prenup. Lettie, Alex’s teen daughter is running around with the Kumar son and trying to get revenge on the Thompson teen queen bee (who is the girlfriend of her cousin, Dylan Adair). Let’s also invite entrepreneur Brooke to the party, a widow who’s husband died under suspicious circumstances. Now add alcohol and one of those gossipy NextDoor apps. Something juicy happened.

There’s two POVs from mother/daughter. Alex’s is a third person narrative for the parents perspectives, while Lettie’s is first person tale covering what the scheming teens are doing. As expected, it’s a catty tale that takes everyday blah to more interesting heights. This year’s block party has a new highlight reel. Murder? Accident? Heart attack? Cat fight? You’ll have to keep reading to find out.

You’ll also know about that “trick” about shrimp in hollow curtain rods…

5 stars! I expect this book to be great summer reading for those who don’t do beachy HEA romances.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review!

Literary Pet Peeve Checklist:
Green Eyes (only 2% of the real world, yet it seems like 90% of all fictional females): YES Mandy is the neighbor with the vibrant, piercing green eyes.
Horticultural Faux Pas (plants out of season or growing zones, like daffodils in autumn or bougainvillea in Alaska): YES Rhododendrons and lilacs do almost bloom at the same time, but in early spring, not mid-summer in Massachusetts when they get mentioned in flashbacks.

𝐁 𝐎 𝐎 𝐊 𝐑 𝐄 𝐕 𝐈 𝐄 𝐖


3.9/5⭐️ The Block Party


𝐓𝐇𝐎𝐔𝐆𝐇𝐓𝐒:


The mystery of “who was murdered and why” definitely propelled the suspense chapter to chapter since there were so many different storylines going on.


I think my favorite storyline were the ones revolving around Brooke, she was a very interesting character to me. My least favorite was probably the ones revolving around Lettie just because the level of drama that was being handled independently by highschoolers was a little far fetched for me.


I didn’t LOVE the writing style, it didn’t flow for me- but I did like the idea of an affluent neighborhood and the drama behind the doors of each house (and their seemingly well off residents)


Kind of read to me like what I imagine an episode of desperate housewives would be like, was not un-putdownable for me.


I also really enjoyed the endings of the chapters having a format of social media gossip on a neighborhood page, that was unique and funny and totally something that would actually happen in an instance like this.


THANK YOU to netgalley and St. Martin’s press for this ARC- this book’s pub date is July 28 2023!


I have never read anything by this author so I will look out for more books by her in the future!



#bookworm #bookish #bookblogger #bookgram #instareads #readmorebooks #bookstagrammers #bookreviewer #goodreads #bookstagram