This book started off a bit slow but I'm glad I stuck with it! I was really satisfied by the ending, and was surprised to find this was her first book.

The characters are all a little shallow, which is strange considering they are dealing with deep subject matter. The tone between adult and teenage narrators doesn't change, making the teenager too adult and the adults too immature. All the voices are a bit one note, but with so many voices there isn't much space to expand.

I found the plot really enjoyable and for me that covers a multitude of sins. It didn't have any pacing issues after the first several chapters, but the unfolding was a little odd. The time jump that started the story was a little unnecessary, a slow burn could have been a lot more fun. The forum conversation that was interspersed felt really forced and unrealistic. There is exactly one flashback told in memory for no reason when it could easily have fit as part of the regular narrative. It was an odd choice when so many other much more important things were not remembered and merely told.

So much of the characters motivations are hard to see. One of the main character struggles with alcoholism that has no real root and no real resolution. She just gets over it as quickly as it comes. Other have some serious traumas thay seem to not effect them in believable ways (child/sibling loss, rape) and they don't become alcoholics, but the lawyer who cares too much does?

Even though I enjoyed the book, I think there were too many stories for the author to spend time fleshing all the characters out, and the overview of each person and their greatest traumas made them feel one dimensional.

I'm pretty excited to see what stories she comes up with next!

I saw some of the other reviews stating this book is Desperate Housewives meets Big Little Lies and I whole heartedly agree with that comparison. My attention was captured immediately. I was constantly trying to keep track of all the neighborhood secrets and coming up with different theories and let me tell you I still didn't see the twists coming!
If you love murder mysteries and drama I highly recommend giving The Block Party a read!

Oo y’all… this one was an amazing thriller/suspense novel! I loved how the author weaved in different storylines throughout. Excellent ending… you won’t see it coming!

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC of this book. This was a solid thriller with lots of intersecting secrets. None of the characters were particularly likeable, and the jumping in time interspersed with snippets from a Nextdoor type website could be distracting. It was fine but nothing special.

I expected a well-written thriller but ended up with ... an excellent book. One that I simply adored. A book about a street that I was glad to never have lived on as these are some very questionable, nasty neighbours.

Once I Picked the book up, it was hard to put down as it had a wonderfully crafted plot and some dastardly characters to keep you interested and it made me realize how much I miss Desperate Housewives!

Highly recommended...an excellent beach read.

I stayed up way too late finishing this one. I loved all the neighbourhood drama in this book. It makes me wonder how well I really know my neighbours. The ending of this book really surprised me.

The Block Party was a delight. Set over the course of a year on Alton Road, a stereotypical cul-de-sac full of the elite in MA, the people on their are anything but. Through multiple POVs we find out that everyone has secrets, that hard lines can easily get pushed until they no longer matter, and that secrets are no one's friend for long. Jamie Day does a great job of creating a thriller that is engaging, multifaceted, and fast paced until the end. I highly recommend and really enjoyed it.

It took me a bit to get involved in this one as there are so many characters and different things going on, but the ending was quite shocking.
We quickly learn there been a murder in the neighborhood but we don't know who or why. We rewind a year and the story starts to unfold told from the perspective of a mother/daughter combo.
Rich people problems seem to know no ends and everyone is hiding something but what could be bad enough to get someone killed?
I think some of the details were a little much but it was overall a good story.

Once I started reading this book, I couldn’t put it down. It reminded me of the tv show Desperate Housewives. There were so many twists and turns that I wasn’t able to figure out the ending until the very end. Ver entertaining

This one just was not for me. I really did not like or connect with the characters. I am in a minority here with most readers loving it. So please don't let me stop you from checking it out. A huge thanks to the publisher and to Netgalley for this ARC.

Anticipated pub: July 18, 2023

This is PACKED with secrets upon secrets! I like when a book opens with a big, bad thing but then provides lots of doubt about what happened and who could have been involved. That's exactly what this book provides. Chapter one: there could have been a death, maybe murder. (Gasp!) The rest of the book: discovering everyone, literally everyone, has secrets they're keeping from their family, friends and neighbors.

There are a lot of characters but I didn't find it difficult to keep everyone straight. I thought this was paced well and had plenty of tension throughout. Unraveling everyone's secrets and how they were all tied together was a fun trip.

Thank you to the publisher via Netgalley for the early copy to read and review!

One party you’ll be glad you missed!

Alton Road, on the outside it’s a beautiful street with close knit neighbors. On the inside, every family has their secrets. Some are just better at hiding them than others.

It’s Memorial Day and there is a fatality or two at the annual block party. Question is who’s secrets finally broke them down. Who’s secrets got them killed.

👍🏼 I enjoyed the perspectives, Alex Fox third person and Lettie Fox first person. Murder, mystery, lies, dysfunction, this book was a little of everything. I loved the build up of the story over time, all the little things that added up to the climax. It was a great read

👎🏼 Some subplots weren’t necessary and didn’t reach full potential i.e. Wookiee.

Alexandra Fox always organizes the annual Memorial Day Block party for her neighborhood. Alex also seems to always need a glass (or two or three) of wine to get through the day. The book starts at the current Memorial Day party. Something terrible happens. In actuality, the neighborhood has been leading up to this since last year’s party. The story is told by going back and forth between current day and events since last year. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. In fact, I have been in a reading slump lately. This book definitely resolved that problem for me. Five stars all the way!

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book!

While I do enjoy thrillers, this book doesn't necessarily fall into the "books I usually go for" category. I have to admit, however, that I read it in one sitting because I simply had to know what happened -- a testament to Day's ability to build suspense. I don't know if anyone out there is fan of the show Bones (I am), but this book was so reminiscent of an episode I particularly enjoyed. Season 5, Episode 4, A Beautiful Day In The Neighborhood is the TV version of the The Block Party. Except, of course, that the book is much meatier with a more complex (and more interesting, as a result) plot line.

Beyond the juicy mystery aspect, though, what I appreciated most was the time spent on character development, particularly in regards to the impact that trauma and mental health issues can have on relationships, and how challenging it can be to navigate this.

The Block Party was an interesting read. It kept my attention throughout. In fact, I read it in two sittings. There were lots of secrets and scandals going on. The author gives you the perspective from multiple characters which adds to the flow of the book. There were so many different problems within every household which illustrated to me that you never know really what goes on with your neighbor. Until things get out of hand and blow up like they did in this book. It is interesting to see how all the little events and secrets come together and culminate into one giant event. I rather enjoyed the ride.

The Block Party = neighborhood drama plus a murder thrown in! My kind of book! Full of twists and turns in a community! I love books where there are multiple players and a who did what!! Read it in a day!

Wow, this was such a great read. It kept me engaged from start to finish. 4.5 stars out of 5.

Each family had their own drama and the book was full of twists and turns. This makes my neighborhood HOA drama look like nothing!

The Block Party was written in different points of view of various characters and also goes from past to present. The present focuses on the block party (Memorial Day weekend) while the past is a year before the party, leading up to the murder.

This is my first book by the author I have read and I would love to read. more. I really enjoyed her writing style. Highly recommend!

Thank you St. Martin's Press and Net Galley for this ARC!

Very well done book about the dynamics in a neighborhood that you may never know is at play. It’s a great read that will keep you entertained from start to finish.

Yep - really enjoyed this one. It kept me interested all the way through with a great variety of characters and a broad range of human emotions, failings and achievements The ones you really wanted to like who were initially a bit iffy, reached for their better selves in the end. I received this as a complimentary copy from the author via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving this review.

Great read. Went from present to past, one view to another. At times you thought you were close to figuring something out and then it would go back to the past. I did not see the ending coming. The author did a great job of keeping you from putting the book down. Read in less than 2 (very busy) days. Jamie Day will be one to add to my TBR!