Member Reviews
I absolutely loved the way Jamie Day told this story. We begin with Alex, the organizer of the annual Alton Road Memorial Day block party and right away something happens. We just aren't sure exactly what that something is. Then we go back one year to learn about the events leading up to the party. The story is told by Alex and by Lettie, her high school senior daughter. At times we get to read the present day comments from the Meadowbrook Online Community Page, as neighbors not invited to the Alton Road block party speculate on what's going down. These are hilarious and spot on! There's always that one person with the random comments. LOL!
The pacing was perfect. Twisty throughout, and things really picked up at the end. There is SO much going on with these people, and it could have felt too much, but the author really made it all work. Loved this one, and I'll definitely be on the lookout for Jamie Day's next book!
A HUGE thank you (as always) to St. Martin's Press and to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this.
The perfect families of the Alton Road cul-de-sac are often subject to social media gossip but rumors start spreading like wildfire on the community Facebook page after one particular block party. Five families living in McMansions driving fancy cars are the center of this story. Sometimes they hate each other, sometimes they suspect each other, and sometimes a death or two happens on their cul-de-sac.
A great domestic thriller. I was drawn to this book by the title as I live in a neighborhood that has lots of parties. The book gave away that there was a murder in the beginning, but I didn't have any idea until it finally unraveled at the end. I was too wrapped up in all the other neighbors' dramas. Each of the families has interesting things going on with their lives. It was a page turner for me and I definitely recommend reading it.
Really good whodunit with suspicious characters all over the neighborhood. And the relationships among the neighbors are crazy mixed up.
Awesome book! Full of twist and turns and neverending surprises. Really enjoyed this book! Highly recommend this to anyone that likes suspense!
I really enjoyed “Block Party” by Jamie Day. The Street has a block party every year that is planned by the residents of Alton Road. The story opens with a murder and then we jump back to last years party. We learn about each family and how they are connected. The secrets, the scandals, and the intrigue.
I did enjoy how we had the murder and then went back and learned about the secrets of the street. The writing was really good, and the story kept me reading.
I recommend this book and I think it will be a hit.
4 stars for this suburban thriller! Enjoyed "The Block Party" and it's very large cast of characters (which were a lot to track in the beginning) and their secrets & crazy twists & turns. Kept me reading to see what would happen next - not sure I'd want an invite to my next neighborhood gathering after reading this one, LOL! Sure it will be adapted soon if not already, it has that vibe. My sincere thanks to the publisher & Net Galley for the complimentary DRC, the rating & opinions are mine.
This was a fun breezy domestic suspense novel focusing on a well do neighborhood block party where we know there is a murder in the opening pages and need to wait until the closing pages to see if we guessed correctly. Told from multiple POV’s including a moody daughter and her I’ve-got-to-do-it-all mother i was continuously surprised by the twists and turns.
While you may believe that you know your neighbors, there is stalking, drug usage, and infidelity in this area. The Block Party depicts the tale of a neighborhood whose secrets are always coming to the fore. Memorial Day is the starting point, and you then fast-forward a year to investigate all the drama that has occurred since then. Then you advance to the present, when things are heating up in anticipation of midsummer events. As a result of my difficulty keeping track of all the people, I found the beginning to be slow; but, once I figured out who was who, I found the story to be much more engaging, and by the end, I was eager to learn what had happened to everyone. This would make excellent reading for a book club.
Thank you to @netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!
The block party on Alton Road cul-de sac is all the rage and the talk of the internet. The families who live here all have been keeping secrets. Secrets to die for.
This book is like Real Housewives and Big Little Lies HBO Series had a baby. I’s filled with secrets and loads of drama. There were a few times I felt a bit bored but that twist at the end left my jaw HANGING on the floor. This book did not disappoint.
Pros- This book is like Real Housewives and Big Little Lies HBO Series had a baby. I’s filled with secrets and loads of drama. There were a few times I felt a bit bored but that twist at the end left my jaw HANGING on the floor. This book did not disappoint.
Cons- I didn’t love the whole Facebook group gossip page I felt it was a bit unnecessary.
TW- Substance Abuse, Murder, Stalking, Cheating
ARC provided by NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press in exchange for honest review.
DNF at 59%. I tried with this one… I really did. Especially since most of the reviews here are all so great! For me, the writing style was a snooze and it felt like a chore to pick this book up and continue reading. The characters are shallow (not in the fun way) and lack depth/complexity.
Thank you to St. Martin Press and NetGalley for providing this ARC in exchange for my honest review.
5 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 for The Block Party
By: Jamie Day
Release Date: July 18 2023
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The story begins at the annual block party where sirens are blaring when Alex wakes from a quick drunken nap. What happened? How long was she out? The story then goes back to Memorial Day the previous year when a new neighbor comes to live in the cul-de-sac. The story is told from 2 main points of view, one from Alex and one from Alex's teenage daughter Lettie. There is also a 3rd viewpoint of an online community forum during the present day. This book has a large cast of characters that all have problems such as drinking problems, infidelity, hacking/blackmailing, revenge, suicide, drugs, and stalkers, etc. Who is the neighborhood stalker? What is going on with the teenagers on the block? Why is the new family so withdrawn and suspicious? Who died at the annual block party?
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This book is not fast paced, it is a slow build, which is usually not my thing, but I LOVED IT! Even with a huge cast of characters, it was easy to keep them all straight. There wasn't non-stop action, but everyone had secrets, and they slowly unraveled throughout, leading back up to the present day. I was invested in the story of each character and was trying to figure out the multiple mysteries the entire time. This was a thoroughly enjoyable read, and I can not recommend it enough!!!
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You don't want to miss this one!! This July, grab a chair and immerse yourself in The Block Party!
Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for another great ARC. I love a good wealthy, neighbourhood drama - dare I say this is now in my top 3??! This book kept me on edge and so much better than what I was expecting! I couldn't put this down until I finished it. This will be THE go to thriller for the summer - I highly recommend this one!
This book could have been melodramatic and it was but it was SO much FUN to read!.
Definitely exceeded my expectations.
We are initially at a block party in an exclusive suburban neighborhood. We learn there has been a murder but no further details. We meet the families living on Alton Road.
Then we go back in time one year and learn the story of what happened with the characters that led to the outcome. What a wild ride!.
I thought the characters were well done -definitely a bit of type casting but fun to learn about.
The moral of the whole plot is that secrets can burn you and revenge is not a great idea.
This is a book that I totally powered through and could not put down. It would make a very entertaining miniseries.
I really enjoyed the fresh approach of this writer. Domestic suspense done very well!
Thanks to NetGalley and St Martin's Press for the ARC to read and review!.
Oh my! So many secrets! I loved how all the neighbors lives were commingled. You think you know who is living in your neighborhood, but do you really? This book kept me very interested. There was so much going on that there was no chance of it getting slow or boring. I loved the way the author gave us two point of views from Lettie and her mother Alex. There were many twists along the way and a surprise ending. I enjoyed reading and would recommend this book. Thank you Net Galley for an advanced copy.
enjoyed this book very much. I read it in one day, it was hard to put down, it will keep you guessing until the end..
Thank you to Netgalley and St Martin's Press for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!
I found this domestic drama to be highly entertaining. Alton road is a beautiful neighborhood and famous for hosting an annual party that is exclusive to the area. Alex prepares for the annual blow out but not for the murder. Who died and who is the killer? Told by various narrators starting a year ago, we learn the secrets of each family on Alton Road and their not so perfect lives.
This was an entertaining read that had my attention from the first chapter. There is slow burn suspense, neighborhood drama, the well-drawn characters, and shocking conclusion.
Highly recommend!!
This book was full of neighborhood drama and surprises. It was full of many many characters and many many crazy things going on with them all. Everything was linked and brought full circle in the end. I was guessing who died and who the murder was the whole time but I wasn’t right!
The book follows a past and present time line. It also alternates between third person chapters following Alex and first person chapters following her daughter, Lettie. I did wish it was consistent but I appreciated Letties more from this first person approach.
Read The Block Party this summer if you want an easy to digest thriller full of gossip and secrets!
“That’s life here on Alton Road for you — plenty of surprises and a rainbow of emotions.”
I enjoyed this book. It took me a bit to get into it though. However I’m glad I persevered and will definitely look out for more from this author in the future.
This was an ARC I received through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. The book releases in July 2023. The Block Party by Jamie Day: I give it 4 stars.
If you are a fan of twisty turns, this may be for you.
The basic setting is an annual block party goes awry when a multitude of secrets are revealed in this affluent neighborhood in suburban
Massachusetts. I tend to write down the themes of books in my journal to keep track of my reading and this is what I wrote for this book: Revenge.
Infidelity. Control. Envy. Stalking. Alcoholism.
Gossip. Teenage bullying. SECRETS.
This one had me reading as fast as I could when I got close to the end, eyes hungry to read what would happen next. Truth be told, I guessed 2 of the major twists of this book, which doesn't happen super often, but it didn't bother me when I did. There were plenty other twists I got wrong and the story was still engaging.
The story was told alternating from a third person