Wow I was expecting a debut mystery novel and I don’t know what hit me instead. Something well written, fast-paced, with a plot superbly drafted and a panoply of intriguing characters, not all likable but not lacking a sense of humor, either. As the story goes, you can actually FEEL it reaching its point where something’s going to end really badly—and yet you have no idea who will do what. Sure, you have a guess or two, but the flawed characters casted in this book have so many secrets, it’s unbelievable that it’s so believable! At one point, I found myself wondering how long it would take for Netflix to buy the rights, and then I pushed the thought aside because it’s just so good. And the fact that it’s penned by a debut author makes it all the more astounding. I absolutely loved it and I’ll for sure follow your future novels, Jamie Day. Huge thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the eARC and opportunity of discovering this new author.

This book reminded me so much of Desperate Housewives - the first season. Everyone has a secret and a little dysfunction and so many characters are linked together somehow. The beginning really moves along as the foundation is established, then the middle gets a little slow, but the last few chapters are great. The ending is satisfying, but also a little sad - which of course you could totally see coming. This is a quick read and I recommend it for fans of Liane Moriarty or authors in that genre. I received an eARC from the publisher through NetGalley, however; this did not influence my opinions. I appreciate the opportunity to read this book.

It’s Memorial Day and Alex is ready for the annual block party in her affluent Massachusetts neighborhood. What she didn’t expect is for someone to get murdered, but who died and who was the killer? Diving into the past, we learn about the not so perfect families on Alton Road and the secrets everyone is hiding.

This was an addictive read and strong debut that grasped my attention from page one! I loved the slow burn suspense, all the neighborhood drama, the well-drawn characters, and shocking conclusion. I do not want to give spoilers, but there were a few sub plots that I didn’t think was necessary, but it did not take away from my overall enjoyment!

Read if you like:
-Mother/ daughter POVs
-Neighborhood gossip and drama
-MDW parties
-Desperate Housewives

Thank you SMP for the ARC! Pub date: 7/18

Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC! This really isn’t my normal type of book to read but requested it anyway and I’m glad I did! It was pretty good, suspenseful, and full of twists and turns.

Triggers for infidelity, statutory rape, substance abuse, mental health challenges, suicide, gun violence, physical violence, blackmail & stalking

Rich people drama, teenage angst - well, adult angst too really.

I'm not one to normally read "rich people" drama nor do I watch any of the housewives' shows, but this was very gripping and almost remorselessly intriguing. Told from the POV of a mother, Alex and her daughter, Lettie, the story has many parts that twist and turn not just you but the characters as well. There's a lot of strong, ugly currents running through the Alton Road neighborhood and despite the town's whimsical name of Meadowbrook, the secrets hiding behind closed doors resemble more of a raging river. And it seems the arrival of a new family may be the breaking of the dam that just can't hold back the lies anymore. Do not be fooled by the title. I highly recommend this as a spring/summer read if you're a seasonal reader but if you're a mood reader, this domestic thriller will definitely take you for a ride!

I enjoyed this book, especially the slow reveal of secrets throughout. It made it enjoyable and kept me guessing until the end which was refreshing. The characters took awhile to grow on me. At first I wasn’t invested because I didn’t find them to be sympathetic in any way. However, as the story built I was hooked and had to know the outcome. I enjoyed the clever way they built it around discovering who was murdered without revealing who it was until the end. The only character I really didn’t enjoy was Jay. His character was lacking some depth for me, but he was an essential part of the story. All in all it was nice to read a mystery that didn’t follow the same script as so many do.

Nothing is scarier and full of more secrets than a group of well-to-do suburban moms, and this story paints that picture really well. I was immediately able to connect with the characters and understand their respective relationships with one another, or so I thought!

I loved the inclusion of the local town’s Community Page posts, where we all know the REAL gossip and drama goes down! I wasn’t a huge fan, however, of the way Lettie’s POV and internal monologue was presented at times. It didn’t always feel natural to me, almost like an adult trying to put on a teenage persona.

Overall I think this was a really entertaining story, with some good twists and excellent character development. If you like keeping up with your neighbors’ lives and drama, you’ll LOVE this book!

I read this in about 24 hours working it in any chance could, I was hooked on this story which is told from two POVs - Alex and her high school daughter Lettie, and it follows them as they uncover the secrets and consequences of their neighbors.

There were a lot of different characters, but they were well managed so nothing became muddled or confusing, and the side stories all intertwined to keep everything fast paced and interesting. I was rooting for the women in this story and loved the ending!

I definitely recommend this for anyone looking for their next domestic thriller.

Thank you NetGalley and Jamie Day for this advanced reading copy of "The Block Party" in exchange for an honest review.

If you are a fan of twisty turns in the psychological/domestic thriller genre, this may be for you. The 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 point of view from Alex’s perspective to a first person point of view from her 17 year old daughter Lettie. I also enjoyed the Facebook community group posts that sometimes interjected in the book, they felt lifted right off of Next Door (although a bit more violent than I hope your neighbors might be). While at times it could be hard to keep track of all the characters and some of their erratic behavior, it all made sense and I was quite satisfied by the end. There were also a few plot points I was not a huge fan of, but overall it was an enjoyable read with compelling characters. I will definitely be on the lookout for more of this author’s work!

4.5 stars!

WOW, what an interesting place to live! This story is split into two viewpoints Alex and her daughter Lettie. I really enjoyed seeing the events through the point of view of two characters, especially mother and daughter.

I really enjoyed all the twists and turns and side stories that this book had. I did guess some of the twists, but I was very happily surprised by the majority! There were a lot of characters to keep track of, but I do think they all added something to the story. I believe this would make a great tv series.

I highly recommend this book, I really enjoyed Jamie Day's writing style. I will be looking forward to reading another book by this author.

Thank you NetGalley for this advanced reading copy in exchange for my honest review.

Every year on Memorial Day, the residents of Alton Road celebrate with an annual block party. This year, the party is interrupted by a horrible tragedy; someone has been murdered. We follow the lives of 5 households over the course of a year, as marriages, friendships, and families start to unravel under the weight of the secrets their neighbors are hiding behind their happy facades. Told in 3rd person perspective as well as by the first-person narration of Lettie, a teenager, we are slowly made privy to the web of lies, infidelity, addiction, and obsession that permeates this suburban street.
Jamie Day expertly constructs a fascinating reverse mystery, where the reader is given the whys long before we even know the whos. It seems every resident on the street has a motive for murder, it's all a matter of who snaps first. The mystery of who dies, who kills, and which secret was the final straw kept me turning the pages, eager to discover the truth. I co0uldn't put this down and read it all in one go. The only thing I can say I wasn't a fan of was the change in perspective, while I don't mind more than one narrator, I didn't like going back and forth from third to first perspective, but this was a minor irritation, and I can't wait to read more from Day in the future.

Thank you Jamie Day and Macmillan publishing for an ARC of The Block Party in return for an unbiased review.

I really enjoyed The Block Party, it is a thriller that keeps you on your toes of who's who and who is racking havoc on the block. This block is full of dysfunctional neighbors who take things way to far to try and keep things "normal" and not let those secrets get out. The Block Party, kept me intrigued the whole way through. I highly suggest reading this if you love a good quick thriller.

I enjoyed this story. It was a little slow in the beginning and I felt the community chat sections were unnecessary, but enjoyed trying to figure out whodunit and will read more by this author.

Very detailed. There are a lot of characters and the time frame goes from current to past to current to future. Unless you are reading with total and complete attention to the details you will miss who is saying what to whom. Not an easy book to read because there are a lot of little subplots...but of course it comes together with a twist at the end. The book was enjoyable but definitely not a 'read it in a day' kind of story.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read this book. I loved this book! The mystery kept me wondering. I loved the realistic social media posts that were included. And it actually was almost like a modern day Knot’s Landing. While it dealt with some serious topics, it was a page turner I really couldn’t put it down.

The release date for this book is perfectly timed to make it the beach book of the summer. A story of mayhem and murder in an upscale neighborhood. On the surface everybody is living a perfect life but in reality everybody has their secrets which are slowly revealed. It's a page turner and I enjoyed it!

The Block Party by Jamie Day was such an addicting read! I found myself promising to read only one more chapter before bed and before I knew it, I had read 5 more.

I loved how the book started out in the present day to build suspense and then flashed back to one year ago to show was happened to lead up to the present day. I also really enjoyed the resident comments on the Facebook Page in the present day--I found myself reading them and thinking the comments reminded me of our neighborhood Facebook drama.

The character development was absolutely amazing. I will say, in the beginning, I had to take some notes in order to keep the characters straight, but quickly caught on and could not get enough of the Alton Road drama!

I did NOT expect the ending at all. From the get go, I tried to find clues to find out was murdered at the block party, but could not figure it out. I loved the ending and how everything came together.

I also really enjoyed the theme of friendship in this book. It was really heartwarming to see how the women came together to support one another.

The chapters that were written from Lettie's perspective were great because it allowed the reader to see a different perspective and I think it really made the story more dynamic.

I don't know why, but I felt like the book gave Big Little Lies vibes and I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoyed that book!

If I could give this book more than 5 stars, I totally would! I highly suggest you add this to your TBR list NOW!

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Jamie Day for a copy of this ARC!

This book was addicting! It gave serious Big Little Lise vibes which I loved! So many twists and reveals through out that it leaves you on the edge of your seat wanting more. The community thread sprinkled throughout was quite entertaining. You are following two different POVs in this book - the first being Alex and the second is her daughter Lettie. Alex’s is in 3rd person and Lettie’s is in 1st person which I have never seen before and not 100% sure I liked it. Overall, a great, fast-paced read that will be a perfect addition to your Summer TBR.

Alton Road is the desired neighborhood if you live in Meadowbrook, Massachusetts. A suburban destination for grown-ups with middle-school mentalities. This was a predictable, but enjoyable weekend read. I received an ARC from NetGalley and the opinions expressed are my own.

This book about an upscale suburban neighborhood and its yearly Memorial Day block party got better as it went on

Got a bit confused at first about which chapters were from current year and which were flashbacks.

Ended up liking most of characters and getting interested in what happened to them. I loved that I could not predict what was going to happen next. I guessed the fate of one character but was very wrong about many other things.

This ended up being a very timely and interesting book.