Loved this one! Reminded me of Big Little Lies mixed with Desperate Housewives! It kept me guessing to the very end.

What a dysfunctional neighborhood in all the devious ways that make for a good thriller!! Twists and turns that I didn’t see coming make this one a sure summer blockbuster. Bravo, Jamie Day! I loved it!

Immensely enjoyed The Block Party. There were multiple twists and turns which kept me guessing- you don’t find out the identity of the victim until almost the end of the book.

My only qualm with the book were the way the #MeToo movement and climate activism (and activism in general) were mentioned. The way they were introduced felt a little forced.

Genre: Domestic Suspense
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Pub. Date: July 18, 2023

In "The Block Party," the dysfunctional residents of a posh neighborhood take center stage. When a murder occurs at their annual party, we rewind with flashbacks to the previous year and discover the secrets each neighbor is harboring that could make them suspects. What we get is a community thriller that is a “Big Little Lies” wannabe. Just as in Liane Moriarty’s novel, the reader gets a heavy dose of lies, infidelity, violence, and a murder mystery. This tale is not as well written as Moriarty’s. However, this may be because the narrative is often in a teenager’s voice, which reads too juvenile for me, probably because I don’t usually care for YA. Still, I found the ending clever, which is when the author finally won over. Though not for me, this sort of escapism novel is a good beach read.

Sadly, this one wasn’t for me. I felt zero connection with anyone in this book. This writing style was irksome and the dialogue was stiff & underwhelming.
Thanks to Netgalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 Stars

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! The Block Party is very well written, paced, and constructed, with interesting characters that give readers an inside look at their Alton Road community. Secrets, lies, and mystery surrounds each family in their intimate cul-de-sac until newcomers light the fuse that implodes their insular lives. The story is told from the POV of a mother and her teenage daughter, giving readers insight into the private, intersecting worlds of the adults and youth featured in the tale. An entertaining read! Recommended.

Many thanks to NetGalley and St Martin's Press for providing an ARC to read and review. This review will appear on Bayside Book Reviews at https://baysidebookreviews.com and its Instagram page on release day. Follow us! *NetGalley Top Reviewer*

A fun muster read about an exclusive neighborhood with secrets. Started slow for me but definitely picked up! Overall I enjoyed this book!

As I read through this book, I initially was struggling to identify the main character in the book. SPOILER: there are multiple main characters, and it all is tied into a terrific solid, however surprising, ending. I thoroughly enjoyed this read, and could hardly put the book down, trying to figure out the main character; what a story! Alton Road will never be the same. Thank you #NetGalley, #StMartinsPress & #JamieDay for allowing me to read this thrilling ARC.

Desperate Housewives meets Gossip Girl with a murder mystery entwined. Every year the neighbors on Alton Road get together for a friendly neighborhood cookout celebrating Memorial Day weekend. This year is no different than any other year, as neighbors congregate to the block party no one suspects anything will be any different this year. They expect to eat great food, drink their favorite beer, and play some friendly games with their neighbors. But later that day, police sirens can be heard from all around and the Meadowbrook Online Community Page is hot with fresh chatter and gossip as people try to figure out what is going on over on Alton Road. It turns out this year won’t be like any before and by the end of the night someone will be dead. How much do you trust your neighbors?

This is a fast-paced thriller that was hard to put down. Led by dialogue, we are taken inside the lives of the people who live on Alton road. We learn their secrets, the things they don’t want anyone to ever find out about them. Family dynamics and friendships are put to the test and betrayals are exposed to all. We are taken back to the previous year where everything began. The drama will have you hooked; this is a real page-turner that will keep you guessing until the very end.

The writing is exceptional and the characters are so well developed that they come to life. Family and relationship dramas play out in a raw and natural way. I honestly loved everything about this book and plan on buying it myself when it’s released. Trust me; you’ll want to read this too! Definitely an author I will follow from now on.

I received an ARC of this book and leave this review of my own accord. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for allowing me the pleasure of reading this.
#NetGalley #TheBlockParty #KillerThriller #DomesticThriller

This book was amazing! Jamie Day really knows how to make her characters come alive. You will be wondering about Alex, Mandy, Brooke, Emily, Nick, Jay, Samir, Ken, and the rest throughout this whole book! What secrets are they hiding? Are they really as they appear? You will not want to stop reading so that you can find out! LOVED this book and the author’s style. I hope she writes another book ASAP!

Wow, this book grabbed me in from the start. I love the characters and how Jamie Day develops them. I thought I knew where the story was going, but it had some great twists, and I was surprised by the ending. Thank you to Netgalley and Martin's Press for giving me an ARC for my honest review.

A trip to the suburbs where all is not how it seems. Family and neighbors have plenty of secrets. Definitely kept me guessing.

Honestly, I really enjoyed this book. The twist at the end was definitely not quite what I expected, I felt really satisfied with the ending. I think it could have stood to have a few less characters, and I didn’t love the fact that Lettie’s chapters were written from a different POV.

Overall, a great story

The Block Party tells the story of a neighborhood block party gone wrong. At first, we are given snippets of gossip and present day happenings, but then the story goes back one year to lead up to the possible murders. The story is told by Lettie, a teen activist who doesn’t exactly fit in, and her mother, Alex, a divorce moderator with an alcohol dependance. The neighbors on the street are all hiding things, and secrets slowly come to light as it gets closer to the night of the fateful party.

I really enjoyed this book! It reminded me of Big Little Lies and Little Fires Everywhere in terms of the feel of the book and the dysfunction among neighbors, family, and friends. It is a story with a slow burn, and layers of secrets and scandal are slowly revealed. The drama and dysfunction added to the plot twists and everything came together at the end. I didn’t guess the major reveals and twists at all. There are some content warnings to be aware of, so be sure to check those if you might need to.

Thank you to Jamie Day, St. Martin’s Press, and Netgalley for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

Oh boy, this was a fun one!! A book about friends and secrets?! Sign me up! The Block Party was everything I had hoped for. I loved the drama; the twists and turns, and I also found the writing to be really well done. The story line was so interesting. I was finished with this book in about 2 days. I’m happy to say it was the highlight of my weekend. The story flowed along easily and kept me in the dark about the ending-which is always a win!!


Thanks to Netgalley and St Martin’s Press for the ARC. I’m sure this book will be a big hit once it’s released.

Neighborhood drama that starts with a murder at a block party. Multiple POV interspersed with some posts from the neighborhood social media site. Plenty of drama and secrets.
This really didn’t work for me. I didn’t like or connect to any of the characters. The main teen POV was Lettie and I just found her to be too much. Her beliefs and activism were very heavy handed. Descriptions of her clothing were very stereotypical for what a teen who doesn’t fit in would look like. I like YA novels, but apparently do not like a teen character as one of the main characters if it isn’t a YA novel.
The dialogue felt stilted. The relationship between Alex and her husband grated on my nerves. Lots of petty bickering. These took away from the plot. Just not for me. Plenty of others are enjoying.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Get your popcorn ready for when you read The Block Party! This book is all drama, cheating, lying spouses, spying on neighbors and gossiping. This novel kept me entertained as the story progressed from the Memorial Day Block Party in the current year and a dual timeline that started with the previous Memorial Day Block Party. I'm not going to get into a synopsis because there is so much going on and involves the lives of everyone that lives on this cul-de-sac on a prestigious street. While there are multiple characters, each one is developed so I never had to go back and think, "who was this person again?". The ending is great and left me satisfied. You never know who your neighbors are and this book explores that realm wonderfully.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for sending this book for review considerations. All opinions are my own.

Fractured Families in a Familiar Narrative

You may have read many books similar to The Block Party. In any event, this is a recognizable plot about well-to-do rich (or seemingly rich) white families living in a tony neighborhood. They have problems, like anyone else, but they can be easily resolved through friendship, psychological help and a strong family. Money always helps too.

So it goes in this Meadowbrook community. Overused themes are splattered throughout the novel. The people who live in these nice homes are introduced to us in a long flashback technique. There is a possible murder on Alton Road. Who was killed?
If someone was murdered, who committed the heinous act?

The novel is then presented in recovered memories of the families, who have serious and sometimes superficial problems that are worked into the plot

The author tells us about each family, their issues, and sets up various incidents to give the reader hints about the climax. I had a complete picture of these beautiful homes, the important children who affected the plot and the very last scenes which culminate into a violent act.

The women were an interesting bunch. They seemed to be equals, but they were not alike. Their conversations were carefully written and these dialogues are the most compelling writing. If you enjoy reading these types of novels, Jamie Day offers you a page-turner.

My gratitude to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this pre-published book. All opinions expressed are my own.

Secrets abound on an affluent cul de sac. Lots of surprising twists make this novel about revenge interesting..

The Block Party by Jamie Day was just an okay read for. I actually struggled to finish this one. While I generally like domestic dramas, something about this felt off. The two main characters Lettie, and her Mom Alex were not that appealing. The story seems to drag on and on. Lots of drinking by Alex, who was always claiming to cut back, and parts of the story seemed redundant. Not very compelling. Thanks to Netgalley for an advance copy.