Block Party
Jamie Day
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The yearly Block Party starts off with a bang of sirens. The story then goes back a year later to tell the stories of all the characters living on the block & what happened. Trying to set up who dies & how? The story has lots of different plots & they all weave together. I felt it was slow at times. Some of the characters I liked. Some of the characters I felt should have been left out. So many secrets!! So much could have been prevented with open honest communication. It was very predictable for me. I feel bad giving a book only 3 stars, but this is my honest review.
Thank U Netgallery for the chance to read this book.
Publish date July 17, 2023

During the annual Alton Road block party shots are fired and someone is dead and speculation from the neighborhood chat group. I enjoyed the slow burn reveal that used a reverse timeline beginning the year before told by Alex and her teenage daughter, Lettie

This neighborhood is full of deception. I loved the suspense of not knowing who was involved, the victim could have been anyone in the neighborhood. The web of secrets, lies, and betrayals lead to several twists that had me guessing until the end.

The plot and writing pulled me in. The characters were masterfully developed and had their own unique personality. I found myself completely immersed in the story and I never saw the ending coming.

A block party, neighborhood drama and a murder, what else could you want? When a murder occurs during Alton Roads infamous Summer block party, the secrets of all of the neighbors are aired out for everyone to see.

The Block Party had me hooked from the very beginning. It starts out with the murder and then we jump a year back and see the betrayals and secrets unfold as the author draws us to whodunnit. From the very beginning I was invested in the characters and as I learned more about them, especially the two narrators, Alex and her daughter Lettie, I was even more invested. This mystery kept me guessing until the very end on how everything tied together. There were parts that I figured out along the way, but I didn’t see the whole picture until the end and it was being laid out in front of us. This was a well written and really engaging book, in my opinion. I would definitely recommend this as your next summer, drama-filled mystery!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book! I loved it!

This was a great book - neighborhood drama with a revenge theme running in the background. I love how the story starts at the end and then takes you back through the "how we got here". I spent the entire book trying to figure out what the character's agendas were. I really liked how all the characters were linked and every one of them was so well developed. The twists were great and the ending was a shocker!

The narration was excellent and this was a super fun listen filled with secrets and some well placed suspense. I absolutely loved this!!

One neighborhood, one annual Memorial Day block party, who knew so much could happen. In this dramatic, rich, highly sought after cul-de-sac there are many secrets being kept. Each family has their own facade, insecurities and problems. It's when these begin to spill beyond the walls that police begin to get involved.

This is written in a lead up fashion as each character is provided a motive to dislike someone else as we are left wondering who was killed that fateful year...and why. Building distrust, dishonesty and distaste for each character as things come to a head. Broken up with neighborhood group chats about the present day ambulance and police presence, this "The Block Party" by Jamie Day plants you firmly in the shoes of rich, white, American dreams gone bad.

The neighborhood community board is lighting up with new messages about a possible murder during a block party on Alton Road. Alex is the neighborhood events organizer with a drinking problem. Her daughter, Lettie, is out to get revenge on a former friend in the neighborhood. Add in a stalker, a potential spouse abuser, the results of a DNA test, drugs, and extramarital affairs, and The Block Party is packed with mystery and full of surprises.

I love a good story about neighborhood drama (just as long as it’s not my neighborhood!), and The Block Party definitely delivered. The neighborhood seemed real to me, with so many distinct characters and side plots. I did not put all the pieces together in time to figure out all the connections between the residents, so I didn’t figure out the ending ahead of time. The writing at times seemed slow, and I wasn’t quite as interested in Lettie’s chapters, even though she seemed to figure out so many people’s secrets. Overall, The Block Party was a good–but not great–read. 3.5 stars.

Megan Tusing and Suzy Jackson were fantastic narrators, and I really enjoyed their performances.

Listened to this advanced copy as an audiobook from NetGalley. The narration was done well and I liked how the story was told from Alex’s point of view and then her daughter’s. I don’t think the community message board segments really added to the story, and it could be cut out as it was more of a distraction to me. I found myself getting the husbands Ken and Nick mixed up through the first half of the book. I found some inconsistencies in the story that really bothered me—at one point a new neighbor woman and Ken (Alex’s sister) are described as giving off definite sexual chemistry toward each other, but then later on we learn something (I won’t mention it as it’s a major spoiler) that doesn’t jive with that. I was invested enough to finish listening, but it just wasn’t for me.

Rating: 4/5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
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I have been on a serious rich people drama/ suspense / thrillers / mystery recently and I’m not going to lie, I’m kinda here for it. The Block Party takes us to the exclusive Alton Road where there has been a murder. But who was it? Only time will tell because then we are transported the the previous year’s block party where we follow the characters, their secrets and deceits and rich people problems for the entire year leading up to the murder.
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At first I was a little confused at what was happening and who was who. There are a bunch of characters, but I listened to this one via audio and I actually nailed the characters down fairly quickly. It’s really told from two points of view via Alex and her daughter Lettie. There is also fun parts that revolve around a community forum where people not from Alton Road are gossiping about what is happening.
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I found this one to be super interesting because of all the “rich people drama” and found myself frequently rolling my eyes at their “problems”. After getting over my initial confusion I found myself super invested in figuring out who was murdered and why. I had my suspicions and I was actually correct, however the execution of the entire outcome I was totally off. I loved it. This one totally reminded me of one of those train wreck reality shows you can’t help but watch.
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This one was narrated by Suzy Jackson and Megan Tusing and I thought they were great! They were easily distinguishable between the two characters and I think they complimented each other well.
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The Block Party will be releasing on July 18 and I definitely recommend it to all of my rich people drama/ thriller/ suspense/ mystery fans! Its an easy bingeable read. Huge thank you to NetGalley, Macmillan Audio and Jamie Day for this ALC in exchange for my honest review.

Are you interested in a new Desperate Housewives/Big Little Lies type story? If so, The Block Party might be just what you’re looking for. It takes place over the span of a year - between two annual block parties. There’s a lot of drama happening in the neighborhood and an incident where someone ends up dead.

If this intrigues you, give it a shot! Unfortunately for me it felt too much like other stories I’ve already read so I decided to DNF at 43%. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the advance ebook and audiobook to review.

This story is told from points of view of a mother and teenage daughter.
It was interesting to see it through their different views and also seeing how each connected with all the happenings in this little cul-de-sac.

The mom...well she loves her wine and gets some bad rap for that thoughout. Whereas the daughter is an outcast at school and a bit rebellious. Those are just the tip of the iceberg of all the shadyness that is going on with all the neighbors on their block.

It's a very quick paced read with lots of twists. Several of which caught me off guard. A great summer read with all the dramatics to go along with it!

I loved listening to this one on audio. It flowed so well and kept me engaged.

I just finished the audiobook of The Block Party. The narrators are really great. There are two one of the Alex the main character and organizer of the famed Alton Road block parties and her daughter Lettie. Both of them were chosen well for this book. I have had several books ruined for me because I didn't like the narrators so I thought that was important to point out. Now on to the story.... it has a desperate housewives vibe to it where you have several neighbors, many with secrets and a few nosey who are getting involved in people's messes. The story line is is told from Alex's perspective who is kind of the queen of Alton Road. She is the one that worries about everyone but truth be told they all come to her with their problems too which leads to a slight drinking problem... okay not so slight but not the main focus of the book. This storyline has sooo many twists and turns, a few more obvious that others but I really enjoyed the book. The storyline starts off with a murder at the yearly block party and then trips back in time to a year ago and the chain of events that lead up to that fateful day. One of the more fun aspects is every now and then we have a chapter from a community page where people are guessing and complaining about what is going on. Totally relatable to anyone who is in any social community groups and pretty funny. As you are weaving through the backstory you are wondering who has been murdered and why. Several neighbors look like the culprit and certainly have motives. Several of the neighbors are guilty of some not so stellar activity or another. Read this book if you like light thrillers that you keep you guessing.

When the rich have a block party there's sure to be drama and this story spans a year, from one annual block party to the next. Everyone has secrets and many of them come to light throughout the story. A nice beach read.

4.25⭐️

Perfect for people who love people-watching and silently lurking in your local Neighbors App, insular elite neighborhood cul-de-sac drama, dysfunctional rich people, shocking secrets and lies dual perspective. I’d definitely recommend this to someone who wanted a fast paced drama filled mystery-suspense novel! Added bonus is the narrators of this audiobook we’re chef’s kiss perfection!

As for vibes, it’s definitely giving Desperate Housewives meets a sprinkle of Big Little Lies!

My only negative is there were a lot of characters, many of which had multiple different relationship links that made it a bit difficult to keep track of. I definitely think that I’d suggest either a physical character outline or reading physically could have definitely solved that one negative!

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the e-audioARC in exchange for my honest review

3.5 .Not a street where I would want to.live. So much going on behind closed doors..Secrets, secrets, secrets. The National.Enquired in fiction form, crossed with Peyton place for.those who remember that show or have read the book, with a little Housewives of mixed in. Once again one teenager who.sometimes seems more mature than the adults in her life, although some requisite teenage angst is included.

A different read for.me, I'm not usually a fan of so.much drama. Fun, though some.very serious issues. The audio was great and is one of the reasons I decided to read. Enjoyable audio listening lately. Very appreciative.

Meddling, rich, messy housewives? Sign me up. I typically love a domestic drama, but this one left something to be desired.

The story is told from the perspectives of Alex and her daughter, Lettie. Both characters were so unlikable with seemingly no redeeming qualities. Alex is a loose-lipped, alcoholic mother and wife that will spill her friends’ confidential information to anyone with ears. Lettie is an angsty, tree-hugging, spoiled rotten teenager that thinks the world revolves around her. I thought Lettie and Jay’s relationship was bizarre, considering the theme of inappropriate relationships. The Friendsgiving chapter was also insane — who unloads all their personal and marital issues to their neighbors like that? However if I’m being honest, I did love all the drama.

I have to rate this 3/5. The storyline was complex, it all wrapped up nicely at the end, and it was well-written. I just wish it was told from the perspective of better characters. The only characters I liked were Brooke and Zoey the dog. If I took anything from this book, it was the importance of minding my own damn business!

Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for the advanced reading copy!

I love an exclusive neighborhood drama and this one was so entertaining. The narration alternates between a mother and her daughter and both narrators did an excellent job bringing the tension and emotion. At first this seems like a straight forward story; marital problems, teenager problems, but there were many twists and the way the story takes you certain ways to hide others was so well done. A slow burn start that really ratchets up and two narrators that could be unreliable make it a quick read overall. I also appreciated that though the characters are clearly affluent, they are not overdone or over the top characters that make it hard to read about. A great summer read for thrills!

The Block Party
by Jamie Day
Narrated by Megan Tusing; Suzy Jackson
Pub Date 18 Jul 2023
Macmillan Audio
St Martin’s Press


The residents of the exclusive cul-de-sac on Alton Road are entangled in a web of secrets and scandal utterly unknown to the outside world, and even to each other.

On the night of the annual Summer block party, there has been a murder.

But, who did it and why takes readers back one year earlier, as rivalries and betrayals unfold—discovering that the real danger lies within their own block and nothing—and no one—is ever as it seems.

A block party is meant to be a joyous occasion, filled with laughter, music, and community spirit but a murder tends to damper festivities.

The events leading up to the Alton Road block party are told from the perspectives of Alex - a divorce mediator who uses alcohol to cope with all the things - And her daughter Lettie - a gen Z environmental advocate wanting to change the world while also taking a little revenge on a childhood bully. As the story is told from a rather inebriated Alex and naive Lettie - I was never sure what to believe. The dual point of view weaves together various partial facts and half truths that eventually reveal secrets, desires, and wrongdoings.

The writing mixes drama and dark humor that keeps the reader engaged throughout.
I laughed out loud at the facebook banter from the nearby neighborhood groups and would have enjoyed reading a bit more from the perspective of outsiders looking in.

If you like to read stories about rivalries and betrayals that are glamoured over by neighborly friendships, then you will love The Block Party.

#theblockparty #blockparty #community #neighborhoodbarbecue #summerpicnic
#netgalley #summerfun #summerread #culdesac

A truly wonderful book told through multiple view points. I really enjoyed the characters and the twists and turns that the story took. Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for my complimentary copy!

The Block Party is a suspenseful who-done-it AND who-died story. The commentary on society via the bougie Aldon Lane community is a welcome addition to the story. Wealthy suburbanites gather for an annual Memorial Day block party and the story moves forward and backward in time to give background and clues to what happened. The story definitely kept me intrigued and made a great audiobook. The narration isn't my favorite, but it was good.

Story- 5 stars
Narration- 4 stars

Thank you #StMartinsPress and #NetGalley for the ARC of the audiobook

This super twisty book is a perfect summer read, especially because it takes place over the Memorial Day holiday. This neighborhood has secrets, and the double-blind format (who was killed and who did the killing) kept me guessing over the course of the novel. I loved the format with chapters interspersed with dialog from the online neighborhood forum, which gave some outside perspective and also a bit of comedic relief.