Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to listen to this audiobook. This audiobook was a great listen and I I found the story compelling. In the beginning, we find ourselves at a neighourhood block party (an annual tradition on Alton Road, a place with big homes and well heeled families). We meet most of the main characters at this block party. There is Alex, her husband Nick and their teen daughter Lettie. We also meet Alex's sister Emily and her husband Ken, as well as their teen son Dylan (Lettie's cousin) They also have a college-age son named Logan. There is also Willow and her estranged husband Evan, their troubled daughter Rylie (who is also Dylan's girlfriend and Lettie's tormentor/former childhood best friend). Then we have Brooke, a widow who's husband died when he fell off a cruise ship. There are rumours around the neighbourhood that Brooke may have killed him herself! We finally meet the family who will become the brand new neighours as they have just been to view a house up for sale on Alton Rd. The family is made up of Mandy and Samir Kumar and their older son Jay. The Story opens with us realizing there's been a death. We don't know who yet. Is it one person? More than one person? The story gets a bit confusing since after that introduction, the story takes us all the way back to the previous year's block party and then it kind of sticks on that trajectory of letting the story unfold over the months that followed. There are brief interjections from what are posts from a community online forum where the neighbours are discussing what happened on Alton Road that fateful day (without giving anything away). Throughout the story, we learn that each neighbour harbours secrets and some of these secrets are more dangerous than others. Not everything is as it appears to be. In the end, when the story comes full circle and brings us back to the "current day" block party, we see the incident unfold and it's truly not what I expected. I had guessed one part of it, but there was so much more I didn't guess. There were a lot of layers to the story, a lot of secrets revealed and it was impressive how the author wove everything together. The narrators of the book were good and easy to listen to. They had good pace and differed their voices enough to be able to tell when there was a different character speaking. Great story...sometimes a bit too heavy in the focus of the year leading up to the "big event"....since most of the book was about that past year and it read like a totally different book for a lot of that, since it was focused on these character's lives and what motivated them etc. But, I feel that it didn't take away from the story at all and didn't lessen the effect of the bombshells that got dropped along the way. If anything, it made me care about the characters more and made the effect of the final reveal that much more surprising. I wish we could give half stars as this is a solid 4.5 for me.

Short synopsis: At a block party of a week to do town in Massachusetts, someone dies.

My thoughts: I really liked the setting, and while there were multiple people involved we only had two perspectives which I loved. It helped to not get people confused.

There were definitely some unexpected twists revealed at the end, and I was here for it. Totally bingable and fast paced.

The newsletter was such s fun edition, I laughed out loud at some of the neighborly gossip and the things brought up.

This reminded me soo much of Big Little Lies my Liane Moriarty, so if you enjoyed that you’ll love this.

Read if you love:
- Your neighbors
- Secrets and lies
- Unexpected twists
- Mother/daughter POV
- Bingeable thriller

I did a mix of physical and audio on this. I really enjoyed both narrators on this. They did such a great job voicing Lettie and Alex.

There were a lot of characters to keep up with I had to make a list of who was connected to who and how but I enjoyed this light thriller. A little Desperate Housewives cul de sac drama that ends in a murder or starts with a murder but we don’t find out who until the end.

There were a lot of storylines to keep track of but the way the author pulled them all together in the end was well done.

Narrated by Megan Tusing & Suzy Jackson, both did a good job of telling the story and bringing the emotions.
I enjoyed this one I would recommend it as a good beach read not to heavy or gory.

3 ½ stars

I received this book from the publisher Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for a fair and honest review.

This was definitely a super fun summer read. It was very light on the thriller & heavy on the drama which made it interesting. If you loved Desperate Housewives then this book is for you!

I did NOT see the twists coming— AT ALL! My mouth was left hanging open on several occasions as the book wrapped up. My only complaint is that I felt like it could have been a tad shorter as the same issues kept coming up again & again.

I REALLY loved the neighborhood Facebook group & comments because if you’re personally on a neighborhood Facebook group you know how insanely (& hilariously 😅) accurate it is!

Read this one if you’re into: gossip, Desperate Housewives, infidelity, multiple POVs, mystery, drama, drama, & more drama!!

Thank you so much Jamie Day. NetGalley, & Macmillian Audio for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Alton Road, one street in the exclusive housing development Meadowbrook, contains many secrets amongst its residents. The book kicks off with a Memorial Day block party that is full of drama, past relationships, secret hook ups, prescription drug problems, and lots and lots of wine. Alex, a professional divorce mediator, delivers most of the narrative as she gossips and spies in a heavy wine-induced buzz to support the women in her neighborhood. Her daughter Lettie is a high schooler who also tries to find herself while sleuthing on her neighbor ex-bestie Riley that is dating her cousin. The neighbors are each dealing with their own stuff but are additionally connected to each other in ways that makes the murder at the end unsurprising.

The audiobook has terrific narration and I was quickly hooked. I could easily see this adapted for screen and somewhat compares to Desperate Housewives. This would make for a fun vacation read, especially if you have a bottle of wine nearby. Thank you NetGalley for the audio ARC.

I was so happy when I was approved on NetGalley for the audio version of this book. I actually requested it, knowing nothing about it, other than it had such a beautiful, eye-catching cover. The title gave me fun vibes and so I knew I wanted to read this one.
This story takes place in a cul de sac. With different families, who are all friends. Every year for Memorial Day, they have a block party. The book is told from a mother and her daughter’s POV and it time-hops from present to past. I don’t want to say too much. But, these families all have their own little secrets. Some not so little. 😳 Kind of reminded me of Desperate Housewives, but with a darker edge to it. I really enjoyed it. It took a little bit to get used to who was who and who was married to who, but the author does a great job helping you remember. But I really liked this book. The narrators were great! Megan Tusing played the mother and she did a great job. 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 I’ve heard her in other books and I love her. I thought this book was fun and original. You should definitely check this one out. It was ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 stars for me!
Thank you @netgalley and @macmillanaudio for this audio ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Pub Date: July 18, 2023

Thanks NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

For me this was just okay. A neighborhood of privileged people have an annual block party, filled with scandals, lies, cheating and murder. It was a very slow build (nothing really happened until the last 10% of the book) and even with the slow build the character development felt like it was lacking.

I received an arc of this title from NetGalley for an honest review. A great story that had me guessing until the very end. I like how the author created suspense throughout all of the characters.

Thank you for the advanced reader copy of this book. All reviews are of my own opinion based on the ARC copy.

🎧 4.5/5 ⭐️ Getting to know the characters of Meadowbrook took a bit (20%ish) but once I understood all the couples and their kids the book drew me in. I needed to know “what next” and the outcome, total surprise how it all came together!

Book had some fun references to 90s life but also dealt well with new technology and adult issue. I appreciated the way many of those issues were dealt with respect but in an interesting way.

This review was already posted to my Goodreads account.

Drama, drama, drama!
Normally I love a drama but I did not care for this one. There were too many characters to keep track of and it moved too slowly for me. To the point where I didn't really care what was going on. I'm sorry!! :(

A collection of neighbors get together to host a block party on memorial day. All of these characters have so much to hide. The adults as well as the teenagers are hiding something.
Then a tragedy strikes one of these block parties. It is then when secrets that have been kept so well begin to pour out

🎉 The Block Party - Jamie Day

4.5 ⭐️ - I immediately need to rewatch Desperate Housewives after reading this book! The lies, secrets, twists and turns, the drama… I loved it all.

Meet your neighbors. The neighbors in an exclusive cul-de-sec, Alton Rd, are intertwined in all of each others secrets and lies that are unknown to the outside world. But on the night of the annual Memorial Day block party, there’s a murder. Who did it and why?

This book and plot was wild, dramatic, mysterious, and I couldn’t get enough. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time and couldn’t wait to find out what happened in this exclusive neighborhood. The chapters were short with changing POVs and the story was so gripping that it moved very quickly. The story takes place a year prior to the murder and it is honestly perfect to unfold all of the secrets, lies, and rivalries between neighbors leading up to the murder. There were a lot of characters and connections that were a bit confusing, but cleared up as the story went on. As I was listening, all I could think about was rewatching Desperate Housewives. If you’re a fan, this one’s for you. This book is perfect for all you neighborhood gossips who need a summer read!

This domestic thriller hits neighborhoods on 7/18 so keep your eyes open for it!! Thank you Netgalley, St. Martin Press, and Macmillan Audio for the early reader and listener copies!

The Block Party was a great read by Jamie Day.The residents of the exclusive cul-de-sac on Alton Road find themselves in a web of secrets and scandal. On the night of their annual Summer block party, someone is murdered. While trying to find out who did it, the story takes you back a year earlier. Rivalries and betrayals start to unfold. I enjoyed reading this book and cant wait to read more by the author.

The families of Alton Road gather for their annual block party. What starts off as a night of fun ends in tragedy when one of the partygoers is murdered. We don’t know who and we don’t know why. Everyone is a suspect. As the night goes on and secrets are revealed the residents realize that the no one is who they thought they were.The sheer number of secrets could’ve seemed over the top, but the author kept everything from seeming Desperate-Housewives-farcical by the serious nature of what was being hidden: adultery, mental illness, drug abuse, and stalking to name a few. The intricate way the puzzle pieces all came together at the end made for a truly satisfying read. Highly recommend!

I really enjoyed this book! It has quite a few perspectives, but they were easy to keep track of and didn’t make the main issues confusing (unlike some of the books I’ve read recently). I thought the social media posts in between major events were unique and made the story seem a bit more realistic. I also loved the character development. I had expected the daughter to be a typical spoiled-rotten girl who does everything she can to displease her family, but as I got to know her character, she surprised me in the best way. I always like to guess what’s going to happen in a thriller, but this one kept me on my toes. I will definitely be recommend this to others!

Ho.Ly.Mo.Ly.

This is an amazing thriller! The annual block party comes and you know right away someone ends up dead.

Flashback to a year prior when a new family moves into the neighborhood, and Lettie has just been suspended from high school for graffiting (and the narc was one of the other neighbor kids). She and Jay, the new kid start to seek revenge against her neighborhood nemesis by discovering her secrets. Lettie’s section was told in a way that I could picture my rising senior talking, thinking, feeling. Completely authentically , almost a YA style. Nice touch, Day!

Then there’s the adult circle. Alex is our unreliable narrator who is trying to bond with her daughter, hang onto her marriage, protect her sister from a roving husband, and more.

We follow our crew for a year, twists and turns, surprises and betrayals until we ultimately surmise through our characters if revenge is all it’s cracked up to be.

Absolutley did not guess the ending of this one. Loved it. Great summer thriller!

Thanks to #NetGalley and #MacMillanAudio for the opportunity to read this awesome ARC!

I thoroughly enjoyed experiencing the audiobook rendition of this book. Tusing and Jackson truly brought the story to life, skillfully lending their voices to the main characters.

While the book's blurb hints at murder, the story ingeniously transports us back one year to acquaint us with the residents of the Alton Road cul-de-sac. Beneath the surface of this seemingly idyllic neighborhood lies a labyrinth of hidden identities and unexpected occurrences.

The gradual progression toward the anticipated murder is so gripping that you only realize your anticipation as you near the book's conclusion, where no actual death has yet occurred. My predictions for the outcome of this tale were completely askew, which pleasantly surprised me. I relish those moments when an author skillfully unveils an unforeseen twist, leaving me astonished.

An ideal choice for summer reading, this book is particularly fitting as it kicks off with a Memorial Day block party.

Compelling neighborhood thriller-y drama. The teenaged daughter POV felt really...young. As in, not the 17 or whatever she was meant to be.

Stories with gossipy, wealthy people are a bit of a guilty pleasure of mine, but this book and I didn't vibe very well.

I liked how the story was told through Alex, who knows all the hot goss, and Lettie, Alex's teenage daughter. I also enjoyed the community page chapters; it was fun reading the snarky comments.

I found the pacing to be super slow, and the story didn't pick up until the last 10% of the book. There was also a lot happening, and much of it wasn't crucial to the overall plot. It made me feel like the story didn't know what it wanted to be or what direction it wanted to take.

There were quite a few characters to keep track of, and not all of them were fully fleshed out, so they all seemed to blend together. The only one that really stood out to me was Lettie. She came across as a typical cringey teenager and was well written enough to give me secondhand embarrassment at times.

Even though I didn't like The Block Party, I would recommend it if you're in need of a beach read this summer.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the gifted copy.

This was my first book by the author, and though the premise intrigued me, I have to say, it fell pretty flat. The characters were bland and frankly, there were so many of them it took me a bit to figure it out. All in all, not one for me.