Now this is a great summer read guys! The Block Party by Jamie Day is full of suspense and drama of all sorts and I didn't want to put it down. There are multiple viewpoints including Alex's teenage daughter Lettie as well as posts from the online community page. We also have some time jumps, and everything combined made for a very engrossing story. The main viewpoints are Alex and Lettie, and it was interesting seeing certain things through the eyes of a mom and her daughter. There are plenty of twists and turns along the way, and I don't think I saw a single one coming.

The audiobook was really well done, and I highly enjoyed listening to Megan Tusing & Suzy Jackson narrate. I was already a big fan of Tusing, but I thought they both did a great job with the various viewpoints and community page. They brought the book to life for me and made it easy to follow along with what was happening. I was able to listen at a 3x speed as well, which ended up being the perfect pace for this one. The Block Party is a great take on suspenseful domestic fiction and I also liked the way Day handled the heavier themes. If you are looking for something a little different in the best way, I would recommend picking this up at any time of the year!

This book was a drama filled thriller with lots of twists. There are many character, each with their own subplot that makes it hard to follow along with. The beginning keeps your attention, but in the middle it drops off and lets that min wander a bit.

I alternated between the ebook and audiobook. The narrators of the audiobook do a fantastic job of differentiating the vocals for each character.

I want to thank Netgalley, Macmillan Audio for an advanced listening copy, and St. Martin's Press for an ARC of this book..

I wanted to love this audiobook but I just couldn't get into it!

DNF'd after months of trying to get through it. The narrators were okay, although the younger one tended to annoy me (but also because of her book character). Too many plot points and I couldn't get over how many times they mention the mom who has an alcohol problem. Characters unfortunately felt too flat for me and this resulted in me not being able to finish it :(

I tried this one and then I tried it again. MacMillan Audio was kind enough to grant me access to this title, but it just wasn't for me. Perhaps in the future I will try it again and like it, but I failed to connect to the plot line. I felt it dragged and it never managed to pull me in.

Jamie Day's THE BLOCK PARTY is the exact sort of novel I enjoy. Bougie, catty, dramatic relationships between women, their husbands, and competitive neighbors down the block. The narrative format of setting up the block party year to year is what I enjoy as well, but I will say that this book had entirely too many characters and tried to do too much. The result: stopped caring about any of them and couldn't wait for it to be over.. I think it should have focused on EITHER just the parents, or the teens. To try to build so much intrigue between so many people got absolutely ridiculous. I did enjoy the use of the neighborhood app as a mechanism for reporting the buzz around the emergency.
Good narration.

Every year, the residents of an exclusive cul-de-sac on Alton Road come together to host block parties. However, this year's event takes a dark turn, and as the party comes to an end, the sound of police sirens fills the air instead of the usual fireworks. The residents of the glamorous Alton Road have been keeping secrets behind their dazzling curtains, and now the world is about to discover them.

The Block Party is a scandalous neighborhood drama. I loved the way the spider web connected the residents of Alton Road and their dirty secrets. I enjoyed the story, although it was easy to predict the majority of the twists. Nevertheless, the read was captivating. However, if you know me well, you know that I often dislike many main characters. Let this be the only disadvantage of this novel. Other than that - the book is an exceptional summer read that can be finished quickly.

Thank you, NetGalley, for a free and advanced copy of the novel.

The Block Party is a suspense novel about a murder during a Memorial Day block party on Alton Lane. The story follows two narrators, Alex, a mediator, and her daughter, Lettie, a high school senior. The narrative alternates between previous and current block parties, with some chapters taking place in different seasons. The characters are unlikable, and the plot moves slowly. Despite the unlikable characters, the mystery behind the murder and the identity of the victim keeps the reader interested.

Thank you #Netgalley and #stmartinpress for this free reader's copy for an honest review.

The Block Party is a bit of domestic suspense set in the middle of an episode of Real Housewives of Connecticut. The opening sets up a bit of intrigue: after getting drunk at the annual neighborhood bock party and making a fool of herself, housewife and divorce mediator Alex goes home, passes out, and wakes up to flashing lights and sirens; the next chapter, comprised of a neighborhood chat group, hints that someone is dead. Told in alternating POV (Alex in 3rd person and her 17-year-old daughter Lettie in 1st person), intermixed with some more of the neighborhood chats, we back up a year and progress through all of the events leading up to the current disaster, uncovering nasty secrets along the way. The twists are actually rather decent, if not predictable. No one in this book is a decent person, though. They all have things that make them unlikeable, not the least being the two POV characters. That's not all that terrible given the reality show atmosphere of this story, but I found Alex's POV incredibly annoying and repetitive. Okay, she's an alcoholic. Besides being incredibly cliche in itself, everything she does is predictable and stereotyped as a boozy, nosy housewife. Lettie's POV is a bit more interesting, if not irritating. She's in love with the new older "bad boy" and is a rebel who just wants to get out of dodge after graduation. Again, some ridiculous decisions and actions ruin the ability to suspend disbelief. I was curious enough about the murders alluded to in the opening to keep going to the end, but I kind of wish it had just been a YA story told from Lettie's POV alone, and then it might have been more consistent, if not more entertaining.

3.75 stars! I have been on such a domestic thriller kick and was excited to read this domestic drama next!

🎧I paired the audio with the print book and had such a fun reading experience, and thought the narration was great.

WHAT TO EXPECT
-Murder and drama at a Memorial Day neighborhood party
-twists
-great pacing!

*many thanks to St Martins Press, Macmillan Audio and
Netgalley for the gifted copy for review

THE BLOCK PARTY
Jamie Day

You are invited to the annual Memorial Day block party held in the exclusive Meadowbrook community.

Are you going to RSVP?

A cast of characters all gather to attend the annual Memorial Day block party. Everyone wants to attend this exclusive party but only a few are invited. By the end of the night, someone ends up dead, someone else is a suspect and everyone wishes they hadn’t attended the party.

I really could’ve done without this interpretation of a neighborhood thriller. Everything felt very basic. Motives were conventional, habits were stereotypical and when you add in dual timelines and a handful of perspectives, it all feels written according to a template and all for not.

There wasn’t anything that the author did wrong, and I wasn’t offended. I also wasn’t intrigued or inspired. It was a mediocre experience with few emotions one way or the other.

Thanks to Netgalley, Macmillan Audio, and St. Martin's Press for the advanced copies!

THE BLOCK PARTY…⭐️⭐️⭐️

I love a domestic thriller so much and this was very enjoyable. I totally related with the nosiness of the neighbors although I like to think I wouldn’t meddle as much as they did. You have some really distinct personalities and fully formed characters which can be hard to do with a large cast but Day makes it look easily. The dual timelines in this really added to the suspense of what happened but was also easy to follow. I enjoyed the ending and will definitely read more books by Day!

Good neighborhood mystery with lots of mayhem, interesting characters, and twists and turns, kind of a modern version of Desperate Housewives. Narration alternates between Alex who knows everyone in the neighborhood and Lexie, her goth high school student. Most of the characters grow and learn something from all the drama. The writing is good, added bonus, I always give props to an author who know how to use the word nonplussed. The narration was really good. Can't wait to read her next book.

Many thanks to my friends at @getredbookspr @stmartinspress and @macmillan.audio for the #gifted copies of this book.

Hot off a binge read!

I had big plans of starting this book right when I returned from vacation last week. But then our plane got hit by lightenening, meaning our trip home was delayed… and everything got pushed off schedule.

Ultimately, I didn’t need that extra time with this book. This is the kind of book you want to finish in less than 24 hours.

Pour a glass of wine, grab the popcorn, and plan to get lost in the juicy drama on Alton Road.

A murder takes place on the night of the annual block party. Anyone could be the victim. Anyone could be the culprit. This is a neighborhood full of scandal, and no one is exempt!

Addictive and dishy. Full of secrets and lies. The more gossip that got passed around the block, the more I became addicted.

The best part of the book: Lettie! I loved her internal dialogue and appreciated the level of maturity she brought to the story.

Thankfully my own cul-de-sac is markedly different from the Alton Road cul-de-sac. But boy did I enjoy that large dose of escapism and fun on Alton Road.

🎧 Narrated by Megan Turing and Suzy Jackson, the audiobook is the way to go! The dual narration adeptly characterized our 2 main POV, giving each a nuanced voice.

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! No spoilers. Beyond amazing I enjoyed this book so very much. The characters and storyline were fantastic. The ending I did not see coming Could not put down nor did I want to. Truly Amazing and appreciated the whole story. This is going to be a must read for many many readers. Maybe even a book club pick. Our library purchased and our patrons have been checking out and and enjoying the book. I see it is a popular book club choice as well we hope to have more oppurtinies to support authors like them

I did not care about any characteres. Saw twists coming so I was not suprised. Book was quci with actions. I enjoyed conncetion of alll characters

On the night of the annual block party on Alton road, there has been a murder. This is an exclusive neighborhood. This is not supposed to happen on this street at all! But, then the secrets start to come out and things are not as they seem!

Ok…this is just my opinion. This story is a mess…or maybe it is just too soap opera for me. So, this maybe your type of read. I just felt like there were too many story lines, too many characters and not enough connections and a lot of gossip. Plus, it has quite a few repetitions. Just got on my nerves more than it should.

It did keep me entertained all the way through. It was just a tale that I didn’t much care about.

The narrator, Megan Tusing and Suzy Jackson did a pretty bang up job. I do love a tag team!

Need a soap opera type read…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today.

I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.

This was a fun book to listen to! In the vein of "Bad Summer People" by Emma Rosenblum (which I loved) and "Cul-de-Sac" by Joy Fielding (which I DNF'd) this was a solid middle-of-the-road thriller. Filled with neighborhood drama and adults acting like children, this is a quick summer read.

Every summer, Alton Road throws a block party before the kids go back to school. This year's party, however, is ushered in with new neighbors who are unfriendly and don't seem to fit the street's vibe. The new neighbors aren't the only ones hiding things, however... From infidelity to blackmail to substance abuse, this is one messed up community.

Juicy, Solid, and a Quick read, you won't want to live on Alton Road after reading this.

The Block Party was entertaining on audio, The narration was well done and brought me back to my days of watching Desperate Housewives, with all of the secrets, lies and all of the neighbourhood drama. Having both the mother and daughter POVs was a great way to reveal the story and I thought that it brought everything together well in the end.
Thank you Macmillan Audio for the copy through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was enjoyable but kind of whacky. There was so much going on and some of the revelations toward the end were kind of repulsive. However I did enjoy more of the neighbor drama than the high school drama and was very entertained. I thought the narrators did a great job.

I listened, mostly, to this one thanks to Netgalley. The audio and different voices was fantastic. My main issue was with the story itself. It’s poorly genred as a suspense and a thriller. That is not the case. This story is more a drama, which was not what I anticipated when I went in. I really struggled to engage with any of the characters and I felt it was 100 pages overwritten. The story didn’t leave me turning pages and truly I didn’t care what happened to the characters which is where it lacked suspense. Unfortunately, this one wasn’t for me.