4.5/5 stars, rounded up

Thank you Macmillan Audio for the advanced listening copy!

Alton Road is the home to wealthy, stable families in gorgeous homes. At least, they want you to think they're stable. The annual Summer Block Party is the kick off to summer. This year, though, the unexpected spark is a MURDER. Traveling back throughout the year leading up to the tragedy, we're given an insight into the hefty dose of drama the residents are causing and kept guessing about just who is going to get murdered, and why.

I'm going to start with my only complaint: this is not a thriller. Were there aspects of a thriller/mystery? Sure. But this was WAY more a domestic drama/suspense than anything. That being said... I really liked this one. Similar vibes to BAD SUMMER PEOPLE, but better written, in my opinion. The two narrators did a GREAT job -- I particularly liked Leti's representation, it was super believable!

This book had great summer vibes, even though it had elements of an entire year. The characters were complex and full of fun-to-read drama. There was some great growth, especially in Leti (can you tell I had a soft spot for her?) and that made this all the more fun to read. I really didn't know how things were going to end up until the very end, which is always fun. The setting was great and made for an intriguing spectacle. All in all, a solid, summer read that was great on audio. Well-written, fun and clever take on the rich-people-up-to-no-good trope.

I flew through the audiobook in less than 24 hours!! Such a fantastic hook, interesting family dramas brewing through the neighborhood, and palatable suspense in every chapter as the reader tries to figure out if and how the dramas are connected. The story begins at the annual Memorial Day Block Party where someone ends up murdered. The story then flashes back over the year leading up to this fateful night and it told through the dual POV of Alex (mother) and Lettie (teenager daughter). This read has all the drama: lies, stalking, cheating, revenge, drinking/drugs, and eventually murder. Having the two POVs kept the story fresh and offered insight into how the tension and tension between the adults impacted the lives of their children. I swear by the end of this read, I had second guessed every possible connection and I still missed the mark. The ending was draw dropping and nicely buttoned up, which I appreciate from a great thriller. Kudos to the two narrators who did a fantastic job adding nuance, suspense, and drama into their performance!

Don’t hesitate! You need to add this to your summer TBR as soon as possible.
Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this digital ALC in exchange for my honest review. I will add a link to my social post closer to the pub date.

Thank you to Jamie Day, St. Martin's Press, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

I did not see the plot twists coming in this book at all! I love when books can surprise me like that. The different POVs were easy to follow along with and added an extra layer to learning about the characters. While I did enjoy this book overall, I did feel like the pacing was off. It took me a while to really get into it. The first 55-60% of the book were pretty slow in my opinion, However, once the pacing picked up I couldn't stop reading this book. The Block Party is a book I will be recommending for a fun summer read!

I was lucky enough to be able to read the ebook and listen to the audiobook. The narrators did a great job. Their narration was fun to listen to and really helped me pushing through some of the slower pacing throughout the book. Macmillan Audio always does a fantastic job with casting their narrators and this audiobook is no different with the great casting job.

4ish stars

I really enjoyed this domestic suspense thriller. I didn’t really know who the “bad guy” was until the ending, and although it wasn’t a huge surprise, in hindsight, I wasn’t upset by the conclusion. There was a lot going on throughout the story, and for some reason, I had trouble keeping some of the major characters separate in my mind. Although that made things a bit confusing at times, the overall premise worked and was intriguing, if not a wholly new concept, and I had fun reading it.

Thanks to NetGalley for an audiobook ARC. I ABSOLUTELY devoured this. I love a good fancy neighborhood scandal novel… and this was exactly that. Lots of Big Little Lies vibes, and I am 100% here for it. I hope this book is super successful!

Thank you Netgally and MacMillan audio for the free ALC in exchange for honest review. I had really high hopes and unfortunately this didn't work for me I dnf it at 45% it was moving far too slow at 2x speed.

That should really be called The Real housewives of Alton Road. I'm a Housewives fan of most of the franchises, and this audiobook really reminded me of that.

We have Alex & Nick and their 17 years old Lettie. Alex is an attorney who tries to negotiate divorces. Lettie is a smart kid, but is a misfit that and I don't think she minds that at all. She beats to her own drum.

Then there's Emily who happens to be Alex's sister and her husband, Ken. They have two sons who are athletic.

Then we have Willow and her husband Evan, who are in the middle of a divorce and their 17 years old Riley.

The Kumars. Samir & Mandy are the newest neighbors and their 20 your old son, Jay lives with them.

We also have Brooke, who is the black widow of the bunch.

There's a lot of juice that happens between this cast of characters. Gossip and juice that kept me wanting more. I really got involved in all of the storylines. I liked the way it wrapped up. Just who is the murderer? You'll have to read this to find out! I highly recommend it.

Many thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and the author for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Every year the residents of Alton Road have a block party where things can sometimes get out of hand, but this time sirens have neighbors going to the Facebook community page to see what is going on. Signs are pointing to a homicide, but who? And how? Nobody knows! This group of neighbors has it all! An alcoholic, a mysterious widow, new neighbors with a lot of secrets, a couple about to divorce, and that’s not even including the kids and all of their drama! As we are taken back through the previous year up to the night of the homicide, we learn so many secrets about these characters! This is one domestic thriller that is not to be missed!

This book includes all the drama and doesn’t leave much out! It is addictive and so well executed in my opinion. I really enjoyed how the author nails switching from a YA POV to an adult POV so seamlessly! I feel like that can be difficult, but I really enjoyed all of the varying narrators throughout! And if you have ever been in a neighborhood Facebook page, you will love the excerpts that are included from that! It is so spot on to how people interact! I found myself laughing out loud! There are so many conflicts and drama with different kids and adults throughout this book and each one is wrapped up so nicely! Even in the epilogue, I had questions, and they were all answered before the end of the book! I loved the end! The narrators did an amazing job of keeping me so wrapped up in this story! Highly recommend audio!

Wow this one was insane! I’m pretty sure my jaw stayed on the floor for 2 minutes after I was done, because WOW. Highly recommend!

Thank you #NetGalley and #MacmillanAudio for the opportunity to read and review of #TheBlockParty by #JamieDay. This was an amazing book. Loved the drama and secrets the neighbors had. Highly recommended.

I had high hopes for The Block Party by Jamie Day but unfortunately had to "not finish" it at 44 percent. I found the cast of characters friendships not believable and thought that the events occurring throughout had no relation to the plot line. The most interesting part to me was the little tidbits on the message boards, which weren't leading to the "before" sections.

Who doesn't love a good party?

Although I almost always enjoy books about dysfunctional and unlikeable protagonists from posh neighborhoods attending parties, this book was not for me.

WHY?

Too many characters with too much back-and-forth between the then and now.

I much prefer books with fewer well-developed characters.

Also, when I selected this book, I was not aware that it contained these triggers: rape, drugs, a teenager sleeping with her boyfriend's father, and suicide.

I listened to the audiobook read by Megan Tusing and Suzy Jackson. The narration was good but not great.

I'm clearly in the minority so check out the many glowing reviews.

Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 ⭐️
Suspenseful and entertaining story, however, I did feel like there was an excessive amount of side characters that were hard to keep track of. Made it more of a chaotic read.

*Thank you to the author, the publishers, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ahead of its publication date*

Someone is murdered during a prestigious neighborhood’s block party for Memorial Day! Everyone in attendance and in the neighborhood has secrets that they are keeping hidden. It could be anyone of them that was murdered and anyone of them could be the killer.

This was a slow burn murder mystery that was full of drama and secrets. I recommend if you like watching reality TV with hot mess characters.

Thank you @macmillan.audio and @netgalley for allowing me to listen to this audiobook ahead of publication in exchange for my honest review.

The story opens at the annual neighborhood block party. We then go back a year in time to the previous years’ party where someone was murdered. Everyone in this neighborhood has secrets and dysfunctional relationships are the norm.

There are a lot of characters here, but they are easy to keep straight. This is a fun domestic drama and the narration on the audio is well done. Thank you to @netgalley @macmillan.audio for an advance audio copy.

If your idea of a good summer read is a juicy story filled with secrets and lies, revenge, quite a bit of drinking, and lots of bad behavior—then this book is for you! I found it very entertaining and the audiobook format made me feel as if these narrators were sharing their stories directly with me. The bulk of the story takes place between two neighborhood block parties, held on Memorial Day weekend one year apart (with an epilogue at a third party another year later). At the first party a couple shows up to put in an offer on one of the houses, and then life unfolds over the course of the year as they get to know their new neighbors, until all of the secrets and lies come out in a wild explosion at the following year’s block party. The people on this street are well-off, but living mostly normal lives. Slowly, however, it becomes apparent that there is a lot going on beneath the surface. While there are some aspects that are not entirely novel—there are lots of books filled with these sorts of characters that are similarly juicy—there are a number of things that make “The Block Party” stand out. I loved the alternating/multiple narrators and seeing the events from different points of view. I also liked the fact that while you know from the start that someone is murdered, you don’t know who it is (and there are so many possibilities!). There are many unexpected twists which always makes for a good book. Finally, I felt that many of the characters were actually people I might know; they were not all vapid, pretentious, terrible people, as is often the case in books like this. Some made mistakes, some got in over their heads, some just reacted poorly, but many of them changed for the better over the course of the year and I liked that the cast of characters included some redeemable humans. Overall, this was very enjoyable and interesting, and I loved the very last line! Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this audiobook.

This was a great book to read ahead of Memorial Day as we celebrate many things. I come from a long line of military so I remember those who have died in service to our country. A lot of others celebrate with picnics and time off of work.

This domestic suspense novels focuses on the privileged families on Alton Road. Every year the neighborhood celebrates with a cookout filled with good food, drinks and games. The cookouts leads to shots fired and someone is dead. What a way to end a party! Of course gossip starts and everyone is a suspect. Who do you trust?

Well all know sometimes nothing is as perfect as it seems. This is a slow burn with a shocking conclusion. This book does give you Desperate housewives vibes, which I loved.
Hard to believe this is a debut by Day. I look forward to more by this author.

Thank you Netgalley, St. Martins Press, Macmillian Audio and author Jamie Day for this novel due out July 18, 2023.

This was a great audiobook. The storyline kept my interest, I really wanted to know what was going to happen next. Narrarator's voice was pleasant and easy to listen to.

"The Block Party" by Jamie Day is an absolute thrill ride from start to finish! This fast-paced and gripping novel is a true page-turner, packed with twists and turns that will leave you breathless. Told through the perspectives of two captivating characters, it offers a unique and compelling narrative experience.

With its expertly crafted plot and relentless pacing, this book grabs hold of your attention and refuses to let go. Jamie Day's storytelling is masterful, keeping you on the edge of your seat as you unravel the secrets and surprises hidden on Alton Street.

I could absolutely see this thrilling tale on the big screen; its cinematic qualities and gripping narrative would make for an enthralling miniseries. "The Block Party" is an immersive, heart-pounding read that deserves to be experienced in multiple mediums. Brace yourself for a wild journey and be prepared to share in the excitement and anticipation that this exceptional novel has to offer. It's a five-star experience that should not be missed.

Scheduled for publication on July 18th, 2023, "The Block Party" is an exceptional work of fiction that deserves to be on every reader's radar. I extend my sincerest thanks to St. Martin's Press, MacMillan Audio and NetGalley for granting me the privilege of reading and listening to this gripping story in advance.

Thank you so much NetGalley and Jamie Day for this ARC! What a difference a year makes! This thriller that’s place at the annual Alton Road block party. Someone ends up dead and then it goes backwards to one year before. This book exceeded my expectations! It had so many twist and turns and I couldn’t put it down!