OOOOF. I'm so thankful I don't live in this neighborhood because the drama alone would make me lose my hair. I am very thankful to St. Martin's Press, Jamie Day, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for granting me advanced audiobook access to this twisty, gossipy thriller before its release date on July 18, 2023.

As the reader, we hear from the POVs of Alex, a divorce lawyer nursing a drinking problem, and her teenage daughter, Letty, who's very passionate about the earth, climate change, and social activation. These two face the problems of Alton Road head-on, holiday after holiday, and scandal after every gruesome scandal. Divorces are sought after, affairs are had, and stalkers proceed with their hunts in this little yet connected neighborhood.

Flash forward to the Memorial Day Block Party, and two bodies are found dead, but at what cost and why? Us readers will have to saddle up for every neighborly run-in for all of the clues to compile together why this group can't just be civil amongst each other.

The Block Party introduces the residents of Alton Road and their many secrets and indiscretions. This dual-POV mystery is narrated by a mother and her teenage daughter and surrounds the events of the Memorial Day block party from a year ago through present day. I particularly enjoyed the performance by the narrator voicing Lettie's POV.

This book and the characters reminded me a lot of the TV show Desperate Housewives. The reveals were well-placed and the connections between various characters turned out to be interesting, but I also found the plot a bit monotonous at times and I thought the online community page transcripts could have been omitted altogether. I prefer a faster pace with more tension and action when reading this genre, but for being a debut, I was intrigued and look forward to seeing more from this author.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for gifting me with an ALC to review!

It started with a block party and ended in murder!

The Meadowbrook community has an annual block party. It's a time for everyone on Alton Road to come together, enjoy a fun evening, eat good food, hear good tunes, and socialize. But in this neighborhood, there are secrets, scandals, and deception!

This is clearly not Mr. Rogers neighborhood!

Who was killed? Who is the killer? Who has something to hide?

I enjoyed how this mystery played out. There are a lot of characters, but each is unique. The book is told through the POVs of Alex and her daughter, Lettie. The book is also told in the present day and one year in the past. This could have been confusing, but I found it easy to keep track of the time.

Everyone in this book has secrets, there are those with things that want to hide, and there are those looking for the truth! This was juicy as well as entertaining and fun! I especially enjoyed that I didn't know who was killed until near the end of the book. Everything does come together with some twists and the killer reveal. I had no idea where things were going and didn't come close to guessing the whodunit.

This was a great debut novel and I look forward to what Jamie Day writes next!

I thoroughly enjoyed the audio for The Block Party and loved the feel of a beach read even as I sit on a West Virginia mountain in May where the low tonight will be 40 degrees. Jamie Day has me wishing for summer, picnics and a good game of Egg Toss. Hold the murder please.

Taking place in a ritzy neighborhood full of interesting characters, subterfuge, Hitchcockian Rear Window vibes, and, my personal favorite, the neighborhood chat board - The Block Party kept me listening and this was an easy one day read.

A lot happens in this little suburban paradise and Day manages to tell a good story using past recollections and current happenings. I've lived in block party neighborhoods where queen bees organize the event like a well oiled machine and am now very grateful to reside, nearly alone, in a rural enclave of like-minded loners. I do not miss the days of neighbors watching neighbors.

I suspect The Block Party will do very well and can highly recommend this for your summer beach bag.

4 stars

I predict this will be a favorite summer thriller for many. Even randomly reading this the weekend before Memorial Day from my home in a community very much like the one described in this novel had me longing for some icy limeade and keeping a suspicious eye on the neighbors!

Alex and Letty (not sure about the spelling on the latter since I listened to the audiobook!) share perspectives in this fun domestic mystery/thriller. Their upscale neighborhood is filled with typical seeming families and individuals, but as is also the case in reality, everyone has secrets, and there is a sinister underbelly that rolls over into the light very early in the novel. Readers and residents learn very quickly through observation and also through a Next-Door type of messaging board that an act of violence has occurred in the community, and they - like readers - can't wait to get to the bottom of it.

There are a lot of characters filtering in and out of this one, and Day creates a nice balance between past relationships, longstanding motivations, and current drama. The narration from a mother's and daughter's perspectives adds so much. Readers get insight into both the adult world and the teen world, where in this case, the teens often seem to know more, do more "grown-up stuff," and have more insights than the preceding generation. Letty, especially, is so likeable to me that I generally just enjoyed getting to spend more time in her head and learning about events through her perspective.

These folks may be living in little boxes on the hillside, but they are getting into some strange stuff in those spaces, and this is all to the benefit of the readers. Grab a margarita and a pool chair and crack this one for a fun summer thrill.

All I can say is this book is insane!! There were constant twists and everyone was keeping so many secrets. Neighborhood drama always is a good read but this was something else. The narration is great!

The families on Alton Road have an annual block party and this year, there has been a murder. No one knows what has happened and everyone is keeping so many secrets that it is hard to know the actual truth.

The Block Party
Jamie Day
Audiobook Narrators: Megan Tusing and Suzy Jackson
Pub Date: July 18, 2023

I listened to the audiobook for The Block Party and I think I enjoyed it just as much, if not more, than reading the book! The narrators, Megan Tusing and Suzy Jackson were absolutely phenomenal and I think I’ve found some new must listen to narrators! They did such a great job making the audio version so dynamic and I just loved it!

The Block Party by Jamie Day was such an addicting read! I found myself promising to read only one more chapter before bed and before I knew it, I had read 5 more.

I loved how the book started out in the present day to build suspense and then flashed back to one year ago to show was happened to lead up to the present day. I also really enjoyed the resident comments on the Facebook Page in the present day--I found myself reading them and thinking the comments reminded me of our neighborhood Facebook drama.

The character development was absolutely amazing. I will say, in the beginning, I had to take some notes in order to keep the characters straight, but quickly caught on and could not get enough of the Alton Road drama!

I did NOT expect the ending at all. From the get go, I tried to find clues to find out was murdered at the block party, but could not figure it out. I loved the ending and how everything came together.

I also really enjoyed the theme of friendship in this book. It was really heartwarming to see how the women came together to support one another.

The chapters that were written from Lettie's perspective were great because it allowed the reader to see a different perspective and I think it really made the story more dynamic.

I don't know why, but I felt like the book gave Big Little Lies vibes and I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoyed that book!

If I could give this book more than 5 stars, I totally would! I highly suggest you add this to your TBR list NOW!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you to Jamie Day, MacMillan Audio, Megan Tusing, Suzy Jackson and NetGalley for an advanced copy of The Block Party audiobook!

Posted on Instagram on May 19, 2023 (Currently Reading): http://www.instagram.com/nobookmark_noproblem
Posted on Goodreads on May 21, 2023: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/144922955?ref=nav_profile_l
**Posted on Instagram (full review) on July 18, 2023: http://www.instagram.com/nobookmark_noproblem
**Posted on Instagram (mini review) late June or early July 2023: http://www.instagram.com/nobookmark_noproblem
**Posted on Amazon on July 18, 2023
**-will post on designated date

"The Block Party" by Jamie Day is a gripping murder mystery that unfolds after a festive 4th of July celebration. With well-developed characters and an atmosphere of secrets, suspicion, and surprising revelations, the author keeps readers hooked until the very end.

The author expertly crafts a diverse cast, each harboring hidden complexities and personal struggles. When a murder occurs, their lives become intertwined, exposing a web of secrets and rivalries that keeps readers guessing.

"The Block Party" excels at building suspense and intrigue. Every clue casts doubt on the innocence of the characters involved, creating an atmosphere of uncertainty where anyone could be guilty.

The author's immersive writing style transports readers to the heart of the block party and its aftermath, heightening the impact of the murder and adding depth to the story.

Oh my god… this was so fucking good. I’m glad I don’t live anywhere near Alton road LMAO. This book was wild!!! My only complaint is that there were a lot of characters & at some points throughout the book it was hard to keep up with who’s who. I can’t wait for Jamie Day to come out with more books because this was SO good.
Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

On the surface, they're an enviably friendly, close community of neighbors who like each other enough for regular hangouts and an annual block party. But some of them like each other more than they should, they're all hiding secrets, and some of those secrets intersect in shocking ways. And over the course of a year, all of those secrets are going to begin unraveling in a deadly way.

Loved loved loved this book. The narrators are also fantastic. Full review to come in a couple days.

3.5 stars

Alton Road is an exclusive cul-de-sac, where the residents throw an annual block party. Normally the party goes without a hitch. However, this year, someone gets murdered. Who it is is not mentioned into much further into the book. What happened on that night? Everyone is a suspect!

The premise of this reminded me a bit of Big Little Lies, which I enjoyed. It was bingy and and full of intriguing characters. That said, the story felt a bit long and became a bit over the top toward the end. There were also a ton of sub plots that sometimes that tended to detract from the overall plot.

Starting off in the present day, the story kicks off at a Memorial Day block party for the residents of Alton Road, where readers are introduced to the residents through the viewpoints of several different characters. The party ends when there is a tragedy and from there, we travel back in time one year to follow the characters and the lead-up to the current-day disaster. There are a lot of characters here, each chiming in with their own version of events but I still enjoyed the story. And it gives me another reason to avoid my own block party!