Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Block Party encompasses the affluent neighborhood on Alton Road chaos ensues leading up to that years Block Party. The neighborhood is strife with jealousy, cheating, secrets and black mail.

I really enjoyed this book, but it took a while to get into it and the ending was very drawn out. I enjoy domestic thrillers and this one definitely had me guessing the whole time.

This was a fun and quick read and listen. The voice actress did a wonderful job jumping between characters. The twists and turns we surprising and the biggest and the end was a huge surprise. I enjoyed it.

The Alton Road block party is to die for!

At first, I was unsure about this book. It was difficult to keep track of all the people and drama. There were a couple turns, but the big one at the end had my jaw drop!

Alton Road families assemble for their yearly block celebration. What begins as a nice night turns tragic when one of the partygoers is murdered. We don't know who it is or why it happened. Everyone is a potential suspect. The residents find that no one is who they thought they were as the night progresses and secrets are uncovered.

This book started slow for me, but towards the end I started to put all the pieces together! Highly recommend!

This was a domestic suspense novel about a murder during an annual Memorial Day block party in a fancy neighborhood told by Alex, a mediator and very nosy neighbor, and Lettie, her teenage daughter. It was also told in 2 timelines; current day along with last years party and the months leading up to this years party.

Overall I liked this book enough to finish it & find out who the victim was but thats about it. There were a lot of characters to keep track of, a lot of drama & an online community board gossip board full of theories. With so much going on though the plot moved along slow for me & I really found most of the characters unlikeable.

The audiobook definitely kept my attention. If It were not for the audio I probably would not have finished this one. I liked the narrators and the community board sections.

THE BLOCK PARTY by Jamie Day is a quick read that will keep you guessing until the end. It’s Desperate Housewives meets Big Little Lies. Also perfect for Elin Hilderbrand fans. It’s the perfect read for when you want some neighborhood drama, scandals, and some mystery.

There’s a murder at the beginning, but the reader is brought back to the previous year to work out who was killed and what events led up to it. I really enjoyed the format and how it kept me guessing.

Thank you for the early eARC @stmartinspress and ALC @macmillan.audio!

The Block Party is author Jamie Day’s first published novel, and what a novel it is! Ms. Day leads her readers into a climate of interpersonal intrigue and social drama in the exclusive Alton Road cul-de-sac. With five homes in this elite neighborhood, the melodrama, the secrets, the betrayal is more than enough for an entire community. Residents include the Fox family, Alex, Nick, and Letty; the Adairs, Alex’s sister Emily, Ken, Logan, and Dylan; the Thompsons, Willow, Evan, and Riley; young widow Brooke Bailey; and the newcomers Mandy, Samir, and Jay Kumar.

The book begins with the annual neighborhood Memorial Day party, but the description is partial, leaving breadcrumbs to what happens but all the reader knows for sure is that someone dies. The story then rewinds to the prior Memorial Day party and slowly introduces all the players and their secrets through the eyes of Alex and her daughter Letty as it moves through the year, coming full circle as the clues are scattered along the way.

This story is so well plotted, the characters well described, and the clues buried, then revealed. However, every time the reader thinks they have a handle on the outcome, the next page will prove them wrong. In fact, it isn’t until the very end that the story fully comes together and the reader is able to take a deep breath!

Hard to believe this is a premiere novel! It is so well crafted, more like the work of someone more seasoned. If this is the beginning, I am anxious to see what else Ms.Day has in store for her readers. I very much enjoyed this book and I do recommend it!

3.5 stars.

Jamie Day's "The Block Party" is a well-done, twisty mystery with a massive dose of drama. It did manage to (mostly) keep me guessing from start to finish, but I felt like the book was far too long and dragging to hold my attention consistently. It didn't need to be as long as it was, and I think it loses the plot around the halfway mark. This story is full of awful, wealthy, entitled, privileged people doing increasingly awful things to their neighbors, their friends, and their family members. The dialogue can be pretty cringe at times, but it all adds to the mounting *~drama,~* so if you enjoy that type of story, chances are, you're going to love this book. I personally enjoy this kind of book when it doesn't feel sluggish and soap opera-y. It's certainly a juicy summer poolside read, but it's not without its flaws. Luckily, Megan Tusing and Suzy Jackson's audiobook narration are excellent, and the various voices helped me keep the characters straight in my brain.

Thank you to NetGalley, Jamie Day, St. Martin's Press, and Macmillan Audio for the complimentary ARC/ALC of this book. All opinions are my own. I was not compensated for this review.

This was delish!!

The Block Party starts with a Memorial Day annual block party where a murder is committed. Then we go back a year and meet the neighbors of Alton Road and little by little we discovered their secrets.

Alex Fox lives on Alton Road with her husband Nick and her daughter Lettie.

Alex's sister. Emily Adair lives on the same road with her husband Ken and their son Dylan.

A young and beautiful widow, Brooke Bailey.

A couple in the middle of a divorce, Wilow and Evan Thompson, and their daughter, Riley.

Last but not least are the new neighbors, Samir and Mandy Kumar, and their son, Jay, Lettie immediately has an interest in him.

There is a dual POV. One by Alex and another by her daughter, Lettie. Lettie is smart and snarky. Alex is nice, she tries to help everyone but she might like alcohol a little too much.

Brooke has a reputation. Some people believe that she murdered her husband.

Emily is having some marital issues and she didn't like how interested Ken is in newcomer Mandy.

For a lover of the show Desperate Housewives, I had fun with this one. The Block Party was full of twists and turns making it quite addicting.

I liked Alex's character a lot and I felt bad for her alcoholism. Lettie was great too. Although sometimes she acted like a brat to her parents, especially her mom.

The narrators Megan Tusing and Suzy Jackson did an amazing job of bringing all the characters to life.

The conclusion was quite satisfying since it brings all the answers to the table.

Cliffhanger: No

4/5 Fangs

A complimentary copy was provided by St. Martin's Press /Macmillan Audio via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

A fast-paced multiple perspective mystery that centers around the affluent cul-de-sac on Alton Road. The Block Party is full of love, twists, envy, secrets, deception and lies. Who will die on Alton Road?

Pros:
- narration
- twists
- interlocking of story lines

Cons/Potential Cons:
- many characters to keep straight

This starts out with the annual Memorial Day block party at Meadowbrook community and we are hearing posts from a Facebook page about sirens and something that went down during the party. As the posts continue we learn that there has been a murder on Alton Road. We are soon thrown back into the past and are told the stories from Alex Fox's and from her teenage daughter, Lettie's view points, from the past and little glimpses of the present day.
This started off pretty strong and got my interest right away as I got to know all the neighbors and the possible dirt they could be hiding.. But shortly after the book starts dragging and lost my attention several times. I had a hard time finishing this but then the last few chapters really picked back up. There were several different reveals, some predictable, some I had no idea were coming. I feel like because I had lost so much interest through the snail-paced middle part I didn't enjoy the reveals as much as I would have, had some of the unnecessary info been cut. There were also a lot of people to keep track of and I found myself confused on more than one occasion thinking someones dad was someone else's and not being able to remember who was who's sister and so on. All in all this did turn out good and had a lot of surprises. I also really enjoy when part of the reveal is also who has been murdered, which keeps the guessing that much more interesting. I am in between a 3 and a 4, so I will do 3.5 rounded up.
Thank you so much to NetGalley and Jamie Day for allowing me to listen to an ARC in exchange for my honest review!

This one really made me think. While it seemed far fetched there were also parts that felt quite relatable. The writing was good and the characters were likable.

Thank you to @netgalley and @Stmartinspress for a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. Thank you to @macmillian.audio for a free download of the audiobook.

There is mystery, drama, scandals, murder, and everyone has something to hide! The residents of Alton Road have a lot going for them and your attention will be grabbed right away as stalkers are brought to night, affairs are uncovered, and shady people move to the block. Everything comes to the annual Memorial Day Block Party when someone dies. They way the author blends different characters lives together is impressive. The character development has you guessing who’s involved and who’s innocent.

This is a great read for the summer!

4 stars

#books #bookishlife #booklover #readingisfun #iowabookstagrammers #iowabookstagram #netgalley #stmartinspress #macmillianaudio #ltbreaderteam #theblockparty #jamieday #smpinfluencers

From the moment you hear of this block and these families you become one. So well written that you can imagine you are there living on that street. This book keeps you guessing till the end and wanting more like these family are one of your own.

The Block Party was a little slower paced for the type of mood that I was in at the time, but it totally delivered on the neighborhood drama vibes that I was looking for. I was worried the multiple characters would be hard to follow but overall it wasn't an issue. The audio was well done and the different kinds of voices made it easier to tell each POV apart, which is always an added bonus when there's so many perspectives. Overall this was just an okay read for me but definitely enjoyable!

Thank you Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for my review copy!

The Block Party is an intriguing who-done-it mixed with neighborhood nosiness and social media fueled gossip. With a variety of first person narration, the reader gets to work through the mystery along with the characters, who range from teenagers processing romance, addiction, and deceit, to their parents who deal with...romance, addiction and deceit. Good read!

This book is the perfect summer read! I listened to the audiobook and honestly at first I was concerned that I would not be able to follow the story given the characters. This was not the case at all! The two narrators being self aware of their short comings was refreshing. The story is plotted well and trying to figure out all the secrets was fun.

I was too impressed by this one. It was definitely a lot of filling in as opposed to action in the moment which is a little understandable with the set up, but wasn’t enjoyable.

Book Title: The Block Party
Author: Jamie Day
Genre: Thriller /Domestic Suspense
Release Day: July 18, 2023
Format: Audio Book
Rating: Story 4⭐️ Narration 5⭐️

Synopsis: This summer, meet your neighbors.

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.

My Thoughts: This was a super fun summer thriller. Are you a fan of domestic thrillers? If you like chatty, nosey neighbors full of secrets that bring you twists and turns galore, then this book is for you! This had me hooked from the beginning and the narration was superb! I cannot wait to see what this author comes up with next!

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the advanced listening copy of this release.

I'm way too judgmental of thrillers these days. None of them can surprise me or keep me entertained, but I did enjoy this one enough to finish it!

Alton Lane is hosting its exclusive yearly block party. While always rife with drama this year, one of their own will die. The cul-de-sac spirals out of control as their neighbors' secrets and lies come to light.

Domestic thrillers and I have a tenuous relationship. I enjoy parts of the drama and mystery but am always disappointed by over-the-top twists. While Block Party had a few twists and turns, they were not eye-roll-inducing, nor super predictable.

Overall, I had fun. I enjoyed the drama. I was intrigued by what was going on. However, it was a little long and unevenly paced. Several parts felt repetitive. My other issue was there were far too many characters. If my friend hadn't done a fan casting during our buddy read, I would have lost track of half of them. Block Party also contained two tropes that I do not care for: rich people behaving badly and my most hated domestic thriller trope - the drunk woman.

I do think a lot of people will enjoy this. It is the perfect summer read.

I listened via audio, and enjoyed both narrators. One was Suzy Jackson, who I always love listening to.

Perfect for fans of:

Rich people behaving badly
Neighbor drama
Family drama
Desperate Housewives vibes
Dual POVs

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Macmillan Audio for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.