I struggled to finish this. I liked the premise, but I think I would have dnf'd if it hadn't been a NetGalley book. There were pieces of it that captured my interest, but it just felt too long for what it was.

The different threads and different characters were a lot and not particularly interesting to me. The tension and buildup just weren't there for me. So unfortunately, this one wasn't for me.

This was just alright! I had a hard time following with all the characters and they were un likable to me.

On an ideal street, nothing can go wrong. Until absolutely everything does. During an lovely block party, there is a murder, then the narrative goes back in time to understand the day. The narration is split between a mother and daughter, one wary of the new neighbors, one attracted to the son of the neighbors. Here is divorce, drugs, broken friendships, and Only Fans. Who could want more! A paranoid ride for everyone in the suburbs.

This book was full of drama and gossip and I loved the “Real housewives” vibe. It was a really good ready and I enjoyed the ‘who-done-it aspect’. I will definitely be reading more of Jamie Day in the future.

Rich people's neighborhood drama is some of the best to read about, add a mystery and I'm here for it. The Block Party by Jamie Day revolves around a murder that takes place at this exclusive neighborhood's summer block party. The story takes us back to the previous year's block party and all the drama that unfolds throughout the year. There are two narrators, Alex (the neighborhood drunk who is always promising to quit), and her daughter, Lettie.

I enjoyed the premise of the book, but it fell a little flat for me. The narrators were both very unlikable, especially Alex, who was extremely annoying to me. She explained way too much detail and the book dragged on for this reason. I kept reading to find out who the murderer was, but honestly didn't care all that much since none of the characters were very interesting. Overall, I thought it was decent, but I probably won't think about this book again in the future.

This was a 5 star for me that I devoured it in a short time. Throughly enjoyed this debut novel by Jamie Day.

This story is told in two POV - Alex and her daughter Lettie. It’s centered around a tragedy that happens at the annual block party. It goes through a timeline of events the year prior to the block party where tragedy strikes. There are 5 families that live on the “block” that are involved in the story. This reminds me of Big Little Lies, Desperate Housewives (because of the secrets) or a Lifetime movie.

Definitely one I couldn’t put down and kept finding myself wondering what would happen next or what secret would be exposed next.

Special thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for sharing this perfect digital reviewer copy with me in exchange for my honest thoughts.

𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐑𝐎𝐃𝐔𝐂𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐀𝐋𝐄𝐗𝐀𝐍𝐃𝐑𝐀 𝐅𝐎𝐗.

𝐈n yet another wealthy American suburban cul-de-sac, this time in a too-close-for-comfort little community on Alton Road, situated in the fictional setting of Meadowbrook, Massachusetts, we follow the storyline to a neighborhood Memorial Day block party in full swing. The music is thumping; the neighborhood kids are having fun—playing and squealing with delight; the tiki bar is open for business, and the neighborhood dads are all busy tending the grills. The Alton Road block party is an annual affair, and there has never been a dull moment in its history. By the way, the person responsible for organizing the yearly festivities is the queen bee of the coveted Altonites, our leading lady, Alexandra "Alex" Fox. Alex is a wife, mother, family lawyer turned divorce mediator, and "recovering" alcoholic.

From where we sit, observing the goings-on in the lives of this cast of characters, Alexandra is the first to take center stage. She moves about the block party, playing her part, smiling on the surface but grimacing within. While Alex has become a pro at putting on airs—feigning happiness—her home life is anything but joyous. She drinks (too much, too often) for the same reason most alcoholics do: to forget and numb the pain, if only briefly.

Alex and her husband, Nick, constantly bicker, and she has lost control of her only child, a teenage daughter named Lettie. Now the block party is on, and Alex is tipsy-tipsy. She's doing her best to avoid her husband, but he advances on her anyway, condemning her intoxication and ordering her to go home and sleep it off, which she does. A good nap can always chase away the drunk, but it's not so good at staving off the hangover. When Alex awakes, her head is pounding, and her mouth is bone-dry. And rather than hearing the smooth sounds of fireworks, music, and laughter from her neighbors enjoying the last remnants of their Memorial Day block party, Alex startles awake to the wailing sound of police sirens.

Dear reader, the stage is now set for a vicious, year-long chain of events that will make you question everything you thought you knew about the nature of humankind, everything you thought you knew about your friends, neighbors, and even your significant other. For here, the love—or lack thereof—of many will all but turn a cold shoulder and emote a bitter scowl.

Dear reader? Shall we recommence?

꧁༺ 𝓞𝓷𝓮 𝓨𝓮𝓪𝓻 𝓔𝓪𝓻𝓵𝓲𝓮𝓻 ༻꧂

𝐃𝐄𝐀𝐑 A̶B̶B̶Y̶ 𝐀𝐋𝐄𝐗.

There are two things Alex Fox should have but doesn't: a clergy collar and a confession booth. Alex is the person everyone turns to for advice on how they should live, how to build better foundations for their marriages, what they should do about money issues, what to do if their spouse is cheating, how to handle domestic situations, what to wear and how to wear it, how they should bathe and brush their teeth and wash their hair, etc., etc., etc. People seek out Alex to tell her all their problems. And Alex, the confessor, is only too willing to advise, too intent on fixing their lives.
Perhaps the worst of those needing guidance is Alex's younger sister, Emily Adair, an unhinged, albeit highly in-demand real estate agent. The wife of Ken Adair, a successful software salesman (say that three times fast), the brunette, hazel-eyed Emily is jealous of her husband, Ken, and feels threatened by other (more beautiful) women. Ken had ONE affair before—or so he admits—and Emily has NEVER forgotten it. A realtor whose motto is the "Thrill of the Deal," Emily is always on edge, with one eye on the commissions and the other on her arrogant philanderer of a husband. Ken Adair is a dog, no doubt about it. Emily doesn't trust him, and in no uncertain terms does she let everyone in her miserable and insecure orbit know it. She'll be damned if she allows him to humiliate her again. And no matter what, her big sister, Alex, will always be in her corner. Emily can count on it.

𝘖𝘯𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘌𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘺 𝘥𝘪𝘥𝘯'𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵 𝘰𝘯, 𝘩𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳, 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘢𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘢 𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘸𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘯𝘢𝘮𝘦𝘥 𝘔𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘺 𝘒𝘶𝘮𝘢𝘳—𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘒𝘦𝘯 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘨𝘰𝘰-𝘨𝘰𝘰 𝘦𝘺𝘦𝘴.

𝐎𝐍 𝐖𝐄𝐃𝐍𝐄𝐒𝐃𝐀𝐘𝐒, 𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐘 𝐖𝐄𝐀𝐑 𝐏𝐈𝐍𝐊: 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐌𝐄𝐀𝐍 𝐆𝐈𝐑𝐋𝐒 𝐎𝐅 𝐌𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐎𝐖𝐁𝐑𝐎𝐎𝐊 𝐌𝐈𝐃𝐃𝐋𝐄 𝐒𝐂𝐇𝐎𝐎𝐋.

Lettie Fox, the only lonely child of Nick and Alex, is not without her pubescent struggles. Smart as a whip, Lettie, an activist, is on the climate crisis committee at Meadowbrook Middle School, studying global warming, among other atmospheric ills that threaten the climatic health of planet Earth. Once a happy and carefree teen (with a dream of attending USC, never mind her dad's sternly advising UMass), Lettie is now withdrawn and antisocial—not to mention a social pariah and outcast. Lettie used to have friends, but that was before she fell victim to a small (and small-minded) group of mean girls led by her former best friend from childhood, the rich and snobbish Riley Thompson. A tramp in disguise, the blonde-haired Riley is the essence of popularity and the former president of the student council who struts about with the air of an A-list celebrity. Riley ("Rye," as her former friend turned foe, Lettie, likes to call her) knows there is a difference between right and wrong, but she prefers to do the latter. Riley and her arrogant posse of girlfriends delight in the evil they do to Lettie. The mean girls show no mercy, even dubbing the target of their oppressive treatment "Loony Lettie." What makes matters worse is that Riley is dating Lettie's cousin, Dylan Adair. That, on top of her hateful treatment of Lettie—which stings with the power of a scorpion.

The BMW-driving Riley Thompson is a liar, a backstabber, a betrayer, and a baby snake the world would be better off without. And Lettie would love to take her vengeance on the mean girl—if only she had the guts to do so. Lettie may have a little compassion left over in her broken heart, but not everyone shares her empathy. Riley Thompson—wearing her pink, expensive sneakers and snapping selfies on her pink, expensive phone—is a self-loathing skank.

𝘚𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘱𝘢𝘺, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭—𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘦.

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐁𝐎𝐘 𝐖𝐈𝐓𝐇 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐂𝐎𝐑𝐏𝐈𝐎𝐍 𝐓𝐀𝐓𝐓𝐎𝐎.

On the day the Kumar family moves into the big, beautiful, expensive, and empty home on Alton Road, the festivities of the block party are already ongoing. Punjab, India native Samir, the controlling and jealous husband, is a psychiatrist; his lovely, tall, and blonde wife, Mandy, is a psychologist; and their good-looking son Jay, the vaping boy with a scorpion tattoo on his wrist, is an aspiring hacker and a shady character for whom Lettie falls head-over-heels at first sight. Jay is the oldest surviving son of the distant Samir and Mandy, who lost their youngest child, Asher, to a drowning death only a few years before. The weight of the untimely demise of her youngest child has taken an extreme toll on Mandy Kumar, but deep, dark secrets about her past are even more haunting. Deep, dark secrets that now call Alton Road home.

Jay loves his mother and wants to protect her. And he will; he will defend her honor. He'll get the person who robbed his mother of her dignity and left her a broken woman.
Jay Kumar possesses a ruthless sting, the scorpion tattoo on his wrist betraying the true spirit of his nature. Unfortunately for Lettie, hell-bent on exacting revenge on mean girl Riley, she will find this out the hard way. Jay knows something about Riley that Lettie doesn't. And the sickening secret is sure to crush her.

𝘑𝘢𝘺 𝘒𝘶𝘮𝘢𝘳 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘦 𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘜𝘮𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘢 𝘔𝘢𝘯 – 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘦𝘳 (𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘧𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘢𝘭) 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘙𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘛𝘩𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘴𝘰𝘯.

𝐂𝐑𝐄𝐄𝐏𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐎𝐍 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐃𝐎𝐖𝐍-𝐋𝐎𝐖: 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐋𝐔𝐒𝐓𝐅𝐔𝐋 𝐍𝐀𝐓𝐔𝐑𝐄 𝐎𝐅 𝐊𝐄𝐍 𝐀𝐃𝐀𝐈𝐑.

Ken Adair is onery, full of himself. He was the big, popular jock in high school, the big man on his college campus, Ken Adair; he makes women swoon, Ken Adair; he can charm a woman straight out of her panties, Ken Adair. And his whiny, whimpering wife, Emily, should thank the gods that he found her worthy to be called his wife.

Ken prides himself on the fact that only his genitalia can rival his ego in size. He's a boaster who purposefully engages in partiality towards his two sons, Logan and Dylan, favoring the elder Lacrosse champion Logan—who's more like his dear old dad, Ken—over the youngest, Dylan, who can't seem to live up to dad Ken's lofty standards. And none of it is doing the kid's mental health any good. While Dylan mopes around depressed and feeling like a failure, no thanks to his idiotic father, Ken, Death holds out its hand, pleading with Dylan that the young man would be better off in the netherworld of its realm. Given the atmosphere in the Adair household is already tense, no thanks to Ken's browbeating his youngest son and his extramarital affairs for which Emily never (truly) forgave him, Ken Adair was just spotted by his sister-in-law, the nosy Alex, sneaking out the back door of the Kumars' new home and creeping into the woods beyond. No one but Mandy had been home at the time. So what was Ken doing there with her—alone? And what made Ken withdraw $25,000.00 from Emily's and his checking account? He claimed the suspiciously large withdrawal was for taxes—but was it? Ken and Emily have plenty of money (or so Emily says), but still. A quarter of one hundred thousand dollars is a lot of money—with the ability to raise red flags. Emily's missing emerald necklace is also cause for concern. Where is it?

𝘞𝘩𝘰 𝘵𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘪𝘵?

𝐏𝐈𝐂𝐓𝐔𝐑𝐄 𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐅𝐄𝐂𝐓 — 𝐎𝐑 𝐒𝐎 𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐘 𝐀𝐏𝐏𝐄𝐀𝐑 𝐓𝐎 𝐁𝐄.

Willow Thompson is a tall and svelte thirty-something blonde who is awfully immaculate and always dressed to impress—for a woman with no job. How does she do it? How does Willow manage to stay so blemish-free, fat-free, and stress-free? Well, it doesn't take much effort when you're married to the world-famous fashion photographer Evan Thompson, a spoiled, arrogant jerk who fancies lording his money, or, rather, his family's money over others.

On the surface, the notable—and extremely temperamental—Evan Thompson, his beautiful wife Willow, and their pretty daughter Riley are the picture of perfection, a family with money and everything else the heart could wish for. But the goings-on behind closed doors are disgusting and ugly things that have become adept at hiding themselves from the prying eyes of those fellow Altonites.

In the case of Evan and Willow Thompson, the phrase opposites attract is non-applicable. Willow hates the man and is desperate to divorce him, but she won't file the divorce papers for fear that Evan will leave her and Riley penniless. At least that's the story she tells her makeshift marriage counselor, Alex. But is that the whole truth? Or does Willow fear the level of fury Evan will unleash no sooner than he learns his precious little Riley is not his biological child?

𝘞𝘩𝘺, 𝘰𝘩 𝘸𝘩𝘺, 𝘥𝘪𝘥 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘪𝘨𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘱𝘪𝘥 𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘨𝘪𝘯’ 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘶𝘱 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 ... 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘣𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘥?!

𝐎𝐇, 𝐁𝐑𝐎𝐎𝐊𝐄, 𝐇𝐎𝐖 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐎𝐍𝐄 𝐌𝐀𝐍 𝐃𝐄𝐒𝐈𝐑𝐄𝐒 𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐄.

There is always one sex kitten who stands out among old maids. And the one on Alton Road is named Brooke Bailey. The ever-chic, gorgeous, worldly, sophisticated, and olive-skinned Brooke is a head-turner for days and days, possessing a body and face women envy and men desire. Brooke Bailey is courteous and kind as can be. Her smile lights up a room, and she seems to have no flaws—at least none Alex and Emily can see. Some, especially Alex, wonder what Brooke does for work, as they never see her leaving her opulent house on her way to any job, nor has Brooke ever shared details of her employment. There are many things the Altonites don't know about their attractive neighbor, Brooke, but one thing they do know is that she is the epitome of a woman who has it all, including a sexy, come-hither photo of herself on Nick's phone.

𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦—? 𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘴𝘰𝘣𝘦𝘳 𝘈𝘭𝘦𝘹 𝘶𝘱 𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘤𝘬𝘭𝘺.

Brooke Bailey is also a woman whose neighbors are suspicious about the death of her husband, Jerry. What happened to Jerry on that luxury cruise ship? Many in their community, particularly the judgmental females, suspect his fall overboard was no accident. And these would include Lettie, who thinks Brooke Bailey is a cunning, albeit stunning, femme fatale.

However, some men would beg to differ. The fellas on Alton Road may pretend they don't see her, but no one can deny the beauty of the former s̶t̶r̶i̶p̶p̶e̶r̶ exotic dancer, Brooke, not even Ken Adair, the former best friend—and partner in all manner of extreme indulgence—of the late Jerry Bailey. Her body is like fluid, the way it moves. It's like poetry in motion, one might say. And the man who will become her stalker would agree. He's the man who will send Brooke dirty, lovesick letters, confessing his devotion to her—and only her. He's the man who will kill to protect his filthy little obsession with Brooke.

𝘏𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸.

𝐏𝐄𝐒𝐓 𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐓𝐑𝐎𝐋.

The Bug Man is a pest exterminator with many enemies on Alton Road. Ken Adair and Evan Thompson just so happen to be two of his worst. These men hate the Bug Man, and they hate his aggressive sales tactics. They hate his cockiness and his annoying personality. But Bug Man couldn't care less; he takes a perverse pleasure in annoying the rich pricks. Ken and Evan want the Bug Man gone, and they will do whatever it takes to get him and his unwanted services away from them and their pristine little community. Evan threatens to beat the Bug Man to a pulp, but Ken does one better. Ken moves heaven and Earth to get the pesty imbecile fired. So there. Power play. That'll teach the irritating bum to stay in his place!

𝘕𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵'𝘴 𝘥𝘰𝘯𝘦, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘥𝘰 𝘣𝘦𝘴𝘵: 𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘭.

꧁༺ 𝓞𝓷𝓮 𝓨𝓮𝓪𝓻 𝓛𝓪𝓽𝓮𝓻 ༻꧂

Over an entire year, the stars of this striking tale become interwoven in a germ-infested cesspool brimming with the waste matter of hatred, revenge, alcoholism, drug abuse, adultery, jealousy, envy, covetousness, revenge, spite, rage, anger, rape, bullying, mental health woes, depression, hopelessness, broken spirits, domestic abuse, lies, malice, and vindictiveness. It all gets to be too much for our starring cast members. And before the annual Memorial Day block party comes to an end, two of them will be dead and gone – murdered in ice-cold blood.

𝘍𝘰𝘳 𝘥𝘢𝘳𝘬 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘶𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘯 𝘈𝘭𝘵𝘰𝘯 𝘙𝘰𝘢𝘥.

None can attest to this better than the envious fault-finders who live outside the well-to-do confines of the Altonites, the same disapproving men and women who spend their entire days gossiping about their better-offs in a flimsy blog thread on the so-called Meadowbrook Online Community Page.

𝘏𝘮𝘱𝘩, 𝘸𝘢𝘵𝘤𝘩 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘩𝘢𝘵𝘦, 𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘺𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘪𝘵.

𝐌𝐘 𝐒𝐔𝐌𝐌𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍.

There is no gift in the world quite like that of storytelling. The ability to tell a story with detail to plot, a distinction of character development, and a singular style in the craft of writing are all the features that make an author exceptional. And if 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘉𝘭𝘰𝘤𝘬 𝘗𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘺, the debut novel of Jamie Day, is any indication of her capacity, I can hardly wait to read her follow-up effort, 𝘖𝘯𝘦 𝘉𝘪𝘨 𝘏𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘺 𝘍𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘺. Jamie Day, indeed, shows herself approved here. Phenomenal writing—and a witty way with words! Jamie Day put her foot in this one!
Whenever I feel compelled to re-read dialogue in a book because the writing is that darn good, that's saying something.

Co-starring Grady O'Brien as a young officer tasked with the misfortune of investigating the troubled lives of the Altonites and Monique LaSalle, who plays her bit part well as a close relative of Riley's biological father (or bio-dad), 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘉𝘭𝘰𝘤𝘬 𝘗𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘺, narrated in the dual viewpoints of Alex and Lettie (the latter an Aries character I will love forever), is a home run hitter, an outstanding tale; mysterious, heartfelt, emotional, and meaningful—not to forget thrilling, twisty, and remarkably suspenseful.

I do believe that many readers will thank God they're alive after reading 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘉𝘭𝘰𝘤𝘬 𝘗𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘺. The same will want to grab their loved ones and hug them, kiss them, and appreciate them all the more.

Concluding this tale, I couldn't turn the pages fast enough as I sat glued to the proverbial edge of my seat. Notwithstanding a pinch of typos typical of an unedited gallery proof, 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘉𝘭𝘰𝘤𝘬 𝘗𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘺 rendered such a fascinating read that those few flaws were easily forgivable. I enjoyed this neatly-compacted narrative, dear reader. And because I am sure you will share my sentiments, consider it highly recommended.

Five block-party-pooped stars.


𝐑𝐄𝐕𝐈𝐄𝐖𝐄𝐑’𝐒 𝐍𝐎𝐓𝐄: I am pleased to thank St. Martin's Press for the complimentary copy of 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘉𝘭𝘰𝘤𝘬 𝘗𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘺—via NetGalley—for my reading pleasure.
Analysis of 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘉𝘭𝘰𝘤𝘬 𝘗𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘺 by Jamie Day is courtesy of Literary Criticism by Cat Ellington for 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘈𝘳𝘵𝘴©.

What a great book! This was one of the best page turners I've read in awhile. There was great character development, a great storyline that flowed without a hitch and kept a reader's attention with each new word that was laid down on the page! Our cast of characters are a neighborhood of people that have known each other for years, to which we ask ourselves - do we truly know all of the dirty laundry of those closest to us? New neighbors move into the neighborhood and troubles begin, or do they just start getting discovered, cracked and spilled out into the open? I can't begin to describe how well the author intertwined the storylines together, all while introducing new and shocking details with each turn of the page. Readers will be invested in the characters, looking around every corner with each of them for the next unexpected twist, all culminating at the neighborhood block party.

Enjoyed this one! Full of surprises but it took quite some time to get rolling. Good character development and good story. A lot of drama going on amongst neighbors. It was twisty and had me guessing to the end. I liked it so much a purchased the audible version so when I couldn’t read I listened. Great narration.
A very special thank you to St. Martins Press via NetGalley for the advanced readers copy in exchange for my honest review.

This book bombed for me. It is very repetitive especially when it comes to all the wine drinking and the repeated promises of "I need to stop". I love a good popcorn thriller but this one seemed to drag.

This was a really good read and I enjoyed the who-done-it aspect. This was perfectly executed and I'll definitely be reading more of Jamie Day in the future!

Upper middle class people behaving badly with a violent twist a t the end. I felt like some of the scenes with the daughter and her crush were a bit unrealistic, but It was worth it to finish this book. It took almost 1/3 of the book for me to get int it, but once I didn’t, it was a great ride.

This book sucked me in! So many twists and turns. A real whodunnit m. There is more going on in this neighborhood than Desperate Housewives Wisteria Lane! All is definitely not as it seems and this book kept me engaged and wanting to keep reading the whole way through. Jamie Day wrote a great book full of characters you won’t soon forget.

An enjoyable read that will have you hooked. With so many characters to learn about it makes for a great plot for a novel.

I wanted to love this one, the plot was excellent! I only made it about a quarter of the way through before I had to throw it in the DNF pile. The writing wasn’t for me and it couldn’t hold my attention. Skip it. Thank you to @stmartinspress and @netgalley for my copy!

Told from the POV of the mother Alex (nosy neighbor with a lot of time on her hands and a drinking problem) and the daughter Lettie (angsty high school senior passionate about global warming). Story takes place in an exclusive cul-de-sac inhabited by wealthy neighbors. They all have their own secrets and each of their lives are somehow intertwined with one another.

My big gripe was that I found both of the narrators to be unlikeable. Alex was constantly talking about how she was going to stop drinking but then was drinking 5 seconds later. She was very nosy and always in people’s business. And Lettie was angsty in a way that was just over the top. The fact that she was counting her words during interactions with her parents was excessive.

I did like that each character had their own backstory and situation going on. Kept the story interesting enough to push through. But just didn’t love it.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an ARC copy in exchange for an honest review!

Jamie Day’s The Block Party is a mystery where there has been a murder at a neighborhood block party. Full of twists and turns, you will not be able to put this book down! I voluntarily read and reviewed a complimentary copy of this well-written book about murder, secrets, lies, and betrayal that will keep you on the edge of your seat until the end.

I was honestly here for the drama. This book felt a tad bit long but I overall enjoyed it. It definitely gave Big Little Lies vibes and I was here for it.
*I received this book in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley.*

REVIEW

The Block Party by Jamie Day

2.5/5

I wish I could say I liked this one. I had it on my NetGalley a shelf for about a year and I finally got to reading it.

What I hope would be Desperate Housewives was really just blah. The story really dragged on without getting anywhere. You didn’t find out the victim or the murderer until the very end. I truthfully wasn’t even curious who it was. The characters weren’t likeable and I felt myself wanting to pick up my phone instead of my book.

According the the Goodreads rating-people liked it more than I did-so you might like it more than I did.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my advanced e-copy of The Block Party in exchange for my honest review.

You know...for a debut novel...this book has got it going on! This is not only salacious, but it's juicy and cunning, all wrapped up in one! Jamie Day is one author that you should keep tabs on, because she's got what it takes to become literary' s next greatest! If she can do what she did with her first book, just imagine how good they will get over time! Gosh...I have goosebumps!

This book was a quick read that you can easily devour in one sitting! And the neighborhood is one that everyone knows exactly what you're talking about...there's one in every town! But someone in town is a murderer, and there are plenty of people that could or should be suspects!

The characters to the story, to the secrets, to the twists all offer the perfect combination of a summer blockbuster hit! I could totally see this being turned into a movie!

Overall, I am incredibly impressed with the likes of Jamie Day and The Block Party! You can't go wrong when choosing this for your next read!

I'd like to thank Jamie Day, St. Martin's Press, Macmillan Audio, and Netgalley for providing me a copy of The Block Party which allowed me to contribute this honest and unbiased review!