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.

I really enjoyed this "soap opera" of a story that revolves around an annual block party held in a cul-de-sac in Meadowbrook (which I believe is near or in Massachusetts). I listened to the audiobook, which was very well narrated, but I didn't catch the exact state they were in. There was so much family drama in this story - infidelity, drinking problems, drug problems, rape, murder. It was a lot of secrets and drama all mixed up in a delicious narrative. I recommend this book if you like family drama, intrigue, etc. I want to thank the author, the publisher, and Netgalley for giving me an e-copy of this book, in return for an honest review.

I did not expect half of the twists in this book!! I love a good “who done it” and this was it with a but who was the victim too!! It was such a smooth and cozy summer murder mystery!!

Ooo, this was messy! This is the perfect example of a story that has not a single likeable character but it's written in such a way to add to the story and make it so intriguing and entertaining. This was a super quick read that just didn't stop. There was constantly something happening or being revealed. The only part that was a little much was the constant preachiness of Lettie. Otherwise, a really fun read. I listened to this and thoroughly enjoyed the narrator.

Thank you MacMillan, Jamie Day, and Netgalley for this audio in exchange for an honest review. The narration was awesome. The writing was well done. Kept me intrigued through out the end. The twist was well done. 🌟🌟🌟🌟 solid stars!

I enjoyed this one. I had requested the ebook but it wasn't hooking me so I requested the audiobook and then ended up breezing through the story. It was so good!

This follows the residents of Alton Road during their annual Memorial Day block party. There are a lot of secrets and betrayals in this little affluent suburban neighborhood that culminate into an unexpected tragedy on what was supposed to be a family, fun filled day. This was a bit slow, if I'm being honest. I am not sure if I would have finished it had this not been an audiobook. It didn't feel like too much actually happens throughout the year leading up to the party. Secrets slowly unravel, but that is about it. Nothing really shocked me or left me in suspense. I did enjoy the online neighborhood community page and thought it was a hilarious and fun inclusion.

3.75
It took me awhile to get into this one but once I did I found that I enjoyed it. I think my issue was with all of the characters, I didn't like any of them! But I feel as though that was the point of the story. So once I got over that, I found this to be a solid thriller. The narration was well done and I kept wondering what would happen!