This story was fine. Nothing I was impressed by. I was entertained with these characters and the plot.

This was such a fun audiobook to wrap up my summer reading!

Full of secrets, scandal, and even a murder occurring at Alton Drive’s annual block party. It was engaging from the start, with multiple POV’s and I really enjoyed the narration.

I loved listening to every minute of it. Thanks so much to the author, NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press and Macmillan Audio

What I liked:
✨Soapy Domestic Mystery: The book starts with death at a block party, but the reader doesn't know who. Soon, we discover it's murder, but we don't know the culprit. Uncovering both entertained me until the reveal at the very end. The neighborhood drama includes a ton of twists and turns, with lengthy lists of potential suspects/victims.
✨Dual POV: The story unfolds between Alex and Lettie (mother/daughter duo), although we hear from multiple people in the neighborhood through our MC’s POVs. I found a few of the neighbors super interesting and wished their characters were explored a bit more. Both Alex and Lettie are a bit unlikeable, but that adds to the dishy drama.
✨Narration: Megan Tusing as Alex and Suzy Jackson as Lettie perfectly perform the narration. Both add nuances to the internal and external dialogues of Alex and Lettie. Together, their voices work well as a mother/daughter duo.

Who should read this:
✨Fans of Laine Moriarty
✨Fans of Desperate Housewives
✨Love suburban domestic thrillers or fast popcorn thrillers

A huge thank you to NetGalley for the audio arc and to Macmillan and #GalleyMatch for the physical arc!

While this may come across as the typical rich people behaving badly in their elite neighborhood, domestic thriller - this book has so much going for it.

I was so intrigued and loved how the teenagers story intersected with the adult one, this made for a satisfying climax to the story.

I knew something nefarious was going on but didn’t connect all of the dots so I was happy to have the reaction of “I should’ve seen that coming” when certain plot points came to a head. I was engaged and entertained throughout and impressed with how everything came together! This is a perfect beach read to wind down the summer with!

If Desperate Housewives was a book, this would be it! This story was a dual POV (in third person) of mother and daughter, with split timelines. It showed current day and leading up to it with gunshots at the local neighborhood block party, while we try to figure out who was shot.

I read a few reviews on this book prior to release raving about it, and I just HAD to have it. Unfortunately, this one was just not for me. Though I love the chaos and the drama that comes with the neighborhood, this was a little too much. With dual POV, multiple times lines and SO many characters, it was really hard to not only keep up, but really to remember what the overall plot was. There were too many storylines with each character, and though the FMC ties it all together being the “drunk busybody” of the neighborhood, all up in everyone’s business-as the reader it was still hard to keep up.

The ending wrapped up okay where all the missing pieces were filled in, but for me the slow burn and the fast paced wrap up just didn’t hit the bar.

I received a free ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The his was just an okay read for me. I feel like the author was trying too hard at times l. For example, Alex’s drinking problem. There are more subtle ways she could have woven it into the story. And Leddy’s “conservationist” ideas. It was like there was a formula of “trendy” characters that needed to be followed. I did like the aspect of starting with the crime and working from the back to that day. I didn’t like the other neighborhood’s message board.

Do you know your Neighbors? After reading this book, you may decide not to!

Block Parties sound fun don't they? Food, fun, festivities, and frosty beverages. What's not to like? The residents of Alton Road gather once a year for a totally wicked time, their Block Party. Little did they know someone has murder on their minds.

Going back in time we learn about the families, friends, and enemies who live in this neighborhood and we discover all the reasons why.

A domestic drama that was entertaining though it felt a little soap-opera-ish to me.

Thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press and MacMillan Audio.

The Block Party
⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
Author: Jamie Day

I requested a digital advanced readers copy from NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press and Macmillan Audio and providing my opinion voluntarily and unbiased.

Synopsis: On the night of the annual Summer block party, the Meadowbrook community Facebook page lights up with posts reporting sirens descending on the desirable and exclusive cul-de-sac neighborhood on Alton Road. Bit by bit, the comments trickle in, some taking pleasure in their neighbors’ misfortune and others showing concern. The truth eventually comes out. It's not an accident, or a drowning, or a fire, as some had predicted. For the first time in forty years, there's been a murder in Meadowbrook.

The residents of Alton Road—The Fox family, the core of the neighborhood but each with secrets of their own; the Adair Family, the seemingly perfect all-American family; the Thompson Family, on the brink of an explosive divorce; The Kumars, the mysterious "new neighbors"; Brooke Bailey, the "Black Widow"; and Gus Fisher, the quirky salesman— are entangled in a web of secrets and scandal unbeknownst to the outside world and even each other.

Who was murdered at the block party? Who committed the murder? And why? As the night unfolds, the residents will discover that the real danger lies within their own block and nothing—and no one—is ever as it seems.

My Thoughts: The residents of Alton Road are a memorable bunch. Each has a secret or two. There is betrayal, lies, manipulation, and a web of secrets. The story opens with a bang of a murder and slowly builds backwards with secret upon secret mixed with betrayal and whoa. There are a plethora of characters to sort through, but it is worth it once you get it down.

Mandy and Samir Kumar are the newest residents with adult son Jay. The Fox family consisting of Alex and Nick with daughter Lettie. The Adair family consisting of Emily and Ken with sons Logan and Dylan. The Thompson family consisting of Willow and Evan with daughter Riley. Brooke Bailey stands on her own, losing her husband when he went overboard during a cruise. Alex drinks too much and her sister, Emily is the local real estate agent. Emily’s trust in her husband to remain faithful is being tested when he shows interest in Mandy. Lettie and Riley are enemies. Riley was dating Dylan. Lettie teams up with Jay to get “revenge” on Riley for ratting her out at school. The story is narrated by Alex and Lettie, in their POV, with a little social media transcripts sprinkled in. The story opens up in present day Memorial Day and builds backwards over the last year with the incidents and building of the characters. The characters were well developed with depth, banter, mystery, and creatively built. The author’s writing style was complex, twisty, suspenseful, and engaging. The author does a great job with the flow and pace of the book, building the plot with secret unraveling and twisty layers, and the ending was whoa when all of the secrets came tumbling down.

The frog and the scorpion story is a classic and likely my favorite scene from the book. This was more of a neighborhood/domestic thriller. It is a Desperate Housewives vibe mixed with deception, betrayal, and a plethora of secrets. I had the pleasure of having both the digital and audiobook arc of this novel. I preferred the audiobook. The narrator did an amazing job at voice variation and really did a stellar job bringing the characters to life from Alton Road. I would recommend picking up this novel. For a debut novel, it was entertaining and fun to read at the same time.

Holy Hot Mess Batman!!!
But I LOVED every soapy juicy trainwreck moment of it lol. I loved Lettie - okay - she was kinda a pain in the butt in the beginning and needed a slight attitude adjustment, but by the end - she had my heart. Her mom - pretty much a type a busybody that liked her wine lol - and still, that's not a problem. I did NOT see that ending coming at all!!! I don't want to comment too much because I'm afraid that I will unintentionally let a spoiler (or 12) slip - because it seemed like everyone in this tale was a mess - even the bug man lol I loved this book and have recommended it to several friends - its a fantastic way to to totally tune out and forget about life for a while. LOVED the narrators for this audio!!! This honest review is offered in exchange for a digital copy of The Block Party by Jamie Day and Netgalley.

Drama drama drama! This book was filled with so many secrets and I loved it! The narrator did such a good job bringing the characters to life. I enjoyed we get little snippets of the guesses the neighbors were making as to what was going on at the party because I was guessing the whole time too!! The timeline had me lost for a second, but I was able to keep up and understand how everything unraveled the way it did. All the characters were sketchy in their own which only added to the mystery. Totally recommend this one as an audio book! 4⭐️ from me!

Suspenseful and quick in pacing, The Block Party offers readers a fun thrill ride to figure out who has died at the annual event of the season.

I enjoyed the twists and turns the author presented through unreliable narrators and switching allegiances. While I liked getting multiple points of view from neighbours, there were times I wish we could focus a bit more on characters’ backstories. Overall, I found this to be a quick and gripping thriller that gave me Desperate Housewives and Revenge vibes.

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Liked the premise and the audiobook narrator a lot. But this was just OK for me. There was SO MUCH wine drinking I don't know how Alex could remember anything from one day to another, never mind run a business, or keep her relationships afloat. Some unexpected twists but some predictable ones too. Lots of mentions of Me Too, and a soliloquy or three about the environment or feminism, were woven throughout. Good use of dual timelines, but the ending was crammed too full of revelations to feel satisfying.

This story is told from multiple perspectives and I liked some of them better than others. Also the timeline confused me some.
Scandal, lies, & murder around an annual, exclusive block party. It's the perfect time if year for this one.
I listened to the audiobook and enjoyed this version.

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.