The Block Party by Jamie Day is a fantastic book about the families that live on Alton Road in the cul-de-sac.
The teen angst and drama, the couple’s fighting and the day to day boredom of everyday life, that turns sinister at the drop of a leaf.
So come; find out what goes on behind the doors in the cul-de-sac at the annual block party.
Find out what makes the young girls cry, the young men over dose, the wives scream in anger and the men hide behind their computers and umbrellas in the dark.
Maybe you will want to move to Alton Road too? Or maybe like me…you’ll want to scream too!
#TheBlockParty
#JamieDay

Good thriller that kept you guessing. I got a little mixed up in the beginning with the time line flipping back and forth but, as I kept reading it became clear. One of the descriptions of the story talked about "how Facebook lights up with intrigue" or something like that but, the Facebook part felt completely unnecessary and took away from the story. The characters were flawed enough that they felt realistic but not so flawed that you weren't rooting for them.

I love mysteries and suspense, but I wasn't sure about the "Desperate Housewives vibe" I kept reading about. I shouldn't have worried.
If you like HBO's Big Little Lies ability to combine neighborhood drama with suspense, then you'll likely enjoy this book.

The format isn't anything we haven't seen before - the POV goes back and forth between mother (Alex) and daughter (Lettie,) and we get more details with each chapter.

There are things discovered that aren't for the faint at heart - suspicions of abuse, cheating, stalking, etc. Although violence isn't celebrated, there are plenty of secrets and behaviors here that can destroy relationships and lives.

The pacing is good, and the plot kept my interest to the end. Overall, an enjoyable read that I'd recommend to anyone else. The "reveals" weren't always completely unexpected, but compelling nonetheless. Overall, a solid book for suspense fans.

I had never heard of this title or author, but the description spurred my request of the ARC. Good description and a very good book! The high-end Altonite neighborhood was full of mystery and intrigue. I read the book very quickly, as every chapter thickened the plot. A terrific read that will sell very easily to our patrons!
Thanks for this opportunity to read it!

A well-written exploration of the dynamics of neighborhoods and all the secrets they keep., this would make a great TV series. Great characters, plenty of craziness, friendship, and revenge, Gives you a lot to think about, some dark humor, Definitely worth reading. If you've ever wondered what's going on inside the minds of the people you wave to and say hello to every day, this pulls back the curtain.

It begins with a murder at a block party, but then takes us back one year to build up the story that is filled with drama, mystery and plot twists galore. Told from the view of teenager Lettie and her mother Alex. Alternating chapters gets us to understand all the residents of Alton Road and what lead up to the grisly crime. An easy read and one I did not want to put down.

Quirky, neighbourhood thriller. Lies, infidelity, rape, betrayal, secrets, murder, all bundled up to a #neighbourhoodthriller genre that us thriller readers enjoy. My first read by this author and it won’t be the last. Thanks to NetGalley, author, and St Martins Press for the arc of this book.

A good story that keeps you guessing to the very end. Every year the residents of an upscale cul-de-sac hold a block party - lots of food, booze and excitement. It is also a time when neighbors can gossip about each other and new scandals are revealed. But this particular year there are gunshots heard and a murder has occurred. The emails comments start up and the people living on that street all have an axe to grind.
I thank the author, publisher and Netgalley for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This is one block party that I’m glad that I wasn’t invited to! Lol! Seriously though, I have to admit that this book exceeded my expectations and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I was invested in the story and the characters from the first page all the way through until the last page. The Block Party contained a little bit of everything from drama (lots of it), lies, cheating, heavy drinking, revenge, stalking, and even murder! 🫣😲

The Block Party starts off present day at the Memorial Day BBQ for all the residents of Alton Road. We then go back to a year prior that leads up to the present day Memorial Day BBQ. In that time we come familiar with a majority of the residents who live on Alton Road. Now, there are quite a few characters to keep up with and sometimes I got confused- but only for a minute. This story flowed almost effortlessly and I resonated with each of the female characters- even that of the teenage Lettie (although I could probably never afford to live on Alton Road, but that’s besides the point).

I had to laugh while reading this story because Lettie made me remember a time in my younger years when I was attracted to a guy who was a “bad boy”, and did not like me as much as I liked him- as was the case with Lettie and Jay Kumar in this story. Jay told Lettie that it could never work between them, and he made a reference to the story of the frog and the scorpion (to those not familiar with that story, it is told in this book). I had to chuckle, because this same boy/guy that I had thought I was in love with told me that same story and I never forgot it! It has been years since I heard it, but it definitely brought back memories, and I enjoyed this story even more!

I highly recommend reading The Block Party as I was in a bit of a book slump, and this book brought me right out of it! If I’m being picky, there were a few too many characters- but totally worth it!
(4.5 stars) 🌟

Many thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and the author for an ARC of this book that I had the pleasure of reading! All opinions are my own. Publication date: July 18, 2023.

I liked this book but I didn’t love it. It was written well and the characters were all pretty interesting in their own way— but I guess I just was hoping for some of the issues to be a little more insidious and less “desperate housewife”. It was an enticing story and I finished it because I wanted to get all my questions answered about the murder— but I did find myself getting a little bored in some of the chapters wishing it would hurry up along.

Thank you for the opportunity to preview The Block Party.
The novel centers on an elite group of neighbors in an upper class neighborhood.
Each year they have an annual party that is exclusive and centered on family, family, and Drama!
But the party is interrupted by a murder and everyone is a suspect and no one is safe from scrutiny
A bit wordy but well written
3 stars

Welcome to Alton Road, an exclusive cul de sac neighborhood of beautiful homes and beautiful families. How well do you really know your neighbors? Drugs, alcoholism, and illicit sex are among the dirty little secrets hidden in these homes. The tale opens in present day at the annual Memorial Day block party. The music is pounding, drinks are flowing and secrets are about to explode!
Complex, well developed, and really unlikeable characters drive the story. You might think to yourself, “oh, I’ve heard this story before,” but hold on to your hat! Twist and turns and an ending unexpected and so satisfying.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This was a fantastic mystery about a neighborhood block party that happens on Memorial day every year. It mostly switches between the POV of one of the neighbors (Alex) and her daughter (Lettie). The book starts in the present but then we go back a year to meet neighbors and see all the things that lead up to the events at the present day party. Every now and then we get to see posts on a neighborhood website with people guessing why there are police at the party. The comments from neighbors on the neighborhood post is hilarious even though it's clear that something serious has happened on another street..
This book kept me guessing until the end! I did figure out one part but there were several things I did not see coming. This was my first book by this author and it won't be the last.

Thank you to the publisher, the author, and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was probably the best thriller I’ve read in awhile. I didn’t see the ending coming- which is what I want as a reader. The story skipped around to different characters a bit, which sometimes can annoy me, but I didn’t mind in this book. All the different characters and their side plots flowed well together, I really enjoyed this read.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.
This one started off a bit weird with the timeline but things certainly worked themselves out.
I always love a good suburbia hell novel and this one was pretty good. Definitely some surprises along the the way.

This book would make a nice summer read! Interesting characters and relationships, and a juicy, twisty plot. It felt a little long, but was fun!

Thank you very much to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the advanced reader’s copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

4.5 stars - thank you to NetGalley for the early read for my review.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! So many twists and turns with every family in the neighborhood. Loved how there was a spiderweb of drama and everything was connected - it had me guessing throughout the entire book. Would definitely recommend!

This book will be a bestseller this summer! I was hooked from the very beginning and it kept me guessing until the very end!. I often don't enjoy stories will so many characters to keep track of. But, this writer made it easy to picture the characters and the setting. I could clearly see the neighborhood where this story takes place. The story is well thought out and will be enjoyed by many. I will definitely be recommending this one! Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the advanced copy of this awesome book.

This started off so great! I honestly couldn’t put it down. And then something shifted and I couldn’t finish it. I think maybe there were too many storylines to keep up with and none of them were interesting enough to follow. Great premise but the execution just didn’t work for me.

I've read worse things, by which I mean the pacing was tolerable, but the deeply and consistently repetitive dialogue was a problem. This could easily have been 1/3 shorter if the characters didn't feel compelled to say everything twice. Also the main teenager was just awful.