While The Block Party wasn’t the most original in this genre - it held my attention and made for an entertaining and quick read!!

What I loved about the book:

1. The twists and surprises through out that kept me reading and wanting to know who did what, their motives, and how the author would wrap up it up.
2. I loved the evolution of the teenagers - felt real to me - as they progressed through the book!
3. It was quick, easy read and one that would be fun to discuss at book club because there is so much going on in the neighborhood!!

What I wished was different:
1. Lots of repeating of mantras by the characters - who were not believable in their commitments.
2. It is hard to be invested in the characters because they are overall not likable.

I received an ARC of this book from St. Martin's Press and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

An enjoyable multiple-genre book, a mystery thriller, a domestic thriller, and a psychological thriller. I am not sure exactly which genre to put it in. The story switches back and forth from the present-day block party to last year's block party and the months in between. There are many characters but the story is told through the point of view of a mother, Alex, and her teenage daughter Lettie. There are a lot of characters to get to know, all the residents of the cul-de-sac. This book is full of domestic and neighborhood drama and of course a murder!

I received an eARC from the publisher and NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

I was expecting a murder mystery. Halfway through and I'm still not seeing it. The only indication that someone might have been murdered occurs at the beginning of the book when the folks on Meadowbrook Online take to their keyboards at the sound of multiple sirens headed for Alton Road. One citizen has a police band radio and hears code 187 — the code for homicide.

What I am reading is the story of the burbs — big houses, fashionable clothes, and too many personal secrets to enumerate. It all seems to center around one woman, Alex Fox, the Alton Road organizer. She is large and in charge for any holiday gathering in which every family in the Alton Road cul-de-sac participates, but most important is the annual Block Party.

The story of this small suburban community tells readers what we already instinctively know. People, no matter their status, have secrets and tragedies they don't share with those who appear to be intimate friends. It tells us that people lie when they should be telling the truth. Other than that, this is the story of the rich bitch side of town falling apart.

I didn't watch "90210" back in the day. I don't watch 'reality' tv now. Nor do I watch any of the 'housewives' shows. However, based on the commercials for these shows, I would imagine that folks who watch them are the target audience for this book.

I will add that as disappointed as I was with most of THE BLOCK PARTY, the writing is good enough that I did finish reading it. The last 20 to 25 pages are filled with emotion and a lot of tension, the elements of a murder mystery missing from the rest of the book. Perhaps if much of the work was condensed down to novella length, I would have enjoyed it more.

3.5 stars
I selected this book from NetGalley because I'm a sucker for a murder mystery and high drama involving rich snotty people. This book nailed the snotty people aspect, but other than that, it was kind of forgettable. None of the characters are particularly likable, but I kept reading because I wanted to know what happened. It's not the best example of this type of book, but I did enjoy the journey nonetheless. Good vacation read.
I would recommend this to others.

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin's Press for the ARC!

The story started out a bit slow for me but the twists and turns at the end made up for it.
That fact that everyone had something to hide, and all the stories and families intertwined with each other, it made for a great summer mystery.

I received a complimentary copy of the book from St. Martin Press through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own

I enjoyed reading the multiple different points of view in this story. All the twists made it fun to read and I enjoyed learning everyone’s story.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for my gifted advance reader copy.

The residents of Alton Road may look put together from an outsider’s perspective, but appearances can be deceiving. Things come to a boiling point at the annual Memorial Day Weekend block party, and not everyone will make it out alive.

This was a fun summer read about an upper middle class New England neighborhood where secrets abound and everyone has something to hide. The drama kept me turning pages even though I found some plot points to be fairly predictable and/or OTT. If you enjoy small town drama, Real Housewives, and rich people behaving badly with a pinch of teenage angst thrown in, this one’s for you.

I am very grateful to the publisher, author, and netgalley for the chance to read this book and review. This book was a fun summer read although I would definitely not limit it to that. This story is about a culdesac and while it does remind me of a few other storylines, this does stick out with a few plot points. I also could read about neighborhood and family dysfunction all day so it does not bother me that this is not unique in that sense. The pacing was a little slow in the middle with a lot unwinding at the end. I think the author was drumming up suspicious and suspense but by the end, I was ready for some answers. This had some drama, some mystery, and some twists which made for a fun read overall.

The residents of Alton Road live in a web of lies and scandal. There is an alcoholic, an Only Fans page model, a cheater, a stalker and many liars that live in the cul de sac. The residents don't even know everyone's secrets. They do hold an annual Memorial Day block party, but unlike the past, this year there is a murder. Actually two people won't survive this year. If you like a small community story with a twisted plot and a book that you can't put down, then this book is for you. Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for an advanced readers copy of The Block Party by Jamie Day.

The Block Party is a domestic thriller written from both a mother's and daughter's point of view. I found the 17 year-old daughter's POV and character development more compelling. Everybody in the neighborhood has their secrets, but how far will they go to keep them hidden or to seek revenge on those who did them wrong? Over the course of 1 year, beginning and ending with the annual neighborhood block party, all the secrets come out. Many characters are frankly unlikeable, but the daughter's spunk and personal growth redeems it all. 3.5 stars rounded up.

Thank you to #NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

The premise of this book is intriguing, but this book missed its mark with me. I both read and listened to this book and I think there were just too many characters. I also have realized that I don't enjoy the trope of protagonists that "drink too much". So, the issues with the book were mostly me rather than the book itself.

Very entertaining read! It was fast paced and full of juicy tidbits about the neighborhood. Alton Road seems like a glamorous place until you see everything that’s going wrong underneath.

The author wrote in great detail so you could actually imagine yourself at the block party. Each character has a unique story that’s so different from each-other that it’s easy to keep track of.

Highly recommend this one if you loved Desperatw Housewives!

This set up for this book is good. The story starts off with the annual black party on Alton Rd. You are introduced to the cast of people who will become suspects in the mystery. Told from the points of view of Alex the mom, and Lettie the daughter, the story flashes back a year and comes back together in present time. The convoluted story comes together with the big reveal. How does it end the way it did with one held responsible? There were a couple plot holes that didn't make sense.

The writing was a little choppy. With so many different characters, they all seemed to have the same type of speech and dialog, and it got more noticeable towards the last quarter of the book. They all spoke the same way. And the over use of 'whatever' throughout the book made it hard to take the person seriously.

An entertaining domestic thriller. I can't say that I liked any of the characters, but there was enough drama and first-world problems to keep me reading.

3.5 stars

Book Review: The Block Party 🌸

⁉️: Do you like to host parties or gatherings?

I definitely do and can’t wait to have the next party, which will be having a party for Mike’s birthday! We are already planning the menu. I wish our neighborhood was more lively, but most neighbors remain insulated in their lives. And, how about a thriller that focuses on this dynamic?!

What it’s about?

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:

I have been watching Sweet Magnolias recently, which is also focused on the small town dramas that take place. In this novel, too, we follow the drama that takes place after a block party when someone found is murdered after Memorial Day. The neighbors are involved in cheating, relentless drama, and is told by two narrators, Alex and Letti who is in the final year of high school! Being an entertaining read, the author also explores the role of social media platforms in playing a role in further instigating the drama in the novel! A solid 5 star 🌟 from me!

Thank you @stmartinspress and @getredprboojs for the gifted copy of the novel!

#theblockparty #memorialday #thriller #suspense.

Reading The Block Party is like a peek through the windows of an upper middle class neighborhood and learning all of their sordid secrets. The story is told through several of the character’s viewpoints.

Alex, the woman who plans the block parties, has gotten to the point where her family and friends are noticing that she is hitting the wine pretty hard. Alex feels her marriage is a bit off track and worries about her daughter who is soon to leave for college.

Lettie, Alex’s daughter, is an environmentally conscious young girl who is trying to find her way in the world after being snubbed by her childhood best friend and neighbor.

To round out the neighborhood roster, we have a housewife who poses for provocative pictures to post online, a drug-addicted dad who stalks the housewife, a troubled teenage boy who has been dumped by Riley, Lettie’s former best friend and the new neighbors who are a family of three that seem very secretive.

I could not figure out how the story would play out. I had several scenarios in my mind, but what ended up happening was a surprise. This is one of those slow-burn mysteries with an explosive ending.

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for allowing me to read an advance copy. I am happy to offer my honest review.

This book was billed for fans of Desperate Housewives, so I was intrigued right away. Unfortunately, the charm that the show had was majorly lacking in this novel. The writing seemed juvenile, and switched from an adult drama to YA with each chapter of the alternating perspectives of mother/daughter. The plot was overly drawn out, but also contained too much at the same time. It felt like 3 seasons of a soap opera were all smushed into one chaotic episode that was somehow still boring. I probably would have given it 3 stars had it not been for so many aspects of this book that just made me feel icky, like how the rich white women instantly targeted the minority character that moves to the neighborhood. Overall this was a huge letdown for me.

I just did not like this book. I know I'm in the minority with this and that is wonderful for the author. To me it seemed more like a kind of reality show. Sorta.
It had twists and turns and things readers enjoy. It was just not for me.

Thank you NetGalley and Publisher for this ARC.

The Block Party is a juicy, page turning book about a neighborhood filled with explosive secrets, and characters ready to reveal them. The gossipy and revenge seeking characters on the block are ironically created beautifully, adding authenticity to their real life flaws. This is a book that keeps on getting better as you read. Told in alternating chapters between Lettie and her mother Alex, the story deals with issues such as drug addiction, family relationships, domestic abuse, suicide and alcoholism. Whew! These hot topics were handled with sensitivity. Day's writing is seemless right up to the ending that was unexpected and worked perfectly. I love surprises and this read was a big one. Five stars for the suspense, uniquely flawed characters and a creative and engaging plot. Thanks to Netgalley and publisher for the ARC of The Block Party.

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.

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.