This book starts with a bang, but it slows down after that. It's what happened and why story based around the families that live on one street. It all comes together, but the tension is uneven in the middle of the book.

The blurb of this one was right up my alley, but the execution of it didn’t do much for me.

Mom and daughter Alex and Lettie live on Alton Road in the suburb of Meadowbrook. Every year, Altonites throw a block party to celebrate Memorial Day, but this year, the police are called because of a murder.

Most of the book happens in the year leading up the murder, exploring the characters’ lives and possible motives. This type of book is normally something I’d be really into, but I thought parts of the writing would throw in extra comments that were unnecessary, which slowed things down. The story didn’t move at a pace that kept me hooked, and I overall felt blah about it. I didn’t care about any of the characters enough to have many feelings about what was happening to them.

If this hadn’t been one for NetGalley, I would have DNFed it.

Neighbourhood Drama, Secrets, Murder

The Block Party by Jamie Day is a domestic thriller set in an affluent neighbourhood. The story revolves around the annual Memorial Day block party on Alton Road, a seemingly idyllic place where the residents are entangled in a web of secrets and scandals. The plot unfolds through multiple points of view, primarily focusing on Alex, a wife and mother who oversees the block party, and her rebellious daughter, Lettie. The narrative flashes back and forth over a year, culminating in a murder that takes place during the block party, leaving the community in turmoil as they try to uncover the perpetrator and the motive behind the crime.

The Block Party excels in creating a gripping narrative filled with suspense and drama. Jamie Day's ability to weave multiple storylines and perspectives into a cohesive plot is commendable. The book's strengths lie in its complex characters and the exploration of dark themes that resonate with readers. However, some may find the pacing slow at times, and the numerous characters can be challenging to keep track of. Despite these minor drawbacks, The Block Party is an entertaining and thought-provoking read that will appeal to fans of domestic thrillers.

This is the story of dysfunctional neighbors on an exclusive cul-de-sac. What looks normal from the outside is anything but normal on the inside. This story had many twists and turns along the way. Although this story is about an eclectic group of people, you can't help but find yourself rooting for them.

Lots and lots of drama that culminates in murder. Who done it?

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC for my honest opinion. I really liked this book and recommend to others!

The Block Party by Jamie Day. Pub Date: July 18, 2023. Rating: 2 stars. In this novel, the reader is taken a posh neighborhood summer block party that ultimately ends up with a murder taking place. Who was murdered and why was this person murdered? Who was the killer? I really thought the premise sounded promising, but honestly there were too many characters to keep track of to enjoy this novel. There was a lot of back and forth between the characters to develop the story and mystery around the murder, but ultimately it was too much for me. Thanks to #netgalley and #stmartinspress for this e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

A neighborhood block party, secrets that come to light, and a murder.... this year's get-together is going to be epic!

Told in dual POV (Alex and Lettie), all the families on Alton Road have something to say (and prove) to each other, which comes out in the most sinister of ways.

While many reviewers might think there were apparent clues or repetitive comments, I believe that mysteries/thrillers should be read for what they are - entertainment - and not be dissected to within an inch of the author's psyche to determine the underlying meaning of every sentence. I found this story to be engrossing with multiple twists and shocking revelations. The backgrounds of all characters were adequately flushed out, if only to explain their motives behind their respective secrets. The plot progressed along at a decent pace as well.

This ARC was provided by the publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.

This book was like watching desperate housewives with the drama. Yet, it didn’t quite deliver in the way desperate housewives does. I was confused on the time and what was going on at times. This book kept me curious but, the drama didn’t keep me on my toes wanting more. Overall it’s not bad, I think it’s just not my type of book.

Just when you think you know your neighbors - you realize, not so much!

Block parties are fun. Food, games, beverages, good times. All with your friendly neighbors. The residents of Alton Road have a great time once a year, until this year, when their Block Party included a murder.

As we travel back in time to learn more about the families, we discover the reasons why this could take place and boy is it a journey full of twists.
I really enjoyed this novel!

Other than a few nit picky issues, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. And domestic suspense isn’t always a genre I enjoy.

We get dual POVs between mother Alex and teenage daughter Lettie. It starts off during the annual block party of present day, and then goes back a year moving through the events that lead up to the present day timeline. There’s also Next Door type message boards throughout, which I found entertaining.

The book felt too long, and there was a lot going on. Some parts of it were very obvious, while others surprised me. My biggest negative was making one of the MCs an alcoholic and trying to use her alcoholism as a means to make her unreliable.

But overall, a book I would recommend for the messy neighborhood drama and the suspense.

Loved this book, loved the drama, the neighborhood gossip, the keeping up with the Jones'. Loved Days writing style and her pace. It kept me enthralled in the book.

This was a DNF for me. I got to about 20% and I had to stop. I really was not at all interested. I appreciate the opportunity to give this book an honest review in exchange for an advanced copy. Thank you to the author, publisher, and Negalley.

There’s been a murder at the summer block party on ritzy Alton Road. But who it is and what led up to the explosive event are a mystery that’s slowly unraveled, as we go back one year earlier. Alternately narrated by Alex and her teenage daughter, Lettie, both of whom get themselves tangled in the various scandals of the other neighbors, this is filled with rich people behaving badly.

Domestic thrillers aren’t my favorite because they tend to be filled with frustrating characters being horrible. This is no different, really, and I found it a little tough to keep track of who was who in the neighborhood. Nonetheless, the structure and mystery of who died and how it went down did keep me reading. While not particularly memorable, this was an entertaining summer read.

I really wanted to like it as the description caught my eye, but I DNF. Just couldn’t keep my attention. This won’t stop me from trying more from this author in the future as I did enjoy the writing aspect of it. Just fell short on the attention grabbing. Thank you to the publisher for allowing me to read this book.

I truly loved this book! I felt that it was the right mixture of drama and intrigue! I loved getting to k ow all of the characters, their stories, the relationships and the neighborhood.

The Block Party" is a compelling mystery that masterfully explores the dark underbelly of suburban life. Jamie Day’s skillful storytelling and well-developed characters make this novel a page-turner. It is recommended for readers who enjoy intricate plots, suspenseful narratives, and an insightful look into the complexities of community dynamics.

This gave me desperate housewives vibes and I was here for it! Loved it up until the end-it just felt SO far fetched, but loved that it kept my attention!

An easy summer read for me. Juicy, neighborhood drama but just okay for me. Too much back and forth with characters and I found myself a bit distracted.

A MURDER in the neighborhood? Yes. This was a fun and twisty domestic thriller, especially as a debut. The only thing I didn't like was that it was a little too long for me.

I couldn't put this one down! Great for fans of community drama/mystery. Another great book from this author, who I would read again. If you like interesting characters and plot twists pick this one up. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC of this book!

The story is narrated from the points of view of Alex (divorce lawyer turned mediator, in third person, past tense), and her daughter Lettie (high school junior, in first person present tense); it starts at the Memorial Day party of the title, going back to the previous year’s party, and then following a core group of neighbors at an upscale neighborhood’s cul-de-sac, over the course of a year, until we are back at the start.

Contrary to what the blurb may lead one to believe, this is definitely a domestic thriller and not a classic murder mystery.The narrative choices work very well, both for characterization and pacing.

Lettie is a slightly socially awkward, sensible and basically decent seventeen year old, who’s struggling with the transition from adolescence to adulthood; Alex is professionally successful, but struggling with grief, guilt and stress, and in denial about her alcoholism and how it’s affecting her marriage.

Life for the core group of families at the cul-de-sac, all well-to-do and picture perfect on the surface, seems idyllic. Then, a new family moves in, and the delicate veil of pretense starts disintegrating, as all the fault lines in the different relationships crack open.

Lettie’s characterization is generally very well done; her basic kindness comes across, as well as the self-centered and selfish impulses of someone her age, and the struggle between the two aspects of her personality. There are a few inconsistencies showing a bit of a disconnect between author and character (I sincerely doubt that any 17 year old in 2022/2023 would use the word ‘metrosexual’ to describe a young man a few years older than herself, especially if she’s attracted to him), but her character arc is very well done.

For her part, Alex starts out as someone with an unwieldy big-sister complex; she has become that one neighbor everyone relies on for help, an ear, advice, and so on, not realizing how much she’s using that role as validation, and a way to hide from her own problems. At the end of the novel, she has learned a lot about herself and made a conscious decision to stop drinking.

The one member of the family who comes across less clearly is Alex’s husband Nick; because we only see him through her or Lettie’s eyes, it’s harder to get a read on him other than, “he’s a great guy, a very decent human.”

There is a lot of drama over the course of the year, especially for fewer than a dozen people. Cheating, stalking, drugs, secret parentage, an OnlyFans side hustle, and more.

There is weakness on the last act, with some revelations coming entirely out of left field in a very Deus Ex Machina fashion, but over all, the writing voice and the characterization of mother and daughter trump most of my quibbles.

The number of people involved, the period of time elapsed, and the events and relationships covered in the story more than justify the length of the book. I was invested enough on both narrators to give a pass to some discomfort over the way #MeToo and OnlyFans are presented; in both cases it felt manipulative and shallow and, frankly, very privileged.

Still, my overall impression is positive, and I’ll be in the lookout for more by this author in the future.

The Block Party gets an 8.25 out of 10.