I had very high hopes for this book but unfortunately it just got boring. Many times domestic thrillers start to blend together, and for this one I was really waiting for that thing that made it memorable. But it never arrived. The characters were fun as well as the setting.

Review of The Block Party by Jamie Day

A huge thank you to @stmartinspress as well as @getredprbooks for the copy of this book. I enjoyed reading it with my friends in
the #sqafbookclub. It’s always a good time with that crew! This book was so fun! It screamed of summer, and I loved the entire summer vibe it had. But of course, it is my favorite genre thriller, so it wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows. I loved the neighborhood drama and the mystery and who was murdered and why. It was well written, and I loved the piece throughout the book. I definitely will be picking up the next book by the author.

Synopsis from Amazon:

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

This read certainly kept my attention as I eagerly read to see who was murdered. I loved the local commentary interspersed through the story. The characters were very interesting and the interconnections between them well thought out and revealed in suspenseful ways.
So enjoyed both Lettie’s and Dylan’s storylines, and amazingly each character’s storyline was interesting and seemed very realistic. The ending brings everything full circle. This read is a perfect blend of family drama and suspense causing the reader to feel they cannot put the book down but have to read more to figure out what is happening.
Many many thanks to Jamie Day, and NetGalley for affording me the opportunity to read an arc of this just released read - which I highly recommend.

What an expertly woven story. I loved reading this and trying to figure things out before they were revealed. A great read.

DNF. Just wasn’t feeling this one. Too many characters. So many unreliable characters. Kind of boring. Drunk female trope. Blah.

I love block parties! Getting to commune with your neighbors can be a bonding experience however, this is one block party that I hope to never encounter! The Block Party contained a quite bit of everything from drama (lots of it), lies, cheating, heavy drinking, revenge, stalking, and even murder. The story is told by two perspectives: Alex; fixer, mediator, heavy wine drinker, the good and responsible neighbor, open minded mother and Lettie; Alex’s rebellious, environmentalist, intelligent, observant, misfit daughter! And did they tell a story! This book had suspense, twist, turns, mayhem and madness. The conclusion was heart pounding! I recommend this book. #THEBLOCKPARTY #NETGALLEY

𝐓𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬💭:
The summer feels of this book captured me. I was really intrigued by the story and i was really in the mood for a summer thriller. Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for my e-ARC and Macmillan Audio for my audiobook. It recently came out this week!

𝐁𝐥𝐮𝐫𝐛📝:
A yearly block party is hosted by the residents of a cul-de-sac on Alton Rd. This year, a murder happens and secrets emerge that shake what once was a peaceful neighborhood apart.

𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠: ⭐️⭐️⭐️/5. This story had so much potential. However, I felt like it focused alot on the drama more than what I was interested in, the murder mystery. I was captivated initially, but I totally got lost in between because of how the plot felt a bit all over the place. I didn’t mind the multiple characters involved, but somehow there were too many stories that the author wanted to tell that I felt were unnecessary. It finally picked up towards the end but it didn’t have that wow factor for me.

𝙍𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙞𝙛 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚: 𝘋𝘦𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘏𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘦𝘸𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘴, 𝘥𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘤 𝘥𝘳𝘢𝘮𝘢, 𝘣𝘭𝘰𝘤𝘬 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘴, 𝘴𝘶𝘮𝘮𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘳𝘴

Someone was murdered at the annual Memorial Day block party that takes place on the very upscale Alton Lane cul-de-sac. But who and why? The narrative of this domestic suspense novel alternates between last year’s block party and the current one and among POVs, particularly Alex’s (she is a divorce mediator) and her teen-aged daughter Lettie’s. Unfortunately, the plot moves pretty slowly, and there are quite a few characters to keep track of — mostly the folks who live in the cul-de-sac, none of whom are all that likeable. However, I really wanted to find out who had been murdered and why so I kept flipping pages. The ending was a fitting one, making this an overall decent read.

While The Block Party was slow to start, once it hit the 50% mark it went by quickly.
There are two narrators - Alex and Lettie, who are mom and daughter in the neighborhood. Alex was a bit of a neighborhood busybody and Lettie was an anti-establishment type teenager set on revenge. There are many other characters and at times I mixed up two of the husbands (whoops) but overall, this was a good summer thriller read perfect for reading during down time on my recent work trip!
The story was interesting and there were some twists I didn’t guess (but others I did), which I appreciated! I recommend The Block Party to fans of thrillers/mysteries that focus on rich people behaving badly. Note that I received an advanced review copy, receipt of which did not impact my review.

The beginning of this book really hooks you in, but then the rest is drawn out and boring. This could’ve been so much shorter. Some of the storyline was a bit unbelievable, for example how some of the neighbors were linked. I enjoyed getting to know the neighbors, but there were almost too many of them and many were so unlikeable. I was so close to DNFing this book if it weren’t for wanting to know who was killed and who did the killing. This was just meh. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I found this book boring. I didn’t care about these characters. Also not very believable. I also don’t enjoy books where the main character is a drunk.

I really liked this story; there was a lot going on in the plot, and lots of interweavings between characters, with surprises from the past and present popping up at every turn. While I enjoyed this as a domestic thriller - give me suburban neighborhood drama all day, every day - the writing style was a bit forced or formal, and I felt like some of the relationships were just there for convenience. I didn't get the sense of strong friendships or ties. It felt like the characters even brushed over the deaths pretty easily. All in all a great summer thriller.

Summer is the perfect time to throw a party with all your neighbors! I enjoy getting to know my neighbors. The neighbors on Alton Road, however, not so much. Jamie Day did a fabulous job giving each neighbor a story of their own and a personality to match. I have my favorites and more that I would try to avoid, but I’ll let you decide which ones you love. Ulterior motives, secret agendas, rivalries, betrayals… Grab your favorite drink and climb into your favorite chair - you’re gonna find this book is to die for!

I was given The Block Party by Jamie Day in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley.

Wow, this book was a rollercoaster of the unexpected. I honestly was a step behind the action at every turn. The book is about the perfect neighborhood and the perfect neighbors who each harbor dark secrets that can be deadly. The story is told in alternating viewpoints which gives the reader a better understanding of actions of the characters, but also leaves you guessing how it is all connected.

The connections of family and friends, of love and revenge, and of life and death on Alton Road will keep you reading this summertime thriller.

There’s more than meets the eye on the exclusive suburban cul-de-sac of Alton Road. When someone ends up dead at the annual Alton Road block party a long and winding road of secrets and deceit begins to unravel. Jumping between present day, and one year earlier Jamie Day’s “The Block Party” unravels the web of lies that live in between the white picket fences of this idyllic neighborhood.

Day’s novel is a quick read that keeps you guessing until almost the last page. Most of the book in in 3rd person except for one character, which surprisingly is not who you’d think is the main character. This set up was enjoyable in be in the head of open character and be on the outside looking in on others. 4/5 stars for an exciting read, a good setting, with fun twists.

This was a fun thriller that kept me guessing! The story opens at a Memorial Day block party and we know that someone is killed but we don’t know who the victim is, who the killer is, or any of the motives. We then go back in time to the year before to find out exactly what happened on this cul-de-sac during the fateful year leading up to the murder. I found this to be incredibly entertaining and hard to put down.

The story is told from two points of view, Alex, a middle age woman who always seems to have a glass of wine in her hand, and Lettie, her 18-year-old daughter. The group of characters that live on this street have a lot of things going on and I couldn’t wait to see how things would play out. As the pieces started falling into place and the murder drew nearer, I became more and more hooked by this story. There were a few surprises worked into the story that helped to keep things very interesting.

I listened to the audiobook and thought the narrators did a great job with the story. Megan Tusing and Suzy Jackson both did an excellent job of bringing this story to life. I enjoyed the various voices that they used to represent all of the characters in this cul-de-sac. I thought that they added just the right amount of emotion to their reading. I do believe that their narration only added to my overall enjoyment.

I would recommend this book to others. I thought that this was an entertaining and exciting thriller with enough twists and turns to the pages turning quickly. I plan to keep an eye out for future works by this talented author.

I received a review copy of this book from St. Martin’s Press and Macmillan Audio.

Well, if you're looking for a book about a dramatic little street in a small town, THE street to live on, then this is your book.

The Block Party tells the story about the families, friends, and neighbors on Alton Street. It's the envy of the town, THE place for trick or treating, and they have an annual block party that is very exclusive, and leads to much drama and a small bit of chaos.

While this book has a lot of characters, it written in such a way that it's easy to keep them straight, which I mightily appreciated. Sometimes I get so confused with similar stories that I just give up on keeping the stories organized in my head.

While this book takes place over the course of a year it is not slow, it's well paced, the people are interesting, not too many people to dislike, and almost nothing is as it seems.

Highly recommend if you're looking for a bit of a domestic drama. Nothing too scary, nothing that will keep you from falling asleep.

3 stars- I didn't love this book, nor did I hate it.

I really don't know how many stars to give this book. Also, it comes with so many trigger warnings that I'm afraid that you, the possible reader, will be able to piece everything (or almost everything) together before you get a quarter of the way through the book!


The timeline is a little odd, with the book alternating a bit. There is a murder at the block party, but you don't get to who- done- it or even discuss it for the whole book. Or at least until the last, oh...10% of the book. The only reason you even know that there was a murder is that there is a social community page where others not from this street discuss what may have happened that day.

Frankly, I did not like any of the characters, and some even less than others. Alex is the main character, a drunk busybody with her nose all up into everyone's lives. Her daughter Lettie is the young adult main character, and the chapters of this book switch back and forth between them. It sometimes makes it a little difficult to keep track of the author's 'voice.' The author doesn't do a great job of making each character memorable in their own right. Perhaps two of the many characters have any uniqueness.

The ending of the book should have been shocking, but for me, I read too many other reviews that had enough hints of what was to come that I wasn't shocked one bit.

Mind you, I did manage to read this whole book, and I admit some chapters did keep my rapt attention, and I WILL recommend this as a good summer read. It just wasn't a great summer read for me.

Now for the trigger warning -and do NOT read any further if you want to go into this book knowing nothing than what the recap tells you:

Alcoholism, drug use/addiction, wife abuse, the death of a child, revenge, sex with a minor, lies, threats, mania, and just all-around bizarre behavior on the part of a couple of the characters.

*ARC was supplied by the publisher, St. Martin's Press, the author, and Netgalley.

It's the annual Memorial Day block party in the exclusive suburb of Meadowbrook, Massachusetts. It should be all fun and games, right? Ha! Alex, the party organizer, has had a little too much to drink and goes home to lie down for a bit. When she wakes, it's to sirens and flashing lights. Has something gone wrong at the party?

The story then flashes back to the block party the year before and tells the story of the people who live in the houses in the cul de sac on Alton Road. The story is told in alternating chapters between Alex's third person point of view and her teenaged daughter Lettie's first person pov.

Lettie has been the brunt of some school bullying instigated by her former best friend and is now hoping to get some revenge. The dirt she and a friend begin to dig up would hurt too many people if exposed and she begins to have second thoughts about what is the right thing to do. It seems everyone has something to hide: someone drinks too much, someone is into porn, someone cheats on their spouse, someone is a stalker. But is someone a murderer?

No, it's not all fun and games on Alton Road but there is plenty of juicy gossip and flawed but interesting people--all the ingredients for an entertaining summer read.

I received an arc from the author and publisher via NetGalley. Many thanks! My review is voluntary and the opinions expressed are my own.

Great story.
Excitement, intrigue, suspense, jealousies, and good old fashioned neighbor one up man ships fill the pages of this story and make it the quintessential summer read.
Alex throws a block party every Memorial Day for the fabulously well to do and sometimes snobbish clan on Alton Road. The excitement and entertainment is always over the top.
This year, over the top reaches the outer limits.
There is a murder on Alton Road and all of a sudden, the party and its party goers are front page news.
For all the wrong reasons.
A really fun, interesting, fast paced and well written novel.
Characters are very well defined with just enough quirkiness in some to make them really interesting.
The back and forth, between last year and this year is very well done and transitions are seamless.
Good read.
Really good read.