Every summer, the residents of Alton Road throw a block party exclusive to their cul-de-sac. Usually, it runs smoothly. But this year, something tragic happened. Someone was murdered. Who was murdered? Why was that person murdered? Those questions would be tough to answer because Alton Road’s perfect facade has been marred by cheating, drug use, and domestic violence since the last block party. When the killer is revealed, it will change the lives of the remaining residents.

I was hyped to read The Block Party. Growing up in northeastern coastal Massachusetts and an upper-middle-class neighborhood, I know how close those neighborhoods can be. And how cliquey they are. But that isn’t what attracted me to the book. That was just a bonus content that I enjoyed reading. No, I initially accepted the invite because this book was getting great reviews and was in one of my favorite genres. I am glad that I did read this book because, oh man, it took me for a ride and a half. Put it this way, I couldn’t figure out who the killer was and was shocked when it was revealed.

The Block Party is a fast-paced book set in the fictional city of Meadowbrook, Massachusetts. I was pleasantly surprised that the author could keep the fast pace up. Why? The plotline was split between past and present with dual POVs of Alex and Lettie (also in 3rd person for Alex and 1st for Lettie). Having all that going on usually results in one or both storylines going on track. But, the author kept the storylines on track and the momentum going. I loved it!! I also liked the online forum that the author included when switching before past and present. Usually, it foreshadowed what was going to happen. I also love that she got the different types of people on those boards down pat.

The main storyline of The Block Party is the murder that happened during the present-day block party. The author then backs it up to last year’s block party and shows the events that led up to the murder. The author did a fantastic job of casting doubt on everyone involved in the storyline. I was astonished when everything came together at the end of the book. The murderer was the last person I thought it would be.

The secondary storylines added extra depth and intrigue to the main one. The author didn’t hold back on how dysfunctional these people are. Everything from adult/minor relationships to stalking to drug/alcohol abuse to mental illness is featured. These secondary storylines fed into the main one and gave me a list of suspects.

I didn’t exactly like Alex. Growing up around people like her made it difficult for me to form an attachment to her. But I did feel bad. She was under a lot of stress and had a lot of things on her plate. But, the book primarily focused on her and how she was directly connected to everything happening. Her issues were more of her own making than what Lettie was dealing with, which was more profound.

I liked Lettie, and I was rooting for her the entire book. She was passionate about different causes. She was passionate to the point where she vandalized a school and was turned in by her ex-best friend. The author formed Lettie’s storyline around that incident and the revenge she wanted. Once she took her revenge, Lettie was eaten up by guilt. There was a point in the book where I wanted to hug her and tell her to talk to her parents. I am going to stop right here because of spoilers.

The mystery angle of The Block Party was wild. I had zero clue who the killer was or who was killed. I did try to guess, but I wasn’t even close. The author did a great job throwing out red herrings and keeping that angle so twisty that I couldn’t figure it out.

The end of The Block Party was interesting. I liked how the murderer (and who was murdered) was revealed and the reason why that person did it. I also liked that the community page deleted the thread and had a warning aimed at one of the members (just like in real life). The epilogue was just as interesting as the rest of the book. The author gave updates on where the main characters were with their lives and how they dealt with the aftermath of everything.

I would recommend The Block Party to anyone over 21. There is language, violence, and nongraphic sexual situations.

Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review The Block Party. All opinions stated in this review are mine.

Wow, I couldn't put this exciting thriller down! Having the story told from the point of view of a mother and daughter made for an interesting read. Alton Road is a powder keg waiting to ignite. The twists and the final outcome really took me by surprise!

Happy Publication Day to Jamie Day for The Block Party! You know I can’t resist a juicy neighborhood drama—especially when lawn chairs, fireworks, hot dogs, ice cream, rosé, and kiddie pools are involved. Oh, and also murder!!! We all know that you can never ever completely know your neighbors, or exactly what’s going on behind closed doors, and this novel highlights that perfectly. Overall, this was an entertaining domestic thriller with a great pace, a dynamic mix of characters, and full of secrets, lies, betrayal, revenge, and twists galore! It’s definitely an exciting summer thriller that you can easily devour on the beach or poolside. The Block Party is out TODAY! I give it 4/5 stars!

At 17% into this book, it just wasn't doing it for me. I tried to keep going but I just couldn't. Wasn't liking the characters or the story itself. I'm way in the majority here but it just wasn't a book for me. I hate to not finish a book but sometimes you just have to move on to the next.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the review copy

The Block Party is set during the annual Memorial Day BBQ hosted by the well-to-do residents of Alton Lane. At the beginning of the book we find out there has been a murder at the party. The story goes back one year to the previous year's party to present day and we get the background on all the characters. There's plenty of drama, secrets, and betrayal between all the neighbors and their own families. Unfortunately all of the characters were unlikeable (especially the two narrators) so the vast majority of the book was boring to me since I didn't care about them or their troubles. I was curious enough to find out who the victim and killer were so I was able to finish. I did like the ending.

Although this wasn't my favorite, I still recommend if you want a quick weekend read with Summer vibes.

Thank you to @netgalley and @stmartinspress for allowing me access to the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

I must admit that this book was not even on my radar until I was sent a synopsis and an invitation to read an advanced copy. Wow! I am so glad that I got the opportunity to read this one. It has everything…YA vibe when Letty is narrating, mom vibe when Alex is narrating and so much drama that it was hard to keep up. I was reminded of the book and show “Peyton Place” numerous times as I read this complex plot with numerous characters. Once I got into the main story (a murder), I couldn’t put the book down. There are a lot of rivalries, tons of secrets and deception galore…enough to satisfy all of the fans of the Little Lies books, for sure. I enjoyed finding out about the characters and all of their many sins, but what I liked most was the compelling and underlying tension in the neighborhood. I didn’t know who to trust and neither did the narrators. There are red herrings and false trails for the mystery, cue the soap opera music for the drama and send in the psychologist to find out if anyone (and I mean anyone) is telling the whole truth. The book was fun to read, a little risqué and a lot of addictive action. There are multiple sub-plots but that did not bother me at all as the author did a masterful job of bringing everything together and tying it all up with a pretty bow at the end. The characters were well-developed but not particularly relatable since I am not in their social class, but reading about the upper class having problems was entertaining. This is a multi-layered, well-crafted and insightful story that made me glad that I don’t live anywhere near any of these people.
Disclaimer
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review, and all opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255, “Guidelines Concerning the Use of Testimonials and Endorsements in Advertising.”

This book is wild.. and I saw others say it too and I’m so glad I’m not the only one who thought so. I honestly didn’t want to put it down and reminded me how much I love mystery/thrillers.

The residents of a cul-du-sac are all entangled in webs of secrets and lies. Every year they host an annual block party, but this year comes with a murder.

I mean come on, if that synopsis alone doesn’t tempt you than I don’t think you know what you’re in for. We interact with different neighbors and all these secret scandals that are well hidden, or so you think. Who doesn’t ever suspect their neighbors.

My only complaint is some of the side characters I didn’t or couldn’t remember so I lost who they were at times and their connections. But all in all, this was just bang bam boom wow!

The Block Party is suspense novel that starts off with murder that takes place during an annual Summer block party. It follows the residents of a cul-de-sac through two POVs, one is from Alex and the other from her daughter Lettie. Lettie's POV have a YA tone, she does come off as some what annoying, I think that was done in purpose from the writer since she is a senior in high school.

The book starts with the murder, and goes back a whole year to get back to the first chapter.
Through out the book, we learn move about several neighbours who live in the cul-de-sac, learning everyone's secrets, and trying to figure out who will get murder and who committed the crime.

I did find that the plot moved slower than I would have prefer, however wanting to figure out who the murder is and whom they killed kept me interested.

Overall, if you are looking for a quick read, that has "Desperate Housewives" this might just be the book for you!

Thank you to for an ARC of this book to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The cul-de-sac on Alton Road is gearing up for its annual block party. They all get together to drink, laugh, and just have a great time. This year is no different except the secrets that people are keeping are starting to seep.above the surface. Last years party went off without a hitch bit this years will end in murder. Follow along as you are taken back to the previous year when secrets start to come to light. You are taken down the path of each persons secrets and lies. Will you be able to figure out who the killer is and why they felt that.murder was the only answer. Great read filled with some twists and turns that will have you guessing the whole way through.

I love a good neighbor drama ala Desperate Housewives and this one delivered!

We start with the annual Memorial Day block party. There has been an "incident" but we aren't privy. Then we flash back to last year's party and it leads us to now.

Every person in the hood has secrets, from the adults to the teens and everything in between.
And the secrets overlap! Lots of bad behavior among this crowd.

This book had drama, suspense and plenty of surprises! You feel like you are there witnessing it all!

I had both the ARC and ALC and switched between. I found both to be well done. Many thanks to Netgalley, MacMillan Audio and St. Martin's Press for my advance copies in exchange for an honest review!

I enjoyed The Block Party. One of my favorite parts was the comments on the neighborhood online community page. So funny!

I was really impressed with this debut by Jamie Day. Set at a block party on Memorial Day, the Block Party is a dual timeline, dual point of view thriller that kept me guessing the entire time. What was so unique about this book was that not only do we not know who the killer is, but we also don’t know who was killed. I loved trying to figure it out while reading.

For this story, I was glad that the author chose to only have two narrators because there were a lot of characters to keep track of. Alex and Lettie are mother and daughter, and we get to find out what happened by having them flashback to the previous year’s block party and learn about their neighbors.

If you love a good thriller with some neighborhood drama thrown in, then this is the book for you. I loved the pacing and the writing style, however I did think there were a few too many characters to keep track of. At times I would ask myself, “who’s that?” even though they’d been mentioned before.

Thank you St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for advanced copies in exchange for my honest review.

At first the story starts off a bit slow but after a few chapters I was sucked into this story. All the secrets and drama kept me trying to figure out the deal with each of the characters. It was well written and moves at a smooth pace that made the story intriguing. I definitely didn’t want the story to end and suggest others check it out if you want a good read.

Thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for the arc.

Took me a bit to get into this book, but once I did I couldn’t put it down. So many twists and turns…. Some I saw coming and others that I didn’t. This book goes to show that you never know what goes on behind closed doors and even the “perfect” neighborhood home, may not be so perfect once you get a look inside.

We are immersed into the drama of Alton Road and its residents from page 1. with this neighborhood block party gone wrong. What happens behind closed doors doesn't always stay there... In this book, we follow Alex and her daughter Lette as they navigate family strife, new neighbors, friendships, relationship turmoil, crushes, and suspicion. I was hooked from the beginning. It's not only a who-done-it, but also a quest to find out who died. And honestly, I could see why most of the characters could have been the killer or the one who was killed.
Content warning: suicide attempt, drug use, child death

This was a super quick, twisty tourney read. I read it in almost one single setting. I love the way everyone's lives slowly intertwine, I thought the characters were interesting and well developed, and that the premise was really compelling. Overall, I had a lot of fun with this one!

This book had a lot of elements I usually really enjoy in a thriller- terrible people in a neighborhood setting. However, this one really missed it’s mark. It was incredibly repetitive.Yes I get it, Alex likes to drink. The amount of times it said “Alex always had time for a drink” got to be a bit much for me. It honestly felt exhausting to read.

In addition, everyone in this book is super unlikeable and you don’t understand the motivations of any of the characters for why they act the way they do. Unlikeable characters isn’t a deal breaker for me but I do need a little insight into their actions. Everyone was very one dimensional.

For a thriller-nothing really happened until the last 10% of the book. They alluded to a murder but you don’t know who was killed or how until the 90% mark.

I would have DNF this book except I felt I needed to finish it to write an honest review. Thank you netgalley for the arc in exchange for this review.

Such a fun read that I couldn't put down! Loved the fast paced story and the conversational tone. It was easy to follow despite the many characters and the twists kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time. Highly recommend for an entertaining end-of-summer read!

Thank you to NetGalley, Jamie Day, and St. Martin's Press for the ARC.

3.5 Stars

All neighborhoods have their secrets, how can they not with so many different personalities and backgrounds. Alton Lane is the place to live. Tight knit, upscale and full of secrets. The annual Block Party is almost like any other block party; food, games, music, catching up with neighbors…unlike others, this one includes murder! The story starts with a bang, literally, and then takes us back to the prior year and builds from there.

I love thrillers and domestic ones especially, this one just moved at a slower pace than I had hoped for. I found many of the neighbors annoying and the situations over the top. I did enjoy the separate connections between the female neighbors.

Thanks to St. Martins Press and NetGalley for this ARC. Opinion is mine alone.

It was so strange to read a murder mystery and not even know who was murdered. Yes, that is right, the reader doesn’t know who the murderer was or who was murdered!

The Block Party was definitely a page turner, with a diverse cast of characters. It is a great summer or vacation read, you know light but keeps your interest, and an ending the reader will be satisfied with.

Thank you @stmartinspress and @netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.