3.5 stars
The Block Party starts on Memorial Day in an upper class suburban neighborhood. Someone is murdered at the block party. We then go back a year and unravel the lives of the main characters living on Alton Road. It was a good summer read, but a bit lengthy.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for a reader’s copy of this book. My reviews never contain spoilers and are freely given.
The Block Party is a domestic thriller centered on a group of families who live on the same street. Every Memorial Day there is a block party for residents. At one block party, tragedy occurs.
Every family has flawed members and the families are inter-related in ways both obvious and subtle. As you move through the story the relationships become more clear, leading to the tragedy.
The characters are interesting; some detestable and some very empathetic. The story resolves nicely and it is an easy read.

I really enjoyed this story. It was an exciting thriller. The characters, though there was a lot, were easy to keep track of.
I enjoyed when the puzzle pieces started coming together at the end, because it seemed like there was a lot in question. But I think there was one too many things going on. It made the ending drag out a bit.
Otherwise I really enjoyed this book.

This is not your average neighborhood! They’ve got enough drama for an entire city. We’re talking addiction, blackmail, cheating, domestic abuse, marital discord, unruly teenagers, etc. You name it and the folks on Alton Road are most likely connected to it in some way. There’s even a stalker! It’s no wonder someone ends up dead at their annual block party!

I couldn’t ask for anything more in a domestic thriller. This was twisty and shocking. There are a lot of characters, but once you can keep everyone straight, you won’t be able to put the book down. If you’re a fan of Desperate Housewives or On a Quiet Street, you’ll definitely enjoy this salacious neighborhood drama.

This brought back memories of the show, Knots Landing! The residents of the elite cul-de-sac on Alton Road seemingly are living a charmed life, until this year at their annual Memorial Day block party there is a murder. Flashing back over the previous year, all is not as it seems and secrets within the households are revealed. Usually, I don't like books with unlikeable characters, but these residents are so self absorbed and despicable it made for quite the twisted story! Each page is filled with treachery, lies, secrets and deceit! The Block Party is a fast paced quick and very enjoyable read!

Cheating, murder, stalkers and teenage angst are all part of this neighborhood. Every year there is a block party with some years certainly being more memorable than others since it involves murder! There were a lot of characters to keep track of and they were all fairly flawed. Lettie was my favorite. I didn't love the resolution at the end but I thought the twist was pretty good.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

A block part turns murderous as the neighborhood secrets come to life. And let you tell me, thank god my neighbors aren’t like this! Think Real Housewives meets Big Little Lies. The drama was quite enticing and kept me entertained! I did not expect the end results at all, but enjoyed the synopsis. Definitely a fast paced read. This one hits shelves on 7/18/23!
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Thank you @netgalley and @stmartinspress for this ARC in exchange for my review!

What a wild ride! Suspense, family drama, young love, marriage troubles! Told in 'seasons' - beginning with the cliffhanger at the Memorial Day summer soirée where the police are called and the neighborhood chat board lights up with rumors of a murder! This culture-de-sac community has more secrets than a game of Clue! Adults behaving badly - while the teenagers are getting into trouble of their own! Fast-paced and surprising until the end!

The book opens with an exclusive block party. The exclusivity of the neighborhood is enough to generate gossip and bad feelings of those living nearby who feel they should be invited to the block party. As the party goes on, there is much bitterness apparent on social media but the death at the block party far outweighs the gossip on social media. The book has dual storylines, the day of the party and the events of the past year leading up to the current block party. There is a slew of clues given throughout the book and I did enjoy trying to put the pieces together. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the digital ARC. This review is my own.

really enjoyed Block Party. Jamie Day treats you to a world of lord and deception interwoven amongst residents of an exclusive cul-de-sac where nothing is as it seems.

The story starts off at the present day. And then the reader is taken back and forth between the past year and the buildup to the murder in present day.

Many lives are changed and families broken up, but the path to get there is the interesting part of this book. Jamie will keep you guessing who done it and why.

I highly recommend Block Party.

This book just wasn’t for me and wound up being a DNF at 33%. From the blurb I was expecting a thriller or at the very least a murder mystery. Instead it read like a cross between a soap opera full of annoying characters and a YA book. My favorite parts of the book were the sections of text messages speculating about what had happened.

This book was so good, I could have finished it in one sitting, but … life. A great twisty, domestic drama. It was fun trying to put the pieces together and I particularly liked the way the author interwove the stories of these neighbors. Nothing is ever what it seems. Wonderful summer read. Thank you NetGalley for providing the ARC.

Wow, there is a lot going on in this book. It opens on the day of the annual Memorial Day block party of Alton Road. Here we’re introduced to the many neighbors of the elite cul de sac. A murder has been committed and everyone seems to have a secret.

The story is told alternately by Lettie and her mom, Alex. Alex was not a likeable character, but there were a lot of unlikeable characters here, that’s what makes it interesting. The only parts I didn’t care for were the Meadowbrook Online Community Page posts. The posts felt unnecessary, except to introduce more characters into the mix.

All in all, though, this was a fun read. It was a little bit of a soap opera, the perfect light mystery for summer.
3.5 Stars

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this complimentary ARC. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

•The Block Party 🍾•

📚Genre: domestic thriller
🤔Rating: 🍺🍺🍺(3/5)
#️⃣ of pages: 384
👯‍♀️ read if you like: Desperate Housewives, The Couple Next Door, On a Quiet Street, What the Neighbors Saw
⚠️TW: suicide, miscarriage
Publishing Date: July 18, 2023

👍🏼:
•loved the addition of the online community forum posts. It adds an element of suspense and makes you feel like you’re there
•definitely held my attention after I became invested in it

👎🏼:
•quite predictable
•this book has alllll the drama and even with that, I felt like it was slow moving. I wasn’t fully invested until around 45-50%.

Overall…
Domestic thrillers are definitely my subgenre of choice and this one definitely had all the makings of a good suburban thriller. This one is a good mix between character and plot driven but it does lean toward the side of being character driven. There are tons of characters in the story but only 2 POVs & those were actually two of my least favorite characters in the story 😬 this plot had SO much potential & I had all kinds of theories of what could have happened. While it was a bit predictable, I still would deem it as an easy, entertaining read & one that I’d say give a shot to!

Special thanks to NetGalley and St Martins Press for sharing this ARC with me in exchange for an honest review!

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The Block Party by Jamie Day
If you’re up for a slow Murder Mystery with a ton of gossip and wine, this is the novel for you!
Alton Road is the place to live in Meadowbrooks. The neighborhood is close nit and infamous for its yearly block party. Only this year there is a murder.
The novel takes us back a year and we get a point of view from mother and daughter Alex and Letties. There is so much to this novel. Secrets, cheating, stalking but it’s set up in a classy sophisticated way.
All this is a perfect setup to destroy friendships and relationships.

This is not one of my favorite books but it kept me engaged and it picked up its speed after the halfway mark.The writing was on point and easy to follow.There we’re a lot of important topics in the book.

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martins Press for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

I received an ARC of The Block Party via NetGalley for review.

The Block Party sucked me in immediately. It started with Alex, drunk and waking up to the sounds of sirens arriving at the annual block party that she’s hosting. Then we jump back and go through the year leading up to the block party.

After the initial excitement, it was very slow to develop. But the last quarter of the book was insane. Everything boiled down, and it was super dramatic. Everyone had secrets, some were fairly easy to predict, and some were completely shocking!

Perspective bounces between Alex and her angst, teenage daughter Lettie, and the neighborhood messaging boards. I really liked the banter in the messaging board; it kind of brought us back to reality. Alton Lane (the block) is idyllic, and the families all seem so perfect. So seeing all their drama come out and their dirty laundry getting aired was just so fascinating.

A solid summer read!

Does anyone remember the show Desperate Housewives? This book had a similar feel with a neighborhood brimming with secrets and scandal. The book opens with the annual block party and someone dead. The story then jumps back a year and we follow Alex and all of her neighbors, each of which is dealing with something. Alex and Nick are about to become empty nesters and Alex has been drinking more and more. Their daughter Leddy has been secretly meeting up with the neighbor's older son. Her cousin Dylan has been dating Leddy's previous best friend; however, things are rocky there. His parents are dealing with infidelity issues. One neighbor has a stalker. Everyone is suspicious of the new neighbors. Things get weirder and creepier as the year goes on.

This is a great twisty suspense novel. The neighborhood setting is so much fun. I loved all the suspicion and gossip they all had for one another. There is a whodunnit/what happened mystery to it. The narration switches from Alex to Leddy and back which really worked well. The story flows and the drama of it all is just fantastic. I would recommend this to anyone looking for a fun summer read when you'd rather be outside instead of watching your normal reality show. Block Party is a great stand-in. 3.5 stars rounded to 4.

🏘️ Has anyone else been reading a ton of domestic/suburban thrillers lately 🏘️?? I have read several and I LOVE all the neighbourhood drama, lies and deceit!

“The Block Party” by Jamie Day is full of scandal, revenge and twisty plots that will keep you locked in and unable to put the book down!

BOOK REVIEW: 🖤🖤🖤🖤/5

Alton Road is an exclusive cul de sac neighbourhood that holds an annual summer block party for all of its residents. This is a night of drinking, gossiping, showing off and playing nice to all of the neighbours. Until someone ends up MURDERED 🔪

Everyone at the party is a suspect …
And this book rewinds to one year prior to give readers the 411 on WHO lives in the neighbourhood and WHAT everyone has to hide! The twists and turns of this book are INSANE and every time I thought I had things figured out, I was completely stumped 🤯🤯

For fans of Desperate Housewives, Big Little Lies, Dead to Me, The New Mother, Everyone Here is Lying and What the Neighbours Saw … this one if for Y O U!

Thank you kindly to Jamie Day, @stmartinspress @netgalley for my advanced digital copy in exchange for my honest review! This book releases July 18, 2023!!

This one was just pure fun, if you like gossipy neighborhood domestic suspense you’ll enjoy this I bet. There’s a lot going on here as it basically follows every resident on Alton Road so there’s quite a few characters to keep track of but they intertwine in a scandalous and satisfying way. It alternates between present day and then a year prior leading up to the night of the murder and the slow unraveling of so many people with so many secrets was juicy and fun. This is the perfect poolside summer read, lots of drama, betrayal and it doesn’t require a lot of brain power which is basically my summer mood.

"The Block Party" is one event you do not want to miss! This twisty domestic suspense novel is a must-read for the summer.

The story begins with residents of the exclusive cul-de-sac on Alton Road throwing their annual Memorial Day block party. When someone is murdered, we go back one year earlier to the events leading up to the party. The novel is told from the points of view of Alex, a former divorce attorney turned mediator, and her rebellious teenage daughter, Lettie. Interspersed between chapters there are present-day updates on the Meadowbrook Online Community Page, where gossiping residents eagerly await news and share their own theories (hilarious—gotta love nosy neighbors!). In the year leading up to the murder, rivalries and betrayals unfold. The residents of Alton Road are entangled in a web of secrets and scandals unknown to the outside world and to each other. Although their lives seem perfect from the outside, nothing is ever as it seems.

It's true what they say, you never really know your neighbors, and in this book, that was certainly the case. This book was filled with alllll the drama: lies, infidelity, alcoholism, revenge, stalking, and more. I was invested in the story from the beginning and on the edge of my seat to find out who was murdered and who was to blame. There were a lot of side characters in this book, but I thought the author did a great job distinguishing them, and I never felt confused about who was who. I also really enjoyed the dual perspectives of Alex and Lettie. They had their own unique voices, and Lettie's POV appropriately felt more YA. This was such a fun summer read. There were so many twists that I had no idea what was going to happen next. Highly recommend!

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