This book reminded me a lot of Big Little Lies. Opens with something potentially bad going on but you don’t know what. Story backtracks through secrets and lies which leave you trying to put together who must have snapped.

I think a lot of what’s revealed is pretty guessable. The main parts anyway. There’s a couple side plots that come out of nowhere for some added surprises.

The last chapter got a little hokey but otherwise the story was mostly enjoyable.

3.5⭐️ This is a fun summer read, reminiscent of Laine Moriarty’s Big Little Lies. I enjoyed the setting and learning about the characters, though it’s a very large cast and I struggled at first keeping everyone straight. There were also quite a few subplots to keep straight (notes are helpful here).

My biggest issue with this novel is that the pacing felt off - a strong start led to a slower/draggy middle section. By the time I reached the conclusion, I didn’t feel as invested as I had hoped to.

Read if you like:
•ensemble casts
•twisty plot lines
•quick reads
•neighborhood drama

Thank you St. Martins Press and Macmillan Audio for my gifted copies.

Reading this book was such a GRIND. There is so much information to share that comes together nicely in the last 20 pages (+1 star for that), but getting there is very laborious.

I picked this one up looking for an exciting summer thriller, but this definitely trends more on the "mystery", "neighborhood drama" side. The pace of the book is pretty slow because of the character building (there are a lot), and I thought the switch between first-person and third-person narration was going to be more important to the plot that it actually ended up being - overall POV just added a bit of confusion.

The ending was pretty predictable, and getting through the first 40 chapters took me about a month (I finish 2 books a week typically). Pick it up if it sounds interesting to you, but there are better thrillers coming out this summer.

The Alton Road residents have so many secrets and a heap of drama. There has been a murder. Throughout the book we don’t know the victim or the perpetrator. I love how the book dives into the drama filled stories of all of the characters while leading us to the shocking ending. The narration was fantastic on the audio.

Amazing! A year in the life of the well-to-do neighbors on a cul-de-sac. Think Desperate Housewives or Peyton Place. I loved the way the story unfolds with something bad happening at the annual picnic and then bouncing back to the previous year to provide the bones of the story. I laughed at the neighbors' online forum with the usual questions, rumors, gossip, and snark. There is always one guy who thinks he's funny, isn't there? This story is an unexpected delight and full of suspense.

This was a great debut and I hope Jamie Day has more stories inside them.
This is a neighbourhood drama, reminiscent of The Slap, with multiple POV.
But, instead of one incident setting off a stream of events, this one has a bunch of events that lead up to a combustible end.
Much secrets, intrigues, crimes, and a bit of mystery...oh and it is all building up to shots fired at a BBQ. That's not a spoiler, that is literally the whole set up in the first chapter.
I was able to switch between the audio and the kindle version and I would recommend both. The writing transitions beautifully in both versions.
Much love to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press & Macmillan Audio for my DRC's.

One nice suburban neighborhood having their summer block party, but ohh the secrets that will be revealed. This story has it all- murder, suicide, affairs, substance use and most of all lies! The characters are relatable and the plot sucks you in. I enjoyed every bit of this read. Numerous twists!
If you want to read a real page turner, pick this one up. Thank you to Netgalley, St Martins Press and the author for allowing me and arc in exchange for my honest review!!!!

📖Review
4🌟🌟🌟🌟
📖Book 58/100
📚Block Party
💫Genre: Mystery/Thriller
✍️ Jamie Day
🏡🍷🏡🍷🏡🍷🏡🍷
This book gave me Little Fires Everywhere/ Real House Wives vibes through Alex’s point of view, yet I got Heathers (1988) vibes through Lexi’s point of view which was a cool combination. This was not what I expected it to be, and I actually enjoyed it very much. It was a bit predictable, but I would definitely recommend this one. So much drama, lies, and mystery!

✨Thank you @netgalley & @stmartinspress for a copy of this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
📌Publication Date:
July 18, 2023
✨✨✨✨✨
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Everybody on Alton Road has a secret, but of course the truth always comes out eventually. Pretty much a Desperate Housewives knock off.

In the past, I have enjoyed books written about posh neighborhoods and the secrets that lurk there. Unfortunately, this one fell flat for me. The couples and their children dwell in a wealthy neighborhood and are getting ready for their annual block party. Chapters alternated between the present and 1 year in the past. We are kept in the dark about who the victim is but it didn't really matter. There were so many characters, many of them irritating and unlikeable. The book seemed to drag along with unnecessary dialog as well. I cannot recommend one.

I've seen some early buzz around this book and my FOMO kicked in...

The residents of exclusive cul-de-sac Alton Road have an annual Summer block party, one year there's a murder at the party.

Rewind one year earlier to the start of the story. There's a lot of characters, I recommend keeping a list, they've all got subplots, secrets and twists.

There's a lot going on, and it slows things down. There are some nice touches in the writing and it generally kept me entertained.

I was reminded of Liane Moriarty's Big Little Lies, a suburban noir in which you know something terrible will happen and you then get the build up to it.

Not bad, but I've read a few similar, better books in this style.

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press

Synopsis:
"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:
We follow all the drama on Alton Road through two POV's, Alex and her teenage daughter Lettie. Following both an adult and teen POV rewards the reader with greater insight into the happenings in this neighborhood. We see just how intertwined they all truly are and quickly realize that danger is bubbling to the surface.
There are a lot of characters in this story and it took me a few chapters to understand who was who. While the story felt a little slow at times, other times I was on the edge of my seat. I was fully engaged throughout and enjoyed the multiple twists along the way. Just when I thought I was putting some pieces together, there would be a twist that I hadn't seen coming. This is a fun, twisty ride that kept me guessing right up until the end.

Thank you to @netgalley , @stmartinspress , and @macmillan.audio for the gifted copy of this book.

Thanks to Netgalley for the E-Arc. Talk about a Party lol. This book was checking all my boxes and then some. I enjoyed the two POV of Alex and Lettie we got to see things from different perspectives one of a adult and the other of a teenager. This story portrayed a behind the scenes of one of the most prominent neighborhoods and what happens when we have secrets and they implode. I hate a love/hate relationship because everything was unfolding and we didn't know anything first hand and that does not go well with a impatient person. The plot twist was mind blown I had only figured out one out of the 1 billion plot twist that happened.

Thank you St. Martin's Press (ebook) and MacMillan (audiobook) for this salacious secret filled summer read. The Block Party starts off with a murder and then goes back one year earlier to lead the reader into the world of privileged neighborhood lives, uncovering a range of secrets, lies, and manipulations that make you think a lot of people had reason to commit murder.

An engaging, fast paced suspense book that brings the reader into the lives of several characters, connecting to themes on marital strain, drinking, substance use, and the lies that can keep people together or tear them apart. What stood out to me was that many of the themes covered a very real and relatable, delivered with nuance, and done in a way that made me care about most (not all) of the characters, even if they had a lot of flaws. There were some great contextual notes with short segments of posts from the community board (think NextDoor) that were pitch perfect.

Great for fans of the newly released Bad Summer People and books such as Big Little Lies.

One note to readers: there is a significant focus on some high school students, children of the main characters who are also fairly main characters as well. At times the book could feel a little YA given the focus; this worked for me as I thought it actually added depth to what was really going on in all of the lives in the neighborhood and in the families featured but it might not work for every reader.

Full of neighborhood and family drama that keeps you on your toes on what is really going on. Ends with a definite bang. Well written to draw you into the storyline and characters.

Thanks to the author, the publisher and NetGalley for an early release of this book.

I flew through the book in less than 24 hours!! Such a fantastic hook, interesting family dramas brewing through the neighborhood, and palatable suspense in every chapter as the reader tries to figure out if and how the dramas are connected. The story begins at the annual Memorial Day Block Party where someone ends up murdered. The story then flashes back over the year leading up to this fateful night and it told through the dual POV of Alex (mother) and Lettie (teenager daughter). This read has all the drama: lies, stalking, cheating, revenge, drinking/drugs, and eventually murder. Having the two POVs kept the story fresh and offered insight into how the tension and drama unfolding between the neighborhood adults impacted the lives of their children. I swear by the end of this read, I had second guessed every possible connection and I still missed the mark. The ending was draw dropping and nicely buttoned up, which I appreciate from a great thriller.

Don’t hesitate! You need to add this to your summer TBR as soon as possible.
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press and the author for this digital ARC in exchange for my honest review. I will add a link to my social post closer to the pub date.

Thank you to Jamie Day, St. Martin's Press, and NetGalley for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

I did not see the plot twists coming in this book at all! I love when books can surprise me like that. The different POVs were easy to follow along with and added an extra layer to learning about the characters. While I did enjoy this book overall, I did feel like the pacing was off. It took me a while to really get into it. The first 55-60% of the book were pretty slow in my opinion, However, once the pacing picked up I couldn't stop reading this book. The Block Party is a book I will be recommending for a fun summer read!

4ish stars

I really enjoyed this domestic suspense thriller. I didn’t really know who the “bad guy” was until the ending, and although it wasn’t a huge surprise, in hindsight, I wasn’t upset by the conclusion. There was a lot going on throughout the story, and for some reason, I had trouble keeping some of the major characters separate in my mind. Although that made things a bit confusing at times, the overall premise worked and was intriguing, if not a wholly new concept, and I had fun reading it.

Every year the residents of Alton Road have a block party where things can sometimes get out of hand, but this time sirens have neighbors going to the Facebook community page to see what is going on. Signs are pointing to a homicide, but who? And how? Nobody knows! This group of neighbors has it all! An alcoholic, a mysterious widow, new neighbors with a lot of secrets, a couple about to divorce, and that’s not even including the kids and all of their drama! As we are taken back through the previous year up to the night of the homicide, we learn so many secrets about these characters! This is one domestic thriller that is not to be missed!

This book includes all the drama and doesn’t leave much out! It is addictive and so well executed in my opinion. I really enjoyed how the author nails switching from a YA POV to an adult POV so seamlessly! I feel like that can be difficult, but I really enjoyed all of the varying narrators throughout! And if you have ever been in a neighborhood Facebook page, you will love the excerpts that are included from that! It is so spot on to how people interact! I found myself laughing out loud! There are so many conflicts and drama with different kids and adults throughout this book and each one is wrapped up so nicely! Even in the epilogue, I had questions, and they were all answered before the end of the book! I loved the end!

I had high hopes for The Block Party by Jamie Day but unfortunately had to "not finish" it at 44 percent. I found the cast of characters friendships not believable and thought that the events occurring throughout had no relation to the plot line. The most interesting part to me was the little tidbits on the message boards, which weren't leading to the "before" sections.