The Block Party is a quick beach read, with lots of drama. It's fast paced and engaging. It was labeled thriller but there was more drama and teenage angst than mystery. Please note this book touched upon a lot of sensitive subjects; rape, drug use, suicide, blackmail.
Thanks to NetGalley for my ARC of this book.

I really enjoyed the overall premise of the book - getting to know the characters, drama and the inner workings of the block. I felt that at times it could be a little slow, particularly towards the middle but enjoyed all of the details. It was important to know everything impacting the decisions everyone made the day of the block party. I didn't love the main character or her husband and felt that they were almost "too perfect" compared to the neighbors and was waiting for something crazy to happen to them?

How well do you really know your neighbors? And what you think you know may not always be real. The Block Party explores that concept in a thrilling and intriguing way that keeps you guessing until the end!
From the prologue, we know that something bad happens during the annual Memorial Day block party. We don’t know if it’s an accident or a murder, nor do we know who is involved. Rewind to a year ago at the last block party, and all the events leading up to current day.

The characters living on Alton Road are well-developed and fun to get to know. The interludes with a nearby neighborhood gossiping about what happened is fun, and so true to life as we live it today with social media tools that make it easy for nosy-nelly’s to meddle in other people’s business.

I LOVED this book and gave it five stars because I was immersed into the neighborhood and became one of those nosy nellie’s myself. And there is the morbid curiosity that naturally draws us in to want to know (or we fill in our best guesses) on what goes on behind closed doors. This is a great summer/beach read that will have you on the edge of your seat wanting more!

Thank you to Jamie Day, St. Martin’s Press, and NetGalley for an advanced reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review.

What a wild ride with the residents of Alton Road! I gave this book three stars because it was difficult for me to get into for the first half of the book. There are so many characters with so many storylines. The author did a fantastic job with the ending!

A very interesting read. It gave Desperate Housewives vibes. A lot of twists and turns. The book had humor through out it and kept my interest to the end.

What an addictive book! This book starts in the present at the neighborhood block party and there is a death and that is all we know. Jamie Day does a great job of bringing us into the past and getting to know all of the characters and all of their great and not so great qualities. Many plot twists take place throughout the novel and I was constantly on my toes. I was shocked by the ending revelations and did not see them coming. I highly recommend this novel.

This book took me a bit to get into. It begins in present day memorial day block party then proceeds into the year leading up to said block party. Multiple characters with multiple plot line can get a little confusing but in the end the author brought it all together in the last few chapters with a whirlwind ending! I couldn't put it down, I found myself gasping a few times. This is a great book to read for relaxation during the summer.

I wanted to like this book.... suburbs, bitchy women, scandal....

I struggled to get through it. The characters and plot line had so much potential but it really felt like almost a YA novel instead of something for women.

I'm a big fan of books filled with neighborhood drama/mysteries/secrets, and The Block Party delivered on all counts! This book is part Liane Moriarity's Truly Madly Guilty, part Desperate Housewives, and any fans of either will love The Block Party. With classic rock blasting from the speakers, meat sizzling on the grill, red Solo cups overflowing, Told in multiple POV's, with events taking place on Memorial Day, then going back one year to the previous Memorial Day, The Block Party is a light, easy read, perfect for late spring or summer, with enough twists and surprises to keep readers invested and guessing. Special thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for proving an early copy with me in exchange for my honest review.

The Block Party focuses on a group of neighbors living around a cul-de-sac on ritzy Alston Road. Each of the neighbors have secrets and hidden connections, and over the course of one year their twisted lies and hidden agendas all begin to seep out. It all culminates to a climax at the Memorial Day block party. Alcoholism, drugs, infidelity, homicide…this book has a little bit of everything!

The story is told in dual POV. Alex is the planner of the group who throws the block party yearly, and her daughter Lettie is in her senior year of high school. I enjoyed having Alex’s POV more, as Lettie skewed on the young, immature side and her section read more like a YA novel. I think I would have preferred the second view to be one of the other neighbors instead of having two from the same house,

The book is a slow burn, and there are so many characters to keep track of that I had to keep reminding myself who was married to who, which kids belonged to which couple, and who was supposedly having an affair. I wouldn’t call this a thriller, maybe a domestic drama. It was an entertaining read.

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martins Press for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Book Review

The Block Party
⭐️⭐️⭐️
384 Pages

"When it comes to taking revenge, you won't get anywhere by playing it safe.”

Jamie Day’s debut novel, the Block Party, is the perfect combination of Desperate Housewives meets Mean Girls; which, for a reality junkie like me, is right up my alley, err road… Alton Road to be exact.

The Block Party begins on Memorial Day weekend and is told by two POVs: Alex and her teenage daughter Lettie. Alex spends her time drinking wine, gossiping with the ladies of Alton Road and designates herself as the neighborhood watch; Lettie, an awkward teen in her dark phase, plots revenge on a high school bully. Day had me laughing out loud with these characters; quirky demeanor, quick wit, and the best one liners ever!

The posts written on the Meadowbrook Online Community Page had me in stitches! These will resonate with anyone who has ever experienced the nosy neighborhood Nancy.

The Block Party is drama on drama on drama. Be prepared for a multitude of trigger warnings: alcoholism, drugs, rape, miscarriages, stalking, infidelity; Alton Road had it ALL.

If you are looking for a slow burn, suspenseful, family drama, but a relatively easy read (be prepared for 384 pages), The Block Party fits the bill! Light on the murder, heavy on the Merlot.🍷

Available this summer!

Publish Date: July 18

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

All opinions are my own.

Follow the lives of the neighbors in the exclusive Alton St. neighborhood. Each one has secrets they want to keep, secrets they know or suspect about each other and weirdly protective feelings for each other's privacy. But when a girls' night out spills some startling secrets and the new neighbor, Samir appears to be a controlling wife abuser, the neighbors decide to step up their snooping and start interfering in each other's lives (with good intentions of course) leading to some surprising and deadly consequences at the annual Memorial Day block party. Each of the women are fully developed characters and they are the ones to drive the story forward. Add in relatable family issues such as rebellious teenagers, alcoholism, cheating and divorce and readers can easily sympathize with these women. Surprises come swiftly near the end explaining some of the mystery surrounding the neighborhood's newest residents. Author Jamie Day hooks you into these character's lives and keeps you on the line until the very end. A beach read for sure!

This was a fun, cute beach read. Not a lot of substance but I didn’t really expect it based on the title/cover - so it delivered what I expected! There were a few too many characters to track easily, and I really disliked the Lettie and Jay storyline - it was very naive and cliche for a teen. But otherwise an enjoyable book for vacation!

This was a fast paced read and very reminiscent of others in this genre. The setting of a neighborhood where everyone knows everyone else's business - or thinks they do - it always intriguing. I had some reservations about the characters - many of whom weren't very likeable. The mystery was interesting, especially the ending and I'd definitely try another read by this author.

Interesting book. Like many of these types of books, the characters weren't terribly likeable. However, the story kept me turning pages. Thank you for the opportunity to read!

I think the author is very gifted & I liked her writing style. I thought it was actually pretty fun! And I love the online forum conversations - I always think that adds some different perspectives that are fun!

But I was Very bummed about the plot of this book & that fact that this is labeled a “thriller”. They didn’t even get back to the block party until the 80% mark and the “thrill” started happening around the 85% mark. Like it really had nothing to do with a block party, if we are being honest.

This book talked about porn, a women on Only Fans, and a minor/adult in a sexual relationship - those are all things that are totally unnecessary for me in books. It honestly gave me the vibe of a YA book, which I normally won’t pick up because anything that has to do with kids under the age of 18 & issues like this talked about- I find really inappropriate.

Good Book.
It kept my interest and there were many twists and turns.
I guess I just "expected" something more sinister in the ending.
Overall it was a good book and kept my interest.

*Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher/author for providing me with an E-Arc of this book. The following is my honest opinion *

This book was like a mix of 80% Desperate Housewives meets 20% Pretty Little Liars. I thoroughly enjoyed how this book panned out. Jamie Day was able to blend the past POV and present POV without being overwhelmed with information and with every chapter hooking you in deeper and deeper. As I was piecing together the tidbits of information the characters provided, I thought, "I got it now! OMG i cant believe!" Jamie Day throws another curve ball to the readers and keeps you guessing til the near end.

The only down side for me, was that there was snippets of an community page that were included but I didn't understand. It could have been done in a different way or be done with altogether,

Definitely recommend

First I am very thankful to have been given a copy of this novel to read ahead of publication.
Thanks to NetGalley.
I really wanted to like this more than I did. One thing that was hard for me is there were a lot of characters to remember. I had to constantly do a check back to who each were.
This book touched upon a lot of sensitive subjects; rape, drug use, suicide, blackmail to name a few. So reader be aware.
Over all it was well written, a bit long at times but still good.

I really enjoyed this book! There are many characters to keep track of but the author does a great job in my opinion as to making each their own. There are elements that would appeal to fans of different genres from YA to suspense to women’s fiction. This was a fast read that kept my interest the whole time. It would a good choice for a bookclub as there are lots of characters, drama, situations to discuss. And also to see if anyone on your block fits one of the characters.

Thanks to NetGalley, st martins press and the author for the ARC of this book!