thank you St. Martins Press and NetGalley for this e arc in exchange for my honest review!
this was such a fun fast paced thriller! i loved the dual timelines and loved reading up until the huge climax of the story. i liked that basically everything was right in front of you but you just didn’t wanna believe it so you tried to find other answers. at least that’s how i felt! i loved only seeing alex and lettie’s POV instead of adding a ton of other characters to the mix. they were both seeing different sides to the same story of what was going on but we’re oblivious to it. some of the twists were a little expected but i didn’t mind so much bc i was still super surprised! but then some other twists i was not expecting! it kept me on my toes and i love that in thriller books.

Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free, electronic ARC of this novel received in exchange for an honest review.
Expected publication date: July 18, 2023
Food, games, fun…..and murder. The Memorial Day block party on Alton Road is an annual tradition, allowing all of the neighbours in the cul-de-sac to socialize and unwind. But this year, tensions are running high, families are at each others’ throats, secrets are going to be unleashed, and someone is going to end up dead. Which family will suffer the loss? Which family is responsible?
Full of taut suspense and enticing family drama, debut author Jamie Day delivers with “The Block Party”. The six family units that make up Alton Road each have their own collection of suspicious, dishonest characters, and right from the jump it’s a guessing game as to who was killed, and who did it.
The story is told from multiple POV’s; Alex, the party organizer and alcoholic, and her daughter, Lettie, seventeen years old and preparing for college. The time frame of “Party” goes from one Memorial Day block party to the following one a year later, when the dead body is discovered, which not only adds to character development but also succeeds to build tension and add suspicion to already suspicious characters.
“The Block Party” is not unique in its plot or its premise. In fact, ‘murderous party’ tropes seem to be so plentiful, it may well get its own genre. That being said, “Party” is still one heck of a read! The characters are plentiful but unique and relatable, and the plot twists are engaging and even unexpected! Day takes a complex, complicated relationship between characters, adds a surprising twist or two, and turns it into a digestible page turner! If this is an indication of Day’s writing talent and ability, sign me up for whatever comes next!

I did not read The Block Party through an educator lens.

Jamie Day's The Block Party kept me wanting to read, although, I did not particularly care for the characters. Something seemed missing with their development for me, but the plot drove the story and I definitely was captivated in wanting to know who did what. I always love a varying POV book and Day did a great job alternating between characters. Other than a bit more of the development of the characters, I appreciated this quick read.

Secrets abound in the 'burbs!

This novel is a clever mash-up of domestic drama, mystery, and thriller.  Scandal has slowly burrowed its way into the esteemed homes of Alton Road. It seems that in just one year, the entire cul-de-sac becomes infested with deceit and damage . . . the Bug Man may not be the only exterminator lurking around.

Some will survive the calamity that is brewing, yet no one will be left untouched. You may not like all the players and you may squirm at some of the subject matter . . . but this intricately woven storyline is undeniably a hit!

I highly recommend this one for your next beach read.

I'd like to thank NetGalley for an advanced copy of The Block Party for my unbiased evaluation.  5 stars

I couldn’t put this book down. It started out quickly and sucked me in from the first pages and twisted and turned all throughout. The Block Party is a mysterious book detailing the lives of one affluent block in a Massachusetts town and a tragedy that happens at their annual block party. Told from the perspectives of Alex and her daughter Lettie, the book really gives the reader a bird’s eye view into the mystery and scandal surrounding their neighborhood. Just when I thought I knew what was going to happen it would twist or turn! Fingers crossed they will turn this book into a series. I would binge it in a day!

Thank you so much, NetGalley, for allowing me to read this advanced copy. I will recommend this book from here on out!

The Block Party
by Jamie Day
Pub Date: July 18, 2023
St. Martin's Press
Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the ARC of this novel in exchange for my honest opinion.
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 one is good! The characters are exceptional! The secrets, twists are well crafted. I normally don't like long books but this one kept me reading.
This book should be turned into a series! 5 stars

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC.

I agree with other reviewers: if you liked Big Little Lies, you will enjoy the book. There are multiple character lines (well done), neighborhood secrets, stalkers, murder, jealousy, revenge…it was great! A great mystery! I would definitely read this author again!

*I received a free electronic copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I was not compensated in any way.

Residents of the exclusive Alton Road community of Meadowbrrok Mass. are gathering for their annual Memorial Day Block Party. Although their lives may appear perfect to the outside world, the people on Alton Road have secrets-- lots of secrets.

A mysterious new couple has moved in with their son, who has recently been kicked out of college. They don't decorate the inside of their house. They are rarely even seen outside. So why does Alex (short for Alexandria) see her brother-in-law sneaking away from their house late at night?

A mysterious stalker is tormenting another neighbor. (Why did her husband die so mysteriously?) Yet another neighbor is in a horrible marriage, held prisoner by a prenup she should never have signed.

A gun is missing and, before the block party is over, more than one person will be dead. Alton Road's residents are about to learn that secrets can be deadly.

Told in turns through the points of view of Alex (short for Alexandria) and her teen daughter, Lettie, the story takes the reader into the lives of this exclusive, wealthy neighborhood and its residents.

This is a swiftly moving no-holds-barred story. Full of twists and turns, it leads the reader into the privileged and messy lives of its many characters. I admit I got a few characters mixed up a couple times. Ken and Evan confused me because they were both a little one-dimensional, serving more as a backdrop to their wives. I think both could be drawn out a little more, considering their roles in the story. For the most part, all the male characters are more one-dimensional. An exception would be Jay, who plays more of a starring role. The females are more fully developed and carry the story. This is why the ending is a shocker. There is zero foreshadowing.

I enjoyed this story. It does move swiftly, without getting bogged down in detail. It moves back and forth in time, which was hard to follow in a couple of places. However, it didn't detract from the overall story.

Read this story if...
... you love small town- community stories
... you love mysteries

If you liked Big Little Lies this book is for you!!

The Block Party tells the story of multiple upper-class families living in a cul-de-sac (Alton Road) that opens up with a double homicide at annual Memorial Day block party. We do not know who has died. We then go back in time and read about events leading up to the block party.

There are several characters and plot lines and the author does a fantastic job at keeping the story moving this way. We find out that there are many deadly secrets in this neighborhood and it is very thrilling to discover.

Overall I very much enjoyed this authors writing style. The story was fast paced, exciting, and kept me engage from start to finish.

Alton Road is a neighborhood where you won't see a Honda Civic in one's driveway but Samir's Lexus, Brooke's Mercedes, and Riley's Beamer. Only 17-year-old Lettie drives a rusty Hyundai Santa Fe, but everybody knows she prefers her bike to reduce her carbon footprint. However, as much as the flashy cars are for everyone to see, the secrets of every family are carefully hidden. You may think you know when everybody is home, but discovering what happens behind the closed door is challenging.

"More is more and less is a bore" seems to be the motto for the plot. There is a double homicide, alcohol abuse, drugs, domestic violence, and sex with a minor. It turns out that beautiful wives can be tormented by their past traumas, and handsome husbands can use their good looks to cover their pathological psychological problems. Alex, the marriage counselor, and Nick's wife, clearly becomes an alcoholic, while her sister, Emily, who lives next door, tries to repair her marriage, but it seems impossible. A beautiful widow, Brooke, has her own secrets - and her own stalker. This is just the beginning.

The novel's timeline starts with the double murder at the Memorial Day block party, but we don't know who was killed. We go back one year and follow the story, starting when the new neighbors buy the house in this desirable community. I especially liked when the story was told from Lettie's perspective – she had a fresh, young voice and was probably the only person who cared about others.

"The Block Party" is a fast-paced thriller, and it will definitely be compared to "Big Little Lies" or "Truly Madly Guilty." It's less of a psychological thriller and more of a neighborhood drama. The author does not explore the characters' issues, just presents them, mainly through the eyes of Lettie and her mother. It would be interesting to bring other characters into focus.

On the other hand, this limited number of narrators – representing two generations – makes even more apparent how little the neighbors can know about each other and how difficult getting into other person's shoes can be. Too often, the best intentions to help someone in need don't evolve into real help. Crossing the street to a neighbor's house can be the longest journey.

This was my first book by this author and man was it a good one! This had just the right amount of suspense that kept me guessing the whole time. Every single time I thought I had it figured out, I'd be wrong again. The way that the author wove the characters stories together and managed a back and forth in the timeline was masterful.

This book is about a neighborhood full of secrets and lies that all comes to one big explosion during the annual block party. It keeps you guessing and coming back for more! I will definitely be watching for this author in the future.

Thank you to #netgally and #StMartin'sPress.

Be sure to check out this book this summer!!

The Block Party was an enjoyable twisty domestic thriller in the vein of Big Little Lies. Every Memorial Day the residents of the fancy neighborhood of Alton Road throw an epic block party. This year's party is different though, because someone winds up dead.

The book opens with that party, focusing on Alex who is hosting the event. She seems to be drinking a lot. And her husband is not happy about it. After an embarrassing event with a kiddie pool, she goes to lie down. She waked up hours later to the sounds of police sirens on her street.

The book shifts to one year before, at the same block party. We are introduced to various neighbors, and Alex's realtor sister who brings potential clients (she is selling the house next door to Alice) to the party. It's really a big house for just the two of them and their 20 year-old-son, but the wife is determined to move in. Alex's spidey senses activate as she observes her potential new neighbors, the husband seems to exhibit controlling behavior.

The book alternates between Alex's point of view and her daughter Lettie, who is grounded for the beginning of the summer. We come to find that this picture perfect neighborhood has lies, cheating, and overall bad blood simmering just below the surface.

If you like BLL and suburbia gone bad, The Block Party will hit the spot for a summer thriller. Thank you to St. Marten's Press and NetGalley for the ARC for my honest review.

My thanks to both NetGalley and the publisher St. Martin's Press for an advanced copy of this book of fiction featuring a crime in suburbia, and the tensions that keeping up appearances has on a private community.

My small little neighborhood has become very social media conscious these last couple of years. Almost everyone is on Nextdoor, sharing tales of tag sales, people not doing their lawns, or dogs doing business. Or they have a Nest doorbell sharing pictures of delivery people doing their jobs, to comments, dogs again doing their business, to comments, and kids riding bikes, to even more comments. Our business is not our own anymore, and there is a very large business making money off of stuff that a person used to whisper over a fence to another neighbor. Now they comment online to the whole community. Instead of bringing people together, this makes us want to be apart. A dog's business on a lawn is a chance to freak out, a kid on a bike touching a driveway, worth an angry letter. And slowly this pressure builds, till on a otherwise happy day, something happens, and suddenly things go dark fast. Welcome to The Block Party by Jamie Day, a story about a neighborhood full of snooty people, and wanabees, and the sudden act of violence that changes everything.

Alton Road is THE cul-de-sac in the town of Meadowbrook, in an exclusive area of New England. The annual block is the biggest affair of the season, a chance for the neighbors to show how they are beating all the other Joneses with their success, travel plans, kitchen redos and more, while slowly hating themselves, their family, and in some cases barely hanging on. The odds are high that something will happen at the party, something always does, a drunken spat between spouses, a kiss in a bouncy house, a near drowning from a stoned child, or even more embarrassing. However this block party is the scene for the first murder in forty years. And it might not be the last.

Talking too much about the book will give a lot away, and there are a lot of twists and turns in this book, and some surprising revelations, a final twist that is almost on the last page. Yes there is a certain amount of disbelief that has to be suspended, and frankly none of these people are worth living next to. The story is a slightly familiar one, being rich is burden and what it does to people, but Day does have a gift with characters and even when they are annoying one still wants to see where they are going, and what might be next. A very clever story, with a good use of satire to make the story come to life.

Recommended for fans who like twists, turns and annoying characters sometimes getting their due. This is a perfect book for the beach, because one will think wow pleasant it is not to look out the window and see the neighbors who seem so similar to characters in the book. Just stay off your doorbell apps.

I am not usually a fan of books that go back and forth between characters to tell the story, but it totally works and is necessary for this one. Who doesn't like a little neighborhood drama? This book has it all. It will keep you on your toes until the very end. I don't want to give away any spoilers. Each character is well developed through out and everything will come out in the end. It definitely does not disappoint.

The Block Party is so much more than just an annual block party and the murder that happens. The neighbors who attend this annual party are filled with secrets and drama. This book is addicting from the opening chapter.

The book opens at the present day block party, and we know someone has been murdered. We get introduced to the neighbors. We then go back a year and start to learn more about the residents of this neighborhood through a mom’s and teenage daughter’s perspective. I love this book because there is so much more going on than the murder. I got lost in all the neighbor’s drama that I would forget sometimes someone had even been murdered since I got wrapped up in everyone’s storylines.

The Block Party has plenty of surprises and ultimately I did not come close to having the ending figured out. The pacing was great and never felt rushed, especially the ending like some books can do. The conclusion was ultimately satisfying and surprising.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press, Jamie Day, and Netgalley for allowing me to read an advanced reader’s copy. This is a great debut novel!

Thank you for the opportunity to review.

I was hopeful that I would love this book as much as I did other neighborhood murder mysteries, but this one fell a little short. I had trouble connecting or caring about any of the characters. It was slow going, but a few nice twists.

What a crazy ride with a lot of dysfunctional families in one culdesac. It was hard to keep the families apart at first and everyone had an issue, even the teenagers. Definitely a crazy ride with several twists that had me intrigued. Thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for the ARC

“Neighborhood drama” – I’m a sucker for these when they are well done. And Jamie Day’s The Block Party is REALLY well done! It is a fast read, there are memorable characters, and the plotting is terrific.

The story begins at last year’s block party and then the multiple residents/families who live on the block are introduced. There are multiple conflicts, relationships, and the murder mystery at the center of the story. As usual, I didn’t guess the ending, but I had a great time trying to figure it all out.

I live on a cul-de-sac which has had a neighborhood block party on July 4th since the early to mid-1980s, and while our neighborhood isn’t quite as full of drama as this one, I still could relate to some of the drama. Four stars, and thanks to St. Martin’s and NetGalley for providing a copy in exchange for this honest review.

4 summer party stars

Who doesn’t love a great Memorial Day block party? Alton Road in Meadowbrook, Massachusetts has an exclusive blockbuster party every year. Food, drinks, music, lots of kids – the works! Alex is planning it again this year even though hosting is supposed to rotate. We find out pretty early that this is someone’s last block party as a murder takes place.

The book then goes back a year in time as we get to know the residents of Alton Road. There’s Alex and Nick, she’s drinking a lot and thinking she is hiding it from everyone. We also get the perspective from her teenage daughter Lettie, and she was a refreshingly real character! Lettie is passionate about the environment and figuring out future college plans.

Alex’s sister Emily lives on Alton Road with her family; Brooke is the gorgeous widow, Willow and Evan are another couple, and there’s a new family too, the Kumars. This might be a first – there is a memorable pest control salesman too, “Bugman.”

As the book goes on, I wondered just who died at the block party and who is the murderer. The pacing was quite good and had some great female characters! There is a surprising amount of drama and secrets in the neighborhood, but this book certainly kept me engaged and reading! There’s a great conclusion in this one that wraps up the plot.

This debut novel will make for a great summer read!

This book was fine. It had a similar vibe to Big Little Lies, but not as good. The book seemed to move a little slow and have some tension, but not enough. There were parts when I was really engaged and others were… meh.

The book is a dual timeline story that comes back to the present. It takes place in a posh neighborhood with the present timeline being the Memorial Day block party.

There are quite a few characters – they’re not too hard to keep straight though (probably due to partially being in a teenagers point of view). Bugman made me so mad!

I thought the little excerpts from the broader neighborhood app were fun.

Dislikes:
There was no need to have the child drowning storyline..