✨ BOOK REVIEW ✨

Genre: Mystery & Thriller
Pages: 384
Goodreads: 3.9

February has been a crazy month and this is only the second book I’ve read! I’m hoping the second half of the month I can pick up the pace and hit my monthly goal.

After 10 days, I can finally mark this one off of my currently reading. The first half of this book was very slow for me. I just couldn’t get pulled into the storyline or the characters AT ALL. I knew that once it started picking up the pace I would love it, so I stuck with it and at about 70% it pulled me in and I did not put it down.

I love the multiple POV’s, unreliable characters, and alternating timelines 😍 it was also interesting to have the dynamic of family members that had mutual friends, as well as, adult problems and teen “problems”.

This book would be for you if you enjoy slow burns or revenge.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

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? 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.

Thank you to the publisher and @netgalley for the E-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Holy drama!! I loved this book, so many twists and turns and the drama just kept getting heavier and heavier. I was not expecting that ending either!!

AMAZING BOOK !!! Characters well developed . The plot is unique . You will never see the end . It is NOT a predecible book . 1000000% recommended

I had to DNF at 22%. While I am always very grateful to NetGalley and St Martens Press for a copy of this book, I could not force myself to continue all the way through. Initially the story was promising but between the writing style, the story format, and hating all the characters (not in a fun way) I just stopped caring and could not pick the book back up.

When I started this book, I had a preconception that it was going to be yet another vapid, pointless book but I stand corrected! I loved this book for a number of reasons - the characters were more interesting than I assumed, there were a number of concurrent plotlines that held my interest, and I really like that Lettie, the teenaged daughter of Nick and Alex, had a chance to have her own voice. This book is a clear example of not only things not being how they appear on the surface, but they are much more interesting and intricate. The story revolves around a wealthy neighborhood and their annual Memorial Day block party. Each of the attending families that are highlighted in this book have secrets and their own agendas, which is normal fare for humans in general. Enter the new family, the Kumars, and something seems not quite right anymore. The 'main' family, Nick, Alex and Lettie, play a pivotal role in settling problems and setting up this party, but they have their own set of issues around communication and alcohol. Without giving anything away, this story was a fun read and has a satisfying conclusion. The thing I found a little confusing was the occasional interjections from what I guess is a community online site - seemingly from a near future for the most part. I didn't feel that it really added anything and in fact was a little bit of a distraction.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for my copy of the ARC. The opinions expressed here are my own.

A nice quick read. Kept me guessing & I enjoyed the story. A surprising twist which I always enjoy. Definitely recommend!

I would like to thank NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

I anticipated this would be a novel that would appeal to all ages, with a plot centered around a neighborhood conspiracy. Unfortunately, I personally did not enjoy the book. This is a genre I do not read very often, but it is one that I keep attempting to read so that I may find the right fit.

To keep this review short, because I do not want discourage others from finding a good read, I did find this book to be objectively interesting. There is a murder and there is a clear path to uncovering what happened. However instead of an exciting, unique story I felt as though I was reading what could be a corny Lifetime movie.

I'm sure there is a certain demographic of people that would find the characters relatable. I am not one of them. I could not connect or empathize with any character at all.

Rating this 3 stars because it did inevitably provide mild amusement.

The ending of this book was very good. In about the last 15%, everything falls togethers and makes it easy to connect all the dots. The first 85% moved too slow for me. The book takes place on a neighborhood street. There are a lot of characters to keep straight and lots of secrets. Everything on Alton road seemed to be going fine (except Alex's drinking problem) until new neighbors moved it. Their new neighbor appears to be abusing his wife, there's a stalker on Alton road, and there's something much more sinister going on. What will happen when all their secrets come out?

A cul-de-sac in a very high end neighborhood more than exceeds in it’s share of characters. The highlight of the year, the annual block party, had more than fireworks…….it had a murder.
   This neighborhood enclave is full of secrets....a real surprise seeing that they are always doing things together: shopping, dining, dropping in. How could they have not learned their neighbors past history by now? It all unrolls eventually: alcohol, infidelity, teenage angst, spousal abuse, revenge, internet hacking, trust.
   What keeps the reader glued to the book is that in every chapter there is a new unknown connection between these neighbors and this results in another twist to the story.
   A twisty thriller that will consume your day.

I wish I'd liked the two central characters better. There were lots of twists but I just couldn't identify with the narrators.

*Thanks to Netgalley, Edelweiss and the publisher for providing an e-galley in exchange for an honest review.

Scandals. Family drama. Secrets. Tragedies. This book was EVERYTHING! It really should be made into a Netflix series! I loved every part of this book, the good, the bad, and the ugly. The character development was great and the drama was addictive! I really enjoyed this book!

The cover and description of this new thriller drew me in - and I was not disappointed! Jamie Day writes about a neighborhood where the neighbors may be close, but they hold their secrets even closer. We start in the present day, where mother Alex has to go lay down after enjoying her drinks a little too much at the neighborhood annual Memorial Day block party. Then, we go back and experience the neighbors of Alton Lane for the year leading up to the fateful block party...and learn just what a powder keg the neighborhood is sitting on.

I LOVED how the book had two timelines, but that it didn't go back and forth constantly. I often find that distracting and confusing. I genuinely enjoyed the characters and their stories. While there is a bit of suspension of disbelief required, I found that most of the tale felt genuinely realistic and all the relationships authentically troubled. The big plot twist at the end was tragic, believable, and surprised me - no easy feat!

Highly recommend for an easy and enjoyable suspense for any time of year!

Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

At first, I felt like this story unfolded at a snails pace but once the drama started rolling, boy did it get cra-zy.

The chapters alternate between the point of view of a woman and her 17-year old daughter. I didn't particularly love the teenage point of view.

A fellow reviewer compared this to Desperate Housewives, and I definitely felt this! These neighbors had every kind of secret and vice that exists. It almost got to be a little too much by the end.

All in all, it was an entertaining read and I think this would make a great summer binge!

Thank you NetGalley, Jamie Day and St Martins Press for allowing me to read an advanced readers copy of The Block Party due to be published July 18th 2023.

Who wouldn’t want to be invited to the block party of year ? Right? You thought very wrong so many secrets and lies and the soon all come to light and ends in murder.

Do you really know everything there is to know about what your neighbors do behind closed doors?

Gosh this books was amazing and had to keep reading it till I finished so I could find out what happened and that ending wow !! Just wow!! I was totally in shook I thought I knew how it was going to end and I was so wrong about it. I highly recommend this book to likes a good thriller with a lot of twists along the ride.

Looooved this thriller. Holy crap. Perfect “one day book” twisty and keeps you turning the page until the next thing you know it’s over. What a wild ride

I read this in nearly one sitting. A great thriller and a quick read. A must-read for summer! I will be recommending to my friends and purchasing a copy for my shelf!

This book was great! Lots of neighborhood and family drama. It's told from the point of view of mother Alex and highschooler daughter Lettie. We learn about all the drama and gossip going on in the neighborhood. It all leads to a death at the annual Memorial Day block party, but we don't know who has died until the last couple of chapters. Although a long book, this was fast paced. I enjoyed learning about what was going on behind closed doors. Lots of interesting characters to get to know in this book. Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for this arc.

I really, really enjoyed this book! While I was slow to get into it, I found myself immersed in life in the cul-de-sac and enraptured with the way their lives were entwined together. I thought it was very interesting to have the different perspectives from Lettie and Alex - particularly because Lettie’s were written mostly in first person while Alex’s were third person. I enjoyed the twists in this book and will recommend it to others. Who knew one Block Party could cause so much commotion! .

Every year, the residents of Alton Road host a neighborhood block party. While each family is marred by secrets, trauma, and infidelity, one block party ends in murder.

The Block Party is told from 2 POV, Alex and her daughter Lettie. Both women become amateur sleuths, looking into their neighbors secrets and drama. I enjoyed the domestic suspense book, but found it to be long and drawn out. I also felt there were so many hard hitting topics (suicide, alcoholism, drug abuse, rape, death of family, murder) and the list goes on. I felt there was just way too much that wasn’t developed and therefore everything felt rushed and surface level. I wanted to keep reading to see how it all panned out, but the pacing was off and the characters were unlikable and I found myself not being as sucked in as I wanted. I still read this book very quickly, and I think others would find it very suspenseful, it just wasn’t for me.

When the annual block party ends with gunshots, the behaviors of all the Alton Road residents are called into question. As the events of the previous year unfold, it’s apparent that anyone could have been the murderer or the murdered. Told from the perspective of Alex and her daughter Lettie, everyone’s lives are intertwined and everything comes to a head at the block party. But will this be the last one?