The Block Party was such a fun book! I mainly read (or listen) to psychological thrillers so a suspenseful domestic murder was right up my alley. The characters were all very different, and I was intrigued by the drama each one brought to the story. The neighborhood antics made me glad I live on a boring street. Day did a wonderful job of including twists appealing to readers of thriller novels. There was a bit more character-driven YA-type content than I prefer, but I appreciate the author’s lack of vulgarity and explicit sex. I enjoyed Day’s writing style; she’s on my to-watch list!

I received an ARC of this book from St. Martin's Press and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was a middle-of-the-road suspense for me. It had a decent, if not overly original, plot involving a neighborhood block party and a cast of sordid neighborhood characters and was mildly entertaining but it will not be a book that stands out for me a year from now. The narrator did a good job of telling the story, it just wasn’t that memorable for me.

This reminded me very much of a tamer American version of Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty. There are several women and their families living on the same block in an affluent Northeastern suburb. There has been murder during the huge Memorial Day block party and you go through the past year to uncover what happened.

The story is delivered through two POV's that switch on/off through the past year: Alex and her teen-aged daughter, Lettie. I noticed that Lettie's POV chapters were told in first person where as Alex's is told in third. It was an interesting choice by Day. There are small chapters in between that are forums from the town gossiping in present time about the murderous block party. It perfectly embodied how much gossip passes around on social media.

I enjoyed the plot twists. I couldn't stop listening the last 3 hours. I called one of the major ones right away and it was pretty obvious. Normally that would annoy me, but since there were several others that I was not predicting at all, I loved it. It was a slow burn until the neighborhood's dirty secrets started to all unravel. Jaime Day does a great job with character development amongst the families. I would have liked more character development amongst the moms and their friendships. I feel like Alex's third person POV got in the way a bit of that development.

Great audiobook thriller. I recommend it.

This was my first book by Jamie Day but I really liked her writing style. There was a wide cast of characters in this so I was a bit afraid that I wouldn't be able to keep them straight, but the author did a great job of making their voices and personalities distinct. I found every character to be really interesting and intriguing because of all the secrets they were hiding. I liked how the stories all ended up intersecting in some way as well. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Alton Street cul-de-sac annual Memorial Day Block Party is to die for... literally! This book is quite reminiscent of Desperate Housewives. It's a murder mystery told in different timelines and by two different POVs. My issue with it was that it didn't feel fresh, it was slow to get going and there were way too many characters (mostly unlikable) with a barrage of secrets. My favorite part was the cattiness of the neighborhood FB group and their snarky comments. If you live in a neighborhood with a community FB page, then you'll probably be able to relate. I do think that the audiobook narrator did a good job with the characters, as it was easy to identify who was who. Thanks to the author, Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the ALC in exchange for my honest review.

This story was delightfully full of twists and turns, drama and suspense.

The narration was great and I had a hard time stepping away from listening to the book to get other things done.

There were a few moments where time jumped back and forth that confused me, but eventually it all made sense and wrapped up perfectly.

I really liked this Desperate Housewives type drama, murder mystery. I did not guess what was really going on and everyone had secrets…. Everyone! Definitely enjoyed the audio.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review. An exclusive cul-de-sac holds a block party for the residents every year and it is a time to relax and enjoy some drinks with your next door neighbours....only this year someone is murdered. The neighbourhood chat rooms start to go crazy trying to guess who it is. The new family who just moved in a year ago seem to be hiding something and why does Ken act like he knows Mandy? Especially when his wife and sister in law asked him if he did and he said no. What about Ken's niece who is 17 yrs old and just can't wait to move away to a College of her choosing. There are many secrets being kept behind closed doors on Alton Road and soon they will all be revealed. I really enjoyed this quick read and look forward to reading more from this author. Enjoy!!!

This was a DNF for me. I’m pretty picky about audiobooks and I could not listen to me. I have a physical copy of this, so I may try and read it that way.

I love a good what's gonna happen and whose gonna do it. BUT I've usually figured it out, at least partially, before the plot unravels it all. That was not the case with the Block Party. All the stories wove together in a way that I absolutely wasn't expecting.

Thanks so much for the arc!

Block Party is a creative murder mystery! We begin the book in discussions at the Memorial Day block sorry. Then we backtrack. We meet all the neighbors of this cul-de-sac. Then we dig deeper into each person stories and find that they often weave together. A murder takes place at the party but it’s not til the end of the book that we find out who dies. The book builds up suspense for the reader of who may by killed and who does the killing!

The simultaneously made me wish I had a neighborhood full of drama and grateful that I don’t. This story was a wild ride. It’s narrated by a mother and daughter. We learn of all the going’s on and drama through their eyes.

There were a lot of characters and some parts were a bit slow for me. But there was also a lot of gasps and shock too! It did keep me guessing and kept my curiosity up!

I enjoyed the narrator! She did a good job of being clear as for the listener to understand who was speaking. With so many characters it got a bit confusing. She held my attention throughout!

I keep tricking myself into believing that I will enjoy books like this. I blame Good Neighbors by Sarah Langan. I DID enjoy that book. It was a riveting literary social commentary that completely blew me away.

Unfortunately, this was not that.

I didn’t finish it so let me make that confession first. I thought the writing was so awful that I could not bring myself to see it through. The characters felt like ridiculous cliches and I did not care about the mystery.

It was my mistake. I believed this would have more depth to it than it did. But others have clearly adored it so I’ll just sit over here in my minority corner and kick myself for my deluded expectations.

I am immensely grateful to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for my copy. All opinions are my own.

It's not all fun and games on Alton Street this Memorial Day for when the day has. ended someone has wound up murdered. Now who can it be and with a plethora of characters carting a wheelbarrow of secrets it's anyone's guess.

Our story is brought to us mainly by Alex Fox with bit and pieces presented by her snarky daughter, Lettie. Many characters in a story usually drive me batty, but Jamie Day has given us a multifaceted view of the members of this tony neighborhood.

Alex's sister and her son and husband live on the block so of course they are part of the mayhem, along with Willow and her soon to be ex and their daughter. There is of course a femme fatale, Willow, who seems to catch the eye of every make as she intends to, and Willow might be a wee bit murderous. Gus Fisher, aptly named the bug man rounds out tis motley crew and add some more snarky to the scene.

We begin the year of the present day Memorial and traverse over the events of the last year, building up the whodunit factor with each turn of the page.

It's a load of surprises for who knows who lurks behind the doors of your neighbors?

Thank you to Jamie Day, St Martin's Press, and NetGalley for both the audio and books version of this neighborhood thriller due out in July of this year.

The Block Party by Jamie Day was a great story of families, friends and neighbors. Great book that keep me coming back for more.

LOVED this audiobook! The narrators were fantastic. I never saw the ending coming. There were some slow burn parts but it still kept me interested and wanting to find out what happened!

3.5 ⭐️‘s
Each year the upscale cul-de-sac of Alton Lane has a lavish block party. One that’s the talk of the surrounding neighborhoods and this year there’s a lot to talk about, after all there’s never been a murder before. As we alternate between the previous year and this year,
many secrets are revealed and all is not kosher on Alton Lane, they might as well have the police on speed dial. Day does a great job of keeping us in the dark as to just who was murdered with her back and forth narrative. This was a faced paced enjoyable drama filled beach read told in the voices of a mother/daughter, but one that won’t resonate for long. Thank you to St. Martin’s Press, Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for an ARC and ALC of this book.

This is a review of the audiobook.

This was a somewhat entertaining book which felt very long while listening - even at a quick pace.

The premise wasn’t really anything really fresh or new. It’s another novel set in a wealthy subdivision where everyone is behaving badly!! (can’t they ever set these in a middle class neighborhood?) How can there be so many dysfunctional people on one street?

The novel moves back and forth between the two annual Memorial Day block parties, present day and the past year.

There are a multitude of characters but you will be able to keep track of them because each of them has secrets and/or is behaving awful. There is a cheating husband, a wife who drinks too much, a young man angry at the world, an abusive controlling husband and several older teens – all with problems etc. There is the neighborhood annoyance “the bug man” who is continually telling them they need their homes sprayed and even he has problems!!

There are two POV’s, Alex, one of the moms and Lettie, Alex’s 17 y/o daughter. Of the two I preferred Lettie. The narrator did a good job with a teenage voice. There is also the neighborhood chat line to hear from several others.

There is one person who will not be around for the present day party, the mystery centers around who killed that character.

All in all this would be a good beach listen – one where you didn’t have to think too much. For all of the drama I really didn’t feel any real tension. There is a lot of telling and less showing which is also a big “no” for me.

If you want an easy listen you may enjoy this one but I can’t really recommend it.

I received the audiobook from the publisher through NetGalley. All opinions are my own!!

This was a really fun read! Great narration on the audiobook. I really enjoyed the build-up of tension with the reveal of the victims and the murderer not coming until the very end.
This story was told from multiple points of view and somehow never got confusing, the author did a great job on this one. I would definitely read more of her work!

Hmm, so yes, there is a mystery, but the majority of the book is about the complicated relationships between neighbors in an upscale neighborhood over the course of a year so for those who enjoy a fast pace and action should skip this one. The book begins and ends with a block party. The characters are all very flawed and none are very likable so I found myself not caring too much who had been killed or who was responsible. I didn't hate it, but I didn't love it.

Thanks to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the ALC in exchange for my honest review.

This was an entertaining, albeit far-fetched, read. If you're looking for a Desperate Housewives feel, this would fit the bill. Alton Road has no shortage of residents with secrets, and it does keep you guessing what will happen next. I also really enjoyed the sidebars from the Meadowbrook Community Message Board as a bit of a breather between chapters. I found some it to be a bit repetitive, to the point that I even questioned if the audio had skipped, but overall, it was an enjoyable summer read.