Great audio narration for "The Block Party." Did I listen to this over Memorial Day Weekend? YES. Was it a perfect audiobook to listen to while traveling? A thousand times YES!

The annual Memorial Day Block Party of Alton Road is usually just a moment in a lifetime of memories, until that faithful night. This night ends with commotion, police, and murder! Who is dead? Who is the murderer? We will have to travel back in time to find out. We travel back four seasons, to get to know the residents of Alton Road, their secrets, their motives, and their hidden desires. Lettie's chapters were the most enjoyable, and seeing the events through her eyes gave the book a unique vibe that makes it stand out from the others in this genre.

The Block Party and the audiobook will keep you guessing about what happened and why it all happened. It definitely gives out a modern-day- backyard version of Clue feel. While at 384 pages it began to drag on in some parts, the ending was well worth it!

The Block Party by Jamie Day
Narrators: Megan Tusing and Suzy Jackson
Rating: 3.5 stars
Pub Date: 7/18

I think this will be a favorite for many. It had a Desperate Housewives feel to it and was full of secrets, lies, and betrayal. Everyone on the cul-de-sac is hiding something, but who is desperate enough to commit murder?

The Block Party is an addictive thriller with a captivating neighborhood backdrop. The story starts with a murder at the annual block party on the Alton Road cul-de-sac. We go back to one year ago and work our way forward, following multiple families and slowly unraveling clues.

I love neighborhood dramas where the characters are tied up in each other’s lives, and this one kept me guessing! I really enjoyed the alternating POVs and timelines, and I loved the format of working backward to solve the mystery. I couldn’t put this one down, thanks to the twists and turns throughout, and I did not predict the ending at all.

I alternated between the ebook and the audiobook, and I thought the narrators did an excellent job with the cast. Each character came through with their own unique voice, which was probably challenging because there were so many.

There were a few pacing issues, where the beginning started off strong but then started to drag. There are also a LOT of characters, and it was difficult to keep them all straight. And while I love thrillers like this, I've also grown tired of the alcoholic, suburban housewife narrative.

Overall, "The Block Party" is an addictive thriller perfect to throw in your beach bag or read by the pool.

Read if you like:
* neighborhood drama
* dual POV
* dual timeline
* a big cast of characters
* Big Little Lies

Thank you so much to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the complimentary ARC copy and to Macmillan Audio for my ALC. The Block Party comes out on 7/18.

This was a fairly fast paced, slow burn thriller.

I was able to read along as I listened to the audio. I enjoyed the different narrators, and it was super easy to tell them apart.

This story takes place over the course of the year in an upscale neighborhood. It is told from the perspective of Alex, and also from her 16-year-old daughter, Lettie. Every neighborhood has its secrets, but this one tries especially hard to keep up appearances. You get all of the adult's drama from Alex's perspective, and all of the teenage drama from Lettie's perspective, until eventually it collides.

All is well in the neighborhood under a new family comes in, and slowly the secrets come to life. In this one, you know right from the beginning that there was a death (possibly murder) in the neighborhood, told through a neighborhood chat message board, which was kind of a funny spin due to how accurate it portrayed the off-topic comments and arguing. The book then takes you through the events leading up to the night of the death, and what leads to it. No one is entirely innocent.

The book ends with an epilogue, a year later. The one thing that threw me off was how nonchalant everyone was about it, the adults all essentially agree to continue to keep each other's secrets. No one seemed to learn a lesson.

I wanted to love this book but it fell a tad short for me. It was the multitude of POVs from all of the residents of Alton lane to the other residents on the Meadow Creek community group page. Then the back and forth of timelines of present-day Memorial Day to the previous year - it just became a lot.

The build-up and all the drama also didn't immediately capture me like I had read from many others that it did to them. However, once the pieces started coming together in the last 30ish percent of the book, I simply could not stop listening. There was twist after twist. Everything that I thought I knew or had figured out proved to be wrong.

Overall, the story is worth the read. It's a lesson in trust and never truly knowing anyone. Everyone's got secrets they don't want getting out. Finding out that you've been living next to murderers, cheaters, hackers, stalkers, etc is enough to drive anyone mad!

It’s time for the annual Alton Road Block Party. It’s sure to be a killer party…literally.

This was a great summer pool read. Gossipy neighbors, a mystery, and real issues that face seemingly perfect people behind closed doors. It was fun.

Where do you live? A neighborhood? Out in the country? An apartment? In The Block Party by Jamie Day, the characters all share a cul-de-sac on an exclusive street. On the day of the Memorial Day block party there's a shooting. The reader is taken back a year to see what led up to the shooting. Everyone has secrets - but which secrets are strong enough to kill over?

The story is told through the POVs of Alex and her daughter, Lettie. It intially feels like a story of adults behaving badly, but there's more to Day's story. There is some terrible behavior but there's substance to the story. There are several storylines but it's never overwhelming. It did take a bunch of pages to keep the names straight and who goes with who. Day keeps adding to the narrative until we finally find out the why. And you won't guess.

Great audiobook narration from Megan Tusing and Suzy Jackson. There are a lot of characters but they do a great job keeping them straight.

The character and interactions reminded me of Big, Little Lies. Great debut from Jamie Day.

This was a great suspenseful and dramatic novel. The characters were from an exclusive upper class neighborhood and were extremely unlikable. But that’s okay because it fits the narrative in this story and I don’t believe the author intends for you to like them. These neighbors all put forth the image of perfect lives with perfect families in perfect homes. But below the surface things aren’t what they seem. I didn’t see some of the twists coming and loved this book from beginning to end.

The Block Party is a debut novel by Jamie Day. While I didn't know a whole lot about the story or the author prior to picking this up, I was very intrigued by the synopsis. Books about dysfunctional families set in perfect little towns are some of my favorites. I love the contrast in the characters and settings. Unfortunately, this one didn't really cut it for me. I listed to the audiobook for this story and quickly found that I didn't enjoy the characters or much of what was happening. I thought about DNF'ing the story many times, but because I needed to write a review, I gave it my best chance and completed the story. I honestly think my biggest issues with this story was the lack of transparency with triggers written into the story. There's very little to go on in the synopsis, and while read this, there were incidences of infidelity, rape, drugs, suicide, guns, and so much more. Additionally, there were too many side plots that I was confused and couldn't ever truly stay connected.

Someone has died during the neighborhood block party on exclusive Alton Lane during the yearly block party. The story unfolds through flashing back to a year ago and the present. Three points of view are given: Alex, a wine mom with a drinking problem, her teenage daughter Lettie, and the neighborhood chat group (highly entertaining!).

I just finished the audiobook The Block Party by Jamie Day, narrated by Megan Tusing and Suzy Jackson....and I loved it! Here is the publisher's plot description: 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 mystery, narrated by a mother (Alex) and daughter (Lettie), living on Alton road, has a large cast of well-thought out, interesting and entertaining characters. I do want to share that I received an advanced copy of the audiobook for my honest opinion. However, as someone who reviews a lot of audiobooks, I can tell you that I did not want to stop listening to this story. The narrator talent was top notch and the story kept me on my toes right until the end; with an ending I did not see coming. The writing reminded me of Elin Hilderbrand in a way.
There was a little bit of annoyance with the occasional commentary from a Facebook group from the town Alton Road is located in. However, I still enjoyed The Block Party quite a bit. With its release in July, it is a perfect beach read! Enjoy

A neighborhood block party thriller!

Something happens at the Memorial Day block party but we don’t know what happened! We get a few “online community page” updates throughout the book but it’s all speculation!

This book dives into the year prior to this incident while we learn all about the neighbor’s secrets. They all have secrets and as they come out you’ll keep guessing what happened at that block party.

The ending is shocking and has so many twists!

On the surface, this book appears to be a typical whodunnit in an affluent neighborhood. But there are several things that make it unique and that much more enjoyable. First, the story is told from three different perspectives: --Alex, the woman who organizes the block party and who has an insatiable interest in everything that goes on in her neighborhood;
--Lettie, her 17 year old daughter who is going through typical teen crises but also has a very mature insight into the goings-on of the adults; and
--the neighborhood online chat forum, where nearby neighbors (but not those invited to the block party) carry on a conversation that (among other things) speculates on why they're hearing sirens on the day of the block party.

Loved these different POVs and the fact that we really don't know why there are sirens until near the very end of the book. I loved how the story develops: we can imagine what will happen, but there are so many possibilities that it encourages one to continue listening. I thought the addition of the gossip/chat forum was a brilliant move. The conversation there is so typical of my own neighborhood forum and has all the players. The narration was very realistic, particularly that of the teenagers.

A great summer read for anyone who loves a good mystery coupled with neighborhood interactions.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for sending this audiobook for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

I have decided to describe this one as a soap opera thriller. I kept trying to figure out what was going to happen, and along the way there were so many juicy, gossipy tidbits that gave it a lighter feel (even though the tidbits were very heavy at times). I flew through this one on audio in a couple of days because I could not get enough! This is a perfect summer thriller read!

I loved listening to this audiobook. The narrators did an amazing job. There ends up being a murder on the night of the annual block party. I never knew what to expect each time I turned the page. There were so many twists and turns. This was a fun read! Thank you NetGalley, Jaime and Macmillan Audio for the ARC!

This book had twists and turns that were unexpected. A tight knit community full of secrets. I enjoyed the narrator alot. The book does have some trigger warnings that should be addressed bur not graphic. Was good suspense book

This book was pretty good kept me curious the entire time. Thank you for the audiobook I'll definitely be recommending this one

I loved this story of a neighborhood and their residents. Not finding out the victim until towards the end was a great idea. As I read the story I kept thinking it is this one then no it is this one. I highly recommend.

In this suburban drama thriller, a neighborhood is in disarray as residents fight to uncover the untold secrets and lies that hide behind one another. On the night of the annual Summer block party, there has been a murder. As the neighbors of Alton Road fight to reveal clues and expose the perpetrator, they discover they are ALL entangled in a web of secrets and scandal.

Although I felt like this book was a little lengthy and drawn out, I enjoyed the way the story was told from the different points of view of the adults versus the teenagers. The audiobook narrators, Megan Tusing and Suzy Jackson, did an amazing job narrating which helped in differentiating the points of view of the two storytellers, mother and daughter pair, Alex and Lettie. This is the perfect summer beach read and I can't wait to see what Jamie Day comes out with next!

Thank you NetGalley, Jamie Day, Macmillan Audio, Megan Tusing and Suzy Jackson for the ALC and the opportunity to leave a review!

3.5 stars, rounded up.

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced listener copy of The Block Party by Jamie Day.

I enjoyed the twists and turns of this multiple POV mystery/thriller. I found that the narrators of the audiobook were perfect for the characters and the pacing (which many have mentioned they perceived as slow) was perfect for me. I very quickly picked up on the secrets that piled up, but it was still a very fun read!

The Block Party was a soapy domestic suspense novel about a group of wealthy neighbors with LOTS of secrets. If I could tell the characters in this book one thing it would be, "STAY IN YOUR LANE"!

There are nosy neighbors and then there are the these people. These women (and men!) are serious drama queens but the plot actually ended up being a little more troubling than I expected. There are some discussions of sexual assault and suicide that were hard to read.

I didn't necessarily enjoy this story but I did stick with it because I had to find out what happened. If you're looking for a Desperate Housewives-esque read, this might be something to check out. As for me, I would rather watch reruns of Desperate Housewives.

The audiobook was good! I might not have finished the physical copy so I was very thankful to have the opportunity to listen to this one.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to be an early reader. All opinions are my own!