Rich people's neighborhood drama is some of the best to read about, add a mystery and I'm here for it. The Block Party by Jamie Day revolves around a murder that takes place at this exclusive neighborhood's summer block party. The story takes us back to the previous year's block party and all the drama that unfolds throughout the year. There are two narrators, Alex (the neighborhood drunk who is always promising to quit), and her daughter, Lettie.

I enjoyed the premise of the book, but it fell a little flat for me. The narrators were both very unlikable, especially Alex, who was extremely annoying to me. She explained way too much detail and the book dragged on for this reason. I kept reading to find out who the murderer was, but honestly didn't care all that much since none of the characters were very interesting. Overall, I thought it was decent, but I probably won't think about this book again in the future. ( )

The book starts out and it’s Memorial Day, present time. It’s the annual block party on Alton Road and everyone is enjoying themselves until someone gets murdered.
We then go back one year to the last block party and meet the neighbors and learn all about betrayal, rivalries and lies leading up to the murder.
Alex, Nick and Lettie are the Foxes and they host the block party. Emily and Ken are the Adairs and they have two boys, one of which is Dylan. Emily is Alex’s sister. Willow and Evan are the Thompsons and they have a daughter Riley. Riley and Lettie were best friends when they were younger but are no longer friends. Dylan is dating Riley.
Brooke Bailey is a widow who may or may not have pushed her husband off a cruise ship.
The new neighbors are Samir, Mandy and Jay Kumar. Samir appears to be very controlling on Mandy and doesn’t encourage interaction with the neighbors.
The story is told by Alex and Lettie. While there are a lot of characters, it is easy to keep track of them all. ( )

Stories with gossipy, wealthy people are a bit of a guilty pleasure of mine, but this book and I didn't vibe very well.

I liked how the story was told through Alex, who knows all the hot goss, and Lettie, Alex's teenage daughter. I also enjoyed the community page chapters; it was fun reading the snarky comments.

I found the pacing to be super slow, and the story didn't pick up until the last 10% of the book. There was also a lot happening, and much of it wasn't crucial to the overall plot. It made me feel like the story didn't know what it wanted to be or what direction it wanted to take.

There were quite a few characters to keep track of, and not all of them were fully fleshed out, so they all seemed to blend together. The only one that really stood out to me was Lettie. She came across as a typical cringey teenager and was well written enough to give me secondhand embarrassment at times.

Even though I didn't like The Block Party, I would recommend it if you're in need of a beach read this summer.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the gifted copy. ( )

I found this book very entertaining! Yes, there are a lot of characters to keep track of at first, but you eventually see the differences in their personalities play out.
So much drama in this small cul-de-sac, so many small plots linking characters together, pointing possible blame on so many, yet through all of it, I really cared about the main character, Lettie, a girl about to leave this rich neighborhood, and is more than ready to head off to college (wherever she ends up!)
The author did a good job of weaving the plots together, and I didn't feel like there were any loose ends at the end. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this fun read! ( )

The Block Party by Jamie Day takes us to the bougee Alton Lane where there is an annual Memorial Day block party. This year the party ends with a band when someone is murdered. Who could have committed such a heinous act? The story is told from Alex, a divorce mediator who overindulges in alcohol and has too much time on her hands, and her seventeen-year-old daughter, Lettie who supports all causes that save the planet (she also dresses in black and wears Doc Martens). Neither character is likeable. Lettie is extremely annoying. She is constantly explaining her behavior and actions (she wants one thing, then changes her mind once it is too late, and then wants to fix it). We get to meet the various residents of Alton Road (a troubled teen, a controlling spouse, a cheating spouse, a sexy widow whose husband died under mysterious circumstances, a vengeful young man, a worried wife). Secrets and lies abound on this street (it is worse than Wisteria Lane). The characters lacked development and their complaints became annoying (the same thing over and over). The story not only alternates POV it also goes between this year’s block party and last year’s block party. There are also chapters that take place in fall, winter, and spring. In addition, there is a Facebook community chat of residents who live on streets near Alton Lane. I did not feel that the chats added anything to the story (people who were jealous because they could not live on Alton Lane, felt snubbed because they are not invited to the annual party, wanting to know the reason for the police presence at the party, etc.). The Block Party is not what I expected. I expected drama, suspense, some humor, and mystery. I wanted to be in on the juicy secrets. The story moved at a snail’s pace and the book is also way too long. None of the characters are likeable. I kept reading because I wanted to see if I correctly guessed the identity of the killer. I did find myself skimming through the middle (I did not need to read Lettie’s reasons for her various actions or why Alex felt the need to overindulge in alcohol). The residents of Alton Lane needed hobbies instead of being occupied with their neighbors’ activities (these people are beyond nosy). The story lacked action and suspense. I was very happy when I turned the final page. Everything is neatly wrapped up at the end with some interesting secrets being brought to light. The Block Party is one event that I will be happy to decline. ( )