Reviews tagging 'Alcohol'

The Block Party by Jamie Day

9 reviews

penguin96's review

dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Alcohol, Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, Suicide, Violence, Physical abuse, Rape, Addiction, Murder, and Sexual assault

foldingthepage_kayleigh's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Gun violence, Miscarriage, Murder, Suicide attempt, Child death, Drug abuse, Grief, Infidelity, Alcohol, and Alcoholism

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Sexual assault, and Rape

wanderonwards's review

dark mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Thank you to Macmillan/St. Martin’s Press for sending me an ARC of this title. I received this copy for free and this review contains my honest opinions. 

 

The Block Party is a domestic thriller that takes place over the course of a year in a fictional affluent suburban neighborhood. The novel is broken up into seasons, which was a good thing: the passage of time within each section was difficult for me to follow, with some chapters skipping months ahead without any indication and I needed those breaks to reorientate myself. 

 

This isn’t my usual genre, but I did enjoy the writing style. However, I think this would have been a more successful read if it hadn’t been limited to only two POVs (plus the occasional online community board gossip). I think the entire plot would have benefited from rotating POVs throughout all the characters, especially when I was more interested in characters other than the two POVs. Thank you again to the publisher for sending me a free ARC. 

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Grief, Addiction, Drug use, Alcohol, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Classism, Murder, Pedophilia, Gun violence, Alcoholism, and Suicide attempt

freshprincessofmelayers's review against another edition

mysterious medium-paced

2.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcohol, and Alcoholism

ems_rxlibrary's review against another edition

dark reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Alcohol, Murder, and Alcoholism

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Adult/minor relationship, and Mental illness

Minor: Rape

amandas_bookshelf's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Gore, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Child death, Injury/Injury detail, Stalking, Gun violence, Murder, Suicide attempt, Alcoholism, Death, Addiction, and Alcohol

Moderate: Miscarriage, Bullying, Infidelity, Rape, and Sexual assault

lcg527's review against another edition

dark lighthearted mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

Alton Road, one street in the exclusive housing development Meadowbrook, contains many secrets amongst its residents. The book kicks off with a Memorial Day block party that is full of drama, past relationships, secret hook ups, prescription drug problems, and lots and lots of wine. Alex, a professional divorce mediator, delivers most of the narrative as she gossips and spies in a heavy wine-induced buzz to support the women in her neighborhood. Her daughter Lettie is a high schooler who also tries to find herself while sleuthing on her neighbor ex-bestie Riley that is dating her cousin. The neighbors are each dealing with their own stuff but are additionally connected to each other in ways that makes the murder at the end unsurprising.

The audiobook has terrific narration and I was quickly hooked. I could easily see this adapted for screen and somewhat compares to Desperate Housewives. This would make for a fun vacation read, especially if you have a bottle of wine nearby. Thank you NetGalley for the audio ARC.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Alcohol, Alcoholism, and Adult/minor relationship

Moderate: Rape and Child death

beckyremillard's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

Alex is planning the annual block party, but there’s more drama this year than normal, including a rumor about a murder. 

The story is told from the perspectives of Alex and her daughter, Lettie. It starts in the present and then jumps a year back, until the timelines meet and we are given the context of the present day situation. 

I liked this story, but it kind of dragged a bit. It caught my attention more at 60-70% but the middle part kind of lost me. I’m glad I pushed through because I wasn’t totally expecting the ending though. 

Be sure to check content warnings for this one.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the chance to read and review this eARC. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship, Domestic abuse, Child death, Gun violence, Stalking, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Murder, Alcohol, Drug use, Miscarriage, Rape, Suicide attempt, Death, Drug abuse, Sexual harassment, Violence, and Alcoholism

astoriareader's review

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

4.0

SYNOPSIS: 

Several families live on an exclusive cul-de-sac on Alton Road. Someone is murdered at the annual block party. The book jumps back in time to a year before the murder, and in that year, you learn about the characters, the motive, & the murder. 

MY THOUGHTS

• I really liked this book. It’s my first read by Jamie Day, but I found it easy to read & suspenseful throughout the book.
• This was a nail-biting, tense, fast-paced thriller, and the author does a wonderful job crafting the story.
• I liked the idea of a neighborhood scandal/drama, and it felt pretty original to me. I read a lot of thrillers, and I haven’t come across one with this block party setting before.
• This story involves a lot of drinking, gossip, scandals, & drama.
• The story is told from multiple POVs (namely, a mother & a daughter).
• Author’s writing style is solid.

TL;DR: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Nail-biting, fast-paced, tense thriller with original plot. Solid writing & good story. 

Thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for this digital ARC in exchange for an honest review. It's due to be published on July 18, 2023.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol and Alcoholism

Moderate: Rape, Stalking, Adult/minor relationship, and Domestic abuse