A review by mindsplinters
The Block Party by Jamie Day

dark 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

2.75

Rounding up to a 3 based on the author having talent here and a clear concept of what she wanted to give to the world and, honestly, the fact that she was able to make each one of this large cast different enough that I had no trouble keeping them straight.  To be honest, though, this was not quite my type of book.  I can appreciate the skill and how this kind of thriller ala Real Housewives (or is it Desperate Housewives?) appeals to many.  Some of the twists were really quite well hidden and I did not pick up on them until it was almost too late.  Plus, like I said, the characters all felt distinct and many of them  even had some definite dimensionality and depth.  It is amazing how tangled one cul-de-sac can be and how many secrets a handful of families can hide.  It is also a bit over-the-top but that's what you know is coming from the blurb.  Drugs, alcohol, affairs, blackmail, revenge... It's all there and then some. 

The book is told from two POVs - Alex, a divorce mediator who tends to hold the group together and drinks altogether too much wine, and her teenage daughter Lettie who reads like a Millenial Daria with more inflection.  They both are... hit or miss for me.  I like them and yet I don't and that might very well be what Day wants.  Alex means well and really does seem to be trying her best in an emotionally-stunted, not-dealing way.  She cares about her daughter and her husband and her neighbors... But she has the coping skills of a grape and, tbh, the alcoholic content of one, too.  The number of times she drinks, if turned into a drinking game, would have you passed out by chapter 5.  Lettie, on the other hand, is all about Feels and Causes and has that peculiar sort of righteousness that a 17/18 year old has when it comes to how the world works.  She wants to save the world.  She can't believe the stupidity of people.  She... has lessons yet to learn.  Day really nails that sense of know-all, know-nothing of teenagers in Lettie.  So much so that you want to shake her.  

Overall, I enjoyed the book but I have to admit that I had periods where I could only manage a chapter or two before I had to put it down during the first half because I've never been one for Housewives style drama.  It picked up a lot more in the second half.

TW: Rape, alcohol, drugs are the big things.
Expand filter menu Content Warnings