A review by cath518
The Block Party by Jamie Day

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

3.5

 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.  

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