Grills, balloons, kids, music, food, drinks, and lawn games all come to mind when picturing a neighborhood block party. On upscale Alton Road in peaceful Meadowbrook, add in revenge plots, betrayals, deceit, and possible murder and you've got yourself a perfect recipe for a delicious summer read!
The opening chapter features Alton Road's annual Memorial Day party ending in someone's apparent homicide. Alex Fox is the organizer for the event and wakes up from a drunken nap (ordered by her annoyed husband Nick) to investigate the sirens outside her window. The rest of the story takes us through the events of the previous year leading up to the fateful day.
Through Alex's perspective, alternating with that of her seventeen-year-old daughter Lettie, we become familiar with the residents of Alton Road. There's Alex's sister Emily and her philandering husband Ken; Willow and her husband Evan who are on the brink of divorce; Widowed Brooke who has an unconventional way of making a living; teenage Riley and her boyfriend Dylan who are on the splits due to Riley seeing a much older mystery man; and the newcomer Kumar family who appear to be existing in an abusive marriage. Secrets abound and twists await as the novel circles back to reveal the deadly culmination of the block party.
The end of this novel concludes with Lettie having this thought: "If there's anything more interesting to study than the planet, it's the people who live on it". And most everyone living on this planet already knows this truth: no matter how well-off or perfect a family might appear, everyone has their problems. Peppered with humorous comments from a gossipy community page, The Block Party teems with accusations, innuendo and nefarious behavior. What's not to love? I give this soapy but big-hearted novel four stars out of five.
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