This summer, meet your neighbors.
The residents of the exclusive cul-de-sac on Alton Road are entangled in a web of secrets and scandal utterly unknown to the outside world, and even to each other.
On the night of the annual Summer block party, there has been a murder.
But, who did it and why takes readers back one year earlier, as rivalries and betrayals unfold—discovering that the real danger lies within their own block and nothing—and no one—is ever as it seems.
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My Review
⭐⭐⭐⭐
What’s it about (in a nutshell):
The Block Party by Jamie Day is a wickedly fun neighborhood drama wrapped up in a domestic thriller story.
Bullet Point Review:
- I loved the neighborhood drama. Readers who enjoy reality tv for the over-the-top drama will absolutely eat this up. The story gave me all the jaw-dropping dirt, and I lapped it up.
- I also love the social media used during the story. It reminded me of an app called NextDoor that I’m on and love for the drama. The story’s social media entries were very authentic compared to what I see on NextDoor.
- I enjoyed the mystery very much, and the conclusion surprised me. There are clues to what the mystery will be and clues to the conclusion throughout the story. Drama enhanced by a mystery is simply sublime.
- One issue is that though it’s not predictable, it also could be more original. This is the same neighborhood drama story told repeatedly. But I knew that going in and looked forward to it.
- Another area for improvement is the large number of characters and how difficult it is to keep them and their stories straight. And this continues until the end. I found that it never got better for me.
- The characters are well-developed, especially Lettie, though most of the development is wrapped up in the drama, making it very complicated to explain in a non-spoiler review.
- The narration is third person focused, and it focuses on Alex, a wife, and mother who oversees the yearly Memorial Day block Party and her teenage daughter Lettie for the neighborhood teen drama. I liked having the story from 2 generations in the neighborhood rather than just one because the stories are intertwined and interconnected, as you would expect them to be.
- I found the pace to be breakneck. The story is focused even though it covers quite a few families that live on the block. Still, it focused on the relationships between neighbors, so it never got mired down in irrelevant backstories.
- The setting is Meadowbrook, Massachusetts, but it could be any upper-middle-class suburban neighborhood in the US. This works for relatability, but I would have loved to see some aspects particular to that part of the country.
- Read if you’re in the mood for:
- Juicy neighborhood drama
- A jaw-dropping conclusion
- A cast of flawed characters
From the author of Looker comes this “compulsive and unforgettable novel” (Mona Awad) of razor-sharp suspense about two local librarians whose lives become dangerously intertwined.
No one knows Margo’s real name. Her colleagues and patrons at a small-town public library only know her middle-aged normalcy, congeniality, and charm. They have no reason to suspect that she is, in fact, a former nurse with a trail of countless premature deaths in her wake. She has turned a new page, so to speak, and the library is her sanctuary, a place to quell old urges.
That is, at least, until Patricia, a recent graduate and failed novelist, joins the library staff. Patricia quickly notices Margo’s subtly sinister edge, and watches her carefully. When a patron’s death in the library bathroom gives her a hint of Margo’s mysterious past, Patricia can’t resist digging deeper—even as this new fixation becomes all-consuming.
Taut and compelling, How Can I Help You explores the dark side of human nature and the dangerous pull of artistic obsession as these “transfixing dual female narrators” (Kimberly McCreight) hurtle toward a stunning climax.
My Review
⭐⭐⭐⭐
What’s it about (in a nutshell):
How Can I Help You by Laura Sims is a dark and twisted psychological thriller that disturbed and shocked me, and I loved it for that!
Bullet Point Review:
- How Can I Help You is a short thriller in page numbers but not in any way short in story? It’s like a Poe tale in that way. It has layers and layers of meaning and mental disturbance that culminates in an ending that I never saw coming.
- The story starts in a way that is very atmospheric and slow-burn. Still, by the 50% mark (only about 125 pages in), the speed drastically picks up as events escalate. Since it is a short story, the slower pace of the first half didn’t bother me as much as it usually would.
- There is not really a mystery to solve. However, you follow Patricia as she tries to solve the case of Margo’s identity before she comes to the town and library, which is very interesting to follow. I saw at least one review that called it a cozy mystery, and it is definitely not a cozy mystery – not even close. It’s every inch a psychological thriller – one of the most genuine psychological thrillers that I’ve read in a while.
- Patricia’s almost obsessive fascination with Margo and finding writing inspiration in her is a very intriguing aspect of the story, too. That is where I could see the Poe-ness coming out.
- Margo, a nurse turned librarian, and Patricia, a writer, work at a small community library they chose for the peaceful small-town atmosphere. They both are strategically developed, which is a standout aspect of the story.
- The narration is in first person and told mostly by Margo though Patricia also gets to tell part of the story. This is the perfect narration because, above all else, you also must figure out how reliable these narrators are, particularly Margo.
- The setting really is very well utilized. It’s a small town a few hours outside of Chicago, and it felt very authentic in its small town-ness.
- Read if you’re in the mood for:
- Cat and mouse games
- True psychological thrillers
- Poe-type tales
26 responses to “The Block Party by Jamie Day and How Can I Help You by Laura Sims #bookreviews #thrillerbooks”
Fab reviews glad you enjoyed both of them!
They were both very good but in much different ways.
Getting my popcorn ready now! Excellent reviews, Tessa💜 I’ve got Block Party ready to go and the other is on library hold (you had me at Poe).
I think you’ll like both. They are both good but in very different ways.
I am glad to read your review on The Block Party, as I have this on my TBR list. Good reviews, Tessa ☕🌞📚💜
I hope you enjoy it. It’s like a Bravo show mixed with a murder mystery, which is fun!
Glad you enjoyed these two!
I did and for very different reasons 😊
Oohh I’ve been waiting for your reviews on both of these. Especially because I wanted your take on The Block Party. I’m going to see if my library has plans to get How Can I Help You. Fantastic reviews!
I’ll be curious to see what you think.
I’ve had my eye on Block Party. I just really love the concept of it. Plus I just went to a block party over the weekend. My block does block parties too but they’re more geared for kids so I don’t attend. I do also want to check out How Can I Help. I do like the cover a lot.
I liked the block party concept because it’s so relatable which you need since there’s as much drama as a Bravo show plus a murder or two to solve.
I haven’t watched Bravo in so long but love drama and murder. I do miss those shows because they were always so over the top. I don’t know if you’ve read The Perfect Family by Robyn Harding but it’s a fun book filled with drama.
I have and I enjoyed it!
These both sound good, but Block Party has been on my reading radar. I love the premises, and your review makes me want to bump it higher on my TBR.
Block Party is a lot of fun drama that turns serious. I always like those kind of stories.
Me, too!
I hope you like it. My neighborhood (block) parties were never so riddled with drama as this one is. It’s a Desperate Housewives’ block party 🤣
This sounds good. Could work for me. Depends on how dark it is.
The Block Party is like Desperate Housewives in darkness but How Can I Help You would probably be too dark.
The second one definitely appeals to me more. And any story set at a library gets bonus points. Great review, Tessa!
How Can I Help You is the better of the two in that it’s deeper/more layers. But both have totally shocking endings.
I always enjoy social media in books. Both books sound interesting and intriguing. Excellent reviews!
They are very different but each is good in its own way.
Both sound like great thrillers and I’m glad you enjoyed them both, Tessa. Block Party is one I definitely want to read and it sounds like it would make a good TV adaptation.
[…] Tessa Talks Books gave this 4 stars, saying “How Can I Help You is a short thriller in page numbers but not in any way short in story? It’s like a Poe tale in that way. It has layers and layers of meaning and mental disturbance that culminates in an ending that I never saw coming.” […]