I started to write that this is a book that you either hate or love but as I settled on three stars, that might sound a bit strange.

Technically this book is really good. It's well-written and has an interesting plot but - I really couldn't get into it because I hated those characters. Most of them, no matter how sophisticated or how common, rich or poor (talk about equality, right?), seemed to spend their days in a haze of pills and booze and booze and pills and... I couldn't like them. They were not likable, they were intense but despite their obvious problems, their drama - I felt sorry for them but I didn't feel with them. I was upset about the way they handled (or rather didn't handle) their life and I simply didn't like them. Not all of them but most.

And, well, family secrets and scandal indeed, there are so many of them and regrets, oh, so many regrets... I mean, life is not a fairy tale, is not, has never been and will never be but this? What I hated was that most of it seemed to be self-made, wrong decisions, wrong partners, wrong expectations but also a lot of it once again fueled by drugs and alcohol.

Apart from the fact that I didn't like the characters, I also had a problem with the multitude of views, as it distracted me when I tried to find out whose it was right now and made me concentrate more on that than on the story itself.
A story of a long and intense couple of days that leave people dead, families destroyed and, well, there may some good come of it as well. Perhaps.

Not my cup of tea,convoluted and not quite believable. Didn't like the characters who cared for no-one but themselves.

Thank you so much to Park Row books for the free copy of this book and inviting me to participate in this blog tour!

This is a very intense and compelling book that I really enjoyed. I loved the storyline and all of the characters and this was a pretty fast read for me! I couldn't put this book down a couple of times as the cat and mouse game began and I was dying to know what happened next.
Corey has just graduated from high school and lives in the Hamptons with his mom Gina who is a housekeeper for billionaire Leo Sheffield. Full of angst towards the rich people, Corey starts breaking into their homes and not stealing anything, but playing pranks on them. He decides to break into the Sheffield mansion one night and witnesses something he shouldn't have. Corey then must decide what to do when he finds out the whole thing is going to be covered up.


I loved how the story was told from Leo, Corey, Gina and Angelique (best friends with Leo's daughter that also witnessed the horrible act that Corey saw). I love when books are wrote from different characters POVs instead of just a one-sided story so you feel like you get the whole story from everyone involved.


This was a great story from debut author Jason Allen and I definitely plan on reading more by him!

Thank you to NetGalley and HARLEQUIN for an ARC of this book.

It is advertised as a thriller and it was not a thriller. There wasn't even a mystery. You find out who dies, how it happened, what was done to cover it up and why it was covered up at the beginning. Having read hundreds of thrillers I was surprised by this as this is not the typical setup for a thriller. I was excited and thought, maybe something else shocking is going to happen. Nope. We learn more of the characters and then it ends in an unrealistic way. This would have worked better as a short story.

I have no idea how others have such glowing reviews. I'm not saying that to be rude... I am honestly confused. Did I miss something?? I really don't get it.

For the first third of this book I wondered why I was reading it because the subject matter and the area were so foreign to me. I'm glad I stuck with it to the end which had lots of surprises. The style of writing made for easy reading and the many characters were unusual and interesting. Most of the major characters had significant issues, and they eventually became the basis for the story. The book is a good introduction to the area of Manhattan where the very rich have their playground. Clearly the alcohol addiction and the use of drugs play a great role in this story. I could understand, but couldn't really relate. I'd recommend this to anyone wanting to understand the problems of the idle rich.

The lives of many unhappy people are intertwined and the moral/immoral choices and quandaries - the lies, the loyalties, the tale of a whole bunch of people who are not happy with their lives and are trying to fill the gaps with drug and alcohol addiction, unhealthy relationships, illicit affairs, and illegal hobbies - catch up in one dynamite conclusion. The author does a remarkable job of capturing the despair and despondency of the characters despite their socio-economic differences. He effectively touches on the need for trust and connection while highlighting the dangers of secrecy, obsession, and desperation. Best of all he leaves you with a small spark of hope that two of the main characters find redemption and happily ever after.

While I can't recommend it in good conscience to some of my dear and closest friends, I can say that THE EAST END is well-written but should come with a "Rated R... viewer discretion advised" type of warning.

Full review online May 9th, 10am EDT:
https://lifelovelaughterlinds.home.blog/?p=758

The East End by Jason Allen is an upstairs-downstairs of the Hamptons, where everyone has a different style of misery.

The accidental death at the beginning puts the plot in motion, so overlook that the entire novel could have been avoided with a call to the family lawyer. A man who quickly gets his hands on a million dollars in cash probably has one on retainer, or at least in his contacts list. And rich Manhattanites never go to jail for possession.

There is a heavy sense of unhappiness throughout this book, as characters made self-destructive choices. The author plays with invisible class markers here — whose depression sends them to an upscale psych ward and whose to the liquor store? Which teenagers get to be rebellious? The novel stops short of equalizing classes, never conflating problems of survival and of social positioning, but there’s a sense of dissatisfaction and unhappiness though all the characters.

I read this novel immediately after finishing Out East, a memoir about finding love and identity in the Hamptons party scene. I enjoyed Out East, and of course the Hive tribe isn’t quite at the Sheffield’s level (yet), but I felt like I connected more with the working-class Hamptons. For many years, I supplemented my regular work by taking waitressing shifts over holidays. I’ve worked summer Saturdays at beer tents, Christmas day at a Chinese takeout, covered for others taking the holiday weekend off, etc., so I appreciated the details of the underclass doing the invisible work of making A Weekend In The Hamptons happen.

At times, the female dialogue feels slightly forced, particularly in conversations between Tiffany and Angelique, and Gina and Marianne.

The final scene is heavyhanded, forced and awkward, in a way that doesn’t do justice to the subtlety of the rest to the novel. Just skip the heavyhanded Grand Canyon scene for a solid manners novel of the Hamptons.

This fast paced thrill ride of a novel takes place over the course of a weekend in The Hamptons. Corey; a young man from the wrong side of the tracks; Leo his mother's wealthy boss; Henry, Leo's illicit lover and Angelica an orphaned young woman who has been best friends with Leo's daughter since childhood all converge on a Hampton's House when noone is supposed to be there. Then, there is a mysterious death, a coverup, a blackmail scheme, and more. This book reads like a really exciting action movie. It draws you in right away and keeps pulling you along at a nonstop pace until the final page.

Although this book started out as promising, I have to say that it was just not my cup of tea. Along with the foul language and the tired old plot of hiding a homosexual affair, the characters all had such flaws that none of them was likable. Corey Halpern is a “have not” living in the wealthy enclave of the east end where his mother works as a maid for the super wealthy Sheffield family. Corey is bored and rebellious and breaks into the local mansions as a prank. Unfortunately for him, just before the summer season begins, he decides to break into the Sheffield mansion and there witnesses the horrible and accidental death of Leo’s partner Henry. Leo, a scion of a family and CEO of a company, could have easily called his lawyers and the story would have ended there. But, predictably, Leo decides to cover up Henry’s death and therein lies the conflict of the plot. The characters in this pseudo-thriller are desperately seeking happiness; Leo and Henry in their relationship and in drugs and alcohol; Gina, Corey’s mom, in alcohol and a destructive relationship; Tiffany, the Sheffield’s daughter, seems to lack any love or parenting and seeks solace in drinking, also. None of the characters has particularly redeeming characteristics since none seems able to really help themselves seek solutions to what they deem as their life’s problems. There was a lot of action but it all seemed to go too fast without much background information. This was meant to be an intense story with a great deal of social commentary, but for me it just never reached a level of satisfaction that would cause me to watch for this author’s novels in the future. The theme seemed to be one of total debauchery and a desire to forget your station in life, no matter what it was. Fans of thrillers might enjoy this book because it is a fast read.

I love discovering debut authors. As well told and entertaining as this book was this is an author on the rise. I can't wait to see what else he comes up with. If you like discovering new authors as much as me pick up this winner of a book and prepare to be entertained,. Happy reading!

An amazing thriller! Had a couple of red herrings that I tried to follow, plus a surprise ending. Highly recommended!

I was lucky enough to get an advanced copy of Jason Allen’s debut novel THE EAST END published by Park Row Books an imprint of HarperCollins. This novel has lots of my favorite things: mystery, tormented characters, multiple POV’s and a surprising ending!

This book pulls you in from the very first line and doesn’t let you go.

Allen does an awesome job of making all of the characters we meet relatable in some way. They are not perfect people, but who is? I think that makes this story all the better. Bad stuff happens to bad people and to good people. It’s how we react that reveals who we are.

I devoured this book, too curious to put it down. The ending was not what I expected - which I love. If a book can surprise me - it instantly becomes one of my favs. Allen is a master weaving different storylines together. This is a MUST READ from The Rose Quinn Co.

My word, how exciting and enthralling was this début novel by newcomer Jason Allen?!

Being honest, I went into The East End without much enthusiasm, thinking “Oh well, yet another novel about dysfunctional behaviour and taking drugs.” (Huge sigh). But if I had continued with that line of thought and not read The East End, I would have missed out on so much as it turned out to be one of the best reads of the year, so far.

I was immediately blown away by all of the drama, from page one. Yes, there was some drug-taking - well a lot actually - however, it was absolutely essential to the story-line.

The book opens with a break-in. Living with his mum, Gina, in the Hamptons, Corey Halpern has just graduated from high school and Gina is employed as a housekeeper for billionaire Leo Sheffield. Full of angst towards the filthy rich, Corey spends much of his time breaking into their homes, not to steal but to play pranks on them. He decides to break into the Sheffield mansion which is home to Leo, wife Sheila and teenage daughter, Tiffany and witnesses something he wished he had not. But what will he choose to do next?  
The East End was told from several different perspectives which is normally something I am not too fond of, however, Jason Allen achieved this admirably and without any confusion for me.

The characters that Jason Allen created were so well drawn it was almost unbelievable. I felt that I was part of the unfolding drama with every chapter, as I found myself shouting out advice to the particular character who was facing their latest dilemma. I found it difficult to choose a favourite character so I opted for three of them - Leo, Gina and Angelique. Leo, I felt huge sadness for, as he was so down on his luck, though he did habitually make a lot of bad choices. I had so much empathy with Gina and who could not adore Angelique? She was so feisty, gutsy and full of hope despite her start in life.

The emotional complexity of the story was definitely one of the highlights of The East End and I loved the tenderness between Corey and Angelique.

Jason Allen’s writing style was very unique. There were longer paragraphs of narrative and less dialogue in this book than I’m used to, however, the plot was so engrossing that it didn’t prevent me from loving the story.

This book has everything from secrets, love and family to addiction, scandal, desperation, tragedy and greed. The plot was presented in the form of a slow-burning mystery with underlying themes of class, social structure and discrimination packaged as a family drama but with added comedic aspect.

The ending was a surprise and, for me, very fitting and fulfilling. All in all, I found this book to be a fantastic and very worthwhile read and I look forward to reading more from Jason Allen.

Thanks to NetGalley, Park Row Books and the author, Jason Allen for my complimentary ARC of The East End. My honest review is entirely voluntary.

My review will be published on my blog, Brianne’s Book Reviews on May 8, 2019.

#TheEastEnd #NetGalley

Thank you Netgalley and Park Row for this Advance Readers Copy of The east end by Jason Allen which is his debut novel. I wish I could say I enjoyed it but I couldn’t get into his characters – none were very likeable which is something I need in a book. Corey, who is from a working class family and is just out of high school starts playing pranks and breaking into mansions. This sets of a chain of events when he sees something he shouldn’t. Family secrets, scandal are front and center in this novel which highlight the differences between the worlds of working class and the wealthy; and while I wasn’t a fan of the novel others might be.

This page-turner set in the Hamptons perfectly illustrates that adage that money can’t buy happiness and of how quickly lives can become intertwined due to a single incident. I thought that the perspectives of the characters and how each of them reacted to their situations was extremely well-done. The character studies were a fascinating juxtaposition of roles: in some cases, the people who usually felt powerless held the most power, while the people who usually controlled everything completely lost control. I really enjoyed this book and highly recommend it. Visit my blog at Fireflies and Free Kicks Fiction Reviews for some deeper thoughts on the book. This review was written based on a pre-release digital ARC provided by NetGalley.

The East End, by Jason Allen

Short Take: Wildly implausible, but I didn’t even care.

(*Note: I received an advance copy of this book for review.*)

Ahhhhhhhhhhh, my beloved nerdlings, spring is FINALLY in the air. Is it me, or did winter last about forty-seven years? Although I’ll be the first to tell you I’m not much for sports or camping, there are two things that make me crave this time of year: #1, I really, really hate being cold, and #2, I really REALLY love drinking cocktails while reading on the patio.

Speaking of debauched languor, let me introduce you all to The East End, and its fascinating look at two very different sides of the Hamptons (or any playground for the wealthy, I’d imagine).

First we meet Corey Halpern, whose single mom Gina has been working as a housekeeper for the billionaire Sheffields for a dozen years. Seventeen years old, Corey wants nothing more than to get away from the poverty, addiction, and abuse that plague his mother’s every waking moment. He’s a seething ball of resentment, but instead of following Gina’s path, he’s got his sights set on college and keeping his nose clean, as we say around here.

Except for one teensy little felonious habit: he likes to break into the houses of the super-rich, usually while the occupants are sound asleep inside. He doesn’t steal anything, or murder them, as tempting as that may be in some cases. No, Corey just likes to mess with the one percenters’ heads a bit - putting salt in the milk, rearranging paintings, that kind of thing.

It’s fairly harmless, and he’s never been caught, but when Corey decides to do his thing at the Sheffields’ house the night before they are scheduled to arrive for the summer, it all goes sideways.

First, the Sheffields’ rebellious daughter Tiffany (ugh, her name WOULD be Tiffany) arrives with her best friend for a night of drinking and movie-watching, trapping Corey on the property. And then Leo Sheffield, the billionaire himself, shows up with his Darkest Secret in tow.

My duckies, do I need to tell you that Everything Goes Horribly Wrong?

What follows is an absolutely gripping downward spiral, seen through the eyes of Cory, Gina, and Leo as each of them reckons with their own demons while simultaneously trying to outwit the others and save themselves.

As I raced to the end (of the End, heh), my poor oversugared brain was at war with itself. The characters are some of the best in recent memory, and even when I was appalled by their actions, I could understand their motivations and feel sympathy for their various situations (even the ones of their own making). But as plot twist after twist landed, I couldn’t help but think “This is INSANE!!!” more than a few times.

But by insane, I mean audacious. As much as I can’t imagine the final scenes in any real-life way, the story is so lean and tight that I also can’t find any specific point where Mr. Allen jumps the rails into “readers are stupid enough to believe this” territory. He manages to take us into the characters’ heads enough that their actions make sense, without over-explaining, hitting that sweet spot (mmmmm sweets) that many authors strive for and never attain.

And in the end (the End) (no I’m not tired of that joke yet), The East End is a breath-holding tightwire act, with more than one fall and also a couple of perfect landings. I’m willing to forgo a bit of realism for a story like this.

The Nerd’s Rating: FIVE HAPPY NEURONS (and a lovely charcuterie platter.)

This is a fast paced book about an accidental death in the Hamptons, and the lives of four people involved in the situation during the weekend party that follows. After Corey Halpern witnesses the uber-rich Leo Sheffield hide his lover's body, Corey, his mother (who is also a domestic worker for the Sheffields), and Leo's daughter's best friend all get caught up in Leo's cover-up in one way or another. This book kept me turning pages late into the night, so I would absolutely say I liked it, but there was something missing that kept me from giving it more than three stars. Maybe it's that while there was definitely tension, there was really no mystery. Whatever it was, this wouldn't be the first book I'd recommend to someone, but if a page-turner set among glamorous rich people in the Hamptons, and that also explores class conflicts, sounds intriguing to you, you might want to give this one a try.

The East End by Jason Allen is a promising debut. He certainly knows how to gain and hold the reader's attention, and his descriptions made the story easy to envision. it was a quick and entertaining read for sure.

Townie service staff have started preparing the mansions in the Hamptons for their incoming uber-rich owners for Memorial Day weekend. The story focuses on the home of Leo and Sheila Sheffield who will be hosting a party for their friends as well as their daughter Tiffany and her best friend Angelique. The story occurs over a 24 hour period.

Preparations are being made for the Sheffield's arrival by Gina (a woman with multiple substance abuse issues who has three sons, and a brutish, abusive husband who just won't go away), her teenaged son, Corey who just graduated high school, and other staff. The night before their arrival, Corey is indulging himself in what has become a favorite hobby - breaking into the mansions to pull some pranks that will mess with the owner's minds. He is in the Sheffield home when he hears a very drunken Tiffany enter the house with her friend Angelique. Though he knows he should leave, he sticks around to watch them through the windows as they watch movies. After Angelique puts her impaired friend to bed and goes to her own bedroom, Corey prepares to leave. He hears tires on gravel and this time, is surprised to see Mr. Sheffield and a young man arrive in Sheffield's limo. The two men are obviously impaired by both drugs and drink. Leo sends the driver away, asking him to return early the next morning to take Henry home.

What follows forces the reader to suspend belief - but let's just say Leo has a horrible 24 hours coming! The problem that I had was in taking the book seriously. While there were many truly tragic situations among the characters, the drama is so interspersed with Keystone Cops farcical type actions and reactions that I almost laughed out loud. Entertaining, yes, but I hope for more substance and believability in Allen's next effort.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Park Row for allowing me access to an ARC of the book in exchange for an unbiased review. All opinions expressed here are my own.

2.5 Stars rounded up to 3!

I wanted to like this book so much because the synopsis sounded interesting and I was truly intrigued. However, this novel was not a good fit for me. I loved the writing, I thought it was actually brilliant, and thanks to the author’s skill with the written word this books deserves 3 stars. On the other hand, the story itself was unremarkable. I wanted so much more from this book, and I think that it could have been a great read if the plot was more developed. There was not much of a mystery, action, or even character development. Yes, we got a good insight into each of the character's miserable life, but I did not connect with any of them. It almost felt like the characters had no emotions and they moved through the story in a zombie-like trance, either high on drugs and alcohol or extremely tired due to the lack of sleep. I don’t even quite understand how any of them were able to function well enough to get out of bed let alone do any clear thinking, decision making or perform their daily work.
Overall, this book deserves 5 stars for the writing and only 2 stars for the story. I wish I could love it more, but I just can not rate this novel higher than 3 stars.

Thank you NetGalley, Park Row Books, and the author for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

"THE EAST END opens with Corey Halpern, a Hamptons local from a broken home who breaks into mansions at night for kicks. He likes the rush and admittedly, the escapism. One night just before Memorial Day weekend, he breaks into the wrong home at the wrong time: the Sheffield estate where he and his mother work. Under the cover of darkness, their boss Leo Sheffield -- billionaire CEO, patriarch, and owner of the vast lakeside manor -- arrives unexpectedly with his lover, Henry. After a shocking poolside accident leaves Henry dead, everything depends on Leo burying the truth. But unfortunately for him, Corey saw what happened and there are other eyes in the shadows."

Loving this debut novel.
Following a family tragedy set in the Hamptons, this thriller is about family secrets, scandal, lies and told from different points of views and written in atmospheric prose, Allen develops and incredible plot where you can easily see social classes struggle. The characters are remarkable not easy to forget

Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin who provided me with an ecopy of this book in exchange for an honest review. The thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own. #TheEastEnd #NetGalley