The East End captivated me from the beginning.
The writing was amazing, it flowed well and it made this book hard to put down. It perfectly painted every moment. Paragraph after paragraph it built suspense by offering a cast of complex characters and capturing the atmosphere of each scene well. It was well paced and it featured some unexpected turns along the way, which made it so entertaining. I really enjoyed the story, along with the characters that were fairly unlikable yet I couldn’t help but take interest in, it felt grounded. It definitely was what I needed to read to refresh my reading palate.
I think this is a great release. It’s crafted beautifully and I think this is a book that people should definitely pick up.

Corey is a high school senior living in the Hamptons with his mother. Together they live a modest life supporting the millionaires who frequent the area. They are currently employed by the Sheffield family maintaining their summer house. Corey has an unusual habit of breaking into vacant homes and snooping through rooms then launching pranks on the unsuspecting residents. He is driven by his hate for the disparity between the rich and working-class people. He cannot wait to leave Long Island.

The night before Memorial day, Corey breaks into the Sheffield home. He believes it is empty but finds the Sheffield daughter, Tiffany, and her best friend enjoying the house before her parent's arrival. Later that evening the patriarch of the family, arrives with a much younger gentleman. Leo and his secret lover are spending one last evening together while indulging in drugs. Eventually, an accident takes place that shifts the balance between the two social classes.

The East End is a debut novel by Jason Allen. It is suspenseful and tense book with a unique view of social distinctions. Regardless of your roots, no one is immune from dysfunction and drama.

The East End is a little out of the norm for me, but the blurb piqued my interest so here I am. The thing is I still don't know exactly what it was about the story that kept me turning those pages. It's not really what I would consider a thriller - things happen but not anything that would keep me on the edge of my seat. In that same vein, it's not a romance, and while there is some level of suspense, it's certainly not a mystery either. Then we have the characters who aren't particularly likable, some less so than others, but our main players do inspire at the least some level of empathy. At its core, the story is one of the haves and have nots along with those who ride the middle, not really part of either world. While we do see the vast differences in social class, the author doesn't get preachy, and we also see that everything isn't always so cut and dried - money doesn't always mean security, and the secrets a person hides, the regrets they have, and the lives they live don't necessarily have anything to do with economics. The story runs at a fairly steady pace for most of the book with a ramp up toward the end, and the one constant for me from early on was the thought that this would make a movie that I would watch. That's a rarity for me as I tend to lean toward books over movies, but this one could easily make the cross over to the big screen. As I said at the beginning, I still don't know exactly what it was about The East End that kept me interested, but it certainly did. Jason Allen definitely knows how to weave a tale and I will be watching for whatever he does next.

The East End by Jason Allen is set in the Hamptons on Memorial Day Weekend and tells the story of working class Corey who breaks into the mansions for fun, but doesn’t steal anything; Gina, his mother who is a housekeeper at the Sheffield estate; and Leo Sheffield, the rich CEO whose home this story takes place at. Corey witnessed a gruesome death while “breaking in” at the Sheffield estate and the story unfolds from there.

I really wanted to love this story, but just couldn’t get into it. None of the characters are very likable and the story was so slow. There’s no real mystery which makes reading a mystery kind of boring. This story had so much potential, but just didn’t live up to it.

Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was a crazy book, very different than what I was expecting!

Corey Halpern is a townie, living in the Hamptons with his mother and brother, struggling to make ends meet, and watching the rich people parade in and out during the season. He dreams of nothing more than leaving, of starting a new life far away from the people he resents, far from his alcoholic mother and his drug-addicted, violent stepfather.

Just before Memorial Day weekend, where he's scheduled to work with his mother at the wealthy Sheffields' mansion, he decides to partake in one of his favorite pastimes—breaking into other mansions. He's not all that interested in taking anything; he enjoys the illicit feeling of sneaking in, of taking risks even when the homeowners are asleep while he's there.

Still riding his buzz from one break-in, he heads for the Sheffields'. He is surprised when their youngest daughter, Tiffany, arrives home with her best friend, Angelique, a girl who has caught Corey's eye many times before, but he figures she has written him off because of their different financial situations. He's able to escape their attention, but he decides to hang around and watch Angelique for a while.

Unexpectedly, Leo Sheffield, the billionaire CEO and Tiffany's father, decides to arrive at the house the evening before the rest of his family is scheduled to take up residence. He is joined by Henry, his much younger (and emotionally unstable) lover, for one last rendezvous before he must spend the summer with his family. Under the influence of a great deal of alcohol and cocaine, a freak accident occurs, and Henry winds up dead.

Leo is unsure what his next move is—how can he get caught in this situation when his wife already suspects him of having an affair, albeit not with a man? He's utterly unprepared for the fact that both Corey and Angelique saw at least some of what happened, and for how he'll react to that fact.

What happens over the course of the next 24 hours will change all of their lives, including Gina, Corey's mother. It's a crazy series of events, incorrect assumptions, and threats; people will lose control; and no one is quite sure how things will wind up.

The East End is a well-written but chaotic look at the haves and the have-nots, and how barriers to happiness exist for everyone. There's a lot—almost too much—going on in this book, and I really wondered how Jason Allen would tie everything together in the end. I thought he raised some very interesting issues on which the story could turn, but as it raced toward a breakneck conclusion, I didn't feel as if any of the threads were fully resolved.

I love the way Allen uses language and imagery; his descriptions of Corey's break-ins made me feel the tension right alongside of him, and I could see some of the scenery he described. I just really wasn't a fan of any of these characters—while each had issues that made me feel sympathy for them, their actions were so odious at times I quickly lost those feelings. But still, there is a lot to ponder here.

I'm honored to be part of the blog tour for The East End. NetGalley, HARLEQUIN, and Park Row Books provided me an advance copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review. Thanks for making it available!

This book will be published May 7, 2019.

The Hamptons. The place where the rich and famous come to be rich and famous. Where families can afford to have a summer house that was worth more than the money people that were hired to clean those homes would probably make in their life time. As we are invited into the life of Corey Halpern, The East End sheds a little light on just how suffocating working-class life can be. Living a life unnoticed by the rich people in the homes he keeps up, Corey is surrounded by physical, drug, and alcohol abuse and he just wants to get as far away as possible.

Corey is simply fed up with the way his life is going. He and his mother spend their days cleaning the house of the Sheffield family. Corey’s way of getting back to the rich, is by “pranking” the residents of the Hamptons. He does this by breaking into their homes, but he never actually takes anything. He does just enough to let them know that someone unwelcome was inside their homes. But one night, this was just not enough for Corey, he wanted to up his game. So his next course of action was to break into his employers house, Leo Sheffield. This night does not go as Corey plans. In the midst of breaking into the home, Corey is not the only one that is there. Leo Sheffield’s daughter Tiffany and her friend Angelique arrive to the home unexpectedly. What started as a harmless prank, instantly changes as soon as Corey sees Angelique. Instead of leaving, he stays to watch the girls because he cannot pull himself way. But things go drastically south and Corey must now protect not only himself but he must also protect Angelique. For the secret that they share is a secret that not even money can hide, because what’s done in the dark must surely come to light.

Jason Allen did an amazing job of painting the picture of the rich and the working-class. He portrayed real life issues such as domestic abuse and alcoholism in such a relatable way. The story of Gina was all too real because I had a Gina in my life, it was not over dramatized and that is the kind of writing that I think we can all appreciate.

Corey has just finished high school and wants to get out of the Hamptons. He and his mom work for the Sheffields.... one of the many wealthy families that live there part-time. Corey's family is poor, and he resents having to cater to the wealthy, while barely getting by. He lets off his frustrations by breaking into the different mansions and doing things like putting salt in their milk and purposely setting off the alarms. When he decides to break into the Sheffields' home though, he is interrupted when the daughter and her best friend arrive a day early. Then, once the daughter falls asleep, he watches the best friend until he is interrupted once again... this time by the father arriving with the man he has been having an affair with. The other man OD's by the pool and the Leo tries to hide the evidence before the daughter wakes and the rest of the family arrives.
I really wanted to like this book. I thought the plot sounded like it would be good. Unfortunately, I thought the story was too slow-moving, all of the characters unlikable and many aspects of the story completely unrealistic.

First, I would like to thank ParkRow publishing for inviting me to read a free Kindle ARC edition of this novel from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The entirety of the novel is contained in a single, tumultuous weekend. Thursday night, when no one is supposed to occupy the Sheffield’s Hamptons mansion, tragedy strikes, and the witnesses of this event struggle with their morals and their desire for financial security in considering whether or not to report the accident. Guests begin to arrive Friday morning for the Memorial Day weekend party, completely unaware of the whirlwind of events that occurred on the property and the evidence that is loosely buried there.

The characters of the novel were well-written. Corey, rather immature in his hobby of breaking into houses and pranking the occupants, is a well-intentioned teenager with a heart of gold. Gina, his mother, is a fall-down drunk attempting to escape an abusive husband and take charge of her sobriety. Mr. Sheffield, attempting to conceal the events of the night before, never wavers in his resolve to do the right thing by his family and employees.

The plot started off slowly, following Corey on his escapades Thursday evening. He spends the entire night lurking, watching. Despite the short time window of the novel, the plot seems to drag as the reader experiences the days through three points of view. I would not classify this novel as a thriller so much as a psychological novel. The characters make decisions that are believable, and they struggle immensely with their vices. I just would have liked to have seen more character development in the other prominent characters such as Mrs. Sheffield and Angelique. Overall, The East End is a good book, but is not a stand-out novel.

#netgalley #theeastend

The Hamptons are known as the playground of the rich and famous. Little thought is given to those who cook and serve the elite, keep the gardens blooming and basically are called upon to clean up the messes created by the upper crust of society. East End pulls back the curtain and allows the reader to delve into the life of Corey Halpern and his family. They can barely make ends meet and are plagued by violence, drug and alcohol abuse. Living lives mostly invisible to the rich people inhabiting the homes they take care of, Corey and his family are barely holding on.

Corey secretly began “pranking” the people of the Hamptons by breaking into their homes and not taking anything. He moves objects and puts salt in the milk. He does just enough to mess with them but does not do any real harm. While sneaking into the home of Leo Sheffield, his employer, he is surprised to see Tiffany Sheffield and Angelique. They are two of the girls he goes to school with, who have arrived unexpectedly. Because he has had a crush on Angelique he stays to watch the girls. Not in an actually creepy way, but just to be near her. Then things go decidedly south. Mr. Sheffield arrives with someone other than his wife. Angelique has put her friend Tiffany to bed after too much wine, but unfortunately sees something that will change her life forever. Corey is also a witness and vows to protect Angelique from one of the most powerful men in the Hamptons.

Allen masterfully intertwines the lives of the very rich with the lives of the people that take care of them. Most of the time money can get the rich out of whatever problems they encounter, but not this time. The danger that touches Corey’s family bleeds into the Sheffield family by the end of the book in the most surprising way.

The East End will be available on May 7, 2019 at your favorite bookseller. I loved this fast-paced novel. It is full of twists, turns, danger and deceit. The story pulls you in and doesn’t let go until the final pages. Jason Allen is an author that delivers exactly what a reader wants: a solid story about flawed people bound together by circumstances beyond their control. Kudos!

If you would like to connect with Jason Allen, visit his website: Author Website
or contact him via social media with the links below:

Twitter: @EathanJason
Facebook: @jasonallenauthor
Goodreads

DISCLOSURE OF MATERIAL CONNECTION: I have a material connection because I received a review copy from Netgalley, Justine Sha, Publicist and Park Row Books in exchange for a fair and honest review. Copyright © 2019 Laura Hartman

What a mess! Not the book or the plot but the situation Corey finds himself in. The Hamptons are an incestuous place but there's a distinct class divide and he's on the wrong side of it. Corey's mom Gina works for Leo Sheffield, who has a big secret from his family. Unfortunately, Corey stumbles on it when he makes the unwise decision to break into the Sheffield house. Some of this is a tad preposterous but then again, there are copious amounts of drugs and alcohol involved and people under the influence don't make the best decisions. This is told from multiple viewpoints (good choice) and you will periodically find yourself telling someone to do something different. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. It's a fast entertaining read.

3.5/5 The story is really easy to get pulled into, but once there, I'm not sure that it really developed as much as it could have. The plot moved along as expected. There wasn't anything ever too shocking and not really any twists and turns. I mean, there's a dead guy in the woods. There's so much you could do with that plot wise.

Book Description
THE EAST END is an atmospheric debut novel of family secrets and scandal, of love and heartbreak, of working-class struggle versus the privileges of the super wealthy, all set in a place whose incredible beauty means both pleasure and pain – a place where people will die for love, kill for truth, and dream of escaping forever.

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.

Hordes of family and guests are coming to the estate the next morning, including Leo's surly wife, all expecting a lavish vacation weekend of poolside drinks, evening parties, and fireworks filling the sky. No one can know there’s a dead man in the woods, and there is no one Leo can turn to. With his very life on the line, everything will come down to a split-second decision. For all of the main players—Leo, Gina, and Corey alike—time is ticking down, and the world they’ve known is set to explode.

Told through multiple points of view, THE EAST END highlights the socio-economic divide in the Hamptons, but also how the basic human need for connection and trust can transcend class differences. Secrecy, obsession, and desperation dictate each character’s path. In a race against time, each critical moment holds life in the balance as Corey, Gina, and Leo approach a common breaking point.

My Thoughts
As someone who grew up on the east end of Long Island, I can attest that there is a huge disparity between the year-round residents, and the ‘summer folk’( as I am sure anyone who is a year-round resident of a tourist town will agree). Whether you make your living from the ‘rich people’ or not, you can’t avoid seeing the disparity between those who arrive every summer, open up their opulent homes, and then depart when the season ends.
Jason Allen’s The East End paints a vivid picture of what a summer in the Hamptons is like. While the book description piqued my interest( I am a sucker for all thing Hamptons), it was the characters who kept me reading( and the background of the Hamptons is definitely a character). Corey, his mother Gina, his crush and love, Angelique, and of course, the wealthy Sheffield family, all combine to make this a binge-worthy read. The publication date in the US is May 7th, and some years, I would say this would be a perfect beach read. However, the weather has been dreary and rainy, so while this may be more of a rainy day in May read(on Long Island, at least), you never know when the sun will come out and the Hamptons will call! A fun read and a really good debut! I will definitely look to see what Jason Allen writes next!

I received a DRC from Harlequin-Trade Publishing-Park Row through NetGalley.

Unfortunately, The East End did not work for me. I was not able to connect with the characters and I was a bit frustrated with how the rich characters were all so one dimensionally evil whereas the poor character (who was a thief and a peeping tom), was still a hero. I'm unsure if this was supposed to be a social class character study or not, but it was not a thriller.

Thank you to Harlequin for an advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

This is a book as my husband can randomly say - "Oh, rich people problems". Taking place in the rich people place of The Hamptons and in a grand home. Corey lives with his mother and brother and his mother works in the grand homes of The Hamptons and he is having a hard time leaving this place that is home but also bothers him so much. He is out one evening in a place he shouldn't be and happens to see things he shouldn't and must make some life changing split decisions.

The thing I loved about this book was how atmospheric it was. I could see the darkness of the night and the grandness of the neighborhood and homes. The way this author described everything just put me there in the house or the backyard - in the time and place. I felt really there. But this also set the book back for me because it felt like the author spent a lot of time with the set up and then action happened and then there was just so much description, it disrupted the pacing for me.

I read this book during a hard time in my life which probably wasn't the best fit because I was in need of a book that kept good pacing and could keep me completely invested in the book and this one with all the wordiness had me get easily distracted and less engrossed in the story. If I had read this at a time where I could really sit and lose track of time, I think I could have liked this one a bit more.

The East End by Jason Allen is a very impressive and assured debut, in fact I was surprised to find out that this was the authors first book as the characterization throughout was excellent. Set in the Hamptons , the book follows Corey, a young year round resident as he breaks into the luxury vacation home of the wealthy family that employs both him and his mother as household staff for the summer. Intending to play a few pranks, he gets more than he bargained for. First the daughter of the family and her friend arrive unexpectedly , almost catching him unawares, but eventually she falls into a drunken sleep. Seeing his chance to escape unobserved, Corey is about to leave when another surprise arrival halts him in his tracks. The owner of the house arrives with his secret male lover and Corey becomes a witness to some truly shocking and tragic events. To say much more would spoil a gripping tale ,and I have no wish to deprive anyone of the enjoyment I experienced while reading this page turner.
Aside from the plot, I was impressed by the pacing and tension throughout the book, the balance was masterful, it never dragged. I also enjoyed the use of multiple perspectives to tell the story, and felt that the author did a really good job of writing in different voices, each point of view character really felt different and well crafted, from Corey, to his alcoholic mother to the privileged yet miserable Leo Sheffield. The use of characters from different socioeconomic backgrounds provided an interesting social commentary that while always present never overshadowed the story being told, and while none of these characters were particularly likable I still found myself invested in their stories and hopeful for their futures.
I read and reviewed an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher, all opinions are my own.

Wow! I was pretty much sucked into this mystery from the first page. Its an incredibly intense and outstanding novel about what happens when the haves and he have-nots collide. This was a compelling, and wholly original novel that I absolutely loved and highly recommend. An advance reader copy was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.
#TheEastEnd #NetGalley

5 Fantastic Stars

The East End is an outstanding read that grabs you from Page One.

Starting from the beginning that looks back at Corey’s break-in at the Hamptons estate to the incredible ending, I enjoyed the complex characters the author has crafted.

This novel touches all the points for me. Very timely. When socio economic classes collide in such a turbulent way and the outcomes for all involved is surprising not only to the reader but to the characters themselves. The disparity of the the social classes residing in these mansions whether labourers or residents both have to deal with circumstances and events from their pasts.

This book is brilliant. Memorable characters and twists and turns like no other.

A debut novel not to be missed!

The East End is about socio-economic differences, but also about universal things that unite rich and poor. Corey likes to break into Hamptons mansions just for the thrill of it - he doesn't steal anything, the idea is just to get there and leave without being noticed (eventually doing some prank to the owners). But one day, while breaking into a mansion owned by his mother's bosses, he ends up witnessing a crime. And then his life starts to change after that.
The story is told from multiple points of view - rich and poor, guilty and innocent. And it is interesting enough to keep you going from chapter to chapter. I'm not really a fan of how it ended, but I enjoyed the journey / the way the story was conducted and how creative the writing style is.

Enter the crazy world of the have and have-nots in the Hamptons. Billionaires own the mansions but it's the poor townies who keep everything running smoothly for them for pitifully little pay.

In Jason Allen's well-written debut thriller, his main character Corey is a townie who is graduating high school and trying to decide whether to go off to college or stay and take care of his younger brother and mother, who has a major drinking and pill problem and a soon-to-be ex-husband who can be abusive and unpredictable.

For now, Corey knows he will be working alongside his mother on the Sheffield estate this summer. He stays sane by playing a game: he sneaks into the summer homes and gets petty revenge against the uber-rich by the mischievous pranks he pulls, such as putting salt in their milk or rearranging paintings.

As the story opens, Corey sneaks into the Sheffield home, believing that the family is scheduled to arrive the next day and he can have some fun. But he is almost caught! Tiffany, the Sheffield's daughter, arrives with her best friend, Angelique--the girl Corey has had a major crush on for the past two summers. He spies on them until Tiffany passes out in her bed. And just when he decides it's time to make his escape, Mr Sheffield arrives and he's not alone!

It is fated to be a night of tragedy and regrets and somehow both Corey and Angelique are drawn in and must figure out what is the right thing to do for everyone involved. See if you agree with their choices.

Jason Allen's writing is often beautifully descriptive. Here's a taste: "The first burst of fireworks--streaks of green, branches of red, concussive shots pop, pop, popping along flashing veins of chemical reactions, shimmering, crackling, a bright gold willow-tree-shaped explosion, flecks glittering down and sizzling before they faded. Then another crack, a burst, a series of booms followed by purple and green asterisks tearing open the sky, thunderclaps echoing off the lake, the whole sequence so violent and yet beautiful enough to mesmerize."

I found the characters pretty appalling, both rich and poor. Is this what our society has come to?
"Is that all there is, is that all there is
If that's all there is my friends, then let's keep dancing
Let's break out the booze and have a ball
If that's all there is..." said Peggy Lee.

I always found that so depressing.

I received an arc of this book from the publisher via NetGalley after an honest review. Many thanks for the opportunity.

Corey is a year round islander wishing for more. His mother is a hard working woman trying to make ends meet. She is working for some of the very wealthy summer residents. Corey likes to break into the summer homes and pull pranks and other mischief, until he witnesses something he would rather forget. The decisions made after the fact can have a lasting impact on everyone’s lives

Corey is a little punk! As a matter of fact, I really did not like any of these characters. They were either spoiled or a crook or both! However, I still enjoyed this story. I loved how the author incorporated the diversities of the mega rich and working class. These well developed characters (even if I disliked them) are the reason this story works!

This is a superbly written tale with an escalating intensity not to be missed. There were actually some times I was holding my breath until a character got out of trouble (mostly Corey!)…did I mention he is a PUNK! And what a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive!