I first feel the need to keep it real and say I decided to read this because of the cover. It’s so pretty and feels like my exact literary aesthetic. The book didn’t match the cover vibes as perfectly as I wanted to, but the energy is still there.
The voice of this book was a lot. There was a lot of overexplaining. The tone sometimes felt like it was trying too hard. It could have been up to fifty pages shorter due to excessive words. However, the first person narrator has autism, and from what little I understand about autism, it causes many seemingly normal things to be a lot to handle in a loud mind. So all of my above complaints could just be me, a neurotypical person not knowing what it’s like to live in a neurodivergent brain.
This book also takes a long time to get to the point of the story. The blurb for the book probably explains up to the halfway point of the entire story. I still enjoyed it up to that point, but it took its time to get there, and once it was there, everything moved almost startlingly fast.
This story was less than I expected, but more than I expected at the same time. It was super campy (whether or not that was intentional, I’m not sure), which made it kind of fun, the dark glamor of it all. I was genuinely surprised multiple times; there were some great unexpected plot twists in here. It was a fun and riveting read.

I definitely wasn’t expecting those turn of events! I loved that the MC is a queer autistic teenager who lives in NY and attends a private school with a scholarship. Her character was amazing and I wish I could keep reading about her!
She tutors some of the wealthier students and one of them allows her to attend a masked ball in her place for a once in a lifetime chance to feel like Cinderella.
The party is when everything goes askew and I can’t say much without giving it away, so you just need to read it for yourself!

Waverly, is a lesbian teen who faces many daily challenges. Living in the slums of Queens,. Despite suffering from autism, dyscalculia, and panic attacks, Waverly was able to secure a scholarship for the exclusive Webber Academy. After graduation, she plans to attend Yale's medical school and become a doctor. Waverly is also a tutor who falls in. love with the dean's daughter, Ashley. They keep their love a secret. Waverly is part of a tightknit trio of friends who are misfits. Pari, Frank, and Waverly are often ridiculed, harassed, and bullied by the other students. Pari is an outspoken, bisexual girl who has mobility issues; she walks with a cane. Frank is a shy nerd who, like Waverly, has a poor family and attends Webber Academy on a scholarship. Pari and Frank are in love. They help Waverly with her Cinderella-like deception at the Masquerade Ball. The evening takes a surprising turn when Waverly stumbles into a secret meeting between the dean and the school’s top donors—and witnesses a brutal murder. Before she can contact the authorities, a mysterious blackout puts the entire party on lockdown. Waverly, Pari and Frank unite to escape the building after it turns into a fortress.

The novel has an unexpected twist that changes the whole novel. It’s a novel that I found intriguing though I found it at times not a smooth flowing novel. I did like the main characters in their friendship. It’s a novel that is unusual in what happens.

3.5 stars
This book was a YA dystopian novel with a little bit of a love story thrown in. It was engaging enough, but I felt like the author tried too hard with the main character. I'm all for diversity and disability awareness, but the main character had autism, panic attacks, and was poor and queer. It just seemed a little much. Overall the story was good though and I'd give the author another try in the future.

If it started the way it ended, I would have been all ready for it, but the lead-in was too obnoxious with the tropes about nerdy girl being taken under a wing by rich, popular girl. Nerdy girl gets to enjoy the time of her life pretending to be rich, popular girl at a mysterious party. Then all hell breaks loose. Give me the hell breaking loose sci-fi bend that reminds me of [book:The Compound|2696181].

This book had me hooked from the start! The protagonist, Waverly, is an autistic, LGBTQ loner. She provides both mirror and window elements, making Waverly a relatable character even if the reader doesn't match all of her describers. She's also a strong character, not just strongly written but a strong person, being herself even when she feels judged or like she doesn't fit in. There are a lot of interesting and diverse characters in the book as well. I thought the pacing was really well done, totally gripping, and I didn't want to put it down! Definitely will be recommending this book to my library!

Jen Wilde’s This Is the Way the World Ends

"Only rich white men would throw a party at the end of the world."

Three things I appreciate about this book:

MC Waverly is spunky & has tons of heart. She’s a gay, neurodivergent scholarship student from a low-income family, and she’s trying to make a name for herself at an elitist private school in NYC. Wilde does a phenomenal job of showing her growth throughout the story with a subtle coming-of-age theme.

The characters in the book feel very Gen Z, and often, it made me think of my kids’ peers (minus the private school element). The book has diverse representations: neurodivergence, LGBTQIA+, disability, POC, and chronic pain and illness.

It’s action-packed, so it reads fast. The solar flare science is a little light, IMO, but overall, it held my interest (for a YA book).

For fans of Gossip Girl, Inheritance Games, or One of Us Is Lying.

3.5*

This Is the Way the World Ends was an entertaining, engaging read. It was a pretty quick, easy read as well, considering I thought it would be much heavier based on the plot. There was one point when I was brought to tears and am still holding a little resentment towards the author because of it.

The story was a little confusing at times as well, as I'm still not 100% sure of the why, when it comes to the dean and what he was doing. But I do enjoy end of the world/apocalyptic stories so my interest was held pretty much throughout.

I actually liked the way the story ended, although I'm sure some won't.

Thank you to @wednesdaybooks for the eARC of this! This will be published on May 9th. I read this very quickly and for the most part enjoyed it but have some mixed feelings on the plot in later parts of the book.

The main character is Waverly who is a scholarship student at an elite prep school and is autistic. I felt that the representation of her autism seemed really well-written and was woven into her responses to some of the difficult situations faced throughout the book. One of her best friends, Pari, has chronic pain and sometimes uses a cane, due to Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome. I really liked getting to know both of them as well as many of the other secondary characters. Waverly has a complicated secret relationship from her past that comes back in this story and is enjoyable.

My mixed feelings are about the direction that the plot takes. It felt a bit out there and at times I felt like it was too much fast paced plot when I wanted to slow down a little and spend more time getting to know the characters. I also wanted to know a bit more what was going on with the rest of the world during this “end of world” experience because the book was very insular and focused on the people in one location.

Overall, I couldn’t put this down but also wanted a bit more focus on the characters rather than the end of the world plot. If you’ve read this, let me know your thoughts!

Thank you to the publishers and Netgalley for allowing me to read this!!

I was super intrigued by the description of the book, a poor autistic girl attends a private school and they are throwing a party, how goosing girl then a murder how criminal minds! But I think I had different expectations going into this book than what it really was.
I enjoyed the diversity of the characters but at times it felt like I was reading 3+ pages and biography of why they were diverse while checking each and every diversity box.
The murder wasn’t until the last half of the book but by then I felt like there wasn’t enough time to figure it out.
While this book wasn’t for me, it might be for other people! 2/5

Fans of end of the world type stories are going to love this YA thriller take that features queer and disability representation. Our main character, Waverly, is there to win readers over from the start and take them on a whirlwind of chaos. I enjoyed how Wilde created a badass group of friends to support Waverly. Each one has a distinct personality and background that add elements to the story and plot. There’s also a great cast of more secondary characters who are there to thwart some part of this group’s plan.

This story has tons of twists and turns throughout. Some you’ll definitely have to suspend belief for to fully embrace them, but they’re downright fun to read about! Wilde keeps the reader on their toes, never quite letting you know what might come next. I loved guessing about the motives of certain characters or what the friend group would choose to do next.

Readers be warned: I highly recommend walking into this book blindly because the synopsis gives away major plot points that don’t happen until later in the story.

A huge thank you to Wednesday Books for my gifted copy!

This Is the Way The World Ends is marketed and packaged as a thriller. It is more of a Contemporary Dystopian. And, at the moment, I really just can't get into the book. So I'm temporarily setting it down to pick up again at a later time.

Thank you to Netgalley and Wednesday Books for providing me with a review copy.

Waverly is out of her depth. She’s a student at Webber Academy, the most prestigious private school in New York City, but her family is not rich. She’s on scholarship, and she works as a tutor to make some money and earn some bonus points for her college applications. As she’s tutoring Caroline a few days before the big Masquerade, a charity event that the school puts on every year, Waverly sees the beautiful red gown that Caroline has bought to wear to the event. Caroline sees Waverly staring at it and encourages her to try it on.

Waverly has never seen anything so luxurious or beautiful, and she thinks this may be her one chance to try on a gown like that. It fits her perfectly, sparking an idea for Caroline. She is thinking that she could use a night off from being Caroline, and she encourages Waverly to go in her place. Everyone will be in masks, so no one would see Waverly and know that it wasn’t Caroline. She even takes a photo of Waverly in the dress and mask, to share on her social media shortly before the Masquerade, so her friends would know it was her in that dress.

Waverly has reservations about going to the gala as Caroline. She is on scholarship. She plans to go to Yale, to study medicine. She thinks her diploma from Webber will open that door for her, hopefully with another scholarship as well. But then she hears the rumors that Ashley Webber will be at the Masquerade too. Ashley is the daughter of the man who runs the school. She’s also Waverly’s ex-girlfriend. Ash, who ghosted her. Waverly’s been wanting to talk to her ever since, to find out why. Waverly can’t let this chance pass her by. She agrees to go to the Masquerade as Caroline.

The day before the Masquerade, Caroline’s father falls ill and ends up in the hospital. Waverly decides she can’t go to the ball, but a text from Caroline tells Waverly that she should go ahead with the plan. She goes with her friends to the building in Manhattan where the Masquerade will be taking place. At first, it seems like a big party, with men in tuxedos and women in gowns. It’s for parents as well as students, but there are separate party rooms for the adults.

Waverly goes in search of Ash, and tries to avoid Caroline’s boyfriend Jack, so that she can talk to Ash about what happened between them and then leave the party. As an autistic, the noise and lights are pushing her towards sensory overload. But when she tries to find a way to talk to Ash, Waverly stumbles into a dark plot that the adults seem to be in on. Her friend Pari is taken by one of the security guards, their phones had all been confiscated by security when they first came to the party, and Waverly finds herself lost in a maze of mirrors and lights and a strange dystopian projection of what could be the end of the world.

Waverly is lost and alone and wondering if she’ll be able to get herself and her friends back out of the building to safety. But if the world is really ending, will they be any safer outside, or is the end for the all?

This Is the Way the World Ends is a dark YA thriller about power and class and what’s really important in life. The story takes some very dark turns as Waverly and her friends try to figure out what is happening around them, and then when they’re trying to figure out how to survive what is happening around them. There are lots of surprises as the teens fight for survival and try to figure out what is most important in the new world they are about to find themselves in.

I was not prepared for how dark or dangerous things were going to get in this story. As someone who struggles with anxiety and sensory issues, being with Waverly through the party made me feel really tense as well, a little more than I was comfortable with. But I liked Waverly a lot. I admired her drive and how deeply she cares for those she loves, so I wanted to stay with her and cheer her on. But this does go quickly from an unsettling story with tension and confusion to a really dark story where people can be sacrificed like pawns in a giant game of power and control. If you’re a fan of dystopian fiction, then this could be the book for you.

Egalleys for This Is the Way the World Ends were provided by Wednesday Books through NetGalley, with many thanks.

"𝘈 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘱 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘧 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘳𝘶𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘮𝘦, 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘪𝘵 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥𝘯'𝘵 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘢𝘯 𝘦𝘹𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘷𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘮𝘦 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘩𝘺. 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘥𝘢𝘺 𝘣𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘴𝘰 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶, 𝘪𝘵'𝘴 𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶'𝘳𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘦𝘯𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩. 𝘐𝘵'𝘴 𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘦𝘲𝘶𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘺 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘩."

I'll be completely honest with you, I didn't have too high of hopes going into this book - simply because YA books can go either way for me. BUT, I'm happy to report that I was very much pleasantly surprised by this book.

It in no way went in the direction I thought it was going - in a good way! The character development was incredible, as were the plot twists throughout!

This goes up there with some of my other YA favorites, like The Inheritance Games series!

Thank you Jen, @stmartinspress and @netgalley for my advanced copy in exchange for this review!
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#bookstagram #booksta #books #booksbooksbooks #avidreader #ilovereading #thetwistedlibrarian #professionalbookworm #jenwilde #thisisthewaytheworldends #arc #advancedreadercopy #book31of2023 #whatsnikkireading #lgbtqiap #oppositesattract #differentworlds #endoftheworld #austisticmaincharacter #disabledrepresentation #strongerthanyourealize #stmartinpress #netgalley

Rating: 4/5
I received an eARC for my honest opinion.

What would you do if you went to a masquerade ball just so you could see your ex and get closer than you find out that it’s not what you thought the night would end up like?

I rounded this book up from a 3.5 to a 4, and only because I had a hard time getting into the book at the beginning. It wasn’t until 40% that I really started to like the book, it felt a little too young for me and a little childish with all the repeating about Waverly and her ex. I did love that the characters were diverse and to be able to read another book that featured an autistic rep was great, and not only that kind of rep was in this book but other disabilities as well. I really enjoyed when the plot finally took off and you were swept up into the unknown of the night and having to piece together this crazy, murder mystery mixed with the elites of the world trying to save their own skin rather than helping everyone in the world.

What I liked about the plot: I really enjoyed the fact that you really didn’t know what was going on in the story until a little later. Then when you finally piece all the puzzle pieces together you will have an OMG moment. I really enjoyed the thrill, the drama and action in this book. The romance fell a little short for me, I understood why Waverly was doing here and what she wanted to accomplish but for me it wasn’t really a good that I would say had romance in it other than for the side characters.

What I liked about the characters: I really enjoyed Waverly's pursuit to find out the truth. The truth about why her ex left her and ghosted her, as well as wanting to find the truth out about what masquerade ball was really going on. There was some character development, but this book was more plot-driven than character, so the growth wasn’t right there for you to see. I loved Waverly's friends, and I hated the ones that were too good for her. I thought that her character was relatable, and she did get easier to connect with after the first part of the book.

Just because this book was not for me all the way does not mean that you should not pick it up because I really did enjoy the middle to the end of the book a lot. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys LGBT, mystery thriller, YA.

I want to thank NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to review this book

I had mixed feelings about this book. It started off as one thing but ended with something entirely different. The disparity between the uber rich and the working poor is very evident within the beginning of the book. When Waverly a woman on the spectrum and her popular friend Caroline come up with a plan to give Waverly a chance to be Cinderella and attend a very lavish $10,000 a plate masquerade ball as Caroline.

This is where things get weird. It goes from a cinderella type story into a dystopian fantasy. Bodies drop, people are drugged and Waverly shines. I applaud the queer and disability representation but while this was a fast paced read I just got a little lost. I think it was trying too hard to be too many different things.

The ending is very open ended, I'm not sure if that is to leave room for a 2nd book or if the author just wanted you to decide for yourself how things play out.

Thanks to NetGalley and St,. Martin's Press for this read. I have submitted my review late for this one because I gave up so many times reading it and I wanted to keep going but it was just not for me. I did not finish this book because I just did not like the story or how many characters were involved.

Thanks for the read,.

Ooh, this book got me good. The beginning was a bit slow though. It took quite a bit to set up. Some of the flashbacks at the start also seemed a bit unececary. But then the actual story kicks in and ooh, did it get tense. I honeslty was on the edge of my seat the entire time. Constantly theorizing about what was happening and excited to learn more. I really liked the group of characters we follow in this novel and I loved how this high stakes situation really brought them together. The story was very fast moving, and I absolutely flew through this book. However, the ending let me down quite a bit again. It wasn't bad, it was just incredibly sudden. It also felt a bit cliché, and cartoon villain-esque. So yeah, this was an incredibly fun, and fast read with amazing characters and a great conspiracy to uncover. It just had a slow start, and an abrupt ending. I also thing the romance at the center of this novel was just a bit underdeveloped, and this book could have easily done without.

This Is the Way the World Ends was a realistic thriller with teenagers as the major characters. They are at an exclusive function for their wealthy private school when a solar flare knocks out most of the electronics for their major metropolitan area. They uncover secrets and witness crimes while unable to communicate with the outside world.
I did not care much for this book. I struggled to read and finish it. I think the secret plans are too grandiose and unrealistic and the characters were portrayed very inconsistently.

This is the Way the World Ends by Jen Wilde

Published: May 9, 2023
Wednesday Books
Pages: 269
Genre: Teen & Young Adult Horror
KKECReads Rating: 3/5
I received a copy of this book for free, and I leave my review voluntarily.

Jen Wilde is the queer, autistic author of QUEENS OF GEEK, THE BRIGHTSIDERS and GOING OFF SCRIPT. Jen's books have been published internationally, translated into multiple languages, and released as audiobooks. Their first book, QUEENS OF GEEK, was shortlisted for the 2018 Rainbow Book List.

“I don’t know how much more of this night I can take.”

Waverly is a scholarship student at a very prestigious private school. She knows she isn’t like the other students, but she also knows this will help her chances of getting into Yale. Befriending one of the popular girls leads Waverly to attend a ball, pretending to be Caroline. If only there weren’t so many secrets.

This book started really strong but then went all over the place. I was not expecting the turn it took.

The characters were all interesting and different, and I liked Waverly and Pari a lot. This was a bit of cult and sci-fi mixed with teenagers and wealthy followers.

I feel like the build-up happened so fast and didn’t make sense. It felt rushed, and if parts were more fleshed out, this could be a really good story.

Overall, it was an easy read, and the writing kept me engaged.