This started out really good, but it falls apart in the 2nd half. I was not satisfied with the ending, and really didn't feel like I needed to pay much attention to the book. There is not a lot of depth; it was easy to skim and not miss much.

I received an advance copy. All thoughts are my own.

Mini synopsis: Waverly, a scholarship kid at the elite Webber Academy, accepts the IT girl of the school, Caroline’s invitation to attend the masquerade ball disguised as her. She’s excited to experience the extravagance of the event, but also her ex Ash will be there & she needs answers. From there all hell breaks loose!

Okayyyyy so this book went in a direction I was not expecting. What I thought I was getting was a fast twisty thriller. What I got was more of a sci-fi (?) end of the world story. If you’re going into this book, I think that might be the mindset to be in. It’s also a little slow, not that it’s a bad thing but it does take a while for the pace to pick up. I enjoyed the characters. We got a lot of diversity with Waverly being autistic & her best friend Peri being openly disabled (I’m not sure exactly what her disability is but she has chronic pain & uses a cane) the setting in the old building with lots of secret passages & elevators was fun too! However, I did think the overall plot & “evil” plan seemed a little far fetched/unrealistic 🤷🏻‍♀️ i did enjoy the writing so I think I’ll pick up something else from this author!

First of all thank you Wednesday Books and Netgalley for this title. This book is absolutely crazy. The twist and turns in this book left my head spinning. I absolutely fell in love with the premise of this book with the diverse cast with disability representation and the somewhat dark-academia feel. This YA thriller was one that hooked me from the very beginning. I am so excited to have discovered Jen’s books and will definitely be reading her more in the future!

This quick little book tried really hard to be a lot of things but I don't think it made it. There was the illusion of depth for some of the characters and not even an attempt at others.

This book was actually pretty decent. I was hooked in immediately and really liked the main character. It was fast, paced and exciting and I really enjoyed the conspiracy of the whole thing. However, it was too far-fetched for me at times and I really think it needed an epilogue. I felt like it just kind of ended.

2.5 stars

The beginning of this is a little slow, mostly setting up who the characters are and some backstory about Waverly. Then once we get to the ball and the murder, things speed up so much that it was almost difficult to follow along. Waverly and her friends(?) run all over the building, often in circles just avoiding the villains only to be captured again.

The overall premise is okay but the chaos going on in the world isn't well explained. It's like the author didn't want to do research, so she just picked a couple things and went with it. I would have liked to know more about what was happening, why, and have some resolution at the end.

I voluntarily read and reviewed this book. All opinions are my own. Thank you to Wednesday Books and NetGalley for the copy

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are my own."

You know a book is amazing when you are willing to sacrifice sleep for it.

Everything about this book was fabulous, although the president's speech had a weird emailing your boss pretending you are sick vibe. Doesn't matter though because the book was fabulous enough to carry it.

Great book with great diversity.

The beginning of the story starts off so awesome and sucked me in but the second half was just so far fetched and spun completely in a different direction.

I really liked this book. It flowed well and was an easy read. It felt like a quick read and the characters were easy to connect to. I really enjoyed the book and would suggest others give it a shot. It was a pretty good read.

Thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for the ARC.

One night is going to make a huge difference in these character's lives. Rough for them but a chaotic, fun ride for us. Waverly is someone who will draw you in right away and make you root for her. I was having anxiety the whole book, waiting to see what was going to happen. The writing flows and I am really looking forward to more books by Jen Wilde.

Read if you like:
🔪 YA Thrillers
🔎 Mysteries
🏳️‍🌈 LGBTQ Rep
🌈 Autism Rep
🌎 Apocalypse Vibes

This one has such an interesting premise and I think so many people that like YA thriller/mystery vibes will enjoy this take with the apocalypse add in.

The best part of the book was the characters and their development by the author for sure!

The villains were a little cartoonish and overly dramatic but other than that this was such a fun read!

Thanks so much Wednesday books for my ARC of this one!

Happy Pub Day! 4 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thanks to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for an advanced copy for honest review.

Who doesn’t want to fit? To be accepted? That would be a dream for Waverly who attends Webber Academy. Waverly is not part of the well to do or well connected and just to wants to make it through her time at Webber. She helps tutor Caroline Sinclair, the it girl. Then the chance comes up to switch places at the charitable party of the year, The Masquerade Ball. She will be able to hide behind the mask and pretend to be ‘one of them’. But what she sees behind closed doors, has her running for her life through the dark night.

For fans of movie Cruel Intentions

While I enjoyed the plot and overall concept of the story I am not sure if the author managed to execute it well. The writing was a bit chunky at times with several instances of internal monologuing during pivotal scenes. The moral message was very heavy handedly delivered various times causing it seem more burdensome by the end. While the last third of the book was very tense resulting in a late night finish, the beginning was very slow and didn’t immediately grab my interest.

Overall, I enjoyed the friendships the most and wish more time was spent on those relationships instead of the love interest. I also appreciated the on page descriptions of disability (even if at times it felt forced). The world may be ending, but that doesn’t mean the characters instantly overcame their anxiety, physical handicaps, or sense of self.

I absolutely could not put this book down. I had no clue where it was going from the time I opened it to the time it ended. It's one of those books that starts out looking like your run of the mill books about teenagers and quickly takes a turn towards oh my god, what is going on? I wanted a bit more of an ending but I am a big fan of nice wrapped up in a bow ending to a story and this is not the book for that. I'm so grateful that Wednesday Books sent me an early finished copy in addition to an e-book. Definitely looking forward to more from this author.

This book is definitely reminiscent of the dystopian era of YA, although it starts off in a world similar to ours. You know going into the book that things aren’t as they seem, and the world may be on the brink of big changes that will impact everyone in a devastating manner. How this happens though? Now that’s the mystery, and it does unfold in an intriguing way.

Set in a prestigious New York school, we follow Waverly, one of few students who attend based on scholarship and merit instead of wealth and connections. For the most part, I liked her as a protagonist. She’s unique and stands out among the YA crowd full of heroines that all seem so…one noted. She’s autistic and deals with the world in a slightly different way than others. But that doesn’t necessarily define her, just a fact that explains how her POV makes sense.

There’s also a heavy emphasis in chronic illness among the secondary characters. From MS flares to the need for a cane with mobility, diversity is most definitely present. While it’s tempting to feel like the author just wants to add “diverse characters” into the story, I don’t feel that is the case here. These aren’t just token characters to check off a box and feel good about yourself. Their disabilities or health struggles are a part of who they are and play more of a role in the story than an adjective to describe a person.

That being said, I struggled the most with this story when it came to really connecting with the characters. They seem great and all, but why should I care? I know, it sounds harsh, but a part of me felt very disconnected from them, which isn’t great when these characters are on the run and trying to escape pending doom and death.

What the book excelled at more was laying out the end of the world plot. It felt like a quick read at times because I was anticipating with Waverly the puzzle pieces we needed to put together to understand what’s happening. The end of the world hadn’t happened yet, unlike most dystopians that already drop you in a devastated world, so it was cool seeing the transition.

Unfortunately, the plot dragged only in its flashback scenes. They’re there to add context for Waverly’s relationship with her ex, Ash. I liked Ash well enough but I couldn’t determine whether I was rooting for their present relationship or not from what little information we are presented with about her. Most of the happy parts of their relationship occurred in the past so I never got to truly feel them falling in love. In fact, the romance almost deterred some of the action in the story with the page time it was given.

Without giving away anything, I’ll say that I’m not sure how I feel about the ending. It both felt like the appropriate place to leave it while also making me wish for more. That may be a good indicator for a book. It makes you both want more and somewhat satisfied with the direction it did go in. For a debut novel, This is the Way the World Ends had some bumps but it also had some things I enjoyed for a quick read.

Overall Recommendation:

This is the Way the World Ends delivers on the diversity front in its characters but lacks the emotional connection to them. Between certain flashbacks and a plot about the world literally ending, there wasn’t enough time focused on any singular thing. There was a lot of potential but perhaps didn’t come through in a way I had anticipated while rooting for Waverly and co.

This Is The Way The World Ends by Jen Wilde starts in a way that is used in some classic teen movies…a fashion montage. We meet Waverly, an autistic lesbian low income scholarship student tutor, and Caroline, a rich girl. Waverly’s mom was recently diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. Her best friend, Pari, has Ehlers-Danlos syndrome and uses a cane. The love of her life, Ash/ Ashley Webber’s dad is the head of the private school they both attend. They are happily dating one day and the next day, she ghosted her. Caroline puts Waverly in the dress and mask that she was going to wear to the masquerade ball and sends her in her place. Spoiler alert: there’s a blackout caused by a solar flare that has caused power grid failures across the world. Thankfully Dean Owen Webber is going to transport selected elite parents and their kids to a secret bunker in Texas to start a new world. Waverly, Pari, Caroline, Ash and Max. These girls hatch a plan of their own. What starts as an innocent queer story turns into quite the adventure. Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press/ Wednesday Books for the ARC.

This book is odd. This review also contains some spoilers. It is very slow to get off the ground. Then once it does man it goes hardcore right into the world is ending and how in the world are Waverly and her friends going to escape the crazy situation, they have found themselves in. I love that Waverly’s character is so out and open. Also, that she is so honest with herself with dealing with her autism. I say that realizing that she doesn’t always feel confident in how others perceive her and react to her autism, but she doesn’t try to hide it. She also finds friends who are supportive of making sure she feels comfortable and confident. That is lovely. This was about the only thing I loved about this book. Why in the world would Webber take so much time and invest so much interest and money into Waverly and her family if he knew the world was going to end, and that he wouldn’t be taking Waverly with him to his secret bunker. That just doesn’t fit in with the narcissistic personality Webber shows towards the end of his book. Just so much doesn’t make sense, the ending was rushed and all the lose ends are tied up super quick for the sake of reader. I just didn’t love this book like I thought I would.
Thank you to St. Martin’s Press, Wednesday Books, and Netgalley for allowing me to read an advance copy of this tile.

Have you ever dreamed of pretending to be your friend at the biggest party of the year? Waverly in This Is the Way the World Ends by Jen Wilde does exactly that, when she dresses up as her friend Caroline and attends the Webber Academy Masquerade Ball. While there, she sees her ex girlfriend and a murder.
I read one of Jen’s books last June and didn’t love it but I wanted to try another book because there’s plenty of authors who I don’t love immediately and I just try another book from them. Unfortunately, this book got a lower rating.
The premise sounded incredible and I was excited to read about a murder at a masquerade. I thought Caroline’s character was so interesting and I love love loved seeing the flashback scenes.
But there was so much I disliked. There seemed to be so many characters who were diverse just for diversity’s sake. If every character except for the villain is “representing” something, it starts to feel forced. There were also so many pop culture references that felt like in a few months would be dated. Onto the plot, once everything started happening, I had to keep putting down the book to reread the description of the book to see if I had missed something. I didn’t feel like the book was correctly marketed. I wish there was more I liked but all in all, I gave it a ⭐️⭐️.5
Pub date May 9, 2023
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

I love Jen Wilde’s writing style and I’m a big fan of her other books. This book was no different, even though the theme was very different.

I loved the main character Weverly, who is neurodivergent and queer, and how she deals with being an outsider in her super exclusive and expensive school - she’s a scholarship student and both her parents work at the school.

The author did a really good job at building tension and creating suspense, I was on the edge of my seat the entire time.

The plot is a little out there, but in a good way. I liked how it raised questions about the very foundations of our society, and how real the danger felt.

All in all, another great book by Jen Wilde, always an autobuy for me.

4,5 stars

An elite high school, Webber Academy, located in New York is full of the privileged and the prosperous, but it is also sprinkled with a few outstanding outliers. Enters Waverly, an autistic student on scholarship looking to become a doctor so she can help her ailing mother and those like her. Waverly doesn't have much but her friendship with Ashley, the Dean's daughter affords her an opportunity of a lifetime- to switch places and attend the elusive masquerade ball. Soon Waverly realizes that ball is a distraction from something more secretive taking place and she and her friends are in for the night of their lives. This novel gave a little bit of everything- romance, social plight, elitism, thriller, and mystery. It was a quick read because I couldn't put it down. I literally wanted to jump into this book at times. Can't wait for the next installment and hope there's a movie to go with it.