i have absolutely no clue what the plot of this book was. it felt very mixed and jumbled together, while simultaneously bringing up modern-day buzzwords/trending topics on twitter.

as an autistic person, i was so excited to read about a canonically autistic person, but miss girl literally mentioned her autism (not traits, to be clear, but just literally saying she “is autistic”) like every other page that i was tired by the end of chapter 1. there was a very good depiction of the main character getting overstimulated about halfway through tho.

beyond this tho, there was just so much plotwise that didnt make sense or wasn’t wrapped up at all. we know why frank got a ticket but wdym he didn’t know how smart he was and was going to run gateway? what happens to the world? what is any of this “tech” that blocks the solar flare? this feels like the start of a group discussion, i’m sorry, i just have too many questions.

overall? not the worst book i’ve read. got an extra star for the autism rep even if it was shoved into my face. probably would not recommend to a friend.

This is a YA mystery thriller that takes a dystopian turn! It was a quick read of the high school haves and have nots with loads of representation: autism, chronic illness, LGBTQ+, racial diversity. Recommended for fans of One if Us Is Lying and The Hazel Wood, Waverly is an autistic scholarship student at prestigious Webber Academy. She is in love with the dean’s daughter, unlikely friends with the most popular girl, and not surprisingly runs with the other “misfits” in the school. When Waverly attends the school’s fundraising masquerade ball, she uncovers a sinister plot to survive the end of the world. She finds herself trapped at the ball, witness to murders, and just trying to survive and save her friends.

Thank you @netgalley and @stmartinspress for this early copy in exchange for my honest review.

I was really enjoying this until the last little bit. It kinda goes off the rails but still enjoyable a solid 3.75 stars.

I did not read the synopsis again between requesting an ARC of the book (thanks NetGalley and the publisher for approving it!) and reading it in its entirety, and part of me wish I had. This was NOT what I thought I was getting into it. I expected Murder mystery/thriller, but not delving into apocalypse stuff. The plot was straight to the point, which was new to me; but ultimately disappointed me. Combined with the short length of the book, so much happened in such a small amount of time that I felt like nothing was amped up. The stakes were high, but they didn’t feel as high as they could’ve been. I love the range of representation in this book, but I wish there was just a bit more establishment on character dynamics. Overall the whole book needed to be expanded on and made longer to build up the world and the suspense.

Was really excited for this book. An exclusive masquerade ball thrown by high society where the most popular IT girl asks her scholarship-student tutor to take her place. Very 'Gossip Girl' and 'Cinderella' vibes. Plus the representation is wonderful! Queer characters, autistic main character, a dynamic disability (hEDS) and a woman who's Multiple Sclerosis took years to diagnose. It felt great to see myself and my friends reflected on these pages. I really enjoyed this book, right up until the point where it took a sharp nose dive into Horror territory and then gave me nightmares. I can handle Dystopia fiction. I cannot handle horror.

I don't think there could ever be enough queer dystopian fiction, but FYI, the first half of the book is used to set the setting and establish the MC (who is autistic). It seems like the usual "this is my life" teen fiction until the party gets started-literally. From there the focus switches to murder, deceit, and TEOTWAWKI. Basically, you have to be prepared for anything.
This title is short and engaging enough to get through in one or two sittings. Also, I think it skews more toward younger teens. I wish there had been a bit more substance in the ending, but maybe there will be a sequel in the future. I loved the diversity and pop references.
#NetGalley

Ok, maybe I am in the minority here, but I did not love this one.

I found that the characters were unbelievable, the story was unbelievable, and there were too many pop culture references. Also, I appreciated the fact that the main character was autistic, but, after working with many students with autism, I didn't feel like she was a believable character. I also appreciated the fact that she was gay, and that definitely had a major plot point attached to it, but her best friend being bi, and disabled, and Asian just made it feel like the author was trying to cram as much diversity into the book as possible, it added absolutely nothing to the story.

The story started off ok, but then veered so crazily that I couldn't enjoy it.

Sorry to those of you who loved it, maybe I read it wrong, but it just didn't do it for me!

Waverly is an autistic scholarship student at a prestigious New York City school, Webber Academy. Her classmates are all children of wealthy people, where money is never an issue. Waverly, however, lives in Queens with her parents, and the only reason she can attend Webber Academy is through the generosity of the dean of the school.

While tutoring one of the popular girls, she’s asked if she’d like to attend the school’s masquerade ball, disguised as her. The masquerade ball, that only the 1% attends, with one ticket costing about $10k. The night takes a turn when Waverly ends up in a different room, and witnesses a murder.

What attracted me to this book was the fact that the main character is autistic. I love reading books with characters I can relate to, and this did not disappoint. I honestly don’t know if I’ve ever related to a character more than I did with Waverly, and seeing that representation was nice.

The first half of the book was a normal sapphic fiction type book, and then the second half, things take a turn. There’s more of an apocalyptic type of feel, with the Dean of the school having a “new world order” type of agenda. At times, yes, a little unbelievable, but makes for a great read.

I’m not usually into apocalyptic type books, but I think this had a nice mixture. It was one that I couldn’t put down until I finished reading it, because I wanted to know what was going to happen.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for sending me a free early copy in exchange for an honest review!

What was supposed to be a fun party in which autistic scholarship studnet Waverly pretends to be a rich popular student she’s tutoring to finally face her ex who is back in town spirals when she discovers a secret society preparing for the end of the world. Waverly goes to the prestigious Webber Academt in New York. She’s used to being seen as less then and poor by her wealthy peers, she spends her days tutoring students and just getting by with the help of the school’s charming and enigmatic dean... who just happens to be the father of the girl Waverly is in love with... Ash, who just ghosted her and left. Yet Waverly also tutors the resident “it girl” Caroline who asks Waverly to attend the school’s annual fundraising Masquerade disguised as her which also gives her the opportunity to come face to face with Ash again who she heard is back in town. Yet Waverly’s fairytale is about to turn into a nightmare as Waverly accidentally witnesses a murder and she and her friends find themselves stuck in a maze... can they survive the night... and the fact that they just realized that the world is ending and they’re trapped with a secret group of people who will do anything to secure only the “worthy” to survive. Can Waverly finally face her ex and find out what went wrong and can she and her friends survive the night? This was definitely an unexpected and strange one to read, I didn’t realize how dystopian it was going to be and the story itself was a fast one to read but it just felt a bit strange. I think this is one of the cases where “its me and not you” as I just didn’t really find myself getting interested in the story or the dystopian aspect of it. I think if you are into YA Dystopian with teen drama this is for you.

*Thanks Netgalley and St. Martin's Press, Wednesday Books for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

Uh wow. Did I just finish this book in literally 3 hours? Yes.

I did not put this down start to finish. The twists, the lies, the deceits. This was so freaking fast paced and unexpected.

Through out Covid there have been conspiracies of a new world order and, solar flares, complete black outs. And this was kinda like a what if this actually happened but in a smaller form. It really made you think about the world and the people in it.

The rich vs poor. All the different dynamics. And can you really trust who you think you can trust? Some will surprise you. Not everything is what it is made out to be.

The only downfall I would have to say is I wish there was a bit more explanation about a few things as well as I wish this book was a bit longer. Or maybe even an epilogue to finish it off. However I did enjoy the turn of events and how everything came so smoothly together in the end. Plus a little bit of LGBTQ action Is always appreciated from me!

But to sum it up, I really really loved this. It was constant action, drama and twists. I highly recommend you pick this one up.

"Everything is Scooby-Doo," she whispers as we tiptoe down another hallway. "Every episode ends with a rich white dude being unmasked as the villain. How is that not real life?"

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin's Press for an advanced electronic copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

I loved Jen Wilde's "Queens of Geek" and "The Brightsiders," so when I saw a new book from her to request on NetGalley, I knew I had to read it!

Waverly, an autistic queer scholarship student at Webber Academy is thrilled when she gets the opportunity to attend the school's masquerade ball in place of fellow student, Caroline Sinclair. But as the night goes on, too many things seem wrong. Waverly witnesses a murder and talk of a "new world," and then the building goes on lockdown.

This story requires you to suspend a bit of belief, but it's still a fun ride. Jen Wilde writes reliably good novels, even when the content seems different than her previous books. Also, Waverly for queen, president, and/or whatever role she wants. I love her.

Out May 9th!

CW: murder, violence, death, fire

I received a free copy from NetGalley. Interesting main character. Locked building. A bit of mystery, drama, and class dynamics.

Date made up. I feel behind on reviews.

Thanks Netgalley for allowing me to read this book. Waverly is estatic to attend a party at the school she goes to. While at the party, she witnesses a murder. When no lone is allowed to leave the school, it will take everything she has to stay alive during the night. This book kept me guessing.

Setting: New York
Rep: autistic lesbian protagonist; bisexual disabled South Asian best friend

I've enjoyed Jen Wilde's books in the past and I love thrillers so this should have been a no brainer but the story just wasn't there for me. I guess I didn't realise before reading that this is more of an apocalyptic book but it takes a while to get there, and then it's so rushed that the end is like ... what just happened? Unfortunately it just didn't feel well written or paced and the plot needed a lot of work.

You read a story that you believe you know the rules, what is going to happen and how it all works out and then, BAM! Twist beyond twists and the story morphs into something completely different (in the best of ways)?

Well, that is this story for me. I thought I knew what I was reading, I was lured in and comfortable and then the story took an amazing turn and twist and I was glued to the pages.

This story is so much fun! Those comparisons to One of Us is Lying and The Hazel Wood? Yeah, keep those in the back of your mind.

This story has it all! A wonderful main character, a loving family, a prep school, a masquerade, friends, a mystery, and a global … well, it has so much gone on all brilliantly wrapped together to make this one heck of a wild ride!

I want to say more but I don’t want to ruin anything so I will just say, I really enjoyed every page and would highly recommend this read. If this is the author’s debut story, I cannot wait for more!

I received an ARC via NetGalley and St. Martin's Press, Wednesday Books and I am leaving an honest review.

ARC from NetGalley. I liked the majority of the book, but found some of the sci-fi elements to be unbelievably farfetched. I do recommend the novel if you like sci-fi, diverse YA characters, and a little element of mystery. Overall, it was a quick read that I will recommend to some of my students., those that I know will enjoy it. I am also planning to buy a copy for my classroom library.

3.5/5 (rounded up to 4)

CW: ableism, parent with multiple sclerosis, hospitalization, internalized homomisia, death of a parent (recounted, off-page), aneurysm (recounted, off-page), sensory overload, explosion, murder, blood/gore, drink spiking, emesis, fire, eyeball trauma

I would like to thank NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing me with a free e-ARC of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Personally, I have mixed feelings about this book.

Waverly never expected to end up at the infamous Webber Academy Masquerade… especially disguised as somebody else. But she agrees to it after one of the most popular girls at Webber Academy asks her to go as her as well as finding out that Ash Webber, her secret ex-girlfriend and daughter of Webber Academy’s dean who her and her family rely on for their generous scholarship. However, as the night goes on, things take a devious turn and nothing is what it seems.

I guess the main thing that bugged me about this book is that it dragged on in the beginning. A lot. Of course, I appreciate Wilde’s efforts to fully dive into each of the main characters to understand their backstories and motivations. However, there’s not really anything to keep you in until you’re almost 50% into the book. While I dabble in the thriller genre from time to time, I feel that you need to have something to keep people engaged until you get to the thriller aspect.

Though, once you’re able to get through the beginning, Wilde’s plot gets a lot more interesting. A unique perspective on the dystopian subgenre, you get to see female empowerment as they take on the end of the world as they know it. This book is full of twists and turns, and even the thorough beginning makes more sense as well as come full circle at the conclusion. On the other hand, this book can be intense at times and it’s made clear that this book is not for the faint of heart.

Now, I absolutely loved the autistic rep in this book. As an #ActuallyAutistic book reviewer, I love being able to see autistic folks as the MCs in the books I read and I love it even more when they are written by disabled authors. I feel that Wilde does a great job portraying Waverly and her Autistic experience. Seeing Waverly fight against a system that wants to eliminate anyone who doesn’t align with Webber Academy’s elite, her journey in this book has me feel inspired despite all the blood and gore that comes with it.

Overall, this is one of the times where I wished GoodReads would allow half-star ratings. However, I decided to round this book up because of the autistic rep and Wilde’s storytelling. If you’re able to push through some of the mundane aspects of the beginning, you can expect an excellent read in This is the Way the World Ends.

My advice for any reader that wants to read This is the Way the World Ends? If you want a jump-scare novel with dystopian horror vibes, you’re going to like this book. If you want an Autistic MC written by a disabled author, you came to the right place. If you’re the type of person who’s squeamish around blood and don’t like books with a lot of deaths, you might want to avoid this title.

OMG! This pulled me in right away and I never let go. The story was not what I was expecting, but I wasn’t even a little mad about it. A seriously captivating read!

Waverly is “the autistic, gay scholarship nerd from Queens [who] everyone ignores” (her words not mine). She attends Webber Academy in NYC where status means everything. The Masquerade Ball is an exclusive, no phones allowed, fundraising party where one single ticket costs a hefty 10k. Waverly wishes she could just step inside the ball, even for a second, but being from a low income family, there’s not a chance in hell that will happen. Enter Caroline, a girl Waverly tutors and possibly even a friend. Caroline decides to play fairy Godmother and send Waverly to the ball in her place. It’s a Masquerade after all! No one will know and what could go wrong? Waverly decides it’s too risky and declines Caroline’s offer, but quickly changes her mind when she discovers Ash Webber, her ex and the Dean’s daughter, will be in attendance. Careful what you wish for, Waverly…

Waverly’s best friends Pari and Frank complete her perfectly and they make an awesome team. Bullies can go to hell as long as you have friends to back you up. Even better is both are going to be at the ball as well! Will this be Waverly’s best night yet or will the ball have other plans?

Once at the ball, all hell breaks loose right away and it’s seemingly more like a prison and less like a luxurious ball at every turn. While Waverly tries to navigate it all and make it back to her family, she makes some interesting new friends. With the world basically ending, do Waverly and her friends stand a chance?

This was such a wild, exciting, heartbreaking ride! I felt connected to every main character, especially Waverly and I was rooting for her from the start. Waverly is sweet, overly caring and a bit naive. I can definitely relate to that at that age and I’m sure a lot of us can. But she’s also a genius, strong and able and she proves that throughout the story. I highly recommend this to anyone looking for a fast paced, slightly off kilter thriller! 5 stars all around!

Warning: This is the Way the World Ends is a fast paced book lol!

Based on the title alone, why I thought this was a thriller and not apocalyptic befuddles me. I don’t mind dystopian-like stories at all, mind you. It’s just different than what I was expecting. Not good or bad. There’s a lot of different representation in this story, especially neurodivergent and physical disabilities that we don’t see enough of. As a believer that the “elite” do actually do shady things behind the publics’ back, I was into that aspect of this story. But at times, it did feel like there was a bit too much going on. The writing is clean and the characters are likable, and there’s many pop culture references, which I didn’t really like (but that’s a very subjective opinion. I guess this whole review is). Overall, for readers who like a bunch of things going on, I think this will be a satisfying read.

Thank you for the arc, and best of luck to the author!

Fast paced page turner! I really enjoyed this YA thriller that brought back gossip girl/boarding school vibes. Held my attention until the very end.