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.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I really liked the idea for this book, and I loved all the disability representation in it and how it was all handled. But there were aspects of the plot that left me kind of scratching my head. (Potential slight spoilers ahead!) Like, if you’re going to build a bunker, why make it so that you need everyone to open it? And if you know you’re one of the keys, why do you keep putting yourself in danger? Just hide, girl! Come on. There was also one character death that had so little impact on me I forgot it had happened until someone mentioned it later in the book. Eek. (End spoilers).

But, overall, this was a fun read. A lot of action, a little romance, and even a couple of jump scares that would look amazing if turned into a show or movie.

I really enjoyed this book! I went into it blind, and the first few chapters seemed to be simply a teen drama with not a whole lot happening. But once the story progressed, it was clear that there was so much more going on. It ended up having a dystopian theme, and it was cool to see that unfold.

I’m not one to usually comment on the believability of a book because it’s fiction and there’s not much of a need to make it totally believable. But this one reaaally requires the reader to release their grip on reality and accept that things happen in this book that would never work out in real life. I was fine with that, but that seems to really bother some people. So there you go.

I loved the writing style and the representation from the characters. The MC is queer and autistic, and her mother suffers from chronic pain. Her best friend is bi and also has a disability. These roles were prominent in the story, and I absolutely loved that.

Being just over 250 pages, it was a quick read and I finished it in about 24 hours. It also helped that the writing really worked for me. But I do wish that there was more to the story. I felt that the ending left me with so many unanswered questions. It was also a very intense and riveting ending that should’ve served as a climax instead of the final resolution. Everything ended very abruptly and I wanted more!

Thank you to Wednesday Books for my gifted copy!

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Veronica – ☆☆☆☆
I love a good story about the end of the world, and I was really looking forward to reading THIS IS THE WAY THE WORLD ENDS. This story of Waverly, an autistic, queer teen from Queens, who attends the prestigious Webber Academy. Waverly agrees to go to the school’s yearly masquerade ball, pretending to be the very popular student, Caroline, in the hopes of getting to see her ex, Ash.

We learn about Waverley and her life and family and friends. The story felt like it took a bit to get going but it may just have been me being eager to learn more about what was going on. There were even a few scenes that took us back to Waverly’s past and her romance with Ash. While the young love was sweet, I confess I was a little annoyed, because I was more interested in what was going on in the here and now.

I needed to be patient because when the big night of the ball arrives, the story absolutely takes off. Tension ramps up along with the action and danger. I was excited to soak up the action as Waverly and her friends fight for their lives. I was rooting for them. The twists and turns kept me on the edge of my seat, and I was even shocked at one point because something happened that I did not see coming.

Once it got going, I had a blast reading THIS IS THE WAY THE WORLD ENDS. This is a book I’d definitely recommend if you enjoy young adult apocalyptic stories.

From the first page, I was hooked on this story. It held a lot of promise from the start, and then unfortunately fell a little flat for me toward the end. The cast of characters hold a very diverse group of characteristics and identifiers, which was great to read about as it was different from a lot of “typical” YA novels I’ve read in the recent past. It didn’t feel forced at all and the characters were written very well. I felt as though the diversity throughout the book really touched upon lots of social justice topics that made me think about the world and would make for good discussion points for a book group, but the book itself does not go into depth enough on any of the topics. It only touches on the surface. Overall, the premise of the “end of the world” vibes and the action throughout the masquerade ball is entertaining and I could see it playing out as a movie. Actually, writing this in the review makes me realize it felt more that I was reading a movie script synopsis versus a novel.
Thank you to Netgalley and Wednesday Books for the opportunity to read this in exchange for my honest opinion.

Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday books.

This one missed the mark for me. I liked the first half of the book, but once the plot twist was revealed it lost me.

this book was soooo amazing! i think everyone needs to try to read this book! it was so fun. the characters are so lovely and amazing and beautifully written. thank you so much netgalley!!!!!

This is a YA Dystopian Thriller
Tropes: LGBTQ+, ASD, Physical Disability, Going up against the Man

I didn't look at the synopsis of this book, I just dove right in, which turned out great for me in regard to this story.
Our FMC goes to a private school in New York on Scholarship. She has ASD and is queer. Her parents work at the school to help pay their bills, and the headmaster always says he will help them because they're family. Waverly's (FMC) mom has Multiple Sclerosis and has days where the flair-ups are so bad that she cannot get out of bed, and Headmaster Webber has helped her get the medical assistance that she needs.

Waverly tutors Caroline, the most popular girl in school. With the upcoming mascarade ball, Caroline is tired of being in the spotlight and Waverly wants to pull a "princess-swap" for the ball. With the ball coming up at the end of the week, all the plans are falling into place until something puts Caroline's dad in the hospital.

They go through with the plan, but little do Waverly, Caroline, and the group of rag-tag students know that they might just witness the end of the world as they know it.

Thoughts:
It was a super fun book and honestly a little creepy at parts. I enjoyed the diversity of the main characters but there was some very obvious and extreme white supremacy, ableism, and homophobia in this book. I really despised Jack and I felt heartbroken for Ash throughout the book.
It was a quick read which I enjoyed, but I feel like it didn't really have the like super happy ending that I wanted.

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