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.

I stumbled upon this book from an Instagram post about the most anticipated thrillers of the year and I knew that I HAD to read this one. A masquerade at a prestigious academy (did I mention the tickets to attend this masquerade are literally $10,000?) comprised of the 1% that kicks off the night with a brutal murder then a global blackout keeping everyone stuck in the building, leading to a group of students having to navigate secret passageways and dark rooms to survive the night? It’s a yes from me!

Waverly manages to score a ticket to the masquerade when the popular girl (who’s kind and actually isn’t a bitch which is pretty rare and refreshing to find in YA) offers to give her her Cinderella moment and let Waverly go to the masquerade pretending to be her. Waverly is thrilled to live Caroline’s life for one night at the glamorous masquerade, but things don’t turn out as expected.

Let me start by saying I LOVED this book. It was the fastest read I’ve done in a while because it was so readable that the pages just flew by. It was super visual and I could see this being a movie. The only thing that kept me from giving this 5 stars is that this book read suuuuuper YA, with young Hollywood celebrity name drops and all, so I could see gen z connecting with this book more than I did, as a millennial. It was a bit tweeny for my taste if I’m being honest, but I’m not the target audience for this book, clearly. This book often felt like it was trying too hard to fit in with the times. I’d recommend this book for younger YA for this reason, gen z readers. Also, this book was SO EXTRA. When the Dean announces there is a blackout in the area and the everyone is being locked in the building for their safety with no one being allowed to leave or enter (as far as everyone knows, it’s just a blackout, not a zombie apocalypse) then, I kid you not, automatic bolts slide into the doors and black screens slide over the window. All this is response to what people think is merely a blackout, not suspicious at all! It’s so campy I can’t help but laugh.

Despite the campiness and trying to hard to fit in with the times, I was able to overlook this for the most part because the storyline was SO FUN. If you love thrillers, don’t let this detain you from reading this book. It was effortlessly engaging, so fun to read, and the pages just flew by. If you want to get out of a reading slump, this is the book for you. Just go into it knowing it’s for a younger audience and a bit over the top as some parts but who cares? It’s fun, it’s readable, and never boring. This book literally made my night because I had so much fun reading it. I would absolutely LOVE a sequel.

4/5 stars for being so compulsively readable! Thank you to Netgalley and Wednesday Books for sending me an advanced copy in return for my honest review.

Honestly, I think YA might just not be for me, which isn’t a fault of the book. I’m glad there is representation in a thriller-type book.

Thank you to the publisher for allowing me to read this eARC!

It was...okay. I liked the queer and disability rep but I was not a fan of the writing and it made it really hard for me to get through. It was just messy and kind of boring. It's not bad enough to be 2 star and that's why I'm giving it 3.

I received a free ARC from the publisher via NetGalley. The opinions in this review are mine and mine alone. This review contains spoilers, so do not read on if that bothers you. This is the Way the World Ends by Jen Wilde is a Y.A. horror/thriller novel set to be released on 05/08/23.

Waverly is an autistic scholarship student at the prestigious Webber Academy. She has been tutoring the school's "it girl," Caroline for a while and they have finally become friends. Caroline, like most of the students at Webber, is very rich. The annual Webber Masquerade ball costs $10k a ticket and Waverly knows that she could never afford to attend.

One night, while studying with Caroline, Caroline confesses that she doesn't want to be in the spotlight all the time and would rather skip the Masquerade. After learning that her ex-girlfriend, Ash, will be at the ball, Waverly agrees to go in Caroline's place. They have a quick "how to be Caroline" lesson and Waverly is sent home with Caroline's very expensive designer dress. On the way out, Waverly hears Caroline's dad having an angry/tense phone call with someone and mentions someone named Cassandra. She notes that he's usually soft-spoken.

Waverly's best friends, Pari and Frank, seem cool--especially Pari, a disabled brown girl who names her canes and rants about the patriarchy on a regular basis. The bullies at the school seem a little cartoonish--especially Caroline's crappy boyfriend, Jack, and the interactions between the teachers and the different social groups are pretty tropey. While at school on the day of the masquerade, Waverly learns that Caroline's dad was found unconscious in his office from a suspected suicide attempt. After a lot of contemplation, she decides to go through with her plan to attend the masquerade in Caroline's place.

As soon as Waverly and Pari arrive at the ball, things get creepy. The guards are wearing disturbing angel masks, they have to forfeit their phones in order to go inside, and people treat "Caroline" like she's the second coming of the Messiah. It doesn't take long for all hell to break loose. It turns out that Owen Webber, the founder and dean of the Webber Academy, had found out that there was going to be a massive solar flare that would plunge the world into darkness. Instead of using this information to warn the world and try to prepare, he decides to build a big doomsday bunker for his hand-picked cult. The masquerade is a cover to get all of his cultists in one place and transfer them to his compound in Texas. Waverly, Pari, Caroline, Ash, and Caroline's best friend, Max, are adamantly against the weird handmaid's tale idea and spend the rest of the book trying to stop him. They mostly don't succeed, but they themselves along with a handful of other guests are saved from being carted off by Webber.

While I enjoyed a lot of the ideas in this book, it didn't quite do it for me. The villains felt flat and cartoony and the romance sub-plot was too forced. I like Waverly and Pari and enjoyed their interactions quite a bit, but I think the story lost me a bit in the second half. It was a little too over the top for my tastes, but I can see others enjoying it because it does have a lot going for it as far as theme and characters are concerned.

Overall, I would give This is How the World Ends 3 stars out of 5. It is by no means the worst thing I've ever read, but I doubt I'll be picking up a physical copy when it's released in May.

[arc review]
Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Wednesday Books for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review.
This Is the Way the World Ends releases May 9, 2023

2.5/5

Initial thoughts:
This was a very fast-paced, one-sitting read. A YA novel with some great neurodivergent, queer, and disability rep. However, I don’t think that this book was marketed accurately or put into the correct genre. Had there been more of an upfront indication that this would be a sci-fi/dystopian/apocalyptic-esque story, my rating would have been higher to reflect that.

- NYC setting
- private school academy
- rich vs poor
- masquerade ball where tickets go for $10,000 and all phones are left at the door
- autistic main character who is a lesbian and also has a learning disability called dyscalculia
- side character that is bisexual, South Asian, and has hypermobile ehlers-danlos syndrome
- side character with multiple sclerosis
- worldwide blackout + solar flare disrupting the earth’s atmosphere

The first 40% of this story was great. Our main character Waverly, who tutors Caroline, agrees to take her place at the masquerade ball under her disguise. This works in favour for both of them because Caroline gets to “take a break” from the popularity, and Waverly has the opportunity to reconcile with her ex-girlfriend who happens to be the dean’s daughter and will be making an appearance at the masquerade ball.
But then, this story shifts so abruptly, circling back to what I mentioned earlier about this being more of a sci-fi/dystopian story instead of a YA contemporary or even thriller.
While being a great fast-paced read, it felt like it was trying too hard to do too many over-the-top things at once. The first half was also too pop-cultured for my liking.
Stories that lean on the idea of having the top 1% forming cult-like groups to better the world and essentially feed out people that aren’t rich, straight, white, cisgender give me the ick and it’s just as bad as eugenics.

TW: multiple deaths, drugging, ableism, classism, on page anxiety/panic attack/sensory overloads, mention of internalized homophobia.

This book started off as a five star read for me. Up until the last ten chapters, I was really enjoying it and thought that it would end on a good note for me. But unfortunately, the plot got out of control. It got very confusing and there was too much packed into the last few chapters.

Although the plot got a bit unbelievable, the characters were great. Waverly, Pari, and Max stood out the most to me. I did also like how they all came together to figure out what was happening and then the last chapter, along with Caroline, I thought was great character development and ended the book on a positive note, despite all that was happening around them.

Overall, I really did enjoy this book and I would recommend it to anyone who likes dystopian stories or overall thrillers. Just know that going into it, the ending may be a bit confusing / very far off from where the story started.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this ARC!

For fans of dystopian classics, This Is The Way The World Ends by Jen Wilde is a story that hits every dystopian mark. What will really happen as the world ends around us? Will we turn on each other or save the ones we hold the closest to us? Wilde spins a cautious and downright creepy tale of survival and differences in a world that wants nothing more than to kill off what makes us unique. I went into the story hoping for some good autism representation and I think Wilde did a great job. Waverly, our main character, is dynamic while also being very vocal about who she is and what her plans are for her future. The supporting cast, specifically the girls, take this story to another level. The pacing is great as well. The story unfolds quickly before us as we watch our characters having to face the wildest night of their lives. Hitting shelves in 2023, make sure to check out This Is The Way The World Ends.

3.5 rounded up
Great characters and good character development. It grabbed me tight away. Loved yhe first part of the book, second part lost me for a bit. Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book

Thank you to Wednesday Books for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

Thank god that’s over, as much as I love neurodivergent mc’s represented in books. The plot itself was messy and felt like a really bad 80’s movie that I couldn’t take serious.

This book in 3 words: Diverse. On-Edge. Excitable. 

Waverly attends a masquerade ball, held by her high-brow private school which she attends by scholarship, dressed as one the most popular girls in school. The ball has some weird occurrences and then a nationwide blackout proves that things are not what they seem. 

OOF this book is all secret societies, quirky and relatable characters, and power struggles (literally and figuratively). It's a quick read but jam packed full of strong characters, relatable emotions, and action. A solid YA read with diverse characters - we love to see it. 

I loved Waverly. Our main character has a voice that pulls you in, from the first page, with you desperately seeking all of the answers to her questions. The author's ability to create a diverse character that is authentic, genuine, and portrays life through a lens different than our own. 

The plot is unique, innovative, and a bit dire at times. The pacing is solid and you'll be itching to turn the page.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This Is the Way the World Ends by Jen Wilde is a nice apocalyptic YA thriller featuring representation on several fronts. The story revolves around Waverly, who is a scholarship student at a prestigious private school. One day, while she's tutoring Caroline, the most popular girl in school, they decide to switch places at the school's masquerade ball. But this might be difficult for Waverly, who is neurodivergent and queer. But while at the ball, Waverly witnesses a murder, and then a global blackout shuts down the party. Will Waverly and her friends escape alive?

Here is a humorous excerpt from Chapter 1:

""We really should be studying," I call from inside Caroline's massive walk-in closet. It's almost as big as my whole apartment. A tall window looks out over Central Park, the buildings on the other side silhouetted by the setting sun. Pinks fade into orange and purple in the sky; lights flickers on in apartment windows, the treetops below soaking up the last of the golden hour rays. I turn to the floor-to-ceiling collection of shoes, running my fingers over suede heels, then velvet boots, then studded sneakers. A marble mood board covers the opposite wall, a collage of prom dresses, cute summer outfits, and models like Cara Delevingne and Bella Hadid making pouty faces, all stuck on with gold magnets. Makeup and jewelry line the built-in island in the middle of the room, lit up like Sephora."

Overall, This Is the Way the World Ends is a YA thriller that will appeal to fans of One of Us is Ling or Truly Devious. One highlight of this book is how it has so much representation. The main character, Waverly, spends a lot of the book trying to reconcile with her ex-girlfriend, Ash. Waverly also has autism. And although those aspects are central to her character, they're not central the plot. I particularly enjoyed a really sweet scene when Ash helps Waverly through a situation that gave her sensory overload.

Another highlight of this book are the themes of secret societies, masquerade parties, and apocalyptic blackouts. The author definitely had a lot of original ideas, and I liked seeing the combination and how it came together. If I had to complain about 1 thing, I would say that it was shorter than I expected. But that's not necessarily a bad thing. if you're intrigued by the excerpt above, or if you're a fan of YA thrillers, I highly recommend that you check out this book when it comes out in May!

Thank you, St. Martin's Press, Wednesday Books, for allowing me to read This Is the Way the World Ends early.

This new novel of Jen Wilde captured my interest since its very first pages and by the end I couldn't stop being amazed.

This is a great read. Innovative, different, and absolutely attention grabbing. This story explores themes of young love, friendships, social bullying and the end of the world.

What happens when Cinderella finally makes it to the ball, but the ball ends up being the point of no return? The end of the world is unleashed and unlikely friends and alliances must be depended upon for survival in a place of secrets and agendas that are too deep to fully understand.

This is the Way the World Ends is an epic adventure of all sorts. Worth the read and worth the re-read.

This started off well, with the first 40% feeling more like a YA contemporary but then boy oh boy, the book takes a drastic turn. The book does a complete 180 and turns into this fast paced sci-fi apocalyptic conspiracy thriller. That may sound interesting but a lot of these aspects of the book go poorly explained and it all unfolds in a pretty nonsensical manner. The non-stop action is overwhelming and eventually starts to feels gratuitous. I enjoyed the autistic and neurodivergent rep, but that’s pretty much the book’s only highlight. I don’t go into most YA thrillers expecting brilliance, but this book could’ve really benefited from a more cohesive plot.

Thank you to the publishers for the ARC.

Ooooooookaaay...but...
So, at least at first I was genuinely impressed by the way our narrator's autism was presented (it's different for different people, did you know? No? Well, I did, ask me how). But...we weren't halfway through before the narrative devolved into fairly unintelligible nonsense. Honestly. Like? Whhaaat are we even doing here?