"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.

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 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.