I was super excited to read this one due to the autistic representation. That representation was done well, as were all the other representations throughout the story - but I just didn't enjoy the book. Having a diverse range of characters is important, but when every single character is diverse it stops being realistic. POC, neurodiverse, gender nonconforming, LGBTQIA+, and disabled people do exist and should have a place in literature, so I can't fault the author for that - I commend them. But it was too much, so it felt like a box-ticking contest rather than a realistic cast. As for the story itself, I love YA but this felt a bit too YA.

I will be recommending this book till the day I die. The representation! From queer rep, to class rep, to disability rep, to POC rep! All the inclusion, all the complex and intriguing characters, all the twists and turns of plot! Waverley is a lesbian, an autistic, POC lesbian. Who just so happened to fall in love with the Deans daughter Ash. When the secrets of the past and future collide Waverley, along her with two best friends Pari and Frank, are on course to discover the truth and rescue those unaware. Loyalties will be questioned, fights will ensure, murder will wreck havoc and Waverley will be the kill to pulling it all off and ensuring the 1% don’t get their selfish ways with the end of the world.

Firstly, I want to highlight how diverse and inclusive this book is and commend Wilde for the amount of on-page and well thought out representation. The beginning of this book set up a solid mystery, with intriguing characters and the secret dark underbelly of the elite. All of this was building towards a masquerade party, allowing for disguise and secrets, but I was left stunned by the mid-book twist. For me, this just felt like a step out of reality, but I did enjoy the rest of the book.

This is the way the world end
This book was amazing and so unique to anything I have read so far.
We follow a girl called Waverly, she is use to putting on a mask to seem as normal as can be, as she has autism and finds the world around her overwhelming.
We follow her as she helps the most popular girl Caroline with her homework, and tries on her ball gown dress whilst she is there. Caroline then has a brilliant idea, she is so done with being the center of attention and wants a day off, so she proposed that Waverly goes to the mask ball in her place.
Waverly doesn't know if she wants to, until she hears that her ex girlfriend is going to be there, and that made her decision for her, she will go to the ball disguised as Caroline.
When she goes to the ball it's a dream come true ... until it becomes the worst nightmare she's ever been in ... a murder.. the world burning .... people now after her how is she going to escape this, the whole ballroom is on lockdown
I love how diverse the characters were in this book, it's the first book I read where I could relate to some characters because I also have hypermobility ED and autism.
I loved the twist, it was huge and I did not see it coming. It kept me hooked, I need to know more, and what was going to happen.
The ending was honestly so tense, I was on the edge of my seat, so many emotions burt through me
A definite 5 out of 5 star read, this boo blew my mind

I'm autistic and a big fan of YA murder mysteries and thrillers, so when I saw a book with an autistic protagonist that was ALSO seemingly a mystery/thriller I was incredibly excited.

I ended up enjoying this book, and the autism representation was done well, but I found myself confused as to what the book was trying to be.

For me, the autism representation felt well handled, I felt as though the author explained everything well without over explaining (other than mentioning she's autistic very frequently) and Waverly felt realistic. Although she did use some vague language that I personally wouldn't use unless I was deliberately trying to be generic (like saying stimming and fidget toys instead of just being more specific) to me that felt a little clunky, BUT that is me being pretty picky and it didn't impact my enjoyment, I just wanted to mention it.

I personally can't comment on the accuracy of the other representation in the book as it doesn't apply to me, however I want to mention it as before posting my review I read through the others already posted and noticed someone say they felt the diversity didn't seem organic and I do disagree. I can see why the reviewer thought that, as the characters *are* often introduced alongside a way in which they are diverse, but I took that as being because in Waverly's world that's notable and as someone that feels they don't fit in, it makes sense to me that Waverly would take note when others also don't perfectly fit in. For me, it helped me get a better idea of Waverly's character. I also felt like none of the characters were ever reduced to being only about the representation they brought to the book, they all felt uniquely complex.

I think part of my confusion was due to the scale of the (second half of the book's) plot. I assume it wasn't mentioned in the description of the book so it could be a plot twist (or at least a big reveal) but it's so different from the description (and the first half of the book) that it felt random and out of place.

Had I known what I was going to be reading from the beginning, I think I still would have found the shift between the first and second half unsettling because of just how much the tone and pace changed. Had the book been entirely one or the other I think I would have found it much more enjoyable.

I also felt as though there needed to be another chapter or two to explain the implications of the ending. I ended the book feeling as though I didn't know where the characters were going, never mind where they'd end up. I specifically wanted to know more about the near futures of both Waverly and the antagonist's groups.

Something about the second half of the book (especially when paired with the cover) felt slightly dated, it reminded me a lot of the sort of books I would read in 2013/2014, it could be due to some of the themes and the genre the book entered, but I can't quite put my finger on a specific reason.

I was really taken with the description of this book, but could tell within about 3 chapters that it just wasn't for me. I think a younger reader may find it more exciting and gripping, but i've read so much YA in this genre, that it really stands out when I can tell I won't like a story.

This Is the Way the World Ends follows Waverly who is an autistic scholarship student attending Webber Academy.​ In order to earn some extra money she tutor's other students. One of the students she tutors asked Waverly to go to the school's annual fundraiser dressed like her. Waverly has always wanted to go so she says yes. The fundraiser is beyond her expectations. But things take a turn when Waverly witnesses the dean murdering someone. Waverly wants nothing more than to leave the fundraiser. But before she can leave the party and contact the authorities; a mysterious black out happens which causes the party to be on lockdown. Waverly just wants to escape but has no idea what the world has become, will she survive.

This was a wild book. This is one of those books where I really couldn't predict what was going to happen. I really enjoyed this one a lot. I loved all of the queer and autism representation in this one. This book reminded me a little bit of the show Gossip Girl and the book One of Us Is Lying. I loved the writing of this book. I loved how this book also had multiple different genres of books represented. This was a really good YA book. I would highly suggest this one. I also need to read more books by this author ASAP.

Thanks to Netgalley and Little Brown Group UK for providing me with this ARC!

I'm sorry to say but the story didn't grab me although the premise sounded intriguing but might grab fans of the mystery genre.

I made the mistake of thinking that this book was going to be fun. A masquerade party, a global blackout and a frenzied run through the back rooms of the party should equal a wild, fast paced read, but the main events didn't get started until it hit the half way mark.

I did feel that the author was trying way too hard to appeal to Gen Z, introducing every character with a long winded explanation as to how they're diverse, from people of colour to queerness and disabilities. I love diverse stories, but it came across like the author was ticking off boxes rather than it feeling organic.

The pay off wasn't worth the slog through of the first half, with pantomime villains, corny scenes and a romance I just wasn't invested in. It felt like Waverly was just running back and forth from the party most of the time and the final scenes did little to give us any idea as to what state the world was in after the vaguely mentioned apocalypse.

I did enjoy this. The character development was stellar, for example, and the plot was engrossing. A few years ago this would have rocked my world. But I am well outside the target (YA) readership for this one now and few YA books hit me the same way anymore. This is a me problem, just pointing out that this was a right book but too late kind of scenario. Anyway, this is a good story and if YA thriller is your thing, go for it.

The book turned into something I wasn't expecting, and for me, it's what I didn't like. However, the first part of the book was something I did like. I found it hard going because of this. However, the diversity and complexity of the characters was really something I loved.

I absolutely loved this book for about the first third - the writing and characters were sparky, there was a knowing humour, I was enthralled with the decadence and glamour of the party and the concept felt original....but then it lost its way and it all got a but ridiculous. I'll recommend this to the teenagers at school but as an adult reader I was a disappointed by it overall.

This book... certainly had a twist. One I should have been expecting, perhaps, given the name.

The first 40% of this book suggests there's a mystery, but otherwise is quite tame and a bit slow. The reaming 60% is so fast paced and a lot is thrown at you.

I will say that the book is short and ultimately engaging, such that I read it in one afternoon. I liked some of the characters, but there were moments I wasn't sure whether the MCs characterisation was entirely consistent. The plot was also a bit flimsy and underdeveloped in places.

I give this book 3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

'This is the Way the World Ends' is like 'Gossip Girl' meets 'Kingsman: The Secret Service', but with more social awareness and absolutely stellar representation! I utterly adored this book, with my only criticism being that I wish it had been longer. I’d have happily read at least another 100 pages!

The protagonist Waverly (which is a gorgeous name that I’ve loved ever since I discovered Selena Gomez and WOWP) is an amazing choice of narrator. She’s funny, clever and somewhat hopelessly in love with her ex. As an autistic working-class lesbian, she also represents several communities that are too often non-existent in novels. As someone with friends who have autism, I was able to recognise a lot of Waverly’s struggles and experiences, whilst still learning a lot about what life can be like for an autistic person. Jen Wilde has managed, therefore, to educate individuals who maybe can’t relate to some aspects of Waverly whilst still entertaining them with a brilliant story.

The gorgeous representation doesn’t just stop with Waverly, though. There are characters of colour, disabled characters, as well as other LGBTQ characters throughout the novel. To make this even better, none of them are reduced to just those characteristics. They’re all complex, layered individuals who serve the story in unique ways and have their own personalities. Whilst my favourite side character was probably Caroline (she was too Serena Van der Woodsen for me to not fall in love with her), Pari was utterly hilarious and a brilliant example of a scene-stealing best friend. Aside from anything, her walking aid is called ‘Michael Cane’ and one of her cats ‘Sarah Pawson’. It’s puns like these that I try and pepper into everything I write - and I’m glad to see that Jen Wilde appreciates good wordplay too!

From the setting of an elite, awe-inspiring Masquerade ball to the dystopian/ thriller plot and the quick, brilliant prose, there is honestly nothing about this book that I didn’t enjoy. I’ve already gushed about it to my fiancé - who now can’t wait to read it either - and I’m sure I’ll continue singing its praises for many more months. Thank you Jen Wilde, for providing such an enjoyable read!

It's kind of hard to review this, because this book ended up not really being my preferred genre, but I also did think it was a good book. I wasn't fully prepared for how wild the plot would become and how dystopian it would get, since I was more or less expecting a Gossip Girl-esque YA thriller/mystery.

There's a big tonal difference between the first 40% of the book, which felt like a gay autistic version of Gossip Girl where a thriller plot was being foreshadowed, and the second 60%, where shit truly went DOWN. Personally I don't enjoy tonal shifts like that because I have anxiety and like to know what to expect from a book, but that's very much a me issue, and I know many people will enjoy this exactly BECAUSE of the tonal shift. And it was very much a feature, not a bug, just not one that I personally prefer.

I will say this was a super fast-paced read that I couldn't put down and ended up basically inhaling in one sitting. It's not a very long book, and I do think especially the ending could have been a little longer, but I also do like when (especially YA) books are short, succinct and fast-paced.

I'm not a teen myself so I'm not precisely the target audience, and I think teens will very much enjoy this, because of how fast-paced and concise it is and how unexpected the story is.

Gossip girl meets pretty little liars in this debut thriller by jen wilde-scholarship student waverly attends a prep schools masquerade ball dressed as their schools it girl and witnesses a brutal murder.
Honestly the last time i felt this excited to read a book was probably a year ago.I devoured this book and finished it in a sitting.