| Title | : | This Is the Way the World Ends |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 1250827973 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9781250827975 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Hardcover |
| Number of Pages | : | 272 |
| Publication | : | First published May 9, 2023 |
As an autistic scholarship student at the prestigious Webber Academy in New York City, Waverly is used to masking to fit in—in more ways than one. While her classmates are the children of the one percent, Waverly is getting by on tutoring gigs and the generosity of the school’s charming and enigmatic dean. So when her tutoring student and resident “it girl” asks Waverly to attend the school’s annual fundraising Masquerade disguised as her, Waverly jumps at the chance—especially once she finds out that Ash, the dean’s daughter and her secret ex-girlfriend, will be there.
The Masquerade is everything Waverly dreamed of, complete with extravagant gowns, wealthy parents writing checks, and flowing champagne. Most importantly, there’s Ash. All Waverly wants to do is shed her mask and be with her, but the evening takes a sinister turn when Waverly stumbles into a secret meeting between the dean and the school’s top donors—and witnesses a brutal murder. This gala is harboring far more malevolent plots than just opening parents’ pocketbooks. Before she can escape or contact the authorities, a mysterious global blackout puts the entire party on lockdown. Waverly’s fairy tale has turned into a nightmare, and she, Ash, and her friends must navigate through a dizzying maze of freight elevators, secret passageways, and back rooms if they’re going to survive the night.
And even if they manage to escape the Masquerade, with technology wiped out all over the planet, what kind of world will they find waiting for them beyond the doors?
This Is the Way the World Ends Reviews
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Well, this book hooked me at the beginning. The character development was great. Waverly; queer, quirky, autistic scholarship girl, coming from low income family, living in Queens, trying so hard to adapt in high school where her parents work is so much adorable character. Waverly keeps wearing headphones, trying to stay out of trouble, enduring school bullies’ cruel treatment, still healing from heartbreak that Dean’s privileged daughter Ash created.
I also loved her best friend Pari; visibly disabled, bisexual , South Asian, smart, badass, straightforward, smart, thinking there’s something wrong with Webber Academy and its generous, extra helpful dean Owen Webber as Waverly thinks otherwise because Mr. Webber gave her amazing chance to get accepted in academy circle, funding her mother’s treatment fees. She actually feels like her family owes him.
And my favorite character is absolutely Max. We will have a chance to get to know her in the second half but I can honestly say she’s another version of Zendaya’s MJ on Spider Man installments.
The things I enjoyed:
- Cinderella theme meets Shining and Escape room and Die Hard themes
- Intriguing, quick, fast pacing start
- Queer love story between Ash and Waverly
But at the second half the book turns into WTH is going on direction! I don’t want to give spoilers and I have no intention to ruin your reading experience. But things got too far and all hell breaks loose. I’m not sure I enjoy the second half. Especially the secret part about Caroline and her importance for the entire execution plan! It’s way too much far fetched!
I may sense the book will take some kind of apocalyptic turn after reading its name but I didn’t find it realistic enough to get into the story. The villains were cartoonish stereotypes jumped out from B list thrillers!
So unfortunately the promising start of the book turned into something unreliable and incredibly weird concept! So I’m giving my solid three stars for my love to Waverly, Pari and Max!
The idea to create a claustrophobic and apocalyptic thriller located in a mazy building was still promising and I’d love to read the author’s future works.
Special thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for sharing this digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest opinions.
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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. -
As a beneficiary of a very generous scholarship, Waverly is very fortunate to attend one of the most prestigious college prepatory schools, Webber Academy.
Being a gay autistic student, Waverly struggles to fit in with her classmates. And coming from a low income family doesn’t help her situation. As a distraction and to also supplement the family income, Waverly become a student tutor in the hopes to make new friends in the process.
With an upcoming fundraising masquerade ball, Waverly can only wish for the opportunity to hob nob with the elite crowd. So when one of Waverly’s students, who also happens to be the most popular girl in the school, offers Waverly the chance to take her place, Waverly couldn’t refuse. It would be Waverly’s one chance to reconnect with her ex-girlfriend, Ash. But things don’t go as planned as Waverly gets hunted down for witnessing a gruesome murder during the building’s lockdown and during a global blackout.
This is the Way the World Ends is a mixed bag of genres. It’s part mystery, part second chance romance, and part sci-fi. And because of that, I have mixed feelings about the novel.
With no clear cut plot, the novel is a slow read at the start. I nearly gave up at 34% And nothing really happens until I was invested at 45% when Waverly witnesses the murder.
The characters were not as fleshed out as I would have wanted. The main protagonist is supposedly autistic but at what end of the autism spectrum was not made clear. But she wasn’t a “Rainman.”
The ending wasn’t a cliffhanger. But it was pretty vague and inconclusive. So is a sequel coming? Two okay stars.
I received a digital ARC from Wednesday Books (St. Martin’s Press) through NetGalley. The review herein is completely my own and contains my honest thoughts and opinions. -
Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free, electronic ARC of this novel received in exchange for an honest review.
Expected publication date: May 9, 2023
Waverly doesn’t fit in at Weber Academy. As a scholarship student from Queens, she’s taking on tutoring gigs to help pay her way to her dream of Yale Medical school, a dream that Weber can definitely help bring to fruition. So, when super popular socialite Caroline asks Waverly to attend the Weber Academy’s ultra exclusive annual ball in her place, Waverly awkwardly accepts, hoping that this glimpse into the rich and famous society of Weber alumni, donors, parents and students will be the chance she needs to finally reconnect with her ex-girlfriend who ghosted her months ago. But Waverly doesn’t expect is to see someone murdered, or to hear the nefarious plans the founder of Weber, and its dean, have for the future of Weber, and the future of humanity. Waverly has to find a way to get the Weber community to believe her, and to save the world in the process.
“This is the Way the World Ends” by YA author
Jen Wilde is a sleek, modern and engaging story with diverse, spunky characters that will find quick fandom among fans of
Karen McManus. Waverly, a queer young woman with autism, breaks the boundaries and stereotypes every step of the way, leaving readers with a strong, stigma-breaking protagonist to root for. A character with autism is nothing new, of course, but Wilde does Waverly and the autism community justice, by making her eccentricities and her anxieties part of the overall reality of the plot, and I appreciated Wilde’s honest depiction of Waverly’s struggles and behaviours.
Part YA, part dystopian fiction, “Ends” is full of page-turning action and suspense. The end of the world is at your door and you’re surrounded only by the rich, white men who helped create it? There’s no other choice but to get the hell out of there (and FAST), and Wilde pulls readers into the tumultuous adventure of Waverly and her friends as they aim to do just that.
Wilde is not a new author, but she is a new one for me, and I always love when I discover a hidden gem in my TBR list. Wilde’s “This is the Way the World Ends” will be on every “to read” list there is, and we will be hearing about it for months to come. An on-trend disaster story that manages to be both fresh and modern, “Ends” will leave an indelible mark (in the best way!) -
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. -
PUT THIS ON YOUR 2023 must read list now!! May 9, 2023
This book is a page-turner!!
It’s a wild ride. It reads like something you might have read before or seen in a movie, but you just can’t remember what it is. It’s thrilling. The characters are great! The settings are vivid. The plot is twisty. This book will keep you guessing. Not a lull or a dull moment. The writing deserves 10 stars.
The frank and real language about power, wealth, the lack of and disability is excellent.
I received this early arc by the publisher and my opinion is my own . A BIG thank you to Wednesday Books and Macmillan.
IMO The cover does nothing to promote such a good book. I wouldn’t have picked it up based on the cover art. This is not a light read. -
A mind blowing YA book chock full of interesting diverse characters, This is the Way the World Ends will hook you right in! Waverly attends a private NY school on scholarship due to her parents employment and her tutoring abilities. She is an autistic student and gay and feels like she doesn't "fit it." When her very wealthy and popular tutee Caroline asks her to switch places with her at the Masquerade Ball she is nervous but intrigued.
What goes down at the Masquerade is crazy! And Waverly is in the middle of it all. If you like fast moving and fun YA, great diverse characters living realistic lives or if you just want to attend a Masquerade Ball (with a Murder) then This Is The Way The World Ends is for you! #ThisistheWayTheWorld Ends. #JenWilde
#Stmartins -
What the hell did I just read? This was a mess.
I can't really figure out how to write an official review of this, so I'm just not gonna.
The first 40% or so of this is a traditional queer YA romcom with a neurodivergent main character. And it wasn't a particularly good one, to be honest. I almost gave up on the book in the beginning, but I loved Wilde's Queens of Geek and like The Brightsiders well enough, so I kept going. Then this turns into an SF apocalyptic thriller where nothing made sense at all. The bad guys were cartoon cutout villains and the rest of the characters weren't much better.
I did appreciate the neurodivergent rep, but mostly she just repeats that she's autistic over and over again, so idk. -
… It's the end of the world as we know it
It's the end of the world as we know it
It's the end of the world as we know it
And I feel fine
When I saw the words "elite private school" and "epic masquerade ball" in the synopsis, I knew I had to read
This Is the Way the World Ends by
Jen Wilde. Also, throw in some end-of-the-world doom and gloom, and it has to be good right? I am going to have to go with a meh on this one. The idea was there, it was just the execution that was way off for me. The storyline felt all over the place, and it was like the author couldn't decide what they wanted the book to be. There were too many things mashed together for me, and I wish it had been a little less dramatic. There are some very valid, and current-day subjects in the book, but then some absolutely ridiculous things happen that I felt took away from what the essence of the story was supposed to be.
I'm not sure if I would have been able to keep going had it not been for the audiobook and the narrator Jesse Vilinsky. She has a younger-sounding voice, so she made the perfect Waverly, and while her tone for men and boys is kind of funny, I really enjoy her narration and she did a fine job on the audio. I couldn't go above a 2x speed on the app I was listening to, but for you fast listeners out there I can tell you that the speed could easily be turned up to a 3x. Her pacing is a touch on the slower side without being TOO slow, so it didn't kill me to listen at the 2x. While This Is the Way the World Ends was a little too over the top for me, I do recommend it if you are looking for queer and disability rep in books, and I really liked having an MC with autism. I saw plenty of people who enjoyed it, so don't let me stop you if you think it sounds good.
Thank you to the publishers for my complimentary listening and reader copies of this book. All opinions and thoughts are my own.. -
3.5 rounded up. The plot/story of this was more of a 3 star read for me but I LOVED the disability rep in this book so much and that moved it into more of a four star read.
Set in the world of Manhattan's one percenters and an elite private school, the story follows queer, neurodivergent scholarship kid, Waverly, who is used to 'masking' to fit in and makes money tutoring her rich peers.
When one of these girls asks her to attend a Masquerade in her place, Waverly agrees thinking it will be a fun night out. What actually happens is a bizarre locked room murder mystery combined with a global blackout and a crazy secret dictator trying to basically take over the world.
For me it was all a bit too much but again I was one hundred percent there for the awesome diverse characters! Waverly has dyscalculia, her mom has MS and one of her best friend friend's has hEDS. The autism rep was great in this book and I am loving seeing more nuanced neurodivergent characters finding their way into fiction lately.
Recommended for fans of Gossip Girl and the Inheritance Games series and good on audio narrated by one of my favs, Jesse Vilinsky. Many thanks to @prhaudio for a complimentary ALC in exchange for my honest review! -
-Disclaimer: I won this book for free through Goodreads giveaways in exchange for an honest review.-
Nothing occurred until the halfway mark. And then nothing was properly developed. I wanted more on the apocalypse and conspiracy parts. There was a lack of atmosphere. It tried hard to be woke and inclusive.
I did not care for the audiobook narrator or the characters. I do like the cover. The concept would have worked better as a movie (assuming the villains would be less laughable). All-in-all, everything felt surface-level, forced, and was written poorly. -
Mini blurb: An autistic lesbian on a scholarship swaps places with a rich schoolmate at a fundraising ball, witnesses a murder, and tries to survive the night with a group of friends and foes, while a mysterious apocalypse strikes outside.
***
First off...DISCLAIMER: I requested this title on NetGalley. Thanks to Little, Brown Book Group UK for providing a temporary ecopy. This didn't influence my review in any way.
The premise sounded intriguing and potentially sci-fi-esque, except the story soon took a really bizarre, far-fetched turn (or more than one), and I ended up skimming the last 3/5 of it just to get some answers (which didn't anything to reverse my judgement). Despite the amount of intersectional representation (including autism, disability, racial diversity and queerness in different forms and combinations), most of it is more "tell" than "show" - while the bad guys (and the entitled ones) are unbelievably over-the-top or cartoonish at best. The general idea reminded me of The Getaway by Lamar Giles, except that one had solid world-building, strong(er) social commentary and characters that actually felt real. I will admit that there's a lot of action in this one (though some of the scenes are self-serving, like the one in the mannequin storage room - what does such a place have to do with anything?), but that and the rep alone couldn't save the book for me.
Note: definitive review (I don't have enough to say to justify writing a full-length one later, and of course I don't plan to reread this book). -
4/16/23
3.5⭐s
TW/CW: There are probably some I forgot. I'm gonna do my best to list them all:
End of the world, separation from family, parent with chronic pain, mention of doctors not listening to patients when something is wrong, murder (three times, on page, in front of our main character), death of a loved one, stabbing (of others and the MC), blood, fire, anxiety, rats, dead bodies, vomiting, drugging, panic attacks.
Rep: Autistic lesbian MC, sapphic love interest, bi Indian-American side character with hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome that uses a cane, Black side character, parent with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis
"Only rich white men would throw a party at the end of the world."
I have mixed feelings about this. As you may know, I have been obsessed with Jen Wilde books since I first read Queens of Geek in 2017. In my review for
Going off Script, I even mention that I began anticipating their next release as soon as I finished it. Four years later, I was thrilled to get an ARC of that next book.
I hate to say that it didn't live up to my expectations. Maybe thrillers/end of the world stories just aren't my cup of tea. While this isn't my favorite Jen Wilde book, I still enjoyed it. Once I really got into it earlier this week, I finished it in a few days.
This book will make you anxious. I had to take a few breaks from reading once things started to get intense.
The point of this book was well done, and going back to the epigraph after I finished reading made me tear up. I loved the characters we were supposed to love, and hated the ones we were supposed to hate. There's one death that I know was meant to make us feel something, but I didn't feel close enough to the character to really care.
I enjoyed the mystery aspect of it! There were some things I kind of saw coming, but some I was genuinely surprised by.
Does anybody else feel like they need a map of this place? I was so confused by how rooms and hallways and elevators connected to each other. Also, I need a short story or sequel or something because I have so many unanswered questions!
Overall, while This is the Way the World Ends doesn't live up to the hype I've had for it, it was still a good book and deserves a chance!
Quote is from an early copy and may not reflect the final version.
Huge thank you to Netgalley and Wednesday Books for an ARC of this!
9/21/22
NEW JEN WILDE NEW JEN WILDE NEW JEN WILDE N- -
you can say what you want about this book but that was entertaining as hell (and also!!! autistic lesbian!!!)
-
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. -
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. -
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
Suspense: 👀👀👀👀👀/5
Action: 💥💥💥💥💥/5
Tropes: End Of The World, Queer, YA, Elite Academy, Disability Rep, Autism Rep, POC Rep
I opened this book to find so much more than I ever bargained for. Let me preface this by saying that I read the synopsis before I chose to review it. Then promptly forgot the synopsis 🤦🏻♀️. So when I picked it up I literally went in blind. And I'm so glad that I did. This kind of book should be gotten into with no clue what is to happen. I loved it that way. No expectations and no let downs.
Also I am not an end of the world, apocalypse kind of girly. It's just not my thing.
Waverly is such a dynamic character that will always surprise you with every twist and turn of the story. Not only is she dynamic, but she is one heck of a heroine! I never expected for her to go to the lengths that she went to for those she never thought would be there. And those that she hoped would. She had such a a huge heart for not just her friends, but also her family. She knew how hard it was in the world before everything went to pot, and she knew how much she had to sacrifice. And she was so willing. My heart went out to her often throughout the book in only the way someone with a kindred spirit could.
With so much action going on through this book it was not easy to have to put it down when I had to do the adulty things. Like eating, taking my dogs out, and just doing things in general. I couldn't stay away for long because I needed to see what was going to happen next.
The friendships she made along the way with people she never thought she would only strengthened her as the night went on. I honestly don't know how this could have ended any different. And I don't wanna know.
I truly enjoyed this book to the very end. I hope you will too! -
3.5/5 got an arc from work
If you’re like me and one of the five people who watched and enjoyed that Tv series Revolution that Billy Burke was in, you’ll probably enjoy this too. It’s a little bit of that and a little bit of die hard except the John McClane character is an autistic lesbian. I liked that a lot, the way the character’s autism informs her ability to die hard her way through the book and is such an intrinsic part of the story amidst a plot that admittedly has a lot going on.
I would’ve liked a little more from the ending, that much felt a little abrupt so I wish it had some more follow through, but overall it was a wild ride and if Autistic Lesbian Die Hard Apocalypse sounds like your thing, it’s a fast 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. -
Content warnings: ableism, racism, classism, violence, blood, murder, vomit, alcohol consumption.
Rep: Waverly (MC) is autistic, disabled, and lesbian. Pari (best friend) is disabled, bisexual and a POC. Waverly’s mum is disabled. Ash (love interest) is sapphic. Max is Black.
First and foremost: THANK YOU JEN FOR PUTTING ME IN YOUR ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS? I AM NOT WORTHY? AND I'M SO EMOTIONAL ABOUT THIS!!
One of my besties read this before me and she told me I was in the acknowledgements (we got e-advanced copies at the same time – yay lesbian solidarity there!) and I woke up to a message at 6am telling me that I need to read it because I was in there. I’m still fangirling over it, it’s amazing.
Speaking of amazing (I am also fantastic at a segue), THIS BOOK!!! This book is incredible!
Holy heck. It’s been a few days since I read this – in 4 hours babey because a bitch was hooked.
This book was fast paced, absolutely impossible to put down and had me hooked from the very first page.
I was so invested in the plot, in Waverly, and just what the heck was going on with this ball that I NEEDED to know what was going to happen next!
The way that everything unfolded was a true nightmare of epic proportions. I was literally on the edge of my seat with excitement, anticipation, and anxiety the entire time. This book was just. *sighs happily* incredible from start to finish.
Also, Waverly is such an incredible character. I love her heart and her determination. She was facing so many new, hectic things, and it was beyond her wildest dreams what was going on, but she was a champ. No other word for it (yes, my Aussie is showing with this phrasing).
I can’t wait for the world to read this one. It was an instant fave and I will hold it close to my heart forever.
Thank you Jen for writing it, thank you for everything. I have no more words, just a lot of love.
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This book was.... weird. I did enjoy the MC being queer &autistic, giving us an excellent view of her life being both. However, after about the third character it seems like the author was just grabbing every mental health/disability/quirk/race/sexuality out of a hat and giving everyone something to hit all the marks. It got real weird.
And the second half.... the second half of the book was like a weird cartoon apocalypse and nothing was even a little bit realistic or made any sense.
I'm widely thankful for the arc copy, but my goodness this was... something. -
I should have paid a little more attention to the title, but this was a book that couldn’t seem to make its mind up about what it was.
Our main character, Waverly, is a scholarship student at an elite school. She is gay and autistic, and she has wanted - more than anything - to feel a part of this world. She gets her chance when Caroline, one of the girls she tutors, asks her to stand in for her to attend the prestigious annual ball. Seeing this as her opportunity to try and talk to Ash - the Dean’s daughter who she was secretively seeing but who has ghosted her recently - Waverly goes…and gets caught up in a most unexpected turn of events.
The first half of the book focuses on the set up and ball. It drags, seemingly going nowhere. Suddenly Waverly finds herself in a mysterious room with some very important people. She witnesses a murder. Then it’s safe to say the pace becomes frenetic, with secrets being spilled left, right and centre and Waverly fighting to stay alive.
The story behind the murder is bizarre. It’s not implausible, but for something that was so long in the planning it seems odd that things unravel at that specific moment. It all felt rushed as we drew to the conclusion.
Thanks to NetGalley for giving me the chance to read and review this before publication. -
*3.5 stars rounded up
The first part of this book (about 40%) felt like what would happen if Netflix tried to produce their own Gossip Girl inspired original series. I really struggled to see how this book was a thriller. It felt more like a romcom. The second part put the psychological in psychological thriller. I was hooked and couldn’t put it down!
My main issue for me is the dialogue. It feels very Millennial trying to speak Gen Z. It really took me out, especially in the first half.
I also feel like the relationship between Ash and Waverly either needed to be more fleshed out or made a smaller subplot. I don’t feel like we get enough information on them as a couple to be really rooting for them. By the end I was full on hoping they would just leave each other alone.
Lastly, I think there was too much build up to the party. I would have loved to see hints at the thrilling nature of the plot pop up in that first 40%, and I think bumping up the party would have helped.
Overall, I enjoyed the book and would definitely recommend! Thank you to the publisher for the arc in exchange for an honest review!
Oh, and I totally guessed who the girl in the green dress was. -
I definitely wasn’t expecting those turn of events! I loved that the MC is a queer autistic teenager who lives in NY and attends a private school with a scholarship. Her character was amazing and I wish I could keep reading about her!
She tutors some of the wealthier students and one of them allows her to attend a masked ball in her place for a once in a lifetime chance to feel like Cinderella.
The party is when everything goes askew and I can’t say much without giving it away, so you just need to read it for yourself! -
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.
-
I do love books that feature the potential end of days, don't I? I have at least three happening in this post alone, in fact! This one was a little different than the others, and definitely worth chatting about so... let's!
What I Loved:
►It features a queer, autistic main character. That is a win right there, yes? Extra because the author is both queer and autistic also! Add to it, I quite liked Waverly as a character too.
►Who doesn't love a masquerade ball? I mean, that is cool! And then you tell me that shit'll hit the fan during said ball?! Yes please! Fancy apocalypses are kind of the best!
►The story itself kept me intrigued and reading. Look, I wanted to know what was going on, full stop. So the author definitely did a good job of making the stakes high and the story exciting and readable. The action is pretty on point, and entertaining. And, I enjoyed Waverly enough to want to know her fate (and that of her friends).
What I Struggled With:
►I read some reviews that talk about the author maybe trying too hard to appeal to teens, and I have to agree. Part of this is a personal thing, I don't love an overabundance of references to current cultural icons and media, as it has a tendency to date the book. It also really takes me out of a story, and again, I am not even sure why, it just does. And there is a lot of it in this book, and it isn't like, necessary to the story in any way.
►I wish we'd delved into Waverly's autism a bit more. She tells us about it a lot, but we don't actually get a sense of what she is dealing with. There were a few very random moments where her autism shone through in her behavior, but it was incredibly inconsistent, and I didn't just want her to tell the reader she was autistic. I hate being nitpicky about this because this is #ownvoices, but as someone who works with kids with autism every day of the week, I know it is more than just a stereotypical "clapping excitedly" and then sis can go about her life totally fine even during super stressful situations. So I guess I wish we were shown instead of just told.
►It requires a lot of suspension of disbelief. I just didn't buy a lot of what happened in this story, especially in the second half of the book. As such, I can't say a ton about why, but I'll do my best. Basically, the "bad guys" were just... over the top? And their reasoning didn't make a ton of sense? Also, I felt like a lot of questions that I personally had went unanswered.
Bottom Line: It was entertaining and intriguing, though I did feel a bit let down by the reveals.
You can find the full review and all the fancy and/or randomness that accompanies it at It Starts at Midnight -
⭐️⭐️⭐️✨
3.5/5 STARS (rounded up)
This is a YA sapphic coming of age/ part dystopian book.
Synopsis:
An autistic,queer girl gets a scholarship to a wealthy school where she attends a gala in disguise. She runs into her ex and they uncover a nefarious global plot to end the world.
So I went into this book thinking it was a YA academia thriller with a murder to solve. It was not what I thought, but I still enjoyed it. This is what you can expect:
The first half of the book is a coming of age, sapphic high school love story. The main character is trying to find herself in love and navigate her prestigious high school where she doesn’t really fit in. After I was halfway through, there still was not really any thriller aspects.
Then, the second half takes a strange turn. It goes from a sapphic love story to an end of the world/ dystopian vibes lockdown. It took me a little bit by surprise. I wanted more of a murder mystery.
The book was still enjoyable for me though as a sapphic coming of age. 🌈
Thank you to Wednesday Books for the ARC! 💜 -
This book did not really do it for me. The beginning was a bit slow, and then all of a sudden, things started getting wild. The problem I had, though, was that I never felt like all these different instances, including the ending, were explained enough for me to see a whole picture.
This is just my personal opinion, and I feel like other readers could potentially really enjoy this book!
Thank you, Netgalley and Publisher, for this Arc! -
I received an ARC from Edelweiss
TW: assault on a mobility device, ableism, death by taser, drugging, blade violence, fire, eye trauma
3
I do think this book had an interesting concept- dark academia mystery vibes meets a masquerade ball at the end of the world(ish). It's definitely not a plot I've seen before. I also appreciate that it talks a lot about big Pharma, and centers those with disabilities first and foremost.
However, beyond that there wasn't much I cared for.
I found it very weirdly paced, and unrealistically written, so that it was hard to care or get into the story. The characters were flat and uninteresting, and the dynamics could have created something cool but none of them felt organic either. The villains are cartoonish, making their evil plot feel less like a conversation on greed and eugenics, and more like something you'd expect a plucky girl detective to be able to take down on her own.
This book was thin and leaned mostly on its general concept and diversity. It's not a bad book, it's just very very middle of the road. -
This book was not what I thought it would be. Not in a bad way I still had fun with it but I didn’t love it the way I wanted to. I liked the queer and autism rep but the romance was meh, like a 1 2 3 pop corn, like snap your fingers and they were in love. It did not have time to grow.
The story was kinda a mix of Ace of spades and the Revolution tv show. It’s the best pitch I can think of.
