It was all confidential. Right up to the moment when it wasn’t.
UrbanMyth: It was lauded as an alternative to the performative, show-your-best-self platforms—an anonymous discussion board grouped by zip code. The residents of Manhattan’s exclusive Upper East Side disclosed it all, things they would never share with their friends or their spouses: secret bank accounts, steamy affairs, tidbits of juicy gossip. The same people who, as parents, go to astonishing lengths to ensure that their children gain admission to the most prestigious boarding schools and universities. So when a “hacktivist” group breaks into the forum and exposes the real identity of each poster, the repercussions echo down Park Avenue with a force that none could have anticipated.
And someone ends up dead.
Is the murderer Heather, the outsider who would do anything to get her daughter into the elite’s good graces and into their even better schools? Norah, the high-powered executive failing to balance work with the emotional responsibilities of motherhood? Or Poppy, whose perfect-on-the-outside façade conceals more than her share of secrets?
Each of them has something to hide.
Each of them will do anything to keep secrets hidden.
And each of them just might kill to protect their own.
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What’s it about (in a nutshell):
No One Needs to Know is a domestic thriller about a group of wealthy women on NYCs up east side who spill everything on an app called Urban Myth that no one would ever admit to using. Things heat up in a mix of digital and real life events until finally someone goes missing and is presumed dead. But who did it, why, and does anyone really need to know?
Bullet Point Review:
- I loved the crazy entertainment value of this story. It’s reminded of Gossip Girl but with an older crowd and higher stakes. I couldn’t even imagine this world as being truly possible within our own and I’ve seen some crazy parent antics throughout the years.
- This story should not be taken too seriously. It’s pure entertainment with an interesting look at people’s willingness to open themselves up on social media sites when they feel like they are doing so under the cover of anonymity.
- “A gazelle doesn’t need to outrun a lion. It simply needs to outrun one other gazelle in the herd,” Is a great line because it sums up the thinking of the characters in the book perfectly.
- I loved that everything surprised me about this story including the revelations of who actually did what.
- I loved the turning point in the story. I won’t say what it is but it is just perfect in a world centered around an app.
- You must know, none of the characters are likable. They just vary in degrees of awfulness. No one is particularly well-developed but then this is a mixture of character and plot-driven, and knowing too much may cause the tea to spill too soon.
- The first person narration alternates between three mothers: Heather, Poppy, and Norah, which helps provide the reader with a more thorough look at the story.
- The pace is fast from start to finish.
- It is set in NYC’s Upper East side where all the wealthy people live and play.
- Read, if you like
- Entertaining thrillers and juicy plot lines
- Spilt tea
- Stories of wealthy people and their scandalous lives
Fans of One of Us Is Lying and The Hazel Wood are cordially invited to spend one fateful night surviving an elite private school’s epic masquerade ball in Jen Wilde’s debut thriller, This Is the Way the World Ends.
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?
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What’s it about (in a nutshell):
This is the Way the World Ends by Jen Wilde starts like a private school teen thriller and then has a massive and unexpected sci-fi twist that changes the whole story. It’s a wild ride from start to finish. This is one of those stories where the less said, the better, but I will tell you what I can.
Bullet Point Review:
- I loved how focused the story’s main plot stays from beginning to end.
- Even though the plot is focused, or maybe because it is, several plot gaps throughout make suspended disbelief hard to maintain.
- I loved the main character, Waverly, and her two best friends, Frank and Pari. They were dedicated to each other, intelligent, and had to overcome daily challenges.
- I enjoyed that the most lovable characters had to overcome mental and physical disorders and the fire and determination with which they did it. This type of character is so essential for people to read about.
- The sci-fi twist felt like it came out of left field (though there is one big hint I missed). I’m still not sure how I felt about it.
- The main characters are incredibly well-developed and diverse, but the side characters are too stereotypical and almost cartoonish.
- The story is told by Waverly in first-person narration, which works well for keeping the story fast-paced.
- I loved the pace of the book. It reads incredibly fast, as the characters are constantly in motion.
- The story is surprisingly gory, and teens (as well as adults) lose their lives, which is worth noting.
- Read, if you like
- Thrillers with a sci-fi twist
- Gory stories where lives are lost
- Fast-paced thrill rides
Tessa Talks Books 
No one needs to know sounds tense and more well written. Amazing reviews!
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It’s pretty wild. Lots of rich people doing morally gray to bad things 💕
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The first one sounds enjoyable. I’m not sure how I’d feel about a surprise sci-fi twist in the second. Excellent reviews, Tessa. Thanks.
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It just kind of came out of left field and I would have preferred to have a story about the main character and her friends rather than the twist.
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It’s a shame This is the Way the World Ends was a bit lackluster. I’m glad I didn’t preorder that one.
Both wonderful reviews Tessa!
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It was such a shame that it took the turn that it did. It could have been so good without it.
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I think I’m glad I didn’t download This is the Way the World Ends. Sounds like it would have annoyed me.
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I think it would have. It would have been much better as a character driven story.
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Fab reviews I like the sound of This is the Way the World Ends. I wonder how I’d feel about that sci-fi twist though?
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Expecting something will make it not as jarring and that would help, I think.
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I loved No One Needs To Know AND I loved your bullets for it. I loved the unlikeable characters, trash entertainment value, and that quote!
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It was pretty good. So entertaining!
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Both great sounding reads, great mini reviews 😊
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They are both very interesting 💕
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No One Needs to Know showed up at my library and I got in the hold queue until I could decide whether or not to add it to my TBR. You’ve convinced me. Excellent reviews, Tessa💜
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It’s pretty wild!
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