This was okay. Writing was easy enough. Characters kind of bored me, though. I wish the ending felt more resolved.

This was cute but just not for me! I do think that it could work for some people though. Rivals are being put in the same school, interesting for sure!

Doe attends Weston, an all-girls school, and is the ipso facto ringleader of the prank war between their school and the all-boys school, Winfield. She helps to plan and execute the pranks and seems to have a good time doing it. Toss in a little fake dating, family drama, and friend issues and it's a YA gem. I, like so many others, was thrown a bit from the subplot about the teacher, but overall I enjoyed the story.

3 out of 5 stars.

it was cute. not really my type of book, but i dont have any complaints really. if you are into this type of romance when you would like it

Two prep schools, girls vs boys, are engaged in a 100 year old feud. When the stunnning announcement comes that the schools would be joining, hijinks ensue.

Senior Doe was so fun to read. Fake dating, enemies to lovers-overall a fun YA read!

Special thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press/ Wednesday Books for the electronic copy.

One of the best bond I’ve read so far this year!

The pranks!! The fake dating!! The epic friendships!!! I absolutely loved it all. The banter and dialogue was also next level.

Doe is one of the most distinct and specific characters I’ve read in a long time. I absolutely loved her to bits.

Highly recommended

This May End Badly was pretty good! It’s got all the chaos of a high-stakes prank war, a fake dating scheme, and just the right amount of enemies-to-lovers tension. Doe is a strong, messy, and determined main character, and watching her go from rivalry-obsessed to realizing what really matters is both fun and heartfelt. The friendships shine just as much as the romance, and the book balances humor with serious moments really well. If you like fast-paced, witty, and slightly unhinged boarding school drama, this one’s worth picking up!

This May End Badly is a fun romp of a YA novel with all the wit and teenage shenanigans you could hope for. The premise is one that immediately pulls you in, and the characters keep you reading till the very end. I think there was a lot going on that wasn't necessarily executed expertly, but nevertheless, it was a fun read with strong characters and relationships.

Loved this book. Doe was so messy and flawed but her character growth was pristine. This felt so realistic to his bring 17 can feel. I loved the friendships and romance.

The book was an enjoyable read with a mix of highs and lows that shaped my overall experience. Starting with the positives, the romance was undeniably charming with the tension being spot-on for a fake-dating trope and I found myself genuinely invested in the dynamic. Additionally, the banter was a great mix, being sharp, witty, and realistic.

While there were many great things about this novel, there was a few things that could have been worked on a bit more. Some aspects poorly handled, being both underdeveloped and misplaced, and there was a lack of character growth for the protagonist which felt a bit off-putting. Ultimately, this was a fun and quick read with its share of memorable moments, but the inclusion of a heavy-handed and mishandled subplot did drag it a bit. Nonetheless, feel free to check out and share your thoughts.

An eARC was kindly provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I have to state first that it took me awhile to get into this book. I believe I'm too old for this book. Endless useless pranks for no real purpose made no sense to me. The main character was insufferable. And I was hoping if I read more she would get better as a person to cheer for. The first few chapters was about Doe avenging a weird plot to prank Three and his school. Their respective schools were merging the following year. So instead of focusing on colleges, her future, or anything remotely important, she wasted her time on getting revenge on this guy. Who probably was focused on his grades, colleges and his future. All of this was very immature and painful to read. And again I would have loved to cheer for her but she was too mean and selfish. I liked Wells and felt bad for him.  I actually felt bad for all the characters.  There was a creepy perverted teacher that was handled in a sensitive manner.  Luckily the ending was good. Arghhh sadly this was not my kind of book. Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for my ARC. I posted on goodreads and my blog.

I don't know where to start with this story. It was so so good. The character work was fantastic. It dealt with some very heavy topics with style and grace. The rivalry and the friends groups keep you on the edge of your seat and turning pages. It even made me emotional towards the end definitely recommend.

i feel like sometimes books just aren't for you and thats completely and totally ok. not every book will be for every reader and unfortunately thats what happened here.

Thank you for the opportunity to read the DRC of this book. What a hoot! I was definitely entertained with the pranks, bantering and friendship between everyone. One of the better books with the boarding school/prep academy trope along with a few others. I will definitely be looking for more Samantha Markum titles.

This story as about standing up for what’s right, friendship, and fallen in love. It was such a fantastic debut novel and I recommend it to all lovers of YA.

A prank war? Warring all boys and all girls schools? Fake dating? The tropes are troping and I'm here for it.

(3.5 stars, rounded up to 4)

Dorothy "Doe" Saltpeter finds herself navigating the tumultuous waters of senior year at Weston School when news of a merger with rival Winfield Academy shakes up their traditions. Determined to protect her school's legacy, Doe teams up with Winfield's cousin, Wells, to execute a prank involving a fake relationship and a cherished family heirloom. What begins as a playful scheme quickly evolves into a whirlwind of emotions, strained friendships, and a quest for inclusivity within an elite sisterhood.

In "Senior Year Showdown," author Markum skillfully delves into themes of sexuality, gender identity, and the dynamics of single-gender schools. Through Doe's journey, readers explore complex relationships and the collision of different worlds, all while turning pages driven by mounting tension and authentic character development. With nods to diversity and the experiences of supporting characters, Markum delivers a compelling narrative that resonates with realism and emotional depth.

DNF @25%

I don't read YA books too often anymore, especially books set in school. But I've had this arc for so long so I wanted to give it a chance.

It wasn't a bad book but it's definitely one that I'm not into reading anymore. I didn't care about the high school drama or the whole "making a boy jealous" plotline. Again, it's just not a book for me but I can see others enjoying it so I figured I'd just go ahead and DNF it.

RAISE YOUR HAND IF YOU EVER SAW THE BRILLIANT 1998 FILM ALL I WANNA DO!

It has an outstanding cast, (Kirsten Dunst! Rachael Leigh Cook, Monica Keena! Gaby Hoffman! Heather Matarazzo! Lynn Redgrave! Vincent Kartheiser! Matthew Lawrence! Hayden Christensen! Shawn Ashmore!) I mean truly who else are you looking for. It takes place in 1963 and is about a woman’s boarding school that might go co-ed and the girls who try to stop it, mainly by pranks aimed at making the boys look bad. It is hilarious and thoughtful and frankly I don’t know why it wasn’t more popular.

This was one of my favorites back in the heyday of late 90’s teen movies which we have never recovered from as a society and which the film industry has never been able to reproduce.

Anyway this book gave me strong All I Wanna Do vibes and I was not mad about it.

Doe (short for Dorothy) is our main character here, and she’s fabulous. She’s flawed, she’s stubborn, she is COMPLETELY in her own way and totally uninterested in getting out of it. But she’s also just a girl trying to figure out what life after high school will look like, how she’ll survive without her girls by her side every day, and wondering what she’ll do with all the free time she currently dedicates to pranking the Winfield boys.

The friendships were fantastic. Doe and her three friends have been friends forever, but they aren’t afraid to call each other out when one of them is wrong. Wells has his own group, made up largely (completely?) of his cousins. I’ve seen some criticism of Three and his nickname, but listen, I knew a guy who was also something the third and managed to get his nickname down to Trey, because très is three in Spanish and that almost sounds like Trey so you know what? Boys with money are weird.

Doe and Wells do some great fake dating that they pretend isn’t becoming more and more real by the day. They very clearly have feelings for each other but they’re never gonna admit it, so instead it’s just a slowwwww burn all the way through.

Also? This book is just funny. It’s not jokes I can necessarily capture for you, it’s more that the whole vibe is hilarious. The way they talk to each other, the banter, the terms of endearment. The sex talk from Wells’ mom when they aren’t even actually dating? I died.

This is going down as one of my favorites and I will read anything Samantha Markum writes from now until forever.

The beginning of this was fun. The war between schools and the die hard school spirit. Fake dating is one of my favorite tropes, but I wish this relationship was a little more developed. I didn’t believe her when she said she finally liked him, and almost felt she had to be convinced? The part about the teacher at the end was unnecessary to the story or the friend group. Could have been cut and the story would have felt less long.

I received an advance review copy for free via Netgalley and I am leaving this review voluntarily.