This is one of the best YA books I have read in awhile. Sure, there are a few too many characters to keep track of and there are times when the same this is explained more than once, but overall it’s a great story of friendship, love, growing up, and dealing with your past. I really think this will be a hit with the high schoolers.

This book was definitely one of my favourite reads of the year so far! There’s so much rivalry and betrayal and pranks + fake dating my expectations were high and this book surpassed them. Doe and Wells were such amazing characters to follow im so obsessed and even though I think this is a stand-alone I need a sequel in my hands ASAP

Oh my gosh! I had amazing time! This is one of the most hilarious, intelligent, exciting story I’ve devoured!

This book guarantees to make you feel absolutely entertained with its
- Historical rivalry between boys and girls boarding schools ( Weston vs Winfield )
- Smart, jaw dropping, surprising , unique pranks both team members played against each other
- Emotional, heartfelt friendship bounding between girls
- A relatable, quick witted, tough heroine who is queen of banters: ladies and gentlemen, may I present you DOE my favorite heroine!
- Fake dating, enemies to lovers premise between Doe and Wells: I honestly say I loved them individually and but I loved them more as a couple: of course there were more smart banters, undeniable chemistry and I enjoyed their journey starting with being reluctant enemies and then become friends to work against Three but coming clean about their feelings and their big revelation part were so lovely!

If you want to get lost in delicious boarding school fights theme meets fake dating troupe with well developed great characters, realistic approach to the sensitive issues such as bullying, sexual assault, dysfunctional family problems, you shouldn’t miss this book!

One of the best and most realistic YA reads I lately had and I literally giggled so much and terrorized people around me with the gurgling sounds I made but it was truly worth it :)

Special thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press/ Wednesday Books for sharing this digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest thoughts.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of This May End Badly in exchange for a review.

Doe and her friends and Wells and his family are the cast of characters. The book, a modern spin on a senior year romance, was fun, inclusive, filled with interesting plot points, clever dialogue and a wonderful MC who grows over the course of the novel.
I want to love the book because of all those reasons.I think a lot of people WILL love it.
The end of the novel was one of those movie moments that sounds good and looks good, but as a high school teacher I struggled to turn off the disbelief, which is weird since the fake relationship, boarding school, ultra rich family didn’t bother me a bit. Lol.

YA contemporary readers who enjoy Meg Cabot novels and the Gossip Girl series will enjoy this novel. I’m interested in what my students think.

I enjoyed this though it took me a while to read. I think the summary makes out like there are a lot of pranks and that's the main thrust of the book but it's only really in the first 20% or so before the fake dating takes off, so I was disappointed that there wasn't a heavier focus on the pranks but I enjoyed the book.

Okay, so I feel the need to point out that this book does have some triggers. But don't let that stop you from reading it- in this particular instance, it's still a really good read.

(tw; mention of sexual assault)

THIS BOOK.

Fake dating? Rival boarding schools? Pranking? The synopsis for this sounded like the perfect YA read to me, and it served that exactly. I don't give 5 stars to just any book, but this one I can say fully deserves it. I loved every aspect of this book and there's truly nothing about this book that I could pick out and say I didn't enjoy. I can say with no doubt this will do amazing when it's published, and I'll definitely be counting down the days until I can get my hands on a physical copy. I tempted to even reread this ARC because I enjoyed it so much.

I really loved the main character of this book, Doe. She was just so realistic. She struggled, she had pain in her past, she mad mistakes. but she grew and through it all was able to find herself. This book didn't shy away from real issues, and instead shed light on just how real they are. Such as bullying, children dealing with divorce, and sexual assault. I feel YA books try so often to stay lighthearted to the readers, but by bringing these topics into the novel it really changes the reading experience. It becomes eye opening, and could even help readers understand what they may be going through, and I thought it was well done here.

The friendships in this book were so strong, and although they had their rough spots as the story progressed, they were able to work through them. It was really refreshing to have such a nicely developed friend group, which can sometimes lack, but it was beautifully in this novel. Also loved the rival dynamic between Three and Doe, surely it was irrational, but it was still one of my favorite parts of the book.

WELLS AND DOE. I love the fake dating trope, so they really had me from the beginning, but I truly just loved their relationship development. Their bantering, the plotting against Three, and their eventual realization of the true feeling they had for each other. It was just so good. I would love to read a book of just these two scheming together.

Definitely recommend anyone who loves fake dating, boarding schools, pranking, and anything of the sort picks this up. Release date is April 12 of next year!!

This May End Badly is one of the most entertaining and witty contemporary YAs I've read in a long time! I adored Doe and the whole cast of characters, who all felt so real and complex. Doe's banter with Wells (and everyone else, really!) frequently had me giggling so hard that I had to fight the urge to read passages out loud to anyone within earshot. Highly recommend this book to anyone, especially readers who love snappy dialogue, bold characters, and all the feelings. An absolute delight!

Thank you NetGalley for sending this arc for a honest review!

Now if imma be honest normally these kind of books are not my cup of tea. But I really enjoyed this book:) everything about it was humor to me, in a good way ofc. It’s like one of those movie where it takes place in a English setting where it’s split between a boys and a girls school. And in this case it was exactly the same. Best part was having to see Doe team up with her nemesis from the boy at the boys school. For me I was wheezing with anticipation the whole time just waiting for them to get together because we all know how it is… the fake dating play? Yea we know how that works out I’m the end ;)

It was such a cute read and was so well written, definitely more for the younger audience in takes of plot but worth it!

I just loved loved loved This May End Badly. This is a perfect YA romance that I just couldn't put down. With adorable characters and great story this one will definitely be a hit with teen girls!!!! I thought the chemistry between Doe and Wells was one of the best I've seen in a YA book in a long time. I just can't believe this is the the first book written by Samantha Markum. Oh man I can't wait to read her next book!!!!

READ THIS. Such a good book and it is raw and real and covers several important and delicate topics in a way that is authentic. Doe certainly learns from her mistakes and I truly loved how she took accountability and how she gave true and genuine apologies to the people that she hurt.

5+ stars, definitely!

This May End Badly is a fun rom-com with an enemies to lovers twist that everyone sees coming from a mile away. The main character in this story is Dorothy, who goes by Doe. She is a junior at a fancy girls-only boarding school. Her school just happens to sit next to an all boys school and the kids from both schools have a fun rivalry going on throughout the book. Of course, you know at the beginning that Doe will end up with one of those boys, but getting there is the fun part of it.

When a merger between the schools is announced, the teens decide that they need to do whatever possible to stop the merger and keep their schools separate.

Engaging and funny. I really enjoyed this one. Look for it in April 2022.

A brilliant, hilarious, complex successor to Frankie Landau Banks. Doe is a morally difficult mess, and I loved watching her grow into herself. Wells is a swoonworthy book boyfriend for the ages, and I can't wait to introduce my teens to them both.

Overall I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it.

I’m a sucker for fake dating tropes, boarding schools, and this book added on a layer of prank wars which resulted in an entertaining read.

You like the main characters, even though they’re flawed. I did think that there could have been more fleshing out of the characters, there were just too many. Even after reading, I’m not sure what the other four girls added, I felt like it could’ve been one or two good friends and it would’ve been fine. Three’s cousins were all unmemorable, and also added very little. Three could have had more depth or back story, I feel that we didn’t get to know him and actually would’ve been ok with him being the lead interest for Doe. I was pretty happy with Wells though, he got enough screen time, although the romance was more on the back burner to a lot of the other chaotic storylines.

In terms of story, I did feel like the book tried to do too much, which made it hard for the prank/school rivalry didn’t stick as much, and the predator story line so explicitly foreshadowed wasn’t very impactful. Everything felt a little too flimsy. I wish that the book had been a little more sophisticated, it had a lot of potential but the way it handled the predator storyline felt off. A little too juvenile in its result. Doe also while fleshed out felt a little chaotic, like we didn’t get enough time to unpack her and show her growth, it was more told than anything else.

Still, though, an enjoyable read.

*Spoiler free*

I've been looking forward to this book since I've seen friends rave about it online! If they love it, then it goes on my list to check out haha. But I also learned that it's about a prank war going on between rival schools that gets very intense, there's also fake dating, and a group of girls ready to protect their school, which all sounded amazing. Trigger warnings: mentions of sexual assault

This book is so, so good. It deals with messy, complicated characters getting into messy, complicated situations, and it amazing all around.

I adored Doe as a main character, and I adored her so much because I hated her at other times. She's extremely bold, and will make every brazen choice that is put in front of her. She's passionate, and she lets that passion drive her. If there's a line drawn in the sand, she'll look you in the eye as she crosses over it. And this leads her to making choices that kind of suck sometimes, and leads her into sucky situations. And I think that's what made her so great. She's not perfect, and she makes bad decisions sometimes. She is so focused on doing what she thinks is right, that she blocks everything else out. And she has to deal with the consequences of that. She has to reckon with what she chose and where those choices led her. She grew, and I loved that about her. I might've hated her at points, I might've not agreed with her decisions, but she was willing to look at the consequences of her actions head on. And when she takes that passion and puts it into something good, something solid, something that will create good change, wow, it is amazing. Doe is brilliant, headstrong, smart, and amazing, even if she isn't perfect all the time. I ended up really loving her, which surprised me.

The way this book deals with the complicated situations and messy emotions is amazing. It doesn't shy away from them. It lets Doe go full force into what she wants, even if she wants looks like it's not going to end well. And I think that was one of the amazing things about this book, is that it let things get messy and complicated.

I also really loved to see the pranks and schemes that were concocted, because most of them were truly top notch. It's a pranking book that does pranks extremely well.

The relationships in this book were also amazing. There is fake dating, and oh my gosh the chemistry and the feelings that come about and it's even enemies-to-lovers as well! The kissing is also freaking amazing.

The friendships were also top notch. It's a big friend group, and I loved every single one of them. And each of them had their own personalities and lives (I loved how the descriptions of their dorm rooms gave you a peak into their personalities!). These friendships were not smooth sailing throughout the book, because Doe has a lot she has to reckon with. I loved how her friends pushed her to be better, because that is what friends are supposed to do. They all love each other, and their dynamic was incredible.

Pretty much all the side characters were incredible. I loved how they all turned out to be more than I thought they were going to be. They all seem to have their own stories, and their own struggles. And I was surprised at how I ended up feeling about some of them, in a good way!Even the parents were cool! There is even a bisexual dad!

Another thing I loved about this book was how it examined gender in the face of all girls and all boys school. It didn't ignore the existence of trans people, which I really appreciated. It also looked at how just because something is perfect for one person, doesn't mean it is perfect for everyone.

I really, really loved this book. I loved it's messiness, it's friendships, it's fake dating, I loved the sisterhood of Weston girls, I loved the ending, I was grinning so much. It is such a good book.

I am going to post a full review (and pencil review on @longhandpencils!) closer to pub date, but HOLY SCHNIKES I LOVE THIS BOOK!!!

Once I finished, I immediately drafted a single-spaced, two-page doc of screaming adoration that I sent to the author because I was just SHOOK with how much I loved it. Once you finish, you'll want to read it again *immediately.*

Boarding school BFFs, fake dating, PRANKS, and THE swooniest romance. GAHHHH SO GOOD. I am going to scream about this book forever.

A thousand thanks to Wednesday Books and NetGalley for e-ARC in exchange for my honest, unbiased review.

This is my kind of young adult novel! I seriously loved everything about this loveable novel!

This May End Badly is a astonishing romance story! And puts a very modern twist on dating, a fun, filled read with engaging characters.
The story feels genuine and believable.
There was the perfect amount of buildup to it with ideal pacing. I am so impressed with the way the book ended this fantastic journey. Each of the characters is well thought out and easy to relate to as well. It’s quick-paced and very easy to read!

I believe this books is going to be the talk on the gram come April 2022! I wished I would have waited but I have no self control when it comes to such amazing reads!

I can't thank St. Martin's Press/Wednesday Books, NetGalley and author for this straight up delightful book!
Ill post to my Goodreads and Bookstagram account closer to pub date!