THIS MAY END BADLY is a standalone YA novel by Samantha Markum. This book has an escalating prank war. Normally I don’t care for stories with prank wars in them, but THIS MAY END BADLY has everything else I love about YA fiction. It has an unexpected romance, complex characters, and the main characters evolve and figure out what’s really worth fighting for. Of course, I really love fake romances that turn real, and that’s initially what drew me to this story.

Doe Saltpeter is somebody whose world got upended when her parents divorced. Weston, her friends, and this war with Winfield Academy are things she can count on. With her nemesis Three, Doe has someone to direct her misplaced anger at. I love this story because it highlights how much teenagers often struggle with what they know versus what they think they know. People you thought you were so sure of, turn out to be completely different than how you always thought of them. Mentors and authority figures you thought of as having all the answers turn out to be fallible, and occasionally jerks. Perhaps the most jarring of all, is when you realize that you’re not as sure of yourself as you thought you were. Doe is a realistically flawed protagonist. She has unresolved emotional issues because of her parents’ divorce, and she acts out at times. For me, she’s flawed but not a jerk. As the story progresses, she’s constantly confronted with the ways what she has always believed might not be totally correct. It’s a hard pill to swallow. One thing I dislike about YA novels with a somewhat misguided female protagonist, is that I feel like the supporting characters are usually too hard on her and there is no accountability for those other characters. Thankfully that’s not the case with this story, and author Samantha Markum has those characters cop to their mistakes as well as the main character. This is important for me.

From the very beginning, it is understood that Three is Doe’s enemy. She’s designated him as such because he goes to Winfield Academy and is, in her mind, the epitome of a privileged and arrogant young man and sorely in need of being taken down a peg or two. Gabriel Wellborn aka Wells is Three’s bookish yet uber hot cousin. In kind of a convoluted way, Doe and Wells begin fake dating to get under Three’s skin. I loved it! The banter between Doe and Wells is fab and the chemistry works. It’s all very age-appropriate but charming, messy, and steamy all at the same time. Wells turns out to have his own family baggage as well.

THIS MAY END BADLY is a must-read for YA fans. It has it all – depth, complex characters, great dialogue, and a dreamy romance. I especially appreciate how there is a happy-for-now ending without making it too saccharine or fake. I look forward to reading more from Samantha Markham.

This was such a cute read! I always like to read YA romance as a nice pallet cleaner and that’s what this was! A whimsical read without a care in the world

Weston girls and Winfield Academy boys do not mix. In fact, they are downright rivals, but when it is announced the schools will merge all plans Doe had go off the rails. A prank war, fake dating and chaos caps off their year but eventually leads to growth, friendship and love.
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Thank you #wednesdaybooks and #NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review

I think this book had a lot going on... some of which I loved and some of which I think should have been edited out. I think it would have been nice to bring up all of the side characters but have their storylines fully flushed out in proceeding novels. I think in an attempt to make this book very related to a wide audience and throwing in way too many tropes it impacted the overall feel of the novel. Saying that, I did still think that this was a fun YA, following likeable characters but it is a lot.

This was a debut author, and I thought I’d give her a try. Plus, a boarding school prank war sounded fun to me. Thank you, NetGalley for an ARC of it.

Doe and her band of Weston girls at her beloved boarding school have a prank war going on with the boys at Winfield Academy across the way. But when their headmistress announces that the schools will be merging the following year, after Doe and her friends have graduated, their longtime feud spirals into chaos. To protect the school, she puts together a plan that Weston girls and Winfield boys don’t mix. She takes a direct hit at Three, her nemesis. To win, she bargains with his cousin, Wells: if they fake date, she’ll get under Three’s skin and help Wells get back his rightful family heirloom. But does it turn into something more?

I had never read a boarding school romance book before, so I thought I’d give this one a try. I loved how most of the characters had nicknames. I will do a small spoiler: Dorothy (Doe), Wells (Gabriel), and Three…well, I forget his real name. But I also loved the setting and visiting Doe’s family. I loved how even the side characters were well flushed out.

I also loved the conclusion and found myself not liking a teacher (well deserved, read to find out). But LOVED how it ended.

This book is a very excellent debut novel by the author, who I think will go far and write many more wonderful reads to come. This is definitely a great fake-dating story. Can’t wait to read her next work.

This book had a lot going on. I loved the idea of a prank war and romantic undertones but the additional family drama and weird teacher and each character in the friend group having their own thing was a lot for how short this book was. I did really enjoy the rivalry factor, it’s what made me request this book in the first place. Boarding school games will always catch my attention!

This is such a fun book that takes the fake dating trope to new heights. I am all about the joys of youth and boarding schools, and with pranks between the Weston girls and the boys at Winfield Academy.
I enjoyed this story about friendship, love, and everything else in between.

I loved this! Markum hit the perfect balance between funny, realistic, and heartwarming. She will for sure be an insta-read for me next time around!

I’m overwhelmed with galleys, and this one was published months ago, so I’m going to have to skip it:(

Fake dating: check!
Teenage angst: check!
Strong female friendships: check!
This book is a fun YA romp complete with witty banter and a fun take on everyone's favorite trope: fake dating. When the Weston School announces it will be merging with Winfield Academy, it causes the long standing prank war to escalate into all out war -- culminating in a fake dating bet of course. The hijinx are super fun but this novel still has heft as it deals with potential sexual harassment from a teacher. If you're looking for a cute fast YA read, look no further!

What's not to love about a novel with an all girls boarding school engaged in an epic rivalry against the neighboring all boys boarding school? This one was fun and I loved Doe and Wells (and their fake relationship story line). My only complaint is that I felt the teacher (sexual predator) storyline wasn't handled very well and could have been better.

A fun young adult school read, perfect for back-to-school booklists and displays. The prank war was a good premise, and the struggle/growth of the main character was well done and realistic.

The concept of the book was interesting, but unfortunately I DNF. There was a lot going at once and I think that it just didn’t hold my interest. This may be a book I need to devote more attention to in the future, but it just wasn’t what I was interested in based on the synopsis and first few chapters.

Unfortunately I didn't download this one in time and the book was archived. My apologies. Since then, I have made a point to download the ARCs right away so I don't miss out on books.

Samantha Markum has crafted a delightful YA novel about friendship, love, tradition and change. All the characters are fun to know and seem like people you might have known in school. The plot moves along smartly and the ending is not entirely as you expect it but is very satisfying. Thank you to #netgalley and #wednesdaybooks for this copy of #thismayendbadly to read and review—all opinions are my own.

This debut novel was a lot of fun. We meet Doe, a senior at an all-girls boarding school who is leading a prank war against the rival all-boys boarding school across the street. This prank war has been going on for many, many years and it's all in good fun. The administration decides that both rival schools will come together in a merger, which makes Doe very upset, and she is determined to do anything to ensure this merger will not be successful.

In addition to this merger plot, Doe gets involved with Wells, initially to fake-date him to get at a mutual enemy, but as the school year goes on, their relationship gets more complicated. Doe's friend group looks like it may be dispersing as the girls begin to make decisions about their futures and Doe feels left behind.

And on top of all of that, there is a male teacher that makes all of the girls uncomfortable, but has never had serious allegations against him, but when a younger student confides her experience to Doe, Doe decides she is going to take down this teacher once and for all.

There is a lot going on here. And I do think the prank war, the friend drama, and the fake-dating worked really well in this book. Doe's desire to keep her high school just as she likes it makes sense to me. Your senior year can be scary--everything is changing for you--so Doe's complete rigidity about not welcoming the boys from across the street is one change she feels like she may have some control over. Even the fake dating to get back at an enemy was so much fun, and I knew of prank wars between classes in my own high school. The only thing that didn't work super well for me was the male teacher sub-plot. It was weird to me that a male fitness teacher would be the only health teacher on staff at an all-girls school, and that when a female student came forward, the female headmistress was so resistant to the allegation that both the male and female schools had to come together once and for all. Maybe the author felt like there needed to be a big problem for both schools to agree was terrible enough for them to solve together in order to end the rivalry. I just wish it had been a problem that would have fit in better with the rest of the plot.

Overall, the book was fun, and funny, and it often felt very realistic. I think teens will really like it. I enjoyed it for the most part and would love a sequel with Three at Ohio and Doe in Ann Arbor.

Cute YA rivalry story.
Weston School for girls and Winfield Academy for boys have had an ongoing prank battle, and when they get word that the rivals will be combining, the pranks crank up. Doe is a senior and she’s especially against the merger. She sets her eyes on taking down Three from Winfield. Then she gets caught up in her fake dating of Wells, Three’s cousin. Rivalry, romance, mischief and conviction.
It’s a high school story, so a bit immature. But it has the fun elements of friendship, pranks and attraction. A bit of depth is thrown in. But it’s mostly lighthearted and enjoyable.

This was my first book by this author, It was pretty enjoyable. I would give this book a 3.5 star rating! It was a pretty Quick and easy read!

I absolutely loved this book.

When an all-girls school and their nemesis, the all-boys school across the street are told that they are going to be merging into one school, the harmless prank-war that has been going on for years turns into an all out brawl.

There is fake-dating, enemies-to-lovers, highschool drama, fun pranks. What more could you ask for in a YA Romance book?

This was a lot of fun!! I really liked the pranks and honestly would not have been able to think of them myself. The banter was incredibly witty. Doe was a very likeable character and she was really well written. I liked that it had fake dating and the TENSION!!! I truly loved this book and it kept me gripped.

The one part I felt was handled a little poorly was the sexual predator teacher subplot... the fact that it felt like a self-help promoting storyline felt problematic and a little off-putting because it hinders women and girls from seeking proper help and makes them think they can solve it on their own, which can be harmful...