I have to wait 9 MONTHS for this book to come out?! I am so frustrated that I cannot physically have this book in my hands at this moment. I decidedly randomly that I start this book last night at 10 pm. Do you know what it got me? Staying up way past my bedtime and reading throughout my workday.

I couldn't put this book down. I was obsessed with the characters, the romance, and the plot. I fell for Wells the way any girl would do and I'm not mad about it.

I loved the pranks that each school did. I loved the growth of the characters throughout the book. I'm a sucker for the faking dating trope and this book did not disappoint.

I cannot wait to read this book again, and I will probably re-read it soon.

The prank wars have begun!

Doe is a senior at Weston, an all-girls boarding school and she's leading the charge to out prank the all-boys school across the street, Winfield. Specifically to out prank Three, the snooty rich kid who thinks he rules the place. But Doe takes things a little too far, as she has a tendency to do. She strikes a deal with Three's cousin Wells. In exchange for a fake romance, she will steal an heirloom from Three for him.

This whole book is entertaining and so captivating. Very few books have made me cry (some may say I'm even a bit cold hearted) but BOY was I tearing up at the interactions with her parents and just so many of the scenes.

Characters: 5/5
Doe Saltpeter: The thing about Doe is that she has a pretty intense one-track mind. Once she is set on something, it will take quite a lot for her mind to change. Its admirable in some ways and, as the reader, you get completely caught up in it too. She has such a strong drive and tenacity.
Gabe "Wells" Wellborn: Despite the completely ironic last name, Wells is actually traumatized by his Wellborn upbringing. He's sarcastic, nerdy but with a devil may care outlook, and, of course, handsome as all hell.
Doe has a close group of friends who all add something great to the dynamic.

Plot: 5/5
I loved this story. Markum touched so many critical topics; divorce, homophobia, trans/nb exclusion, and sexual harassment from teachers. The actual plot ramped up to pace with Doe's increasing panic and desperation.

"World": 4/5
The concept was so cute but the whole town of Delafosse is very Halmark. It's just a bit unrealistic but for the sake of the story, it worked well.

Style: 4/5
Overall, I did like the style but it wasn't totally perfect IMO.

Other: 5/5
Doe is completely against the two schools merging and is sacrificing everything to stop it. But there are lots of girls that aren't opposed to it. The theme of creating a safe space for everybody is so prevalent and really well crafted.

Overall: 4/5
This is definitely a must read and I will be buying a physical copy when it comes out!!

Wow, this book had me hooked from the beginning. I have read a lot of books so far this year and this is definitely my top book of the year so far.

Following the protagonist Doe on her quest for Weston to continue to be an all girls boarding school was real, believable and I found myself sucked into the plot quickly. This book has everything I love a enemies or friend plot, fake dating to real dating and a strong friends group.

This book is fast paced and also has a lot of depth. I loved Doe and Wells relationship and found myself smiling and rooting for them throughout the story.

This book is by far the best YA book I have read in at least a year. Thank you Net galley and publisher for the advanced read. I give this book 5 out of 5 stars. I am hopeful there will be a sequel soon.

This May End Badly is a very solid debut novel from Samantha Markum and I'm very grateful to have been given the opportunity to read the ARC before it's official publication in April 2022. We've seen the fake dating trope time and time again in contemporary romantic comedies, especially in YA, but Markum comes at it with a very fresh take, bringing in outside rivalries, complex family dynamics, and real world issues.

I think one of the strengths of this novel was the conflicting morality of the main character Doe. Doe started out the novel as headstrong as the come with only one goal in mind: stop the merger between her school, The Weston School, and the all boys school across the street, Winfield Academy. Caught up in her interpersonal vendetta with her rival Three, she soon loses focus on what she originally hated about the merger. It's easy to write a main character who can do no wrong and faces the world with a completely flawless moral compass, but Markum challenges that idea with Doe. Watching her realize her mistakes and work to mend relationships she has hurt is much more gratifying to the reader than if she was a classic Mary Sue.

There are a few things that I think could be stronger. When it comes to Doe's rivalry with Three, I think the backstory is a little weak. The explanation given seems pretty insignificant in the grand scheme of things, especially seeing the lengths Doe goes to in order to spite him. Along that same vein, I would've loved a little more information about Wells and Three's family. It's briefly explained during the Thanksgiving scenes, but I think it needs a bit more development to help the reader fully comprehend the extent of the tension. I was very suspicious of Wells' intentions when he agreed to the fake dating situation at first because it seemed as if Doe knew something we as the readers did not. She spoke vaguely about a sort of hierarchy between the cousins, but that was not touched upon again until the end. I think we just might need a little bit more of that at the beginning, not any of the specifics, but just to make it more understandable for the audience. Finally, this book contains many plotlines. They are all very interesting, but because of the sheer number of situations going on at once, the main plot seemed a little jumbled between the dynamic of Wells' family, Doe's relationship with her parents, and the situation with Mr. Tully.

Overall, this was a fast-paced and interesting novel. The jokes landed perfectly and the emotions were conveyed beautifully. This May End Badly was a very good read and I'm excited to see it on shelves next year!

This May End Badly is an instant recommendation for readers who love enemies-to-lovers.

There was so much chemistry between the couple and the friends involved in this story that I would recommend it to any fan of that trope. It was a strong YA novel with excellent dialogue and a heartfelt story overall.

Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Overall, This May End Badly, is a good story. I enjoyed the characters and the main plot, which was two different boarding schools trying to one-up each other with pranks. When the plan to merge the two schools into one is revealed, the prank war to end all prank wars begins. Throw in a fake love story (reminiscent of To All the Boys I've Loved Before) and it's a good book.

My problem with the book is that there were way too many subplots going on. The author brought in way too many social issues. It was almost like she was trying to include every political opinion she had on every issue she could think of. It was distracting from the main story.

This book was the funniest I have read, while still wincing at the truths of some of the situations that I'm sure most of us have experienced.
It's a book about growing up as a woman trying to define feminism and make the world better for those coming behind you, whether you want to or not, and whether others like it or not, and whether you are terrified of it, or not.
Set in the senior year in a prep school, Doe and her fierce posse of girls takes a prank of a fake dating scheme to new heights, and resulting lows. I would love to have these women in my circle of friends.
the book is fun, well written and I love the dialogue. Snappy, sassy and real.

Thank you NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this in return for an unpaid, honest opinion.

Thank you so much to the publishers and NetGalley. This book was so good. I loved the writing style and I loved the characters. It was funny at sometimes, romantic, and I loved how it focused on friendship as well as romantic relationships.

So good! It had almost all of my favorite tropes. Enemies to lovers, fake dating, boarding school, and dark academia. A fast paced read. Seriously so amazing!

I thought this was an excellent book. It was so much more than a fake dating trope and a high school prankster. The characters were great. The plot was fantastic, the premise unique. Great writing. The opening scene was hilarious. It definitely set a certain tone for the rest of the book. The feminist Girl Power vibe I got from the brief Weston school history lesson early in the book was especially satisfying when it circled back around in a big way at the end.

Doe’s first person narration is great. She’s witty and sarcastic and makes a very enjoyable narrator. I really appreciated how the author seamlessly blended typical teenage drama with much heavier topics. It gave gravity to a story that could easily have been frivolous and ridiculous. It’s peppered with important lessons that even grownups often still need to learn without feeling too preachy.

I really liked Doe’s friend group and her (not so) fake boyfriend, Wells. Their relationship is pretty sweet and they’re really great together even when they’re not “together”.

Doe deals with all the typical teenage stressors like friendship drama and feeling like she’s expected to know what she’s going to do with her life, but she has to deal with much more than just that, which is what makes this book so interesting and, I think, unique. Doe’s got more issues than Vogue and they all come creeping up on her in the 11th hour of her time at Weston. She loses nearly everyone close to her because of her behavior. This is relevant not just to teens but pretty much any person who is alive and breathing. We all need to check ourselves before we wreck ourselves. And she done wrecked herself. Doe then realizes she needs to engage in some much needed self reflection.

Every character is well written. The dialogue is excellent. I’m pretty impressed with this author. I will definitely be up for reading anything else she writes.

Side note: At one point, Doe recounts a conversation she had with someone at school where they talked about what food they missed most from their hometowns. Hers was Provel cheese which is the bat signal that means not only is she 1) from St. Louis, but 2) a fan of Imo’s Pizza. That’s my girl!  🙌🏼 😂  All the authentic St. Louis references made this native St. Louisan happy. ❤️

I would recommend this to anyone.
5 stars out of 5

Thanks to the publisher for providing an eARC of This May End Badly in exchange for an honest review.

This is a fun, fast YA read with all of your tropey favs. We have: boarding school settings, tight-knit friend groups, prank wars, high school rivalries, fake!dating, the list goes on and on. It's not necessarily the most unique thing you'll ever read but it's fun regardless, especially if you're looking for something fun and familiar to get you out of a slump.

I received an arc from netgalley.

I have mixed opinions on this book. I didn't hate it but there was something off about it. First off, I felt like she should be with Three, I didn't think that by the end but the way it was written made it seem like that was where the story should go. I also couldn't stand the main character for most of the book. She was just so caught up in the rivalry that it made her unbearable at times.

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!