This book was a fun an enjoyable YA read. There was some difficult subject matter, but at the same time I believe it is important to read about and discuss because that is the only way that teens (and everyone for that matter) will feel comfortable reporting misconduct. The book discovers falling in love, friendship and standing up for what is right and I would recommend it to lovers of YA fiction.

A fun, feisty coming-of-age rom com that ties up in a perfect bow of an ending. Sweet yet substantial, this book tackles relationships with friends, family, parents, and those in power. Worth the read, especially for parents of girls and teen girls.

I’m so mad at myself for sleeping on this book! From chapter 1 I was laughing and plotting along with Doe and her merry band of pranksters!

Set during Doe’s senior year Weston, an all girls boarding school, where tradition reigns supreme—especially the tradition involving the decades long prank war between Weston Girls and Winfield Boys—Doe finds herself fighting battles on all sides. But she misses the mark when her schemes unravel and the enemy she most urgently needs to deal with is herself.

Doe is at once arguably obtuse and carefully tuned in. She has major tunnel vision and uses her agenda as an excuse to bulldoze anyone and anything in her way. Wells, a Winfield boy and cousin of Doe’s archenemy, hatch a plan that will be mutually beneficial, but as the plot thickens and a simple fake dating scheme starts feeling all too real, Doe’s house of cards crashed spectacularly.

What I loved most about This May End Badly is how positively flawed Doe is, even though she believes wholeheartedly she’s campaigning on a wind of righteousness. I also enjoy that she has space in the narrative to atone for her mistakes and mishaps. She hurts those closest to her, acknowledges the harm done, and sets on a course to make amends.

I read a couple of other reviews that make mention of the predatory behavior of one of the teachers in this book, and I’m inclined to agree mostly. It does feel like a bit of a plot device and the grooming/SA of young people is not to be taken lightly at all.

read this back I March, just never submitted my review!

Thank you to Netgalley for my early copy!

I really enjoyed this one!! If you like boarding school settings, prank wars, fake to real dating and falling for the enemy then you’ll adore this book.

I enjoyed that this felt a bit more on the older side of YA, as the characters we follow are all seniors, so they’re transitioning to looking for college, deciding the track they want to go on, etc while still loving the school they attend.

For decades, the all girls school and all boys school across the street from each other have been at (prank) war and it has been decided that they are merging. Doe, our main character, is not happy with this and wants to fight against it, also fighting against her mortal enemy Three (from the boys’ school) at the same time. She and Three’s cousin, Wells, team up to get to Three and get caught up in actually falling for each other during their shenanigans.

I really liked the chemistry between Wells and Doe, it felt somewhat of a mature relationship for seventeen year olds and I really liked that aspect. I also enjoyed that the topics of sexuality and safe sex were sprinkled through the novel and tackled pretty well. I loved that there was a lot of representation of the LGBTQ+ community and talking about making sure the school is safe for everyone.

Love this trope! Pranks and hijinks while enemies turn to lovers. It's going to be a hit in my library for sure! Can't wait to book talk it.

Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

I was very excited going into this, but it fell a little short for me. It's a fine read and there are parts that makes you laugh; however, it was too much going on in one book for me. I also didn't really connect with the characters and wasn't a fan of the teacher's subplot in this book.

While I had a harder time getting into this book, I can appreciate the sweet moments between the love interests and how many elements the author tried to incorporate to make it feel inclusive.

3/5 stars

I had a lot of fun reading this book!

The concept of the boarding school was super fun and the development of the romance and Doe’s development was predictable but it was done in a way that was still enjoyable and didn’t have me rolling my eyes.

My biggest issue with the novel was that the plotline regarding the teacher felt a little bit like a throwaway plotline and wasn’t really peppered in the book and built up as well as I thought it should be considering that it becomes such a pivotal role in toward the end. Definitely felt like it was added a little later in the book to help bring the characters together and have a reason to work together.

Overall, it was a super fun to read!

Huge thanks to Wednesday Books and NetGalley for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. I sorry I'm so late with it.

Cute fake-dating/enemy to love trope, the prank wars were the star of the show and I wish there were more. I'm not sure the ending fit with the overall theme of the story but I didn't hate it. I can definitely see this being a teenage tv show though! It was a fun time overall.

4.5 stars.

I love a good private school trope. This one was so much fun. A good rivalry, a fun atmosphere, an entertaining protagonist.

There were some things that kept this from being a 5-star read, but it was overall quick and entertaining with a fake dating scenario that I enjoyed. The storyline addition of the inappropriate teacher could have been better developed and I could have done with more backstory on Doe earlier in the text, but I still didn't want to put this book down and just had a good time with it.

Doe and Wells's relationship reminded me a little of the Rory/Jess dynamic from Gilmore Girls and I was a total sucker for it. Their interactions were often hilarious and witty. I loved the banter and found myself often on the verge of literally laughing out loud. I'm fairly certain I had a goofy smile on my face for the majority of my read.

Samantha Markum has a fantastic way with words and I loved the little world she created here. I will definitely be back for more from her.

This was such a fun read! I loved the prank wars and how Doe struggled with her choices and emotions. The pacing was on point and the characters interesting and well developed. Great book!

THIS MAY END BADLY
By Samantha Markum

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 really enjoyed this read! We have the fake dating trope and enemies to lovers. We have a girl's boarding school versus a boy's boarding school and the drama that results. Our main character, Doe, loves to pull pranks on the boy’s boarding school, but she might have gone too far this time and she has to be careful. We see Doe realize that her time in high school and her boarding school is coming to an end so what are her plans because she cannot stay in school forever. I gave this book 4 stars because I enjoyed this read and found it entertaining, but did not think it was perfect. I think that high schoolers and people in their early 20s will appreciate this read the most.

school at war? hate to love? side characters with depth? if you want any of those things pick up this book. Now I did get this book from Netgalley for an honest review. but I got the audiobook so I listen to this book and I will say I enjoy the audiobook. Now I will say with the main character having the same name as me threw me off thankfully most of the time she called by a nickname. but we have a boy against girl war between two school and people coming together and standing up for something. over all I really did like this book not a new fave but still a really good read.

I found this book to be really funny and I love the authors sense of humor. The plot was fun and the pace was steady. I, at times, struggled to connect to some of the secondary characters in the cast but overall really liked the book!

When the private boarding schools of Weston (a boys school) and Winfield (a girls school) consider consolidating, the students are aghast and will go to great lengths to thwart the merger.

Doe is the ringleader at the girls school and even agrees to fake-date one of the Weston boys for access to information. There is no shortage of tropes in the book, and readers should be aware of some content: one male teacher preys on female students, and the possible threat from him is a recurring theme.

While recognizing I'm not the target audience, I still had to consider reasons why the book fell flat, as it could inform others as to whether or not it would be a good fit for them. For one, my nature is not one to play huge pranks or hold grudges against others, particularly for the sake of tradition alone. And I found the fixation on the rivalry as well as the difficulty accepting the merger to be extended beyond my tolerance.

(I received a digital ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.)

I LOVE this book! At first I struggle to connect with Doe, but she really sneaks up on you, and I quickly grew attached. I really enjoyed the slight twist on enemies to lovers, as Wells wasn't the true enemy in this book. Also, Doe and Three shifting from bitter rivals to grudging respect was super well done, and struck as a very true teen relationship.

This May End Badly, by Samantha Markum is a YA contemporary romance about Doe, a high school senior who goes to The Weston School, an elite private academy for girls. Weston girls also happen to be in a generations-long prank war with the students of the neighboring school, the Winfield boys. When it’s announced that Weston and Winfield are going to be merged, the feud becomes much more chaotic than ever before, and Doe is intent on stopping the merger by winning the prank war, after all these years.

Three is at the top of Winfield, and is Doe’s nemesis. She will do anything to stop him and to win, so when she comes up with the plan to fake date his cousin, Wells, she dives in without a second thought. But things with Wells get more complicated, and Doe ends up in a messy web of lies while trying to keep up her end of the deal with Wells, and well trying to end the merger.

And, when worse things unfold at the school than just the merger, Doe has to decide what she really is willing to sacrifice for the merger, what might be more important than preserving the legacy of the Weston girls, and what she is willing to do and to fight for.

This May End Badly is a fast paced and entertaining book, with complex and diverse characters, and a plot full of countless twists and turns.

Doe is the main character: she is a lovable, flawed, complex, and really, really messy person, with a lot of passion and dedication towards being a Weston girl. She attends The Weston School because her mom went there, but also because at her school in her home town, she had a really hard time. Doe really struggled with her parents divorce, and after her parents separated, her classmates found out that Doe’s dad was bisexual, and was dating a man. This had always been just a part of Doe’s life, but she faced a lot of bullying for it, and many students would call her dad slurs. Eventually she had to leave, and that was how she got to Weston. The Weston School had become her home, and had been a safe place for her. She had also thrown herself into the prank war her freshman year, and it had consumed her life from then on.

Doe starts fake dating Wells when she find out about the merger, in an attempt to make Three, her nemesis in the prank war, jealous. The only thing that Wells wants in return is help in getting a precious family heirloom that wrongfully was given to Three.

Both Wells and Three have more depth than you would first imagine when meeting them, and both of their characters end up being fleshed out really well. You learn a lot about their family, and what it really means to be one of the Wellborns; the privilege, wealth and horrors of growing up as a Wellborn cousin. As their stories unfold, and as Doe learns more, it gives her a perspective on the cousins that she never thought about before.

Samantha Markum’s writing so beautifully captures Doe’s spirit and personality, and weaves it to tell the story of This May End Badly in a really great way. Having the book told from Doe’s point of view is such a perfect way for the book to be written; you get the facts of what’s happening, while also getting a lot of Doe’s own thoughts about the events, and what’s happening. I also think that the pacing of the book is really good; there are never dull moments, and the larger plot points and plot twists are spread far enough apart that they aren’t all crowded together, but not so far apart that the reader gets bored.

This May End Badly is a fun and exciting YA contemporary romance, with a perfect balance of serious topics mixed in with hilarious plot. I recommend it to anyone looking for a good YA contemporary romance, and anyone just wanting a fun book!

Oh THIS MAY END BADLY was a wonderful debut! Markum expertly navigates that feeling of tension when high school is ending, and all the complications of relationships (romantic and otherwise!) that are in flux as we face our future. The feud between schools made for a really fun plot device, and seeing how it all played out was so satisfying. I couldn’t put it down!

"You're like...the best person I've ever met."

The first thing I need to say is, I need a boy like Wells in my life. I have like a zillion book crushes, but he definitely tops the list now. Doe is an avid student of the Weston School for girls. After all that she has been through with her parents' divorce, this school helped her redeem herself right from her freshman days. Now that she's a senior, she's ready to live up her final days to the extent, until she learns that starting next year, Weston will be merging with Winfield Academy, aka the school for boys down the street that the girls from Weston have had a rivalry with for years. Doe absolutely despises Three, a boy from Winfield, and has spent her entire high school career pulling pranks on him and his boys, with him doing the same to her and the rest of Weston. Doe decides to step up her game, and to really get back at Three, she pretend-dates his cousin Wells to throw him off entirely. But, what happens when Doe starts to catch real feelings for Wells? Should she give up her goals of pranks and revenge for this boy? Even worse, Doe and the other girls learn about a teacher at Weston targeting younger girls in unprofessional ways. This situation really gave the book a huge twist, because the truth about sexual misconduct when it comes to teachers and students in schools were all touched upon, which are situations that still happen till this day. Students are still afraid to speak up when things like this happen, because it has been proven time and time again that the teachers will always have the upper hand. The way Doe and the girls team up with the boys of Winfield to get the teacher fired is an inspiration that must be recognized by society today, to teach students that their voices must always be heard. THIS BOOK MUST BE READ. Also, is it weird that I'm writing this review this late at night? Eh whatever. IT'S A GOOD BOOK SO IT'S WORTH IT.

Thank you to Wednesday Books for this advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I was not expecting This May End Badly. I'm not sure what I originally thought about this book when I requested it, but I ended up being pleasantly surprised. This book is FUN.

It's coming of age, with school rivalries, a prank war, fake dating, found family, mental health rep + awareness, fight the patriarchy and more.

Also A+ for all the Midwestern rep in this!