This May End Badly is such a fun young adult novel. There is a prank war, a fake relationship, strong friendships, and some major character growth along the way. I honestly devoured this book. It was absolutely hilarious and kept me on my toes as everything came together.

The prank war has been going on for years between two historic prep schools: Weston and Winfield. Weston is an all girls school; Winfield is an all boys school; and when it announced that the two schools will be merging the following year, it is not received very well. Especially in the case of the main character, Doe who feels that Weston is her safe haven. Determined to not let this happen, she tries to escalate the prank war to prove that the two will not work well together. These pranks are hilarious; and also involve some much banter between the characters.

It is the banter that brings forth the fake dating troupe between Doe and Wells. Wells is the cousin of Three, who is the head of the Winfield pranks. Three and Doe cannot stand each other; and Wells suggests that he and Doe start fake dating each other to get under Three's skin. He also has an ulterior motive involving a family heirloom. Wells and Doe are so good together. I loved watching their dynamic change. It does get a little bit messy and it all so good!

Something else that gets a bit messy is the friendships within this story. There is a core group of girls that Doe has been friends with for so long. They are her co-conspirators for the pranks and are also some of the realistic people in her life. They are not afraid to tell her like it is, especially when things are getting way too complicated. This dynamic felt so realistic and I loved how it pushed forth character growth in Doe as she determines what is truly important to her.

There was one thing that pulled me out the story. It involves the sub-plot of the creepy teacher who is lurking around the school. Although it does pull the characters together with a common goal, it also just felt so cringeworthy. Perhaps that was author Samantha Markum's plan? If so, well done. There was just something about it that didn't fully vibe for me. It may have been a necessary plot point to bring everything together but, I just feel like it could have been handled in a way that didn't break up the story.

Doe wasn't always an easy character to follow but her intentions are usually pure. She just had a tendency to get in over her head. This May End Badly gives the character of Doe alot of room to grow. The boarding school location is also perfect for character growth and the hilarious prank war. There was just so much good in this book and that makes for a wonderful debut novel. I look forward to seeing what the author comes up with next.

This was an enjoyable read, although I will say that at this stage of my life, the premise of a prank war doesn't super appeal to me, though ultimately this book is not for me, and that's okay! I can see a teen loving this. I do think the book struggled a bit in terms of having a few too many balls in the air plot-wise; sometimes less is more, and I think some things could have been trimmed here. Good banter and great characters made up for this, though.

Thanks so much to the publisher for an arc!

This was definitely not the book for me. There was far too much going on in the beginning. Too many characters, too many sub plots. I'm honestly not even sure what was going on. I didn't like the MC. She was far too unrealistic and just a complete hot headed, drama riddled teen who seriously needed to sort out her priorities. She may work better for someone in this age bracket, but I found her incredibly unrealistic, even for a teenager.

I hate the bad teacher subplot and the way it was handled. As this is a book geared for teens, I feel like there should have been more of a push for the girls to talk to responsible adults in their lives to get him taken care of rather than dealing with things on their own. Plus just the way the whole school talked about him from the beginning but no one ever went to an adult about it? No thanks.

I DID NOT EXPECT TO LOVE THIS ONE AS MUCH AS I DID!

First of all, I loved the plot. We need more boarding school YAs like this! The pranks and rivalry between the two schools made this book so fun!!


I know some people might find the main character, Doe, annoying. Honestly, I understand. But the more I tried putting myself in her shoes, the more I realized I would’ve acted the exact same/would’ve wanted the same things as her back when I was 17/18, so that realization just made me love the story and her even more!!!


THE ROMANCE!!!!! AHHH IT WAS SO DAMN CUTE. The banter between Doe and Wells was entertaining from beginning to end, I loved their slow development from dislike to friends to liking each other! Honestly, with a book like this you would expect her to have a romance with Three, who was her main big rival, but I think this was the best of twists since that’s such a common trope. I absolutely loved Doe and Wells together.


Lastly, although the romance was a highlight for me, I think it’s important to point out that this book was about more than that. It was about sisterhood and friendships and I absolutely loved reading about Doe books and her group of friends, as well as how the entire school came together along with the boy’s school at the end when it mattered most.

After reading Better Than the Movies by Lynn Painter last month I’ve been in the biggest YA contemporary binge, but I haven’t found a book I loved as much as that one. I’m still thinking about it even a month later! But omg, I found it! I’m 100% sure I’m gonna be thinking about this book for a while, and it’s a new favorite YA for sure! I’m excited to read more by the author!

Like any prep schools for girls placed across the street from a school of boys, Weston and Winfield have always been at war. So when the announcement comes that the schools will be merging, Doe is determined to show their headmasters that these students will never mix. To raise tensions, Doe approaches the cousin of her greatest rival, Three, and strikes a bargain - they fake date to get under Three’s skin, and Doe will help Wells get back a rightful family heirloom. What could go wrong?

I enjoyed this book a lot more than I expected after the beginning felt slow! I love the fake dating trope so much, and enjoyed the flirting that took place between Doe and Wells throughout.

This also had a deeper subplot, which involved a teacher who was well known to be inappropriate towards his students, the Weston Girls. The girls are all very aware to not be alone with him in private situations. It was shocking to read, and the storyline was incredibly important for young readers to experience. If any teacher is know to not keep their hands to themselves, they must be removed from their position and charged!! This was an u expected part of the book for me, and I was really impressed with the handling of this sensitive topic, which may be triggering for some readers.

Overall, Doe and Wells have great banter, and I loved reading about the rivalry and prank war. The last third of the book flew by and I wish there was more.

Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for an ARC of This May End Badly by Samantha Markum in exchange for an honest review.

CW: sexual harassment, adult/minor relationship, pedophilia, biphobia, bullying, unhealthy relationships

We're following high school senior, Doe, and her group of friends as they receive the devastating news that their all-girls boarding school, Weston, will be merging with their long-time rival, Winfield, the all-boys boarding school across the road. An all out prank war breaks out, and Doe ends up fake-dating one of her arch-nemesis' cousins just to watch him squirm. Surprise, the boys aren't as bad as they were made out to be, and the entire student body rallies together in the end to bring justice and integrity back to their school.

This was an enjoyable read. It's not my favorite YA of all time, but I recognize that I am not the target audience for this book. I had a hard time getting into it in the beginning because I found Doe and her posse to be quite immature. Several characters actually critique Doe about her immaturity in the latter half of the book, and I was pleasantly surprised with how she integrated this feedback and was able to pivot her actions into a satisfying character arc.

The final scenes where Doe is able to orchestrate justice for her classmates who were sexually harassed by their teacher actually bumped this book up an entire star rating for me. I was impressed with the way that Doe utilized her inherent strengths of organization, stealth, and expressiveness to fight for what's right and secure a legacy of safety for her future peers.

Overall, this was fun. I do like a fake-dating premise, and I LOVE books set at boarding schools, so if you love either of those things, this book would be right up your alley.

This is a wonderful book about a group of school girls who are trying to “out prank” the boys school across the road. Through all the hijinks, friendships are tested and formed. The story shows how you need to look deeper and not judge people by face value.

This was so fun!! I loved this. It had an adorable romance, the fake dating trope, badass girls, and a prank war between two rival schools. This was a fast and super fun read and I would totally recommend it to anyone looking for something sweet and snarky. 10/10

3.5/5

** I received this as an E-ARC from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review, Thank you!**

I had a really good time reading this book. I thought the romance was cute and I liked the fake dating trope used. I also like the whole school rivals thing we had going on here. I also really enjoyed the way the students came together for justice. That all being said I do feel like there was something missing. I'm sure this has to do with the fact that I'm not the intended target for this book as a grown woman. I just wanted a little but more chemistry between the two main characters. I would've liked them to be more emotionally invested. I felt like they knew very little about each other so it felt a little insta love here. Overall I had a great time and would recommend this book

such a light-hearted read! A prank war between two rival schools? What more can you ask for? Definitely recommend for anyone looking for a quick and fun book <3

Thanks NetGalley for this ARC. This was such a cute read! I havent read anything set in a high school in a while so it was fun to go back.

I adored this book. It pulled me out of a 5 month reading slump! It deals with heavy topics but in a great way. If you love new takes on fake dating and enemies to lovers, this is the book!

This was a cite book book with the fake relationship turned real feelings trope, but sprinkled with some heavy content that may trigger some people. I thought it was a great book with just enough of the light hearted vs. The heavy content and I really enjoyed seeing Doe's story unfold.

2.5 ⭐️

Thank you to the publisher for the gifted eARC, all thoughts are my own.

I was excited to read this one because I love enemies to lovers and fake dating. Also the school rivals and the prank wars sounded so fun!
Sadly this one hit the mark for me.

Let’s start with our MC Doe, annoying and completely selfish. Very much a self centered, privileged white girl. I was over her immediately. It took way too long for her to see how harmful her way of thinking was.

I also didn’t like the plot about the teacher. I don’t understand why it was necessary and even worse I don’t get why the girls never told anyone. It doesn’t make sense to me at all. I believe this could set a poor example for young teens .

Overall this book was just okay to me.

This was a wonderful YA read. Two private schools in a prank war for years, Doe is intent on winning for the girls. She begins fake dating Wells from the boys school to up the ante. Shenanigans ensue. It was well done and a fun read. I felt there were too many characters to keep track of at times, but overall it was a fun read.

If you enjoy a story set in a private school, fake dating tropes, and YA novels this one is for you!

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC!

This book surprised me in the best way! A fake dating, boarding school book with endless pranks and ending on a high note fighting for something that truly matters. I definitely felt it naive that Doe thought she could actually reverse the school merger at the beginning but her arc going through challenges with relationships as she was singularly focused played out well and was engaging the entire way through.

The fake dating trope truly turns me into a grinning mess and my cheeks now literally hurt from binging this book, lol.

THIS MAY END BADLY had me in a chokehold. I had an exam at 9AM but I stayed up until 2AM to finish this amazing debut. It's so much fun, even with the serious themes woven in. I loved everything this book explored, from friendship to the girls vs boys thing to senior year of high school to... disgusting teachers and how schools try to cover up for them. It was all just done very well.

Doe is an amazing and passionate main character, despite and because of her flaws. Her character growth was so nice to see, too! She cares really deeply and I just wanna give her a hug at this point. My favourite thing about this book, though, was the romance...

A few days have passed and I'm still thinking about Doe and Wells. Their relationship was... so good, and I say this as a full on lesbian who is not easily satisfied with a male love interest, but Wells is amazing. I LOVED their banter so much!!

I'm actually really surprised by how much I loved this book. There were a few things that didn't make me enjoy it like a five-star read, but I'm still gonna be thinking about this one a lot. I need more fake dating books now lmao!!

This was such a fun book! I loved the rivalry between the two schools, and the romance between Doe and Wells. It has the perfect balance between humor and more serious topics, but overall this is a light, fun read.

Dorothy (Doe) and her gang are determined to carry out the legacy of their school, including the rivalry between their school and the all boys school next door. When a merger between the school threatens that, they are determined to break it, especially given that Doe will have to deal with her arch-enemy Three. When the opportunity comes up to annoy Three, Doe runs head first towards it.

Wells is one of Three’s 7 cousins and he definitely does not get along with Three. Seeing this restrained relationship, Doe proposes fake dating to get on Three’s nerves, but Wells also wants something from Doe.

It was a pretty cute book. Doe with a bit annoying with her tunnel vision on legacy and stuff but it think she worked it out good towards the end. There is nothing I would change with Wells though. He was swoon-worthy. They story was also pretty fast paced but I did think it dragged out towards the end. Also it seemed like the book couldn’t pick a struggle (aka plot line) and stick with it. It had way too much going on and honestly it could have ended 50 pages earlier than it actually did.

Overall, I would definitely recommend this book to anyone that likes YA romances, since it had all the components of a cheesy, rom-com.

4/5 ⭐️ to This May End Badly by Samantha Markum. Thank you to Wednesday Books for an egalley to review! This follows high school senior, Doe, and the long-time rivalry between her all-girls school Weston Academy, and the all-boys school across the road. It kicks off with a hilarious first day of school prank and we get to know Doe and her friends' group. Soon Doe feels her world turning upside down and the prank war with the boys escalates after it's announced the two schools will merge next year. Making things more intense and adding to the drama is a personal rivalry Doe has with a boy at the other school who is from a very prominent family. As part of her "revenge" on him, she starts to fake date his cousin...and we all know how that ends up! I think this is a fabulous debut full of life, teen drama, rivalry, and crushes. Doe is messy and relatable with a good heart, and I like how she was not only allowed to make mistakes (and some hurtful ones at that), but she makes things right in the end and it is balanced with her passion for her school, her love for her family, and her loyalty to her friends. Speaking of, the author did include diversity in our secondary cast of characters including LGBTQ+ rep and having POC characters in the two main friends' groups (Doe's and the LI's). Please read own-voices POC reviews in terms of that specific representation. I liked how the queer representation was expanded with conversations around improving on how to intentionally include trans & non-binary students in what is an all-girls or all-boys school. What really made this book fun was both the prank war itself but also the fake dating! I loved watching them create their fake dating plan, make everyone around them believe they are actually dating, getting to know each other, and then slowly but surely falling for each other. It was adorable and angsty as many fake dating relationships are. Finally, I wanted to speak on an element that was included a) to bring awareness to the issue and b) is used as a plot device to finally have the two student bodies work together. Now, this comes with a trigger warning for SA, particularly in a student-teacher relationship. I think that it is important to recognize that this happens, and the fact that too often these instances are covered up by administration (they never should be) but I don't know if it should have been used as a plot device. I'm glad it resulted in the two student bodies working together towards something good and preparing them to merge into one school, but I question the use of that storyline specifically. Take this questioning coming from someone who hasn't experienced anything like this, and please read other reviews if you're unsure. This book is out now, and I would recommend checking it out! Looking forward to what Markum writes next!