Let me say that YA romance isn't my normal go-to genre, but this debut novel by Samantha Markum was super cute! The rival schools, pranks, fake dating, and a few surprises thrown in made this book very enjoyable. I might have to read a few more YA romance to see if it's my new guilty pleasure. I look forward to Ms. Markum next book!
Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for a digital arc of this title.

Thank You to the author, publisher and NetGalley for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 Stars

The May End Badly is a YA Contemporary.

Entertaining Prank Battle ✔️
Fake Dating ✔️
Enemies to Lovers ✔️
Swoon worthy MC ✔️
Great Friendships ✔️

Prank war between the Westin School for Girls and the Boys at Winfield Academy has lasted for a century. Doe is determined to win this battle once and for all. However, her plan hits a snag when she finds out that the two school are to merge.

To get Doe’s nemesis, Three, off his game. Doe and his cousin Wells made a plan to Fake Date each other. As the pranks get more intense, so does their relationship. I enjoyed their relationship, going from “enemies” to friends to lovers.

Overall, I enjoyed the story. It was fun, but also had some deeper moments and more under the surface.

This May End Badly by Samantha Markum is currently scheduled for release on April 12 2022. Pranking mastermind Doe and her motley band of Weston girls are determined to win the century-long war against Winfield Academy before the clock ticks down on their senior year. But when their headmistress announces that The Weston School will merge with its rival the following year, their longtime feud spirals into chaos. To protect the school that has been her safe haven since her parents’ divorce, Doe puts together a plan to prove once and for all that Winfield boys and Weston girls just don’t mix, starting with a direct hit at Three, Winfield’s boy king and her nemesis. In a desperate move to win, Doe strikes a bargain with Three’s cousin, Wells: If he fake dates her to get under Three’s skin, she’ll help him get back his rightful family heirloom from Three. As the pranks escalate, so do her feelings for her fake boyfriend, and Doe spins lie after lie to keep up her end of the deal. But when a teacher long suspected of inappropriate behavior messes with a younger Weston girl, Doe has to decide what’s more important: winning a rivalry, or joining forces to protect something far more critical than a prank war legacy. This May End Badly is a story about friendship, falling in love, and crossing pretty much every line presented to you—and how to atone when you do.

This May End Badly is an emotional read that covers much more than I expected. I was expecting a lighter read, but quickly found myself engaged in the story and worried about how everything would play out. Doe is not always an easy character to like, but at the same time her struggles to deal with her anger and figure out exactly who she is and what she wants is very understandable. I liked that all characters have their own things going on, even when Doe doesn't notice, because that is how life goes so it made everything more realistic. The amount of things happening and the layers to the story felt like it was almost too much in the moment, but when it all come together it was exactly like what could really happen. I had almost forgotten how vivid and intense everything is when you are a teen, and this was a good reminder as I now have two in my house. I really enjoyed the focus on friendship and how important honesty (especially with yourself) is is the book. The book very much makes the point about sticking to convictions but considering other points of view or options as situations and ideas when you become aware of them. This is not an easy read, while there are definitely some very fun moments. It is emotional and took me on the roller-coaster ride with all the feels and failures Doe suffered and the epiphanies and successes she fought for. I think this is a great read for young adults and older.

This May End Badly is an emotional and engaging read.

Huge thanks to Wednesday Books @wednesdaybooks and @macmillanusa for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This story follows female MC, Doe, as she and her crew of girls from Weston all-girls school continue a century long prank battle with the all-boys Winfield Academy. After school begins, Doe finds out that her precious Weston School will merging with Winfield Academy. Temper flairs, outrage ensues and the story goes from there.

This book reads just like a CW TV show. The story, characters and the over arching plot could easily be slotted for a tv series. Overall, I was in a place where I needed an easy, fun read and this hit the spot. I enjoyed the coming-of-age arc in this because we can see a clear change in the main character by the end of story. The romance was decent, however, I found the main love interest too passive. The plot was good for the most part but I did find it messy at some points because there was so much going on. Then at the end, there is an event that felt like a filler, and in my opinion, it didn't fit into the overarching plot of the book. However, it didn't take away from the overall story.

Overall, I gave this book a 3.75 stars. If you need a quick school based read, this is good. However, I won't be reading it again because I didn't find anything groundbreaking about it.

This was a fun and heartfelt book that had some of my FAVORITE features - a prank war, a boarding school, fake dating?? Give me all of it, please!!

Doe and Wells had such a cute and comfortable relationship - you love to see it! While I liked the book for their chemistry, I loved the book for Doe's journey. I saw a lot of myself in her - her tunnel vision, her avoidance, and her resistance to change. It was great to see Doe channel her love for her school in a positive way in the end.

What would have really bumped this up a star for me would have been a bigger focus on the Tully storyline. I assumed it would have been a bigger piece of the book, but it felt like more of an afterthought by the end, and at that point we didn't need a sexual predator as a plot device.

Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for the review copy!

I really enjoyed this!! This was a great YA Contemporary Romance with some fun prank wars between rival schools, a fake dating romance that was just so sweet, an awesome friend group, and some pretty serious themes that were tackled. This story had some fun banter and a lot of character growth. I will say our heroine, Doe, was pretty immature at times and her decisions drove me crazy, but that was part of her character arc so I get it...

Overall, a very fun YA contemporary romance that was a fast read and very enjoyable!

TW: sexual harassment

This May End Badly by Samantha Markum is a young adult novel set in a historic prep school. In short, the female students eventually band together with the male students of the opposing school to expose this teacher's evil doings. There is some great, witty banter, including moments that had me in stitches. I even loved the parents. They were funny and helpful, which was so nice to see. I loved the humor in this novel and can't wait to read more from the author.

Ok I loved this!!

Rival boys and girls high school academies, fake dating the hot one, pranks, college applications, nasty perv teachers, so much in this book!

I loved the romance! Wells the cousin to the biggest prankster at the boys school and Doe the leader of the girls crew, decide to get under his cousin's skin by fake dating. But at some point Wells was no longer faking and Doe just assumed he was always off limits or just out of her league. Omg they were just so cute even though it was open for miscommunication and hurt cause assumptions. But that's the fun in navigating young love. They eventually got on the same page and she learned so much about herself which included that the rivalry wasn't the most important thing the safety of the girls and inclusivity on campus was.
There were some twists with the friend crew that I didn't see coming and Doe had a lot of issues to work through but very much enjoyed

So much to think about in this book! 

Thank you stmartinspress and netgalley for the e-ARC for my honest and voluntary review.

This one gets 4.5 stars because I really liked it in the end, but it took a few chapters to warm up to Doe.
Doe is obsessed with beating the guys that attend the all-boys school across the street from her all-girls school. To the point of being worrisome. She's willing to do almost anything to one-up a particular boy, Three, Winfield’s boy-king. So when the schools announce that they'll be merging in a year, it makes perfect sense for Doe to make a deal with Three's very attractive cousin, Wells, to pretend to date in order to get under Three's skin and undermine his family's plan to merge the schools. Thus begins a series of lies she tells everyone around her, including herself, that will force her to face what it is she truly cherishes about Weston and what she wants with her life.
It took me a while to warm up to Doe because I could not understand her crazy obsession with defeating the boys of Winfield and Three, but I started to get where she was coming from as things were revealed. It actually pulled me in and made for a very interesting read that touches on family, legacies, and figuring out what you stand up for.
It's a slow-start read that burns bright once the story really gets going.

Happy thanks to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for the early read!

"This May End Badly", by Samantha Markum, centers around two private schools: the Weston girls only school, and Winfield's boys only school. In this YA book, the students at these schools have had a long-standing prank war, and this year is no exception. Doe is in her senior year and is trying to figure out her future, as well as protesting against a possible Weston-Winfield merger. However, she is not protesting by herself: Winfield's own Wells has devised a plan that would include them "fake dating" in order to get back at her nemesis. Hijinks ensue and Doe has to take a close, hard look at herself.

I appreciated the serious themes that this YA book did not shy away from: restoring relationships, standing for equal rights, and fighting against sexual harassment. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

Thank you to the publisher for an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts are my own.

This May End Badly is a YA book with so many great components. A boarding school prank war, great female friendships, and fake dating! Doe is a strong-willed character, and while some of her decisions were a bit frustrating, I was still rooting for her throughout the course of the book. Her love interest Wells is such a cutie, and the two of them had great chemistry together. Overall, this was a fun book, although I would advise checking the content warnings before beginning as the ending takes on a heavier tone, with a plotline involving a male faculty member harassing young, female students.

CW: Sexual Harassment, Sexual Assault, Adult/Minor

📖 Book Review 📖

#thismayendbadly
#samanthamarkum
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#NetGalley (publishing date 4/12/2022)
#stmartinspress
#wednesdaybooks
#yaromance

⭐⭐⭐⭐💫 (rounding up for ratings)

Very fun #fakedating trope. I love a good fake dating trope. This one didn't have the stupid long term misunderstanding in it. Thankfully! I hate those. It's a very light read. I'm not sure why I didn't give 5 full ⭐s. I guess it was just not quite perfect.

This book has a private girls school across the street from a #rival private boy's school. They play pranks on each other. The book is told from the pov of the high school senior girl who is the brains for most of the pranks for their side. Thanks to these pranks, she has found her best friends. Will they all stay best friends throughout (and past) their senior year? It's a fun look back into hs for this old lady. 😊

#ya
#bookstagram #booknerds #bookworm #booklover #bookdragon #readalot #ilovereading #inkdrinker #librarymouse #bookaddict #bookaholic #bookrecommendation #bookreview #booknerdigan #bookish #gottareadthisbook #books #readalot #ilovereading

It’s an entertaining, easy read.

The story follows Doe the prank master general of her all-girls boarding school and her ongoing rivalry with Three, the head of the rival all-boys school.

I would like to start out by saying Three is such an odd nickname, and it honestly had me thinking of Code Name Kids Nextdoor. That being said Three and Doe had this sort of chemistry/sexual tension that honestly had me feeling like this could have been a great enemies/rivals to lovers story. But alas it was not meant to be. Don't get me wrong, I liked Wells and Doe together. It just sometimes felt like Three and Doe were a missed opportunity.

Romance aside, this book was also about friendship and finding your place in the world. It was about standing up for what's right and demanding nothing less. And while it isn't all that original in its conception, I still found it entertaining enough to keep going. The ending was pretty funny, to be honest. The rivalry lives on!

Am I giving a debut young adult novel five stars?? Why, yes I am! As I sit here writing a review for This May End Badly, I can’t think of anything I didn’t like, so in my opinion, it whole-heartedly deserves five stars from me.

I recently finished Kit Frick’s latest release Very Bad People, another YA novel set at a boarding school but with a much darker and serious tone, and I thoroughly enjoyed the academic setting—the friendships, the secret rendezvous, the coming-of-age-ness of it all. Which made me even more excited to revisit the genre in This May End Badly.

As the book opens, we meet this motley group of Weston friends, spear-headed by Dorothy, or Doe to her friends, and I instantly liked Doe’s charm, her fighting spirit, and especially her loyalty to those friends. It’s their senior year, and from the start the reader understands the bond these five friends have forged for the past few years. A bond made even stronger by their detest for the neighboring boys’ school and the prank wars they carry out against each other. For the most part, the pranks are fun and quite ingenious. I was very impressed by the commitment to detail by these two foes!

On the surface it may seem like Doe is a bit obsessed with this war. Too obsessed. But as her backstory is revealed, my appreciation for the character grew. She’s far from perfect, makes many mistakes in judgement, but it’s these imperfections that makes her character so real for me. I adored her charm, her bravery, AND her short-comings.

Markum has woven in several relevant issues, but they always felt organic to the story. They served the plot, enhanced the character growth, and shed light on a different perspective.

Now, let’s talk about the romance! We get one of my favorite tropes, the fake-dating trope. I so enjoyed watching Doe fight all her feelings about “dating” a Winfield boy. And oh, how I adored Wells. While Markum gave us Three to love-to-hate, Wells is his opposite. He’s a teddy bear, kind and subtle. And he has his own compelling backstory, as well. I enjoyed how Markum rounded out all the characters with small tidbits about their pasts. No need to give lengthy explanations, she did it beautifully with a few sentences, proving less is more.

While this is a YA book, it has heart and depth, in just the right amounts. And so much fun. I didn’t want it to end, and when I finished the book, I immediately reread the first chapter, wanting to re-experience the opening knowing all the characters as well as I now did. I would love for the author to make this book a series, either following Doe’s story after graduating or even with all new characters attending Weston the following year. It would also make a perfect adaptation, especially a tv series. But one thing’s for sure, I will be picking up the next book by Samantha Markum!

High school prank wars and an epic friend group make this an entertaining read. I love the idea of a rivalry between the girls and boys school and the long standing prank wars from years past going strong. The story touched on some heavier topics and although as an adult I wish the characters made different choices at times the author did a wonderful job of telling a believable story of some very touchy topics in a way that the reader can relate to and engage with. Overall I'd recommend this book and look forward to more from this author.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC!

This YA rom com is heavy on the shenanigans and a good fun time. It was a quick read and a unique story.

I thoroughly enjoyed the hero and heroine and liked that the author gave them some complex emotional and relationship issues to sort out as the book progressed. I saw real character development from them.

That being said, other parts of the book fell flat because there was a bit too much going on. The secondary characters, especially Doe’s friends, were hardly developed and the scenes where we were meant to get to know them better felt a bit forced. Condensing the elements of these friends into a smaller number, perhaps 2 characters instead of 4, would have allowed for more natural development and presence for them in the story. The same goes for the boys side- a couple more cousins than we’re necessary, and friends that I felt we hardly saw. Add to this a plot with quite a bit going on, and it felt like too much heft for one standalone book. Overall, all of the elements were good and interesting, but would have been even more enjoyable to read in a tighter story.

I appreciated that this story about teenagers gave them real agency and that the plot led from more immature topics like a school rivalry, to seeing the protagonist learning to use that same energy to advocate for change.

This story felt original and fresh, and despite the extra heft I did still thoroughly enjoy it!

« I’d tell you I love you but then I’d have to kill you » meets « the Disreputable History of Frankie Landau Banks »

I added this book to my TBR the moment I read the description but honestly it’s so much more than I expected. This book almost made me cry, genuine happy tears over the power of female friendship and student activism. Not just because the Weston girls moved past their very rational high school fighting to address the predator on campus but the way they did it. For some reason, it felt really powerful to me that they acknowledged that just because it didn’t happen to everyone and that even though they didn’t have proof in a traditional sense (photos, texts, videos etc) they still went through with it. I got CHILLS when they talked about the way whispers had been spreading for years, how warnings got passed down, how older girls supported the younger girls who were the latest wave to deal with it, how they got testimonials from even girls who graduated, who had to drop out. My hands were shaking as I sped through the pages to see how it turned out. And while I agree with Doe that I don’t need a man to fight my battles boy did I smile a little when I heard Three say announce the walk out until the girls felt safe? Yeah I did. And I thought it was kind of clever the way the author leveraged the gender dynamics and male privilege to draw attention to the issue.

Now, I am not too enamored to avoid mentioning that this book isn’t perfect. Not all similar situations end with all demands being met. But since this is YA and fiction, I’m certainly not going to begrudge a HEA.

Speaking of, while this book does address bigger very relevant and important topics, I would be remiss to review this book and not address the romance element. It does, after all, kick off with a little fake dating. And, I have never really been a fan of the concept of a book boyfriend but in this case, it feels apt. Wells was a little singleminded but you know what, I have a feeling years of childhood trauma will do that to a kid. And who doesn’t love a broody pretty boy who loves bookstores and will read smutty romance novels?! That being said, did I expect a twist where Three was secretly also in love with Doe? Yes. Do I think him and Shawn were a weird pairing and kinda not buy that they have chemistry? 100%. Did I suspect Shawn was hiding a secret boyfriend from their rival school because of how many times she was described being squirrely about her phone? Obviously. But nonetheless, I thought the main romance was cute, if a bit predictable, even though fake dating, while a trope I love, strikes me as one of the least likely to occur in real life (Note that if anyone out there wants to prove me wrong, be my guest).

Thanks to Net Galley for breaking my streak of sleeping at appropriate times. It had been a while since I stayed up way past my bedtime just to finish a book.

Samantha Markum, if you want to write a sequel focusing on a different one of the Weston girls in college, I wouldn’t be mad. (Make Shawn and Three make sense pls. Maybe if I’m given more insight into their perspectives and their relationship from a point of view other than Doe’s I might not find it so weird. Just saying! And if you want to throw in some more prank war scenes, that would be cool too!)

TW: sexual harassement, divorce

I don't really know where to start with this review - so get ready for this to be as unhinged as ever. When I first requested it from NetGalley, I was pretty apprehensive. From reading the blurb, I knew there was a risk of the story being very YA/lower end of YA, but I was actually so so pleasantly surprised.

If you were apprehensive, like me, about the storyline potentially being too YA for your reading tastes - don't be. I ended up reading this book in one sitting, and I smiled 75% of the way through. Don't get me wrong, some of the events are a little juvenile, but I tried my best to look past it, as the characters are 17 and making major mistakes. We've all been there.

I loved the humour in this book - it's so direct, deadpan and sarcastic. I was laughing out loud at some of Doe and Three's quips at each other. For a book that felt pretty short (purely because I flew through it) all of the characters felt very well developed. There were things that I felt could've used some more information - such as Wells' history being explained by Christian, and then Wells never really mentioning it, and I would've loved to have heard a bit more about Gemma's backstory. Without spoiling too much - there's also a ~secret~ relationship that develops, and I have a lot of questions honestly.

Samantha's writing flows beautifully, and although there are some sections of the book I had to skim over - this was purely because of personal preference rather than because of her writing. Per the blurb, Doe obviously tells a lot of lies and things get really convoluted, and I just couldn't read through the big apology scenes.

The plot of this book it predominantly the war between Doe and Three's private boarding schools, which has been going on for centuries, and to give it to them - the pranks were very good. The way the author described them, made them so vivid in my head - it's a great reading experience. So in that sense, this book is very fun - but it does address some hard hitting topics. This is where I tell you that there is a hard hitting plot line about adult/minor SA in this book.

Overall, this is very much a coming of age, gaining your maturity story. Realising when its time to let go, and that love is in the most unexpected but obvious places. I loved the characters and their relationships in this book - the ending is rounded out so well, and prepped very well for a cheeky College themed sequel if Samantha so chooses ;)

I loved this book, and I hope y'all will too. Certain plot points, and character backgrounds are the only reason this book is a 4-star review rather than a 5-star. Don't get me wrong, this has quickly become one of my fave reads - but there's just something that isn't quite there for me compared to my other 5-star ratings.

Thank you for reading my very unplanned, unhinged review, and than you to Wednesday Books, Samantha Markum and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this book so much! It had fake dating, rivals to lovers, small town college life and pranks! It's a YA novel but I think all ages can get something out of this book. It was a quick read for me because I was really into it and very involved in the characters. It's not a very complex story line and I would definitely recommend this book to basically anyone!

I really wish I didn't have to write this review!

Because this book is so satisfying, lovely, perfectly YA, filled with complex characters and complex emotions. It captures this senior in high school essence-the kid, not quite kid of it all. Complicated families and relationships...

It is just really sweet. Doe, the main character, is really imperfect and makes a lot of mistakes. There are long-standing fights between her and her friends in the book, and we get to see an organic and rewarding progression in a YA relationship.

The plot had enough tension that it really kept me reading, I could never wait to get back to this book, and it will be memorable for a long while. At the same time, it was skillfully handled in pacing that it never suffered from too much humor or intensity. It was really a great balance.

And it was a debut?!!?

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the copy, which has not affected my review. (less)