It's young adult, so I don't know exactly what I'm expecting. And maybe it's because I've read so many good YA books as of late that this may be good but just isn't up to par. I found the characters in this book incredibly immature with not much character development from that. It just plateaued and plateaued, and I found myself speed-reading about a third of a way through.

I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher, via NetGalley. This in no way impacted on my view.

As a Weston girl, Doe and her friends have a tradition to fulfil - prank the boys of the Winfield academy across the road, before passing the baton to the next generation of students. Doe's arch nemesis Three, the golden boy at Winfield, has stepped up the stakes, and she might not be ready to take him down. But when there's the chance to make a deal with the devil, she'd be daft not to take it, right? Three's cousin, Wells, asks Doe to help him - pretend to be his girlfriend to get under Three's skin, and help Wells reclaim a family heirloom that was taken from him. Yet the longer the pretending dating goes on, it's more difficult for Doe to remember that it's not real, at least not for Wells - or is it?

I loved this book! It was one of my first 2022 reads, and as soon as I picked it up, I was hooked. From the premise, to the cover, to the characters and plot, everything was perfect. I have always loved the fake dating trope, and try to read as many books which use it, and this was one of the best. It's so witty and clever, full of puns and jokes, but also some really heartfelt moments, that take the reader through a whole boatload of emotions as they read Markum's debut. The characters, none of them, are perfect, and I think that was one of the most refreshing things in the book. All of them acted like real teenagers, going through their lives with changes to school, friendships, feelings for others, etc., and that means it gets messy in places. I may not have immediately loved all of the characters, but as we learnt more about them, and what made them so focused on the rivalry, it was easy to love them, and want the best for them. There's a really tough story line which spans the book, with a creepy teacher, and honestly, the way it was dealt with made this book 5 stars. It exceeded all of my expectations, and I can't wait for more from this author!

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

This book is beautifully bingeable. It is easy to get lost in the characters and the setting. The chemistry between the two leads is perfect. I also thought that the serious subject matter in the novel was handled with sensitivity. There are times when Doe makes some truly cringe-worthy decisions, but I appreciate how teachable she is. She grows so much by the end, but I loved that she just learned to channel her energy into more worthwhile causes.

Disclaimer from me: Young Adult contemporaries are normally hit or miss for me, and I know that this is partly because I am not the intended target audience, of which I am well aware.

That being said, what I liked about the book was Doe’s friend group. Doe herself is actually a terrible friend, as she proves over and over, because she is so self-absorbed and obsessed with the school rivalry (but really, one enemy in particular) that she doesn’t notice important things going on with the others. They call her out on it, but that’s the way Doe is for most of the book.

Wells is also shown to be a multi-faceted character, and so it bothered me even more that Doe felt very single-note for a long while.

This isn’t even an enemies-to-lovers book, which is why her obsession with beating Three is so weird, and it’s not even well-explained why she wants to so badly. There is a reason given, but it doesn’t seem like enough.

Back to the rest of the book, Wells was my favorite character.

A note on something from the synopsis - don’t make it part of the synopsis, if it only becomes a plot point at about 80% into the book. Sure, this teacher was talked about and whispered about and there were rumors, but nothing happens with him until the last several chapters, and that felt like too long to wait since it was IN THE SYNOPSIS.

What starts out as innocent pranks between two boarding schools - Weston, the all girls school and Winfield, the all boys school - ends in the schools preparing to be merged. Doe, who is a Senior at Weston has spent her four years trying to pull the ultimate prank on Winfield and especially on Three, one of the Winfield boys. In order to up the stakes, she befriends his cousin Wells and makes a deal to develop a "fake" relationship. As things get complicated, both with Doe's friends and with her "fake" boyfriend, will she be able to handle it all? As the merger gets closer, can she rely on the boys from Winfield to come to her aid when she takes on the her biggest fight yet with Weston's administration. This book is a great read and you find yourself routing for Doe and Wells as well as the merger between the two boarding schools. Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Absolutely adorable storyline, and loved how Doe developed over the course of the book. Definitely stanned the relationship too :)

I generally really wanted to love this book, but it was just ok for me. The synopsis is what sold the book for me and I was really excited when I received the ARC for the book.

The romance missed the mark for me. The chemistry just wasn’t there for me, which ruined the whole friends to lovers trope for me. The plot wasn’t terrible and it was well written. I think I had a different expectation for the book than what I actually received when reading the book. I think that ruined the book for me. This book has some pretty fun, funny moments which I did enjoy. I did feel in the beginning it was a simple read, but the deeper you got into the book, things seemed to become darker.

This book displayed a lot of personal growth in some characters and growth in friendships. I do think that the right audience will definitely enjoy this.

⚠️Trigger Warnings: Sexual Assault

Thank you NetGalley & St. Martins Press for the ARC.

This may be one of my most favorite books in terms of contemporary, and it is because of the topics discussed in this book. Despite it being about a rivalry between two gender schools, there were more topics talked about that I really enjoyed. Not because it's pretty, but because it was surprising to see this being tackled in a book like this. We see Doe being supper passionate about the rivalry between the two schools, but all of that is heightened whenever the schools announce that there will be a merger between the two schools, with Doe does not agree with. The school was founded on the basis that girls can come to this school to excel in academics and in fields that were mostly dominated by men and to help those girls succeed and become an example of how girls can also academically excel. Having this merger means that the meaning behind the school that they go to will forever change, and Doe is not happy about that. But there is an important aspect that Doe does not consider, and it is about trans/nonbinary students. What happens to them? Does being an all-exclusive gender school leave out those who are trans or nonbinary? I was shocked but was happy that conversations like this are being discussed in books, especially as someone who identifies as she/they. Putting that aside, I really enjoyed the romance building in this book and everything about it. It filled me with so much joy.

A big thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

I tired to like this one, I really did, but in spite of several attempts to read it, I just couldn't get into it.

So sadly this was a DNF for me.

I received this as an ARC in exchange for an honest review. I LOVED this novel. It was so cute. The MC was relatable in her stubbornness and all the side characters were amazing. The plotline wavered a little bit on subjects but the story of people coming together to write a wrong stayed strong throughout. I teared up at the climax a bit because people fighting for what’s right always makes me emotional. The whole enemies-to-lovers with a side of fake dating was just *chefs kiss*. I loved that this had a HEA and I think it’s a perfect holiday read.

Overall a really enjoyable book. Two schools neighbor each other. One a boy's school- Winfield Academy, and the other a girl's school- Weston. They have been rivals since before anyone could remember. And pranks were a constant practice between each other. When word gets out that the two schools are to merge in a year, there are some kids that are not happy about this news. Doe is one of them. As a senior, she has made it her mission to make her pranks bigger and better her final year. When one of the rival boys suggest they fake date (which she knows will make her biggest rival, Three, angry) she is all in. What happens is a lot of drama, a lot of pranks, a lot of frustration and a relationship that slowly grows- which we can clearly see but not all the characters are as keen to that knowledge! Truly enjoyed this one. Very clever characters, and there's a great message of awareness, repentance and atonement for actions, which I appreciated.

The one true downfall of this book...
There are a lot of sexual innuendos and references, so while it's YA, I'd be aware of that before giving it to a younger teen.

Thanks to Netgalley and Wednesday Books for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This grabbed me from the beginning and kept me reading. It was overall very enjoyable if predictable in many ways.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

4 out of 5 stars - If you ask me, I'll tell you to read it

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press, Wednesday Books for this advanced copy. Opinions shared are completely my own.

Summary:
Doe and her friends are determined to win the century-long war against Winfield Academy before they graduate. But when it is announced that The Weston School will merge with Winfield Academy, the pranks take on a new meaning.

Doe needs to prove that the two schools cannot mix, as a way to protect her safe haven for future students. She starts by aiming directly for Three, the king of Winfield and her long-time nemesis. In order to get under his skin, she strikes a deal with his cousin, Wells, for a fake relationship - in return for Doe helping to return a family heirloom to Wells.

In order to stay ahead of the pranks, lies, and her own growing feelings for Wells, Doe does everything she can to keep her world upright. As the year goes on, Doe has to decide what is more important - the school legacy and winning a rivalry or protecting her students from something much more dangerous. When the rumors prove to be true about a teacher with inappropriate intentions, Doe has a choice to make.

Review:
This was a great book with characters who felt extremely real. In the stereotypical review wording - I laughed, I cried! I finished this book in 2 days and stayed up hours past my bedtime to get to the end and see how it all turned out. I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a YA book that will suck them in with great pranks, believable characters, and a love story.

~This May End Badly Review~
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4.5/5
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I love St. Martins Press so I saw this on Netgalley and knew i had to request it! fake dating and prank wars sound like a fun time so i’m super excited!
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Pros:
+i LOVE a good rivalry!!! like there is absolutely nothing better than the tension between two people trying to one up each other. also being petty is so entertaining
+FEMALE FRIENDSHIP. GIRLS SUPPORTING GIRLS. it’s so so so important that girls have a support system and it made me so happy to see that in this book.
+divorced parents rep with one parent being bi
+banter(: some would maybe even call it flirting (it’s funny how she denies it)
+not them both reading the same smutty books i LIVE for that
+casual physical touch (or maybe i’m just touch starved)
+wells<3
+love the amount of safe sex talk!! it shouldn’t be stigmatized
+abiding by the gender binary in any way is exclusionary and i do agree that having all girls and all boys schools are a bit silly. it’s important to bring up topics like this in books and get people thinking.
+juicy juicy plot twist followed by a juicy juicy argument followed by even juicier juicy juicy plot twist
+doe is a flawed protagonist but she grows a lot (she is a bit silly most of the time tho)
+so i just realized that doe reminds me of devi from never have i ever because they both make the worst decisions ever but you still root for them because they’re just trying their best
+i think it’s really important to show how horrible teacher-student relationships can be especially when the teacher is a man. there is just such a big imbalance of power. the portrayal of it was very honest and brutal but im glad that he was taken down in the end. my one wish is that the admin was more supportive but i can see why the author didn’t make it that way.
+AHHHHH I LOVE SUPPORTIVE PARENTS
+i’m actually sobbing cause i’m so happy rn
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Cons:
-introduces too many characters at once so it’s kind of hard to follow at first and it’s hard to distinguish between them
-either the characters feel a little shallow or the pace is too fast i can’t decide but something is just a little off
-maybe it’s just cause i’ve been watching a lot of cult documentaries lately but the idea of “collateral” is toxic
-a bit chaotic tbh and a lot of different things going on
-doe<\3
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Okay, i had my doubts about this book at first, but it really sunk its claws into me and wouldn’t let go. Once i got into it i couldn’t put it down! it made me feel all sorts of emotions and it was honestly so so fun and had so many important messages packed in as well. i definitely can’t wait for more people to read this book and get a deep dive in a flawed but morally good main character!

This YA novel was very entertaining! I loved watching the rivalry between the boy and girls boarding schools evolve over the course of this book. It was a very relatable and relastic novel set with one of my favorite tropes; FAKE DATING!!!! I loved both the main characters as individuals with their quick and hilarious banter, but I loved them as a couple so much more! Their chemistry was undeniable and it was extremely satisfying when they both let their guards down to finally give into their ultimate fate of being together. The pranks were hilarious and I devoured this book and will be excited to see what this author comes out with next time!

A very fun concept with excellent characters. This is absolutely going to be a buy for my school library. I think kids will relate to the characters and the darker plot lines.

Rating: 4 stars

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for an eARC!

Wow! I really enjoyed this book! The characters were very well written especially Doe. For the first 20% of the book, I was a little unsure if I would like her as a heroine as she was very obsessed with the school rivalry. But I realized that that was part of her character arc and she quickly grew on me. She was so witty, chaotic and absolutely hilarious. She honestly had no fear which often lead her to make some really bad decisions. That was the best part of her characterization though because it showed that she was a person with flaws and that she was trying her best to become a better version of herself. That journey of self-discovery has always been my favorite part of YA novels.

Now, the romance. Wells. Oh my gosh! He won me over. They went from enemies to friends and eventually to something more. He saw the good in Doe and supported her no matter what. Whenever they had a scene together, it would instantly put a smile to my face, especially their phone call over Christmas. That was perfection!

The friend group was equally amazing! They had gotten into fights and disagreed with each other throughout the novel. But honestly what friend group doesn’t. In the end, they learned to forgive each other and stand up for each other.

I would highly recommend reading this novel if you love boarding schools, rivalries, and fake dating! This book will for sure steal your heart!

Be sure to check out my bookstagram (@aghopelessromantic) as a review will be posted on there as well!

I LOVED This May End Badly like I love popcorn and cotton candy. It was fun and quick witted, the dialogue was witty and fast and the characters were so naturally smart mouthed.

Man oh man was Doe a work in progress!!! My girly was out here giving everyone (including herself) headaches!!! But when she was with Wells? Don’t get me STARTED on Wells!!!! 😩😩

What was I not silently screaming while reading This May End Badly? Who knows, I was mostly silently screaming. SO. GOOD. SO. FUN. And most of all? I felt like a Weston girl from the very first page to the very last.

I thoroughly enjoyed This May End Badly! This young adult novel had many of the things I love to read: witty banter, strong female friendships, pretend boyfriend, enemies to lovers, and finding one's true self. When I realized that a boarding school was the setting, I almost quit reading, but Markum gave a fresh twist of feuding boarding schools, and I continued on with discovering the twists and turns of this older young adult novel. I loved the main character, Doe, and her friendship with her best friends, and I loved that Doe had to come to terms with many things about herself and who she really wants to be in life. The hints of romance, and eventual hookups, were just enough to keep me intrigued with the developing relationships. Readers will definitely enjoy This May End Badly!
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I was about 60% of the way through, and then I just skimmed the rest. It's not a bad book, the characters are great and the banter is hilarious. However, there's simply too much going on. Unfortunately, because of this I wasn't able to fully immerse myself in the story.