This book is full of lovable characters and fun antics. I also felt that the representation was good and the lessons learned were relatable. Spoiler-ish: I didn't love that they didn't go to their parents earlier with concerns about the teacher (or at least learned that they should've in hindsight). Otherwise, it was a fantastic book!

I haven't read much YA recently, but this book has reminded why I love this genre. This May End Badly is Samantha Markum's brilliant debut novel that perfectly blends YA with some heavier topics such as mental health and sexual harassment. The story is mainly centered around Doe, a senior at The Weston School, an all-girl boarding school, as she navigates her senior year. She is surrounded by her circle of friends - her girl gang - as they continue their ongoing prank war with their rival all-boy boarding school Winfield Academy directly across the street - a tradition going back decades and generations. Doe takes this battle of oneupmanship very personal since her arch rival Three is the defacto Winfield poster boy. Looking to pull the ultimate prank on Three once their schools announce plans to merge together, she enlists his cousin Wells in a fake dating scheme as a prank to end all pranks and really mess with Three’s head. But when their scheme starts to spark real feelings and the schools’ ongoing shenanigans begin to have consequences that Doe didn’t anticipate, she will have to decide what’s more important.

This May End Badly is a heartwarming and hilarious tale of trying to balance friendship, academic goals, falling in love, family obligations, and life’s expectations while also navigating your identity and priorities. There’s also a great lesson in here about asking forgiveness when your actions inadvertently hurt the ones you love. The love and support between Doe, Shawn, Sumi, Gemma, and Jade felt real - their banter as well as their disagreements. The chemistry between Doe and Wells was natural and provided a real source of unexpected but much needed friendship and safe space for Doe when she felt overwhelmed by her emotions. And finally, it was gratifying to see Doe become self-aware and less self-centered enough to realize that the most effective way to handle a very mature problem was to set aside all differences and unite with her enemies to achieve a common goal for everyone’s benefit.

Many thanks to Samantha Markum, Wednesday Books, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

NEW FAVORITE ALERT! When this is released in April of 2022, do consider getting it and giving it a go! You will not regret it!

I really enjoyed this read a lot! I have never really read too much where it was set at a boarding school, but Samantha Markum does such a great job at making it interesting and so engaging. The characters were so amazing and the differences between those voices flowed well with one another. I also really enjoyed the rivalry between the schools and the predicament they are put under. It was such a refreshing read and I will be looking forward to possibly more from this author, but also this theme as well.

5/5 stars! A new favorite for sure if you enjoy some romance, high-school drama, but also the love for your school and doing whatever it takes to make sure it will thrive once you are gone!

**Thank you to NetGalley for providing me a free review copy! I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This was a super fun read for me! I love YA lit (I’m 43), but I definitely don’t think this is just for the YA crowd….anyone would enjoy this. I have a soft spot for the main character, Doe. After spending some time at an all girls school, I can identify with her struggles and triumphs. I disagree with some of the other reviewers that felt that the characters weren’t fleshed out well enough. I felt that they absolutely were. An easy read for me, but enjoy and pretty sharply funny at times. Will definitely recommend to our older grade home schoolers.

Please check content warnings for this one! It includes SA by a teacher.

I have some mixed thoughts about this one. The first half really dragged for me. I was really frustrated with Doe and the romance wasn’t doing it for me. They had like zero chemistry in the first half.

The second half, however, really redeemed this book for me. I loved that Doe’s friends and family called her out about her behavior and had actual conversations about how what she was doing was affecting them. I loved that she was able to grow from those conversations and learn from her mistakes. I don’t know if I’ve read a YA novel that had the side characters be quite so blunt about how the main characters actions affected them and it was really refreshing.

I also really appreciated the themes this book brought out. I found the conversations about the role of women’s-only institutes and whether or not they can truly be inclusive really interest.

Overall, I did struggle with the beginning of the book, but the second half made up for it. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a eARC in exchange for a honest review!

This May End Badly focuses on Doe, a senior at Weston School for girls. The school has been a safe haven for Doe after a difficult childhood. When she and her friends find out Weston is merging with Winfield Academy, the all-boys school across the road (and their pranking rivals), Doe struggles to figure out how to save her school. Along the way, she is confronted in her friendships, love life, and loyalties, and must decide whether the school that became her safe place is capable of being safe for everyone, or even at all.

Sometimes, exactly what you need is a bit of YA lighthearted romance and that is exactly what This May End Badly was for me. Not to say there are some heavier moments in this book, but it was a quick read with some really sweet moments between Doe and her will-they-won't-they love interest. Her relationship with Wells (and the character of Wells in general) was super endearing. I liked that even with the predictable tropes, the plot offered up surprising twists. It was also really refreshing that the romance wasn't the main focus or even the main conflict in the novel. I enjoyed watching Doe's priorities shift throughout the novel, but in a really believable way, with moments of stubborn ignorance. I do think the character could have been explored more deeply, but I think this is a successful YA novel all the same.

A few fun things this story has:
• a rivalry between all girls and all boys boarding schools
•lots of pranks
•fake dating
•kids fighting for what they believe
•loving friendship groups

This was an enjoyable story with a great setting. The rivalry was fun and I enjoyed the reasons for both sides brought up throughout the story. The fake dating was exciting (and also pretty cute). There’s an element of fighting for what the kids believe in, and that was a cool thing. Overall, I’d rate it at a 4.5. I’ll check out any other books this author writes!

Thanks to NetGalley for providing me an early copy. It’ll be out in April!!

Great book. I really enjoyed the storyline and the cover! I can’t wait to read more from this author.

When I get fake dating, enemies to lovers, and strong female friendships ALL IN ONE BOOK, I’m guaranteed to be happy.

With This May End Badly, ALL the boxes get checked. All of them. I especially loved the boarding school setting and the rivalry between the two schools.

I had all these notes on my phone about all the things wrong with this book, but after finishing it, I take it all back. There are so many reasons to love and read, This May End Badly. The main character Doe is a senior at an all girls school battling an ancient rivalry with the all boys school from across the street. When they get word that their schools plan on merging, Doe and her badass friend group start a war to try and make sure the merger doesn’t happen. Along the way there’s fake dating, enemies to friends, found family, and sooooo much witty banter. The banter between all the characters in the book is what made me keep reading. Although the whole school rivalry plot wasn’t very interesting to me and sometimes a little strange and dramatic, the interactions with the characters felt so real. I was instantly transported to a high school setting. Doe’s internal struggle with figuring out what’s next for her and finding it hard to move on from the life she created for herself at Weston is extremely relatable.

I’m not going to lie, at first I really wanted Doe and her arch nemesis from the rival school, Three, to end up together. The sexual tension was THERE! But as I read on, I fell in love with Wells and I find myself thinking about him often.

I did have some qualms with the book, one of them being how Doe’s friend group handled a certain situation in the book. It seemed very fake and petty to make Doe the bad guy but I guess that’s a true depiction of what high school is like.

Ultimately, this is a must read. I felt so many emotions throughout, good and bad. I even cried.

3.5 STARS

THIS MAY END BADLY is an adorable mix of fake dating, high school rivalry, and the importance of friendship. After reading the description, that this was a novel about a prank feud between an all-boys academy and an all-girls school I KNEW that I was in for an enjoyable ride...

And I was not wrong!

I LOVED the fake relationship between Doe & Wells - if only because you could tell SO EARLY into the fake dating that they were bound to fall in love! They had the perfect grumpy/sunshine dynamic and it had me laughing all the time. Any time the armchair in the bookstore was brought up, I just couldn't help but grin that Wells moved to make room for her almost subconsciously...just like he did in his life.

I thought the intense rivalry between Doe & Three was a little blown out of proportion, & the fact that (even though the prank war seemed to be carried out by two very specific groups at each school) no one got expelled for the antics, this was an enjoyable read!

I would recommend this to anyone looking for an easy, fun, summer novel!

All in all, this just wasn't quite for me. I feel it missed a lot of marks. The story was so close to being well done and then just fell flat?
The "romance" between Doe and Wells did not add up and I was kind of waiting for her to get together with Three the whole time, as it seemed they had more chemistry.
I know these characters are in high school, but I still thought Doe was incredibly immature and selfish and I was never quite rooting for her. No one in high school actually cares about a school rivalry as much as she does. Also her "horrifying secret" of having to be held back one year, no one would actually care about that.
I also absolutely did not like or agree with how the characters handled the teacher/predator situation. I feel like handling it on their own, without adults, no proof, and gathering all the letters would have potentially backfired and sends the entirely wrong message to any teen reading this book.
All in all, this had potential. Just missed the mark.

YEP YEP YEP. As I get older, I find myself enjoying YA romance a little less. This book was the exception. Doe and Three's fake relationship turns into something more real, as they continue in a prank war. It was a super fun plot that kept me entertained.

Though the title suggests otherwise, this book did not end badly. In fact it was such a good, hysterical ride that kept me fully entertained from beginning to end. I love the “us versus them” mentality of this book. It made for some fun pranks and laugh out loud moments because of the school rivalry. It’s one of the things that made school fun. A sense of community against an enemy and wearing your school's banner proudly. I will forever bleed scarlet and grey. OH!

Wells and Doe are amazing together. They have the perfect love/hate relationship that is funny because they know how to push each other, but also evident of their undeniable attraction that lies under the facade of animosity. Their storyline was one that I really like about this book.

At times Doe’s need to keep Weston legacy alive became too much. She was fighting a fight that she couldn’t win because of ideals she wanted to preserve and a loyalty that seems to be displaced. It became tiring watching Doe implode and the mess that was created in her wake.

Overall I enjoyed this book, but at times the immaturity did show and took away from some of the enjoyment. There were times Doe was a smidge unlikeable and I wanted so badly to show her the bigger picture. Throughout the story there were a lot of fun moments that outshined some of the awkwardness and the growth of the characters made you feel proud of them in the end. Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for this ARC

This was a fun YA romance. The characters were interesting and I enjoyed the main character's creative pranks. The main character was rather immature but I didn't dislike her. I enjoyed her banter with her love interest.

This May End Badly....Did NOT End Badly. In fact, it ended the most perfect way any good book could end--with me crying in a pillow because it's over. I wasn't expecting to love this book as much as I did, but I'm so glad I gave it a try. I fell in love with the plot and the characters!! Such a fun, enjoyable, and emotional ride.

2.5

I struggle with this book. There were elements I liked, then aspects that I just didn't understand. At its core, this book was doing wayyyy too much. There were too many characters, I could barely keep track of everyone, not enough backstory, a slightly unlikeable main character, a SA storyline that doesn't come into play until the very end of the story, the "war" between the two schools, the pranks, the fake relationship, the rivalry with Three, grades, friendships, college applications, history with divorce and bullying, anger management and probably more. It's just straight up too much. I just want to know why Three was named Three. I feel like if this book focused more on only a couple of these aspects it would've been more enjoyable and successful. Doe is not very likeable, she's obsessive about things that don't add up (I understand her anger, however in my opinion, her feelings and personal opinions do not justify her actions). I found it odd that she was so consumed with this "war" when she's a Senior who's leaving the school. She lied to her friends constantly and was self-centred and hypocritical. I did like that at the end she went on a personal journey of growth and did change her opinions. I also enjoyed reading about her relationship with Wells. It was lovely, he's lovely and I wish there was more of that, it was a bit too much of a slow burn. I appreciate the diverse cast of characters and I did enjoy the world created by the author. I almost wish this was highly edited but kept with the same spirit of the story. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the free preview in exchange for an honest review.

I loved the characters in this book, the friendship bonds, the struggles, the teamwork.

The main character had started over after a troubled past. She is a born leader. Her love of pranks and loyalty for her new school has brought together a group of girl friends. Always the mastermind and in control, but when the rivalry pranking schools start to merge together, things go haywire and she loses her role as the beloved leader.

I highly recommend this book. I am hoping for a sequel. Because of the characters, I want to know what happens next.

This was an adorable YA read. I was definitely frustrated with Doe's friends but whew was Wells swoon-worthy. I think the plot of the novel is well done and I love that the story brought attention to people in positions of authority abusing their power, as well as showing how others have the ability to help. An inspiring read.

Thanks to #NetGalley, Samantha Markum, and the publisher Wednesday Books for the early copy of this book in exchange for a review.
I really enjoyed this YA book because it deals with real issues that young and teenage girls are facing in todays society. This matters because I feel girls and women are considered delicate and are not always taken seriously.

In this story, the main character Doe attends an all girls boarding school and leads her group of friends in pranking the all boys boarding school and making it memorable as their time ends on their senior year. Doe is upset when she learns that the schools will merge into one at the end of her and her friends senior year. This isomething Doe is very upset about and will do anything to save the schools from merging. Including fake dating the head of the boys schools cousin to get under his skin.
As the pranks get crazier and crazier, real feelings develop and when a teacher starts acting inappropriate, Doe has to decide what is most important in school and in life.

I highly recommend this book when is comes out April 12, 2022!