Who doesn't love a good prank? Nobody loves this more than Doe and her friends who are determined to win a century-long war against a rival Academy. When the headmistress says the two schools are going to merge, things elevate very quickly.

This school is more than just an education, it has become Doe's safety net since her parents divorce. Doe decided to war the boys against the girls and show that the two can't possibly get along. But only one group will win.

Doe must decide what's more important, her fake boyfriend, protecting a young student or winning the war. Who will win? Read this book to find out!

this book was so much fun for me!! i love the boarding school setting and i love a good prank war! and while it is definitely in the ya category the banter and anticipation was paced so well it kept me perfectly balanced between being satisfied and wanted more, so much that i was blushing from the flirting and fluff.
i also think this book displayed making mistakes and navigating secrets and lies very realistic so that i never felt like the mac was acting outside of how someone would normally act or outside of her character which can be the case sometime when reading about a character who is making flawed decisions. another aspect i loved was the girl group friendships. i think it really embodied how a close knit group of friends act together and the group dynamics of that. i enjoyed the little details and quirks about each friend. on the serious side this book presents a clear message about sexual harassment and displays a good example of the standards people should hold others to and the seriousness of dealing with these situations when we may not feel like people will be on our side. verbally this book was super enjoyable and i would definitely reread it and recommend it! 5/5 stars
i received a free arc of this book in exchange for an honest review

I love a boarding school setting in a book and this story did not disappoint. It was hilarious, smart, and fun to read. The pranks were amazing and the friendships were so heartwarming. I loved the smart banter between Doe and Wells and their chemistry was undeniable. Such well developed characters and a book that you can get lost in.

As a librarian who is especially interested in fantasy and scifi, it can be difficult for me to remember romance titles for readers advisory that was published after 2010 -- which isn't something to be proud of. I am so excited to add this book to my list of contemporary and romance suggestions!

The best parts of this book were the mischievous girls unabashedly protecting what they love, and I would love to see more of this!

I absolutely loved this book. As someone who also went to an all girls high school I could relate to so many things Doe was going through. The love for her school, and her friends. This fierce protectiveness to this place that provided a safe space for girls.
I love a good rivalry story with a fake romance trope. The love story was so cute but I love how it wasn't the focus of the story. This May End Badly really focuses on Doe and her friendships as well as the inviolability and difficulty of growing up and moving on.

This was such a fun read!! A perfect YA romance novel/coming of age story! It really has something for everyone. Character development, relationships, a plot, humour, etc. Such a sweet read with a lot of important messages scattered throughout the book which I think were really great!

The main character did get on my nerves a lot, but I'll let it slide because it kind of is a coming-of-age story. She is 17 years old and trying to figure out her life, which can be quite overwhelming; a feeling which is woven through the storyline beautifully.

The plot is very simple, yet filled with humour and teenage pranks which is perfect for younger readers and the romance is really cute and makes you feel all fuzzy inside while also not being the sole purpose of the story which I really loved.

All in all a solid 4/5

I admit, it’s been a good, long time since I read a book set in a modern day high school. Young adult novels have teenage protagonists, sure, but the situations are so extreme that I almost don’t notice it. But when it comes to things like SATs, college applications, drivers licenses? It’s been a long time. So needless to say This May End Badly threw me off a little in the beginning.

I’m so happy I stuck it out though, because the story was an absolute roller coaster that took several turns into the unexpected, and after I got about a quarter of the way through, I had a very hard time putting it down.

This May End Badly follows Dorothy “Doe” Saltpeter in her last year at Weston, an all-girls boarding school. Their long standing rivalry with Winfield Academy, the boy’s school across the street gets turned up to eleven when the administration announces that the two institutions will merge the next year, becoming one coed school. Doe, who is adamant that the merger not take place, is furious.

The war between the schools surpasses normal academic rivalry, often escalating into more and more elaborate pranks. News of the merger leads Doe and her friends to step up their game even more: if they can prove the two schools won’t get along, then the two simply cannot join together.

But Doe’s rivalries extend beyond the schools themselves and into the personal. Specifically, a rivalry with Three, the most popular boy at Winfield, and son of one of the school’s wealthy benefactors. Wanting to get under his skin to fuel the fires of the inter-school war, she makes a deal with Wells, Three’s cousin. The two of them pretend to date, because it bothers Three, and in exchange, she will help him settle an old score of his own with his cousin.

Between the prank war and the fake dating, the book already had a lot going on, and a lot going for it. But as it continued, a lot of more serious issues began to come to light, forcing the characters to decide what it is that really matters to them.

Ultimately, I think the book is less about the plot per se, and more an examination of growing up. Neither Doe nor Wells’ stories end in the way I might have expected, and I think that’s a good thing. If they’d gotten their way, as they wanted from the beginning, then they would still have to live with the consequences of their actions. And it’s not that the conclusion is consequence free, but rather consequences they can live with, and even be proud of.

Samantha Markhum does a great job with her characters. I admit I found Doe to be a little intense and insufferable at first, and it was a huge relief to find out that that was sort of the point all along. Her relationships with her friends, her rivals, and her fake (but maybe not so fake?) boyfriend feel lived-in and real. There is also the absence of the sort of unrealistic intensity you usually see in fictional teenagers. Disagreements can be put aside to unite in common cause, students don’t follow each other around like lemmings. Teenagers acting like teenagers. What a concept.

I began this book with the assumption that I’m too old for “high school books”. An assumption I was only too happy to have proven wrong. This May End Badly was a surprisingly delightful, thoughtful look at what it means to grow up, and how that doesn’t have to mean compromising yourself in the process.

This May End Badly is out April 12, 2022. Special thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy for review purposes.

I honestly went into this book thinking I wouldn't like it but I have never been more happy to be wrong. I absolutely adored it and ended up finding it hard to put down and very nearly finished it in one sitting.

Here we have the classic rivalry between two boarding schools; The Weston School (for girls) and The Winfield Academy (for boys). This rivalry/prank war has been going on for longer than anyone can remember, which is why its such a shock for Doe (self appointed Westfield leader of the war) when it comes to light that come next year the schools will be merging; and she naturally takes it upon herself to stop it.

The best part is that this book brings in two of my favourite troupes; enemies to lovers and fake dating. I will say I was surprised in the queer representation here as I find most books that have 'straight' relationship as the main one, the supporting characters tend to follow. So I was pleasantly surprised when there was queer rep and a lot of talk about how gendered schools alienate people who identify as non-binary or transgender. In reality, I wouldn't even say the love story is the only main story as there are lots of other moments and large events happening when Doe's love story kinda takes a back seat and I think that's why I loved it so much.

Can't wait till this book is out so I can actually go out and read a hard copy!

This book had so many things to love. Pranks, awesome friendships, funny banter, cute but evil boys. The one thing that was hard to read was the inappropriate teacher storyline. It felt off and now well placed in this book. It could have been left out of the book and I wouldn't have felt like anything was missing. I still really enjoyed it and look forward to other books from this author.

At first I was skeptical about the plot of the story. Fake dating is one of my favorite tropes but usually not done well. This book went above and beyond completely dispelling all doubts.

This ending may have been one of my favorites all year for young adult books.

This book had so many tropes and elements that I absolutely love: enemies(ish) to lovers, boarding school setting, fake dating, etc. I was impressed that this was Markum's first novel. Mostly, the character develop was excellent. Doe grows so much from the beginning to the end of the story. This is not one of those cases where she is kind of a crappy friend but never learns from her mistakes. There was also amazing tension between the main character and her love interest. Simply, this book is a lot of fun and hits many of the marks for a compelling contemporary YA romance.

I want to thank Net Galley for an ARC of This May End Badly.
I truly enjoyed this book. If your looking for something light that will make you laugh you’ve found it! Doe was amazing! She was everything I like in a main character! I recommend this book 100%!!!

Let me start by saying this would have been a 5 star if Dorothy (Doe) didn't drive me nuts with how obsessed she was with the rivalry and merger. Her extreme obsession just drops off further into the story and it just felt off. The other girls in her friend circle were into the pranks but not so much the merger part. I did enjoy the pranks and also see there was a slight lesson with the merger. While Wells and Doe's relationship wasn't real to begin with you could see the possibilities. I must say I liked Wells a lot more than Doe. The story line of the predator may be a trigger to some but it was handled well in the book.

A fun, exciting read that I couldn’t put down! This book kept me on edge wondering what was coming next. The characters had depth and were enjoyable to learn about and connect with. A fun book I would definitely recommend for young adults!

This book was a delight. It felt like Veronica Mars meets Gossip Girl, both of which I enjoy. I definitely found myself getting lost in this book.

I felt that the main character Doe could be a little immature at times but she really grew towards the end of the book. Immaturity aside, Doe is a strong female lead and her connection with her friends is inspiring. The banter she has with Three and Wells made my heart happy and I couldn’t keep the smile off my face.

I felt that Doe might have been better paired with a different love interest but Wells grew on me toward the end. It just seemed so set up and perfect for her to end up with one of the other boys.

Overall, it was an enjoyable read and if you like YA Romance I’d recommend you check this one out.

I was unable to read / review this book as I was not able to download the ARC. It kept telling me the book already existed on my shelf. It is unfortunate as I was looking forward to reading it.

I really liked some things about this book! I thought the premise was really unique and the rivalry between a girls and boys school right next to each other was very clever. However, I found myself constantly wanting Doe and Three to get together, so I was thrown a little when the romance was strictly about Wells. Also, I know I’m a bit of a prude but I’m not a fan of reading teenagers using language like that. I’m sure lots of teenagers speak that way but I wasn’t one of them.

Doe was an extremely immature lead, and I found myself consistently frustrated by her behavior and selfishness. I was a fan of Wells, but the plot between him and Three felt contrived, and the ending and the plot points leading to it, while heartwarming, felt like an after thought of social commentary. Not my favorite, but middle schoolers and high schoolers will be able to relate.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC.

I didn’t peg myself for a comedic-fake boyfriend-prank wars themed Gossip Girl meets Riverdale mash up like novel yet here I am falling in love with it.

I have to say it. I have to… I had to write the names
Down…. There were too many of them and then they all had nicknames. And they were all thrown at me right away. I almost felt like I needed to make circles to encompass the cliques but I somehow refrained. Once I got a grip on the names I was able to really enjoy the novel.

Doe was one hell of a character. She gave me definite Blair Waldorf vibes. She has a passion and she didn’t budge away from it. Love takes a back seat to everything else.

Wells… I fell in love with him almost right away. And then I hated him and then loved him again. It’s funny how authors can do that to you.

This is a definite YA novel that’s geared towards the older population.

I received this novel from netgalley for am honest review.

I enjoyed this story. Great banter. I really loved the relationship between Doe and Wells. Entertaining from start to finish.
Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read a digital arc in exchange for an honest review.