This was such a surprising debut novel that i truly enjoyed. it was funny, cute, and frustrating at times meanwhile having very serious undertones!

The romance between Wells and Doe was very cute and heartwarming. The enemies to lovers aspect was done very well alongside the fake dating. Wells was just so perfect, complex and truly swoon worthy. By far one of my favorite male characters i’ve read about!

Even though the book seems so cute and lighthearted theres some serious topics about gender, feminism and the patriarchy that i truly enjoyed. Alongside the crazy pranks being done by both rival schools, theres uneasiness regarding one of the teachers as the story unfolds.


Arc kindly provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

Thank you to NetGalley for giving me a free e-galley of this book. There are a lot of things happening in this book that are a good setup for a novel. Rival boy and girl schools. A plucky heroine and good friends. Two good-looking boys. Somehow, though, it was such a slow start for me. The main character seemed to genuinely hate her rival, and it made me less empathetic towards her. Her hijinks got old, especially as they got riskier. What saved the book was the overall message at the end. The girl finally uses her energy to stage a protest and meeting with school administrators when it becomes clear that a teacher took advantage of a student. The boy rival helps to bring the sexual predator to justice. I wish the book had gotten to their cooperation and the main theme of student empowerment sooner.

I went into this blind and was pleasantly surprised! I loved doe and her dedication and attachment to weston. this isn’t just a romcom but a coming of age story! I enjoyed reading about the different relationships between her friends, love interest, and family!

I received an ARC of this title from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

**TW: Mention of sexual assault within the review and the novel.

Overall, I really wanted to love this novel but also found myself walking away from it feeling less than satisfied. I genuinely enjoyed the journey of reading the book, but doubt I would come back for a reread.

To begin, the good stuff. This book features boarding school fights, pranks, fake dating, dysfunctional families, and much more. In fact, at some points, I felt like it was trying to fit too much into one book. The character development was phenomenal and the setup for the plot was decent. I was really rooting for the fake dating to end the entire time because I loved Wells so much and I actually enjoyed Doe for the most part. While she may not have always made the best of choices, her mistakes (and subsequent guilt) were realistic and understandable.

For my not-so-favorite parts. I expected Doe’s secrets (and Well’s, too) to be much bigger than they were. One of the most disappointing things about a majority of contemporary YA novels is the play-up on these big secrets or big reveals, for it to end up being something small, contrived, or just flat out normal. For example, I expected that the big heist Wells wanted Doe to help with was going to be a cover-up for something much deeper because after all, it was just a watch. However, I was wrong. The big thing was the watch, and nothing more. Situations like that fall super flat and take away some of the allure and promise to the book.

I did see this in another review as well, and I wanted to talk about it. While I adored Wells and wanted him and Doe to truly be together, they had no good page chemistry. I just loved the personality and the quips. Doe and Three had much better page chemistry, and I was often worried she may end up with him instead of Wells. I think there could have been some better planning that would have allowed Wells/Doe to have more chemistry than Three/Doe.

I loved the look of gender equity and differentiation throughout the book, right up until the very end. I’ve noticed that there is a back and forth for other reviewers on the sexual assault aspect of this book. It is slightly problematic that this trope was written that the “adults” wouldn’t help or believe the girls around the sexual assault, but at the same time, they are children and they are acting out of fear, discomfort, and anger. The bigger questions for me lie with the following: why did the headmistress keep the teacher on, knowing that these accusations were happening? There was no good explanation for why she defended or hid this teacher, which made it seem pointless and problematic. In addition, why is it that the girls didn’t stand up for themselves until the boys were involved? I understand that this is supposed to be a “coming together” of the two schools, to show the growth and potential of the merger, but in a lot of ways, it created a “damsel in distress” narrative. The girls didn’t completely save themselves, rather, they needed the boy’s help to make it happen. This left a bad taste in my mouth and made me aggravated with the conclusion. All of this to also say that the ending was rushed and didn’t feel like it belonged in the same novel

All-in-all, it was a fun, enjoyable read with some problematic pieces that didn’t really add to the story in my opinion, or make it better. It does tackle some pretty serious and interesting storylines that would be important and relatable to students, but it should be used as a conversation starter, not as a teaching point for how decisions should be made or the correct thing to do in certain situations. If you’re into academia, fake dating, some boys vs. girl mindset, and you come in knowing this is very high-school, drama-focused writing, then you’ll really enjoy the book.

The story follows Doe Saltpepper through prank wars, fake dating (with the prettiest Wellborn boy!), friendship, and the fight for a haven for young girls that might need what the Weston Academy was for her when she needed the most.
There were several points throughout the book where I questioned whether the main characters were crossing the line of what was right. I had this feeling because I wasn't sure if the author would know how to deal with it. I was happy to see how the author worked with Doe. We can see how she grew up, learned more about herself, and how she was dealing with things. Doe learned from her mistakes, apologized, and grew as a person while accepting new perspectives on her ideals.
Together with our main character, we have Wells. As the second oldest Wellborn boy, we see how his family functions and its impact on their identities. In my opinion, even though he had his development, the author could have gone a little deeper with him. Anyways, I really liked him and Wells+Doe as a couple. They were super cute and funny!
Also, I loved the secondary characters! Shoutout to Doe’s friends, parents, and Wells’ parents especially. We had good POC and LGBT representation with them, from her friends to her parents.
It is important to note that while this book focuses a lot on friendship and romance, there are significant and heavy topics discussed and dealt with too.
TW: pedophilia, sexual assault, LGBTphobia.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for proving me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

TW: sexual assault / abuse
Tropes : enemies to lovers, fake dating, romcom

This story follows students from two rival boarding schools embroiled in a prank war carried forth from generation to generation. When shocking news at the start of senior year arrives, the prank war kicks up several notches and gets personal.

I really enjoyed this book. I thought the pranks were fun and the romance was sweet and cute. I really liked the supporting characters and I LOVED Wells. I adore a devil may care type of character and he had it in spades. Doe was sometimes a little too intense and she got annoying but I loved her spunk and I loved how she would do anything for people she loves. Overall a really great read and I look forward to picking up a copy when it’s released.

I was immediately drawn in by the premise of this book. It promised me a lot of fun, and I got just that. A prank war and a fake dating scheme unfold in This May End Badly until the characters must reevaluate what’s most important to them.

For as long as anyone can remember, the Weston School has been at war with its rival, Winfield Academy. Doe has headed the prank war for the past three years with her enemy, Three; now a senior, she’s shocked by the announcement that the two schools are merging the next year. She’ll do anything to win and to stop this merger, including fake dating Three’s cousin, West.

At this point, everyone knows I’m always up for a good fake dating scheme, and this book definitely served that. Doe and West had a lot of chemistry; I really enjoyed their banter. In fact, I would say these scenes were the best part of the book. Their dialogue was very funny, and I couldn’t help but smile at certain points.

I also liked the friendships in this book. Doe and her friend group, including Gemma, Sumi, Shawn, and Jade, are tightly knit and the heads of the war against Winfield. While they’re always there for each other, they’re also willing to call the others out when they go too far. I liked seeing them hold Doe accountable for her actions.

There were some parts of the book that I felt went too far, but these parts ended up being challenged in the narrative, which I’m grateful for. One instance is Doe crossing too many lines to get to Three, and like I mentioned before, her friends often provide a voice of reasoning to her even if she’s not willing to listen. Another side character, Virginia, also often fights with Doe because of her plan to stop the merger; Doe isn’t trying to keep the schools separate for any exclusionary means, but Virginia provides another perspective on this: that single gender schools are inherently exclusionary even when they try to be accommodating.

I will say that the enmity behind the prank war itself was not really convincing to me. I believed that Doe hated Three, but I wasn’t really convinced about the rivalry scenes. The pranks themselves were pretty tame although that’s probably more realistic. However, this just contributed to the fact that at certain points, I was like why do these schools even hate each other?

Also, I thought the plot line where the teacher who was a sexual predator would be more prominent since it’s mentioned in the summary. I’m not complaining about it being a plot line, and it was mentioned early in the book; however, the part the summary mentions doesn’t occur until the last 15% and at that point, I don’t really see how it’s a main plot point. This just made the book feel a little unbalanced.

Overall, the book gave me Cross My Heart and Hope to Spy vibes (if you know, you know)! Two rival boarding schools with both school trying to prove that they’re better than the other. Doe and West also had an initial dislike of the other that reminded me of Cam and Zach. If you liked that book or if you like fake dating and/or prank wars, you should check This May End Badly out!

A funny, entertaining and beautiful love story! I loved this book about boarding school rivalries and unspoken love. It reminded me of a Colleen Hoover love story.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martins press for letting me read this advanced copy!

Doe loves her school, a girls-only school with a long legacy… of a prank war with the boys’ school next door. Doe and her friends keep Three and his boys on their toes by vandalizing each other’s schools and doing other harmless pranks. But what will really annoy Three the most is his cousin suddenly dating Doe. Three and Wells have a history of hating each other, so when Doe asks Wells to fake date her to annoy Three, he’s on board. However, as with many fake dating stories, real feelings start to evolve. Is the prank war more important to Doe than her relationships? Samantha Markum has taken the fake dating trope and made it sweet and unpredictable. Doe and Wells’s relationship evolves slowly and believably, and their character development is superb. The relationships that are arguably more important in this book though are the friendships and family dynamics that the characters have. This is a character driven story with some fun pranks mixed in. Markum is a must read for YA contemporary romance.

I received a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was a really fun read. I’m well over the target age demographic but I still love a good boarding school drama - they’re a guilty pleasure for me.

The story was fairly predictable but the characters and dialogue were great, and while nothing about it reinvented the wheel it was the perfect light summer read I was looking for.

Even though YA romance is not my favourite genre , I’d read another book by this author , especially a sequel following the characters to college.

This May End Badly is an absolute firecracker of a book that deserves to be on everyone's shelves next April. The book follows Dorothy (Doe), a student at the prestigious Weston Academy for girls. And right across from them sits the Winfield Academy for boys, the home of Doe's biggest rival, Three. After years of grudges and prank wars between the two, Doe finally finds a way to strike back where it will affect Three the most; she starts fake dating Three's cousin, Wells. What she doesn't anticipate is the feelings that she pretended to have becoming very real. But things change when a teacher at Weston who has been accused of misdemeanor hits back at one of Doe's own Weston girls.

This book had such wonderful characters. Doe, Wells, Three, Shawn; everyone in this book was just so intensely loveable and insanely dynamic. They were so multi-dimensional.

The plot and pacing was also so well done, although there were times when I was confused on things that were going on. It was so well done that I just couldn't put it down.

And of course, the romance. Wells and Doe's romance was so heartfelt and so real. It felt as if I were right there with them, watching them fall in love. It was messy, and it was romantic, and it was so beautiful.

This May End Badly is one of my favorite reads of this year. It felt as if I were right there with every single character, watching the story unfold. A truly showstopping story that displays feminism and independence.

This May End Badly is a heartfelt novel containing pranks, fake dating, senior year, and the discovery of what is worth fighting for. It's practically perfect and one of my favorite YA Contemporaries.

The prank war was fun! I kept turning the page to see what the Weston Girls or Winfield Boys had plotted to do next.

This book has one of the best fake dating relationships! I loved the interactions between Doe and Wells. They have banter and sweet moments. I ended up rooting for these two for nearly the whole novel.

I really love the characters. Doe, our main character and narrator, is the Weston prank mastermind. I really enjoyed her POV (except for a few places). The friendship between Doe, Shawn, Sumi, Gemma, and Jade was really nice to see. Each girl had her own personality and it was lovely. Wells is also a great character. I liked seeing how he fit into Doe's world. Also, I ended up liking the Wellborns (aka the top of the Winfield boy hierarchy) more than I thought I would! (pointed look at Christian)

I was really expecting this book to be about fake dating and a prank war, but it's so much more than that, It's about growing up and starting the next chapter. It's about friendship. It's about deciding what is worth fighting for. And in the end, it really makes this book shine. This May End Badly is one of those books that captures the poignant feelings associated with senior year, and I really appreciate it.

Many thanks to Wednesday Books and NetGalley for an eARC of This May End Badly. I really appreciate the opportunity to read and enjoy this novel!

CW/TW: sexual harassment by a teacher

I received an advance copy of, This May End Badly, by Samantha Markum. Wow this book is nothing like m y high school experience. This is a good book about friendship and tradition.

This May End Badly follows Doe and her friends at Weston as they try to win the long running prank war against the Winfield Academy. Doe loves Weston just as it is and is heartbroken to learn that her all girls school will merge with the all boys school (Winston Academy) the year after she graduates. What won't Doe do to stop the merger?

Doe is a very headstrong character, but she is balanced out by her great group of friends. She has loving, supportive parents. And she truly loves Weston. However, Doe is so one dimensional at the beginning of this story that I was frustrated with her fairly quickly. She does have a huge growth at the end, but it took almost the entire book to get there.

I loved Wells, and I really enjoyed his "tortured artist" path. It's a little played out to have the rich kid with problems, but I really liked this take. Wells didn't come off as snobby to me. He was patient with Doe, and I think they balance each other well.

I really enjoyed this book and would have loved this if I had read it in high school. As an adult, I liked that the ending wasn't so fairytale and involved the kids and parents working together (though it was still a little too unbelievable). I also really enjoyed the slow build romance.


3.5/5
Thanks to Netgalley for this surprise ARC!

I really enjoyed this! The writing is sharp, witty, and fast paced, with engaging characters and sparking dialogue. I liked that the friend group was front and center, even while a cute and sexy romance was unfolding. Seeing the central rivalry NOT be the romance was also a fun change from genre expectations. The rival boarding schools worked really well as a device to build enmities that began in mildly vindictive fun but eventually needed to mature, allowing the heroine to rethink how she utilizes her passionate voice. The relationships are dynamic and I loved that I was turning pages to get to the point where the lovers finally acknowledged they weren't faking it anymore. The story has stakes, humour, layered relationships, imperfect characters, complicated families, sex-positivity, and fantastic romantic tension. All of my favourite things.

The only thing I feel I need to touch on as it may also affect some other readers with similar life experiences, is the plot element mentioned in the synopsis blurb--the students coming together against a teacher accused of sexual assault. It comes in very late in the book and will require some suspension of disbelief, not for the assault described (which felt harrowingly real), but for how the accusation is dealt with, which eschews all legalities, investigative procedures, and logistical modes of making change within an institution, in favour of a swift, victorious, don't-consult-any-adults student protest. I loved that the students banded together and that the book acknowledges the ways administrators (and parents) can bury important issues instead of dealing with them head-on, but having been the one fighting for change in similar situations, I wasn't able to run with the swift escalation and resolve of this particular plot element, Given the gravity of the topic, I wish it was given more space for nuance and at least a suggestion for teen readers about how they might find adult allies and proceed in a way that includes an investigation and therefore might be more likely to make actual change. The rest of the book is so much fun, and I'm a huge fan of the writing, characters, and thoughtful use of setting, but if you've ever had to fight against sexual misconduct within an institution, you might also jar on the ways this topic is breezed over. That said, depending on a reader's personal experience and outlook, the story's climax can also be read as an empowering moment in which students shine as their voices unite for a meaningful purpose.

If you want to get lost in delicious boarding school fights theme meets fake dating troupe with well developed great characters, realistic approach to the sensitive issues such as bullying, sexual assault, dysfunctional family problems, you shouldn't miss this book. One of the best and most realistic YA reads I've read lately and I literally laughed so much. I devoured this book in no time!

This May End Badly by Samantha Markum is about fiercely loyal, high school senior Doe, her best friends, and her worst enemies, the boy’s school across the street. This book literally has it all: fake dating, enemies to lovers, rivalry, and pranks!! Doe and her friends have such a great relationship, that seemed so genuine and supportive. They really did stick up for one another, even in the messiness that is high school. I was absolutely rooting for Doe and Wells throughout the book. I loved their chemistry and their banter with one another.

I really enjoyed this book, so much that I read start to finish in a single day! This is definitely a reread for me!

3 stars

Dorothy "Doe" Saltpeter is a student at the Weston School for girls, a boarding school that is adjacent to the Winfield School, that's for boys. She has a rivalry with one of the Winfield boys, he's actually Nathaniel Emeric Wellborn III, but he goes by Three. For whatever reason, I really didn't understand the motivation, she decides to get under his skin by dating his cousin, Wells. Of course, Wells isn't his actual name. He's Gabriel Wellborn. Interesting names. Can't Saltpeter be used as an explosive (apparently its use to lower a man's libido is an urban myth). And, Wellborn? Seriously? Yes, Three is a Richie Rich, but the name is a bit much.

Anyhow, many pranks between the schools ensue. Some are dangerous. Some are funny. In the middle of all this is a thread about a male teacher sexually exploiting young girls. It's like the author tried to check every modern societal concept and cram them all into one novel "Student acting out because of parent's divorce? Check", "Bisexual parent?" Check", "Lesbian friend? Check". It's great to be progressive and open-minded, especially in a book designed for teenagers, but I felt like the author was just trying to hard to weave too much together.

Was it an awful book? No, the writing was generally good - I just found some of the plot lines hard to follow.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this digital ARC in return for an honest review.

First, thank you to St. Martin Press and Wednesday Books for the ARC for an honest review.

Dorothy "Doe" Saltpeter of one Weston Academy, an all-girl school that just so happens to be located across Winfield Academy, an all-boys school and the bane of Doe's existence. In particular, Nathan Wellborn the 3rd aka "Three". The students of these two schools have been playing pranks on the other since the dawn of time (or at least the dawn of their conceptions). This year, however, the pranks amp up when it is revealed that Winfield and Weston will be merging. Doe is beyond herself over this and will do anything to ensure this merger doesn't happen. This includes fake dating the cousin of Three, Gabriel Wellborn aka Wells. Throughout the book, Doe finds that she's probably the only one that has a hard on against these two schools merging, and how she continuously makes one bad decision after another until about 65% into the book, it all comes blowing back in her face. And Lord, there isn't enough Bounty to wipe the gunk when it does.

I don't get exasperated over main characters often, but I really wanted to just shake Doe by the shoulders and scream at her to grow the eff up. She was clearly emotionally stunted because I've seen prepubescent children act more mature than she did. I don't know if it was privilege or just straight up "only child" syndrome, but by the time I reached 65% into the book...eh, closer to 70%, I just didn't care what happened to Doe. I'm glad she got her comeuppance, and we start to see her growth, but I hate that it literally comes at the end. She doesn't mature or grow for majority of this book, and it took getting nearly expelled for her to realize that she sorta, maybe, absolutely screwed the pooch in so many ways in this book. I would have liked to see her actually mature throughout the book, but not every teen who has the privilege of going to a ranked all girls academy and have everything she wants sees growth until the last convenient minute.

That being said, I did enjoy the friendships between Doe and her band of young ladies. I also liked that she took ownership for her actions and didn't just apologize, but followed up with those apologies with actions. When she does start to get her head out of her own ass, she's a pretty kick ass 17 year old who could absolutely run the world if she set her mind to it. I also liked the budding romance between her and Wells, and they played well off each other. I wanted to say that the love was a bit instant, but it really wasn't. I was still a bit surprised over the "Falling in love with you" bits, but they're 17 and dumb so I forgave that.

All in all, this was cute and an easy read. This was the unedited version so I'd be interested to see how it shaped up once it's been edited and officially published. But I think regular contemporary young adult has lost its appeal to me because I can't bring myself to care about the hijinks of teenagers anymore.

This book checks ALL of my boxes. Enemies to lovers? Yep. Elite boarding school? You've got it. Fake dating scheme? Say no more! This May End Badly was a fun, quick read that got me out of my reading slump. Without giving too much away, I loved Wells and how honest and fun he was right from the get-go. Markum wrote characters that I was excited to root for, even if I did want to shake Doe by the shoulders on more than one occasion. I really enjoyed the scheming of this book, and how I never knew what to expect next. This May End Badly also did a great job at highlighting female friendships, and I liked seeing these friendships develop throughout the book. All in all this book was fun, quirky, and guaranteed to make you smile.