This May End Badly by Samantha Markum is an incredibly charming YA novel. The star of the show Doe, who is a so called ‘Weston Girl’ forever, fakes date the cousin of her nemesis just to get back at him. Pretty boy Wells and his cousin Three attend the rival all boys school across the street, Winfield Academy. Surprising news and a certain creepy teacher shake up Doe’s world, and her reaction to it all is satisfying and entertaining. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher Wednesday Books for providing me with an ARC, which in no way influenced my review. This reviews reflects my honest thoughts and opinions.

Thank you to Wednesday Books and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for my honest review:

This novel contains layers--which I LOVE when reading. On the surface, it is a crazy ridiculous romp through an academic rivalry spurred to new heights by the announcement of a merger between neighbouring institutions: the Weston School for Girls and the Winfield Academy for Boys. This is a prank war at its finest and I worry a little at the research that went into the writing thereof... (Samantha, tell us about your misspent youth.) But it is also a snowball rolling down a hill at great speeds until those who first formed it begin to lose control.

And this is where those layers come into play. As cracks form and choices are questioned and purposes challenged, our characters (particularly our protagonist) are forced to reckon with themselves, their vulnerabilities and what truly drives some incredibly single-minded behaviour. Dorothy Saltpeter is not perfect, not by any stretch of the imagination, but she is real and human and ultimately held accountable for the choices she makes--which I greatly appreciated as a reader.

That said, I have mixed feelings about the final 50-60 pages of the book? Given the plot twist explored at this point is actually hinted at in the synopsis, I felt like I was just waiting for it to happen and a little surprised it took so long to get there. Though I will also say, the foundations and additional crumbs for this turn in the story were laid early early on and continued throughout the book and therefore I was completely prepared, invested and believed in what was happening regardless. And I guess this is where I felt divided: Because part of me was just waiting for this piece of the puzzle and completely invested in its resolution, and therefore got all emotional and teary and cheery! But another part of me felt like it was altogether a little too tidy and even rushed? It was such a significant piece of the story and so key to the resolution of what what happening earlier in the book that I just thought it deserved a little 'more'. And now I sound like Oliver.

Ultimately though? I have to say that I super enjoyed this book, definitely recommend, and would absolutely pick up whatever Samantha Markum offers us next! 4.5 Stars from me.

Thank you Netgalley and St Martin's Press/Wednesday Books for sending me the book to read and review!

THIS MAY END BADLY is such a super cute, and exciting story! I loved reading about the pranks and the rivalry between the two schools: Weston vs Winfield. Doe/Dorothy is such a cool narrator and the writing was a lot fun to delve into. I enjoyed all the characters and how different they are from each other. Neither character blended with the next one which is a fantastic feat as there are many personalities.

I definitely recommend this book to anyone who loves YA Contemporary with loads of pranks, romance, fake dating trope, and heart.

4.5 stars

Rival boarding schools, fake dating, and prank wars! A charming YA novel that is the perfect light hearted read.

If you are a fan of cute YA romances this book is perfect for you!

This May End Badly, follows Doe, a senior at Weston boarding school. A historic all girls prep school that has had a rivalry with their neighbors, Winfield, an all boys boarding school. Doe is a funny, smart, mischievous character that loves to be with her friends and pull pranks on the Winfield boys. This story follows the prank war that has continuously escalated between the two schools. Doe conjures up a plan to hit her nemesis hard, his own family. Thus, leading to a realm of fake dating and catching feelings.

I really adored this book. It was a light hearted fast read that I couldn't set down. The prank war was hilarious. I had a smirk on my face the entire time and it just made me giggle. Seriously, they have to be so witty to come up with these pranks (haha I'm not that quick on my feet). I have yet to read a book with fake dating, but I loved it! There are some sensitive topics present in this read, but the author does a fantastic job of creating a great example of the situation.

Doe and Wells were absolutely adorable. Cute banter, suppressed feelings, and a common goal sets this relationship up. Their mutual dislike for each other turning to a fun friendship and then realizing their feels to create a real relationship was amazing!

Thank you so much netgalley providing an arc!

I really loved the main character of this book, Doe. She was just so realistic. She struggled, she had pain in her past, she mad mistakes. but she grew and through it all was able to find herself. This book didn't shy away from real issues, and instead shed light on just how real they are. Such as bullying, children dealing with divorce, and sexual assault. I feel YA books try so often to stay lighthearted to the readers, but by bringing these topics into the novel it really changes the reading experience. It becomes eye opening, and could even help readers understand what they may be going through, and I thought it was well done here.

The friendships in this book were so strong, and although they had their rough spots as the story progressed, they were able to work through them. It was really refreshing to have such a nicely developed friend group, which can sometimes lack, but it was beautifully in this novel. Also loved the rival dynamic between Three and Doe, surely it was irrational, but it was still one of my favorite parts of the book.

WELLS AND DOE. I love the fake dating trope, so they really had me from the beginning, but I truly just loved their relationship development. Their bantering, the plotting against Three, and their eventual realization of the true feeling they had for each other. It was just so good. I would love to read a book of just these two scheming together.

I really like the worldbuilding, and how the author can create a world that has the capability of making us vicariously live through it. I feel like the introduction was a bit too slow-paced for me. The characters are fairly interesting.
Henceforth, it was quite a good read.

This debut novel is a stellar hit in every way! From the amazing characters to the witty plot I just couldn’t get enough! I’m not lying I didn’t want this book to end and I am craving more!

Doe and her girls definitely don’t mess around and when they declare war everyone feels it! I loved that this story was more than a young girl finding her place and love! It was about growth, forgiveness and the bonds of family and friends! The beautiful part was that the book is written so that it’s not just Doe going through this journey but everyone around them!

Mixed into the layers of the story is a beautiful message of strength! How as a community of collective voices we can make a change! I am absolutely blown away by this story and can’t wait to see what this author writes next (please give me some more Doe and Wells)!

I received an ARC thanks to the author, publisher, and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book was a blast. I haven't read YA contemporary romance in a while, but I blew through this book so quickly. In the absolute best way, this book read like fan fiction. From prank wars to fake dating to boarding school drama, this book really had it all. I especially loved the Midwest setting for the famed Weston and Winfield schools as someone born and raised in Indiana. So often boarding school drama takes place on either coast, and while I enjoy them nevertheless, it was so refreshing to have a story set in familiar territory.

The romance plot between Doe and Wells, our two fake-lovebirds, was a treat to read, and I loved every scene they were in. I do wish we had seen more of them, honestly, but what we did get was fun, devious, and heartwarming. At first, I really did think something was going on between Three and Doe, and while I expect I was supposed to, I was left a little confused on just how the rivalry between Three and Doe started and why it was so important.

Most of my own hangups about the merger that threatens the future of all-girls Weston were actually addressed within the narrative, and most of my complaints about Doe's character were similarly anticipated, which was a breath of fresh air. I can have a hard time with single-minded characters like Doe, especially when the story itself seems blind to their pitfalls, but I have to hand it to Markum, I was really impressed with how she handled both.

At times, I do think the story stretched too far. While I loved how much content Markum covered, there were a few places she spread herself a bit too thin. I wish there had been some more development of the side characters (ie Doe's friends and some of the other Wellborns), who I found intriguing but not often present. I also was not the hugest fan of Doe's big secret reveal, which felt much more hyped than what it turned out to be, and which quickly it became irrelevant. Because so much is being juggled in this book, the world itself can feel a little shallow.

Overall this book was fun, fast paced, and original, and I would highly recommend it.

Very well paced! Loved the story, especially the boarding school setting, and really rooted for the romance. I loved the themes of friendship, and would definitely read more from this author.

Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for sending me an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was a fun, engaging romp of a story. Doe's entire life is Weston, her Weston girls, and the rivalry they have with neighboring boarding school Winfield. Things seems dire after it's announced that Weston and Winfield will soon merge... and when Doe spies an opportunity to annoy Winfield ringleader Three and take down the enemy from the inside by fake dating his enigmatic cousin Wells? Of course she jumps at the chance. But as most often do, this one lie soon spirals into many, and Doe finds herself the villain of her own story. Just what lengths is Doe willing to go to in order to win the prank war and stop the looming merger between the two feuding schools?

Doe is an incredibly compelling, complex character. At the start of the book, I thought I knew exactly the type of character she was: headstrong, clever, and kind. As the story goes along, you realize that while Doe is indeed all of these things, she is also self-centered and can't see past her own goals. She causes a lot of hurt to various people during the book—including her best friends—but I love that she does. I couldn't help but think that if this were any other book, it might be written from the pro-merger and not-as-popular Virginia's POV, or even sweet and anxious Gemma's. But it is Doe who tells this story, and it is also Doe who sinks to her lowest and ultimately comes out of it realizing what's really important. You don't often see this type of character in fiction, but I absolutely love coming across them. Doe never sacrifices what she believes in—she just realizes the way she views those things needs to change.

At the end of the day, this is the perfect title for readers who love fake dating, school plots, excellent character development, and realistic depictions of complex friendships.

As a note: this book does include descriptions of sexual harassment and grooming, so if these are at all uncomfortable topics with you, please take care when reading.

This may end badly by Samantha Markum
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Release date is 4/12/2022💕
This was a great YA contemporary romance. Two boarding schools are in a prank war when Doe decides to really get under her rival Three’s skin by fake dating his cousin Wells. This had some great lessons on friendship and trusting your parents. The romance was very cute and playful. There were moments when I was laughing out loud and smiling like crazy. Doe is a strong female character. Wells is such a wonderful character as well. He is so supportive and just an all around great fake boyfriend and friend. Sex is discussed but does not actually happen. This will be a great book for teens struggling with relationships with their friends, boyfriends/girlfriends, and parents. Highly recommend. Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

I just finished This May End Badly, and it was completely adorable! I was worried that I am aging out of contemporary YA, but this book had me laughing out loud. A long time rivalry between an all-girls boarding academy and the all-boys one across the way brings out all the pranks. Doe and her friends are mortal enemies to the Winfield Academy boys, especially their leader, Three. When Doe hears the schools are planning a merge, she buckles down to do everything she can to prevent it, and to get into Three's head any way she can... Even if that means fake dating his cousin.

The pranks in this book were so wonderful and creative. I loved how the book covered serious topics and how they banded together to come to solutions. ❤❤

Thanks for the ARC @netgalley and @stmartinspress. This book releases April 12, 2022!

Beautiful writing and character interactions. I'd compare the writing style to that of Casey McQuiston, which is nothing but a compliment. It's definitely a worthy read.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC for an exchange for an honest review.

Interesting and a good read. I recommend it.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC. This book is set at an all girls boarding school across the street from an all boys boarding school. The schools are rivals, and the main charater, Doe (short for Dorothy), is a ringleader in playing pranks on the boys' school. There's also a teen romance involved for Doe, which I enjoyed. However, one of the side stories - a teacher who is preying on vulnerable young female students - bothered me. It comes out that while there have been numerous complaints against this teacher over the years, no action has ever taken place. I find that appalling. Additionally, the students try to "handle" the teacher themselves, something I don't think we should be promoting with young adults.

This May End Badly is the debut novel from Samantha Markum. This novel follows Dorothy (Doe) a high school senior from the all girls boarding school Weston, who is locked into winning the prank war against their rival boarding school Winfield. For decades this feud has been going on, but when Doe learns that they plan on merging both boarding schools together at the end of the year, it’s a battle to the finish on what school is truly superior. In order to gain the upper hand, she begins fake dating her arch nemesis Three’s cousin Wells (Gabriel) who also gets something in exchange for his cooperation.

I really enjoyed this book for it’s characterization and dialogue. The author does a really good job at really diving into the social constructions of high school life. Doe has a diverse and feminist friend group (Shawn, Jade, Gemma). She has great representation of the LGBTQ+ community as Jade is a lesbian, and Doe’s father is bisexual. There are mentions about equal representations of trans/non-binary youth at the school as well.

When in comes to Doe’s overall story arc, her personally is a very selfish and you spend most of the book wanting to throttle her for all of the bad decisions she makes, but I think that’s what makes it seem more real. As a reader who is 10 years her senior, it brings me back to high school and the stupid decisions that were made. I believe readers will either love or dislike Doe because of this.

As for the romance aspect of the novel, I really thought that Three and Doe had more sexual attraction towards each other just based on their behavior. We don’t get the point of view of Three in terms of how he really feels about Doe; in terms of whether he wanted to be more than enemies with her or if he wanted anything romantically with Doe. Many reviewers consider this book to be enemies to lovers but if that was the case she would’ve ended with Three instead of Wells in my opinion. Wells since the beginning of their agreement was always more of an ally and less of an enemy to Doe and was never really cruel. I did enjoy Wells as a love interest, especially since there was a nod to him supporting men reading historical bodice ripper novels.

What lowered my rating for this book was how the author dealt with the sexual assault/predatory school teacher storyline. What I thought the author did well was represent what elite schools/universities in general tend to do with these cases and try to cover up and protect the predator against complaints from the victims (if there were any). But I felt like the author really rushed the storyline by shoving this conflict at the end of the novel in order to “redeem” Doe and her actions prior in the novel.

A fun fast paced romcom with characters that you root to end up together! A perfect beach read that will have readers smiling throughout!!

4.5 stars!

Really enjoyed the ride, following prank mastermind Doe and her clever friends in their feud against 'the boys' of the nearby rival elite boarding school. They've all set out to prove to both administrations that Weston girls and Winfield boys are seriously against their schools merging, with some rather creative methods. Elite boarding schools with rich histories and traditions was the perfect setting for unsupervised shenanigans.

I loved the slow burn, enemies-to-lovers after fake-dating between Doe and Wells, and all the ways this affected Doe's group of friends and Wells' complicated family life. These characters are all well-developed and have realistic and relatable reactions to things. I also really appreciated that both Doe and Wells' parents were loving and supportive, despite some dysfunction between cousins and other relatives.

I really enjoyed this book! Dorthy (Doe) and her group of friends at The Weston School have an ongoing feud/prank war with the all male prep school, Winfield Academy, across the street. The loyalty the girls have to each other and to Weston is tested with an impending merger with Winfield. Doe is grasping for control and will do just about anything to put a stop to it including deceiving her friends and also herself. The character development and growth was not only believable for high school seniors, it was also very endearing. This story has so many aspects that make it worth the read. Friendship, rivalry, first love, humor, and a cause that is worth fighting. I definitely recommend adding this book to your list!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an eARC version of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

This was a great lighthearted funny read with surprising depth. I went into this expecting a romcom about a girl growing up, school rivalry, falling in love. It had all that, but it also explored relationships—friends, enemies, love interests—as well as examined the idea that change can be necessary and good, that what works for someone won’t work best for all, and using your voice and platform for good. Doe was hilarious and relatable, and her relationship with her friends was such a treasure. I really enjoyed this one.

This May End Badly by Samantha Markum is such an amazing book and to think its her debut novel. Doe Saltpeper is the girl everyone needs in their life and with her group of close friends I've never wished to be in a private all girls school more in my life. Her prank wars with the neighboring all boys school is something legendary and had me laughing all throughout the book. However, this book also covered some pretty heavy topics and did it beautifully. From dealing with loneliness and LQBTQ exclusivity, all the way to sexual assault, this book truly has some life lessons for everyone.