This May End Badly is a very solid debut novel from Samantha Markum and I'm very grateful to have been given the opportunity to read the ARC before it's official publication in April 2022. We've seen the fake dating trope time and time again in contemporary romantic comedies, especially in YA, but Markum comes at it with a very fresh take, bringing in outside rivalries, complex family dynamics, and real world issues.

I think one of the strengths of this novel was the conflicting morality of the main character Doe. Doe started out the novel as headstrong as the come with only one goal in mind: stop the merger between her school, The Weston School, and the all boys school across the street, Winfield Academy. Caught up in her interpersonal vendetta with her rival Three, she soon loses focus on what she originally hated about the merger. It's easy to write a main character who can do no wrong and faces the world with a completely flawless moral compass, but Markum challenges that idea with Doe. Watching her realize her mistakes and work to mend relationships she has hurt is much more gratifying to the reader than if she was a classic Mary Sue.

There are a few things that I think could be stronger. When it comes to Doe's rivalry with Three, I think the backstory is a little weak. The explanation given seems pretty insignificant in the grand scheme of things, especially seeing the lengths Doe goes to in order to spite him. Along that same vein, I would've loved a little more information about Wells and Three's family. It's briefly explained during the Thanksgiving scenes, but I think it needs a bit more development to help the reader fully comprehend the extent of the tension. I was very suspicious of Wells' intentions when he agreed to the fake dating situation at first because it seemed as if Doe knew something we as the readers did not. She spoke vaguely about a sort of hierarchy between the cousins, but that was not touched upon again until the end. I think we just might need a little bit more of that at the beginning, not any of the specifics, but just to make it more understandable for the audience. Finally, this book contains many plotlines. They are all very interesting, but because of the sheer number of situations going on at once, the main plot seemed a little jumbled between the dynamic of Wells' family, Doe's relationship with her parents, and the situation with Mr. Tully.

Overall, this was a fast-paced and interesting novel. The jokes landed perfectly and the emotions were conveyed beautifully. This May End Badly was a very good read and I'm excited to see it on shelves next year!

This May End Badly is an instant recommendation for readers who love enemies-to-lovers.

There was so much chemistry between the couple and the friends involved in this story that I would recommend it to any fan of that trope. It was a strong YA novel with excellent dialogue and a heartfelt story overall.

Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Overall, This May End Badly, is a good story. I enjoyed the characters and the main plot, which was two different boarding schools trying to one-up each other with pranks. When the plan to merge the two schools into one is revealed, the prank war to end all prank wars begins. Throw in a fake love story (reminiscent of To All the Boys I've Loved Before) and it's a good book.

My problem with the book is that there were way too many subplots going on. The author brought in way too many social issues. It was almost like she was trying to include every political opinion she had on every issue she could think of. It was distracting from the main story.

This book was the funniest I have read, while still wincing at the truths of some of the situations that I'm sure most of us have experienced.
It's a book about growing up as a woman trying to define feminism and make the world better for those coming behind you, whether you want to or not, and whether others like it or not, and whether you are terrified of it, or not.
Set in the senior year in a prep school, Doe and her fierce posse of girls takes a prank of a fake dating scheme to new heights, and resulting lows. I would love to have these women in my circle of friends.
the book is fun, well written and I love the dialogue. Snappy, sassy and real.

Thank you NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this in return for an unpaid, honest opinion.

So good! It had almost all of my favorite tropes. Enemies to lovers, fake dating, boarding school, and dark academia. A fast paced read. Seriously so amazing!

I thought this was an excellent book. It was so much more than a fake dating trope and a high school prankster. The characters were great. The plot was fantastic, the premise unique. Great writing. The opening scene was hilarious. It definitely set a certain tone for the rest of the book. The feminist Girl Power vibe I got from the brief Weston school history lesson early in the book was especially satisfying when it circled back around in a big way at the end.

Doe’s first person narration is great. She’s witty and sarcastic and makes a very enjoyable narrator. I really appreciated how the author seamlessly blended typical teenage drama with much heavier topics. It gave gravity to a story that could easily have been frivolous and ridiculous. It’s peppered with important lessons that even grownups often still need to learn without feeling too preachy.

I really liked Doe’s friend group and her (not so) fake boyfriend, Wells. Their relationship is pretty sweet and they’re really great together even when they’re not “together”.

Doe deals with all the typical teenage stressors like friendship drama and feeling like she’s expected to know what she’s going to do with her life, but she has to deal with much more than just that, which is what makes this book so interesting and, I think, unique. Doe’s got more issues than Vogue and they all come creeping up on her in the 11th hour of her time at Weston. She loses nearly everyone close to her because of her behavior. This is relevant not just to teens but pretty much any person who is alive and breathing. We all need to check ourselves before we wreck ourselves. And she done wrecked herself. Doe then realizes she needs to engage in some much needed self reflection.

Every character is well written. The dialogue is excellent. I’m pretty impressed with this author. I will definitely be up for reading anything else she writes.

Side note: At one point, Doe recounts a conversation she had with someone at school where they talked about what food they missed most from their hometowns. Hers was Provel cheese which is the bat signal that means not only is she 1) from St. Louis, but 2) a fan of Imo’s Pizza. That’s my girl!  🙌🏼 😂  All the authentic St. Louis references made this native St. Louisan happy. ❤️

I would recommend this to anyone.
5 stars out of 5

Thanks to the publisher for providing an eARC of This May End Badly in exchange for an honest review.

This is a fun, fast YA read with all of your tropey favs. We have: boarding school settings, tight-knit friend groups, prank wars, high school rivalries, fake!dating, the list goes on and on. It's not necessarily the most unique thing you'll ever read but it's fun regardless, especially if you're looking for something fun and familiar to get you out of a slump.

I received an arc from netgalley.

I have mixed opinions on this book. I didn't hate it but there was something off about it. First off, I felt like she should be with Three, I didn't think that by the end but the way it was written made it seem like that was where the story should go. I also couldn't stand the main character for most of the book. She was just so caught up in the rivalry that it made her unbearable at times.

This is one of the best YA books I have read in awhile. Sure, there are a few too many characters to keep track of and there are times when the same this is explained more than once, but overall it’s a great story of friendship, love, growing up, and dealing with your past. I really think this will be a hit with the high schoolers.

This book was definitely one of my favourite reads of the year so far! There’s so much rivalry and betrayal and pranks + fake dating my expectations were high and this book surpassed them. Doe and Wells were such amazing characters to follow im so obsessed and even though I think this is a stand-alone I need a sequel in my hands ASAP

Oh my gosh! I had amazing time! This is one of the most hilarious, intelligent, exciting story I’ve devoured!

This book guarantees to make you feel absolutely entertained with its
- Historical rivalry between boys and girls boarding schools ( Weston vs Winfield )
- Smart, jaw dropping, surprising , unique pranks both team members played against each other
- Emotional, heartfelt friendship bounding between girls
- A relatable, quick witted, tough heroine who is queen of banters: ladies and gentlemen, may I present you DOE my favorite heroine!
- Fake dating, enemies to lovers premise between Doe and Wells: I honestly say I loved them individually and but I loved them more as a couple: of course there were more smart banters, undeniable chemistry and I enjoyed their journey starting with being reluctant enemies and then become friends to work against Three but coming clean about their feelings and their big revelation part were so lovely!

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 lately had and I literally giggled so much and terrorized people around me with the gurgling sounds I made but it was truly worth it :)

Special thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press/ Wednesday Books for sharing this digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest thoughts.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of This May End Badly in exchange for a review.

Doe and her friends and Wells and his family are the cast of characters. The book, a modern spin on a senior year romance, was fun, inclusive, filled with interesting plot points, clever dialogue and a wonderful MC who grows over the course of the novel.
I want to love the book because of all those reasons.I think a lot of people WILL love it.
The end of the novel was one of those movie moments that sounds good and looks good, but as a high school teacher I struggled to turn off the disbelief, which is weird since the fake relationship, boarding school, ultra rich family didn’t bother me a bit. Lol.

YA contemporary readers who enjoy Meg Cabot novels and the Gossip Girl series will enjoy this novel. I’m interested in what my students think.

I enjoyed this though it took me a while to read. I think the summary makes out like there are a lot of pranks and that's the main thrust of the book but it's only really in the first 20% or so before the fake dating takes off, so I was disappointed that there wasn't a heavier focus on the pranks but I enjoyed the book.

Okay, so I feel the need to point out that this book does have some triggers. But don't let that stop you from reading it- in this particular instance, it's still a really good read.

(tw; mention of sexual assault)

THIS BOOK.

Fake dating? Rival boarding schools? Pranking? The synopsis for this sounded like the perfect YA read to me, and it served that exactly. I don't give 5 stars to just any book, but this one I can say fully deserves it. I loved every aspect of this book and there's truly nothing about this book that I could pick out and say I didn't enjoy. I can say with no doubt this will do amazing when it's published, and I'll definitely be counting down the days until I can get my hands on a physical copy. I tempted to even reread this ARC because I enjoyed it so much.

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.

Definitely recommend anyone who loves fake dating, boarding schools, pranking, and anything of the sort picks this up. Release date is April 12 of next year!!

This May End Badly is one of the most entertaining and witty contemporary YAs I've read in a long time! I adored Doe and the whole cast of characters, who all felt so real and complex. Doe's banter with Wells (and everyone else, really!) frequently had me giggling so hard that I had to fight the urge to read passages out loud to anyone within earshot. Highly recommend this book to anyone, especially readers who love snappy dialogue, bold characters, and all the feelings. An absolute delight!

Thank you NetGalley for sending this arc for a honest review!

Now if imma be honest normally these kind of books are not my cup of tea. But I really enjoyed this book:) everything about it was humor to me, in a good way ofc. It’s like one of those movie where it takes place in a English setting where it’s split between a boys and a girls school. And in this case it was exactly the same. Best part was having to see Doe team up with her nemesis from the boy at the boys school. For me I was wheezing with anticipation the whole time just waiting for them to get together because we all know how it is… the fake dating play? Yea we know how that works out I’m the end ;)

It was such a cute read and was so well written, definitely more for the younger audience in takes of plot but worth it!

I just loved loved loved This May End Badly. This is a perfect YA romance that I just couldn't put down. With adorable characters and great story this one will definitely be a hit with teen girls!!!! I thought the chemistry between Doe and Wells was one of the best I've seen in a YA book in a long time. I just can't believe this is the the first book written by Samantha Markum. Oh man I can't wait to read her next book!!!!

READ THIS. Such a good book and it is raw and real and covers several important and delicate topics in a way that is authentic. Doe certainly learns from her mistakes and I truly loved how she took accountability and how she gave true and genuine apologies to the people that she hurt.

5+ stars, definitely!

This May End Badly is a fun rom-com with an enemies to lovers twist that everyone sees coming from a mile away. The main character in this story is Dorothy, who goes by Doe. She is a junior at a fancy girls-only boarding school. Her school just happens to sit next to an all boys school and the kids from both schools have a fun rivalry going on throughout the book. Of course, you know at the beginning that Doe will end up with one of those boys, but getting there is the fun part of it.

When a merger between the schools is announced, the teens decide that they need to do whatever possible to stop the merger and keep their schools separate.

Engaging and funny. I really enjoyed this one. Look for it in April 2022.