This was a wonderful YA read. Two private schools in a prank war for years, Doe is intent on winning for the girls. She begins fake dating Wells from the boys school to up the ante. Shenanigans ensue. It was well done and a fun read. I felt there were too many characters to keep track of at times, but overall it was a fun read.

If you enjoy a story set in a private school, fake dating tropes, and YA novels this one is for you!

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC!

This book surprised me in the best way! A fake dating, boarding school book with endless pranks and ending on a high note fighting for something that truly matters. I definitely felt it naive that Doe thought she could actually reverse the school merger at the beginning but her arc going through challenges with relationships as she was singularly focused played out well and was engaging the entire way through.

The fake dating trope truly turns me into a grinning mess and my cheeks now literally hurt from binging this book, lol.

THIS MAY END BADLY had me in a chokehold. I had an exam at 9AM but I stayed up until 2AM to finish this amazing debut. It's so much fun, even with the serious themes woven in. I loved everything this book explored, from friendship to the girls vs boys thing to senior year of high school to... disgusting teachers and how schools try to cover up for them. It was all just done very well.

Doe is an amazing and passionate main character, despite and because of her flaws. Her character growth was so nice to see, too! She cares really deeply and I just wanna give her a hug at this point. My favourite thing about this book, though, was the romance...

A few days have passed and I'm still thinking about Doe and Wells. Their relationship was... so good, and I say this as a full on lesbian who is not easily satisfied with a male love interest, but Wells is amazing. I LOVED their banter so much!!

I'm actually really surprised by how much I loved this book. There were a few things that didn't make me enjoy it like a five-star read, but I'm still gonna be thinking about this one a lot. I need more fake dating books now lmao!!

This was such a fun book! I loved the rivalry between the two schools, and the romance between Doe and Wells. It has the perfect balance between humor and more serious topics, but overall this is a light, fun read.

Dorothy (Doe) and her gang are determined to carry out the legacy of their school, including the rivalry between their school and the all boys school next door. When a merger between the school threatens that, they are determined to break it, especially given that Doe will have to deal with her arch-enemy Three. When the opportunity comes up to annoy Three, Doe runs head first towards it.

Wells is one of Three’s 7 cousins and he definitely does not get along with Three. Seeing this restrained relationship, Doe proposes fake dating to get on Three’s nerves, but Wells also wants something from Doe.

It was a pretty cute book. Doe with a bit annoying with her tunnel vision on legacy and stuff but it think she worked it out good towards the end. There is nothing I would change with Wells though. He was swoon-worthy. They story was also pretty fast paced but I did think it dragged out towards the end. Also it seemed like the book couldn’t pick a struggle (aka plot line) and stick with it. It had way too much going on and honestly it could have ended 50 pages earlier than it actually did.

Overall, I would definitely recommend this book to anyone that likes YA romances, since it had all the components of a cheesy, rom-com.

4/5 ⭐️ to This May End Badly by Samantha Markum. Thank you to Wednesday Books for an egalley to review! This follows high school senior, Doe, and the long-time rivalry between her all-girls school Weston Academy, and the all-boys school across the road. It kicks off with a hilarious first day of school prank and we get to know Doe and her friends' group. Soon Doe feels her world turning upside down and the prank war with the boys escalates after it's announced the two schools will merge next year. Making things more intense and adding to the drama is a personal rivalry Doe has with a boy at the other school who is from a very prominent family. As part of her "revenge" on him, she starts to fake date his cousin...and we all know how that ends up! I think this is a fabulous debut full of life, teen drama, rivalry, and crushes. Doe is messy and relatable with a good heart, and I like how she was not only allowed to make mistakes (and some hurtful ones at that), but she makes things right in the end and it is balanced with her passion for her school, her love for her family, and her loyalty to her friends. Speaking of, the author did include diversity in our secondary cast of characters including LGBTQ+ rep and having POC characters in the two main friends' groups (Doe's and the LI's). Please read own-voices POC reviews in terms of that specific representation. I liked how the queer representation was expanded with conversations around improving on how to intentionally include trans & non-binary students in what is an all-girls or all-boys school. What really made this book fun was both the prank war itself but also the fake dating! I loved watching them create their fake dating plan, make everyone around them believe they are actually dating, getting to know each other, and then slowly but surely falling for each other. It was adorable and angsty as many fake dating relationships are. Finally, I wanted to speak on an element that was included a) to bring awareness to the issue and b) is used as a plot device to finally have the two student bodies work together. Now, this comes with a trigger warning for SA, particularly in a student-teacher relationship. I think that it is important to recognize that this happens, and the fact that too often these instances are covered up by administration (they never should be) but I don't know if it should have been used as a plot device. I'm glad it resulted in the two student bodies working together towards something good and preparing them to merge into one school, but I question the use of that storyline specifically. Take this questioning coming from someone who hasn't experienced anything like this, and please read other reviews if you're unsure. This book is out now, and I would recommend checking it out! Looking forward to what Markum writes next!

"This May End Badly" has the same thing going for it that also drove me crazy: it's YA, and the characters refreshingly act like teenagers. Theses are not teens that I imagine in 20+ year old bodies- which I guess says something about the type of YA books I've been reading recently.

Doe, short for Dorothy, has been struggling to accept that her all-girls school will be merging with an all-boys school the following year, and even though she's currently a HS senior and won't be at the school, she intends to do everything she can to stop the merger. Which ends up being equal parts funny and embarrassing.

I enjoyed this. I think Samantha Markum did an excellent job with character growth and self-reflection. There was a pretty large cast of characters, but each character felt unique enough that I didn't confuse them with each other. The romance is mostly PG, with some at-times heavy kissing.

I've been in a rut with a lot of books lately, but "This May End Badly" was a quick and fun read.

Thank you Netgalley and St Martin's Press for an advanced e-copy of this book. It is well-past publishing day, but that just means it's ready to be read right now! :)

I enjoyed this YA boarding school novel full of romance, fake dating, and prank wars. I think my students will love it, especially those who liked The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks and Truly Vicious.

strong female characters. strong friendships. a funny dialogue and wonderfully developed plot. this book delivered everything it promised.

I love fake dating and ‘enemies’ to ‘lovers’ so I knew I was going to enjoy this one. There is lots of humour, growth and emotion and it even touches on some more serious topics. I enjoyed the characters and the banter is hilarious. Definitely worth picking up.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press, Wednesday Books for an e-copy of this book.

I found this book enjoyable especially because the premise was so fun (a prank war between rival schools? Yes please). It’s cute to see how the pranks and relationships escalate over the course of the story and I think it will be a fun summer read for a lot of people. My only issue with it is that there was a tad too much going on. That being said, I will recommend this to all my YA loving friends!

Fake dating and a prank war between an all-girl's school and an all-boy's school? Yes, please! I loved Doe and Wells and the chemistry between them. And the female friendships (even when tested) that really spoke to the sisterhood that's built at an all-girls school took my back to my own high school days in the best way.

🅆🄴🅂🅃🄾🄽 🄶🄸🅁🄻🅂 🅃🄰🄺🄴 🄽🄾 🄿🅁🄸🅂🄾🄽🄴🅁🅂

PRANK WAR CHAMPION *insert Pauly D voice*

I totally devoured this one. Samantha Markum’s YA debut This May End Badly is a good fun, heartfelt masterpiece. Reading it in just a day and a half I didn’t want to put it down. There is just something about a YA that gives me butterflies. Maybe it’s the whole first love thing or the essence of being young and careless with your whole life still ahead of you, or maybe it’s just this particular book. I wanted to simultaneously be Doe and yell at her to make better life choices. I had so much fun reading this whip smart, emotional journey of fighting for what you love, even if it means having to grow up.

Fearless pranking mastermind Doe leads her crew of Weston girls to out-prank the boys at their rival school, Winfield, where her nemesis Three rules the school. But when their headmistress announces that The Weston School will merge with Winfield the following year, the stakes get even higher. To protect the school that has been her safe haven since her parents’ divorce, Doe puts together a plan to prove once and for all that Winfield boys and Weston girls just don’t mix, starting with a direct hit at Three. In a desperate move to win, Doe strikes a bargain with Three’s cousin, Wells: If he fake dates her to get under Three’s skin, she’ll help him get back his rightful family heirloom from Three. But Doe is not immune to Wells’ good looks and don’t care attitude, she’s catching real feelings.

The pranks are clever and wickedly amusing, but as they escalate out of control Doe spirals and loses her way. She’s lying to her best friends, parents, even to herself, and what’s the point? She’ll be going off to college next year anyway. But when a teacher long suspected of inappropriate behavior messes with a younger Weston girl, Doe puts her courage on the line for a cause much larger than herself. Doe might have some obsessive tendencies but she’s fiercely protective and her dedication is powerful. Her girl gang of Weston girls is equally as outstanding and bright even if I thought they overreacted just a teensy bit. The way both schools unite to catch a predator makes for a rewarding and masterful plot, bigger then some juvenile pranks. Change is hard and often painful but something we must all go through.

A must read for Fans of Jenny Han’s To All the Boys I've Loved.

Read if you like:
- Fake dating
- First Love - YA
- Boarding schools
- Large friend group
- Feminism

This was such a fun and cute read! I loved the characters from the start and adored their relationship. This author has a way of making you feel so relatable to the characters. I will be recommending this book to a lot of my girlfriends!

This may end badly? Spoiler, it will end beautifully.

I always forget about how much I love the fake dating trope until I read another book with it. And the way the trope is done in this book? Amazing. Gold stars. Take my money.

The main character Doe is so blessedly different from your average protagonist. She's not obsessed with romance and boys while pretending not to be. She just takes romance as it is & when it comes but her focus is elsewhere. She loves the school that gave her a home when she needed one, and she will do anything to protect it from the boys' school across from it. She has a one-track mind and goes all in when she cares about something.

Doe's senior year is centered around a centuries' long "war" with the rival all-boys school Winfield, but heightens when they all find out that the schools might merge next year. Doe and her friends will do anything to keep the Weston school for girls and only girls, a refuge for those who need it as much as they have.

But Doe's focus on stopping the merger becomes more of a one-on-one game against her nemesis at the boy's school, one who goes by the nickname Three. Doe and Three are constantly at each other's throats, so it shouldn't be a surprise when she makes an interesting bargain and pretends to date the cousin he hates just to get at him: Gabriel Wellborn. Aka Wells. Akaka, the pretty one.

And it shouldn't be a surprise when she catches not-so-pretend feelings...


Read if you like:
x the fake dating trope
x witty banter (a lot of it. in the best way)
x boarding schools
x strong friend groups
x boy-girl rivalries
x betrayals?? hmmm
x and BOOK BOYFRIENDS that you can add to your list (I know you have one)


Thank you so much to NetGalley & St. Martin's Press for the chance to read this book early in exchange for an honest review.

Every second was a blast. The pranks were outstandingly creative, and the relationships formed between the boys of Winfield and the girls of Weston were the perfect backdrop for Doe's crusade and growth.

Ok I REALLY liked this book!!

first of all, yes its YA but it is definitely a more mature YA novel. there are lots of conversations about sex, relationships, sexuality, and sexual predators so know that going in. I would suggest a later high school reader for sure.

second, there were a lot of plot lines to follow through the whole time, but I enjoyed where they all ended and how they pulled together. at times it seemed a bit discombobulated but I had fun along the way.

this book is about FAR more than a prank war between schools and I would recommend to readers who enjoy Tweet Cute or Anna K.

4.5
Such a fun enemies to lovers story! This is my all time favorite trope, and there is something extra entertaining when the couple are witty and enjoy crazy antics. If you are looking for a fun read that will have you laughing and cheering for the couple this is a book for you!

Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for the advanced copy for review. All opinions are my own.

Doe and her friends are carrying on the legacy of a prank war with their rival boys school across the way. She's determined to win since it's her senior year. She strikes a deal with Wells to fake date to be a thorn in his cousin's side who is their school's master prankster. What could go wrong?

I absolutely loved this story! Fake dating is my jam. But, it's not only a story about fake dating. It's a story about friendship. lies, fun, growing up, and love. It's just such a great story.

There are some content warnings for inappropriate conduct by a faculty member.

A fun light hearted read. School pranks and surpassing the year prior than the last. If you are looking for a light hearted and fun read this would be it.