Title: This May End Badly
Author: Samantha Markum
Genre: YA Contemporary
Published On: April 12 2022
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Source: digital (Netgalley)
Pages: 336
Synopsis:
Pranking mastermind Doe and her motley band of Weston girls are determined to win the century-long war against Winfield Academy before the clock ticks down on their senior year. But when their headmistress announces that The Weston School will merge with its rival the following year, their longtime feud spirals into chaos.
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, Winfield’s boy king and her nemesis. 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.
As the pranks escalate, so do her feelings for her fake boyfriend, and Doe spins lie after lie to keep up her end of the deal. But when a teacher long suspected of inappropriate behavior messes with a younger Weston girl, Doe has to decide what’s more important: winning a rivalry, or joining forces to protect something far more critical than a prank war legacy.
This May End Badly is a story about friendship, falling in love, and crossing pretty much every line presented to you—and how to atone when you do.
My thoughts
(Spoiler free)
Am I giving a debut young adult novel five stars?? Why, yes I am! As I sit here writing a review for This May End Badly, I can’t think of anything I didn’t like, so in my opinion, it whole-heartedly deserves five stars from me.
I recently finished Kit Frick’s latest release Very Bad People (My Review), another YA novel set at a boarding school but with a much darker and serious tone, and I thoroughly enjoyed the academic setting—the friendships, the secret rendezvous, the coming-of-age-ness of it all. Which made me even more excited to revisit the genre in This May End Badly.
As the book opens, we meet this motley group of Weston friends, spear-headed by Dorothy, or Doe to her friends, and I instantly liked Doe’s charm, her fighting spirit, and especially her loyalty to those friends. It’s their senior year, and from the start the reader understands the bond these five friends have forged for the past few years. A bond made even stronger by their detest for the neighboring boys’ school and the prank wars they carry out against each other. For the most part, the pranks are fun and quite ingenious. I was very impressed by the commitment to detail by these two foes!
On the surface it may seem like Doe is a bit obsessed with this war. Too obsessed. But as her backstory is revealed, my appreciation for the character grew. She’s far from perfect, makes many mistakes in judgement, but it’s these imperfections that makes her character so real for me. I adored her charm, her bravery, AND her short-comings.
“The Weston School has been my haven. The place where I’ve felt the most me. Where I met my closest friends, and where I grew into my real self.”
Samantha Markum, This May End Badly
Markum has woven in several relevant issues, but they always felt organic to the story. They served the plot, enhanced the character growth, and shed light on a different perspective.
Now, let’s talk about the romance! We get one of my favorite tropes, the fake-dating trope. I so enjoyed watching Doe fight all her feelings about “dating” a Winfield boy. And oh, how I adored Wells. While Markum gave us Three to love-to-hate, Wells is his opposite. He’s a teddy bear, kind and subtle. And he has his own compelling backstory, as well. I enjoyed how Markum rounded out all the characters with small tidbits about their pasts. No need to give lengthy explanations, she did it beautifully with a few sentences, proving less is more.
While this is a YA book, it has heart and depth, in just the right amounts. And so much fun. I didn’t want it to end, and when I finished the book, I immediately reread the first chapter, wanting to re-experience the opening knowing all the characters as well as I now did. I would love for the author to make this book a series, either following Doe’s story after graduating or even with all new characters attending Weston the following year. It would also make a perfect adaptation, especially a tv series. But one thing’s for sure, I will be picking up the next book by Samantha Markum!
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thank you to Wednesday Books and Netgalley for providing me with an advance copy.
(All quotes are taken from the advance copy and are subject to change in final print.)
Rating:
Barnes and Noble | Kobo | Indiebound | Bookshop | Amazon
About the Author
A Song For A Book
While I was reading This May End Badly, I had a soundtrack of Lorde running through my head. Her themes of girl power and rivals fit perfectly with the book. I’ve chosen to highlight “Homemade Dynamite“. The opening lines fit Doe, her friends, Three, and Wells perfectly. While the Weston girls and the Winfield boys may think they’re bitter enemies, they have a lot in common.
A couple rebel top gun pilots
Flying with nowhere to be
Don’t know you super well
But I think that you might be the same as me
Behave abnormally
Let’s let things come out of the woodwork
I’ll give you my best side, tell you all my best lies
Yeah, awesome, right?
So let’s let things come out of the woodwork
I’ll give you my best side, tell you all my best lines
Seeing me rolling, showing someone else love
Dancing with our shoes off
Know I think you’re awesome, right?…
Have you read This May End Badly? Did you add it to your tbr? Let me know in the comments!
Happy Wandering!
I really enjoyed your enthusiastic review of this wonderful book!
Thank you! <3
Ooo! This sounds good! I have kind of had my eye on it, but YA is touch and go for me lately so I wasn’t sure. I think I need to read it after your review.
YA can be the same for me, but I thought this one was so well done! I would love to hear what you think about it. 🙂
That’s great to know.
Glad to see this was a hit for you. I have to say, the romance and the friendships were the stars for me. Wells, if only I was younger. Loved him!
Yes!! Wells has quickly joined my list of book boyfriends. Haha!
I am happy to see how much you enjoyed this book, Dedra. It sounds like it has a lot going for it.
I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it! <3
Ooh, I love that song! 😍 This is an absolutely glowing review and I can really tell how much you loved it, which makes me even more curious about it. I will definitely keep an eye out for this one. YA contemporary has been a bit hit/miss with me lately but this sounds like it could be a winner! Great review!
I love everything Lorde! 😃 And, yes, YA can be a mixed bag for me, as well. I was so happy by how much I enjoyed this one. I hope you get to pick it up!
This sounds like a fun book. I’m glad you enjoyed it so much!
It was such a nice surprise hit. 🙂