Review: This May End Badly by Samantha Markum

This May End Badly

by Samantha Markum

April 12, 2022

Goodreads Summary:

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.

Review

Any book with a boarding school setting is immediately put onto my to-watch-out-for radar. Add in a prank war and some fake dating, This May End Badly was practically shouting my name. And OMG, did I have the best time reading it!

While I wouldn't call This May End Badly a dramatic book, there was a lot of drama. Not the type that has your eyes rolling but the kind that keeps you flipping the pages. I was addicted to the characters and their rivalry. The Weston girls and the Winfield boys were geniuses at concocting outrageous pranks. Oh how I had some good laughs~ On a more serious note, This May End Badly tackled many real-life topics. I thought they were dealt with in an appropriate and realistic manner.

Doe will not be a character for everyone. Some may find her devotion to The Weston School and obsession over winning the feud with Winfield Academy to be annoying and too extreme. I thought Doe could've toned down on the scheming but I really admired how active she was in fighting for what she believed in. Even when her actions hurt her relationships, Doe mended each one with sincerity. I was definitely rooting for her.

One of the best parts of This May End Badly was the friendship between Doe and her four girl friends. With distinct personalities, each girl brought something unique into their friend group. It was refreshing and sweet to see how such different people could work together. And of course, the girls were not without conflicts. It spoke volumes to true friendship for them to fight then make up civilly.

This May End Badly has an exemplary representation on parenting. Despite having gone through a bad divorce, Doe's parents were both very "in the picture" when it came to anything regarding their daughter. Her mom especially had some wise words for her: "...there are very few holes you can't climb out of if you work hard enough. But digging is easy. Climbing is the real challenge." (ARC, p. 298)

Wells, Wells, Wells, I swooned for him. I was surprised by the complexity of his backstory. It explained very well why he and his cousins were the way they were. Wells and Doe made quite the pair. They complemented each other with their flirty banter and easy interactions. My heart raced whenever they had some heart-to-heart talks. So real and so cute!

This May End Badly was such an outstanding and fabulous read. I went through so many emotions reading this book. It has become an instant new favourite. All the stand-up moments and adorable romance(s) make This May End Badly one to reread again and again!

*I received an advance reading copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and not affected in any way. Any quotes included in my review were taken from the ARC I received.