Review: This May End Badly by Samantha Markum

This May End Badly by Samantha Markum

Blurb from Goodreads:

When a high stakes boarding school prank war leads to a fake dating scheme, two teens must decide if they are ready to take the ultimate risk — falling in love.

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.

 I usually love books set in boarding schools but this one was a bit of a struggle.  By the end, I came to terms with it but there were several times I strongly considered a DNF.  I'm trying to pinpoint what didn't work for me and it was probably the MC/narrator Doe.  I didn't feel she was honest with herself or as a character for a reader.  Something felt off and some motivation that was essential was not described and went unnamed for most of the book.  It left me feeling cheated.  Hope you have better luck!

This May End Badly comes out next week on April 12, 2022 and you can purchase HERE. 

"Don't let anyone make you feel like a screwup. I can't think of someone who's less of a screwup. I think—I think you're—" 

My heart pounds, my skin turning hot. 

Well's cheeks go pink. "You're, like, the best person I've ever met." 

And even thought we're barely touching, I kind of feel like—I don't know—like I've been kisses within an inch of my life.