This May End Badly is a mischievous and fast-paced contemporary romance. I am so happy I was approved for an ARC on Netgalley, because this book was magnificent. It has several fantastic tropes from fake-dating to prank wars. Doe is a Weston girl, ready to continue playing pranks on the annoying Winfield boys. However, this is the year that a merger between the two schools is announced. Doe and her friends decide they have to do all they can to show the schools that the merger is a bad idea. This may be Doe’s last chance to get back at her Winfield rival, Three. When Three’s cousin Wells agrees to work with her to annoy Three, the fake-dating games begin. Only Wells isn’t anything like Doe thought he would be and she may be forced to examine her deeply-held beliefs about what it means to be a Weston girl. 

 I loved the relationship between Doe and Wells! Wells is a great book boyfriend (I mean, he primarily hangs out in a bookstore!). Samantha Markum writes lovable and vivid characters. Doe has a single-minded focus, drive, and anger fueling her schemes.  Doe has a close-knit and warm group of friends, which I always love to see. The relationships between the Weston girls and Winfield boys grow more nuanced as the story continues, with all of the characters growing. Doe also has strong relationships with her parents, which I feel is rare in boarding school stories. This May End Badly deals with a serious issue of students being sexually harassed by an authority figure. Doe and her friends work together to bring attention and action to this issue and refuse to let the incident be swept aside. I thought this was handled realistically and with care. 

I loved the fake-dating, the pranks, and the romance of This May End Badly and would highly recommend you pick up a copy. Looking forward to reading whatever Samantha Markum writes next! Thank you so much to Samantha Markum, Wednesday Books, and Netgalley for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.