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robynlynae's review against another edition
4.0
I was really excited to read this book. Markum wrote one of my all time favorite fanfictions and I was happy to see when she was coming out with original fiction.
I had high hopes going into it and I think it delivered. I found myself smiling quite a bit while reading and I thought the banter between Doe and Wells was really funny and sometimes super sweet. I liked seeing the relationship between them blossom. It felt really genuine. The relationship between the girls was realistic...they argued and made mistakes and I like that they had flaws.
The pranks were funny and I always love stories with passionate girls who don't take shit from men.
My only criticism is that it felt like there was SO much going on sometimes that it was sometimes hard to follow everything. It took me a while to get a handle on all of Doe's friends and some of them didn't get fully fleshed out. I often got the two schools mixed up (which one is the boys school again?) There were also a LOT of different plot lines going on that sometimes felt overwhelming: the prank war, the fake dating, the antagonism with the other Weston girl, the whole thing with Mr. Tully.
However those things didn't bother me as much because reading it was just really FUN and I couldn't put it down. I really enjoyed how this book had really varied representation of sexualities, gender identity, and races. I also really really enjoyed how they all came together in the end to get rid of the slimy teacher.
Warnings for bullying on the basis of sexuality (mentioned), sexual assault/harassment (mentioned).
I had high hopes going into it and I think it delivered. I found myself smiling quite a bit while reading and I thought the banter between Doe and Wells was really funny and sometimes super sweet. I liked seeing the relationship between them blossom. It felt really genuine. The relationship between the girls was realistic...they argued and made mistakes and I like that they had flaws.
The pranks were funny and I always love stories with passionate girls who don't take shit from men.
My only criticism is that it felt like there was SO much going on sometimes that it was sometimes hard to follow everything. It took me a while to get a handle on all of Doe's friends and some of them didn't get fully fleshed out. I often got the two schools mixed up (which one is the boys school again?) There were also a LOT of different plot lines going on that sometimes felt overwhelming: the prank war, the fake dating, the antagonism with the other Weston girl, the whole thing with Mr. Tully.
However those things didn't bother me as much because reading it was just really FUN and I couldn't put it down. I really enjoyed how this book had really varied representation of sexualities, gender identity, and races. I also really really enjoyed how they all came together in the end to get rid of the slimy teacher.
Warnings for bullying on the basis of sexuality (mentioned), sexual assault/harassment (mentioned).
evarano's review against another edition
2.0
2.5
I struggle with this book. There were elements I liked, then aspects that I just didn't understand. At its core, this book was doing wayyyy too much. There were too many characters, I could barely keep track of everyone, not enough backstory, a slightly unlikeable main character, a SA storyline that doesn't come into play until the very end of the story, the "war" between the two schools, the pranks, the fake relationship, the rivalry with Three, grades, friendships, college applications, history with divorce and bullying, anger management and probably more. It's just straight up too much. I just want to know why Three was named Three. I feel like if this book focused more on only a couple of these aspects it would've been more enjoyable and successful. Doe is not very likeable, she's obsessive about things that don't add up (I understand her anger, however in my opinion, her feelings and personal opinions do not justify her actions). I found it odd that she was so consumed with this "war" when she's a Senior who's leaving the school. She lied to her friends constantly and was self-centred and hypocritical. I did like that at the end she went on a personal journey of growth and did change her opinions. I also enjoyed reading about her relationship with Wells. It was lovely, he's lovely and I wish there was more of that, it was a bit too much of a slow burn. I appreciate the diverse cast of characters and I did enjoy the world created by the author. I almost wish this was highly edited but kept with the same spirit of the story. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the free preview in exchange for an honest review.
I struggle with this book. There were elements I liked, then aspects that I just didn't understand. At its core, this book was doing wayyyy too much. There were too many characters, I could barely keep track of everyone, not enough backstory, a slightly unlikeable main character, a SA storyline that doesn't come into play until the very end of the story, the "war" between the two schools, the pranks, the fake relationship, the rivalry with Three, grades, friendships, college applications, history with divorce and bullying, anger management and probably more. It's just straight up too much. I just want to know why Three was named Three. I feel like if this book focused more on only a couple of these aspects it would've been more enjoyable and successful. Doe is not very likeable, she's obsessive about things that don't add up (I understand her anger, however in my opinion, her feelings and personal opinions do not justify her actions). I found it odd that she was so consumed with this "war" when she's a Senior who's leaving the school. She lied to her friends constantly and was self-centred and hypocritical. I did like that at the end she went on a personal journey of growth and did change her opinions. I also enjoyed reading about her relationship with Wells. It was lovely, he's lovely and I wish there was more of that, it was a bit too much of a slow burn. I appreciate the diverse cast of characters and I did enjoy the world created by the author. I almost wish this was highly edited but kept with the same spirit of the story. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the free preview in exchange for an honest review.
priya_amrev's review against another edition
3.0
Interesting story. Idk why tho but I kept wishing they were brown.
And tbh being older than the MCs makes it ick to read all their ‘sexy stuff’. Even if I’m only a couple years older lol.
And tbh being older than the MCs makes it ick to read all their ‘sexy stuff’. Even if I’m only a couple years older lol.
chenisejones's review against another edition
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
helloclarisse's review against another edition
3.0
this was ok! there was a lot going on and there were so many characters that it was hard to keep track of at times, and the final conflict/plot-point felt very rushed and out of nowhere. i feel like this might make a good movie but it was only an ok book.
cobaltbookshelf's review against another edition
4.0
I absolutely enjoyed this book!
I thought I would like it, I thought it would be interesting, but I didn't expect to love it as much as I do.
This was so well written, and the story was so good, I absolutely loved Doe and Wells!
This May End Badly is a great debut from Markum, and I can't wait to read more from her.
ARC kindly provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I thought I would like it, I thought it would be interesting, but I didn't expect to love it as much as I do.
This was so well written, and the story was so good, I absolutely loved Doe and Wells!
This May End Badly is a great debut from Markum, and I can't wait to read more from her.
ARC kindly provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
hniereads's review against another edition
5.0
I LOVED it! It was perfect. It was grossly cute and it’s so unfairly underrated! They are rivals who fake date to make his cousin/her ex jealous! And end up falling for each other. I love doe and wells so much
lbarsk's review against another edition
3.0
Actually 3.5 stars.
This was a fun, quasi-enemies-to-lovers YA romance and feminist character growth book. I obviously love the fact that Wells LOVED DOE SO MUCH and was all in on supporting her and stanning, and I found Doe’s gradual realization of her own feelings for Wells charming too. The female friendships in the book are what its core really should be, and for the most part I found those compelling; at times it did seem like “hey we are just constantly throwing new side characters at you,” but also in high school my friend group was huge too, so I get it.
The issue I think is that the book was trying to handle like five plots at once, and while it did round all of them off in a fairly satisfactory way at the end, I wonder if cutting even one of those strands out would’ve given the other plots room to breathe. Doe’s conflicted feelings about leaving high school and heading to college; Wells’ own interiority and the ways in which he and Doe are really good for each other; Doe’s friendships growing and changing as each young woman pursues her own interests while still loving and supporting her friends; THE SEXUAL HARASSER CHARACTER and that entire subplot; Doe’s complex relationship with her parents! Like… WOW okay that is a LOT to pack in. And again, it’s not like any one strand is tackled poorly, it’s just — how much *stronger* could some of these have been without the other ones going on?
All in all, though, I’d definitely recommend this to high school aged girls because the romance is sweet and it has a bunch of good messages about friendship and feminist action/allyship/protest tactics.
This was a fun, quasi-enemies-to-lovers YA romance and feminist character growth book. I obviously love the fact that Wells LOVED DOE SO MUCH and was all in on supporting her and stanning, and I found Doe’s gradual realization of her own feelings for Wells charming too. The female friendships in the book are what its core really should be, and for the most part I found those compelling; at times it did seem like “hey we are just constantly throwing new side characters at you,” but also in high school my friend group was huge too, so I get it.
The issue I think is that the book was trying to handle like five plots at once, and while it did round all of them off in a fairly satisfactory way at the end, I wonder if cutting even one of those strands out would’ve given the other plots room to breathe. Doe’s conflicted feelings about leaving high school and heading to college; Wells’ own interiority and the ways in which he and Doe are really good for each other; Doe’s friendships growing and changing as each young woman pursues her own interests while still loving and supporting her friends; THE SEXUAL HARASSER CHARACTER and that entire subplot; Doe’s complex relationship with her parents! Like… WOW okay that is a LOT to pack in. And again, it’s not like any one strand is tackled poorly, it’s just — how much *stronger* could some of these have been without the other ones going on?
All in all, though, I’d definitely recommend this to high school aged girls because the romance is sweet and it has a bunch of good messages about friendship and feminist action/allyship/protest tactics.
kaeliwolf's review against another edition
4.0
Beautiful writing and character interactions. I'd compare the writing style to that of Casey McQuiston, which is nothing but a compliment. It's definitely a worthy read.