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smalltownbookmom's review against another edition
4.0
I really loved this fake dating #metoo novel set against rival private girls' and boys' academies. When these two feuding schools are told they'll be joining next year, Dorothy ("Do") decides to make it her mission to prevent it all costs. She also gets involved in a fake dating scheme with a boy on the inside who promises to help her with her goal if she helps him with something he wants.
What ensues are lots of great pranks, witty banter and one of the sweetest first love stories I've read in a while. I loved Do and Wells together. The electricity they feel from first touches and kisses sent chills up my spine. Not a PG Young adult book but nothing graphic either.
I also loved the Veronica Mars vibes Do gave off. When she an underclassman comes to her about the misconduct of one of the school's creepiest teacher's, Do takes action, collecting statements from other victims and organizing a sit-in to get the man fired.
Perfect for fans of He must like you or the Chandler legacies, this was great on audio and a highly enjoyable story about the world of elite boarding schools and a sexual predator getting what he deserves. Definitely one not to miss! Much thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my advance review copy.
CW: sexual misconduct of authority figures
What ensues are lots of great pranks, witty banter and one of the sweetest first love stories I've read in a while. I loved Do and Wells together. The electricity they feel from first touches and kisses sent chills up my spine. Not a PG Young adult book but nothing graphic either.
I also loved the Veronica Mars vibes Do gave off. When she an underclassman comes to her about the misconduct of one of the school's creepiest teacher's, Do takes action, collecting statements from other victims and organizing a sit-in to get the man fired.
Perfect for fans of He must like you or the Chandler legacies, this was great on audio and a highly enjoyable story about the world of elite boarding schools and a sexual predator getting what he deserves. Definitely one not to miss! Much thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my advance review copy.
CW: sexual misconduct of authority figures
sloanelesita's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
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
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual harassment
Minor: Adult/minor relationship and Biphobia
eshalmahmud's review against another edition
3.0
This book was four star worthy in the beginning, but then it died out in the end, so it does stay true to its name.
briaraq's review against another edition
4.0
This could've easily been a netflix film if netflix didn't ruined their rep
carolineabeachum's review against another edition
5.0
This was a fun read- reminds me of what I enjoy YA!
What I liked:
-boarding school setting
-fake dating trope
-complex characters
-overall just cute!
What I disliked:
-I initially did not think much about it, but I did see one reviewer discuss the issue of teacher vs student harassment and how it was dealt with by the students. Something I am still thinking about.
What I liked:
-boarding school setting
-fake dating trope
-complex characters
-overall just cute!
What I disliked:
-I initially did not think much about it, but I did see one reviewer discuss the issue of teacher vs student harassment and how it was dealt with by the students. Something I am still thinking about.
juliannaofgreengables's review against another edition
3.0
I’ve enjoyed parts of it and didn’t love other parts of it. Sometimes it felt like too many things were happening at once. Overall a fun read.
jenlovesbooks's review against another edition
4.0
Thanks to partners NetGalley and Wednesday Books for the digital ARC of Samantha Markum’s This May End Badly in exchange for an honest review. The book is out on April 12!
I picked up Samantha Markum’s This May End Badly when I was in somewhat of a reading slump . . . which Markum promptly ended. I could not put down this book!
The novel begins with Doe and her best friends (Gemma, Jade, Sumi, and Shawn) in the midst of pranking their neighboring boarding school as part of a tradition that goes back generations. The girls of The Weston School and the boys of Winfield Academy have had a rivalry that permeates every event throughout the year, and Doe and her friends (but particularly Doe!) take that rivalry to new heights, driven by the extra-special loathing that Doe and Winfield boy Three have for each other. As seniors, they all realize this is their last chance to win the prank war, so the creativity is rampant.
That rivalry is the center of the book, and it creeps out into every corner of Doe’s life. It causes her to set up a fake dating scenario with Three’s cousin Wells, to keep secrets from her friends and family, to lose focus on her academics despite her continued need to earn her spot at Weston (she entered the school under less-than-ideal circumstances).
Doe is brilliant and fun and funny and also deeply, deeply flawed. I loved the varied relationships here: Doe’s close-knit friendships and her great relationships with her parents and even the growing friendship she has with Wells. I also appreciated watching as Doe lost her grip on the real purpose of the pranks and as she became so laser focused that she lost sight of where it all had started.
There are serious threads running through the fun of the Weston-Winfield battles, threads that pull tighter when a merger between the schools is announced and Doe has to start considering what she really loves about Weston and herself . . . and what needs to change.
Markum navigates the unfurling plot and Doe’s character development beautifully, offering complexity and nuance as Doe reflects on who she is and who she wants to be.
Trigger warning: sexual assault
I picked up Samantha Markum’s This May End Badly when I was in somewhat of a reading slump . . . which Markum promptly ended. I could not put down this book!
The novel begins with Doe and her best friends (Gemma, Jade, Sumi, and Shawn) in the midst of pranking their neighboring boarding school as part of a tradition that goes back generations. The girls of The Weston School and the boys of Winfield Academy have had a rivalry that permeates every event throughout the year, and Doe and her friends (but particularly Doe!) take that rivalry to new heights, driven by the extra-special loathing that Doe and Winfield boy Three have for each other. As seniors, they all realize this is their last chance to win the prank war, so the creativity is rampant.
That rivalry is the center of the book, and it creeps out into every corner of Doe’s life. It causes her to set up a fake dating scenario with Three’s cousin Wells, to keep secrets from her friends and family, to lose focus on her academics despite her continued need to earn her spot at Weston (she entered the school under less-than-ideal circumstances).
Doe is brilliant and fun and funny and also deeply, deeply flawed. I loved the varied relationships here: Doe’s close-knit friendships and her great relationships with her parents and even the growing friendship she has with Wells. I also appreciated watching as Doe lost her grip on the real purpose of the pranks and as she became so laser focused that she lost sight of where it all had started.
There are serious threads running through the fun of the Weston-Winfield battles, threads that pull tighter when a merger between the schools is announced and Doe has to start considering what she really loves about Weston and herself . . . and what needs to change.
Markum navigates the unfurling plot and Doe’s character development beautifully, offering complexity and nuance as Doe reflects on who she is and who she wants to be.
Trigger warning: sexual assault
kayleighroy17's review against another edition
4.0
I wanted a light audiobook to listen to while cleaning and this fit the bill. A YA romance with a rivalry between an all-girls high school and an all-boys high school facing a co-ed merge. There were a lot of sub plots that had our main protagonist juggling many plates - and, true to her age, not doing so very successfully or maturely.
Some of the plot topics included coming out/sexuality being mishandled, emotional abuse of children, and predatory behavior of an authority figure towards a minor.
I really liked the romance arc and the love interest! If you like contemporary YA and fake dating tropes, I recommend.
Some of the plot topics included coming out/sexuality being mishandled, emotional abuse of children, and predatory behavior of an authority figure towards a minor.
I really liked the romance arc and the love interest! If you like contemporary YA and fake dating tropes, I recommend.
dakomiro's review against another edition
4.0
Read this book because the author and I went to the same high school. This YA novel gave me the Confessions of Georgia Nicolson series mixed with the Wild Child and St. Trinian’s movies (love a boarding school setting) vibes so I loved it. It’s not ground-breaking and there’s a lot going on with the plot but it’s a cute story I would’ve read multiple times and possibly based my personality off of in middle or high school.