If We Were Villains

landlockedmermaid shared a tip "The diverse characters, rich literary references, and mystery of this book held me absolutely captive! While I was desperate to reach the end and have closure to the unknowns I immediately missed the characters and wished I didn’t have to say goodbye."

baylee_kotrba shared a tip "Omg I literally loved this book! There were multiple plot twists, this book is based in a college for the arts and it gives you that school vibe but whilst still giving you some good murder and betrayal."

B_Noelle_ shared a tip "I felt so many feelings reading this dark and twisted book. Rio did a fantastic job writing deeply flawed characters whose actions and motivations left you stunned and often times frustrated. I’d definitely recommend it to anyone who is a fan of dark academia, mysteries, or true crime type of stories. 💯👏🏻"

erika_laing shared a tip "Ok I have to say the ending was disappointing, nay, infuriating. But that being said, this was a beautifully lyrical book that made me appreciate Shakespeare more. I did manage to figure out who the killer was early on, and people's reasons for.doing what they did enraged me. But it was fun to read."

rebecca_duncan_3156 shared a tip "I'm going to be completely honest here, I had quite a difficult time getting through this. I loved the format, loved the content, loved the characters, but there was something about it that had me avoiding it until the last 100 or so pages at the end. I want to give it 3.5/5 ⭐️. I would have given it a better rating if had flown through it like everyone else seems to be doing. This will probably get me some hate, but oh well 🤷‍♀️"

grace_terry shared a tip "Excellent plot, with just enough Shakespeare to keep hesitant readers entranced. A nice example of dark academia, reminiscent of The Secret History. It’s a bit more quickly paced, and the writing is a bit less enchanting - which makes it more accessible."

abigayle_dunnuck shared a tip "Thanks! This is one of my favorite books to be honest. Right now I’m reading The Secret History and it’s really good and it’s pretty similar to this book, so I definitely recommend it!"

t.arayoung shared a tip "a definite top 5 book of all time! i like to describe it as “a book like nothing i’ve ever read and like everything i’ve ever read”"

fandom_fangirl_200 shared a tip "I cant even describe this book with words, which is ironic seeing as words are everything in it. It’s just an amazing book, one of my favorites <3"

_ainsleyreads shared a tip "If We Were Villains is a compelling mystery with interesting characters who are beginning to lose themselves. I enjoyed this book and felt myself connecting to the characters, particularly the narrator. If you are a fan of Evelyn Waugh or E.M. Forester and you want to check out more modern books I suggest this one."

shawna_8028 shared a tip "I loved this book! I couldn’t put it down. The characters were so interesting to me and I was very invested in what happened to them."

tulula shared a tip "this book is the secret history for acting majors and gay ppl who couldn’t get thru the secret history ((which, if you don’t like the secret history you’re so wrong for that, but I promise you’ll love this one))"

sheridan_lanette shared a tip "It's my favorite book at the moment! I've seen plenty of comparison between it and The Secret History and it's made me want to read that one, too. I think my favorite scene may have been the performance of Macbeth and the party afterward! The tension was so palpable in those scenes, and you could just feel that there was something big building up. I couldn't even stop reading it to go to sleep."

mariam_elsabaawi shared a tip "The most dark academia book I have ever read. I loved the writing, the integration of Shakespeare, the relationship between the characters, the character development, and ugh the ending!"

natalia_fletcher shared a tip "I loved this book so much. The writing was perfect and so original, and the ending was unexpected and so very sad. 10/10 recommend"

william_zephyrus_la shared a tip "I loved everything about it, I loved how it was set up and also how it involved the theatre whilst working through the complexity of each and every character. I definitely recommend, 10/10."

okaylaaney shared a tip "An intimate mixture of Greek Tragedies, Shakespeare, and murder. You fall in love with the characters and really get inside the mindset of the narrator. Wonderful world immersion."

r_jenkini shared a tip "100% easily the best book I’ve read so far this year out of 7 in a similar genre. Writing style is easy to read and very interesting story lines."

allison_hein shared a tip "I truly enjoyed this book. It's difficult to describe without sharing any plot devices--but I will give you this: it was enthralling and kept me up at night wondering what the next moves were for the characters. You'll enjoy this book if you have a fond memory of Shakespeare and a stomach for unfortunate events."

leon_simmons shared a tip "Absolutely amazing writing style heavily influenced by Shakespeare. This is a m/m romance but the romance isn’t exactly up front they struggle with their feelings for each other throughout the entirety of the book, and this book has a lot of hidden plot points taken directly from Shakespeare. Overall this book sits in my top 3 and it holds a special place In my heart. The ending will dismember your heart into bludgeoned smithereens."