Reviews tagging 'Toxic relationship'

If We Were Villains by M.L. Rio

361 reviews

lauramcc7's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Bullying, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Murder, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol

vael's review against another edition

emotional mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Death, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Murder, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol

evecaraa's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Drug abuse, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Murder, and Toxic friendship

Minor: Eating disorder

carlab33's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

Nice writing and pacing, but the story, characters, and plot fell flat. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Physical abuse, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Drug use and Alcohol

wwsimon93's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Self harm, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Suicide attempt, Murder, Toxic friendship, and Injury/Injury detail

barbaricyawp89's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

wow. this was very good, to say the least.

i’ve seen people say that this book is basically The Secret History and, while i see the similarities, it’s obviously quite different. i really liked the Shakepeare aspects of this book, and honestly i found the characters generally likable (unlike in The Secret History, where we’re kind of meant to dislike the characters). i find it hard to finish books quickly but this one took me only around a month, meaning i really enjoyed it. 

i can’t believe this is the author’s debut novel. i’m definitely going to keep an eye out for any future work of theirs because WOW. that’s all i can really say, is just wow.

the ending really hurt me though. i kind of figured someone might’ve pinned it on Oliver, but seeing that he took the fall on purpose for James was both a very realistic action for his character and also a devastating one. i’m sincerely hoping that James is secretly still alive and that someday they would rekindle things, although i doubt it based on his overall emotional response to the situation. but boy that ending really hurt!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Bullying, Drug abuse, Drug use, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Murder, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol

Minor: Homophobia and Vomit

nneka23's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

I don’t even know where to begin with this. What a masterpiece! From the structure to the writing style and the narrator’s POV, this book was such a fun read. I love how [even though I don’t know much about Shakespeare and don’t really have an interest in his work] If We Were Villains kept me on the edge of my seat and made me want to keep reading. I’ve honestly never imagined a college or performing arts school that is specifically dedicated to Shakespeare - what a pleasantly niche idea. Is it all ridiculously pretentious? Absolutely. But that’s honestly what makes it so enjoyable. The whole time I was reading, I felt the drama of it all, and I truly enjoyed it. It was a fun ride but what pushed this book into the 4 star range for me was the ending. It felt like everything started happening at an intensified speed and yet it kept me guessing all the way to the last page. This was so incredibly well done. Exactly what I look for in a thriller. It’s clear that The Secret History influenced If We Were Villains but honestly I much prefer M.L. Rio’s approach. So glad I read this as part of my dark academia theme for the month! This is an absolute must for anyone who likes thrillers, dark academia, or literary fiction. 💯

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Body horror, Death, and Drug abuse

Moderate: Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, and Suicide attempt

Minor: Murder

zeitfensterr's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

DAS ENDE???? DAS FUCKING ENDE??? ich hasse offene enden, aber holy shit SJUhdshzhdhxhxhbsncucuffeahUdhshud??? Ich will einen Band 2 😔

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Body horror, Bullying, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Homophobia, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Eating disorder

jaimc's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Death, Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Murder, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Addiction, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Infidelity, Violence, and Alcohol

Minor: Homophobia, Suicidal thoughts, and Forced institutionalization

iane_reads's review against another edition

dark emotional funny mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Cursing, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Infidelity, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Body horror, Drug abuse, Eating disorder, Homophobia, Misogyny, Sexism, Suicide, and Medical content

Minor: Ableism, Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal death, Biphobia, Domestic abuse, Sexual content, Transphobia, Vomit, Fire/Fire injury, and Classism