Reviews tagging 'Alcoholism'

If We Were Villains by M.L. Rio

250 reviews

leeshahhh's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad medium-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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship and Violence

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, and Drug use

Minor: Body shaming, Bullying, and Eating disorder

stardustedb's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Death, Homophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racism, Suicide, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

tellatrix's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

4.0

𝑰𝒇 𝑾𝒆 𝑾𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝑽𝒊𝒍𝒍𝒂𝒊𝒏𝒔

𝑀.𝐿. 𝑅𝑖𝑜

Disclaimer: I'm sadly unable to write a review without including spoilers, so please read this only after you've finished the book.

Wow—what a ride this book was! I really enjoyed it, and I read every chapter with complete excitement. I never got tired of it, not once. One of my favorite parts was the Shakespearean plays within the story, where you’re never sure if the characters’ "acting" is just acting or real violence. I’m not sure if this was intentional, but I already suspected that James was responsible for Richard’s death in some way, so that reveal didn’t surprise me much. I was hoping for a bit more mystery or shock in that part of the story.

However, the ending totally caught me off guard and made the entire journey worth it. I know some people don’t like the ambiguity about James’s fate, but I strongly believe he’s still alive. Faking his own death and leaving Oliver a clue to find him just feels like something James would do. Plus, if you get to know his character, you’d probably agree he doesn’t have the courage to harm himself, let alone drown himself in a lake.

As for James and Oliver’s relationship, I wish we had seen more of them together. More interactions, a deeper look into their feelings. The first thing I did after finishing was search for a sequel, because I wanted to see them finally happy together. On the other hand, James and Meredith’s relationship seemed to be built on jealousy. Both were desperate to control or prove themselves as the better option for Oliver, but they didn’t genuinely like each other.

And yes, Oliver does love James, as he admits himself, and maybe he has feelings for Meredith too, but it’s just not the same kind of love. There’s something deeper with James, while with Meredith it feels different, less profound.

Overall, If We Were Villains was a great experience with well-developed characters and an engaging story. The mystery didn’t surprise me much, but the ending and the complex relationships made up for it. I still wish there were a sequel, though!

Now, for my favorite quote from the book: 

 “It’s not the whole truth. The whole truth is, I’m in love with him still.” 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Physical abuse, Self harm, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, and Murder

emily_therese_4's review against another edition

dark reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcoholism, Bullying, Death, Drug abuse, Self harm, Suicide, Violence, and Suicide attempt

chinomi's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and Violence

Moderate: Bullying, Toxic relationship, and Toxic friendship

Minor: Alcoholism, Drug abuse, and Suicide

goldaerin's review against another edition

medium-paced

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

2.0

Terminabile ma manca l'anima dei personaggi. Molto (troppo) derivativo 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Death, and Drug use

Moderate: Eating disorder

Minor: Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Eating disorder, Infidelity, Suicide, Suicide attempt, and Sexual harassment

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

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

stratospheric's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

2.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Murder, and Alcohol

Moderate: Eating disorder, Sexism, and Sexual content

Minor: Sexual harassment

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