Reviews tagging 'Mental illness'

If We Were Villains by M.L. Rio

176 reviews

ketsia_1412's review against another edition

dark emotional informative mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Violence, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol

Moderate: Addiction, Drug use, Homophobia, Mental illness, Suicide, and Vomit

aksmith92's review

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense 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

4.5

The Setup: If We Were Villains by M.L. Rio is a masterful blend of dark academia and psychological thriller that captivates readers with its intricate plot and rich Shakespearean elements. Set in the fictional but elite Dellecher Classical Conservatory, the novel follows a group of seven acting students whose lives start to mirror the tragedies they perform on stage.

The book is organized in Acts, and each prologue, the story is framed by Oliver Marks' release from prison after ten years. On the day of his release, he recounts the events leading up to a classmate's death to Detective Colborne, the retiring investigator who never quite believed the official story. Each proceeding Scene then details the fateful year where the classmates and friends fall apart.  As the students' final year progresses, their tight-knit group fractures under the weight of secrets and the pressures of the roles they play. The death, *cough cough*, murder of their classmate becomes the catalyst for the unraveling of their lives. 

What I Loved: The writing was absolutely beautiful - truly. I was not only immersed but awed. M.L. Rio clearly knew what she was doing. Her portrayal of the Dellecher Conservatory was absorbing, capturing the intensity and passion of young actors devoted to their craft. The characters, each representing a Shakespearean archetype, were vividly drawn and complex. Additionally, the novel's exploration of themes such as ambition, jealousy, loyalty, and artistry's cost was thought-provoking and emotionally resonant. 

I think what I loved most was M.L. Rio's ability to make almost unlikeable characters real. What do I mean? She made unlikeable characters that you didn't necessarily and automatically like by the end, but unlikeable characters that you still want to read about. It was gripping and interesting; you were curious about what came next, what they would do, and how they would break. I was captured! It takes well-done artistry to make me love a book with characters I wasn't fond of. I've heard that some folks find the pacing of this book slow, but I didn't, and I was enamored the whole way, particularly at the end when we learn the entire truth about the events that occurred at Dellecher.

Why Not 5 Stars? For one, I completely guessed the events that occurred to that fateful classmate. I had thought it the moment his classmates and friends found his body. Therefore, it wasn't as mysterious and surprising ("thriller-like") as I had imagined. However, I didn't mind too much because I still enjoyed reading. 

Additionally, Rio's use of Shakespearean dialogue and references no doubt enriched the story - the characters frequently quoted and drew parallels from Shakespeare's plays, adding depth to their interactions and the unfolding drama. It was a precise literary device to enhance the novel, making it atmospheric and underscoring the themes explored's timeless nature. I wholeheartedly understood the point, but here's the thing: I struggle with Shakespeare so much. I knew that going into this book, I didn't like reading Shakespeare, and I didn't like the language and prose. My brain breaks. So, I braced myself. I did a pretty good job for someone who doesn't love Shakespeare, but it still meant I struggled along the way.

With all that said, this novel was clearly compelling and beautifully written, offering a fresh take on the dark academia genre. I know this book will linger in my mind, including that interesting and obscure ending. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Body horror, Bullying, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Homophobia, Sexual content, and Fire/Fire injury

Minor: Body shaming and Sexual violence

111222333's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Suicide, Murder, and Alcohol

Moderate: Biphobia and Eating disorder

torij2000's review

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Violence, and Alcohol

Moderate: Mental illness and Toxic relationship

Minor: Eating disorder and Vomit

nhelregel's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense 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? It's complicated

4.25

Listened to the audiobook for this one - the only thing with that was that at the beginning it was hard keeping so many primary characters straight. Happily they fall into archetypes (that the play, and then be extension who they are off-stage) so I had everyone down fairly quickly. Overall: this was very interesting and moody and despite there being several mysteries I didn't really feel the need to solve them (because of the frame narrative you know you'll get some answers anyways). At first I felt like one of the major plot points was unearned - it seemed unrealistic that so many people would all agree on a mind-boggling decision. However over the course of the book I felt like it became more earned, sort of? The teasing out of everyone's secrets and the dynamics between the characters were the most interesting and well-written parts, to me. The ending was... annoying in some ways. But overall I very much enjoyed the book, and would recommend! (Sorry if this review is vague - trying not to spoil anything)!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Bullying, Death, Gore, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Violence, Grief, Murder, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Biphobia, Cursing, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Homophobia, Mental illness, Sexual content, Suicide, and Blood

errie's review against another edition

mysterious tense

• Loveable characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Suicide, Violence, Grief, Murder, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

maddiebennet's review against another edition

dark emotional funny mysterious sad tense 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

4.75

I don't really know if this is a 5 stars or a 4.75, it kinda depends on the day but its been a week since I finished this and I CANT STOP THINKING ABOUT IT!! I am so unwell I can't even begin to explain it. They're so me fr
I am really inlove with Oliver Alexander and specially James, I can't fr

I am in a state of constant denial literally Oliver and James got fucking married I don't have a single doubt Im not even kidding like I just KNOW James is alive and he knows Oliver is going to find him because they know each other in a way that only them can understand. They are soulmates but they are also more than that. shut up I need like a sequel or something IM BEGGING M L RIO

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Suicide, Blood, Murder, and Alcohol

Moderate: Addiction, Sexism, and Sexual harassment

sleepypandaa's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Bullying, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Blood, Grief, Suicide attempt, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Gaslighting, and Toxic friendship

squirrel13's review against another edition

dark mysterious medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood

Moderate: Mental illness and Murder

Minor: Death and Grief

dom_brlw's review against another edition

dark reflective sad slow-paced

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

3.75

This is a hard book to read. The amount of content warnings alone is a sign of it. It can be so dark at times and the characters are so twisted. This book shouldn’t be read when you are in a bad state of mind, it might make it worse. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Blood, Dementia, Grief, Murder, and Toxic friendship

Minor: Body shaming, Confinement, Eating disorder, Suicidal thoughts, and Vomit