Reviews with content warning for Sexism - If We Were Villains

Reviews tagging 'Sexism'

If We Were Villains by M.L. Rio

82 reviews

_verena_'s review against another edition

dark tense medium-paced

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

3.0

I sit with my wrists cuffed to the table and I think, but then I forbid to tell the secrets of my prison house, I could a tale unfold whose lightest word would harrow up thy soul...

- If We Were Villains, 1%

🎧 listened to the audiobook

Review in one word:
Meh

Short review:
I do get the hype... Somehow...
But there are definitely some weak spots in this story!

Long review:
As somebody who doesn't really care about Shakespeare at all (yes I said it!) and never read any of his work, neither in English, nor in German, I'm not that impressed with everybody quoting him all the time. Actually I find it annoying, pretentious and boasting rank and status. Simply too much.
I guess this book hits different, when you are into Shakespeare - I'm not, and that is totally on me.
Or maybe it's not, because if I wanted to read that much Shakespeare in a book, I would actually pick up one of his works 🤷‍♀️

Much like in The Secret History, to which this is often compared, I didn't like or dislike any of the characters.
I feel indifferent about them. I don't care about them. They are quite flat and superficial...
For example Richard:

he is the evil guy who hurts everyone. That's it. No explanation as to why he is like that (childhood trauma? Drug/alcohol abuse? Mental health issues?) is offered, not that this would excuse him, but him being the guy who just hurts everybody is like the laziest character building ever.

Or Meredith,

whose main and only character trait is stunningly sexy and beautiful rich girl (don't even get me started on the misogyny 😡)

Oliver:

naive outsider who doesn't get along with his own family, so he seeks it in his classmates.

The rest of the thespians:

mixed them up most of the time because they were so interchangable. Somebody was doing drugs a lot, somebody was gay and somebody else was Richards cousin.

I don't see, why people are obsessing about the characters so much.
In my opinion they aren't really as close or as much the found family as Oliver (the narrator) claims them to be...

I feel like this book could have been shorter, because at around 60% the suspense really dies down and I found it became quite a drag. That was surprising to me, because at the beginning I was so invested, I couldn't stop listening and it was definitely a candidate for a 5 star read. I think the reason, why it felt like a drag was because there was no more mystery all of a sudden. Just the characters trying to move on and yet another play and endless quotes, that was painfully long executed. At that point, I probably would have liked it better, if there were some character building instead of more Shakespeare quotes.

I found some parts very unrelatable. For example

that no one says something, when Richard hurts them during rehearsal. It is absolutely unacceptable to treat people like that, James' arms are bruised for god's sake, how did he get away with this for so long? This is not understandable at all.

Also: why do these people life in a castle?

Some storylines didn't make sense and were killed off like two seconds after they were introduced:
Example:

Oliver's parents telling him, they can't afford tuition for his last semester anymore. Oliver then calls a few people the next day and they help him figure it out by suggesting a loan. That's it, never heard of this storyline again. What's the point?
And: why did Oliver cover up for James? Makes no sense at all!

I found some things to be quite confusing too, like:

Why did Richard worry that James or Oliver would hit on Meredith, when he thought they were "queer with each other"? Makes no sense...

By the way, while we are on the topic: why is this labeled LGBTQ? This is such a tiny part of the story.

I absolutely don't get the point of the ending:

We find out about James having killed himself at around 95% (but in the timeline 4 years ago), and then he probably didn't by 99%, who knows? Why would he fake his death, it makes no sense. How would that help him relieve his guilt?
Seems like the author desperately tried to go out with a bang here...

I did enjoy it somehow but I do have mixed feelings about this. For this to be a great read for me, something was missing...

Conclusion:
I enjoyed The Secret History way more and I find this to be rip-off with boring and annoying theatre students instead of Ancient Greek lessons...

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reading_bunny's review

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challenging dark emotional mysterious sad 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

4.0

My Ratings:
Writing: 5/5
Characters: 3/5
Plot: 4/5
Overall: 4/5

Favourite quote:

"You can justify anything of you do it poetically enough"
- Oliver Marks

Review/my thoughts:
This book took me a long time to read, partially because I went through and looked up every quote they mentioned, but also because the book was dense, the writing wasnt too hard to read through it was just a dense book.

I really enjoyed the story, and I thought it was paced nicely, only revealing informationto the reader as the characters learn about them which lends to the bizzying and disorienting feeling of the narrative.

The characters were all stellar, and Oliver's unreliability as a narrator was at times a little frustrating because I would have loved to learn a little more about the others but Oliver is fairly dismissive of a few if them for whatever his reasons.

The relationship between

Oliver and James

was frustratingly beautiful to watch in all its agonizing glory as they danced around eachother and their feelings only realising too late that thwyr feelings were not only romantic but also requited.

Overall, this is not a book that I would re-read but it is one that I would recommend to someone who is very into Shakespeare and/or cannparse it well enough to understand the meaning of the prose, as well as those who are into the Dark academia aesthetic since this book is not only a corner stone of the genre/aesthetic but also because this is a lot like the secret history in its core expects

In the end, an enjoyable experience and I'm glad I gave this book a chance and the time it deserved

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gia0203's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional 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

AAAA!!! I feel like I’ve been reading books so critically and seriously lately and somehow this book made me feel like I was 15 again, devouring a novel whole and feeling every single moment of it. I have the sudden urge to read all of Shakespeare’s plays and start speaking in verse. What a treat. And the yearning at the heart of the story… It’s subtly teased and then it hits you at last and it’s wonderful. I love codependent, homoerotic friendships in fiction.

This book is not very original. It borrows a lot from existing dark academia, obviously The Secret History being the main one. I do think though that the writing style makes up for its originality. It’s so lively and fun! And the characters too are so interesting and so sympathetic. A new favourite of mine for sure. I loved the twist at the end and the rising hysteria and ugh. Stunning.

On another note… the male characters in this book are very complex and well developed and the female characters are very wooden, particularly Meredith. She faces a lot of misogyny and her character revolves so much around the men in her life. Just something to think about in terms of female representation, especially when written as “competition” in relation to queer men. Not quite sure if this book passes the Beschdel test. If not for this, it would be a 5 star for me.

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branthegremblin's review against another edition

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dark mysterious medium-paced

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

2.75

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maddiebennet's review against another edition

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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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mausekuchen's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.75

There's almos nothing in this book I could critique without it being picky, without it being looking for a needle in a haystack - except for some characters acting - or not acting - as plausibly, logically as you might expect them to.

The drama unfolding, with every act a new aspect spinning the character's world around, the book's telling you they're doomed and you watch the horror unfold more and more.

Do I think that the ending is a shocking plottwist? No.
But the ending is such a great tragedy that I was completely - emotionally and physically - captured, the kind of tragedy I long for. A defeaning applause would resound as the actors depart.

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sophie8's review against another edition

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dark emotional funny hopeful mysterious tense fast-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

A reread for me, and one of my favourite books. I absolutely love it, and would reccomend it to anyone who likes to read, no background Shakespeare knowledge needed. It's so easy to get into, the dynamics are addictive, it will make you laugh, break your heart, and on the second read through you can truly appreciate the equisite foreshadowing and literary parallels. The prose is beautiful, while still being perfectly readable, and the characters make speaking in Shakespeare quotes actually seem fun, witty and amusing. Could read it back to back no problem!

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oakairi's review

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emotional mysterious 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

5.0

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rainydayswithbooks's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character

5.0

Omg...A masterpiece! The story unfolds in an incredibly special way, poetically and emotionally. An all-round successful work that is special in so many ways. The writing style is unique and ingenious, as it incorporates Shakespeare's quotes and yet tells a completely new story. The quotes, plays and characters from Shakespeare are always closely intertwined with the main characters and the actual story. The division of the book into the 5 acts and scenes give the impression of a script, which is reinforced by the partially inserted stage directions. At the beginning, you get the atmosphere of seven motivated students who are passionate about their art. I would have loved to have been part of the group of friends myself, watching one of the improvised plays or reading books by the fireplace with the group in the castle library... Dark academia vibes at their finest! But then everything changes and becomes more and more dark, sinister and mysterious. You no longer really trust anyone and can't predict the ending. I find it amazing how the author allows the characters to merge more and more with the characters they play on stage. As a reader, you realise how much you can lose yourself in art, but also the dangers this harbours. You quickly lose sight of reality. I liked Oliver's words that as an actor you feel all emotions twice - your own from real life and the fictional feelings of the characters. The two merge together, making it much more intense. You can also see this in the group's friendship: every relationship is always characterised by a charged intensity. Hate, love, mistrust, betrayal, solidarity, hero, victim- always close together, constantly changing. Filippa was the most consistent member of the group, although we can assume that this is more of a mask than an actual strong character. Oliver once said to her that she was the pillar of the friendgroup and had to stay strong and not doubt. If she had given up, everything might have fallen apart sooner or turned out very differently. Ironically, this is one of the best proofs of her extraordinary acting ability, although she is always the one who is least expected to play the big roles. A literary tragedy by a contemporary author who we will hopefully be reading a lot more of in the future!

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astridaw's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious reflective 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

4.0

Intriguing, tense plotline with superinteresting character and friendship dynamics. I wasn't super shocked by the ending but still liked it a lot, but found that there were still some unanswered plot holes that could have been developed more (and made the story even more interesting).

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