Reviews tagging 'Sexism'

If We Were Villains by M.L. Rio

83 reviews

astridaw's review against another edition

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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Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcoholism, Death, Drug abuse, Eating disorder, Murder, and Alcohol

Minor: Sexism and Suicide

julells's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

This book is frustrating, gut-wrenching and absolutely heartbreaking.
I hated it.
Go read it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Grief, Murder, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Addiction, Body horror, Bullying, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Mental illness, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Classism

gussurireads's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

1.0

Pretensioso, com uma prosa terrível cheia de más comparações (uma bengala da autora que não consegui ignorar) e uma personagem principal cujo ponto de vista é por vezes irritante, por outras misógino - portanto, irritantemente misógino?

Passo a citar uma das frases que mais me chocou,  p. 139 Ato II, "Felizmente, não estava excessivamente maquilhada e continuava a parecer humana." Isto é a observação da personagem principal (um homem) sobre uma das suas melhores amigas, com quem ele se envolve romanticamente, e que apenas a vê como um objeto de desejo, enquanto o seu amor verdadeiro é outro homem. Será pedir muito que autoras mulheres não odeiem outras mulheres nos seus livros?

Relativamente ao enredo e o motivo pelo qual segui a recomendação de leitura (proveniente de uma das minhas booktubers favoritas, nem acredito na desilusão): o mistério do assassinato torna-se relativamente óbvio no início do Ato III. O livro é composto por 5 atos e estava a custar-me continuar a leitura desde o primeiro ato. Tornou-se mais interessante conforme a tensão foi aumentando, mas creio que grande parte do combustível que alimentou está leitura foi a minha própria teimosia em ver a minha teoria sobre o assassino confirmada (e foi confirmada!).

O plot twist no epílogo que todos falaram foi... Ok. Não sou muito fã deste tipo de epílogos e creio que não beneficiou em nada a narrativa, sendo que o mais interessante de "Como Se Fôssemos Vilões" é mesmo toda a tensão e drama criado em torno do ambiente obsessivo em que estes jovens vivem. Fora isso, resta apenas uma prosa pobre e personagens estereotipados, com pouca profundidade. 

Recomendo a leitura se estiverem presos numa cabine sem internet e este for o único livro entre uma coleção de livros da Coleen Hoover.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Bullying, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Blood, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Physical abuse, Sexism, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Suicide

yzer2468's review against another edition

challenging dark funny mysterious reflective 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: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body horror, Bullying, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic relationship, Blood, Grief, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol

Moderate: Eating disorder, Sexism, Sexual violence, Suicide, Violence, and Suicide attempt

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Homophobia, Sexual assault, Forced institutionalization, Vomit, and Sexual harassment

scottsland_yard's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

This book was really good! The writing was very poetic and the inclusion of many Shakespeare quotes was accurate to the characters as well as a great way to really draw the reader into the world. A bit difficult to get the nuance of the Shakespeare quotes chosen if you aren't well-versed in shakespearean theater though. I'm sure there were references I missed. 

SPOILER AHEAD!! 



The ending really upset me and I don't think in the way the author intended. While it was very poetic and intense, creating a huge tension that just ramped up and up toward the last page, I feel like the ending didn't justify the means. While ostensibly a story about murder and passion and rage, it was also obviously a story about love and self discovery. I think having the main character be bi-sexual and technically in a relationship with both Meredith and James (in a way) was really smart story telling to showcase the difficulty he feels in trying to figure out who he is, not only as an actor, but as a lover. What I didn't appreciate (and it's not really Rio's fault so much as it's a tired and hurtful trope shares by many authors) is that the majority of stories that feature a gay couple require that they go through torturous and heart-wrenching levels of trauma in order to move the story along. As a gay man, reading the tension between Oliver and James over and over with little to now pay off didn't feel exciting, it felt like torture. I was being led along like a horse with a carrot, the promise of the possibility of Oliver and James professing their feelings for each other or ending up together, only to constantly be whipped with sex scenes with Meredith and violence with Richard. In the end, when you think Oliver might finally get yo be happy with James, we're slapped in the face with the blunt honesty of Phillipa letting us know that James killed himself after not being able to bare the weight of the guilt of killing Richard (in self defense, btw) and his lover taking the blame for it. So Oliver once again ends up with Meredith and I was left furious. And the last page does little to bandage those wounds. 

I was left feeling empty, tense beyond belief, and with a heavy pit in my stomach. While the story was very good and the book was extremely well written, I am sick of this trope. I'm sick of gay characters being used as the martyrs in stories or being included only to drive the trauma train. (OH, also include the only canonically gay character overdosing and almost dying too) 

I yearn for stories of gay couples/characters that include all the tense will-they-won't-they that straight romances have, but for once, I'd like them to actually end up together. I've learned this is not the book for that. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Bullying, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Homophobia, Infidelity, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual content, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Suicide attempt, Murder, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

booksandcat's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Bullying, Death, Drug use, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

caseyreadslol's review

tense fast-paced

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

3.25

it's not bad but the secret history&saltburn do it far better

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror and Murder

Moderate: Drug use, Sexism, and Suicide attempt

Minor: Domestic abuse and Eating disorder

mellowreading's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

Give me dark, tragic, gay academia and I’ll give anything 5 stars. The ending. I don’t know how to feel 😭 also making Fillipa date the Professor was so random and unnecessary. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexism, Suicide, and Murder

Moderate: Bullying, Drug use, Infidelity, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol

Minor: Homophobia

jelliestars's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Physical abuse, Violence, and Blood

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Infidelity, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Grief, Murder, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Cursing, Eating disorder, Homophobia, Mental illness, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual violence, Suicide, Vomit, Fire/Fire injury, and Sexual harassment

haleymk's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Sexism, Sexual content, Suicide, and Alcohol

Minor: Confinement