Reviews with content warning for Body horror - If We Were Villains

i have so many thoughts for this book, the first being SECRET HISTORY TEASE!! a tight knit group of twentysomethings a bit too immersed in academia and suddenly one of them dies and everyone is wondering what happens? yeahh i think ive seen this before! of course, books can take inspiration from others, and for what it’s worth this book didn’t feel like a complete copy of TSH, it felt more heavily inspired. i definitely think there were direct nods to TSH (greek students, bacchanalian parties), however the story clearly diverged from TSH numerous times.

personally, i couldn’t stand the tension between james and oliver. these bitches are so obviously in love!! and we have to wait the WHOLE BOOK for them to admit it??? and see them pretend to be straight in the meantime? why? i don’t get it it’s not like they’re homophobic, they’re clearly accepting of alexander. additionally, gwendolyn is supposedly this all-seeing figure that can psychologically rip them apart in her classes, yet she is painfully oblivious to the romance b/w james and oliver, which everyone else seems to have picked up on. it’s just very convenient that she never brought it up in front of them.

i loved the constant, almost overbearing use of shakespeare! at first i didn’t want to read this book until i was more well-read on his works (i’ve only read R+J, hamlet, and macbeth) but the book was perfectly readable without that knowledge. however, i’d love to reread it after reading more of his works to understand more. i love that ML Rio has a masters in shakespeare studies, there were definitely references that she put it in that i didn’t understand.

i’m conflicted about the characters. james and oliver were the ones i was paying keen attention to the entire time because i could tell from the first chapter they were in love. i couldn’t stand seeing oliver and meredith together, and meredith’s character i liked as she made me sad. i could see she is very lonely and felt the need to be with oliver because of that, but their romance were the worst pages of the books. wren i don’t really know that much about, she’s blonde and the best actress and in love with james? aside from her fainting i don’t think her character served many purposes. alexander and colborne were probably my favorites as they provided much needed comedic relief numerous times (idc that colborne was the cop investigating the crime that’s my king), and filippa was also a favorite of mine as she was so no-bullshit. i loved how in the end she finally spoke of her family, information she had always withheld until oliver was incarcerated.

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ina_pages's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful mysterious 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

As a theater student myself I thought I’d relate heavily to the characters in this book. I didn’t really. Despite understanding how great Shakespeare was, I hated studying him. But whether you hate Shakespeare or love him it’s hard to disagree that he was a great artist of his time, especially when he inspires brilliant works like this.

I learned from school that Shakespeare was at the forefront of the English Renaissance. His command and understanding of human emotions and behavior is, in my opinion, one of his greatest assets and what made his works so enticing to watch/read. M.L. Rio clearly carried this over into her work as Oliver’s thoughts and emotions are so clear and easy to follow (at least, it was for me).

I think everyone should read this book at least once in their life. It’s a beautiful exploration of love and tragedy that would have even Shakespeare fighting back tears.

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kyleighf's review

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dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

5.0

I have heard a lot of talk about this book, and I have finally gotten around to reading it. It is my first murder mystery and what a great first at that. (Minor theme spoiler) I just would have never guessed that the story was saturated with romance rather than blood lust. But I suppose murder is as near to lust as flame to smoke. Great read, and kept you uncertain not only of the mystery but of the intention of every character, yet you couldn’t help but love and hate them all. Eh, what’s the difference? Everything should be fine as long as no one says Macbeth right, guys? Right..?

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kaanderton99's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

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

5.0

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lizcastner's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-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

4.25

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_eleanorgreen8_'s review against another edition

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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? Yes

4.25

from the very beginning, i could tell that this book was based on the secret history. i almost wish i hadn't read the secret history first, because then the plot would have seemed so much more original and unexpected. however, this was still an amazing read. ML Rio is an excellent writer and so skilful at exploring emotions and dialogue - several times i forgot i was even reading. i found it a bit difficult to understand at the beginning, but by the middle of the book i was completely gripped. i was fascinated by the complexity of each character, especially intrigued by how

Spoiler

Oliver seemed to constantly flick between infatuation with meredith and his gradually realised feelings for james

- which was confusing at times but kept me on the edge of my seat and i think reflected how human emotions ARE often conflicting and inexplicable. i also liked the themes of the book - i really got a sense of the intoxicating world of Dellecher and how acting all the time can mess with your perception of reality. overall it was a really powerful, gripping read but with a few slightly confusing points.

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bradley's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad 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

I had a sneaking suspicion since the beginning about what happened

Spoiler

(though upon further thought this might be the intent. Doomed by the narrative, and all that)

but the way the ending plays out was so emotional and touched me so deeply that it alone bumped my score from a 4.5 to 5

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