Reviews

If We Were Villains by M.L. Rio

lucyellenped's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional funny reflective sad 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

5.0

bookonarooftop's review against another edition

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4.0

All Shakespeare girlies should read this book.

I loved the characters and their dynamics; adored the parallels I drew with TSH and I loved how they integrated Shakespeare into their conversations.

But most importantly I loved the ending - I might be delusional but I decided to trust my boy Shakespeare on this.

However

One thing I could probably complain about is that I needed a background story for Richard. Him turning into a full-scale bully after losing a role makes sense but also doesn't make sense - the role was just a trigger but his character reached that point due to many reasons and I wished we saw that.

And lastly

People who don't enjoy Shakespeare and hate referencing the plays will find parts of the book boring and dragged. But what can I say that's the beauty of If We Were Villains

rashmi_taylorsversion's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional 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? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Bro WHAT?? I rated the book a 2star in my head as the mystery uncovered. Very typical, I thought and then the last line happened. Made me FLIP wtf

irxren's review against another edition

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2.0

For a debut novel, this book is quite impressive and well-written. It has many elements to love, from the engaging character dynamics to the clever foreshadowing. It’s clear why so many people adore it, and it definitely deserves the praise it gets.

However, as the story progressed, I found it becoming a bit predictable. Some of the early elements started to feel repetitive, and the characters didn’t evolve much throughout the book. One of the main issues for me was the heavy use of Shakespeare’s text. While it was interesting at first to see passages from his work woven into the story, it soon became tedious, especially since I’m not familiar with Shakespeare’s plays. The inclusion of so many full passages felt more like a drag than an enhancement to the narrative.

I ended up researching the book on Reddit to understand the purpose of the Shakespeare references better. If I had known more about his work, I might have appreciated it more.

sarah621's review against another edition

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dark mysterious reflective medium-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? It's complicated

3.75

nk0928's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful reflective sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

nats_brain's review against another edition

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3.0

It read like it was written by a white male cishet English prof. I didn’t hate it, but it was reeking of privilege. And honestly I kind of hate myself for finishing it.

egeaney8'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? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

windireads's review against another edition

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dark emotional funny mysterious reflective sad tense slow-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

3.75

saikmk's review against another edition

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mysterious 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