Reviews tagging 'Biphobia'

If We Were Villains by M.L. Rio

44 reviews

bootsmom3's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny mysterious sad tense slow-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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Grief, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Murder, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Bullying, Eating disorder, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Vomit, and Outing

Minor: Biphobia

book_slay's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Biphobia, Drug abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Vomit, Murder, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment

katattack345's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective tense fast-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

5.0

This book is by far one of the best books I have ever read. It is officially tied for my favourite book ever (a feat untouchable in over 10 years!) I want to devour every book M. L. Rio ever writes and I hope she never stops writing. 

This book is a masterpiece that had me on the edge of my seat never wanting to stop reading from start to finish. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Body horror, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, Toxic friendship, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Eating disorder, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Vomit, Grief, Suicide attempt, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Biphobia and Homophobia

gay

briiforte's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense 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? Yes

4.75

Found this book based on a Tiktok for those who enjoyed The Secret History, truly glad I read it. I adore Shakespeare and a mystery like this is always fun to read. The gore wasn’t too graphic and the characters were complex and well meshed. The pacing is easy to follow and, overall, entertaining. Would read again.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Drug abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Grief, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Addiction, Biphobia, Cursing, Drug use, Sexual content, Vomit, and Murder

sizzlesteaks's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Loveable characters? It's complicated

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Self harm, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Grief, Murder, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Addiction, Biphobia, Bullying, Drug abuse, Drug use, Homophobia, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Sexual content

lysmar's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Biphobia, Bullying, Gore, Homophobia, Suicide, and Violence

Minor: Addiction, Drug abuse, Vomit, and Alcohol

lottselgar's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious 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

3.75

meredith, listen. i am free for u always

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Death, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Suicide, and Murder

Moderate: Addiction, Drug use, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual assault, and Sexual content

Minor: Biphobia and Blood

cdt96's review against another edition

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

4.0

M.L Rio writes betrayal, loss, guilt and love excellently the characters are well rounded yet perfectly represent their given archetypes. Overall an excellent book 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Biphobia, Bullying, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Suicide attempt, Murder, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Addiction, Biphobia, Bullying, Cursing, Eating disorder, Homophobia, Infidelity, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Murder, Outing, Toxic friendship, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

kitanda's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• 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

Moderate: Addiction, Bullying, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Grief, Suicide attempt, and Murder

Minor: Biphobia, Misogyny, Gaslighting, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

tinyjude's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad medium-paced

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

4.0

I am conflicted, to say the least. (Also this is a mess but it is 2 am, so my brain juice is at its limit)

Pretentious, dramatic and passionate theatre kids who bring to life shakespearean plays both in ans offstage, are a tangled mess of emotions and riddles while also being quite flat characters. I liked the writing, it was fitting for the theme and atmosphere. I loved some passages and use of the plays throughout the story to obscure and bring light to the characters' feelings. I enjoyed the drama and the story. I had my doubts about dark academia books but this one made it for me and now I know I yearn for more books with theatre actors as protagonists being unhinged and frustrating. I also liked the references to some motifs in Shakespeare's plays (ghosts, lies, blood, guilt, madness). As a Shakespeare enthusiastic, especially his tragedies and villains, I am content.

The parts that mostly bother me are for example, what exactly did send Alexander spiraling into overdose? Was it the guilt in all cases? Did Richard haunt them so bad as a ghost like in Macbeth? Did Wren knew all along it was James? I needed to see them descend into madness more.

At some point I truly thought I was being lied by the internet and my own biased analysis, which always searches for some homoerotic subtext, because HELL the moments between Oliver and James were sparse. Those weren't even crumbs, I was holding the ship with a thread and both eyes closed, going by instinct. So yeah, the slow-burn was way too much, as it didn't deliver the relief you would expect after so many "heteronormative looking" scenes (idk how to describe it bc the book had me doubting my bisexual suspicions and then rooting for a poly relationship between Oliver Meredith and James). (What do you mean a botherly kiss that is not quite brotherly? but yeah, only one brief kiss, nothing else, no more scenes between them that hint at their feelings before or after halloween. I am not even asking for a love confession or any grand gesture, but more subtle scenes between them, more tension... idk i went insane, i am in pain but i also apprecite how complicated their relationship is, as they were best friends, brothers, partners in crime, lovers, enemies...). Or more about the internal turmoil they had going on realizing they are queer, which we barely got because they didn't want to think about it... I wanted to see how they come to terms with their sexuality, the guilt and love they felt (this specially)!!!

I probably forget many things I want to say but frankly I have been reading 3h non-stop and cried at the ending, so cut me some slack.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Biphobia, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Eating disorder, Homophobia, Infidelity, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Murder, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Classism