skillyillian'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? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
this isn't my usual bag but i really enjoyed it. perfect dark academia, rainy autumn, murder at a fancy, secluded college book. i think i would have enjoyed it more if i knew literally anything beyond the very very basics of shakespeare, as the characters spend probably a quarter of their dialogue speaking exclusively in shakespeare quotes or references i didn't understand. that being said, it doesn't ruin the book by any means if you don't fully get every easter egg. the author had some kind of degree involving shakespeare iirc? and you can tell she is extremely knowledgeable about all of his works, it's incredibly well done.
the plot felt a little predictable at times? but i was reading for the spooky dark academia vibes and not the most complicated murder mystery plot in the whole world. i've heard people say they didn't really love the ending or how open it was, but i liked it and thought it was pretty clear what happened.
anyway what a good spooky read. the vibes were immaculate, the mystery was fun, the characters felt like they had their own personalities and goals. the writing style was really unique, especially in that the dialogue between characters speaking back and forth didn't use dialogue tags but sometimes was just written like a script would be. my favorite line was probably "Me: [sneezes]" lmfao.
the plot felt a little predictable at times? but i was reading for the spooky dark academia vibes and not the most complicated murder mystery plot in the whole world. i've heard people say they didn't really love the ending or how open it was, but i liked it and thought it was pretty clear what happened.
Spoiler
i wish they had just admitted to being in love sooner. i hate that it took until richard said his garbage homophobic shit for oliver to be like "ah, yes, well. maybe we are in love" like please, be so fuckin for real right now. the lack of communication right there would have saved so much trouble.anyway what a good spooky read. the vibes were immaculate, the mystery was fun, the characters felt like they had their own personalities and goals. the writing style was really unique, especially in that the dialogue between characters speaking back and forth didn't use dialogue tags but sometimes was just written like a script would be. my favorite line was probably "Me: [sneezes]" lmfao.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Domestic abuse, Toxic friendship, Bullying, Addiction, Alcohol, Suicidal thoughts, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Murder, Sexual content, Blood, Death, Gaslighting, Grief, Physical abuse, Suicide, Cursing, Violence, Drug use, Suicide attempt, and Toxic relationship
archiveofrasa's review against another edition
dark
emotional
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
4.5
this is the first book I properly started to tab and analyse and boy it was so fun. I did read this right after The Secret History, but compared to others, I don't think I compared the two beyond the basic skeleton of the premise. they're both pretty different books, one more focused on critique and the other, this one, a much more personal tragedy.
I have to say, the last act, especially the last 50 pages, are definitely what made this book good. It was stuck at a 3.5 or something for me until everything started coming together and the tension got higher. I knew I had to reread it to gather all the foreshadowing and now I have a perfectly annotated copy of If We Were Villains that I'm obsessed with.
I know most people probably didn't do this, but I searched up most of the Shakespeare quotes. while I enjoyed analysing him when I did English Lit, it was very annoying reading these characters go back and forth in Shakespeare and having to google the lines, but there was so much foreshadowing in what they were saying! it's how I was able to guess the murderer pretty early on, but that made me enjoy the story more. this book is so well crafted, the English Lit lover inside me has ever right to be feral at the moment.
it's not a 5 star book because I do have minor critiques; everyone aside Oliver and James weren't fleshed out very well and I find the descriptions of Alexander mildly questionable. I'll get into a for the characters, but Alexander, the only POC (he's half Latine), was often compared to animals and I just found that weird. just keep this in mind when reading.
I really don't know how to describe this book outside of the story itself. I can't say that this is a story about love or friendship or passion for Shakespeare, acting, school pressure, because it's all of that intertwined in ways I can't word. it feels like a disservice to describe it as any of those without the nuances, but that leads to spoilers 😭
also, if you're like me and are left restless after that ending, I read this fanfic immediately after and it cured me <3 I consider it canon now 🤷🏻♀️ https://archiveofourown.org/works/15406506
I have to say, the last act, especially the last 50 pages, are definitely what made this book good. It was stuck at a 3.5 or something for me until everything started coming together and the tension got higher. I knew I had to reread it to gather all the foreshadowing and now I have a perfectly annotated copy of If We Were Villains that I'm obsessed with.
I know most people probably didn't do this, but I searched up most of the Shakespeare quotes. while I enjoyed analysing him when I did English Lit, it was very annoying reading these characters go back and forth in Shakespeare and having to google the lines, but there was so much foreshadowing in what they were saying! it's how I was able to guess the murderer pretty early on, but that made me enjoy the story more. this book is so well crafted, the English Lit lover inside me has ever right to be feral at the moment.
it's not a 5 star book because I do have minor critiques; everyone aside Oliver and James weren't fleshed out very well and I find the descriptions of Alexander mildly questionable. I'll get into a
Spoiler
Meredith was properly the most developed out of all the women, but even then I still don't get why people see something in Oliver and her over Oliver and James. it just feels like some people, even though the queer relationship was much more developed, preferred the m/f couple simply because they were m/f. the amount of times Oliver just referred to Meredith by her body, I don't think he'd be able to even tell me what else he liked about her 💀 I wanted more from everyone, including Richard because as soon as he died, we got nothing more from him.I really don't know how to describe this book outside of the story itself. I can't say that this is a story about love or friendship or passion for Shakespeare, acting, school pressure, because it's all of that intertwined in ways I can't word. it feels like a disservice to describe it as any of those without the nuances, but that leads to spoilers 😭
also, if you're like me and are left restless after that ending, I read this fanfic immediately after and it cured me <3 I consider it canon now 🤷🏻♀️ https://archiveofourown.org/works/15406506
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Death, and Violence
Moderate: Drug use, Suicide, and Drug abuse
Minor: Eating disorder
one mention of the g slur in a descriptiongigigp'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? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder and Violence
Minor: Suicide
skelleybean's review against another edition
adventurous
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? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Drug use, Mental illness, Death, Murder, Alcohol, Cursing, Grief, Drug abuse, Physical abuse, Toxic friendship, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Gaslighting, Body horror, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Vomit, and Violence
olivier_d_ace's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Quedé pa' dentro nada más que decir
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Violence, Addiction, and Death
Moderate: Homophobia and Vomit
Minor: Suicidal thoughts
extru's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
I know it's realy similar to The Secret History, but I prefer this book 10 times more! I liked Donna's Tart writing better but still M. L. Rio's plot is just 👨🍳💋.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder and Violence
Moderate: Drug use and Alcohol
mdwsn27's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder and Violence
Moderate: Grief, Suicide, Toxic friendship, Physical abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Mental illness, Injury/Injury detail, Emotional abuse, Drug use, Drug abuse, Homophobia, Gaslighting, Death, Blood, Body horror, Alcohol, and Addiction
Minor: Blood
lexnicole's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Body horror, Blood, Physical abuse, Violence, Body shaming, Addiction, Death, Suicide, Toxic friendship, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Drug abuse, Grief, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, and Sexual content
reallyrosalie's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Physical abuse, and Violence
Moderate: Alcoholism and Drug use
Minor: Eating disorder
avciera7's review against another edition
challenging
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
5.0
This was almost not a five-star read because I could see the whodunnit coming from a mile away and there were parts where the pacing dragged or seemed to skip over things. But man, did it land the ending so hard. I think the "villain" being obvious is part of the tragedy. Does it have the same level of intricacy and mastery as Secret History? No. But I did find more readable and engaging could see myself rereading it sooner. Some characters are more fleshed out than others. This also just brought up so much for me in my own history of studying theatre and all the obsession, turmoil, & interpersonal emotional confusion that that environment causes. It is deeply Shakespearean and the way it weaves the text throughout is masterful. I loved this - there's something enigmatically engaging about it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Drug abuse, and Murder
Moderate: Suicide
Minor: Eating disorder