A review by eleasofia
If We Were Villains by M.L. Rio

dark emotional mysterious sad
  • 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

i absolutely loved this book. 

regarding the plot, i liked that you can figure out what's going on from the clues that are dropped, but you're not 100% sure until the truth is revealed, so it is exciting, but you can also feel clever about having it figured out in the end. it offered the right amount of surprise and suspense for me personally. i thought it was very well-paced and i loved the structure, the book being devided into acts.

also, having a narrator that sees and describes themselves as very "plain" and then slowly finding out how much there is to them is always exciting. i liked oliver as the narrator/ the way the book is written because he is very descriptive and detailed, a great mix between facts, feelings, thoughts, descriptions, and dialogue. i liked how the other characters and their relationships were portrayed and described from his perspective. the story is very tightly connected to how the relationships and characters themselves develop and everything felt very natural. besides oliver, i really liked meredith and james.

i enjoyed the writing a lot. it was easy to read and very clear. i'm not a big Shakespeare lover, but with my basic knowledge i definitely understood enough to enjoy the dialogue and the scenes where they were acting. i'm sure i missed out on a ton of clever symbolism and hints and clues and whatever. i will most definitely re-read this book one day, and i might brush up on my Shakespeare knowledge before that. i think it might make it even more enjoyable. 

i was hooked from the first page, and by the end of the book i was crying my eyes out. what more could i wish for? i will definitely be thinking of this for some time.
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