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

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

Look … the thing is, I loved this book!! But, and that’s a big but, there were just a few things I couldn’t look past, so I can’t give it 5 stars.

But before I dive into that, I wanna talk about all the things i loved! And I loved A LOT! I loved the (horribly pretentious) characters with all their (horribly pretentious) conflicts. I loved the atmospheric dark academia vibes, and the Shakespearean structure. I loved the element of mystery and how it slowly unfolds across the split timeline. Really, I loved almost everything!!

I’ve seen mixed opinions about the ending, but I even loved that for the most part! While I wasn’t exactly shocked by the twist (I saw it coming from a mile away), I did love following Oliver as he figured it out.

I loved all these elements, yet the thing I loved most, is something I’m pretty sure I can’t really talk about without spoiling.

Now, the reason I haven’t rated this higher, despite everything I loved, is the development of one particular character! I understand most of the characters’ motivations and actions, but one of them goes completely off the rails without ANY reasoning whatsoever, and it irked me to no end!! 

It might have made more sense if my Shakespeare knowledge had been more extensive, but it still frustrates me! I, however, do feel confident that I would’ve loved the book even more if I had known more about Shakespeare’s plays, but despite it, I still highly recommend it!