If We Were Villains

Reviews

• AlienatedEmmy 👽

  Finished September 27, 2026

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• Laurynn

  Finished December 8, 2024

  ⭐️⭐️⭐️ 🌶️ 📖 My Thoughts Even though this was a 3 star read for me, M. L. Rio’s writing is so lovely, dark, and thought provoking. The “setting of stage” in the beginning was a little boring but necessary. Although I know very little about theatre or Shakespeare, I enjoyed the way this was written. Trying to decipher the meaning of the Shakespeare quotes as they pertained to the story was quite fun. I can see myself reading more dark academia. However, the ending turned out to be anticlimactic for me. The climax felt like it had already come around the 50% mark. I felt pulled along needlessly, collecting so many theories I started to lose count and thus losing the impact the story should have had. The one theory I had had in my head around the 50% mark turned out to be true in the end. Yet, the story continued on for so long after that, I had all but assumed there was more that I wasn’t seeing or had yet to learn. All of that being said, I totally recommend this book for lovers of dark academia and Shakespeare! The setting and drama will be so much fun. ⚠️ Trigger Warnings Graphic: Murder, Death, Violence Moderate: Drug abuse, Suicide, Drug use Minor: Eating disorder, Homophobia, Vomit 🌶️ Spice The spice was vague but still fun and versatile! We have quite a bit of different relationship representation which I enjoyed.

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• Acadia

  Started December 2, 2024 · Finished December 9, 2024

  “You can justify anything if you do it poetically enough.” If you are familiar with at least 1 Shakespeare play, you will be able to follow along with this and enjoy it just fine. BUT I feel like there were a lot of undertones that were like a secret code I didn’t pick up on because I was missing the experience to reference his other plays. There was a pretty big friend group or “cast” in this, at first I struggled to really get attached to many of them. It kind of went on and on, poetically, but I was about ready to get to the point. The bouncing back and forth in time was a little jarring, but necessary to the story, I audio’d this mostly so there were times I couldn’t quite place where everyone was, or what the setting was - one moment they would be on the stage, the next in a bar… or somewhere else. 🌶️ 1/5 There was a itsy little bit of vague spice, but I was really left wanting more with the MM romance that kept building up only to fissile into nothing again and again. It was like everyone was sleeping with everyone, but no one was actually getting laid...

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• Wispy

  Started March 4, 2025 · Finished March 6, 2025

  Beautifully tragic. That ending owes me money for therapy. I so desperately wanted James and Oliver to acknowledge their feelings but I think it makes it a better tale that they don't until it's too late. I loved the characters so much, so much complexity and their trauma responses felt so real. I feel so bad for Oliver. I'm not a huge Shakespeare fan, nor do I really have an interest in acting, but this book drew me in and made me hyped and interested in everything going on in the character's lives, especially the acting. I wish I could go back and read this book for the first time again.

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• Chiara 🌩

  Started May 7, 2025 · Finished May 18, 2025 · Read 3 times

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