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4.19 AVERAGE
4.19 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
“Actors are by nature volatile—alchemic creatures composed of incendiary elements.”
This is a dark academia novel about a tight-knit group of Shakespearean actors at an elite arts conservatory whose bonds fracture after a violent crime leaves their world, and their loyalties, in ruins. The novel plays with themes of performance versus reality, obsession, and betrayal, all filtered through a love of Shakespeare.
Unfortunately, while the premise is enticing, the execution left me profoundly underwhelmed. The book felt like a diet version of Donna Tartt’s “The Secret History” and if anything, it just reminded me of how much I love “The Secret History” and how much I wished I was rereading that instead. Tartt’s novel is layered, intoxicating, and haunting, whereas “If We Were Villains” often felt hollow, predictable, and lacking in depth.
The characters, meant to be enigmatic and compelling, never drew me in. I didn’t really care about any of them, or the murder mystery itself. For a book steeped in Shakespeare, it should have been right up my alley. As someone who has adored Shakespeare for years and even spent time in a Shakespeare performance group back in college, I wanted this story to ignite that passion again. Instead, I found it dull, strangely flat, and at times even boring. One thing I did appreciate was the 1990s setting, which I always enjoy. (I’m currently reading Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s “The Bewitching” for my book club, and the 90s backdrop there is something I absolutely adore.) But here, the atmosphere and sense of time never fully clicked into place for me.
I know this book has its devoted fans, and I wish I had seen what they see. But for me, “If We Were Villains” was a disappointment, especially as someone who typically adores dark academia stories. Sorry to those who love it, but this one just wasn’t for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Murder
Moderate: Drug abuse, Drug use, Suicide
Minor: Eating disorder, Homophobia, Vomit
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book relies heavily on Shakespeare with many quotes, so if that’s not your thing then avoid. It’s also a slow burner that really ramps up towards the end.
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I am very much the target audience for this novel, and I confess that the insular feel of a classical acting cohort felt accurate, if at times painfully so. It also felt lacking in development when it came to the female characters (and yes, I understand that the point is that they are all being pigeonholed into an archetype, and... that's kind of the point. If anything, the addressing of that frustration made me wish there was any hint of development within the story outside their "role." Essentially, their frustration with their simplifications to caretaker, temptress, and waif just made them frustrating to me). This is also potentially a side-effect of the close first-person narration, with an occasionally (or often) oblivious narrator, but that doesn't change the takeaways for me.
The author dealt with a lot of text due to characters who regularly speak solely through quotes, and as someone pretty familiar with some of plays, I thought it was well (if pretentiously, as the author themself says about the characters) dealt with. It was extreme, but I enjoyed the consistency of their commitment to pretention.
I was spoiled for part of an event in the epilogue, which definitely colored my reading of the book.
I hate [spoilers for ending/style that gives away plot]
Non-spoiler version of the above is that I wanted something from the ending that I didn't quote get, otherwise it would likely have been a 4 for me.
The author dealt with a lot of text due to characters who regularly speak solely through quotes, and as someone pretty familiar with some of plays, I thought it was well (if pretentiously, as the author themself says about the characters) dealt with. It was extreme, but I enjoyed the consistency of their commitment to pretention.
I was spoiled for part of an event in the epilogue, which definitely colored my reading of the book.
I hate [spoilers for ending/style that gives away plot]
Spoiler
semi-ambiguous endings, which is arguably what this is, although it was designed to feel suggestive – so much so that it sort of feels like the book just ~ends~ and the last page or paragraph was misplaced/unfinished: ending not with an ellipse, but a whimper. I think feeling a little more satisfied in the completeness of the ending (it would only have taken a paragraph or two; some sign of intent!) would have made this a 3.5 or 4 for me. As it is, I'll have to summon my own poetic image.Non-spoiler version of the above is that I wanted something from the ending that I didn't quote get, otherwise it would likely have been a 4 for me.
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Yes
Instant favourite
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Eating disorder, Suicide
I'm a sucker for dark academia, and this book did not disappoint. I enjoyed the way they dragged out and teased the relationship between Oliver and his roommate/best friend/infatuation James.
He and his five other friends were theater students who often spoke in Shakespearean dialect IRL. Early on in November of their senior year, the defacto leader Richard starts becoming very abusive. At least it seemed like this was a new thing, it wasn't actually explained to that well. They didn't necessarily do him justice as a character, he just very quickly became established as the alpha and bully. The bullying got worse and after a party he wound up in a lake. They all got together at dawn and saw him there and saw that he was still alive, and chose to let him die instead of rescuing him. Very I know what you did last summer, except that he actually died. The rest of the story unfolds as they try to keep it together, but the guilt is eating them away. And it was obvious that someone bashed Richard's face in. The night he died, Oliver had hooked up with his up until then girlfriend Meredith. Oliver had also walked in on his roommate James in the bathroom with some throw up on his face, so I pieced it together pretty quickly that James was probably the one that killed Richard. James and Meredith had some really weird tension, for a while I thought maybe they were secretly hooking up and sort of hate fucking. But by the end it became clear that they were actually just both in love with Oliver, and hated that the other one had access.
Towards the end of the book Oliver finds out that James was the one who killed Richard, and somehow Meredith also finds out although I can't remember how right now. She tells the detective investigating and he comes for James. But this is right after Oliver and James finally admitted that they have some kind of feelings for each other and sort of went off script to kiss during King Lear. As everyone predicted, Oliver took the blame for James. He served 10 years in jail. The book has parts that take place as he gets out while most of it's told from the past.
When he gets out, he's still in touch with Pippa and he goes to see her and the detective all though the detective has moved on to another job. He basically tells the detective the truth and it's as satisfying for anybody as they want. Philippa informs him that James killed himself 4 years ago. Oliver's devastated. He seeks out Meredith and they quickly sort of establish a life together, even though Meredith said she always knew he was in love with James, and it's obvious to us as the reader that she is a sloppy second choice, it seems nice that they're able to be together and find a way towards a normal life. But then he gets James's suicide / goodbye note and it's an obscure Shakespearean reference to a character who fakes his own death. There's some other hidden note about a trip that they took so in the end it's a clue for Oliver to go find him. That part made me really like the book. Up until then I was worried that the whole thing had been super pointless and that Oliver should never have taken the blame for James. I do feel awful for Meredith though, cuz it's obvious Oliver is going to leave her once again and go find James.
Overall I Wonder if there are other references or meanings that I missed because I'm not that familiar with any of the Shakespeare plays that they did.
He and his five other friends were theater students who often spoke in Shakespearean dialect IRL. Early on in November of their senior year, the defacto leader Richard starts becoming very abusive. At least it seemed like this was a new thing, it wasn't actually explained to that well. They didn't necessarily do him justice as a character, he just very quickly became established as the alpha and bully. The bullying got worse and after a party he wound up in a lake. They all got together at dawn and saw him there and saw that he was still alive, and chose to let him die instead of rescuing him. Very I know what you did last summer, except that he actually died. The rest of the story unfolds as they try to keep it together, but the guilt is eating them away. And it was obvious that someone bashed Richard's face in. The night he died, Oliver had hooked up with his up until then girlfriend Meredith. Oliver had also walked in on his roommate James in the bathroom with some throw up on his face, so I pieced it together pretty quickly that James was probably the one that killed Richard. James and Meredith had some really weird tension, for a while I thought maybe they were secretly hooking up and sort of hate fucking. But by the end it became clear that they were actually just both in love with Oliver, and hated that the other one had access.
Towards the end of the book Oliver finds out that James was the one who killed Richard, and somehow Meredith also finds out although I can't remember how right now. She tells the detective investigating and he comes for James. But this is right after Oliver and James finally admitted that they have some kind of feelings for each other and sort of went off script to kiss during King Lear. As everyone predicted, Oliver took the blame for James. He served 10 years in jail. The book has parts that take place as he gets out while most of it's told from the past.
When he gets out, he's still in touch with Pippa and he goes to see her and the detective all though the detective has moved on to another job. He basically tells the detective the truth and it's as satisfying for anybody as they want. Philippa informs him that James killed himself 4 years ago. Oliver's devastated. He seeks out Meredith and they quickly sort of establish a life together, even though Meredith said she always knew he was in love with James, and it's obvious to us as the reader that she is a sloppy second choice, it seems nice that they're able to be together and find a way towards a normal life. But then he gets James's suicide / goodbye note and it's an obscure Shakespearean reference to a character who fakes his own death. There's some other hidden note about a trip that they took so in the end it's a clue for Oliver to go find him. That part made me really like the book. Up until then I was worried that the whole thing had been super pointless and that Oliver should never have taken the blame for James. I do feel awful for Meredith though, cuz it's obvious Oliver is going to leave her once again and go find James.
Overall I Wonder if there are other references or meanings that I missed because I'm not that familiar with any of the Shakespeare plays that they did.
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I wish I knew any Shakespeare I think it would have made this book a 5/5
emotional
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
informative
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Realllllly wanted to love this as I love dark academia. It was promising at first as it introduces a group of friends that I was intrigued to learn more about, but then I didn't realise how inspired by Shakespeare the book is (Which I barely know anything about, and dont like as it was shoved down my throat in school LOL). I've seen a few reviews saying it just got a bit boring and I agree.