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4.19 AVERAGE
4.19 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
sad
medium-paced
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
I absolutely LOVED this book and I really want to go back buy a nice physical copy of it and re-read it. This book is easily on my shelf for favorites and really is something that I will be thinking about for a long time. I think the reason I connected to this book as much as I did is because of the fact that first and foremost I am a theatre person, so this book may not hit as hard for people without that experience. With that being said I really want to take some time to read through all of the Shakespeare plays mentioned in the book and then re-visit If We Were Villains to get the entire experience, while I got most of the references I am sure there are a few I may have missed. This book really is a murder mystery for the theatre kids and I am here for it and will FOREVER recommend it to people. I love it so much! The layout of the acts, the mixture of prose, and the time skips back and forth to him in the cell and what actually happened. I was eating it up!! I am totally going to look into M.L. Rio's other books as well because I had such a good time with this one!
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Drug abuse, Drug use, Physical abuse, Violence, Blood, Murder, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Eating disorder, Homophobia, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Sexual harassment
Dnf. I just cannot relate to the characters. Maybe just me but I cannot read this without being distracted
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
i really liked this story in the sense that the characters and their interactions intrigued me. this book is supposed to be a murder mystery/thriller novel, and to be honest, i found that part kind of lacking. that isn't to say the book is bad, but it just doesn't fulfill what i want from that type of story. let me explain what i mean by that.
basically, i found as i was reading that i didn't care who did committed the crime so much as how everyone reacted to it and how they interacted with each other before and after. i know the whole point of the story was to find out who did it, but i wasn't really invested in that part. so i guess in that way, i didn't guess the ending, which i can do in most horror/thriller novels i read, which is a plus. but i still didn't necessarily find that i cared to know the truth.
i would love to hear the story from meredith's pov. not that oliver's isn't good, i just want to know more about her relationship with richard. i get the feeling there was some dv in that relationship, so i'd love to know her complicated, messy feelings on his death. there's probably a reason she hasn't left, and that interests me. as a writer, it's something i find has to be done well to be enjoyable, but i trust this author to do it right.
also james and oliver's relationship... i am not surprised, i mean be so for real with me... they're at a conservatory that only does shakespeare. but also i think that adds a level to the story, and i like that a lot. it does not help that i read song of achilles recently before this bc it feels like salt in the wound.
overall, i liked this a lot. definitely recommend it for those dark academia vibes. it's great for getting into the fall spirit.
basically, i found as i was reading that i didn't care who did committed the crime so much as how everyone reacted to it and how they interacted with each other before and after. i know the whole point of the story was to find out who did it, but i wasn't really invested in that part. so i guess in that way, i didn't guess the ending, which i can do in most horror/thriller novels i read, which is a plus. but i still didn't necessarily find that i cared to know the truth.
i would love to hear the story from meredith's pov. not that oliver's isn't good, i just want to know more about her relationship with richard. i get the feeling there was some dv in that relationship, so i'd love to know her complicated, messy feelings on his death. there's probably a reason she hasn't left, and that interests me. as a writer, it's something i find has to be done well to be enjoyable, but i trust this author to do it right.
also james and oliver's relationship... i am not surprised, i mean be so for real with me... they're at a conservatory that only does shakespeare. but also i think that adds a level to the story, and i like that a lot. it does not help that i read song of achilles recently before this bc it feels like salt in the wound.
overall, i liked this a lot. definitely recommend it for those dark academia vibes. it's great for getting into the fall spirit.
After discussing at length in book club, I’ve decided this book was just alright. I wanted it to be great, something like Secret History (prob my bad for even comparing in the first place). But ultimately it fell short. The Shakespeare quoting was insufferable. I think that was the point so I won’t harp on it. Oliver’s obsession with James was interesting up until it was truly just the most boring possible outcome ever. The other characters didn’t even feel real. Oliver’s perception of them all was so flat. His take on Alexander’s OD? Oh that’s just Alex being Alex. Meredith’s body image issues? Somehow only made him notice and talk about her body even more. Oliver’s sister has an ED serious enough she needs rehabilitation for it???? OH NOOO THATS SO SELFISH OF HER. NOW HE CANT GO BACK TO HIS PERFORMING ARTS COLLEGE