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

dark emotional inspiring mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I would like to say first that the ending left me shook, especially listening to the epilogue audibly. Like, you know in books how they always say ‘it sent a chill down my spine’? Well, this was more of a chilling stab to heart. I love stories that focus a lot on characters and digging into the depths of who they are, and I love how this story incorporates that as a crucial part in this murder mystery. 

I know I may be biased having never really read dark academia books before (I apologize for unintentionally DNFing The Secret History), with If We We’re Villains being my introduction, but I was really dazzled by the atmosphere of this gothic art school of theater students, and I loved imagining these Shakespeare plays even though I don’t know squat about Shakespeare and didn’t always understand what each quote (they quoted Shakespeare a LOT) implied. I still found it intensely interesting and heartbreaking like any Shakespeare tragedy, and I found a sad beauty in the story as a whole. 

But anyway, I welcome myself to the dark academia fandom, and I’ll jump right in to reading The Secret History again. Pray for me if needed.