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A review by lit_terary
If We Were Villains by M.L. Rio
5.0
Wow. Wow. Disclaimer: I picked up this book because I was told it was a lot reminiscent of Donna Tartt's "The Secret History" (which is my favourite book of all times), so I thought it was I was in for a water-down version of Donna Tartt, and I would be fine with it. The premise sounded interesting as well, with that same dark academia atmosphere, a mysterious death among a group of close friends; in short, all things I'm a fan of, but never could I have imagined it was going to be this good!
The story is not that complicated, as it follows a group of seven friends, classmates, enrolled in a super elitarian conservatory, attending the theatre course. The book simply revolves around the relationships binding these people together. They love theatre, they speak theatre, they live and breathe theatre 24/7 (I just loved that they would have full on conversations by quoting Shakespeare, which Rio confirmed to be an actual thing going on with drama-freaks in real life, unfortunately, I can't relate). As they navigate through their senior year, and various Shakespeare productions, tensions start to rise among the group of friends, tensions that finally end up in tragedy.
Apart from stating the obvious, as to say, how well-written the book is overall, the best aspect of the novel, for me, was its hooking force. I literally could not put this book down. Might be because Rio does not indulge in frivolous things and unnecessary bits. Her story-telling is skeletal, sticking to the core and giving us nothing more. And this is what differentiates "If we were villains" by "The Secret History". I really liked Rio's own writing style, and the book is impressive for a debut. I'm fervently waiting for there next novel.
Now, the mystery itself didn't feel too original or intricately crafted, which I believe was not the point nor the aim Rio wanted to achieve. It's not hard to come up with the resolution to the mystery, but then again, the "who did it" is not the point of the book, in my opinion. Not even Rio seems to care for the culprit or the mystery at the centre of the novel, and by the time we reach the end, in our hearts, we already know what happened and how it's going to end. But, simply because you know the ending, it doesn't mean that the story doesn't matter. We have to look at the people, at their relationships, at their fears, because it is where the heart of the book lies.
I must confess, I've found the epilogue a little underwhelming in comparison to the story as a whole because I was perhaps waiting for a shock-factor or unexpected element that never came. But, thinking about it now, a shocking ending would've probably felt disingenuous and unnatural.
Overall, I was so impressed with this book, it was all I was expecting and maybe more. Highly recommended you like dark academia vibes and suspense (and if you've enjoyed The Secret History) Now I'm left wanting more from this promising young author.
The story is not that complicated, as it follows a group of seven friends, classmates, enrolled in a super elitarian conservatory, attending the theatre course. The book simply revolves around the relationships binding these people together. They love theatre, they speak theatre, they live and breathe theatre 24/7 (I just loved that they would have full on conversations by quoting Shakespeare, which Rio confirmed to be an actual thing going on with drama-freaks in real life, unfortunately, I can't relate). As they navigate through their senior year, and various Shakespeare productions, tensions start to rise among the group of friends, tensions that finally end up in tragedy.
Apart from stating the obvious, as to say, how well-written the book is overall, the best aspect of the novel, for me, was its hooking force. I literally could not put this book down. Might be because Rio does not indulge in frivolous things and unnecessary bits. Her story-telling is skeletal, sticking to the core and giving us nothing more. And this is what differentiates "If we were villains" by "The Secret History". I really liked Rio's own writing style, and the book is impressive for a debut. I'm fervently waiting for there next novel.
Now, the mystery itself didn't feel too original or intricately crafted, which I believe was not the point nor the aim Rio wanted to achieve. It's not hard to come up with the resolution to the mystery, but then again, the "who did it" is not the point of the book, in my opinion. Not even Rio seems to care for the culprit or the mystery at the centre of the novel, and by the time we reach the end, in our hearts, we already know what happened and how it's going to end. But, simply because you know the ending, it doesn't mean that the story doesn't matter. We have to look at the people, at their relationships, at their fears, because it is where the heart of the book lies.
I must confess, I've found the epilogue a little underwhelming in comparison to the story as a whole because I was perhaps waiting for a shock-factor or unexpected element that never came. But, thinking about it now, a shocking ending would've probably felt disingenuous and unnatural.
Overall, I was so impressed with this book, it was all I was expecting and maybe more. Highly recommended you like dark academia vibes and suspense (and if you've enjoyed The Secret History) Now I'm left wanting more from this promising young author.