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

challenging dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

I, like most, have to admit I first picked this book up due to its reputation as a Secret History dupe- and as much as to that comparison there is accuracy there is also insufficiency. A group of prep school children overly-engrossed in their insular society is a long standing trope in literature and this novel adds the dynamic of theatre, specifically Shakespeare, to the dynamic. Some of what I thought was incredibly strong in this novel was its use of its vehicle to guide the reader through suspense and expectation. I felt suspense for most of it although I do believe the ending was predictable I don't think it wasn't supposed to appear as such as much as inevitable. Like chess pieces, Rio dutifully moves the pawns of her novel until there is nothing left but checkmate and its subsequent reflection and epilogue. To further my chess analogy a little longer I'd also say that is where the weakness of this novel lies, some characters feel too much like pawns rather than vibrant in their own right. Richard felt a little stereotypically evil and I wanted more complexity than his cruel honesty. Some of the dialogue and dynamics between James and Oliver leaned a little to overly dramatic for my taste and not necessarily in line with the sort of detachment I expect from wealthy characters of this sort. Still, the novel was very fun, very suspenseful, and a simple pleasure to read even if it couldn't in my eyes live up to its most direct comparison- but perhaps that continued comparison is a tad unfair. Even though I think this wasn't a perfect novel it is one I will continue to think about in relation to its genre so that may have inflated my rating somewhat.