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

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

“You can justify anything if you do it poetically enough.” 

They're so stupid and pretentious...I love them. I had known about this book for a long time before I picked it up,  many of the reviews were mixed but I'm glad I stuck it out. My first 5 star read of 2023! I can hardly sum up how I feel in words right now. I think I'm drawn to media filled with tortured artists because that's what I want to be. Try as I might to read, write and paint, but I never feel like I deserve to call myself an artist. There's always an element I'm missing that would make me a true creator, I guess I need to keep searching for it in more books like this. As much fun as it is to read something interspersed with classic plays I probably only read about 60% of the monologues in full haha, I hope it’s not that big of a problem. I can see a bit of myself in all of the characters, explaining why I fell for each and every one of them, yes, including Richard. They're all so promising and talented it hurt to see them hurt.

Does it make anyone else stupidly giddy to recognize real world places/references in books? Discovering they go to college in Illinois like me made me feel validated and I don't know why.

Songs: 
  • the lakes - Taylor Swift
  • Seventeen Going Under - Sam Fender 
  • an ego thing - Lizzy McAlpine 
  • The View Between Villages - Noah Kahan 
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