Mystery

If We Were Villains

If We Were Villains

  • Downloads：7500
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2022-08-05 05:53:06
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：M.L. Rio
  • ISBN：1250095298
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary

Oliver Marks has just served ten years in jail - for a murder he may or may not have committed。 On the day he's released， he's greeted by the man who put him in prison。 Detective Colborne is retiring， but before he does， he wants to know what really happened a decade ago。

As one of seven young actors studying Shakespeare at an elite arts college， Oliver and his friends play the same roles onstage and off: hero， villain， tyrant， temptress， ingenue， extra。 But when the casting changes， and the secondary characters usurp the stars， the plays spill dangerously over into life， and one of them is found dead。 The rest face their greatest acting challenge yet: convincing the police， and themselves， that they are blameless。

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Reviews

Trini ，

La experiencia de lectura en audiolibro fue suprema！ El narrador hace inflexiones de voz y cambios para cada personaje y hace toda la diferencia。 Me encantó， y no esperaba que fuera así。

Kevin Hughlett ，

This book was so good！ The ending was absolutely the best part。 And i loved how it was organized into acts and scenes。 And the Shakespeare references - amazing！

Liv Arlin ，

Such a fulfilling read in terms of my obsession with dark academia。 It definitely has the same feel as The Secret History， but with what I think is a little more emotion and coziness， making it comparable also to Dead Poet’s Society。 I felt the characters were fleshed out extremely well and though the plot unfolded the way I predicted， it was still pleasantly surprising at times。 Just an amazing read！

Hails ，

I really don't know if this is actually good but it hits so many of the things I love that I could enjoy it if it was squiggles。 It is pretentious in a fun way and makes use of Shakespeare's cannon with extreme creativity that I loved。 I really don't know if this is actually good but it hits so many of the things I love that I could enjoy it if it was squiggles。 It is pretentious in a fun way and makes use of Shakespeare's cannon with extreme creativity that I loved。 。。。more

Caroline Meyer ，

This book was basically a copy of the secret history， but interesting！ I don’t know if it was the change of setting or the love story added in， but this actually held my attention。

Ashley ，

I flew through this book， so it's safe to say I enjoyed it。 Dark academia is a favorite of mine， so the odd were already high I was going to like this。 However， although I liked it， I don't love it。 I wish there had been more build-up to the event that the story centers around， and I wish the characters had been more fleshed out。 Their group and individual dynamics held a lot of potential， so I wish we had seen more of that before it all went to hell。 I do appreciate that it didn't skirt around I flew through this book， so it's safe to say I enjoyed it。 Dark academia is a favorite of mine， so the odd were already high I was going to like this。 However， although I liked it， I don't love it。 I wish there had been more build-up to the event that the story centers around， and I wish the characters had been more fleshed out。 Their group and individual dynamics held a lot of potential， so I wish we had seen more of that before it all went to hell。 I do appreciate that it didn't skirt around the queer relationship though。 That was refreshing since I was fully expecting it to just keep it vague。 （Also guilty pleasure， but I loved the messy love triangle）。 Overall， a perfectly fine read， but it landed nowhere close to The Secret History for me。 。。。more

satakshi ，

emotionally wrecked me <3

Em Ho ，

Ciężko mi ocenić tą książkę jako całość ponieważ miałem problem w pierwszej połowie z przyzwyczajeniem się do angielskiego （zwłaszcza że nie jest on tu taki łatwy）。 Tak czy inaczej pierwsza połowa była dla mnie troszkę nudnawa i akcja nabierała tempa w swoim czasie。 Jednak po połowie zaczęło być emocjonująco， interesująco， niepokojąco i zaskakująco。 Końcówkę pochłonąłem。 Bohaterowie bardzo dobrze zbudowani， co uważam jest najlepszym plusem tej książki。 Każdy jest na swój sposób inny i praktyczni Ciężko mi ocenić tą książkę jako całość ponieważ miałem problem w pierwszej połowie z przyzwyczajeniem się do angielskiego （zwłaszcza że nie jest on tu taki łatwy）。 Tak czy inaczej pierwsza połowa była dla mnie troszkę nudnawa i akcja nabierała tempa w swoim czasie。 Jednak po połowie zaczęło być emocjonująco， interesująco， niepokojąco i zaskakująco。 Końcówkę pochłonąłem。 Bohaterowie bardzo dobrze zbudowani， co uważam jest najlepszym plusem tej książki。 Każdy jest na swój sposób inny i praktycznie każdego polubiłem。 Książka utrzymana jest w klimacie niepewności， dreszczyku i poetyckości （jakkolwiek to brzmi， chodzi o teatr i Szekspira）。 Ogólnie， No muszę polecić ją mimo tej pierwszej połowy。 。。。more

Camri Kohler ，

The tension！ Was so good！ Whether it was sexual tension or perilous tension， I loved it。 The relationships were so dynamic and the writing was completely captivating。 And that ending！？！ WHAT！？？

✨Polina ，

actually really liked this one， took me a bit to get into the story though。 after the murder happened it got really interesting， although unfortunately I suspected what happened from the very beginning so there wasn't a plottwist for me when the truth was revealed。there were a few time jumps between the present and the events from 10 years ago， which made it very interesting to find out bit by bit what actually happened that night。in the beginning I was kinda annoyed that there were so many chap actually really liked this one， took me a bit to get into the story though。 after the murder happened it got really interesting， although unfortunately I suspected what happened from the very beginning so there wasn't a plottwist for me when the truth was revealed。there were a few time jumps between the present and the events from 10 years ago， which made it very interesting to find out bit by bit what actually happened that night。in the beginning I was kinda annoyed that there were so many chapters where the characters would just act out scenes from shakespeare plays but I shouldn't complain since it says in the blurb they're studying shakespeare。 still， I think a couple quotes and references here and there could've been enough and those long scenes were sorta unnecessary。I also think the ending was very well done， left to interpretation to the reader， though I still haven't really made up my mind what to think about it。all in all， would totally recommend， especially to people who love dark academia， murder mysteries and shakespeare。 。。。more

Desirée Matías ，

3。5 stars

Sage Anders ，

idk what to do with myself now that i’ve finished this book

Karin ，

I liked the language very much in this book， it flowed very well and even， at times， reminded me of poetry。 I was a bit worried at first that I wouldn't like the book as it's not in the genre I normally prefer with books but I think this was the right kind of book I needed to get out of a reading slump。 The book was good from the perspective that it felt like you got to know the characters for real as if you had been part of their group and I thought the way the present was presented in contrast I liked the language very much in this book， it flowed very well and even， at times， reminded me of poetry。 I was a bit worried at first that I wouldn't like the book as it's not in the genre I normally prefer with books but I think this was the right kind of book I needed to get out of a reading slump。 The book was good from the perspective that it felt like you got to know the characters for real as if you had been part of their group and I thought the way the present was presented in contrast to what happened 10 years earlier was done in a way that seemed natural， considering the theme of the book and how theatre-inspired the book is。 I liked Oliver， Filippa and James the best and had a bit more difficulty liking the other characters even though they were there to create a very interesting group dynamic for sure。 As I got closer to the end I wanted to drag out the possibility of finishing this book too fast as I wanted to continue being a part of this sort of universe。 I read the book a little over a few days and not in one sitting， which is something I usually do when I read a book I like。 As I don't speak English fluently， I marked the words I couldn't translate myself， which made me read a chapter at a time and then go through the glossaries and content。 I think the total number of words I have written down is around 300， so it has also been very rewarding from that perspective as I have had the opportunity to develop my vocabulary understanding。 。。。more

lavender ，

that suffocating silence？ that's me right now。speechless and BROKEN BECAUSE WHAT that suffocating silence？ that's me right now。speechless and BROKEN BECAUSE WHAT 。。。more

mariaa ，

wow。

Jordyn ，

I'm struggling with my feelings for this one， folks。On the one hand， whenever I picked it up， I couldn't stop reading。 The writing was so intoxicating， the images so vivid and clear。 Props to Rio， because I do think she's a talented writer。 Unfortunately， I had a lot of issues with this storyline。 The way she chose to write it， melding the past and present， made the "murder mystery" aspect really solvable， which took a lot of excitement out of getting to the end。 Instead of reading to get to the I'm struggling with my feelings for this one， folks。On the one hand， whenever I picked it up， I couldn't stop reading。 The writing was so intoxicating， the images so vivid and clear。 Props to Rio， because I do think she's a talented writer。 Unfortunately， I had a lot of issues with this storyline。 The way she chose to write it， melding the past and present， made the "murder mystery" aspect really solvable， which took a lot of excitement out of getting to the end。 Instead of reading to get to the end with excitement and questioning， I just felt this looming sense of dread because I knew exactly what was going to happen and I was angry about it。Oliver as a main character was so frustrating to read at times。 He makes so many decisions that I really don't understand。 I get that these characters are all supposed to be a little villainous， and， by association with one another， trapped in a cycle of toxic relationships， but STILL！！ As a reader， there was just very little relief and very little joy in this book to clutch on to as you watch the characters destroy their lives。 I had basically no one to root for because everyone's logic was just so questionable。 Also， as someone who has only read a handful of Shakespeare plays， a lot of the sections that I think were supposed to feel moving fell flat just because I didn't understand the play as deeply as the characters did。 That being said， if you love Shakespeare and have read a good chunk of his works， this will probably do more for you than it did for me。 The parallels I did spot were incredibly clever。This book was smart， but frustrating and exhausting as well。 。。。more

allison ，

I think I would’ve liked this more if I was into shakespeare but unfortunately I am a normal person

crookie bookie ，

i have finally finished this book after so much time off reading。 it was absolutely saddening and truly the ultimate act of love， sacrifice。 i enjoyed it so much。 it was a better version of what the secret history tried to be。 it gave off dark academia with a twist of troubled acting students who were struggling to come to terms with their own sexuality。 their own realities mixed in with the narratives forced upon them from the characters they took on。 it was a beautiful crossover of characters i have finally finished this book after so much time off reading。 it was absolutely saddening and truly the ultimate act of love， sacrifice。 i enjoyed it so much。 it was a better version of what the secret history tried to be。 it gave off dark academia with a twist of troubled acting students who were struggling to come to terms with their own sexuality。 their own realities mixed in with the narratives forced upon them from the characters they took on。 it was a beautiful crossover of characters and their own realities。 it was fairly well paced as well。 i loved it。 。。。more

Gabriella ，

It was everything I wanted it to be

Sage Harris ，

I DNF’ed this book because I just couldn’t get into it。 Trust me， I really wanted to love this book as it sounds like an interesting concept， but it was just SO slow that I had no interest in it at all。 I know that a lot of people love this book and I’m sure it’s amazing， it just wasn’t for me （at least right now）。 However， I’m hoping that I can get in the mood and read it sometime later。

Musi ，

RTC CURRENTLY FURIOUSLY CALCULATING MY THERAPY BILLS TO SEND IT TO TBE AUTHOR BC WHAT KIND OF SICK TWISTED MF WRITES THIS KIND OF BOOK？？？ *YES ITSA A FIVE STARS

Booksbeforework ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Spoilers might await underneath。 I like this book。 It was a good book， however it might have been spoiled for me because of the multiple comparisons I've seen of this book and The Secret History by Donna Tartt （which is one of my favorite books）。 I won't go in length to why it is not fair to compare these books， as think it is only a matter of personal taste， and I actually think they are in the storyline very similar。 They have in fact the same basis : students driven by learning and the art of Spoilers might await underneath。 I like this book。 It was a good book， however it might have been spoiled for me because of the multiple comparisons I've seen of this book and The Secret History by Donna Tartt （which is one of my favorite books）。 I won't go in length to why it is not fair to compare these books， as think it is only a matter of personal taste， and I actually think they are in the storyline very similar。 They have in fact the same basis : students driven by learning and the art of words， faced by a dramatic/cathartic event， and most importantly the bound it creates between all the students。 However， I was pushed to give it 4 stars because of the relationship between Oliver and James （and also because of the fact that by the end I could not put it down）。 I think they are quite beautiful and in some ways they show the tragic reality of being queer。 Rare are the books that brings light on how hard it is to realize that you may love someone that is the same sex of you when you were raised by the idea that men belongs to women and likewise the other way around。 。。。more

Lucia Kvarnström ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I dont even know how to wrote a review for this。 It was incredible， I loved every plot twist and detail。 Pericles and James’s parallels at the end， James being the killer （for a moment I thought he was going to die himself） and the suicide at the end。 The whole beginning of the book I was praying for something to happen between James and Oliver and boy was i overjoyed when it did。 I think im gonna have to read some Shakespeare （my Shakespeare knowledge is limited to Caesar） and then reread this I dont even know how to wrote a review for this。 It was incredible， I loved every plot twist and detail。 Pericles and James’s parallels at the end， James being the killer （for a moment I thought he was going to die himself） and the suicide at the end。 The whole beginning of the book I was praying for something to happen between James and Oliver and boy was i overjoyed when it did。 I think im gonna have to read some Shakespeare （my Shakespeare knowledge is limited to Caesar） and then reread this book to make a bit more sense of it， but the storyline itself was incredible。 Loved itRead it in a few hours， had a very hard time putting it down。 It all flowed so well！ 。。。more

Marianna Ricardo ，

o livro foi bem exaustivo e longo de ler， de longe o que mais demorei。 parece que tinha mais de mil páginas， e é curioso porque nunca me senti assim em obra nenhuma。 nao consigo dar tres estrelas， porem， porque é um tipo de escrita muito diferente do que estou habituada， e é algo mais complexo do que uma historinha de romance。é algo cru。 amor de verdade。 amor até nos piores momentos。 a autora tratou com tanta veracidade os sentimentos， o que eles fazem com a mente de uma pessoa e aonde isso leva o livro foi bem exaustivo e longo de ler， de longe o que mais demorei。 parece que tinha mais de mil páginas， e é curioso porque nunca me senti assim em obra nenhuma。 nao consigo dar tres estrelas， porem， porque é um tipo de escrita muito diferente do que estou habituada， e é algo mais complexo do que uma historinha de romance。é algo cru。 amor de verdade。 amor até nos piores momentos。 a autora tratou com tanta veracidade os sentimentos， o que eles fazem com a mente de uma pessoa e aonde isso leva， que eu acho que só sendo uma pessoa muito ruim pra dar menos de três estrelas。 sem contar que tudo era sheakspeare， bizarro a forma como ela sempre tinha um verso pra encaixar。gostei pra caramba desse final。 é exatamente assim que as coisas são na vida real。 e gostei da forma como ela fez cada personagem， cada um de uma forma tão carinhosa e cuidadosa （inclusive richard）。 é isso。 tô indo pro próximo！ 。。。more

Annabelle Moore ，

Half of it was just trying to up the word count

Imxshael5 ，

Since I feel so emptied after finishing it， this book has become one of my favorites。 Perfect in every way， the narrative is incredible， and I adored every single character。 I wish I could read this book for the first time again。 🥹🖤🖤🖤

Chelsea Montgomery ，

If “How to Get Away with Murder” was about theatre kids and doused in Shakespeare… A perfectly inoffensive book。 Interesting premise， solid plot， intriguing characters， satisfying ending。 Perhaps I am not cultured enough to enjoy the onslaught of Shakespeare; it’s impact was completely lost on me。 Testimony to the quality of the plot because I could not DNF and I had to find it all out。 Wanted to like this more than I did， but I can not specifically fault it。

Writtenbywilde ，

M A S T E R P I E C E

Nancy Jaynes ，

I enjoyed this book， but I wouldn't give it 5 stars， and I hesitated to give it 4， mainly because I'm getting a bit weary of reading books so obviously influenced by Donna Tartt's "The Secret History。" However， I did feel pushed to finish in order to find out how and why Oliver took the fall and ended up in jail。 （This isn't really a spoiler， as the story begins with Oliver's jailhouse interview with police detective Colborne。） After finishing， I read the NYTimes review that refers to the novel I enjoyed this book， but I wouldn't give it 5 stars， and I hesitated to give it 4， mainly because I'm getting a bit weary of reading books so obviously influenced by Donna Tartt's "The Secret History。" However， I did feel pushed to finish in order to find out how and why Oliver took the fall and ended up in jail。 （This isn't really a spoiler， as the story begins with Oliver's jailhouse interview with police detective Colborne。） After finishing， I read the NYTimes review that refers to the novel as， "。。。a melodramatic but satisfying debut by M。 L。 Rio，" and wraps up with， "'If We Were Villains' is， then， a readable， smart， pretentious， youthful book， at once charming and insufferable， at once good and bad。" I agree。 。。。more

kenzie ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I’m honestly having a hard time putting words into how to describe this book。 I wasn’t sure what it was going to be going into this but， i’m so glad i read this because i loved it so much it’s probably one of my favorite books i’ve ever read。 This book kept me engaged the whole time and kept me wanting to continue to keep reading。 I couldn’t put it down。 I just loved it from the writing to Shakespeare it was just so good。 I cried when i finished although i knew this was a sad book and i kind of I’m honestly having a hard time putting words into how to describe this book。 I wasn’t sure what it was going to be going into this but， i’m so glad i read this because i loved it so much it’s probably one of my favorite books i’ve ever read。 This book kept me engaged the whole time and kept me wanting to continue to keep reading。 I couldn’t put it down。 I just loved it from the writing to Shakespeare it was just so good。 I cried when i finished although i knew this was a sad book and i kind of saw it coming the ending still had me shocked and devastated。 This book was just wow i’m mind blown。 Also， James and Oliver i love you so much。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=If We Were Villains

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=If We Were Villains&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,If We Were Villains&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0