From the Bookshelf of AMS Book Club at UBC…

If We Were Villains

M.L. Rio

Start date: September 1, 2023

Finish date: September 30, 2023

Why we're reading this: September's Book Pick: Dark Academia…more
[close] September's Book Pick: Dark Academia

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Sep 08, 2023 Anna (ani) 🕷 rated it really liked it · review of another edition

4.25 stars. I was literally shaking at the time of ending this book. Here is my (more) extensive review, as spoiler free as possible (but there will be a few small plot mentions):

I won’t lie, I was turned away from this a little bit because I couldn’t help but draw the comparison to The Secret History (as many people do). The two books are very similar, at least in terms of the setting and plot. The Secret History, in my opinion, has a bit more depth and the characters are even more insufferabl 4.25 stars. I was literally shaking at the time of ending this book. Here is my (more) extensive review, as spoiler free as possible (but there will be a few small plot mentions):

I won’t lie, I was turned away from this a little bit because I couldn’t help but draw the comparison to The Secret History (as many people do). The two books are very similar, at least in terms of the setting and plot. The Secret History, in my opinion, has a bit more depth and the characters are even more insufferable, which serves the purpose of this kind of dark academia novel better in my opinion. In If We Were Villains, Richard just felt more like a stock cartoon villain and I couldn’t fully understand why he acts the way he does, beyond the idea that the Dellecher is cult-like and he was leaning too much into his characters. Then again, some people are just abusive assholes and an explanation for that isn’t necessarily needed. I also find it odd that he was described as being “loved” when we never really get to see any reasons why. At the end of the day, is If We Were Villains as good as the Secret History? I don’t really think so. Maybe it’s just that I read TSH first, but you really can’t beat that novel.

That being said… That ending is probably one of the most angst inducing endings I’ve read in a book in a long time, even though I will say it was very predictable. Still, I was literally pulling at my hair and that kind of reaction elicits some kind of favourable points. I will say, there are some things that I feel don’t quite add up. I don’t fully understand all of the characters in a way that I feel I should, and as a result the ending feels weird. I can’t help but feel a multitude of conflicting feelings about Meredith in particular. On a surface level, I hate the way she’s objectified and treated— but I can also recognize that that’s the point, she becomes a reflection of the types of characters she plays, which are Shakespearean “temptresses” for the most part. Again, it reminds me of the treatment of Camilla in TSH. And for the purposes of this novel, it kind of makes sense. But I don’t always feel like I understand her as much as I want to, particularly near the end. I would have liked a bit more clarity on a lot of things in this novel, actually— even the whole middle part, when the group is falling apart, I can’t help but think: Really? We don’t even *really* know what happened, at least not through Oliver’s eyes. The ambiguity at the end makes for a memorable conclusion (and it will leave me thinking), but through the rest of the novel I’m not sure about it.

I feel like based on my gut reaction to finishing this book I should give it 5 stars, because it definitely hit the mark. I read most of it suuuper fast (like in 2 sittings). But I’m a bit picky with dark academia in particular (I just want to analyze it) and I kind of wish, given the ending, the romance aspect had been a bit more leaned into. Not to be too speculative, but I think that would have also steered the novel away from TSH comparisons. Because this seems more fundamentally like a love story, and TSH is more a story about obsession. But I wasn’t always getting that, at least not until the ending.

Either way, great book. Maybe picking it apart I’m left with more questions than answers, but I do think it was generally great. I want to point out M.L Rio’s writing in particular— something I noticed that I really really like is how she draws attention to different details given who Oliver is talking to and what the scenario is. It’s something that’s easy to take for granted while reading a book, but I was impressed by just how deliberate the writing itself was. ...more

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Feb 24, 2022 Michelle rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

I really really liked this book!! The prose is so poetic and beautiful. It reminds me of a secret history, but I liked this much more. We are introduced to a group of college student actors who live and breathe Shakespeare, so much so that it’s hard for them to differentiate when they’re in character or not. Something murderous happens that completely changed the friend group dynamic. Throughout the novel we are guessing “who did it?” Once it’s found out, everything changes. I think that the aut ...more

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