Written by Maša Tome and Hannah French
Two fangirl besties discussing all things nerdy… Yes, we did a thing. A thing where we sit down and discuss our favourite things and try to convince you to join us in fangirling about them! Today’s focus, a book that isn’t talked about enough – but should be – If We Were Villains by M.L. Rio. Read on to see us fangirl about this book and tell you why you should definitely pick it up!
A brief summary of If We Were Villains:
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.
Describe If we were Villains in 5 words!
Hannah: Mystery, drama, Shakespeare…
Maša: Murder and friends! This hardly covers the complexity of this gorgeous masterpiece, but it’s a start!
What do you love most about this book?
H: The characters and the friendships they share. These relationships are so complex and riddled with so much angst, jealousy, competition, pretense and love!
M: I also love how Rio portrays that those relationships can be so toxic too. On one hand these characters share beautiful friendships (and love stories), but they are so caught up with one another that this sometimes overshadows all they do in life. Also it’s an LGBTQ+ book!
H: Another thing I love in this book is the concept of theatre and performance! All of the characters love Shakespeare and are addicted to being on stage, This book really shows what acting and words mean to people. It also shows the addictive nature of the spotlight and pretending to be someone else.
M: Yes, this will be a treat to anyone who loves Shakespeare, theatre or just dark, atmospheric, and twisted stories in general!
Everything you need to know about the main characters!
H&M: We wrote down their official “titles” but also added our own twist!
Oliver – “The Loyal Sidekick”; the oblivious one
James – “The Heroic Type”; the noble one
Meredith – “The Femme Fatale”; the heartbreaker
Alexander – “The Villain”; the troubled teen
Filippa – “The Chameleon”; the only sensible one
Richard – “The Tyrant”; the proud jackass
Wren -“The Ingénue”; the extra
Why you should pick If We Were Villains up and what themes are discussed?
M: You should most definitely pick up IWWV if you adore Shakespeare’s works or the dark academia genre in general! And even if you are a total dark academia newbie, this book will ease you nicely into it!
H: This book also deals with the power of words and at the center of it are all-consuming friendships. It shows how words can consume and how the character and the real person can start to blur into one and the same if you’re not careful. IWWV shows that acting can mean taking on a different persona and what happens when you start acting off stage as well.
M: IWWV covers a lot of themes and many of them are uncomfortable, ugly truths of our world (check the trigger warnings before you start!). It deals with trauma, drug abuse, bullying, and death, but it also digs deeper into the themes of morality, of right and wrong, of love.
H: It also tackles themes such as what makes someone a villain and someone else a “good guy”, a hero if you will. It also asks a very tricky question: “Can you do the wrong thing for the right reasons?”
M: Yes! It makes you wonder if terrible things can sometimes be justified – and under what circumstances! Basically, it is a masterful story of deceit and power and love and we HIGHLY recommend!
What makes If We Were Villains special and/or relevant today?
M: If We Were Villains is a character driven story that strays away from the tropes and keeps you guessing! It’s a story of obsession and how far we’d go for love, in the most wicked way possible! But not only in terms of romantic love – IWWV deals with all sorts of diverse relationships and we are here for it!
H: This book also highlights that pride and greed can influence a person’s actions and that they can ruin friendships. All these characters want to be the lead and they all want to be the best. This competition and tension leads them all to do things they maybe shouldn’t. IWWV has a very realistic rep of what greed can turn someone into. Another plus is that it’s Shakespeare heavy and will make you appreciate his work (I was never the biggest Shakespeare fan but after reading this book I am in love).
M: If We Were Villains could be sorted into the new adult, dark academia genre because of its main themes and graphic descriptions so keep that in mind!
Book recommendations if you liked If we were Villains?
H: This isn’t a book but the musical Bare (pop opera) is about students at a catholic boarding school and they put on Romeo and Juliet so there are certain similarities with IWWV! Another great book to pick up if you liked IWWV is Call Down the Hawk by Maggie Stiefvater.
M: Of course you can also check out some other popular dark academia “classics” at this point, such as The Secret History by Donna Tartt, Vicious by V.E. Schwab, or Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo!
H: Now go read this dark masterpiece and report back to us with your feels and thoughts!
M: And don’t forget to get some tissues ready before you start!
