A review by 1ennon
If We Were Villains by M.L. Rio

dark emotional funny mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

5.0

No matter what I do, I keep coming back to this book. As a queer Shakespeare nerd with an (only slightly ridiculous) obsession with the dark academia aesthetic this is one of my favourite books of all time. 

Now, while I do see why people might compare IWWV with The Secret History by Donna Tartt (rich white people at an elite university covering up a murder of a mutual friend), I would argue that it has a distinctly different course of action and the characters are more approachable (but not necessarily lovable). 
I personally prefer this book over The Secret History just a bit, for the mere reasons that 1: I simply know more about Shakespeare and his works than about ancient Greek and 2: this one is centered more around the queer characters' relationship. 

Anyways, if you enjoyed TSH you should definitely give this book a chance, just be a bit more open-minded as it won't be exactly the same.