If We Were Villains

A Novel

By: M. L. Rio

Narrated by: Robert Petkoff

Oliver Marks has just served 10 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. 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. Intelligent, thrilling, and richly detailed, If We Were Villains is a captivating story of the enduring power and passion of words.

©2017 M. L. Rio (P)2017 Macmillan Audio

Critic reviews

"Much like Donna Tartt's The Secret History, M. L. Rio's sparkling debut is a richly layered story of love, friendship, and obsession.... If We Were Villains will keep you riveted through its final, electrifying moments." (Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney, New York Times best-selling author of The Nest)

Interesting

I needed a break from fantasy and this was the perfect escape.
Its clear from the beginning the author comes from an acting background and it was exciting to get such an interesting peek into that world.
It's a colorful dive into the minds of those surviving trauma and how different people cope. I thought for a time our narrator was unreliable, telling us what he crafted into a story rather than the truth, but all is revealed in the end.
I only struggled with the love interests a bit. It was unclear throughout the story if the narrator had real feelings for anyone until the end. Maybe I've listened to too many true crime podcasts, but I asked myself several times if this was just the story he wanted told, in true actor fashion, or if it was finally the truth. That led to my questions of his reliability as a narrator and perhaps that was the author's intention.
I ended this book thinking I'll never really know what happened much like real life tragedy.

Absolutely an amazing story!

This story was amazing! It’s breath taking, attention grabbing and a must read book! Absolutely loved it!

Great for theater major or Shakespearean lover

Not a fan. Listened on audible and I can’t really give the narrator more props. He was amazing and kept me going.

I’m not a fan of jumping around time periods in a book. This did that.

It was much longer and drawn out than what it needed to be. Edited it may be better.

It’s predictable even for someone who’s not in love with Shakespeare. At first all the ad lib, scripts, characters and Shakespearean dialogue peaked my interest but there is just so much it got old.

I suppose character development was ok… maybe some better than others… you definitely understood they were pretentious, self-absorbed theater students… and the fights… omg.

Not that pretty perfect ending if someone is hoping for that…

This is the best book I have ever read!

The large as life main characters, all passionate students of the Bard lead the reader into and through a modern Shakespearean whodunnit. Held my attention throughout. Didn’t want it to end.

Very good

I read this immediately after finishing the secret history and not gonna lie at first I hated this book but this is probably my favorite book right now and the ending had me weeping

Actually in shambles

This book is an experience. The plot once you get down to it is simple, but truly the journey is what makes this story.
I wasn’t sure what to expect when I hopped into this - it is not what I usually read, but wanted to give it a chance, and I am so glad I did because I was hooked from the beginning. The author is clearly aware of his character’s imperfect morals, their unique situation as thespians in a weird cult-like school, and the snobby-ness of it all, so it comes accross as authentic in the strangest way possible. I felt every line, every decision the characters made, deep in my soul. The world building is absolutely incredible and the setting of the tone in this book is too. It tiptoes that line of being genuine while also dealing with characters literally reciting Shakespeare so beautifully.
I am trying to avoid spoilers, but let’s just say I was pleased with how subtle and natural the “will-they-won’t-they” situation was. I was on the edge of my seat thinking I was crazy for feeling a chemistry, so I would pause and rewind like “I couldn’t have heard that right…” but alas, I was correct, the chemistry once you see it you can’t unsee it, and I was pleasantly surprised. Which somehow it makes it all hurt so much more.
There, intentionally vague, but hopefully those who get it will get it.
I will say, some of that can be attributed to the performance of this audiobook. The emotion, punctuation, and delivery is exactly what was needed for this type of text which is saturated with Shakespeare performances. There is layers and depth to the narration, each voice very unique and never falling flat or feeling like a caricature, which can be difficult for some narrators when they try to speak for characters of the opposite sex.
Tragic, beautiful, and so worth the journey. Absolutely one of my favorite books I’ve read/listened to in the past year!!

hard to get into and could have been shorter

I think the plot line and character development were slow and lacking. i put this book down for long periods of time without much desire to come back to it. there were scenes that were more exciting that made up for slower scenes but I feel like most of the actual plot happened in the last few chapters. this book felt a bit long and large portions felt unnecessary but in general it was a more unique read and I enjoyed some of the dramatics and ending

The voice acting though!

The deep rumbling voice with his portrayal of Richard. *shudder*. Well written, well read. 10/10

A modern tragedy

I found it a tad bit difficult to get into the story as I kept getting the characters confused. Eventually, I made a character cheat sheet on Pinterest with my own visual of what each character looked like and what the represented. As the book went on, I couldn’t put it down. It has been awhile since I couldn’t wait to go to bed to start reading. Absolutely beautiful writing with a gut wrenching tragedy.

Probably the best book I've read in a long time

I love this book. The plot is spectacular, the prose is beautiful, and the story is so heart-wrenching it made me cry. There is this constant mystery that the reader is trying to understand which isn't revealed until late in the story.

The only thing is... there are a couple things that are problematic. There is one scene where a character makes a cruel joke of an insult implying that being transgender is bad. There is also some stigma about eating disorders which is never addressed as if it is a real problem.

These are obviously not the best traits of a book but they are few and far between and, in my opinion, the book is so very worth it.