If We Were Villains

Ich halte hier ein wahres Meisterwerk in den Händen. Eine Hommage an Shakespeare. Eine Geschichte voller Raum für Interpretationen. Eine Tragödie - durch und durch. Dieses Buch ist für mich Kunst. Wie die Autorin sowohl mit Shakespeares als auch ihren eigenen Worten umgegangen ist, ist einfach weltklasse. Zugegeben, ich habe anfangs ein wenig gebraucht, um in die Geschichte zu kommen, weil sie so außergewöhnlich und besonders ist. Aber irgendwann wurde ich komplett in den Sog gezogen. Die Geschichte wird vom Ende her aufgebaut. Man erfährt sofort, wie alles endet und begleitet als Leser:in den Protagonisten Oliver bei seinen Rückblenden. Diese sind sehr subtil und lassen viel Spielraum. Er erzählt seine Geschichte und die seiner Freunde - die Wertung der Ereignisse ist komplett dem Leser überlassen. Und dabei wird auf extremste Weise mit Moral und Vernunft gespielt. Das Buch ließ mich einfach überwältigt zurück. Ich fand’s großartig, furchtbar, erschreckend.

I am currently rereading this book because of its beautiful autumnal and dark academia vibes. We follow Oliver and his friends through their last year in college. We see how their love and admiration for Shakespeare and each other is consuming them. Dark and gripping, we see the events and foreshadowing through Olivers eyes. Fast paced and written like a play by Shakespeare. The perfect Autumnal read.

I just reread it after 3 years and I still love it! At first it's maybe a bit hard to get a good feeling for the characters, but it's just so fun to read throughout the whole book, I was genuinely never bored. I just love everything about it, definitely give it a try if you want a compelling story about friendships, passion, theatre, high stakes, moral conflicts and some dark academia vibes

OMG, this book left me speechless. It was one of the best books I have ever read. Honestly, I feel a bit like Alexander, because this book is like a drug for my brain. I desperatly want to read along, but I know it'll destroy me. A friend borrowed it to me and I only started reading because I wanted to talk with her about it once I've finished. At first, I was a bit sceptical because I usually read a lot of romance and romantasy books. But this feeling quickly vanished and turned into obsession. The characters are brilliantly written and you either love them with your whole heart or hate them like nothing else in the world (I only hated Richard). It might be a bit challenging to read, because of the mass of Shakespeare quotes. But that also made it interesting, as it's so different from what I usually read. During the time I read it, my mind was in a constant state of nostalgic melancholy and yearning. The friendship (and more) of the main characters is just everything!! About the ending: it shattered me in ways I didn't know were possible. And it's not just the story, it's also the meaning behind it. So, what are you waiting for? Buy that book and start reading! You won't regret it. <3

Yes. The first 100 pages are a hard read because everything is a mystery and Rio keeps throwing Shakespear qoutes at us but once you're in the story, you're in! I normally do not re-read books but I've re-read this one about five times. Rio truely is a genius when it comes to writing morally grey characters, especially if you take the time to research the Shakespear references.