If We Were Villains. Illustrated Edition

Oh the drama! I loved it. This book is about obsession, loosing yourself, a too close friendship group, passion and Shakespeare. It was perfect to me, bcause i love reading about these topics. I wouldn’t recommend this to people who hate intricate language and Shakespeare plays. But if you love exactly that, secrets, obsession and emotional characters…this book has it all. Adored it even though I found it complicated sometimes. (The metaphors and comparisons are amazing!!!)

after I decided to pick up reading again, I decided to read If We Were Villains. At first it was hard to get into (maybe bcs I haven't read "real books" for a long time), but I couldn't stop reading after the second half. Overall, I'd say the atmosphere was amazing (dark academia all the way) as well as befitting to the story. However, the characters were introduced pretty stereotypically, which didn't really change over the course of the book. Also, I couldn't quite understand why the characters acted as they did, and some of them didn't feel really fleshed out. The main character was good, but the side characters needed some work. The lack of characterization is why the plot progression didn't make a lot of sense to me. Especially the 'antagonist', if you will, wasn't well written, which made this book frustrating at times. As for the end: it was good, but could've been written better. It didn't manage to get me emotionally invested, even tho I'm normally a person that easily cries, especially with an ending like this (spoiler alert). Would I recommend it? Yes, definitely, if you're a fan of dark academia, but don't have too much expectations in regards to characterization.

Being a fan of crime and thriller this book was just disappointing. No plot twist, and you already know who the murderer is after the first 10 pages (if you read carefully). Also, the classic roles of the characters stayed, good and bad. I was really hoping to see some development but again: Everyone stayed the same. The plot was not very original, no surprises. But two stars because of the language. Shakespear was well researched and it was nice to get to know more about theater.

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