A review by gabberjaws
If We Were Villains by M.L. Rio

5.0

TW for this book: murder, suicide, substance abuse

“But that is how a tragedy like ours or King Lear breaks your heart—by making you believe that the ending might still be happy, until the very last minute.”


I'm calling it now - this is likely going to be my favorite book I read in 2020. I am overwhelmed by this book - by its simple, yet wonderfully elegant narration, by its characters, and, by its mystery.

If We Were Villains was deliciously dark, well-woven, and incredibly unputdownable. It will pierce your heart and tear right through you; and you will thank it gladly. That ending will ruin you, but you'll love it anyway.

I wish for anything that I could read this for the first time again, because I know - I know I'll be thinking about this book for a long long time. If Romeo & Juliet had been even half as emotionally arresting as this book was, I might have liked it a little more.

Full review to come