“You can justify anything if you do it poetically enough.”
M.L. Rio’s If We Were Villains blends an enthralling mystery premise with an alluring thespian backdrop. The story follows Oliver Marks, a man who has just served ten years in prison for a murder he, or may not have, actually committed. Upon release from prison, he is met by Detective Colborne. Colborne was the man who put him in prison but is now determined to uncover the truth behind what happened a decade ago.
Through Oliver’s eyes, readers are whisked back in time to an elite arts college for Shakespearean stage actors. There, friends, villains, tyrants and temptresses both in and out characters collide, leading to the plays spilling dangerously over into real life. Join us at What We Reading for the best books like If We Were Villains full of eccentricities, tension and delicious suspense!
Who Wrote If We Were Villains?
If We Were Villains is the debut novel from American author M.L. Rio. Before becoming an author, she was an actor. She holds a master’s degree in Shakespeare Studies from King’s College in London and Shakespeare’s Globe, as well as a PhD in English literature from the University of Maryland, College Park. A viral hit on TikTok and international bestseller, If We Were Villains was named Bustle’s Best Thriller Novels of the Year.
The Secret History – Donna Tartt
Kicking off our list of the best books like If We Were Villains is The Secret History by Donna Tartt. One of the most acclaimed dark academia books, Tartt’s 1992 novel follows a select group of elite misfits at a New England college who, under the watchful eye of their enigmatic professor, discover a means of thinking and living that is a world away from traditional social norms.
However, as they push moral boundaries further, they soon begin to slip from obsession and greed to betrayal, corruption and – eventually – evil. Similar to If We Were Villains, The Secret History explores how a depraved act impacts a close-knit group of classics students.
Fates And Furies – Lauren Groff
A Goodreads Choice Award nominee for Best Fiction, Fates and Furies is a 2015 literary fiction book from Lauren Groff. In it, she introduces readers to married couple Lotto and Mathilde. Young, glamorous and madly in love, they look on the surface to be the perfect couple. A decade on, and the pair are still together, still in love and still the envy of those on the outside.
And yet, Groff’s rich, expansive and impeccably layered work reveals that the key to a great marriage is in its secrets. Following the couple over a twenty-four-year period, Fates and Furies present this marriage from the perspective of both Lotto and Mathilde, lifting the lid on the hidden truths and complexities at play in their relationship. How different perspectives are utilised by Groff changes how readers see and feel about the story, demonstrating that there are always two sides to every story.
Never Let Me Go – Kazuo Ishiguro
A gripping mystery, a beautiful love story and a scathing commentary on our attitudes towards the vulnerable and different in society, Kazuo Ishiguro’s Never Let Me Go is one of the most powerful literary novels in recent times. Similar to If We Were Villains, it explores themes of memories and the impact of the past against an aloof and affluent academic setting.
From the outside, Hailsham looks to be a quaint English boarding school. The students are impeccably behaved, trained in art and literature, and are well supported in becoming the sorts of people the world wants them to be. Within the walls of Hailsham, Kathy has grown from a schoolgirl to a young woman but has never been taught anything about the world outside. It is only when she leaves the safety of the school that she begins to realise the truth of what Hailsham is.
The Immortalists – Chloe Benjamin
If you knew the date of your death, how would you live your life? Chloe Benjamin asks that question in The Immortalists, one of the best books like If We Were Villains for any readers who love its themes of knowledge, destiny, choice and consequences.
Beginning in 1969 in New York City’s Lower East Side, four children sneak out to hear from a travelling psychic, a woman who claims to be able to tell someone exactly when they will die. Their prophecies then dictate the paths their lives take over the next five decades. Golden boy Simon embarks on a quest for love in San Francisco in the 1980s, Klara becomes a Las Vegas magician obsessed with blurring fantasy with reality, Daniel struggles as an army doctor post-9/11, whilst Varya immerses herself in her research into immortality. The Immortalists is an ambitious piece of historical fiction that explores destiny and choice, the nature of belief, and the unshakable pull of familial connection.
The Silent History – Eli Horowitz, Matthew Derby, And Kevin Moffett
Innovative in its format and compelling in its storytelling, The Silent History is an online-to-print collaborative novel by Eli Horowitz, Matthew Derby and Kevin Moffett. In a dystopian world, several children are born without the ability to understand or communicate in any language. These children are known as ‘silents’.
Told via a series of testimonials, documents and first-hand accounts from those who interact with the silents, The Silent History chronicles the challenges these children face and the varied reactions they experience. Similar to If We Were Villains, The Silent History explores themes of language, identity and belonging, and utilises its innovative format and character-driven storytelling to create a stunning, multi-faceted commentary on the impact of language and communication on the human experience.
The Historian – Elizabeth Kostova
Elizabeth Kostova takes readers on a mesmerising trip through Eastern Europe and into the heart of Dracula lore in The Historian. Told from two unique perspectives, this historical fiction tale kicks off when a young woman unearths a mysterious book and strange letters left behind by her father. Through these documents, she discovers her father’s obsessive investigations into Vlad the Impaler, the real-life inspiration for Count Dracula, leading him on a journey across Eastern Europe.
As the daughter follows in her father’s footsteps, encountering all manner of supernatural occurrences related to Vlad, she is plunged further and further into the dark web of her father’s fate. Like If We Were Villains, The Historian weaves layered narratives and academics delving into mysteries against a dark and eerie historical backdrop.
Ninth House (Alex Stern #1) – Leigh Bardugo
Leigh Bardugo kicks off her Alex Stern fantasy series with the award-winning Ninth House, a dark academic urban mystery. Galaxy “Alex” Stern had a rough upbringing in the shadow of dropping out of school, her mum’s drug-dealing boyfriends and dead-end jobs. But, after emerging as the sole survivor of an unsolved multiple homicide, she is offered a chance to turn her fortunes around at one of the world’s most elite universities. The question is, why her?
Once she enrols at Yale University, it soon becomes clear what her mysterious benefactors want from her. She joins up with the Ninth House, Lethe, which oversees the magical activities of Yale’s eight secret societies. From Hollywood A-listers to all-powerful politicians, their occult activities soon prove to be more nefarious, sinister and extraordinary than Alex’s imagination could have ever comprehended.
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The Likeness (Dublin Murder Squad #2) – Tana French
The second entry in the bestselling Dublin Murder Squad by Tana French picks up with Detective Cassie Maddox fresh after her brush with a psychopath. Transferring out of the unit, she begins a relationship with fellow detective Sam O’Neill.
When he calls her to the scene of a bloody murder, however, she is shocked to see the victim is the spitting image of her. What’s more, her ID shows her name is Lexie Madison – the name Cassie went by undercover years ago. With no leads, no suspects, no clues and nowhere else to turn, Cassie is tasked with going undercover again to tempt the killer out of hiding once again.
Special Topics In Calamity Physics – Marisha Pessl
Marisha Pessl’s Special Topics in Calamity Physics is the perfect book similar to If We Were Villains that matches its dark literary fiction theme but with a more meta, comical vibe. The story follows Blue van Meer, a young woman who has spent her life moving from one academic outpost to another with her father. Possessing a wealth of philosophical, literary, political and scientific knowledge, she is in her final year of high school at the elite, and somewhat strange, St. Gallway School in Stockton, North Carolina.
Blue falls in with an enigmatic group of friends and their teacher, the equally enigmatic Hannah Schneider. But when a sudden drowning and the shocking death of Hannah rocks the group, it is up to Blue to make sense of things. A darkly hilarious and on-point read, Special Topics in Calamity Physics is a suspenseful coming-of-age mystery tale M.L. Rio fans are sure to have fun with!
Part-time reader, part-time rambler, and full-time Horror enthusiast, James has been writing for What We Reading since 2022. His earliest reading memories involved Historical Fiction, Fantasy and Horror tales, which he has continued to take with him to this day. James’ favourite books include The Last (Hanna Jameson), The Troop (Nick Cutter) and Chasing The Boogeyman (Richard Chizmar).
