The top three books of 2023 are here! The bronze medal goes to M.L. Rio’s classic dark academia novel, If We Were Villains. 

What is it about? Oliver has spent the last ten years in prison for a crime that former investigator Colborne believes he didn’t commit. Now freed, Colborne meets with Oliver one last time to find out exactly what happened. As one of seven students studying at an elite college that specializes in Shakespeare theater, Oliver is happy and mostly content with his life. He has friends that have the same passion as him and he is away from his arguing, bickering parents who don’t support his dreams. Despite the friends normally being typecast with the same roles, they seem satisfied and happy. That is until the teachers decide to switch up a few things and the once peaceful friend community collapses, resulting in murder. Who fell victim and who was responsible?

Why did I love it? In 2023 I read two cornerstones of the dark academia genre. Donna Tartt’s The Secret History, which is credited as starting the genre, and Ms. Rio’s, often considered the runner up for best dark academia book. I’ve already made my feelings about Ms. Tartt’s novel be known (and if you missed it you can read about it at https://rachelrheil.com/blog/2023/09/its-all-greek-to-me-a-deep-dive-into-hyped-books-with-the-secret-history/) and to put it simply it wasn’t the book for me. Ms. Rio’s, on the other hand, was everything I could have possibly wanted.

As an English major, I loved that this story was set at an elite school that deals with Shakespeare’s plays. And in all honesty it was the perfect setting for a group of friends who are consumed with being the best actor and wanting the best roles for themselves. The friend group and their dynamics is truly the best part of If We Are Villains. Despite having the same interests and wishes, the group is very competitive and one gets the feeling earlier on that they would be willing to do anything to secure a better role. This Machiavellian atmosphere carries throughout the book and the twist for why Oliver went to prison is surprising and catches you off guard. This, combined with the book’s dark atmosphere and well written dialogue, makes it a very worthy book to pick up if you haven’t already.

Read my full review of this dark academia staple at https://rachelrheil.com/blog/2023/09/if-we-were-villains-by-by-m-l-rio-review/.