Welcome to Litsy!

If We Were Villains is an interesting whodonit with Shakespeare poured in the pages throughout. With that said, having a strong background in Shakespeare would be more than helpful here. There are plenty of twists and turns, some surprising and all lend well to the story.

Dark academia done so, so right! I was completely sucked into the overdramatic world of this group of Shakespeare students at an exclusive arts college and constantly found myself surprised at the twists and turns the story took. The writing itself is elegant and absorbing, and I loved the five act chapter structure.

#booksmas

3.5 stars

Oliver is a FOOL.

Shakespeare would love this stupid, ridiculous ending.

If you love Shakespeare or theater, mystery, and friend drama, you will love this one. It begins with one of seven friends, Oliver, in prison for the murder of one of his friends. We find out about their fourth year in the elite performing arts college slowly through their relationships and performances. I love how the author used the plays they were performing and their roles as symbols within the story.

#scarathlon #teamslaughter
On theme

Most of my hours for today‘s #24b4Monday readathon progress was with this audiobook and with Agatha Christie. If We Were Villains is a dramatic mystery/thriller set at a performing arts college. The characters and their relationships are fascinating.

9.5 hour total so far!

#scarathlon #teamslaughter

A solid four star read. It was interesting to see the friendship dynamics shift into something destructive. Although I must admit I skipped over some of the Shakespeare excerpts - I was not really in the right mood to wrap my head around them 🙈

That‘s about 10 hours done for #24b4monday. I won‘t reach 24, but my goal of 12 hours can be achieved easily.

So far I‘ve read for about six hours, mostly audiobooks. But now I‘m digging my way through this book. It does have some Secret History vibes, so I hope it does not disappoint.

I also realized that listening to playlists based on my current read helps me keep focused.

#24b4monday

Day 1: #7Days7Covers #CoverCrush

If We Were Villains by M.L. Rio 😍

Absolutely superb! Finished this book a few months ago and I still can't shake it. The tension was palpable and each of the characters were both lovable and detestable in their owns ways. If you're a lover of Shakespeare or just the dramatic arts in general, you will adore this! 5/5 😻 #shakespeare #angst #ifwewerevillains #fiction #drama #lgbt #lgbtfiction #cats #ginger #catsoflitsy #toppicks

I wanted to jump on the #spellyournamewithbooks challenge train on Instagram but my stack looked empty w/o a prop on top so I grabbed something that was close by and plopped it on there. That did the trick. 😂

The books I used to spell Cynthia are:

Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter
You Should Have Known
Necessary People
Two Girls Down
House of Salt and Sorrows
If We Were Villains
Ask Again, Yes

What book titles would you use to spell your name?

#AugustABC #Day10 #Jealousy This recent read is driven by jealousy, from both the murderer, the victim & the whole group of friends in an arts college. The victim, Richard, recently overlooked for a part he considered his, becomes jealous & violent which in turn drives his friends to become disgusted with his behaviors pushing him to lash out until one has enough & snaps, killing him, leaving you to empathize more with the guilty.

Haven‘t done a review on here in awhile.
This was between a pan and so so. The writing is nice but the story left me with questions and just a meh feeling. I solved the mystery pretty easily but we get no reason as to why certain characters acted the way they did. Characters fell flat and too pretentious for my liking. Also didn‘t like how sexuality was dealt with for the MC. Idk, I enjoyed the Shakespeare, the mystery was okay but just not for me

Thank you @Robothugs this book was fantastic! Set in an arts college, there‘s everything here. Love, affection, scorn, jealousy, fury & death. The seven 4th yr theatre students are family, living & loving one another. Until the “leading man” of the group has his confidence shaken & things spiral toward a tragic conclusion. Loved it & totally recommend it. #HSreadathon #Booked2019 #BookGiftedToMe #MountTBR2019 #Bk22 #Pop19 #SetOnACollegeCampus

Currently reading this kick arse novel, which at first was because it filled some challenge prompts, but now, I‘m reading coz I can‘t put it down. 3hrs and I‘m over halfway, it‘s like a car crash in slow motion. Sooo good! I‘m really hoping the ending doesn‘t suck🤞 #HSreadathon

I know I've been gone for a long time--there were some issues with my account and then my phone broke--but I'm excited to be back and to share the incredible cover art for the Spanish edition of IF WE WERE VILLAINS, coming next year! More on Twitter and IG: https://twitter.com/SureAsMel/status/1154417687050838017?s=19 https://www.instagram.com/p/B0WFoZaAnQF/?igshid=ch6egm90xb85

#AlltheBooks!TBR

Just started and I can already tell that I am going to love it! Reminds me of Special Topics In Calamity Physics and The Secret History 🤓

⭐⭐⭐⭐ I was rather surprised by how much I liked this book. And even though I figured out the ending I did appreciate the build up and I did love the characters and I did like the unique ending. #WouldRecommend

Ps- Alexander was my favorite.

Listening to If We Were Villains because I was hoping the narrator would do justice to this wonderful campus/theater novel (which I read in print form last year). The narrator isn't as versatile as I hoped, but if you like books set in academia starring a group of theater majors in Shakespeare's thrall, I really recommend it.

*whisper* I liked it more than The Secret History. *whisper* 😲

⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐-1/2

#recommendsday #currentlylistening

Procrastinating today with a new read. I'm sure I'll get round to all the applications ....just after one more chapter!

#newread #blackcover #book9of2019

If you‘re looking for a replacement for The Secret History shaped hole in your heart this can‘t fill it but it certainly does a damn good job. Think Shakespeare students gone rogue 🤴🏾🍷💋📚

Part 5/9 of the home-library tour continues. ☺️

Do you own any of these? Have you read any?

I highly recommend the immeasurably talented @MLRio ‘s superb and enthralling book tagged above. 👌🏻👌🏻

#MrBooksBooks

A book I‘d consider teaching for the Shakespeare references alone, not to mention character development and structure!

Been working on this one a while; should finish tonight!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5 /5 stars I loved this Shakespearean take on a murder mystery! Oliver and company are in their last year at an arts school studying Shakespeare. During this time emotions from the plays become mixed with real life, which leads to tension between the students. Before long this leads to the death of one of their own. This drama filled story kept me guessing til the end.

#audiocooking my peanut butter curry for dinner! It's one of my favorite comfort foods, especially on a cold night like tonight! 🍛🤤

I wanted to love this so much more than I did! Shakespeare, drama, murder, best friendships gone sour. Maybe it reminded me too much of The Secret History which has some superficial similarities to this book. I did love the ending though.

So good I started and finished it in one sitting! I couldn‘t put it down, definitely recommend it! #24B4Monday #24in48

My next read for #24B4Monday and #24in48! I‘m not even close to double digits yet but I‘m having fun!

This one was so good. You will not see anything coming at all. Going to buy this one day.

If you‘re in the MD/DC area, come see me and get a book signed! (Signed books make great Christmas gifts.) Details here: https://www.facebook.com/events/230217414543403/

Happy Turkey Day, readers. Thankful for you and everybody who made this weird book possible 🦃

It‘s Halloween, which also means it‘s the last day to buy this macabre Shakespearean murderfest for just $2.99!🍁💀🕯The Villains‘ firelight performance of Macbeth was one of the most exciting scenes to write in #IWWV, and it seems to be a reader favorite, too. #shakespeare #macbeth #halloween https://www.amazon.com/If-We-Were-Villains-Novel-ebook/dp/B01LX8L8SH

VILLAINS is $2.99 all through October! https://www.amazon.com/If-We-Were-Villains-Novel-ebook/dp/B01LX8L8SH

#ManicMonday @JoScho #LetterI
📚Tagged
🖋John Irving? He's the only one I can think of that I've read at all 🤔
🎥Ice Age
📺iZombie
🍩Iced Donuts

Sadly inclement weather from Hurricane Florence has forced us to reschedule this event. New date TBD/TBA! I‘ll share that info across platforms as soon as I have it, or you can subscribe to my website to get updates in your email inbox: mlrio.com #events

Come see me if you‘re in the DC Area! I‘ll sign things. Details here: https://www.facebook.com/events/470976363397863/?ti=icl

Hey, UK readers: VILLAINS is on sale for Qa.99! Link: https://www.amazon.co.uk/If-We-Were-Villains-Rio-ebook/dp/B07195KGS9

Excited to see VILLAINS in the Folger #Shakespeare Library magazine!

IWWV sported at the Folger #Shakespeare Library bookshop! 📸 Liam Daley

I love when friends send snaps of VILLAINS out in the wild—especially from @strandbookstore 🖤

VILLAINS is out now in #Italian from Frassinelli!

This book was just wonderful. It‘s an intriguing mystery, compulsively readable, and an honor to the Bard. The core characters are complex and fascinating, not limited by their perpetual typecasting in their elite conservatory. It seemed far-fetched, at first—the Shakespeare pidgin & the bizarre exclusivity—but the context Rio created made it all unnervingly believable by the end.

I‘m not hiding from the kids, you are! 😬

I am enjoying this book immensely. Tangy flavors of The Secret History and sweet notes of gratuitous Bardolatry in this brain candy. The story & characters are quite compelling.

My babies are on the path to recovery from a recent illness (the eldest has already turned in with an audiobook for the night) and my husband is home, so I‘m in the backyard, ready to start this perfectly timed gift from @LeahBergen 😘 Nothing like some smart, Shakespearean brain candy after a looooong week of caregiving.

This book hooked me from the start, and I found myself avoiding picking it up because I didn‘t want it to end. There is a mystery to the book that comes to light at the end, but for me it was less about the mystery and more about the characters and relational dynamics that made this book fascinating. I enjoyed every moment leading up to the finale. This is a phenomenal debut and I can‘t wait to see what she writes next.

#XmasInJuly Bk3 This one has been on my wishlist for awhile now, it kept getting bumped down the list by new releases, so I‘m very glad that @Robothugs chose it for me. Seven Shakespearean actors at an exclusive school find themselves unable to seperate fantasy from reality until violence rips the friends apart. 10yrs later, when one is released from jail, he finds the detective who put him away waiting, wanting to hear the truth about that night.

On to my third book for the #24in48 readathon and (of course) I‘ve veered off my carefully chosen TBR. 😄

I'm furious at myself for not taking before pictures. My car was filthy. Now it's kind of clean again, inside and out.

My brother's high pressure cleaner is my new BFF.

#audiocarwash