If We Were Villains is a novel about a group of students at a prestigious university specializing in theater. From the start, we know that the main protagonist, Oliver, has been accused of killing someone, but it’s only around the halfway point that we learn who was killed and at the end who the killer was.
The book was easy to get into, with an engaging premise and strong atmosphere. However, once the murder is revealed, I felt the story began to drag and shifted more into a tale of unrequited love than a true whodunnit. Maybe it’s because I’ve read too many mystery novels, but I found the ending quite predictable.
Overall, the book is well written, with a rich setting, but it felt a bit too long. Some storylines, such as the various performances the students put on and the rather lackluster subplot between Oliver and Meredith, seemed unnecessary and didn’t add much to the main narrative.
