Recently I described this book to a friend as “like The Secret History, except everyone is a theater major specializing in Shakespeare.” And yeah, I can’t think of a more concise summation of If We Were Villains.

It’s probably unfair to compare a newer book to one with such acclaim (and the coveted honor of my favorite book), because ultimately the newer book won’t live up to the older one in some ways. But instead of focusing on that, I will say that IWWV hit the same dark academia pleasure centers in my brain as TSH while having its own unique features and strengths. It’s more of a mystery, and maintains tension well surrounding not only the whodunnit but between every character in the book. And it’s the first book in awhile that made me stay up too late to finish, and that made me want to screech in excitement when I did. (Does it mean what I think it means??)