✓ Mood-Profiled
If We Were Villains 2017
M.L. Rio · 368 pages
I'm not in a rush. 368 pages of dark, theatrical prose that asks you to slow down and feel everything. I keep the romance sweet.
Mood
Dark & Theatrical
Spice
1/5 — Sweet
Pacing
Fast-paced
Length
368 pages
Ending
Satisfying — happily ever after guaranteed
Heat level
🌶️ Sweet
Things I'm into
Dark Academia
Shakespeare
Moral Decay
THE COMPATIBILITY CHECK
Should you swipe right on If We Were Villains?
♥ Swipe right if…
✓You want a clean read that focuses on emotional connection over physical heat
✓You love books that don't pull punches and go to uncomfortable places
✓Atmosphere and setting matter as much as plot to you
✓You want Literary Fiction that respects your time and delivers
✓You trust books that 1.8M+ readers rated 4.11/5
✕ Swipe left if…
✕You want fast-paced plot-driven fiction — this takes its time
✕You want a thick, immersive saga — at 368 pages, this is tighter
✕You want a series you can binge — this is a standalone
✕You need light, feel-good reads right now — this goes dark
✕You want epic worldbuilding — this is grounded in reality
CONTENT NOTES
⚔️ Violence
🖤 Dark themes
THE FULL PROFILE
What this book is really like — from a full read-through, not the back cover.
Core identity
GenreLiterary Fiction · Dark Academia · Mystery
Dominant moodDark, Theatrical, Atmospheric
Romance styleSweet — romantic but restrained
ToneDark and intense
What to expect
Pages 1–92Characters and world established, hook set
Pages 92–184Rising action, complications, tension building
Pages 184–276Turning point, intensification, can't put it down
Pages 276–368Climax and resolution
After finishingRecommending it to everyone you know
QUICK ANSWERS BEFORE YOU COMMIT
Everything you want to know before you swipe right
Is If We Were Villains actually spicy?
Sweet — spice 1/5. Hints of romance but nothing explicit. Great for readers who prefer clean reads.
What's the vibe of If We Were Villains?
Dark, Theatrical, Atmospheric with dark academia and shakespeare energy. Think Literary Fiction that knows exactly what it is and delivers hard.
Is If We Were Villains a standalone?
Yes — If We Were Villains is a complete standalone. No series commitment required. Pick it up, finish it, move on (or reread it immediately).
What are the content warnings for If We Were Villains?
Content notes include: Violence, Dark themes. We flag these so you can make informed choices, not to scare you off.
What kind of reader is If We Were Villains perfect for?
If "dark academia + shakespeare" in a literary fiction with 1/5 spice sounds like your kind of book, you'll love this. Check the mood bars above to see if the vibe matches yours.
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Every Sort By Cravings guide is written after a full read-through — not scraped from publisher blurbs or Amazon summaries. We map tropes directly from the text, cross-reference BookTok and Goodreads reader reactions, and calibrate heat ratings against reader consensus. Read our editorial standards.
📚 Last reviewed: March 2026 · Guide verified against current edition