It's been several days since I've finished this book, but I find myself thinking about it still. "If We Were Villains" is very trope-y, and yet! Even though I already knew exactly how it was going to end, I was still completely immersed. I still read the whole thing because I wanted to know why it would end that way for our characters. What separates "If We Were Villains" from all the other retellings is that it makes up for its predictability with its writing and pacing. The writing reflects the literary background of the book's setting, it had substance, but wasn't over-embellished. The tension was there when it needed to be. I found myself reading certain parts faster, desperately wanting to know what happens next. This book really felt like a movie. ✨