Recommendations based on If We Were Villainsby M.L. Rio

* statistically, based on millions of data-points provided by fellow humans

  1. The Secret History

    by Donna Tartt
    A small group of misfit college students uncover a sinister secret and their lives become entangled with dangerous consequences.

    Under the influence of their charismatic classics professor, a group of clever, eccentric misfits at an elite New England college discover a way of thinking and living that is a world away from the ... (Goodreads)

  2. Ninth House

    by Leigh Bardugo
    Galaxy "Alex" Stern, a survivor of multiple homicides, is offered a full ride to Yale in exchange for monitoring the university's secret societies.

    Galaxy “Alex” Stern is the most unlikely member of Yale’s freshman class. Raised in the Los Angeles hinterlands by a hippie mom, Alex dropped out of school early and into a world of shady drug dealer ... (Goodreads)

  3. A Little Life

    by Hanya Yanagihara
    A powerful tale of four friends navigating life's hardships and the devastating effects of trauma.

    The novel follows the lives of four friends in New York City from college through to middle-age. It focuses particularly on Jude, a lawyer with a mysterious past, ambiguous ethnicity, and unexplained ... (Wikipedia)

  4. The Raven Boys

    by Maggie Stiefvater
    Four friends on a supernatural quest to find a magical Welsh king.

    The Raven Cycle follows the story of Blue Sargent, Richard Gansey III, Adam Parrish, Ronan Lynch, and Noah Czerny as they attempt to find the sleeping Welsh King Owain Glendower who is buried on the ... (Wikipedia)

  5. Vicious

    by V.E. Schwab
    Two former friends, locked in a cycle of revenge, use their superpowers to manipulate and destroy each other.

    Victor and Eli begin as college roommates and discover that near-death experiences, under the right conditions, can create superhuman abilities. When Victor tries to create his abilities, things go ... (Wikipedia)

  6. Crooked Kingdom

    by Leigh Bardugo
    A gang of criminals must band together to take down a powerful adversary.

    In the prologue, a Grisha man named Emil Retvenko is kidnapped by a winged Shu man. The book commences in a gambling parlor known as Club Cumulus where Jesper and Nina keep Jan Van Eck's lawyer, ... (Wikipedia)

  7. Heartstopper: Volume One

    by Alice Oseman
    A charming graphic novel about two boys falling in love and navigating their feelings in a homophobic world.

    Boy meets boy. Boys become friends. Boys fall in love. A sweet and charming coming-of-age story that explores friendship, love, and coming out. This edition features beautiful two-color artwork., Shy ... (Barnes & Noble)

  8. Strange the Dreamer

    by Laini Taylor
    A young man's quest to discover the secrets of a lost city and his mysterious dreams.

    The dream chooses the dreamer, not the other way around— and Lazlo Strange, war orphan and junior librarian, has always feared that his dream chose poorly. Since he was five years old he’s been ... (Goodreads)

  9. The Dream Thieves

    by Maggie Stiefvater
    A thrilling supernatural adventure where a group of teenagers must protect the magical power of dreams.

    Now that the ley lines around Cabeswater have been woken, nothing for Ronan, Gansey, Blue, and Adam will be the same. Ronan, for one, is falling more and more deeply into his dreams, and his dreams ... (Goodreads)

  10. The Vanishing Stair

    by Maureen Johnson
    Stevie Bell continues her investigation into the murder at Ellingham Academy, but the stakes are higher and danger lurks around every corner.

    New York Times and Publishers Weekly bestseller! In, New York Times, bestselling author Maureen Johnson’s second novel in the Truly Devious series, there are more twists and turns than Stevie Bell ... (Barnes & Noble)

  11. Truly Devious

    by Maureen Johnson
    A true-crime obsessed teenager attends a prestigious school where a murder occurred in the past, and a new one happens in the present.

    New York Times bestselling author Maureen Johnson weaves a delicate tale of murder and mystery in the first book of a striking new series, perfect for fans of Agatha Christie and E. Lockhart. ... (Barnes & Noble)

  12. Call Me By Your Name

    by André Aciman
    A tender story of first love, exploring the complexities of identity, sexuality and desire.

    The narrator, Elio Perlman , recalls the events of the summer of about 1987, when he was seventeen and living with his parents in Italy . Each summer, his parents would take in a doctoral student as ... (Wikipedia)

  13. Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe

    by Benjamin Alire Sáenz
    Two teenage boys explore friendship, identity, and family, with unexpected results.

    The book is divided into six sections. In each part we see the two main characters, Aristotle and Dante, discovering more about themselves, more Aristotle than Dante. 15-year-old Aristotle "Ari" ... (Wikipedia)

  14. A Darker Shade of Magic

    by V.E. Schwab
    A thrilling adventure through multiple parallel universes with a mysterious magical force.

    Kell is one of the last Antari—magicians with a rare, coveted ability to travel between parallel Londons; Red, Grey, White, and, once upon a time, Black. Kell was raised in Arnes—Red London—and ... (Goodreads)

  15. Uprooted

    by Naomi Novik
    A young woman's battle to save her home from a magical force, while uncovering secrets of her past.

    “Our Dragon doesn’t eat the girls he takes, no matter what stories they tell outside our valley. We hear them sometimes, from travelers passing through. They talk as though we were doing human ... (Goodreads)

  16. The Scorpio Races

    by Maggie Stiefvater
    A thrilling race between magical sea horses, set against a backdrop of danger and suspense.

    It happens at the start of every November: the Scorpio Races. Riders attempt to keep hold of their water horses long enough to make it to the finish line. Some riders live. Others die. At age ... (Goodreads)

  17. A Gathering of Shadows

    by V.E. Schwab
    A combination of magic and science, as characters navigate a dangerous new world.

    From #1, New York Times, bestselling author V.E. Schwab "Addictive and immersive,, A Gathering of Shadows, cements this series as a must-read." —,Entertainment Weekly, grade A Four months have passed ... (Barnes & Noble)

  18. Tell the Wolves I'm Home

    by Carol Rifka Brunt
    A young girl's journey of grief and healing as she discovers the secrets of her beloved uncle's life.

    June Elbus is a 14-year-old girl living in Westchester in 1986. She is in love with her gay uncle, Finn Weiss, a fact she is scared to admit even to herself. Finn is dying of AIDS. Being a ... (Wikipedia)

  19. Burial Rites

    by Hannah Kent
    A woman awaits her execution in 19th-century Iceland, reliving her story of hardship, loss and faith.

    Burial Rites tells the story of Agnes Magnúsdóttir, a servant in northern Iceland who was condemned to death after the murder of two men, one of whom was her employer, and became the last woman put ... (Wikipedia)

  20. Scythe

    by Neal Shusterman
    An exploration of morality in a world where death is obsolete, forcing people to choose mortality.

    Late on a cold day in November, Scythe Faraday visits Citra Terranova's house. At first, Citra assumes that the scythe is there to glean (kill permanently) one of her family members. As it turns out, ... (Wikipedia)

  21. The Bear and the Nightingale

    by Katherine Arden
    A folktale of a brave girl who defies the dark forces threatening her village.

    At the edge of the Russian wilderness, winter lasts most of the year and the snowdrifts grow taller than houses. But Vasilisa doesn't mind—she spends the winter nights huddled around the embers of a ... (Goodreads)

  22. Kings Rising

    by C.S. Pacat
    A riveting finale to a captivating fantasy trilogy, where loyalty and ambition clash in a thrilling game of power.

    Damianos of Akielos has returned. His identity now revealed, Damen must face his master Prince Laurent as Damianos of Akielos, the man Laurent has sworn to kill. On the brink of a momentous battle, ... (Goodreads)

  23. Immortal Beloved

    by Cate Tiernan
    Nastasya, a 450-year-old immortal, confronts her past and discovers the true meaning of love and friendship.

    Nastasya has spent the last century living as a spoiled, drugged-out party girl. She feels nothing and cares for no one. But when she witnesses her best friend, a Dark Immortal, torture a human, she ... (Barnes & Noble)

  24. Daughter of Smoke & Bone

    by Laini Taylor
    A young woman discovers a secret world of angels, monsters, and a destiny she never knew was hers.

    Karou, a 17-year-old art student living in Prague , goes about her daily life attending classes and hanging out with her best friend Zuzana, while simultaneously trying to evade her ex-boyfriend ... (Wikipedia)

  25. The Memory Police

    by Yōko Ogawa
    A mysterious power erasing memories of everyday objects, leading to a fight for freedom.

    The story follows a novelist on an island under the control of the Memory Police. An unknown force causes the people of the island to collectively 'forget' and lose their attachment to objects or ... (Wikipedia)

  26. They Both Die at the End

    by Adam Silvera
    Two strangers, united by fate, explore life and death while forming a unique bond.

    Adam Silvera reminds us that there’s no life without death and no love without loss in this devastating yet uplifting story about two people whose lives change over the course of one unforgettable ... (Goodreads)

  27. Sawkill Girls

    by Claire Legrand
    Three girls on an island where girls have been disappearing for decades. A haunting tale of friendship, power, and the monsters that lurk within us.

    “Reader, hang on for dear life. Sawkill Girls is a wild, gorgeous, and rich coming-of-age story about complicity, female camaraderie, and power.” —Sarah Gailey, author of River of Teeth “An eerie, ... (Barnes & Noble)

  28. Long Way Down

    by Jason Reynolds
    A young boy's journey of grief and redemption, as he seeks retribution for his brother's death.

    William Holloman is ready to exact vengeance on the person who murdered his older brother, Shawn. As Will rides the elevator down from his 8th-floor apartment at each floor a new person, who is dead, ... (Wikipedia)

  29. The Mysterious Affair at Styles

    by Agatha Christie
    A classic murder mystery, uncovering the truth behind a suspicious death.

    On the morning of 18 July, the household at Styles Court wakes to the discovery that Emily Inglethorp, the elderly owner, has died. She had been poisoned with strychnine . Arthur Hastings, a soldier ... (Wikipedia)

  30. Days of Blood & Starlight

    by Laini Taylor
    After a devastating invasion, a young woman must find the strength to fight for her people and reclaim her home.

    Karou has left Earth for the land of the chimaera and seraphim , Eretz, where the chimaera have been defeated by the seraphim. She has begun the job taken up by her adopted father Brimstone: the art ... (Wikipedia)