If We Were Villains

It was slow to start, really took awhile to get into it, but once it picked up it picked up and I speed through the last ~60%. The ending was a little predictable but that doesn't mean I didn't enjoy the journey to get there. Like I sensed how the train was going to crash, but I couldn't tear my eyes away from it as it did. The one thing that did shock me was the note in the final pages when it is hinted that James might have faked his death and then the book just ENDED??? I did not see that coming and I thought about that for awhile after . The female characters were a little underdeveloped and mostly just served as archetypes to aid the main character, which was not great. I felt like there was untapped potential with all 3 of them that just fell a bit flat. I wanted to know more about Wren's emotions following Richard's death, Meredith's true feelings towards the men in her life and how she is treated, and where Filippa's loyalty to the group comes from (what made her out of all of them continue to visit Oliver?). These things are all hinted at, but never focused on for longer than a paragraph and I wanted more.
But the story had beautiful writing and was enjoyable to read - the dark academia vibes, the queer tension, the immoral character choices, the dramatic final act, it was great. There are so many beautiful quotes that can be pulled out of it. I do think I would've enjoyed it more if I was more familiar with Shakespeare, but I still had a good time reading about these Shakespeare-obsessed students.