There is a particular kind of reader who finishes a book about obsessive friendships, beautiful language, and terrible choices, and immediately thinks: more of that, please. If a pin full of tattered paperbacks, a cat, and titles like If We Were Villains, The Brothers Karamazov, and Patti Smith’s Just Kids caught your eye, you already know the mood we’re chasing. This list is for anyone who loves campus settings, found families that curdle into something darker, artists who ruin each other, and prose that makes destruction sound gorgeous. Below are eighteen books (and a few bonus picks) that deliver that same electric, slightly dangerous reading experience — plus what each one does best.
Table of Contents(Click to Toggle)
- Why Dark Academia and Obsessive-Friendship Books Stay With You
- 18 Books Like If We Were Villains
- 1. If We Were Villains
- 2. The Secret History
- 3. The Brothers Karamazov
- 4. Just Kids
- 5. Perfume
- 6. Bunny
- 7. Ninth House
- 8. The Likeness
- 9. The Goldfinch
- 10. A Separate Peace
- 11. The Picture of Dorian Gray
- 12. Vita Nostra
- 13. The Truants
- 14. These Violent Delights
- 15. My Dark Vanessa
- 16. The Idiot
- 17. If We Were Villains (Graphic Novel Edition)
- 18. Catherine House
- Bonus Mentions
- The Shelf That Keeps Giving
Why Dark Academia and Obsessive-Friendship Books Stay With You
Some books are entertaining; others move in. The titles on this list share a specific emotional signature — intense friendships, intellectual ambition, a beautiful setting that hides something rotten, and characters who mistake obsession for love. M.L. Rio’s If We Were Villains became a phenomenon precisely because it combined Shakespeare, a tight-knit theater troupe, and a crime that slowly eats the group from the inside. Readers who finish it often go looking for the same ingredients elsewhere: a cast that feels like a family, a moral slide you can’t look away from, and language worth underlining. Dostoyevsky’s The Brothers Karamazov supplies the philosophical weight; Patti Smith’s Just Kids supplies the real-life artist friendship; Patrick Süskind’s Perfume supplies the beautiful, unsettling outsider. The eighteen picks below are organized to help you find your next fixation, whether you want campus intrigue, gothic atmosphere, or memoir honesty.
18 Books Like If We Were Villains
1. If We Were Villains : The Shakespearean campus crime that started it all
What it is: M.L. Rio’s debut novel about seven theater students at an elite conservatory whose intense bond fractures when one of them dies.
Category: Dark academia / literary mystery
Why it stands out:
- Every chapter opens with a Shakespeare quote that quietly foreshadows the plot, rewarding rereads.
- The timeline alternates between the present-day confession and the past, so the dread builds from page one.
- The friend group feels genuinely lived-in — inside jokes, rivalries, and the way ambition curdles into resentment.
Best for: Readers who want a literary thriller that treats theater kids as tragic figures rather than punchlines.
2. The Secret History : The original dark academia blueprint
What it is: Donna Tartt’s 1992 novel about a group of Classics students at a Vermont college who commit a murder and then have to live with it.
Category: Literary fiction / campus novel
Why it stands out:
- It established the template that If We Were Villains and dozens of others follow: beautiful people, dead languages, bad decisions.
- Tartt’s prose is unhurried and seductive, making the narrator’s moral drift feel almost reasonable.
- The snowy New England setting is practically a character — isolating, gorgeous, and slightly claustrophobic.
Best for: Anyone who has already read Rio and wants to see the source material that shaped the genre.
3. The Brothers Karamazov : The philosophical heavyweight of family betrayal
What it is: Fyodor Dostoyevsky’s final novel, centered on three brothers, a corrupt father, and a murder that forces each of them to confront what they believe.
Category: Classic literature / philosophical fiction
Why it stands out:
- The Grand Inquisitor chapter is one of the most discussed passages in world literature — dense, but worth the effort.
- Each brother represents a different worldview, so the family conflict doubles as a debate about faith, doubt, and freedom.
- Free on Project Gutenberg, which makes it an easy entry point for readers new to Russian classics.
Best for: Readers who want the emotional intensity of dark academia with genuine philosophical depth.
4. Just Kids : Patti Smith’s memoir of art, friendship, and New York
What it is: Patti Smith’s National Book Award-winning memoir about her relationship with photographer Robert Mapplethorpe in late-1960s and 1970s New York.
Category: Memoir / arts and culture
Why it stands out:
- It captures the exact feeling of two young artists pushing each other toward greatness, which is the emotional core of so many campus novels.
- The Chelsea Hotel setting gives a real-life backdrop to the bohemian fantasy.
- Smith’s prose is spare and lyrical, closer to poetry than to a typical celebrity memoir.
Best for: Readers who love the friendship dynamics of dark academia but want something true and hopeful.
5. Perfume : A beautiful, unsettling outsider story
What it is: Patrick Süskind’s novel about Jean-Baptiste Grenouille, an 18th-century French perfumer with an extraordinary sense of smell and no moral compass.
Category: Historical fiction / literary thriller
Why it stands out:
- It is one of the rare novels that makes scent the central sensory experience — the descriptions are almost synesthetic.
- Grenouille is a genuinely chilling protagonist, yet the prose is so elegant you keep reading.
- The Paris setting is rendered in gritty, vivid detail, from tanneries to perfumeries.
Best for: Readers who like their dark academia with a gothic, European, slightly disturbing edge.
6. Bunny : Mean-girl cult energy meets literary satire
What it is: Mona Awad’s novel about a lonely MFA student who is invited into a clique of wealthy, eerily identical women named Bunny.
Category: Literary fiction / speculative satire
Why it stands out:
- It skewers the workshop culture of creative writing programs while also being genuinely creepy.
- The prose shifts between sharp social observation and surreal horror, which keeps you off balance.
- The friend group is both seductive and monstrous — exactly the dark academia dynamic readers crave.
Best for: Readers who want the campus setting but with a weirder, funnier, more experimental tone.
7. Ninth House : Secret societies and Yale’s occult underbelly
What it is: Leigh Bardugo’s adult debut about Alex Stern, a survivor of a traumatic past who is recruited to monitor Yale’s magical secret societies.
Category: Fantasy / dark academia thriller
Why it stands out:
- The magic system is tied to real campus architecture, which makes the setting feel grounded and eerie.
- Alex is a compellingly flawed narrator with a difficult history and a sharp sense of humor.
- It deals with class, privilege, and who gets protected — themes that run through the best campus novels.
Best for: Readers who want the friend-group intensity of If We Were Villains with a supernatural twist.
8. The Likeness : An undercover identity thriller with a tight-knit cast
What it is: Tana French’s second Dublin Murder Squad novel, in which detective Cassie Maddox goes undercover among a group of friends who look exactly like her.
Category: Crime / psychological thriller
Why it stands out:
- The friend group is drawn with real warmth, which makes the underlying mystery more unsettling.
- French’s prose is literary without being slow, and the Irish setting is richly atmospheric.
- The premise forces the narrator to question her own identity — a recurring theme in dark academia.
Best for: Readers who want the found-family tension of a campus novel wrapped in a procedural mystery.
9. The Goldfinch : Art, grief, and a long, gorgeous detour
What it is: Donna Tartt’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel about a boy who survives a museum bombing and holds onto a stolen painting for decades.
Category: Literary fiction / coming-of-age
Why it stands out:
- The art-world details are meticulously researched and add a layer of genuine fascination.
- The friendship between Theo and Boris is one of contemporary fiction’s most memorable pairings.
- It is long, immersive, and perfect for readers who want to disappear into a book for a week.
Best for: Readers who love Tartt’s style and want a bigger, more sprawling emotional experience.
10. A Separate Peace : The original boarding-school friendship tragedy
What it is: John Knowles’s classic novel about two boys at a New England boarding school whose competitive friendship ends in a single, irreversible moment.
Category: Classic literature / coming-of-age
Why it stands out:
- It is short, sharp, and one of the earliest examples of the boarding-school betrayal story that dark academia later refined.
- The wartime backdrop adds a sense of impending adulthood that raises the stakes.
- It is widely taught, so it is easy to find a copy and a discussion group.
Best for: Readers who want the emotional core of If We Were Villains in a compact, classic package.
11. The Picture of Dorian Gray : Beauty, vanity, and a very bad bargain
What it is: Oscar Wilde’s only novel, about a beautiful young man whose portrait ages while he stays young and increasingly corrupt.
Category: Classic literature / gothic fiction
Why it stands out:
- Wilde’s epigrams are endlessly quotable, and the dialogue crackles with wit.
- The gothic premise gives it a supernatural edge while staying grounded in social satire.
- It is in the public domain, so free digital copies are easy to find on Project Gutenberg.
Best for: Readers who love the aesthetic obsession and moral decay of dark academia.
12. Vita Nostra : A stranger, darker school story
What it is: A novel by Marina and Sergey Dyachenko about a teenage girl admitted to a mysterious institute where the curriculum is genuinely incomprehensible and dangerous.
Category: Fantasy / philosophical fiction
Why it stands out:
- The school is not just a setting — it is an unknowable force, which makes the book deeply unsettling.
- The prose is translated from Russian and has a distinct, dreamlike rhythm.
- It treats education as transformation in a literal, body-horror way that few campus novels dare to.
Best for: Readers who want the campus setting pushed into strange, speculative territory.
13. The Truants : A campus novel with a magnetic mentor
What it is: Kate Weinberg’s debut about a university student drawn into the orbit of a charismatic professor and a small group of devoted followers.
Category: Literary fiction / campus novel
Why it stands out:
- It is a love letter to Agatha Christie, weaving literary references into the plot.
- The mentor-student dynamic is handled with nuance, making the obsession feel believable.
- The Italian setting provides a sun-drenched contrast to the usual cold-weather campus novel.
Best for: Readers who want the friend-group intensity of If We Were Villains with a warmer, more contemporary feel.
14. These Violent Delights : Two brilliant students, one destructive bond
What it is: Micah Nemerever’s novel about two college students in 1970s Pittsburgh whose intense relationship spirals into something dangerous.
Category: Literary fiction / psychological thriller
Why it stands out:
- The relationship is rendered with unusual psychological precision, making the escalation feel inevitable.
- The period setting adds texture without overwhelming the story.
- It is one of the closest emotional matches to If We Were Villains on this list.
Best for: Readers who want the obsessive friendship dynamic front and center.
15. My Dark Vanessa : A difficult, important campus story
What it is: Kate Elizabeth Russell’s novel about a woman reckoning with her relationship with a teacher when she was a teenager.
Category: Literary fiction / contemporary
Why it stands out:
- It is unflinching in its portrayal of manipulation and the long aftermath of trauma.
- The boarding-school setting is rendered with care, and the timeline shifts show how memory distorts.
- It is a serious, well-reviewed book that has sparked important conversations.
Best for: Readers who want the campus setting with real emotional weight — with a content note for sensitive readers.
16. The Idiot : Dostoyevsky’s study of a good man in a bad world
What it is: Dostoyevsky’s novel about Prince Myshkin, a genuinely good man whose innocence collides with a cynical society.
Category: Classic literature / philosophical fiction
Why it stands out:
- It pairs beautifully with The Brothers Karamazov — same author, different angle on morality.
- The social satire is sharp, and the characters are unforgettable.
- It is free on Project Gutenberg, making it accessible for readers exploring Russian classics.
Best for: Readers who want the philosophical weight of Dostoyevsky but a slightly different emotional register.
17. If We Were Villains (Graphic Novel Edition) : The story you love, reimagined visually
What it is: A graphic adaptation of M.L. Rio’s novel that brings the theatrical setting to life through illustration.
Category: Graphic novel / dark academia
Why it stands out:
- Seeing the characters and the stage productions drawn out adds a new layer to a familiar story.
- It is a great option for readers who want to revisit the book quickly or recommend it to visual readers.
- It makes an excellent gift for a fan who already owns the original.
Best for: Devoted fans of the original who want a fresh way to experience the story.
18. Catherine House : A boarding school with a sinister contract
What it is: Elisabeth Thomas’s novel about an exclusive, isolated college where students surrender their pasts in exchange for a prestigious education.
Category: Literary fiction / speculative fiction
Why it stands out:
- The school itself is the antagonist, which gives the book a slow-burning, atmospheric dread.
- The prose is lush and sensory, emphasizing food, fabric, and architecture.
- It explores what people will give up for belonging — a core dark academia theme.
Best for: Readers who want a moody, weird campus novel with a speculative edge.
Bonus Mentions
The Basic Eight : A darkly funny diary of a high school crime
What it is: Daniel Handler’s (yes, Lemony Snicket’s) debut novel about a high school senior recounting the events leading up to a murder.
Category: Literary fiction / dark comedy
Why it stands out:
- The diary format makes the narrator’s voice feel immediate and unreliable.
- It balances genuine humor with real menace, which is a hard trick to pull off.
- It is a great pick for readers who want the friend-group dynamics with a lighter touch.
Best for: Readers who want a funnier, more satirical take on the campus crime story.
The Secret Place : A girls’ school mystery with real atmosphere
What it is: Tana French’s Dublin Murder Squad novel set in a girls’ boarding school where a cold case reopens.
Category: Crime / psychological thriller
Why it stands out:
- The teenage friend group is drawn with real complexity, avoiding easy stereotypes.
- The dual timeline keeps the mystery moving while building atmosphere.
- It is a strong option for readers who want the campus setting in a crime framework.
Best for: Mystery readers who love a boarding-school setting.
Crime and Punishment : The original psychological crime novel
What it is: Dostoyevsky’s novel about a student who commits a murder and then unravels under the weight of his own conscience.
Category: Classic literature / psychological fiction
Why it stands out:
- It is one of the most influential crime novels ever written, and it is free on Project Gutenberg.
- The protagonist’s guilt is rendered with painful precision.
- It pairs perfectly with The Brothers Karamazov for readers exploring Dostoyevsky.
Best for: Readers who want the philosophical weight of Russian classics with a faster pace.
If We Were Villains (Audiobook Edition) : The story, performed
What it is: The audiobook version of M.L. Rio’s novel, narrated by Robert Petkoff.
Category: Audiobook / dark academia
Why it stands out:
- The narration brings the Shakespearean dialogue to life in a way that reading on the page cannot.
- It is perfect for commutes or chores when you want to stay inside the story.
- It makes a great companion to the physical book for a reread.
Best for: Listeners who want to experience the book in a new format.
The Shelf That Keeps Giving
The best thing about loving a book like If We Were Villains is discovering that it belongs to a whole tradition — one that stretches from Dostoyevsky’s philosophical family dramas to Patti Smith’s real-life artist memoir, and from Wilde’s gothic vanity to Tartt’s snowy Vermont campus. Each of the eighteen picks above offers a different angle on the same core obsession: what happens when intelligent, ambitious people care about each other too much and not enough at the same time. Start with the one whose setting appeals to you most — a theater conservatory, a Russian town, a New York hotel, a Paris perfumery — and let it lead you to the next. These are the kinds of books that make readers into collectors, and the shelf only gets better as it grows.
What is the one book you press into a friend’s hands whenever they ask for something like If We Were Villains? Share your own hidden gem in the comments — the list is always better with more voices.
