This is the sort of story that so expertly drops tidbits into the narrative that you almost don’t notice them until suddenly you realize what a clever, wicked, twisted story this is! Only If You’re Lucky focuses heavily on female friendship and obsession, but presented in a fresh and inventive story told in dual timelines that speed towards one another with a shocking conclusion.

Margot is a shy freshman at her South Carolina university when she meets Lucy Sharpe. Having tragically lost her best friend Eliza the summer after high school, Margot spends most of her first year of college hiding in her dorm with her roommate, Maggie (who couldn’t be a more supportive friend). At their first dorm meeting in the all-girls dorm, Lucy steps forward and pulls out a backpack with a case of beer. She’s beautiful, magnetic, and funny. Margot can’t help but be reminded of Eliza when she observes Lucy that first year.

As fate would have it, Margot is on the lawn at the end of her freshman year when Lucy approaches her and offers her the fourth bedroom in a house on campus she is renting with two friends. Margot immediately accepts, and after an awkward parting with Maggie (whom she was supposed to be rooming with the following year), Margot moves into the house with Lucy and two of their floormates—Nicole and Sloane.

Over the summer, Margot is happier than she can remember in a long time. Lucy is as charismatic in friendship as Margot observed from afar, Sloane is sarcastic and witty, and Nicole is kind and dating the president of the fraternity that owns the house they are renting. The four become close, spending days and evenings curled up on the couch together, going to parties with the boys from the fraternity, and partying after hours at a local bowling alley where Lucy works. Life is good, and Margot can almost forget the hole in her life where Eliza was.

Things are going great, until one of the fraternity boys next door is brutally murdered. The campus is in a frenzy, hounded by the press and police trying to find out what happened to the student. Meanwhile, Lucy has vanished without a trace. Are Lucy’s disappearance and the murder a terrible coincidence, or are they somehow linked?

This book was gripping from start to finish. The timelines alternate between the events of that summer and the beginning of sophomore year and the days after the murdered student is discovered and Lucy’s disappearance. After moving out of her dorm with Maggie, Margot becomes more alive but also more disturbed. Her friendship with Lucy comes with binge drinking, occasional recreational drug use, and hangovers that can last days. All of this lends a small air of unreliability to Margot, particularly in the present timeline.

Margot’s grief is overwhelming for her, and throughout the book we learn more about Eliza and her death, particularly when a student at the fraternity is someone linked to Eliza from their hometown. He’s the last person Margot wants to see and a constant reminder of Eliza. And he also happens to be the student who winds up murdered, adding another layer of complexity and suspicion to Margot. People in her life seem to wind up dead, it turns out.

At the same time, Margot is vulnerable and meek. She has a strong desire to fit in, but in her head she questions so much of what she does. Margot explains at one point how she always feels invisible, but when she was with Eliza (or later Lucy), she felt like someone. People noticed her and they could place her. The friendships in this book are exciting and dysfunctional.

This is a dark and alluring portrayal of female friendship, but at the same time I think many women reading this will find a glimmer they can relate to. Those days when you’re young and your friends are the most important and exciting thing in your world. The feeling that you don’t want things to change or worry that someone new will come in and tear your friendship apart.

The sweltering heat of the southern campus becomes an atmospheric backdrop for this tantalizing story. The events of the book and the setting feel like a nod to southern gothic—where flawed characters swarm around a disturbing and twisted story. Each page adds to the tension, and the story becomes almost oppressive as Margot spirals further and further away from who she is. From the beginning the reader knows this is all heading towards a murder and a disappearance. But so many other pieces of the story are missing.

At about two thirds of the way through the book, Willingham begins to drop twists in that pick up seemingly forgotten loose threads and twist them together. By the end of the book the reader has the whole interconnected web of secrets and buried truths. The ending is jaw-dropping and one that completely surprised me.

A gripping and tantalizing story of obsession, loyalty, friendship, and murder.

Love it or hate it, this one brings you right back to your college years. Drinking, bad decisions, dying to fit in, douchey frat guys, it’s got it all. Wanted to scream at the stupidity of the characters at times, but it also felt relatable in some respects.

Overall the story dragged on a little long, but the final third picked up the pace. Not much happed till that point in the book. Other than a couple far fetched details I struggled to get over, it was a fun read and provided for a very spirited book club discussion!

I have heard better things about her other two books so I have them on the list to read soon.

Thank you to Minotaur and NetGalley for my free copy

This book starts as a slow burn. A little too slow for me. I had a hard time getting into it but it did eventually build up to a faster pace. I think I had too high expectations after reading A Flicker in the Dark and All the Dangerous Things .The characters were in college but the book felt like it leaned a little more in the YA direction. I think this may have been a not my cup of tea or wrong book at the wrong time for me. I do look forward . I do look forward to reading what Stacy WIllingham does next.

This was a fun dark academia novel with some twists that most of my book club definitely didn't see coming! The general consensus was that the beginning of the book moved a little slowly (though some of us prefer that style of thriller) and that the ending was more exciting.

An interesting point by one member was that she would have liked to see a little teaser at the beginning that "Lucy is not who she claims to be" with no further details to draw the reader in even more.

Though portions of the story seem far-fetched to me, I enjoyed the story overall. The writing was very descriptive and I could really picture the setting which added a lot. I am definitely interested in reading the author's backlist!

ONLY IF YOU’RE LUCKY started off pretty slow for me, but I wanted to keep reading to see where it was going. The pacing definitely picked up and I really liked the ending. I especially loved learning that the setting was based on the house Stacy lived at in college! 😯

I absolutely loved A FLICKER IN THE DARK and ALL THE DANGEROUS THINGS. This one ended up being my least favorite of the three, but her other two were really tough to beat because they ended up in my top books of 2022 and 2023. I love how different ONLY IF YOU’RE LUCKY is from the author’s previous books and we had a fun book club discussion about this one! Stacy is a very talented writer and definitely one of my auto-buy authors 🖤

Thank you to NetGalley, St.Martin’s Press, Minotaur Books for a digitalization ARC for my honest review.

3.5 ⭐️
I found this one took much longer than her previous books to build the suspense. The last part has several twists that I didn’t see coming. I kept waiting to see what the twists would be. I didn’t enjoy this as much as her previous ones, maybe because of the drunken party games and unlikeable characters.

I look forward to the next book by Stacy Willingham.

Thank you so much @Minotaur_Books for giving me this ARC in exchange for my honest and unbiased review (Release Date | 16 January 2024)

SYNOPSIS | Margot's best friend died three weeks after their high school graduation so she doesn't make a lot of friends during her freshman year at college as she mourns her. She is surprised when Lucy (a popular girl in her dorms) decides to befriend her & asks her to move into their off-campus house.

WHAT I LIKED:
- a compelling story of toxic friendships + obsession
- mini cliffhanger chapter endings made this perfectly bingeable
- last part of the book is packed with twists
- several mysteries to try & solve at once

WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE:
- the characters are young & clearly make stupid decisions on numerous occasions
- pretty slow start

I enjoyed Stacy Willingham’s previous books but I think Only If You’re Lucky is a miss for me. The first 50% of the story was a drag, the mystery did pick up later but it wasn’t enough to justify the slow pace and boring plot at the beginning.

Another fantastic book from Stacy Willingham! Her previous two were in my top books of the year respectively, so needless to say I went into this one with high hopes and expecting nothing less - and per usual she delivered. The college vibes in this one made me ache to go back to my college days while simultaneously wanting to punch my college self for all the dumb shit I did. It was a little on the longer side for a thriller which is what knocked my rating down a bit as I felt it dragged a teensy bit at parts, but still fantastic none the less!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the gifted copy.
Unfortunately, this book did not work for me. I loved the author's writing and description, I think she does an amazing job describing people and settings in a very unique way. However, the story, the plot, and the characters were boring to me and nothing we hadn't already read before. The twist was very underwhelming and the pay off wasn't worth it. This is the case of "it's me", mostly because I found that college kids getting drunk and partying during the majority of the book is not for me.
I would categorize this as a popcorn thriller, an easy read in between, or on vacation when you want to relax.

What an interesting read!!! This was an intense, suspenseful, read with such unreliable characters that kept me going back and forth on my guesses until the end. I was happily surprised that I didn’t have everything figured out, good, interesting characters, with a well written plot!

I love Stacy Willingham's style of writing, her attention to details, and just how creative she is over her last three books! She has instantly turned to an auto pick author for me. Even if I find that the story slows some to allow for setting the stage I never find it as dragging or boring I always enjoy how she writes it out like you are in the story as you're reading it!
Here we have Margot who thought she had life planned after high school going to college with her childhood best friend Eliza... until she died. Margot decides to still go ahead with their plan and heads to college alone and plays it safe the first year like Margot always has, that is until Lucy puts her in her sights. Margot is so enthralled by Lucy and how much she is like a version of Eliza she is drawn to her immediately and succumbs to Lucy's magnetic pull. Margot agrees to move in with Lucy, Sloane, and Nicole which turns her life upside down! Margot is stepping out of who she is and trying to be more like Lucy and more like how she thought Eliza always tried to push her to be.
What Margot doesn't know is all the secrets and lies that will be uncovered about Lucy, Sloan, Nicole, and even what she didn't know about Eliza!!
This was more slow burn than Willingham had in her last two books but I felt like there was more to unfold to the story, a lot more characters to develop. Told from Margot's POV with a before/after switch between. The suspense picked up in the last quarter and I do like how you are trying to solve the mystery throughout with the breadcrumb trail of clues.
I also like to read the author notes they leave at the end and I think that made me like this even more since it was based on some things of Willingham's life like the house all the girls lived in next to the frat house, and how she took some small aspects of her life back then and turned it into this great story! Thank you NetGalley and Minotaur Books for the gifted copy to review with my own thoughts! I would give this 4.5 stars!

Although I really enjoyed Willingham's last 2 books, I had a hard time getting into this one. I'm not a big fan of books about kids going to college, partying, obsessed with others, etc., so from the start I wasn't thrilled with the storyline, but I thought I would give it a try. The story plods along and gets better towards the end, but not good enough to entice me to recommend this book. Sadly,, this was not a good read for me. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy.

“I crave it more than I’ve ever craved anything: the kind of friendship that I once knew so well, not comfortable and contained but something messy and maniacal and real.”


This was my first Stacy Willingham book and it didn’t do much for me. However it seems like this book might deviate from her normal writing so I still plan to at least read A Flicker in the Dark.

The setting of this book was Rutledge College in South Carolina. But it reads like a series of college party scenes rather than anything remotely nostalgic or relatable to me. The characters and setting and events are everything that was absent of my college experience and it was not enjoyable for me to read.

I could maybe still enjoy the book if the suspense at least was there, but it was a slow-burn read told in ‘before’ and ‘after’ chapters giving small teases that manage to keep you interested. But I grew tired of reading about everything that happened when they were drunk or high or hungover.

I will say that the ending twists did save it a bit (I liked the accident, mistake, necessity aspect) but unless this is a scene you find interesting or engaging, I don’t think the twists are worth all that comes before.


Basic Premise

The book begins with the knowledge that we have a dead body— a frat boy pledge named Levi Butler— and a missing girl— a bold, brash, and unpredictable college girl named Lucy.

And that’s how the chapters divide- before and after.

“Levi is dead, Lucy is gone, and someone has to pay.”

Margot’s college experience doesn’t start the way she had planned it. Her best friend, Eliza, dies three weeks before they were supposed to attend Rutledge together.

Freshman year is a blur of grief and depression, but one girl— Lucy— sticks out, elusive and magnetic, the object of a lot of rumors, and a reminder of Eliza. At the end of the year when Lucy invites Margot to live with her and her friends Sloane and Nicole, Lucy jumps at the chance.

“being loved by Eliza was like a sudden hit of adrenaline— a gateway drug, something addicting and freeing that left you craving your next hit the second she stepped away. And if Eliza was adrenaline, that makes Lucy something even more. Something more addicting, more dangerous. Something that I probably shouldn’t be dabbling in— but at the same time, something impossible to refuse.”

But we find out that Lucy might have picked her for a reason. And Sloane and Nicole for that matter.

“nice Nicole and studious Sloane and malleable Margot.”

And so this book asks the question: How far would someone go for friendship and belonging? What happens in a house full of potentially toxic friendships?

“Sloane is trying to tell me that, if I’m not careful, Lucy will… turn me into something I’m not. She’ll twist me and mold me until I’m unrecognizable, transforming in her hands like soft, wet clay. She’ll shape me into whatever she wants me to be. Something useful to best fit her needs, a deliberate instrument of her own design. But here’s the thing Sloane doesn’t know: I want to be changed. That’s all I’ve ever wanted, really: for someone to scoop me up and tell me what I’m supposed to be.”

So where is Lucy and what really happened to Levi?


Comments

I didn’t really find any of the characters likeable. It’s just kinda unimaginable to me that someone could be so malleable and easily manipulated to do whatever someone tells them to do. Or even in this case, willingly being pulled in to something clearly not right.

I don’t find that kind of personality relatable or endearing; I find it annoying. Have your own mind.

I just find it not only hard to believe, but hard to read when someone is so taken in by someone who is clearly a toxic type of person; obsessive friendships are alien to me. And when it’s drawn out for so long and detailed as the primary aspect of the book, it’s exhausting.


I know the college party scene is probably part of a lot of people’s college experiences, but it had nothing to do with mine and reading about it was a bit repulsive. At least if there was something redeeming about it then its place in the book would have purpose and development. But it was just the perfect storm of dysfunction to facilitate more problems, manipulation, and stupidity.


There just wasn’t anything appealing to reading it. As I started it I was wondering if I was going to like it, and as I continued, my engagement level never really went up.


The title of the book comes from this line:

“You’re only young once, and only if you’re lucky.”

I liked the title, but I’m not sure if this is the strongest line. Does it mean you’re only young if you’re lucky? Haha. I think it means that hopefully you don’t die. But I just think it’s a bit clunky of phrasing and they should have picked a different title or tied it in stronger than this.


I did think it was interesting that the house the girls live in that’s right next to the frat house is based on Willingham’s own college experience and housing. The shed and the crawl space were the same, but the rest of the story, people, and relationships were fictional.



Recommendation

Most of my dislikes of this book had to do with the characters and setting. I didn’t have issue with the writing style and I did like the twists. I also appreciated that there weren’t a million f-bombs.

So I am definitely willing to read another one of her books. From what I can tell they deal with adults which is a better story line for my interests. I think I’m picky about college-related books. (Though I’m not sure I can read All the Dangerous Things because I have a hard time with child abduction/death type of stories)

‘Only If You’re Lucky’ was not for me, but could easily be a hit for others if they don’t have as strong of feelings as I do about the morally ambiguous character types and setting.

[Content Advisory: 18 f-words and 28 s-words, a lot of drinking, smoking, drugs, and the college party scene; moderate sexual content]

**Received an ARC via NetGalley**

Wow. Just. Wow. It’s seldom I find a dark, twisty thriller I can’t decipher halfway in. This kept me biting my nails until the very end. I loved the character development and the absence of trite literary device asked styles everyone seems to depend on for this genre. Loved it

Loved this book! It was a slow start for me, but I'm glad I kept reading because there were quite a few surprises! I wasn't able to put it down after that!

It took me awhile to finish this book but I was determined to. I may be in the minority with my review. The book pace was sluggish and very repetitive. It didn’t take off until about 70% of the way through the book. It is more of a mystery than thriller. It had flipped btw past and present which was confusing at times. It did have some interesting twists toward the end. I wanted to like this book. It was just a meh for me.

Margot is surprised when Lucy, an outgoing popular girl, befriends her. Margot finds herself living off campus with 3 other girls (Lucy, Sloane and Nicole). Margot is starting to find herself again after the death of her best friend until there’s a murder and Lucy goes missing.

Stacy Willingham has quickly become an auto buy author for me. Her books are full of twists and turns and this one was no exception. I was on the edge of my seat while listening to this audiobook. While I didn’t connect or even like the characters I was intrigued by them and their relationships.

I definitely didn’t see the big reveals coming. I will say this book was a little slower paced and at times repetitive but I still enjoyed it.

The audiobook was well done and kept my attention. I enjoyed listening to the narrator.

Reading this story, I was fully prepared to give it a 5-star rating, depending on the ending, of course. It was fast-paced and kept me intrigued. Unfortunately, I found the ending anti-climactic. I'm not sure that I ever really developed a liking to any of the characters, which makes sense in the end when we learn everyone involved has their faults. 3.5 stars.

Wonderful story, great character development, great writing! Highly recommend this book. I thoroughly enjoyed it