WOW! This book had me absolutely hooked. I read the entire second half in one sitting.

Stacy Willingham cracks the code for a perfect thriller once again; doling out tiny crumbs one by one in each of her carefully crafted chapters, each one short and succinct enough to convince you to just…read…one…more. Only if You’re Lucky is a gripping campus thriller, with enough surprises to keep you guessing until the very last page.

Absolutely recommend this 5 star read!

Stacy Willingham’s latest twisty thriller centers around Margot, who has just started her freshman year at Rutledge University. She was supposed to be there with her best friend Eliza, but Eliza tragically died just weeks before they were supposed to start college.

Still reeling from Eliza’s death, Margot mostly keeps to herself that first year, but when Lucy Sharpe catches her eye and invites her to room with her and two other friends. Margot can’t resist the opportunity for a fresh start and moves into house, which is adjacent to and owned by a fraternity. Everything starts out fine for Margot until she runs into Levi, Eliza’s former boyfriend and the one Margot has always suspected had something to do with Eliza’s death.

Margot confesses her suspicions and her unease to her roommates and soon after, Levi turns up dead and Lucy goes missing. Margot doesn’t know who she can trust and the story suddenly spirals into a series of secrets, lies, betrayals, and toxic friendships.

The story started out as somewhat of a slow burn, but the pace dramatically picks up at the halfway mark and the second half is filled with unpredictable twists and turns. I flew through that second half on the edge of my seat waiting to see how all of the pieces would eventually fall into place.

Only If You’re Lucky is perfect for fans of twisty psychological thrillers and dark academia. Available now!

Amazing story! Characters were spot on and easy to root for. The story was fast paced and interesting. Definitely a read for this year!!

I love Stacey Willingham and look forward to adding this book to my collection. This book is much slower paced than her first two. I'd say it took me until about 15% through to really get into it. But I enjoyed the short chapters, dark academia vibes, and the dual timelines that were both mysterious! While I liked it because I'm a Willingham fan, I probably would recommend one of her first 2 if someone has not read anything by her yet.

I love stories about the toxic relationships girls and women have, because they're realistic in ways many of us do not want to admit. The things we give into, the bullying we allow, the pervasive desire to be like one another or be better. In Only if You're Lucky, Stacy Willingham tells the story of enigmatic Lucy and the desperate to start over Margot. Life seems beautiful, like popularity and all the trappings of it are at Margot's feet. Lucy, however, leaves a dust in her wake that has Margot questioning everything. Is she who she says she is, or are they all pawns in the personal broadway show?

This one was as twisted as it comes, with Willingham taking us on a wild, dark academia journey through the perspective of Margot. We see her naivety, her desperate desire to fit in, her broken heart over her best friend she lost prior to beginning college. We also, from her perspective alone, see the beautiful Lucy, the other friends they share a home with, and the partying fraternity brothers next door, including Margot's former friend's ex. It's twisted as it sounds and so perfectly college. What's also twisted? The truths hidden and the lies mixed into every word. Nothing is as it seems and as a thriller fan, I loved that I couldn't figure this one entirely out. There are loose strings, there is horror on these pages, and yet I could not put it down. These are the sort of characters you hate to love and a story that requires only one sitting. This one sucked me in and I need everyone to read it now.

Reeling from the loss of her best friend, Margot stumbles into college life and is soon swept up in the world of the charismatic Lucy. But Lucy isn't exactly what she seems, and college is full of unexpected dangers. This book is an exploration of the chunk of life when we discover who we are and what we are capable of doing. Told in a dual timeline, we get to glimpse Margot while she goes through the events leading up to losing her best friend, paralleled with the current-day events that are turning her world upside down. We, the readers, discover who Margot is right alongside her. A boy is dead and Lucy is missing. Who is to blame? Who is keeping secrets?

Starting very slowly, this book didn't pick up the pace until there was about a third left. The slow burn lulls the reader into thinking that we can't possibly be about to fall down the hill of the rollercoaster that is the end of this book. I agree with other reviews that this has a younger adult feel, but as it's mainly about some very young people just becoming adults, I can see how that makes sense. There was a tense and anxious vibe throughout that I enjoyed. I could feel the awkward and difficult interactions and stress of just getting started in life as I was reading this. It had a very different feel than previous books by this author, but it was also a very different age group and setting, so I think that makes sense. All in all, I had a good time reading this. I wanted to keep reading to know what would happen next and I enjoyed being along for the ride.

SUPER SLOW PACE "thriller" with dark academia vibes. not my type of story, but can see how others would enjoy.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Only If You’re Lucky by Stacy Willingham is about teenage insecurities, friendship, belonging, and secrets. Lots of secrets. A college novel with flash backs to high school, we follow Margot as she mourns the loss of her high school best friend and attempts to move on while dealing with the trauma of how it ended. Then she meets Lucy, magnetic and mysterious.

This book is full of sinister, mischievous vibes. You know something is not quite right, but you’re not sure exactly what it is. I enjoyed the read and thought the twists and plot resolution were surprising and satisfying.

This is my second of Willingham’s novels. I loved Flicker. Will definitely go back and read her sophomore novel.

Special thanks to St. Martin’s Press, Minotaur Books for the ARC via NetGalley.

Young, emotionally volatile women should not be allowed to form cliques.

Only If You’re Lucky is a slow burn story of female friendships that border on obsession. It’s part college girls gone wild, and part simmering cauldron of torment.

The story is told in “Before” and “After,” leaning heavily into the before aspects. Consequently, the overall tone is much more YA than I expected. This is a me problem. I don’t do well with the whole angsty YA vibe. Even so, it’s impossible not to get sucked into the drama.

I listened to the audiobook, which is read by the masterful Karissa Vacker. She truly has a gift for bringing stories to life.

*Thanks to Minotaur Books for the eARC and to Macmillan Audio for the free audiobook download.*

I am a huge Stacy Willingham fan - but this did not feel like the same author I’ve grown to love. I didn’t really truly care about any of the characters or what was happening to them. I wanted so badly to love this - and it just fell flat. The beginning was filled with metaphors that were entirely unnecessary - there is a difference between descriptive writing and describing every single thing in detail. It just seemed like too much to me - it seemed to be better towards the end of the book but by then I just wanted to find out what happened and move on. The characters were all a bit terrible, which usually I love, but in this case it made me not want to root for any of them. This is one of the hardest reviews I’ve had to write - and I hope this was just a fluke!

Unfortunately, this felt long and drawn out and somewhat familiar. I never could pinpoint which book it reminded me of. I really wanted to like this one more, but it just never piqued my interest and it felt more like trudgery to finish it.
2.5 stars

I previously loved this author’s first two books and while this was different than those - more dark academia, I still enjoyed it! The past and present timelines were easy to follow and I liked how it all came together in the end. Definitely a few shocking twists I did not see coming.

College life, toxic friends, & murder? Say less. 🫡 I’m in 😂 Let’s review this banger ⤵️

GENRE: Suspense/ Mystery
MY RATING: 🌟🌟🌟🌟 (4/5)
#gifted @minotaur_books — tysm!!

READ IF YOU LIKE:
▫️Alternating timelines 🕰️
▫️Single POV
▫️Campus/college setting 🍻
▫️Murder mysteries
▫️Addicting books!!
▫️TV shows: Tell Me Lies or Pretty Little Liars 🤫

MY THOUGHTS:
After LOVING her first two books (reviews on my page!), I was super happy with ONLY IF YOU’RE LUCKY as well!! 🔥 It was a bit different than books 1 & 2, in a sense that this one was more of a suspense vs thriller IMO. Regardless, I was easily entertained start to finish! Willingham’s writing is truly my favorite— it’s addicting as hell. When I finish one of her books, I immediately get sad bc I have to wait until the next one lol. 😆 The way she captured college in this story had me remembering fun college days of my own. Her author’s note about the house in this book… 🤩 such a cool detail!!! If you’re looking for something that’ll keep you gripped, pick this one up! It’s such a quick read that’ll have you questioning every character. 💥

RATING EXPLAINED:
I’ve seen some mixed reviews, but I was here for this WILD & TOXIC ride 🤪 but yeah, some of the backstory felt repetitive. I thought I had completely figured out how this book would end but I was pleasantly surprised!!! Willingham said this was her favorite ending to write out of all 3 of her books and I see why! 😈 Just remember— In true ~suspense~ fashion, it’s a slow burn with a BANG at the end. Stacy Willingham continues to knock out great books! 🤓

DETAILS:
▫️Published: 1/16/24
▫️Pages: 384
▫️Format: e-book
▫️DM for trigger warnings ‼️

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy of the book.
Stacy Willingham did it again! She wove an incredibly compelling story about youth that was both infuriating and intriguing. She wrote characters that were nuanced for how much the reader wanted to hate them, but their youth and trauma and naiveté made them sympathetic characters that you were invested in and worried about abandoning. This was a thriller staple and Willingham is such an incredible writer!

I just couldn’t get into the college drama of this. It was a DNF at 21 percent. Bummer because I loved All The Dangerous Things and gave it 5 stars.

3 stars!

This is my third Stacy Willingham book and although I'm always excited for her premises, I do find that unfortunately I've never really been shocked by any of her books or the twists that come in them. Regrettably, Only If You're Lucky also fell into this trap.

Starting with what I did like: I thought the setting of this book was great. I felt like there was a lot of good descriptions and therefore I could visualize everything very clearly. The other piece of the book that I liked was the interconnectedness. Everything that was mentioned came back later and it made me feel rewarded when I guessed something was a clue and I ended up being right.

What I didn't like as much was the actual mystery. I don't mind an unlikeable character but I wasn't really rooting for anyone. Additionally, I thought that there was going to be some slight subversions of my expectations but everything I predicted ended up being right.

I think that this would be great for someone who one off reads thrillers, but as an avid thriller reader I didn't feel like it was anything new or inventive. I will continue to pick up Stacy Willingham's books because I feel like they're quick and easy with good writing, but I hope her next release is more of a hit for me.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I absolutely enjoyed this author's debut novel, A Flicker in the Dark, and so, I was incredibly excited to have the opportunity to read this 3rd novel of hers!

Only if You're Lucky is about Margot, and her lackluster life, after her high school best friend was killed. They planned to go to college together, and after Eliza's passing, Margot decides to try to carry out their college plans, but finds herself playing it safe, and not quite enjoying her college life, like she hoped she would. A girl on campus, Lucy, is just as enigmatic as Eliza was, and Margot finds herself drawn to Lucy. One day Lucy asks Margot to roommate with her, and her friends, and we see Margot find herself in this new circle of friends. Someone from Eliza, and Margot's past comes into the mix, and we learn what really happened the night Eliza died.

I recommend this for those who enjoy dark academia thrillers. The author is an incredible writer. I need to go back, and read her 2nd novel!

I rated 3.5 out of 5.

Thank you NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for allowing me to provide my review. #NetGalley

I have read all of Stacy's books so far and have loved them all. This one has a deep psychological component that will leave the reader breathless. There are many people out there that are so charismatic that they can sway the mind of even the most die-hard skeptics. Many presidents and politic leaders have this ability. In any friendship grouping, there is always a leader and several followers. The question to ask yourself is do you really know the person you think is the closest to you and does she really have your best interests in mind. Psychological fiction is my favorite type of read. I love nothing better than a mind game!

Flicker in the Dark was a top book of 2023 for me. To say I was eagerly anticipating this book would be an understatement. However, I found it really challenging to get into. Despite my high expectations, it fell a bit flat.

Stacy Willingham continues to solidify her place in the pantheon of modern thriller writers with her third effort, "Only if You're Lucky." She crafts a college town that feels so real it could have your rival university, and a storyline that feels like it could have been pinched from today's headlines, a beautiful college co-ed goes missing, and her beloved roommates left to wonder if she's skipped town for the weekend or if something more sinister might be afoot...

Margot's entire life has felt like one long "always the bridesmaid never the bride" moment. She's always been relegated to the role of the sidekick, never the one people are glad to see at a party, but sometimes acknowledged as "so and so's friend Margot." When she arrives for her freshman year at a small liberal arts university she fears it will be four more years of the same, until she meets Lucy.

Lucy snags her from her humdrum life and pulls her into a world of parties, secrets, and fun. The deeper she falls into her new life the more Margot finds herself leaning on Lucy's friendship, and their house of four quickly becomes "SloaneandNicole" "LucyandMargot". Just as she feels she's coming into her own the ride stops abruptly, when one of their frat boy neighbors is brutally murdered and Lucy disappears without a trace.

A mesmerizing look at what it means to be a woman in your twenties, and just how far we'll go to protect our friends and ourselves, "Only If You're Lucky" is sure to be the hit of late winter book clubs. Stacey Willingham has given us an early favorite for thriller of the year that will keep readers guessing to the very last page. An absolute must-read for fans of the genre, especially those who enjoy Lisa Jewell or Shari Lapena. Special thanks to NetGalley and to Minotaur Books for providing an Advanced Reader's Copy of "Only if You're Lucky" in exchange for an unbiased review.