Overall, this book was pretty good. The plot was good and the twists were strong. But dang, did it take me forever to get into. The writing is sooo slow. It’s too reflective. I could skip entire pages of internal thoughts that didn’t alter the story. It was so boring until the final 100 pages. The pacing was so off. I listened to the author’s other books as audiobooks so I’m not sure if this is her typical writing style, or if it just didn’t translate as well as a physical book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for granting access to this book in exchange for my honest review.

I liked this book, but unfortunately, I thought was a little weak at times. It didn't hold my attention as much as I hoped it would. I felt that the book was a little long. With that being said, I do enjoy Stacy Willingham's books, but ultimately, I felt that this story wasn't as strong as her previous ones. With that being said, I would still read another book by her as overall her stories are entertaining. I will probably also pick this book up again and give it a second chance at a later date.

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"...When so many lives become so intricately entwined, one snag, one single loose thread, and it all threatens to become undone."

Only If You're Lucky by Stacy Willingham has all the makings of a twisty, turny thriller with female friendships at its center, but it can't help but get bogged down by awkward dialogue, and far-fetched behavior from its characters.

Margot is preparing for her sophomore year in college, trying to move forward from the tragic death of her best friend the summer before her freshman year. When she becomes obsessed with Lucy, who reminds her of her best friend, she starts to feel a huge shift in her life…but is it for better or for worse? When someone from their circle turns up dead, Margot and we as readers learn the grass might not always be greener on the other side. 

I really loved A Flicker in the Dark by this author but I have to be honest and say this one was a struggle for me. I realize that there is always a bit of a suspension of disbelief with thrillers but what really took me out of connecting with this one was the characters and their behavior. Yes, I realize they're college students but maybe I'm out of touch. 🤷🏻‍♂️ I thought to myself multiple times, who says or acts like this?? Margot in particular was kind of unbearable from a narrator's standpoint, and since we depend on her to tell the whole story, it was tough to root for her. We can tell from the beginning that there's more to the story than she's telling…another unreliable narrator.

I did appreciate the dual timelines and how everything was pieced together but for me, it couldn't overcome the struggles I listed above. 

Have you read this one? What did you think? Am I missing something?

Thank you to St. Martins press for sending me a copy of ONLY IF YOU'RE LUCKY. This one is out now.

This one was just okay. It left me disappointed after reading Stacy Willingham's previous books. It was mostly boring up until the ending which I had mostly figured out. I can't recommend this book but I highly recommend Willingham's two previous books.

“If you knew you could get away with murder, would you do it?”

I want to thank NetGalley, and Minoatur for the advanced reader copy of Only If You’re Lucky.

The novel is set in a college backdrop and told in present, past and after timelines. A lot is going on for a book. I would recommend this if you’re looking for a slower-paced mystery.

I will say I’ve read Stacey’s other two books; A Flicker in the Dark and All The Dangerous Things (These were four and five-star reads) and I enjoyed them, but I wasn’t a fan of this one. I’m thinking because it’s the college setting and felt more like a YA book.

That being said, I’m excited for future works, as Stacey is an auto-buy author for me!

I saw a lot of mixed reviews for this book, and I think because of that, I was hesitant to read it, but I was pleasantly surprised. The main character took me back to my college days when I felt young and naive. You want to fit in and find the right group and you aren’t sure what choices to make. I am glad I went with my choice and not the ones the character does in this book. But it sure made for a good and suspenseful read. There were a lot of complexities and background that definitely added to the questions and the doubt.

Thank you so much to Net Galley and Minotaur for a gifted ecopy of the book. I highly recommend the audiobook version!

BOOK REVIEW

Only If You're Lucky by Stacy Willingham
⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

"If you knew you could get away for murder, would you do it?"

Margot was obsessed with her best friend Eliza, who tragically died after their high school graduation. While away for college, Margot meets Lucy, who was a larger than life kinda of girl. Lucy was very much alike, Eliza. They both loved being the center of attention, being the life of the party, and always choosing 'dare' over 'truth'. When Lucy asked Margot to move in with her friends off campus, it was an easy yes for her. She found herself belonging to a group again and finding out what college life was all about. Fraternity boys, parties, late nights, and little studying. Mid semester, one of the fraternity boys next door was murdered and Lucy had disappeared without a trace. Margot and the other roommates are questioning by detectives, and Margot will learn that Lucy knew her longer than she realized.

The book was a little bit of a slow burn for me, but the ending did have some twist I didn't see coming. It took me back to my younger years, so that was a fun little flashback. While I enjoyed the book, it won't go as a favorite thriller of mine.

"Only If You're Lucky" offered a decent thriller experience, keeping me engaged as a definite page-turner. While enjoyable, I couldn't help but compare it to the author's previous works, finding them more compelling. Nevertheless, the story was fun and managed to hold my interest, making it a worthwhile read with a solid 3-star rating.

Honestly, I DNF'd this book about halfway in. It was slow and I just didn't connect with the storyline.

Margot is obsessed with her best friend, Eliza, until Eliza dies in a mysterious accident. Trying to move on with her life, Margot goes to college and becomes obsessed with her new friend Lucy. It seems like she’s finally getting the lift she’s always wanted, until one of the boys in the fraternity next door (who also happens to be Eliza’s ex) is killed.

I’ve been in a bit of a reading slump lately so I was looking forward to picking up this much anticipated thriller. Unfortunately this book was just so…. boring. The setting and atmosphere was really interesting and had so much potential. But the main character’s POV was so monotonous and bland. And the plot was practically nonexistent until the last 10% of the book. The story was also presented in two timelines, which I don’t really think added much to the story. I’m so disappointed because I loved Flicker in the Dark and All the Dangerous Things. Ugh ☹️ Skip this one but definitely check out her other two books if you haven’t already!!

Thank you to St Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

A dark academia thriller set in college with alternating timelines that is steeped in secrets, betrayal and murder.

I love a good dark academia thriller and once again Stacy Willingham delivers with a twisty and suspenseful mystery about friendship, envy, secrets, loyalty and obsession. I loved All the Dangerous Things and A Flicker in the Dark and while this is a slower burn and focused on younger characters, I was absolutely engrossed and actively trying to figure out the twists.

Margot is adrift. Her best friend fell to her death just weeks after their graduation.
She spent the year shrouded in memories & adrift in depression. Until Lucy Sharpe comes into her life and convinces her to move into off-campus housing with her and her two friends. Lucy is everything Margot isn't and has a pull about her. Margot gets swept up in Lucy's life, finally enjoying her time in college until a boy from her past shows up. Soon, things take a darker turn and Margot isn't sure who she can trust.

Only If You're Lucky is filled with shady characters and young adults behaving badly. You definitely have to be willing to stretch your levels of believability but I had no problem doing that. I loved the alternating timelines and was kept on my toes - switching what i thought the twists were. I never guessed them all and a few things I never saw coming! If you enjoy character driven, slow burn thrillers based in academia you won't want to miss this one. (

3.5 stars!
The plot was a bit long as well as the story wasn't as captivating as Stacy's other books which I was sad about. The premise was excellent but I wasn't gravitated into the book as much as I would of have liked. There were times I had to take breaks to finish this book. :(

4 stars

You can read all of my reviews at Nerd Girl Loves Books.

This is an exciting psychological thriller set at a liberal arts college in South Carolina. Margot's best friend Eliza died 3 weeks after graduation and Margo blames Eliza's boyfriend for her death. Margot goes into a deep funk, but ultimately decides to attend the college she and Eliza planned to attend together. Margo spends her freshman year cloistered with her plain jane roommate, never making other friends or participating in social events. The only thing she does notice is Lucy, who is bold and dangerous - and reminds her so much of Eliza.

At the end of freshman year, Lucy approaches Margot and invites her to move into an off-campus house with two other girls, Sloan and Nicole. The house is owned by the next-door fraternity and one of Margot's roommate is dating the fraternity president. Suddenly Margot is coming out of her shell, partying, and having fun. She and Lucy grow very close and by the end of summer are almost inseparable - until one of the fraternity boys from next door is found brutally murdered and Lucy goes missing without a trace. Suddenly Margot and her remaining two roommates are in the middle of a murder and missing person investigation, and cracks are forming.

Told in short chapters that alternate between the time just before and after Eliza's death before college, and the present timeline while Margot lives in the off-campus house, the book is an addictive read. I had a hard time putting it down and read it in a day and a half. The book is a great example of an unreliable narrator and kept me guessing as to what was going to happen next and what the truth really was. Pretty much everyone was despicable in one way or another, other than perhaps Nicole and Sloan. But even they had their moments. The middle was a bit slow, but it quickly picked up the last fourth of the book until the climatic ending. If you like psychological, suspenseful books with plenty of twists and turns, pick this book up now.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley, St. Martin's Press and Minotaur Books. All opinions are my own.

If you like hunting game by Lucy Foely. Manipulation, Past mrets presents and twist that inicent people might npt be as incent.

Wow, this story drew me in from the beginning. Margot is closing out her freshman year at college, isolating herself and mourning the loss of her childhood best friend who died in a mysterious accident before school began. When she meets up with the mysterious Lucy who invites her to live with friends Sloane and Nicole in a house that's connected to and rented out to a fraternity. Enigmatic Lucy draws her into her world of college parties, friendships, and mysteries. She draws her friends into her like magnets. Midway through the year, one of the fraternity brothers next door is murdered and Lucy has gone missing.

This is a slow-burn story that draws you in and that has many twists and turns that I didn't see coming.

Thanks to St Martin's Press, Minotaur Books, Netgalley, and the author for the ARC

I loved it!
Super slow burn, but it fits perfectly.
We get a lot of morally gray characters and so many twists I didn't see coming!!

Thank you for the ARC Copy of Only if You're Lucky, This was a pretty good thriller. It had its ups and downs. It definitely was a slow burn and felt more of a Young Adult reader type thriller than an adult one but I still enjoyed the story especially seeing it all over social media. Overall I think if you prefer more of a YA book this one would be a good route to go.

Stacy Willingham is a #mustread #autobuyauthor at this point for me, and while this one I would still say is worth a shot for all Stacy fans (I did overall enjoy it), this is probably my least favorite so far of hers. That being said (a) it’s a high bar to meet and (2) the biggest struggle I had with this one was that it takes place (with the exception of some past high school memories) entirely from the viewpoint of college students - while it has not been thatttt long since I’ve been in college and I am a sucker for some college plots (looking at you The Secret History 🙏) this one was a little one dimensional. It also took a while for the pace to pick up.

•

Margot has been deemed “malleable” - the kind of girl that can be molded easily. Still fresh off of mourning her high school bestfriend - the kind of girl who was hypnotic, mesmerizing, unforgettable - whose tragic death still haunts her, Margot finds herself once against enthralled by another bold, alpha-leader, magnetic peer: the iconic and mysterious Lucy Sharpe, an enigma at their small liberal arts college.

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As Margot becomes more and more entwined with Lucy and her two other sidekicks (for lack of a better term), Sloane and Nicole, and indulges deeper and deeper in alcohol, games, secrets, and lies, the past and present begin to merge as she realizes that she knows very little about the girls she has essentially become glued at the hip to, given herself to entirely.

•

Combine the disappearance of one of the four girls, a few dead bodies gone before their time, and mistakes that will haunt them all forever, and you’ve got a solid collegiate #suspensethriller with several plot twists to boot.

I liked this one! The college setting was great, and I liked the alternating timelines. I had a feeling how it was all connected together, but there was a huge surprise. I love when a book surprises me. Can’t wait to read this author’s next one!

In this latest book by Stacy Willingham, she showcases her ability to create characters that are complex, multilayered and who may not always be what they seem. This is a character driven story of friendship, belonging, manipulation, lies, secrets, loyalty, envy and questioning how far a person would go to right a perceived wrong or for self preservation. None of the characters are very likable and I found this book to be kind of slow to get to where it was going. It wasn’t my favorite Stacy Willingham book but it is well written and ultimately does tell an interesting story.