3.5 stars

Margot and her friends find themselves at the center of a police investigation when their best friend, Lucy, goes missing from their college apartment. I have loved Willingham's other 2 books, so this one is a bit of an anomaly for me. I did like it (I thought it picked up speed at the end), but it was definitely a slow burn and I almost DNF'd just because I was a little bored at the beginning. The second half of the book, in my opinion, was much better and faster paced. I wanted to know what really happened to Lucy, and if anyone was who they claimed to be. I liked the college campus vibes, and the story had quite a few twists (one of which I guessed early on, but others that I didn't). Overall, I liked this book, but All the Dangerous Things is still my favorite book by this author.

Thank you to the author, the publisher, and netgalley for the e-ARC of this book to review. All opinions are my own.

As usual, Stacy does another great job; she’s an auto buy author for myself and it was an honor to receive a copy in exchange for an honest review. The story is about this shy, reserved girl(Margot) heading to college, in which should have been with her now deceased, overly extroverted best friend Eliza. When Margot befriends Lucy, whom personality is almost identical to her former best friend- she starts to break out of her shell and enjoy the college life as if Eliza would have wanted her to. The girls attend a party and meet these boys, in which one is found murdered and Lucy is missing.

Stacy Willingham is known for hard-hitting psychological thrillers and I knew after reading her last novel, A Flicker in the Dark, I had to check out this book. This story followed a group of girls at college living next door to a fraternity. Now, this sounds like a typical YA fiction… maybe throw in some romance. But not this.

I was instantly intrigued by the characters. You just knew everyone was keeping so many secrets, and I just wanted to know what they were. I instantly was suspicious though of the motives of the characters and Willingham did a great job of building my trust in the characters while also planting doubt at the same time. Her writing style was next-level. I felt invested in the outcomes for all the characters. I also really enjoyed the suspense of this novel. I knew something had happened because of the back and forth between past and present, but the story’s buildup and development really kept me coming back.

My only issue was the flipping between past and present. I feel this story would have been just as interesting if it had just been from start to finish or even just a prologue with a glimpse of the end and then followed the story through in real time. The flashes to the current time and then going back to the story that led to it frustrated me. There was enough information given to peak my interest, but also not enough to justify the use of the back-and-forth for me.

Even with that said, there was a ton of suspense that kept the pages turning and me needing to know more. The ending was jaw-dropping and sealed the suspense in a tight bundle for me. I kind of wanted to know a little bit more at the end, but I was satisfied with the ending. I will add Willingham to my must-read list now that I am two books in. If you love suspense thrillers, Only If You’re Lucky is for you!

I'm always excited to receive another thriller from Author Stacy Willingham! I became a fan after reading A FLICKER IN THE DARK and ALL THE DANGEROUS THINGS. Like previous thrillers, ONLY IF YOU'RE LUCKY is twisty and gutsy with a last minute shocker sure to leave readers reeling.

Margot attends a liberal arts college in South Carolina and is like a fish out of water. She isn't part of the in-crowd, standing on the sidelines instead wondering what would have been different if her best high school friend Eliza hadn't passed away. As Margot battles depression, she quietly watches a mysterious transfer student, Lucy - a bright, vibrant girl everyone theorizes about but wants to be around. Imagine Margot's shock when Lucy chooses her to be one of her roommates instantly raising her status on campus. The girls rent a house from a fraternity group of boys who live next door. Margot's life is good until the day a boy from her past joins the fraternity. Levi was Eliza's boyfriend, and Lucy blames him for her friend's death. As the story unfolds, things escalate and two people disappear. Are they dead? Are they alive? Is there a murderer living among them?

ONLY IF YOU'RE LUCKY is narrated by Karissa Vackar who delivers an outstanding performance. I love the way she brought each character to life. I highly recommend the audio book if you're a fan of listening to stories.

Through alternating timelines, readers learn about Margot's past and the events that tore her life apart. A steady pace is driven by an ominous tone that keeps readers burning through pages. Taut, concise chapters keep the story flowing as twists and turns drive the intriguing plot line in this well-crafted story. With themes of loyalty, betrayal, belonging and the true meaning of friendship, ONLY IF YOU'RE LUCKY is a highly atmospheric, intense suspense thriller that I highly recommend to fans of mysteries, suspense, and thrillers.

The was just okay for me. The story was pretty strong and I was invested but the twist was a bit too unbelievable for me.

I have previous read and enjoyed all of Willingham’s books and this is no exception. This story focuses on the friendship of four college aged girls. The author does a great job wrapping you in this alcohol induced haze as the story is told slowly, letting out little pieces of information one by one. Then she tilts the story slightly on its axis to have you reflect on those pieces of information in a new way. Overall, very slow hazy build. Would recommend.

I was very excited to receive a copy of Only If You’re Lucky as I absolutely loved the authors previous books. Unfortunately, this one fell flat for me.

It was a very slow burn, but with not much going on. I didn’t enjoy Margot’s overly obsessive character because I felt like it was repeated too much.

I did start to enjoy the book towards the end as the twists were good and unexpected.

Overall, the author will continue to be an auto-buy author for me’! I look forward to what she comes out with next!

Thank you so much for my review copy in exchange for my honest review!

3.5⭐️

Margot, a shy college student, is drawn into the magnetic and dangerous world of Lucy Sharpe, a larger-than-life figure. When Lucy invites Margot to room together with two other girls, their opposites become deeply intertwined. As Margot emerges from her shell, their friendship takes a dark turn in the sophomore year, marked by a brutal murder and Lucy's mysterious disappearance. This tantalizing thriller explores the nature of friendship, loyalty, envy, and betrayal:

Intriguing from start to finish, this mystery had me guessing until the very end. The book was not only easy to read but also remarkably entertaining, making it nearly impossible to put down. The exploration of female friendships and the depths of love portrayed in this book is well-crafted and thought-provoking. I absolutely loved this book and can't wait to read more from Stacy Willingham. A captivating and well-executed novel that seamlessly blends mystery with a nuanced portrayal of relationships.

Thank you NetGalley and Stacy Willingham for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 ⭐️

3.5 stars

I have really become a fan of Stacy Willingham and truly enjoy her books! I was so excited to receive an ebook copy of Only if You’re Lucky to review through NetGalley!

Only if You’re Lucky is the story of 4 girls who become friends during their sophomore year of college. The story is told through one of the characters POV, her name is Margot. Margot has been through a lot in her life and has always been sort of an outcast. Lucy and her friends (Nicole and Sloane) befriend her and they all form a tight bond and rent a house together for sophomore year. The only problem is there are a lot secrets threatening to tear this friendship apart.

This was a very slow burn mystery thriller. It was not fast paced with lots of twists and turns. In the end, you do get the full impact of the story you have been waiting for but it felt like it took a while to get there. While I do enjoy a good slow burn, I was kind of impatient with this one and wanting the pace to pick up. Once it did, I was satisfied but I really wanted a little more from the middle of the book.

I did like that we get flashbacks of Margot’s past while also seeing her live in the present. I also enjoyed that there were two stories and 2 mysteries to unravel. It made the book much more intriguing and made me want to get to the end to find out what really happened!

Overall I am still a huge Willingham fan and will continue to support her!

This didn't catch my attention in the beginning. Too familiar of a plot - the "it" girl dies in school, and only her friends know what happened, or care. An investigation ensues, but at the same time we get the background story of what has happened till the girl died. It is a built of a plot, one I've read before.

But the story telling is good. The writing is good. And the twists were fabulous. The slow burn was ok (for one that doesn't like slow burns).. but overall just OK of a book. One I will forget in a heartbeat, but know to recommend when the question "if you liked this" would pop up.

Thank you to PRH Audio and the publisher for my review copy.

I'm struggling with this. It is such a slow burn, that I don't know if I can finish it. My attention isn't as caught as with her previous novels.

I also do not care much for the characters. I thought with the college setting I would be captivated, but I recently lost my college bestie and it's too much.

I hope to return to this one in a few weeks though.

This was one of my most anticipated reads this year. I loved All the Dangerous Things and the writing style of Willingham. Set on a college campus, the books opens with an investigation of a missing person and death. Based on the flashbacks, it's clear we are dealing with unreliable characters and that made the plot and the outcome even more convoluted. Stacy Willingham has become a must-read author for me and Karissa Vacker is quickly becoming a favorite narrator!

Stacy Willingham is back with a campus suspense thriller! This is an exploration of young adult toxic female friendships. It’s about grief, and wanting to fit in. At times characters are frustrating, somewhat unlikeable perhaps, unreliable narrators, that’s the point. This is a character driven story that is intricately plotted throughout the first half. It’s going to feel slower than Willingham’s previous books. Stick with it. I promise the payoff is worth it!

Margot arrives at Rutledge College shaken from the death of her best friend. Introverted, grieving, she is an odd match to be befriended by ‘it girl’ Lucy. By sophomore year Margot and Lucy are roommates, best friends, and enmeshed with the fraternity next door. From the outset the reader knows the women have done something…”We knew what we were doing”. It’s Willingham’s expertise, the slow burn, that hooks us, drops breadcrumbs, building a story while still leaving us in the dark. While the setting and players are different she keeps what I love most about her books…a highly readable suspense that draws me in with surprises I did not see coming!

I think this is a great choice for readers who are fans of campus thrillers that focus on characters, fans of Willingham’s previous books, and those looking for a quick weekend suspense! If you haven’t read All The Dangerous Things, or A Flicker In The Dark by I highly recommend those as well!

I received a review copy from the publisher, @Minotaur_books , via @Netgalley .

This really detoured from Willingham's normal style and was much more of a college drama than I imagined. Sadly just didn't hit for me. I think if I went into it knowing it would be nothing like her other two I maybe would have enjoyed it more but I was just looking for that mind bending thriller that she normally delivers and this didn't have any of that.

I struggle with college dramas, because typically their problems are so silly and to end in murder is outrageous. This was a slow burn and took awhile to hit the twists, and by that time I was over it. The setting was fun, and their were a ton of untrusworthy characters, but the pace and premise wasn't enough to keep my attention or excitement.

Overall, if you are already a fan of Willingham, I would try it out! If you haven't read this author yet, I would recommend her debut over this one if you are in need of a thriller rec!

This is the second novel I have read by Stacy Willingham - I read Flicker in the Dark when it came out - and I'm just thinking maybe this author isn't for me. I can completely see why others enjoy her books, but for me, I just find that I don't really like or care about any of the characters. I am fine with unlikeable characters, if they are dynamic and interesting, but just found that the characters in this novel felt a bit YA and annoying.

So, I'm sorry to say that this one just didn't work for me. It just felt like not a whole lot happened to move the story along - and the twists and turns at the end were just a bit lackluster and predictable. Again, I don't think that means it's a bad book or that others won't love it. Maybe I read too many thrillers and am just looking for something a bit more unique than what I have seen so far from this author. Just cause it didn't work for me, doesn't mean it won't work for others!

Such a good thriller as expected!!! I loved it so much of course! It was very interesting and fast paced!!

This book gave me mean girl vibes and I loved it. Filled with friends and secrets and school drama. This book was a fun ride and even though I did kind of see one twist , prob because I'm a thriller junkie I didn't see the second one. Another great read from Stacey

So excited to get the ARC from NetGalley. This one was good. Definite psychological thriller, getting into everyone’s heads the entire time. It started pretty slow and was a bit boring. The writing was annoying at times with metaphor after metaphor after metaphor. But 2/3 of the way through we finally start to get some answers and twists coming this way and that, many that I didn’t expect. The needing left me feeling efficiently discomforted but satisfied at the same time. Maybe my favorite so far by Willingham!

This took me a little bit to get into. I absolutely loved A Flicker in the Dark so I was super excited to have received a copy of this, but I just had a hard time getting into the college kid mind set. To me, there was not enough to pull me in to get past that quickly. Well written, interesting story but just wasn't the WOW I was expecting.

Thank you NetGalley & St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books for an ARC of this book!

This book is out now and you defintely need to read this! If you like thrillers and/or have enjoyed any of Stacy Willingham's other books, this is a must read. She is one of my auto read thriller offers and her newest book does not disappoint.

I enjoyed that it switched times to help build and add onto what was happening, giving you bits and pieces as you tried to figure out what was going on and what was happening. It kept me on my toes guessing what was true and what was really going on all the way until the end!