Very slow burn throughout the book, but it still kept me engaged to the end with the tangle of complicated relationships, manipulations, and twists and turns. The tension was pushing and pulling throughout the book and certainly kept me guessing as I learned that Levi and Lucy were both gone. I definitely enjoyed the book, even if it did end up being a tad predictable by the end.

At a liberal arts college in South Carolina, shy Margot ends up meeting the energetic Lucy Sharpe. When they end up rooming together, Lucy starts to come out of her shell for the first time in years. But soon, a boy from the frat next door ends up dead and Lucy is nowhere to be found. This book is an incredible story about female friendships and the complexities that lie within them. I'm also personally a huge fan of the novels set on colleges campuses, so this is an especially great read for those going back to school or looking to reminisce on that college atmosphere.

This book kept me guessing until the end. When the big twist was revealed, I was completely surprised. Although the story flipped between the current time and the past, it was fairly easy to keep up with what time period the story was in any any given time, I enjoyed the characters and the story. I would definitely recommend this book!

I wanted to love this like I did her first book but it was just not the same. I think it wasn’t as fast paced and it was hard for me to stay interested.

“They were right, those women. College friends are different. We would do anything for each other. Anything.” Only If You’re Lucky by Stacy Willingham
This is definitely a slow burn psychological thriller; however, Willingham’s writing style captivates the reader and leaves you wanting more. With the story told primarily from Margot’s point of view, a college student, at times is an unreliable narrator. The story jumps timelines, before and after the death of a fellow student. Soon after the start of the book, the reader knows immediately that Margot and her friends know more than they are letting on. Like any good psychological thriller, Willingham put in several twists and turns that I didn’t see coming. As the end of the book approaches, you end up reading faster and faster to see what ends up happening. Overall, I think this was a good thriller, however a bit different from the author’s previous books. Nevertheless, Stacy Willingham is an automatic read and I can’t wait to see what she puts out next!

3.5 🌟

This wasn’t my favorite by this author, but it was engaging and kept me interested. I liked the dark academia vibes and wasn’t able to predict everything that happened. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the gifted copy!

I was really looking forward to this one as I've enjoyed the author's previous works. This read more like a YA suspense/thriller than anything else. I typically enjoy YA but while this one was enjoyable, it wasn't great.

I think the fact that they were supposed to be college students but acted more like high schoolers was the biggest let down for me. Not to mention, this kind of story has been done plenty of times before so the outcome was predictable for me.

Overall not a bad story and for the most part I did enjoy it. I sincerely appreciate NetGalley for the review copy.

I enjoyed Stacy Willingham's other two novels immensely, but Only if You're Lucky spent too much time repeating the same things over and over. The repetition of the same plot points and characterizations got to be tedious to read.

What is it about "teenage murder" that lights up the thriller-loving-darkness within us?

I happened to pick this book up while also stumbling upon the Hulu's "Under the Bridge" — another dark thriller about murderous teenagers.

There is something really enticingly complex about these plot-lines that I can't quite put my finger on. A murderous adult, with 40, 50 years of trauma, we can understand... but a teenager, yet to even earn the legal right to drive?

Sadly, Under the Bridge is based on a true story and that's a conversation for another post. But, ONLY IF YOU'RE LUCKY is a dramatic imagining of teenaged relationships at the brink of being unhinged (both literally and figuratively).

I found this story to be gripping enough to finish — THANK YOU Stacy Willingham for your bingeable prose — but the ending left me feeling no more than "meh."

Regardless, a worthy thriller for Stacy Willingham fans.

THANK YOU Minotaur Books for providing me a Netgalley of this highly anticipated novel. I'm forever grateful!

3/5 -- I really enjoyed her first two books and was excited to read ONLY IF YOU’RE LUCKY but quickly found that it was different, a little less thriller and a lot more suspense. Definitely a slow burn. Although I didn't love the story, I did still love the writing style. It wasn't 100% predictable which I always appreciate. Read if you like campus/college settings, murder mysteries, toxic characters, alternating timelines.

While the core mystery of this book was interesting at first, it was clear about halfway through how the plot of this would end.

This felt like a YA thriller, and I honestly did not mind that even though it is not marketed as such. I typically love a book where the setting is a school of sorts so that hit the mark for me. I enjoyed it although I wish we got to read some of the other characters POV.

Stacy Willingham is absolutely brilliant. She came crashing into my literary life in 2023 after a friend told me I HAD to read her book and she wasn’t wrong. I love many genre’s of books and thrillers are way up at the top. I love the twists and turns and the unexpected of thrillers. However, Stacy is just an incredible writer. Usually when I read I can piece together things but she writes in such a way that you’re constantly questioning what is going on and where could this possibly end up. I have a hard time not binging and staying up until all hours to read her books. This books is about friendship, belonging, loyalty but also betrayal!

This story follows Margot to college where she should’ve been with her best friend, Eliza, but she died shortly after graduation. Margot finds herself eventually making friends with a girl, Lucy, who reminds her so much of Eliza. However, after Lucy enters Margot’s world things go crazy…parts of her past come to the present and tie into her current and new world but then all of that comes crashing down. Lucy and Margot become the best of friends but then Lucy winds up missing and a boy from the fraternity next door is dead.. 🤯🤯🤯

This books is packed with suspense and so many what the F moments. Just when you think you have something figured out Stacy throws something else in and your mind will be reeling.

There isn’t a person I won’t recommend this book to. It’s a book that would definitely get you out of a reading slump but all of Stacy’s books are like that.

From the writer that brought us A Flicker In the Dark — I had to request this one.

It is slower paced read, and it’s less intense than Flicker. I think this book would fare better as YA versus Adult, because it seems better for that generation and audience.

I really enjoyed it once I started to care about the characters.

3.5 ⭐️ rounded up

A quick, slow burn. Plot twists were predictable but overall if you are feeling a nostalgic college thriller, this one is for you. I enjoyed it. But it wasn’t my favorite of hers.

I absolutely love Stacy’s writing. She is one author who can write the slow burn thriller. This book had so many twists that I did not expect the ending. I loved the mystery behind Lucy and how was persuasive and how you were drawn to her and her stories I enjoyed the dual time lines

I’ve read all of this author’s published work and I think each book just gets better and better. The mystery of this one went seamlessly and everything got tied up in the end which I love.

The mystery surrounding Lucy took over all my thoughts. I really liked Margot, she was a great character to read from. The friendships between all the girls made me so happy, I enjoy reading about the dynamics of friend groups.

I love this author’s books, I feel like there is always a huge twist that blows my mind. This book absolutely lives up to every book I’ve read by her. Honestly I would love any of her books to be turned into a movie or a series.

This was a really average thriller for me. DNF'd it at 35%. I read another book by this author which was also very average. I think this is just not an auhtor for me.

I could not get myself to finish this book! I tried I tried I TRIED. But it was so slow to start I couldn't get myself to finish.

Unfortunately this one missed the mark for me. It read very YA and just very surface level with a very anti-climatic ending. All I got from it was College kids partying and whining. I loved the constant referring to one of the character eyes as “kaleidoscope blue” or something along those lines.

After reading this one I did pick up All the dangerous things and enjoyed that one a lot more.

Thank you to netgalley for an arc.