Only If You’re Lucky focuses on the lives of a group of college-age girls, whose ties of friendship and loyalty are forged and tested, as they decide how much of themselves to reveal and how far they will go to protect each other, especially when some secrets from their pasts are uncovered.

This is definitely a slow burn suspense/thriller. Willingham’s writing style has always been one of my favorites. Her descriptions of college life, from the eccentricities of the off-campus house where the girls reside, to the drunken chaos of frat parties, make the reader feel as if they were transported right onto the college scene. Much of the book is focused on the dynamics between the girls, and how their friendships form through late night whispers and secrets shared, and how those same friendships are tested through truths and vulnerabilities that are revealed as the story unfolds.

There is a lot going on with this book and most of the slow burn twists are revealed in the last third of the novel. While I enjoyed the writing style and I’m typically engaged with slow burn thrillers, the pacing felt like it did drag a bit. By the time the twists were revealed, I did not feel as invested as I have with Willingham’s previous novels. There were a lot of elements brought into the story and while the resolution made sense, it felt like there were several side plots and situations going on.

While this one is not my favorite, Stacy Willingham will continue to be a must-read author for me.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Minotaur Books for this advanced copy, in exchange for my honest review.

First, I love books about young adult characters, specifically female friendships – this one reminded me a bit of Ruth Ware’s The Lying Game, and maybe a little of Pretty Little Liars.
I was intrigued from the start and it was hard to put the book down, even though it was a slow burn. The story gave bits and pieces, clues here and there, but I was sucked in by the female friendships and mystery – and when the twists did start happening, they were good!

My opinions of characters changed so many times, and I kept thinking I knew the story and then I would be wrong about parts. There were a few things I did figure out. It was interesting to feel attached to characters and then start to change your mind about them. With so many characters, I would have liked to hear from more POVs, but I think I understand why she didn’t do that. The ending was wrapped in a little bow, which I like, but I still have some questions and wish we would have been given a bit more, maybe an epilogue of years later

Enjoyed all 3 of Stacy’s books so far and will keep picking them up!

Thank you Netgalley, Stacy, & Minotaur St. Martins Press for this ARC!

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity it read the ARC (Advance reader Copy) of Only If You're Lucky by Stacy Willingham. This book was ok but really not for me. It reminded me a lot of a book I read many years ago and I was not a fan then either. It was not an exciting book with twists and turns. Actually quite monotonous. The reason for such a high rating (3 stars) is due to the ending. There was some unexpected drama towards the end (the last 20%). I sis not feel engaged with this novel. Sorry to say, but I would not recommend this book to others. Sorry.

As if I didn’t already love Stacy Willingham enough, she’s back again with another thriller I could not put down!

From the very start of Only If You’re Lucky I was drawn into Margot’s world. Obsessed with both her past and the glimpses of the present timeline. Those little snippets of “after” made me put on my detective hat and try to guess what would happen along the way. Some of my suspicions turned out to be right, but it took me a while to really get to those conclusions. And don’t worry, Willingham still came through with quite a few surprises!

Fans of dark academia type thrillers will eat this one up. The off-campus housing situation that Margot has is a fascinating and very realistic setting (make sure to check the author’s note for inspiration on this!). It truly lends itself to helping build up the tension between Margot, her roommates, and the neighboring fraternity brothers.

This is one of those books that I’m going to be recommending to everyone, so do yourself a favor and get your pre-order in for this ASAP!

A huge thank you to Minotaur Books for my gifted copy!

Thank you to Minotaur Books and NetGalley for my eARC. All opinions expressed are solely my own.

This was my first Willingham book and I really enjoyed it. There were so many twists and turns in this and it kept me guessing throughout.

This is marketed about exploring friendship and belonging but I think it could also be about family and jealousy.

The dual timeline really worked to explain the story and drive the plot along, and I love the dynamics between the characters. Some of the actions of the characters felt a bit too naïve and felt like it was too convenient, like it was just to drive the plot forward.

Overall, I highly recommend this one and will be going and reading Willingham's other books.

I really enjoyed this author’s other two books, so I was excited to receive an early copy of her new one. With that said, this one was a bit different from her other books. I expected a thriller (similar to her other books) but was met with more of a mystery drama. The pacing was really slow in the beginning, but the chapters were short, which kept me intrigued. Things didn’t really pick up until the last 30% of the story. I did enjoy the various plot twists, although some of them were predictable. The storyline gave off mean girls vibes mixed with some dark academia. Worth reading if you’re a fan of this author’s books!

ᴛʜᴇ sᴛᴏʀʏ: After losing her lifelong best friend, Margot starts college depressed and alone. When she finds herself taken in by an enigmatic personality and 3 new best friends, her life changes, but her past threatens to upend her new life.

ᴍʏ ᴛᴡᴏ ᴄᴇɴᴛs: Okay, unpopular opinion - I was so disappointed by this book. I’ve been seeing some rave reviews by booksta friends that made me really excited to start this one, but it just was not for me.

The actual backstory/thriller part was good, and I really enjoyed the twists thrown at us, but for me, I think the problem was the setting. I could not get into all of these moronic kids partying through college. Don’t get me wrong, I never said no to a party in college either, but for some reason they just had me rolling my eyes at their idiocy the entire time.

ʀᴇᴀᴅ ᴛʜɪs ɪғ ʏᴏᴜ ᴇɴᴊᴏʏ:
👯‍♀️ unhealthy friendships
👯‍♀️ living in a frat house
👯‍♀️ unrealistic college experiences

3.5 rounded up to 4 stars !

'Only If You're Lucky' toooootally gave me Pretty Little Liar vibes. Although it was a little on the slower end and the characters gave me some immaturity characteristics, it was still pretty enjoyable. I'm glad I took the advice to listen to the audiobook for this one rather than reading it cause the narrator - Karissa Vacker - really added that extra factor of making the story engaging and entertaining.

I'm kicking myself in the butt as I am realizing I still need to read Willingham's 'Flicker in The Dark', maybe I'll try that one on audio too at some point!

Her third thriller is out TODAY! (1/16/23)…and it doesn’t disappoint

This mysterious & twisty story follows the friendship of four college girls- all with very different lives- and their jealous, manipulative, secretive and wild ways.

The dynamics between the girls (especially Margot and Lucy) were entertaining to read about because they were so so different.
It was very well written and the descriptions and character development were great- which I knew we’d get based off Willingham’s previous books.

I always enjoy when a book flips between the past and present and we get a really good sense of who Margot (MC) is and tons of backstory on her.

Some parts felt like they moved a little slower than others, but the reveals along the way made up for that and I didn’t feel like things dragged. So a bit of a slow burn, but I got to a point in the book where things started moving at lightning speed.

I found it super easy to follow and fun to connect all the dots as more things were revealed.
Overall I enjoyed how unpredictable parts of the plot were, and the big twists were awesome!

If you love dark academia as much as I do, you’ll want to pick this one up and dive in!

Stacy Wilingham has written another tense twisty thriller that I hated to put down..A book of female friendships with characters that come alive.and keep you on the edge of your seat.#netgalley #st.martins

Rating - 3.5 stars rounded down.

Saves the best for the last!

Thanks NetGalley, St Martin's Press, Minotaur Books for the ALC in exchange on an honest review.

Synopsis –

Margot, the shy and cautious girl, is always behind the scenes. As she becomes a close friend to the “It girl” Lucy Sharpe, she can’t help feeling singled out, even while living with two other girls. Still reeling from the loss of her best friend Eliza, Margot’s new found stability is under threat when one of the boys in the neighbourhood fraternity is found dead and Lucy is missing.

Review –

Karissa Vacker does a brilliant job with Margot’s narrative, as she voices her deepest thoughts, secrets and vulnerabilities.

The plot is juicy and salacious, brimming with all the things that makes college life colourful, scandalous and deeply experiential. We have a bunch of girls who couldn’t be more different from one another hanging out with a group of marauding boys - parties, bonfires, truth or dare games and of course hook ups.

The author does a great job in exploring these dynamics, as she brings out the nuances, highlights and pit falls with female friendships. Drawing parallels between the effervescent Lucy and the vivacious Eliza, we get an in-depth understanding of how these two girls affected Margot, altering her mindsets, behaviour & timid persona.

Soon after Lucy goes missing, although it was evident that these girls were harbouring secrets, Margot’s narrative however, dragged out the tension and suspense. Her monologue felt tedious, repetitive & at one point, her obsession with Lucy and Eliza felt overdone and unrealistic.

I do love a great slow burn thriller that packs a punch all the way at the end, but sadly here, it went a little too far, rendering the single POV of Margot boring and monotonous. I think multi POVs would have done wonders in this.

Finally when the twists arrive, they were indeed unexpected and shocking, but it rather felt anti-climactic, as if they were done in desperation, just for the sake of it.

Overall, I did mostly enjoy this one and thought it had great potential, but not my favourite by the author. I absolutely loved her previous works and look forward to her next.

Only If You're Lucky took me by surprise! I love thrillers and mysteries of any kind. Last year I struggled finding ones that either I liked, or actually gave me a mystery I couldn't see coming!
The writing was visceral! I felt so absorbed in the setting it was easy to get lost in this page turner of a mystery. I read this in almost one sitting. I was hooked!
What I love about this thriller is that it has the perfect amount of details to really capture your imagination but not too heavy of details that it takes you out of the story.
I don't like to give a lot of details about the actual story because with a thriller you need to be experience it for yourself with no spoilers!
I highly recommend this thriller 5 stars!

A thoroughly immersive Dark Academia read, Stacy Willingham’s “Only If You’re Lucky” is told in two timelines with a single POV character. Margot is a shy college sophomore, trying to fit in but still reeling from the death of Eliza, her best friend in high school. When Lucy, a charismatic force of nature, “adopts” her and invites her to move into an off-campus house next door to a fraternity, Margot eagerly joins Lucy’s tight-knit circle and we’re off to the races in this blend of psychological insight with a twisty plot.

Not all the characters are likeable or reliable, (they party endlessly) but the escapades ring true for twenty-somethings who are feeling their way toward adulthood. There’s an underlying feeling of tension throughout, particularly when Levi, the boy Margot suspects of killing Eliza, joins the fraternity and wedges himself into Margot’s orbit. Willingham paints a picture of a world in which it’s not only your enemies but your friends you need to watch out for.

This was a compelling mix of suspense and character exploration. Not your typical twist-a-minute thriller so if a slower pace bothers you, this might not be for you. But I for one appreciated the deeper exploration of what each girl was going through as well as the intriguing mystery.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley and St. Martin's Press in exchange for an honest review.

When we reach the end of this year, I know I will be looking back on Only If You're Lucky as a standout thriller, just as I did with Stacy Willingham’s 2023 release, All The Dangerous Things.

This is the first thriller of 2024 that had me swearing out loud, and left me gasping in awe as the hits kept coming. There’s an incredible and everyday hook (maybe it’s actually two incredible and everyday hooks), impeccable reveal timing and delivery… and it clearly has a thing with groups of three. Sigh.

Characters Margot, Sloane and Nicole, three identities squirreled away, hand picked and befriended by puppet master Lucy. Each personality sharp and precise, playing their intended role perfectly.

How on earth can an authors brain come up with this level of cunning corruption? Each aspect interwoven and connected, so deliberately laid out. Suddenly hours had gone past when it felt like mere minutes had transpired as I devoured this edgy plot. This book was there, and then it was over.

Do you want to know what a perfect audiobook is? This is it. Karissa Vacker absolutely nailed the inflection and intrigue the story provided while the characters become bigger than the page with her voicing them. With Lucy, the narration is vindictive and Vacker seems almost deliberate in word choice (even though she is simply just reading the book); Margot and Nicole’s voices are flawlessly naïve and mousy; with Sloane, the narration is even more subtle, adding to the constant friend or foe debate ever present; Detective Frank, has a smugness and air of authority to his voice. Each character has their role in the story, and Vacker has encompassed those qualities and traits, bringing them forth effortlessly with her voice. It is absolutely the perfect specimen of audiobook narration.

One request to anyone picking up this book after reading my review: read the acknowledgements. Just read them.

Thank you NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books and Macmillan Audio for the complimentary copies to read and review.

What happens when vanilla makes friends with fire?

This twisty thriller focuses on college students Margot, who is struggling to find a way forward after the sudden death of her best friend last year, and Lucy, a firecracker rule breaker always looking for her next thrill. In the "before" timeline, Margot, Lucy, and 2 other women have just rented a house next door to a fraternity - where Levi, the man Margot blames for the death of her best friend, has just moved in. In the "after" timeline, Levi is dead and Lucy is missing.

This book has themes of female friendships, the darker side of college life, and the consequences of secrets and lies. It's one part How to Get Away with Murder and one part Pretty Little Liars and I was 100% here for this recipe. These characters are both unlikable and captivating, and the gritty underbelly of seeking a sense of belonging in a female friend group is exposed. Stacy Willingham has penned some of my favorite thrillers of late; her unique and twisty plots have made her an auto-buy author for me. Only If You're Lucky is a slow burn, with each twisted puzzle piece falling into place as we approach what I consider to be her best ending yet.

My sincere thanks to St. Martin's Press, NetGalley, and Stacy Willingham for the opportunity to walk on the wild side with Lucy and Margot in exchange for my honest review.

Stacy Willingham is quickly becoming one of my auto-buy authors. Her new book was highly anticipated and I’m grateful for the opportunity to read it.

This book was a slow burn suspense that leaned toward YA. Margot is stumbling through college, grieving her best friend Eliza and feeling out of place. Along comes Lucy who brings excitement and a sense of belonging.

Margot has new friends but she can’t shake her past. When someone from her past shows up, it all comes back to her.

Nothing is at it seems in this book. Everyone has secrets and they are slowly revealed. This story dragged initially, but it picked up midway. I couldn’t stop reading to find out what happened. If you like a thriller that unravels gradually, this is the book for you.
Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for my ARC.

stacy willingham is the master of keeping the feeling of something being so deeply off but not quite being able to place your finger on what. margot has never fully recovered from her best friend, eliza’s, death. hiding herself at college she ends up moving in with the girls she thinks she wants to be like..especially lucy who reminds her of eliza. but beneath the surface she starts to realize things are more off kilter than she thought. i love multiple timelines and unreliable narrators and this book so hit the mark for me. probably my favorite of hers so far!

Pub Day Review: Only If You're Lucky by Stacy Willingham
Swipe for Goodreads synopsis ➡️

Happy happy Tuesday, friends, and happy Pub Day to Only If You're Lucky! I was a big fan of Willingham's previous two releases, and her 2023 release, All The Dangerous Things, was in my top 10 reads of last year, so I was very excited to read this one.

Only If You're Lucky is a character-driven novel, following four college friends living in an off campus house. Our MC is Margot is more of an introvert, shying away from social gatherings in favor of staying in her dorm room every night, mostly due to a tragic event that happened a year prior. But when larger than life Lucy invites her to move to an off-campus house, she can't resist. Margot is drawn into Lucy's world of partying and is having a blast, until one of the frat boys living next door turns up dead, and Lucy disappears without a trace.

I feel like many of us have encountered someone like Lucy at one point in our lives: a larger-than-life personality, who everyone is just inexplicably drawn to. I thought her character was really interesting, and I love how we get deeper into her mind and motivations as the book goes on.

Interesting characters aside, I felt like the plot of this one really dragged. I did like the back and forth timeline and how the secrets started being revealed gradually, but I felt like the middle of the book really dragged. I also thought that the book was really wordy, with so many unnecessary paragraphs that just went on and on, and I found myself skimming a lot of them.

I did like the elements of the author's real life experience that she brought into the book (which she explains in the author's note) and there were some good unexpected twists, but overall, I didn't love this one as much as her others.

It was a like, not a love for me.

Stars: 3.5/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

This is a very well written psychological thriller, while it contains four mysteries. It is mostly about the power of obsessive friendships, finding yourself in others and the desperation of maybe losing them. Lots of small details are dropped and all come together in the end. Lots of secrets are revealed. It is more psychological so a slower pace but that was part of what made it work, the slow build up

4 stars

I really like Stacy Willingham’s writing. She is quickly becoming a favorite author of mine!

Only if You’re Lucky did not disappoint. There were many surprises throughout the book that really caught me of guard. Some you can figure out before hand, but the ending really caught me off guard.

Overall the writing was great, the storyline was easy and interesting to read, and the characters were debatable. I liked Margot, I found myself feeling sorry for her in her attempts to fit in. I felt she put herself out too much and that’s why she found herself in these precarious positions she did. And Lucy, well, she wasn’t very likable but she did kind of redeem herself in the end because of her “situation”. This book is a solid 4 stars!

***Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for an ARC copy in return for an honest review***