Thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for an advanced digital copy of this novel which has a pub date of January 16, 2024.

This book was a bit of a slow burn for me that got more exciting in the last 25 percent. The characters were all unlikable in my opinion. I have really enjoyed Stacy Willingham's book in the past and this one was definitely my least favorite. I look forward to what she comes out with next.

Stacy Willingham’s brain is dark and twisty, and I love getting to read the stories she writes.

I enjoyed this book immensely, and there was so much that I didn’t see coming. It was thrilling from start to finish, but I can’t say much more without giving parts away.

It’s worth going into this book not knowing much about it. That made me enjoy it so much more.

An ARC was provided by NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press in exchange for an honest review.

Stacy Willingham did not disappoint with this newest read. Only If You're Lucky had many twists and turns that left me curious how I missed them as I the end unfolded. Thriller without the gore or unreliable narrator. Just pure unspoken details that gave way for a twist ending. Bravo!

Unfortunately, this book just wasn't for me. I made it to the 30 percent mark, then I decided not to finish it. The characters weren't very likeable, and it had a distinctly "YA" feel.

This is my first Stacy Willingham book. Shocking, I know, considering how many thrillers I read and review. This is the first title of hers I’ve been approved for, though, and I really enjoyed this book, even if it was somewhat predictable and the ground is pretty well-trodden.

I empathize greatly with our protagonist, Margot. I never felt like my best friend was as good of a friend to me as I was to her (that’s a long story) or did as much for me as I did for her. It felt like a very unbalanced friendship. All of my friendships felt like that. That’s eventually why I stopped allowing people to get close to me. I was tired of being hurt. Back when I was in my late teens and early twenties, though? I didn’t know any better. Just like Margot. I just wanted to belong. I just wanted to find my people. I wanted love, safety, and acceptance. Just like Margot, I found that at that age, most people don’t know what they’re doing or who they really are yet. They make a lot of mistakes. A lot of accidents happen. They do a lot of things they can’t take back.

The well-trodden ground of fraternity culture gone wrong in thrillers has been done better in recent years (see Lauren Nossett’s The Resemblance). Willingham does put a nice spin on it with the fraternity having a questionable power exchange dynamic over the girls and their housing situation next door, but it feels rather dated for 2024. I don’t question the hazing culture because I have no doubt hazing still happens in the smaller private universities, no matter what the public may think. I certainly don’t question the other, more insidious aspects of Greek culture that permeate this book either, because those for sure exist, no matter the university.

The plot itself is complicated and twisted, but well-plotted and well-paced. It winds in and out of time throughout the book but never slackens in pace or suspense. Willingham did an excellent job at giving the reader just enough of the past, present, and future in juggling intervals to slake a thirst for knowledge before switching to a different timeline, leaving us eager to know more with every switch. The turns may not be shocking, but when they get there it’s so well-spun you don’t mind you figured it out.

I was provided a copy of this title by NetGalley and the author. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you.

File Under: Crime Thriller/Murder Thriller/Psychological Thriller/Suspense Thriller

How vulnerable are you willing to get with your friends? And how well do you actually know them in return?

These are just some of the questions that this book kept bringing up in my mind. This is quite the tale of friendship and how far people will go for acceptance.

This started slowly and really descriptive to build out this super realistic world. It was so easy to picture everything and everyone so clearly in my mind. Once I got a little past halfway, I really seemed to speed up my reading because I needed to know what really happened.

I thought it was clever being a non-linear timeline to feed you little bits at a time and make you come to sometimes your own conclusions before the ending fully had a light on it for the reader to see/have that ah-ha moment.

Thank you so much to the author, Stacy Willingham, her publisher and NetGalley for the eARC of Only If You’re Lucky!

I’ve been really excited to read this book since I loved Stacy Willingham’s other two novels and it didn’t disappoint.

The entire book is told from the perspective of the main character, Margot, who is struggling with the sudden death of her best friend right after high school graduation. Now a sophomore in college, she is living with three other girls next door to a frat house. One of the frat boys is murdered and Margot’s roommate is suddenly missing. It is told in dual timelines- before and after her roommate’s disappearance.

There are tons of twists and turns in this book- none of which I really saw coming. It also took place at a coastal college in SC, so this brought back tons of memories of going to college in SC and living in Charleston myself.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. So many suspense novels are predictable, but this one wasn’t. It was a little juvenile with the characters being so young, binge drinking, etc, but that didn’t take away from my overall feelings of the book.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publisher for giving me the chance to read this one early- it comes out this week so give it a try!

{3.5 stars}

Margot is a young girl without her own charisma. She is the type who tags herself onto a much more vibrant… and risky personality to help her get exposure to the world. She sees herself as the safe, unassuming type. However, people around her keep dying or going missing.

This is a solid thriller. But nothing that wow-ed me like previous Willingham books. It has the usual girl drama, but there is a little meat behind this. Everything lines up the way it should, but I just wasn’t satisfied by the ending. Still a solid pool/beach read.

Thanks to Minotaur books for gifted access via Netgalley. All opinions above are my own.

I enjoyed this psychological thriller with dark academia vibes.

Our FMC Margot is portrayed as a shy and reserved gal, but you question who she is as the story continues. I enjoyed the slow burn, even though it sometimes dragged a bit too long. I found it necessary to understand our characters and their dynamics, and as a reader, you start to question everyone.

Read if you enjoy:
-dark academia
-Slow-burn thrillers
-eerie settings
-unreliable narrator
-whodunit murder
-twisty ending

This was a 3.5, maybe 4-star read for me! I will be posting my full review on pub day!

Thank you, Netgalley and Minotaur, for the advanced digital copy in exchange for my honest review.

Rating: 9/10
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

It’s official, Stacy Willingham is in my top 5 authors of all time and is definitely my favorite thriller writer. I truly could not put this book down!

Thoughts:
-I’m not typically a big fan of thrillers that take place in schools (high school or college) because they always tend to feel a bit Pretty Little Liars to me, but not this one. Willingham crafted such a world and story that pulled me in instantly and kept me hooked
-Regardless of how toxic the friend group was, they were written in a way where I can almost understand how they got to the point of no return without even realizing it. Their intimate and fun college kid moments were such a perfect juxtaposition to the darker things looming under the surface
-The then-and-now timeline kept me on my toes because I just kept waiting for the other shoe to drop
-Margot was my least favorite. I understood the need for her personality, but her unwavering obsession with not one, but two of her friends was so incredibly unsettling
-As someone who’s usually great at guessing endings, I only predicted one small part. Every twist and turn had me more shocked than the one before
-Willingham has a knack for writing unreliable characters and my favorite thing about this book was how I didn’t feel like I could trust one character

For me, this book was a home run. Stacy Willingham is an incredible author and I highly recommend this book as well as her other two!

Thank you Stacy Willingham, Netgalley, and Minotaur Books for gifting me the first book I’ve binged in a long time in exchange for an honest review!

This author wrote All The Dangerous Things and A Flicker in the Dark. Both excellent books. I could not pick between the two which was my favorite. This one is not quite as good. Sadly to me it left me asking a few questions.

While this book could have you holding your breath at times it also had me scratching my head. I still wonder about a couple of things that I can't name without giving something away. It's about college students and the things that a particular group get into. Namely murder. There are several deaths/murders in this story. Also sex abuse and rape though not explicit. Some indiscretions between a married couple.(where my main question comes in) And a lot of possible back stabbing. No pun intended here.

Told in a before and after voice from the main character Margot. Margot starts living in an off campus house with three other girls. The main one being Lucy. Lucy it seems is liked by quite a few of the students so Margot feels it's ok to stab her current roommate in the back and start living in another place without her. That was her mistake.

Lucy has some pretty deep secrets. Ones that made me feel sorry for her. Like who was her father. What was it she truly wanted from the roommates. From Margot. Maybe it was just acceptance. Maybe she wasn't really as strong as they all thought she was. That is my opinion anyway. I liked Lucy for the most part. Yes she knew how to get what she wanted in many ways. But in the biggest way she was let down. She was hurt deeply. So yes, I felt sorry for her.

The problem I had with this book was that it was very predictable. At least to me it was. I figured out way early how Lucy and Margot would be connected. Not exactly what, but I knew it involved Margot's deceased best friend. No doubt. And I was right. I also figured out a couple of other things though none of it really hurt the book.

This book was good. Just not excellent like the previous two. I do still look forward to this author's next book.

Thank you #NetGalley, #StacyWillingham, #StMartinsPress for this ARC. This is my own true thoughts about this book.

3.5/5 stars. It just feel a bit short for me. I do advise you read it and judge for yourself. We all like different things and see things different. Enjoy!

Stacy does it again! She has continued to prove why she quickly grew to be one of my favorites. Only If You’re Lucky was sharp, twisty, and a deep exploration of friendship, secrets, and death. One of my favorite things about all of her books is that she ties up every tiny little detail, even ones you don’t realize you needed tied up until she does it! This one was no exception, and I loved seeing all of the details and twists come together, like following breadcrumbs to a destination. I alternated between physically reading and listening to the audio, and both were exceptional.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martins Press for my ARC and Macmillan Audio for my ALC in exchange for my honest feedback!

Only If You’re Lucky by Stacy Willingham

My rating:
3/5
⭐️⭐️⭐️

Margot’s first year of college was not what she expected it to be after her best friend died right before they were going to go to college together. At school, Margot meets Lucy and is instantly drawn to her. They quickly become friends and Margot’s life changes forever.

I had seen a few mixed reviews of this one and I was so confused because when I went into this one I was absolutely captivated with the premise and setting. I love a college campus setting with a story with people who have addictive personalities.

About halfway through, I started to understand and lose interest in the story. It felt like the middle of the book was one big section that felt different from the beginning.

When everything comes together and is revealed, it left me with an unsatisfying feeling. I figured out most of the twists and at that point I wanted the book to be over.

I cannot quite say what happened with this one as to why I lost interest, but the beginning of this book was SO good!

I had read All The Dangerous things from the author and I really enjoyed that one, but this one missed the mark for me. I think that the characters were generally unlikeable which made me not connected to what happened to them.

Thank you netgalley for the ARC! You can read this one on January 16th, 2024!

Only If You're Lucky
by: Stacy Wilingham
St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books
release date:01/16/24

The on and off campus locale of South Carolina's Rutledge college serves as both a setting and an atmospheric character in Willingham's new academic thriller. Grieving over the loss of her best friend, Margot leaves her Outer Banks home bound for her first year of college. She then leaves her dormitory to live with three other women, including mysterious Lucy, in a house like no other.

Willingham's writing completely swept me up into the twists and turns throughout this steadily paced psychological mystery involving murder and disappearance. The boundaries of friendship, trust, and truth are jagged and taken to the limits. I have enjoyed all three of Willingham's novels, looking forward each time to her next one. I like her way with words and story.

Thank you to Net Galley and St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books for an advance reader's copy. My review is my own.

#OnlyIfYoureLucky #NetGalley #StMartinsPress #MinotaurBooks #StacyWillingham

Margot is sort of a wallflower during her freshman year in college since losing her best friend, Eliza in a tragic accident over the summer. But then she meets Lucy, a tantalizing girl that sucks her into her party world. When a neighboring fraternity boy ends up dead, quite the story about the girls starts to unfold.

Could I classify this one as a little bit of dark academia? It’s not really a throwback to academic old times, but it is set in a college and it’s surely dark! It was interesting to read that Willingham’s idea for this story came from the real place where she lived during college. It gave me a little bit of a vibe like The Maidens, The Secret History and The It Girl. I liked all of those and also enjoyed this read.

Pick this up if you’re looking for a slow burn dark thrill.

𝔹𝕠𝕠𝕜 ℝ𝕖𝕧𝕚𝕖𝕨
📖: Only If Your Lucky
✍🏼: Stacy Willingham
💻: Minotaur Books
📆: January 16, 2024
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ /5

⛔️16-up⛔️

👇🏽 𝕣𝕖𝕒𝕕 𝕥𝕙𝕚𝕤 𝕚𝕗:
•you’re a fan of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
•bath and body works warm vanilla will always hold a special place in your nostalgic heart
•you love a dark academia thriller with complex friendships that always ends in murder


💭 𝕞𝕪 𝕥𝕙𝕠𝕦𝕘𝕙𝕥𝕤:
If you didn’t know it, I love Stacy Willingham.

I loved A Flicker In The Dark and All The Dangerous Things. This one is different. Slower maybe? But the writing is still incredible.

Slower than her first two books, this one focuses more on friendships and the complications that come along with them. The ins and outs of the complexities of trauma and how unresolved issues can lead to destruction.

Of course it had its mystery and a few twists as well as murder! It’s a really well written story and once again, I am blown away by Willinghams writing.

Keep your eyes peeled for this one! Hitting the shelves January 16!

Thank you so much to @netgalley @minotaur_books and @stacyvwillingham for this ARC! It was the perfect Christmas gift for this bookish gal.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this eARC. I really loved Stacy Willingham’s first 2 books, but this one was a bit of a let down. It reads a little bit too YA for my taste, and the main character Margo is super boring. It’s too slow and nothing really happens until about 80% into the book. I almost DNF’d.

Only If You’re Lucky follows Margot who meets Lucy at the end of freshmen year and moves in with her. This seems like a good thing for Margot because a few weeks before she was set to go to college with her best friend Eliza, she dies. The two end up becoming good friends. However things change when one of there neighbors end up dead, and Lucy goes missing. Are these two events connected?

I have read other books by Stacy Willingham and I really liked them. However, that wasn’t really the case with this book. It was written like a YA book and focused on a lot of a drama rather than thriller aspects. I found a lot of details in this book super unnecessary. The characters in this fell flat and I found myself not caring. I also felt like this book was hard to keep up with. The ending was okay. But this wasn’t the best thriller I have ever read.

I have been a big fan of Stacy Willingham since her first book, A Flicker in the Dark, was published and I couldn’t wait to get my hands on the BOTM copy. I won a copy of All the Dangerous Things from a Goodreads Giveaway and I was elated! I tore through the book so fast that the ending left me dizzy with its astronomical ending. Her books have been five star reads because of the slow burn storyline and the explosive surprises.

This was one of my most anticipated books of 2024, but unfortunately, it fell short for me. I found the story repetitive, the main character slightly annoying, and the big surprises at the end didn’t excite me. Her books usually leave some kind of imprint in my mind that lasts years, but after reading this book, my mind was ready for something new and completely erased this story from its storage. *poof* 🧠

I will always be a fan of this author and look forward to her next book.

Thank you so much for the advanced copy of Only If You're Lucky.

As a big fan of Stacy Willingham, I was very excited to read her newest book. I absolutely loved it. One thing that I think is really cool is that this book is wildly different from her first two. The setting of the house in the college town was pretty cool. I got a pretty good mental image of the setting because the description was so vivid. I really like that it was Stacy's real connection to the book because it was written based on the house that she lived in during her college years.

While I was reading the story, I was a little skeptic because I felt like the story was going in circles about how much Margot missed Eliza and that Lucy was just replacing her....but geez that last 15% of the story absolutely made up for the slower parts. Stacy just really took her time simmering the story, leaving breadcrumbs along the way. I did not guess ANY of the twists and that always makes me giddy as a reader. I am already recommending this book to everyone I know and I wish it great success when it is published!