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

Do any of you remember the movie Thirteen and how absolutely magnetic and enticing Nikki Reed’s character was, and how meek and malleable Evan Rachel Wood’s character was? If so, you’re in for a treat because they were all I could see when reading this book. Margot was Evan Rachel Wood, and Lucy was Nikki Reed!

This is a female friendship centric story that focuses on themes of jealousy, loyalty, identity, and self-preservation. We have Margot (the main character & sole POV) recanting her past events of when her best friend Eliza died. Then, we have the present day chapters slowly unraveling the mysterious death of her best friend’s boyfriend, and the disappearance of her new best friend, Lucy.

This takes place at a college so there are many parts that involve college antics. Spin the bottle, truth or dare, drugs, parties, etc… I really enjoy Stacy’s prose and even though these are tired themes, she definitely made this story intriguing & feel fresh.

The eventual reveals were largely predictable for someone who reads many books like these, but some twists still took me by surprise & I found the ending to be unique and satisfying! Much of what is revealed seems improbable and is a stretch for plausibility, but I still enjoyed it overall.

If you’re looking for a fast paced story with likeable characters this isn’t it, but if you enjoy suspenseful + character driven psychological suspense books, this may be a winner for you.

✨ Read this if you enjoy books like Reckless Girls by Rachel Hawkins or One Of The Girls by Lucy Clarke & if you loved movies like Thirteen & others with similar themes of adolescence, rebellion, + coming-of-age experiences.✨

🎧 I also recommend this on audio! Karissa Vacker is the narrator and she always does an incredible job. My only issue is that there are many characters so it can be hard to get into at the beginning, I suggest pairing the audio with the text 🫶🏻

Thank you St. Martins Press & NetGalley for the ARC & MacMillan audio for the ALC. This publishes on 1/16/24!

This third book from Stacy Willingham was a BANGER! This was totally different than her previous books... this one being a campus thriller set in past and present point of views, with MULTIPLE suspects!! Relationships, lies, gossip, trying to fit in. This one was definitely also a slower burn in comparison to her other books, and also unfortunately my least favourite. I still definitely recommend and REALLY love Stacy's writing style!

Margot gave up her parents’ dream of sending her to Duke in order to follow her bestie Eliza to the smaller and less prestigious Rutledge College. Shortly after their high school graduation, Eliza dies tragically, leaving Margot to take on Rutledge on her own. Margot quietly makes her way through her freshman year, until she’s noticed by “it girl” Lucy Sharpe, who invites Margot to move in with her and her roommates Nicole and Sloane for sophomore year. Lucy is magnetic, exciting, and maybe a little dangerous, and Margot is thrilled just to be in Lucy’s orbit. But by the second semester, things have started to spiral out of control and taken a very dark turn.

I loved both of Stacy Willingham’s previous books (A Flicker in the Dark and All the Dangerous Things), so I didn’t even bother reading the blurb before eagerly adding this one to my TBR. All of the things that made her an instant favorite of mine are expertly used in Only if You’re Lucky – dual timeline, a potentially unreliable narrator (which I love!), and an immersive, slow burn, twisty plot – but in a completely fresh way compared to her first two books. This time, the author takes us deep into the heart of dark academia and the sinister side of Greek life and toxic female friendships. Willingham is a queen of misdirection, so even when I thought I had something figured out, I was constantly second guessing myself because the twists and turns are so deep and multi-layered. Suffice it to say I enjoyed the heck out of this bingeable thriller!

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press, Minotaur Books for providing me an advance copy of this book.

Thank you to @netgalley and @Stmartinspress for a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. Thank you to @macmillian.audio for a free download of the audiobook.

Another solid thriller by @stacyvwillingham . Nervous vibes is how I would describe the feelings I had from reading Only If You’re Lucky. Something bad is going to happen and my attention was hooked. This book has many layers of mystery that are revealed in good fashion.

I think I was let down a bit by the lack of character development outside of Margot, the main character. I wanted to know more about how the other three females got to be so close. I feel it would have made Margots character a little crazier, which I also think I was missing.

Overall, I would still recommend reading…I couldn’t put it down!

4 stars

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Stacy’s writing has a way of captivating you. Every single one of her books I’m convinced would make for an excellent movie and this one is no exception. I think my favorite part of “Only If You’re Lucky” was the setting. It takes you back to college and that environment as if no time has passed at all.

I personally wasn’t a huge fan of the characters in this one, so it was hard for me to get as into it as I wish I was. I’d give this one 3.5 ⭐️

Thank you NetGalley for an arc copy to read through! It’s always appreciated ♥️

I'll be honest... I was bored. The book wasn't necessarily bad but I felt like it just dragged on. The story itself was interesting and I did want to figure out what happened but I guessed most of what was going to happen pretty early on. I will say that there was one plot twist that I didn't guess and did give me a bit of a shock. It was hard to feel for the FMC because she was kind of awful and never really acknowledged that she was the problem with her friendship with Eliza.

Stacy Willingham has done it again. I LOVED both her debut and sophomore novels and have been counting down the days till I could get my hands on this one. One thing I can say across all her books is that Stacy has this way of writing that is just so immersive and descriptive. She is a must buy author for me.

I was a little nervous jumping into this one because it feels so different from her previous works but don’t let that stop you. I was immediately captivated from the start. I really truly loved it. There are multiple mysteries that kept me guessing, eerie vibes, characters that had me totally intrigued, and an ending that I DID NOT see coming! This is definitely a thriller you should have on your radar!

Pick this one up if you like:

-College setting
-Mysterious characters
-Completely bingeable
-Answers that leave you with more questions, in the best way
-Atmospheric and twisty
-Dual timeline thriller
-Unexpected endings

Thank you so much for the ARC.

This was an okay thriller for me, although not as good as the author's previous works. I think I'm past the college-student-as-characters stage, so the plot, setting and overall character development didn't quite do it for me. It had some good twists, but I figured out several of them. So all in all it is fun if you're in the mood for a thriller, but not one that leaves a lasting impression. I do think the writing is quite good, but it just wasn't a plot or setting that appealed.

Dark academia fans should run for this! While dark academia isn't often too my taste, I still found things to enjoy here and was invested in the outcome of the mystery!

Another solid thriller from Stacy Willingham. I loved the college setting.
The first half of the book dragged for me for a bit, but the second half really picked up. I loved how complicated all the characters are. I loved the focus on friendship and sisterhood. Stacy Willingham has become an auto read author for me.

Another disappointing thriller for me from this author. I really enjoyed her first book, gave it 4 stars, then gave her second book 3 stars. I guess it seems fitting that I give her third book 2 stars. I guessed one of the big plot twists at 55% and honestly, I wasn't very shocked by any of the twists. This book felt entirely too long, it could have been at least 100 pages shorter instead of dragging on like it did. I didn't care for any of the characters and most of the book just felt like filler, literally nothing going on except some girls making their way through their first year of college. I'm sad to say this will probably be the last book I read by this author.

Thanks to Minotaur Books for the gifted copy for my honest review. Wish I could have given it a better one.

3.75 stars.

I binged this book on a day off from work and read the entire thing across about 30 hours. I really liked it, mostly.

✨ Mystery: There are multiple mysteries at the core of this book and it was fun watching them all unfurl - one I guessed right, the others I didn’t. The first half was slower, the final third picked up a lot. The reveals were satisfying enough.
✨ Vibes: It made me nervous - the vibes are eerie and I kept waiting for something terrible to happen. I think I wanted to get through it fast to be done with that feeling. It reminded me of In My Dreams I Hold a Knife.
✨Overall: I enjoyed it. I wish we got a little more character development for two of the roommates, and it was a bit repetitive, but it brought me right back to college and those bonds you form.

Thank you Minotaur and NetGalley for the gifted e-ARC.

I received Only if Your lucky as an advanced readers copy from the publisher, @stmartinspress.

I am a big fan of Stacy Willingham and was honoured to be an early reader for her new novel coming out January 16.

Although this wasn’t my favourite of her novels, it was a nice quirky mystery. The college setting has never interested me in novels along with all the characters being very hard to find anything in common with. Their morals were questionable on all fronts. It reads more like a young adult novel I found and I guess it just wasn’t what I was expecting from her previous work. Many people will enjoy this but the college part made it not as interesting for me. I could see this being made into a mini series for Netflix though! Margot really needs to learn how to be a friend!

All of this is my own opinion so please take a chance and try it. Everybody has different tastes and I am still very honored to be picked to read another of her novels and hope I am picked for the next one again. I loved All the Dangerous Things and A Flicker in the Dark.
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A big thanks to @netgalley @stmartinspress and the author for the opportunity to read this book.
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My reviews can be found on:
Instagram- @hedwigsandhopes
Goodreads- Nikki- Hedwigsandhopes

I loved Stacy Willinghams first book, liked her second and found this one to be okay . I’ve come to realize that dark academia such isn’t for me.

Just like her first two books this was incredibly bingeable with some excellent twists I didn’t see coming! It was a wild ride from the very start with secrets and drama galore. I started it one morning and finished it by that night.I couldn’t pull myself away! This is officially my favorite the three she’s written and I can’t wait for whatever she writes next.

I actually did a combo of audio and digital and the audio, with Karissa Vacker, is excellent! You can’t go wrong with either option!

Thank you Minotaur Books for the arc and Macmillan Audio for the alc!

Star rating - 3.5

This mystery is an atmospheric, twisty ride that kept me guessing in many ways right up until the end. I like the progression of Willingham's writing. Each book has a similar feel but with a fresh storyline, which I appreciate.

In Only If You're Lucky, Margot is a college coed who has decided to move in with a new group of girls for her Sophomore year. One of which, Lucy, she is especially enamored with. Lucy has an aura about her that attracts and influences those around her, Margot included. Lucy is so much like Margot's deceased best friend, Eliza, that Margo feels guilty at times, as if she is replacing Eliza. However, when a detested acquaintance from the past shows up, Margo finds that history seems to be repeating itself with Lucy.

I had a lot of thoughts while reading this one. It's told in dual timelines, which is one of my favorite structures for a thriller. However, I think my biggest takeaway was that the pacing just was not working for me. While the plot was interesting, I found the first 60-70% to be slow and at times, even a slog to get through. I think there is too much time spent in the "Before", but not enough time spent in the "After" to keep the intrigue. Then, all of the over-the-top reveals happen in the last 10%. I don't mind a melodramatic thriller, but I think they need to be well balanced. This was pretty even keel for the majority of the book, with soap opera level twists at the end.

I think where this one really excelled was the atmospheric setting. This has a real southern gothic feel, I can tell that this author has spent a lot of time in the south. The story felt muggy and uncomfortable. Even though they take place in different settings, I pictured this entire story with the same dreary filter that is used for the show Ozark. This felt pretty similar to A Flicker in the Dark, setting-wise.

The characters were a bit of a struggle with me, as well. These four girls were meant to be college students but Margot, Lucy, and Sloan all read like adult women in their reasoning and dialogue. However, I think the boys in the frat definitely read as typically frat boys. I'm not sure what the purpose was of making this a college setting. I suppose it did force the girls together, and the author did acknowledge that this was largely based on her own college house. However, the characterization was just off.

This was my third book by Stacy Willingham and despite my critiques, I did enjoy it overall. I think Willingham's writing is progressing in a direction that I enjoy. I will be sure to pick up her next release.

Review to be provided once posted to Instagram.

I feel like Stacy Willingham has cemented herself as one of my favorite psychological thriller authors. Once again she writes a twisty story that’s full of secrets, deception, questioning everyone’s motives and turning the pages to see how things will pan out. While this story line wasn’t as engaging and fast paced as her previous two, I really liked the dual timelines and dark academia. This is my least favorite of hers but still eager to try her writing again.

‘If you knew you could away with murder, would you do it?’

Best friends, Eliza and Margot, had planned to attend Rutledge College together until Eliza unexpectedly dies the summer after they graduate high school. Margo spends the first year of college in mourning, barely leaving her room, until she meets Lucy. Charismatic and mysterious, Lucy is everything that Margot is not.

Margot finds herself living in off-campus housing with Lucy and her two friends, Sloane and Nicole. The group of girls find themselves deeply intertwined, becoming quick, inseparable friends as they navigate the school year and their friendships with the boys in the fraternity house next door.

Things take a turn for the worst when one of the fraternity boys is found brutally murdered, and Lucy Sharpe is gone without a trace.

Stacy Willingham writes a great thriller, but this book didn’t stand out as much to me as compared to her first two novels. Slow to start, but a great, well wrapped-up ending. I wish the pacing would’ve been a little quicker, but I did like the ‘before’ and ‘after’ snippets throughout leading up to the climax. I liked the creepy vibes of the house (with it’s shed) as it’s own sort of character. The friendships are eerie on their own level - almost a sense of deja vu. A lot of small twists and turns will keep you guessing up until the very end.

This one leaves you pondering the duality of good versus evil and if a person is truly capable of being both.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for a free digital copy of this book. This is my honest review. Publication date: January 16, 2024.

I did not really care for this. Is Margot shy and timid? You are supposed to think so at the beginning. Not sure what happens along the way but that is not at all how she winds up being. All of the characters are unlikable with few, if any, redeeming qualities and I found the twists more confusing than exciting.

2.5 stars rounded up

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

This one was okay for me. It may have been bad timing on my part, but I felt like I had to reread parts of this book to fully understand what was going on.