Stacy Willingham has released another un-put-downable book. Only If You're Lucky is filled with rich characters and well-developed friendships. Margot spent her freshman year at college struggling to deal with the death of her lifelong best friend. Right before the start of summer break, she meets Lucy, a fascinating and popular girl who offers Margot a spare room in the house she is renting from some college fraternity brothers. We follow Margot as she becomes roommates and friends with Sloane, Nicole, and Lucy during their sophomore year at college. This story follows two timelines: before the murder of one of the fraternity brothers from the house next door and the disappearance of Lucy, and after.

I loved the development of the characters, the palpable closeness in their friendships, and the edge-of-the-seat writing style. I simply could not put this book down. If you like thrillers, read this book!

Thank you so much to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for a free copy of this e-book in exchange for my honest review.

I really enjoyed this fast paced thriller up until the end. It is immersive and reminiscent in some aspects like female friendship and trying to find your place in college. However, that is hopefully where the relatability ends, because there’s also murder, plural that is. The end for me was very unsatisfactory. I’m not really even sure what I wanted the ending to be. I was torn and really felt like either outcome that was possible for the scenario unfolding would have been unsatisfying.

I really didn’t like it one. I made it 50% in I just feel like this was so disorganized and the writing wasn’t engaging at all. Really disappointed because I have loved the authors other books.

3 stars!

This was my first time reading a Stacy Willingham book and i'm definitely open to reading more in the future.

I did see a handful of reviews that stated this was a slow burn, which I normally don't enjoy, but decided to give it a shot! It was certainly slower paced than I would prefer and it did end up picking up by the last 30% or so.

I did question some of the characters decisions throughout the story, however there was a lot of character development.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC!

Having read all of the author’s books, I can say fans of her previous titles, especially Flicker in the Dark, won’t be disappointed with this one. The same excellent plotting and detailed characters grace these pages and the twists are highly unpredictable which isn’t something I say often. I had an inkling, but I was pleasantly surprised. This is a fantastic read.

All the twists. Books starts with Margot’s friend Eliza dead, mysteriously from the readers perspective until the end. We meet Lucy. Margot moves in with Lucy, Nicole and Sloan, next door to a frat house. Levi, a blast from Margot’s past appears, who may have had something to do with Eliza’s death. Then we find out Levi dies and Lucy is missing. But the how is what we haven’t learned. The book time jumps but in a way that is perfect for building the mystery. I never saw the ending coming, but I did guess what happened with Lucy, but not until much further into the book.

I’m a fan of Stacy Willingham’s books. All the Dangerous Things is my personal favorite, and I was compelled to read it in one sitting.

Only If You’re Lucky was much slower than her previous books. It never did hit the high notes for me that push me to finish to unravel all of the details. Margot didn’t grab me as a character, nor did her friends. Add in the relative flatness of Lucy, and I just felt so-so towards reading.

I think I personally didn’t connect with this novel as much as other was because the characters were young college kids. The small campus did remind me of my own undergrad experience. I did appreciate her note at the end explaining the shed and how it connected to her own college experiences. I always enjoy seeing a glimpse into the writer’s process.

I’d have to land on 3.5 to 4 stars because the story idea itself is interesting! I liked the mystery and how people weren’t who they seemed to be,

One of my favorite things about finishing a thriller is that " whoa feeling." Like wow, I did not see that happening. This book starts slow. I had a hard time getting hooked into the mystery. I knew something was happening but I wasn't hooked yet. The story of Eliza and Margot. Margot hating Levi Butler and then Lucy. How does Lucy tie in to it all.

Overall a good mystery/thriller that if you get past the slow parts it will leave you shocked.

BOOK: Only If You’re Lucky
AUTHOR: Stacy Willingham
PUB DATE: 1/16/24 by Minotaur Books
PAGES: 384
RATING: 2.5 stars
GENRE: Mystery/Thriller/Suspense Fiction

A BIG “Thank You” to @netgalley and Minotour Books. for gifting me this advanced reader’s copy in exchange for my honest review!

SYNOPSIS: Lucy Sharpe is larger than life. Magnetic, addictive, bold & dangerous. Especially for Margot, who meets Lucy at the end of their freshman year at a liberal arts college in South Carolina. Margot is the shy one, the careful one, always the sidekick and never the center of attention. But when Lucy singles her out at the end of the year, a year Margot spent studying and playing it safe, and asks her to room together, something in Margot can't say no—something daring, or starved, or maybe even envious. And so Margot finds herself living in an off-campus house with three other girls, Lucy, the ringleader; Sloane, the sarcastic one; and Nicole, the nice one, the three of them opposites but also deeply intertwined. It's a year that finds Margot finally coming out of the shell she's been in since the end of high school, when her best friend Eliza died three weeks after graduation. Margot and Lucy have become the closest of friends, but by the middle of their sophomore year, one of the fraternity boys from the house next door has been brutally murdered... and Lucy Sharpe is missing without a trace.

REVIEW: I went into this having seen a few low reviews but I kept my mind open & tried to keep hopes high. Unfortunately, this was sloooow moving, and I found it to be monotonous with overly repeated parts of the story. There is a lot of character development, but I didn’t find myself enjoying any of the characters and just kept putting this book down. In fact, there wasn’t a lot to love, and it saddened me as I enjoy books by this author. I couldn’t wrap my head around why Margot would have done anything for Lucy, as Lucy just didn’t seem like a true, genuine friend, and Margot kept questioning her. I think this is one you either love or it just falls flat, and disappointingly, it was the latter for me due to its unbelievability.

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

Longing for a new start in the aftermath of tragedy, a college freshman moves in with new roommates only to spiral into chaos once again.

Margot meets Lucy at the end of their freshman year. Margot is reserved, careful, forever fading into the background of her more spirited companions. Lucy is just that—magnetic, uninhibited, the center of attention. When Lucy asks Margot to room with her and two other girls, it feels like the perfect opportunity for Margot to become someone different, to start anew after the death of her high-school best friend.

Soon, however, the past begins to tangle with the present, and tragedy rears its ugly head once more when Levi, a friend of the group, is found dead, and Lucy disappears shortly after.

Everyone is hiding secrets, and as detectives try to ferret out the truth, they’re all at risk.

Willingham deftly weaves a knotted tale of friendship, belonging, jealousy, and obsession. The story boasts a compelling premise, but arguably moves at too slow a pace to reach that fever pitch we long for in thrillers—especially if compared to the vibe of ALL THE DANGEROUS THINGS (which I loved). Echoes of ‘Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde’ thrum throughout, as we uncover what everyone hides. Overall, a solid psychological thriller, but not as strong as what I’ve read before from this author.

Lucy Sharpe is larger than life. Magnetic, addictive. Bold and dangerous. Especially for Margot, who meets Lucy at the end of their freshman year at a liberal arts college in South Carolina. Margot is the shy one, the careful one, always the sidekick and never the center of attention. But when Lucy singles her out at the end of the year, a year Margot spent studying and playing it safe, and asks her to room together, something in Margot can’t say no—something daring, or starved, or maybe even envious.

A tantalizing thriller about the nature of friendship and belonging, about loyalty, envy, and betrayal—another gripping novel from an author quickly becoming the gold standard in psychological suspense.

Slow burn thriller that gives you bits and pieces at a time. Margot lost a best friend. She started college but was still grieving the death of her best friend, Eliza. She meets Lucy at the end of the year, and then everything changes. Lucy seems powerful and magical, she draws everyone in and makes you feel special. As the story goes on, she also seems to have some sort of plan. Why did Lucy bring Margot into her world? What happened to Eliza?

I had both ebook and audio, and found myself mostly listening on audio. Always enjoy Karissa Vacker’s narration!

I read to 69% of this book and I have to say I couldn’t finish. It was very underwhelming. I was bored. It didn’t keep me wanting answers. I really wanted to like it. I enjoyed this authors other 2 books more.

Quiet Margot is drawn to the larger than life, charismatic Lucy. Margo jumps on the opportunity when Lucy asks her to get an off-campus apartment with Sloane and Nicole for their sophomore year. Loving college life, the four roommates quickly become inseparable. Then a frat boy from next door is found dead, and Lucy is missing.

I loved this slow-burn thriller focused on secrets, friendship, belonging, envy, and betrayal. Switching between before and after the murder, you learn about this friend group and the guys living next door. I particularly enjoyed the unpredictable second half of the book. It is filled with well-timed and executed twists. I couldn’t put this book down during the final chapters.

The setting and age of the characters are different than Stacy Willingham’s prior books, and I enjoyed the change of pace. Willingham captures this phase of life so accurately that it made me nostalgic for my college days. There’s nothing like the cocoon that is college life where you spend most of your time with the same group of people during a formative period and you are linked to them thereafter.

Fans of slow burn dark academia thrillers with unreliable characters who all have secrets will enjoy Only If You’re Lucky.

Thank you to Minotaur Books for an early copy of this book.

Stacy Willingham's first book, A Flicker in the Dark, showcased the author's talent for crafting unique psychological thrillers, and her subsequent novel, All the Dangerous Things, reinforced this skill. Now, she returns with another thriller that maintains this trend while exploring new territory. Only If You're Lucky sees the author present her most personal and intricate novel to date. I had the privilege of receiving a copy of the book and its audiobook from Willingham's publisher and was excited to delve into it.

Margot, always preferring the sidelines of life, remains a reserved observer even as she enters a small liberal arts school in South Carolina. Her initial college year is marked by playing it safe—studying, earning good grades—hardly altering her introverted nature. Lucy Sharpe, her polar opposite, possesses a charismatic, attention-grabbing personality. Margot is taken aback when, at the end of the year, Lucy, with whom she has minimal interaction, proposes they room together in an off-campus house. Against her instincts, Margot agrees.

Now residing with three other girls—Lucy, the ringleader; Sloane, the sarcastic one; and Nicole, the kind one—Margot is thrust into a dynamic mix of contrasting personalities. As the year unfolds, Margot, who has long concealed herself since a tragic event at her high school graduation, gradually emerges from her protective shell. Margot and Lucy develop a close friendship, but by the midpoint of their sophomore year, a brutal murder of one of the fraternity boys from the neighboring house shakes their world, and Lucy Sharpe goes missing without a trace.

In Only If You're Lucky, Stacy Willingham crafts a psychological thriller delving into the complexities of friendship, loyalty, and betrayal. The narrative hints at the women having committed something significant and concealing secrets, creating an enticing undertone that propels the plot. The story unfolds exclusively from Margot's perspective, intertwining flashback recollections with moments of grappling with the murder's aftermath, intensifying suspense. Karissa Vacker's narration in the audiobook vividly brings Margot's voice to life.

Despite the eagerness to unravel the story's secrets, my interest waned in the protagonist, Margot, compared to the compelling supporting characters. The mysterious allure of Lucy captivated me, but the narrative confined us to Margot's viewpoint. As the novel advanced, my engagement with the entire narrative dwindled, and even the thrilling twists towards the end couldn't compensate for my growing disinterest in the central character. While Willingham's adept plotting and keen character observations persist, Only If You're Lucky marks the first disappointment for me from this otherwise talented author.

While this had the intrigue to keep you turning the pages it was slow going plot wise until the last 25%. I think it could have While this had the intrigue to keep you turning the pages it was slow going plot wise until the last 25%. I think it could have done well with a multiple POV other then just Margot's voice. I always enjoy a good before/after timeline. The college setting and wanting to feel apart of it is very true to form.


Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martins Press for an e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

When I saw that Stacy Willingham was releasing another book, I immediately knew I wanted to read it! I LOVED All the Dangerous Things.

I'd say it didn't live up to ATDT, but I did really enjoy this book!

Margot is a freshman in college. Her best friend died the summer before college started and they were supposed to attend the same school together. She's having a hard time and doesn't go out and do much. Here comes Lucy, the girl who has it all, but never goes to classes. Lucy spots Margot at the end of freshman year and asks her to move in with her and her two roommates to a house off campus. This is Margot's chance to have a life, so she obviously said yes. But... Lucy disappears and a fraternity boy is killed.. what happened?

Told in a non-linear timeline (my FAVE!!) and the past and the present, you slowly gain more details of what happened to the boy, and how Lucy may have been in on it.

Willingham gives many twists and turns, though some are predictable, others were surprising and made the story interesting. I can't wait to read more from her in the future!

TW: rape, sexual assalt, stalking

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the eARC in exchange for an honest review! Thanks to Libro.fm for the ALC!

Only If You're Lucky is a dark psychological thriller with characters that are all hiding something and are not what they appear to be.

All of them have secrets that as secrets tend to be are explosive.

Margot restless after the unexplained accidental death of her best friend finds herself at college that she should have attended with her best friend.

Margot at the end of the first year is offered by another student Lucy to come and room with her and two other girls off campus.

The house (which is a character unto itself ) is next door and owned and occupied by a group of boys from a popular fraternity.

Then one of them is murdered.
One is missing.

Many suspects with twists and turns and red herrings that keep midnight oil burning.

Stacy Willingham always writes a thriller that keeps you guessing and Only If You're Lucky is no exception.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press, Minotaur for compelling read.

Jeez Louise, Only If You’re Lucky was one phenomenal book. An alluring tale of deep friendship, startling secrets, and uncomfortable motives, I was drawn in from the very first page. Throughout the long, slow burn of ever escalating suspense and foreboding, I felt tied to the characters and the very real setting. So real, in fact, that it was as if it was just one more persona that came alive on the page.

Like I said, the plot was anything but fast-paced. At the same time, however, its steady unwinding felt purposeful and deliberate in all of its character-driven glory. Along with the thinly veiled doubts that were hinted at here and there, small clues were scattered about that had me questioning each individual and their part in the story. Add in the climax that took me completely by surprise, and my respect for Ms. Willingham’s talent was a foregone conclusion.

As I said, the characters were where this book utterly shined, however. Thorough and believable but also requiring just a touch of suspension of disbelief, I connected with them right off the bat. Unsurprisingly, I was rooting for our narrator, Margot, most of all. Fully fleshed out and complete with awe-inspiring character development, her story was utterly spellbinding. Don’t get me wrong, I loved Lucy nearly as much. Much like an enigma, she was deliciously hard to pin down.

The one piece that rankled just a bit was the very end of the book. Somewhat rushed, in my opinion, it could have been explored a bit more, which would’ve provided a more wrapped up feel to the finale. Given everything that had happened, after all, there were still plenty of potential disasters left to the imagination. But then, I’m also the kind of reader who loves neat, tiny, little bows for a conclusion, so take my thoughts with a rather large grain of salt.

All in all, the first book that I’ve read by Willingham, I’m now determined to move her backlist to the top of my TBR. Dark and chilling but also filled with lessons about how little we may know those around us, this intricate storyline had me in knots. After all, it was a masterpiece to be sure, with perfectly timed clues that lead to one lightbulb moment after another. Plus, who can say no to tale of dark academia. Not I, that’s for sure. So despite the rather mixed reviews, I was won over hook, line, and sinker. Now the only question that remains is which Willingham novel I should try next… Any suggestions? Rating of 5 stars.

Read if you like:
🏫 College Settings
⏳ Past and Present Timelines
👯‍♀️ Stories about Friendship
🤐 Lies and Secrets
🤩 Enigmatic Characters
🔍 Investigations into Deaths

This book follows Margot in the past and present when her best friend Eliza died before they were set to go off to college and then meeting the enigma that is Lucy and becoming apart of her friend group at the end of her freshman year, to then the present of Lucy missing, and a boy from a frat at the college dead.

Margot is the overlooked girl that has clung to friends that had that thing about them so as she jumps from her close friendship with Eliza to then becoming completely enraptured with Lucy, you see the ways she clings to her friends and makes being with friends her entire personality as things start to spiral more for Margot as gets more embedded in her friendship with Lucy and we start to see the layers unfold that everything isn’t as it appeared.

If you like a lot of enigmatic characters, twists and turns, messy friendships, unreliable information steering you away from the truth, and plenty of twists and turns, I highly recommend reading Stacy’s newest release!

Thanks so much to Minotaur Books for my ARC of this one in exchange for my review!

This book was probably the SLOWEST of slowburns I've ever read. I nearly put it down 3 times as a DNF, 20%, 35%, and again at 60%. However, I enjoyed this author's other works so I decided to push through. I hit 80% and the rest of the book flew by. Am I glad I pushed through? Yes. Do I hate that I had to push through? Even more so. At the end of the day, it was well written and I liked the ending, but...I dunno that I recommend it.