Only If You’re Lucky is a slow burn college thriller that will have you turning the pages.
Margot and Eliza are best friends who had plans to attend college together. But after a tragic death, Margot is left to go on her own.
Margot meets Lucy and is immediately reminded of her late best friend. She is full of life, bold and the center of attention. She ends up moving in with her and two other girls in a house right next door to a frat. When Levi, a boy from her hometown who she blames for Eliza’s death moves into the frat, she tells the girls of her suspicions and believes he may be a danger there.
When a boy next door is brutally murdered and Lucy disappears after being questioned, the three remaining girls stay together.
The story is told between Before and After his death as we learn secrets and what really happened.

Only If You're Lucky: Secrets, Suspense, and a Friend You Can't Trust
Stacy Willingham's "Only If You're Lucky" is a chilling cocktail of coming-of-age drama and psychological suspense that kept me glued to the page. Margot, our protagonist, navigates the treacherous waters of grief and uncertainty after her best friend's death, only to find herself drawn into a new friendship fraught with shadows and secrets.

Willingham excels at building tension, expertly weaving hidden truths and cryptic clues into the narrative. Each chapter raises more questions, leaving you desperate to unravel the mystery at the heart of the story. The close-knit friend group crackles with unspoken conflicts, and you'll find yourself questioning just who to trust as the narrative twists and turns.

Margot is a relatable and complex character, her grief palpable and her desperation to find belonging both understandable and heartbreaking. The supporting cast comes alive as well, each with their own motives and secrets adding depth and intrigue to the story.

While the pace might feel slow at times, it ultimately serves to heighten the suspense, allowing the layers of mystery to unfold gradually and keep you guessing until the very end. The climax is satisfyingly twisty, leaving you breathless and eager to discuss the story with anyone who will listen.

"Only If You're Lucky" is a perfect read for fans of dark coming-of-age stories and chilling psychological thrillers. It's a suspenseful page-turner that will stay with you long after you finish the last chapter, leaving you questioning the power of friendship and the lengths we go to for secrets we dare not reveal.

I recommend this book to fans of:

Stacy Willingham's previous works and psychological thrillers in general
Coming-of-age stories with a dark twist
Intriguing mysteries with complex characters and unreliable narrators
Overall: A gripping and suspenseful tale of friendship, secrets, and the dark side of desire, "Only If You're Lucky" is a must-read for anyone seeking a thrilling and thought-provoking read

Margot goes to college to get away from her old life...rich girl from the outer banks whose best friend died in an accident only weeks after graduation. But while she is quietly going through the motions she meets charismatic Lucy who pulls her into a new life...one that might not be so safe.

I'm new to Willingham but I'm now a massive fan. This book as so addicting! Here's what I loved.

The setting- the book takes place on a college campus but really the main setting is the two houses right off campus. Both owned by a frat who occupies the one and rents the other out to the girls--Margot, Lucy, Sloane, and Nicole. The properties are connected as are the lives of the different residents.

The characters- everyone has an agenda and it's hard at times trying to figure out who to trust or even like. But that as the fun of it.

The twists-- this book took so many turns that I wasn't sure what to believe. There are some twists that I did figure out, but it was still fun trying to get to them. I really liked the whole story and thought it as well thought out.

All in all, this was a great thriller with some major twists!

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the gifted copy. My reviews are always honest.

Margot is starting her first year of college exactly the opposite of how she had planned. Her best friend died during the summer and they wrre supposed to be doing this all together. Margot notices this girl named Lucy who has a certain draw to her that Margot can't escape. Once she gets taken under Lucy's wing, things start to change for Margot. Suddenly the boy who was with her best friend on the night of her death shows up at the same school and things quickly go awry.

Wow!!!! This might be my new favorite by Stacy Willingham! I loved the mystery and complex characters that we slowly get to unravel and learn more about. This book was amazing! I highly recommend!

This book had so potential, but I was kind of disappointed. I didn’t like a single one of these characters. The plot was very well written! I liked the twist at the end it has me guessing until the very end. Although there were some holes in the plot and some questions left unanswered I enjoyed the suspense of this book!

Margot goes to college in South Carolina and her life doesn't look at all the way she'd planned. For one, her best friend Eliza isn't there with her. After a difficult freshman year, Margot makes friends with Lucy Sharpe, beautiful, bold, outgoing Lucy Sharpe. They and two other girls share an off-campus house and one day, Lucy disappears.

I really liked this thriller. I really didn't see the ending coming but it was so good.

This is the 3rd book I've read by Willingham and this one was solidly in the middle. She is becoming a must read author for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Available January 16, 2024.

“Only If You’re Lucky”

I’ve just slogged through the advanced reader’s copy (ARC) of Stacy Willingham’s novel, “Lucky,” scheduled for release in January 2024, that's centered on freshman college students and their trials and tribulations.

However, I do not feel lucky after finishing this mishmash of a novel. The last quarter of the book is pretty good and reveals numerous twists and turns that I wasn't expecting. If only the first part was tighter, then perhaps I could feel better giving the book a higher recommendation.

As it is, I just can't suggest readers waste their time on this novel that reads largely like a middle-school Nancy Drew—oh, that's unfair to ND!

“Lucky” is similar to a regurgitated story version of the movie “Clueless” targeted at high schoolers or younger children, rather than Adults. I felt my IQ dropping just reading this drivel.

For example, the author overuses the word “LIKE” so frequently that I started highlighting the word each occasion that I spotted it because I was so annoyed.

I kid you not, Willingham in “Lucky” uses the word “LIKE,” at the minimum 584 times by 100%—the end. There is NO excuse for this tiring, ridiculous indolence.

This being the first book of Willingham’s that I’ve read, it is also most likely the last because “Lucky” is so poorly executed. Nonetheless, I’m baffled by this stinker because reviews of her two prior mystery/thrillers are high.

“Lucky” addresses several of my major frustrations when reading Adult Fiction: (1) authors ‘dumbing down’ prose by using repetitive words throughout a book or (2) continually peppering in annoying clichés rather than creating authentic original phrases with vibrant imagery.

Limiting figures of speech to only one type, such as similes—especially those that begin with “LIKE,” as a comparator is especially exasperating and repetitive, and makes the following descriptions seem forced and trite.

Have these authors forgotten other
essential literary devices and crucial writing tools? Where are the strong metaphors, alliterations, sibilances, onomatopoeias, hyperboles, puns, oxymorons, paradoxes, and so many others—in addition to similes— that add vibrancy, energy, variety, and dynamics to prose and poetry?

“Lucky”, is a juvenile rendering mess in contrast and comparison to Ruth Ware’s, “The It Girl,” and “The Secret History,” by Donna Tartt, (which I consider both five-star favorites) are brilliant, erudite, and scintillating novels that challenge the reader’s mind and imagination and are also both set on college campuses.

Willingham should take note. Adult audiences want intrigue and challenge, not frivolity, fluffy, and flaky.

JoyReaderGirl1 graciously thanks NetGalley, Author Stacy Willingham, and Publisher Minotaur for this ARC for review.

The MC was very perceptive. She would frequently say that she could feel changes in things, people, etc. Maybe it was a little too overdone, but I felt the deepest connection to her through this trait.

Wow! When I say I got sucked into this story...I got sucked in HARD! Everything about this book was addictive. So much drama, twists and turns that you never see coming - and just when you have it all figured out...something new comes to light and you're back where you started. Absolutely loved it

This book has all the right elements for a twisty thriller. A great setting, in a college dorm with roommates who each have secrets. Great character development and exploration of their relationships and pasts. And of course, murder. Really enjoyed this thriller and hope to read this author again. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

This is Stacy Willingham's third book and my favorite so far.

Margot lost her best friend in an accident just a few weeks after high school graduation. Now she has quietly completed her freshman year of college at a small college in SC. She randomly meets Lucy on her dorm hall once day and ends up moving into an off-campus house with Lucy and 2 of her friends. Lucy is vivacious and full of life. She collects friends easily and has ingratiated herself into the neighboring fraternity. During their sophomore year, a fraternity boy, Levi, from the neighboring house is murdered, then Lucy goes missing. Margot soon learns that much of what she knows of Lucy is not true.

I found this to be a gripping psychological thriller. I'm almost always a fan of a campus setting and this one is no exception. I can picture myself right back living in a cottage behind my sorority's house with a neighboring fraternity just beyond the fence. I was quickly sucked into the campus drama and could not wait to figure out the elusive Levi and Lucy.

I tried several times to read this book and wasn't engaged from the beginning. I'm not sure why but it didn't hold my interest. It didn't feel like a thriller to me. Thank you Netgalley for allowing me early access to the book.

“One day we were strangers and the next we were friends. That’s usually how it works with girls.” Here are reasons to read the Thriller book:

4 friends - Margot, Nicole, Sloan and Lucy are all friends who live in off campus housing at Rutgers
Loss - Margot in particular has just been trying to deal with the loss of her high school friend.
Timeline jump - through many timeline jumps we see how Margot lost her friend, who was responsible, and how her new friend Lucy dazzled her to help with her grief
Return - But this is a thriller, so how does the return of the boy next door signal a return to the traumatic past?

For me what this book does well is the twists. There are quite a few that take you by surprise, even though one I had a feeling about. However, while this book was one that once you get into it was hard to put down, the pacing felt a little disjointed. Sometimes it’s extremely fast paced and sometimes it was kind of slow. But overall the twists were quite a good payoff.

I had to DNF this book at 15%. I did not realize that the entire book was based on college students. I have come to realize that I am not the audience for this plot. If we would have gone back and forth from the college years to adulthood, then maybe I would have enjoyed it more. I just did not care about the characters and their immaturity.

Only if You're Lucky is a suspense novel about a group of girls in college.
Margot spent her freshman year in college playing it safe. She spends most of her time in her dorm with her roommate. When Lucy, the most popular girl in the dorm, invites her to live with her and her friends last year she jumps at the opportunity. Now Margot is tangled up in world of boys, parties, and drama. Except something isn't quite adding up about the girls she decided to live with.
This was very twisty and all the plot threads came together really well in the end. I loved the framing of the book with the beginning being the girls talking to the police and how the whole story slowly circles back to that.

First of all, wow! I have read Flicker in the Dark by Stacy Willingham and this book did NOT disappoint.

This book is super twisty and was written with such intentional details. I loved the college setting and living off campus. The relationships built and shared in this book are also so unique and made this book that much better. I would consider this a must read thriller.

I am such a fan of Stacy Willingham. A Flicker in the Dark is my favorite! This book is another hit. We meet Lucy Sharpe in this novel. She exudes danger and people are captivated by her- especially Margot, who meets Lucy at the end of their freshman year of college.
Margot finds herself living in an off-campus house with Lucy and two other girls. Their home is adjacent to a fraternity house. In the acknowledgments, Willingham tells about living in a similar house when she was at the University of Georgia. Margot is spiraling after the death of her best friend, Eliza. She is in awe and a little frightened of Lucy. Margot blames a guy from her hometown for Eliza’s death. When he pops up in the fraternity, another murder happens and secrets are unveiled. It’s a gripping story!

I really enjoy everything that Stacy Willingham writes. She knows how to do a psychological thriller.

This one is about four college friends. The ringleader, Lucy, who befriends three others and unbeknownst to them, each for a reason. The main character, Margot has had a very tough year, beginning with her closest friend’s death. Meeting Lucy feels like the change she needs to start fresh, and she runs with it. However, things aren’t what they seem as her past comes back and everything she thought she knew ends up being wrong.

I really enjoyed this book and it left me totally stumped and speechless. I am a true fan of any book that I can’t figure out - and this was one that left my jaw on the floor!!

That being said, there were parts in the middle that seemed to drag, and I was aching for the suspenseful twists to come. I hope if anyone is reading it for themselves and feels this way that they stick it out because I think you’ll be happy you did! This book wrapped up with a nice bow, and although it’s not what I was expecting, I kind of loved it for that. Thank you NetGalley, the author, and publisher for this ARC. Very thankful!

3.75ish stars

This was a darkly entertaining tale of murder, betrayal, secrets, and revenge. I wouldn’t say it’s my favourite book from the writer, but I have consistently enjoyed her stories, and I didn’t suspect all the twists and turns of the story’s resolution before they were revealed. I’m excited to see what her next book brings.

Only if You're Lucky is a thrilling look into the dark side of female friendships and how you can never really know the people you think you know. I've been a fan of Stacy's writing since reading her debut and while this novel is a bit different from her others, with its dark academia feel, it's a wildly fascinating and enthralling tale that deeply sucks you in as the story unfolds.

We follow Margot as she closes out her freshman year at a small College in South Carolina, she's spent the year isolating herself in her dorm room dealing with and attempting to heal from the passing of her best friend a year prior. Margot is approached by the charismatic and endearing, Lucy Sharpe, who invites her to move into a house off campus with her and two best friends. Margot agrees to leave the dorms behind and embrace new friendships and the college experience, she could never imagine the way that secrets and lies could begin to unravel from befriending a stranger.

The story is a bit of a slow burn and I did see a couple of the twists coming but the context and depth of the story are needed for the impact that the final twist has, Stacy keeps you guessing until the end! This is such a satisfying, suspenseful read with so many hints riddled throughout the beginning, leading to a shocking ending that makes sense even though not every loose end is tied. I got to a point with this book where I physically couldn't put it down, it kept me guessing and something about reading this felt nostalgic. It kind of reminded me of Pretty Little Liars in a way. Either way, it's a brilliant read that is sure to make you a fan of Stacy Willingham's dazzling writing. Five Stars!

Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for an advanced digital copy of Only If You're Lucky.