Margot and Eliza are the best of friends, growing up together and headed to college in the fall, when Levi moves in over the summer. Soon enough, Eliza is dead and Margot is headed to college alone. Spending a full year mourning, she meets Lucy, who is just as wild and magnetic as Eliza was, and the two form a friendship with Sloane and Nicole. They move into a house off campus with the fraternity next door their landlords. When Levi shows up as a pledge, everything starts to change.
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💭Thoughts💭
I definitely felt the first quarter of the book was super slow and dragging, but it quickly picked up and caught my attention. Margot was a very weak character so it was hard to feel bad for her but I think that may have been the point? The twists were so good and I truly did not see some of them coming.
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⌛️Favorite Moment⌛️
The overall vibe of the book completely captured the lost feeling Margot had and how in over your head you can get when you try to be someone you’re not. The anxious feeling I had when reading about their interactions with the fraternity was so real feeling.
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🎉 Theme Ideas 🎉
Go bowling! Penny Lanes was a huge part of the book and a cool scene to imagine them partying on the bowling lanes after hours!

Margot is living in her freshman dorm, the room she was supposed to share with her long time best friend, Eliza, but instead she came to campus alone. She is the shell of the person she once was, until Lucy invites her to room with her and her two friends at an off campus house. Margot is longing to belong and eagerly joins the three girls in their house adjacent to a fraternity house. But by their second semester together, the carefree summer college living that they enjoyed has turned very dark and twisted.
This story slowly builds as it delves deeply into the unreliable character narrative. Dual timelines set the stage as Margot and Eliza’s friendship parallels with Margot and the girls. And then suddenly, towards the end of the book the pace ramps up as one twist after another evolves. The characters that you thought you knew, but never trusted, come to light. One event leads to another. Part psychological thriller, part coming of age Only If You’re Lucky explores Margot’s need to be accepted, her grief and her expectations of friendship. Usually if I don’t like any of the characters that affects my liking of a book. But this is one of those, where the characters are all flawed enough to the point of being unlikeable (except for Nicole) but that only adds to the unsettling tone of the book even after it ends!
Thank you NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press and Minotaur for my gifted arc for review.

This book gave me an uneasy feeling from the start. A sense of doom that builds and grows as the book goes on. Secret after secret is unraveled until you realize how all the little clues come together. It was a little slow early on, but probably necessary to set the foundation. Great, twisty read!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced release copy in exchange for an honest review.

I love how this story was just as dark and twisty as we’ve come to expect from Willingham, while also having such a different story and set of characters. The dual timeline keeps things interesting during the story’s slow burn of a build up to a very jam packed ending. Once I hit about 60% I just could not put it down until I finished. The story is reminiscent of Pretty Little Liars, or maybe more like The Sex Lives of College Girls intertwined with tragedy and mystery. Readers of Megan Miranda are going to especially enjoy this offering.

Thank you to Net Galley for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A bit of a slog. Margot felt like a boring person that I was not interested in getting to know. Her obsession with Lucy felt a bit…. pathetic? This book felt terribly long with little payoff until the end. I really loved Stacy Willingham’s ‘A Flicker in the Dark,’ but this one was a miss for me.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Minotaur Books for this ARC!

I enjoyed the newest read from Stacy Willingham!

The characters, plot, and twists I didn’t see coming are all things I loved!

I didn’t feel like this one was as thrilling as her past two, though which is why I gave 4 stars instead of 5.

Oh boy. I need a minute to sit with this one.
The twists and turns… and the unpredictable ending… still not sure how I feel about it. But overall - couldn’t put it down (except for stupid stuff like work and feeding kids).
I’ll come back and update.

Anything Stacy Willingham writes, I’m reading. This was definitely a slow burn but she did an amazing job building the story and character backgrounds. Told in before and after timeline, it was clear from the start that all the characters had hidden secrets which I was invested in uncovering throughout the book. I loved the college setting and the added chaos of the girls living next door to a frat house.
About 75% in, the story really picks up and the pieces of the puzzle begin falling into place. As always, Willingham is the queen of twists and turns. I was surprised by the ending and left really thinking about morality and the turn this story took.

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.