In just a few words…so twisty! This story took me straight back to my college days but with a few giant twists that kept me reading to find out more. While not my favorite from this author it will definitely keep me reading more from her! This title had a few moments that drug on longer then I think the story needed but it also built some good suspense. Kept me guessing what the twist would be the whole time!

ARC audiobook provided in exchange for an honest review.

Karissa Vacker does a wonderful job with the narration on this book! Most is from a female perspective but she handles other characters perfectly too! The story is well written and I loved all the details that went into character development. I really felt like I was a part of this book and trying to solve the mysteries along with a group of friends. The ending made my head spin in the best way possible and I would definitely recommend for anyone who likes psychological thrillers with unreliable narrators!

Good and evil play out in this psychological thriller., Only if You're Lucky. Willingham has drawn out a sinister dark academia plot about friendship and the lengths you'll go to avenge those you believe have wronged you.

I feel its better for the reader to jump right in the story as there are several mysteries at play on this campus. You'll finish this book hating every character after its final shocking revelations.

Thank you Minotaur Books for the complimentary copy.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this book! My review will post to my blog on 1/11/24. I'll also post the review to Goodreads and retail sites.

I've had both "All the Dangerous Things" and "A Flicker in the Dark" on my iPad for at least a year. After reading this book, I am definitely bumping them up on the list. "Only If You're Lucky" was exactly the thriller I needed at this moment, and I loved how it explores the intricate dynamics of friendship and the deep-seated desire to be more than ordinary.

The story follows Margot, a shy and cautious young woman who has always played the role of the sidekick, never the center of attention. Her life takes an unexpected turn when she meets Lucy Sharpe, a larger-than-life character who exudes an addictive magnetism. Lucy reminds Margot of her best friend, Eliza, who was killed in an accident three weeks after graduation. Eliza was always the magnetic one that everyone noticed - Margot, her faithful sidekick. The two were supposed to attend college together, but instead, Margot had to go alone, flying under the radar and making few friends (per usual). Then, at the end of their freshman year, Lucy singles out Margot and asks her to become roommates. Unable to resist the allure of something daring and the possibility of having the fun and exciting college career she'd dreamed of with Eliza, Margot agrees, stepping out of her comfort zone into the unknown.

Margot finds herself living in an off-campus house with Lucy and two other girls, Sloane and Nicole - each different in their own way. Despite their differences, the four girls become deeply intertwined, forming a bond that both supports and challenges them. However, their idyllic college life is shattered when a fraternity boy and someone from Margot's past is brutally murdered. The incident sends shockwaves through the campus, and tensions rise as suspicion and fear grip the college community. Amidst the chaos, Lucy Sharpe suddenly disappears without a trace, leaving behind a trail of unanswered questions and a whole lot of suspicion. Margot, Sloane, and Nicole claim that they have no idea where Lucy is, but are they being honest, or are they covering for their friend?

Through Margot's perspective, the novel delves deep into the twisted nature of friendship. It examines the lengths to which individuals are willing to go to belong and the consequences that ensue when envy seeps into those relationships. As the layers of each character are peeled back, readers are left questioning everyone's motives and loyalties. Per usual, I had several suspicions about where this one could potentially go, and I'm happy to say that it kept me on my toes the entire time I was reading it.

Willingham expertly reveals just enough information at the right moments, keeping readers guessing until the very end. There were a couple of nice twists toward the end that I did not see coming at all, which is always a happy surprise for me because I'm usually really good about figuring things out early on.

Overall, "Only If You're Lucky" is a gripping and enthralling read. The characters are all rich and complex, the pacing is perfect, and the plot is very tight. I really enjoyed this one and will be checking out the rest of her books in the coming year.

3.5

This follows a group of four college friends after a fraternity brother is found dead at a party. We get a dual timeline – before & after they are being questioned by the police about this event. This is a story about female friendship dynamics, jealousy, and obsession.

The scene is very much college frat party – lots of drinking and partying late into the night, which I didn’t love because that’s just not really my thing. The four girls live in a house owned by a frat and are constantly hanging out next door at the frat house.

I did enjoy the writing style. The way Stacy Willingham allows the plot to unfold and gives us reveals is very satisfying to me. I feel this way about all her books, but this is my least favorite of her three. Nothing really had me on the edge of my seat, but I was intrigued to see how everything wrapped up.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for an early copy in exchange for a review!

Only if You're Lucky is a slow burn thriller focused on a group of college girls all with secrets they would like to keep buried.

I love Stacy Willingham's writing (having read her first two novels and rating them 5 stars), but I did not find as much of a connection with this story. The story includes exactly what you would think for college age girls (partying, classes, boys etc), so it reads a little more new adult/young adult than her previous novels. The premise centers around Margot and her roommates in their first year of college. After losing her best friend, Margot tries to move on with her life and go off to college. Margot meets Lucy, an absolute fire cracker of a person and she ends up moving in with her and 2 other roommates. All is not what is seems though, when Margot starts to uncover things about Lucy as well as the things she never knew about her best friend and she finds her self down a rabbit hole, questioning everything she thought she knew.

The story is also very slow burn with little bread crumbs left throughout until the end. I did find the last 100 pages to be where the story really picked up and I did enjoy the twists at the end. The bulk of the story though was very monotonous in tone and I didn't feel much tension and suspense really until the end. I did enjoy the Jekyll and Hyde references though and felt the psychological questions were what made the story. The story spends a lot of time on good vs. evil, how everyone can have both sides, as well as the aspects of just wanting to fit in, be a part of the group and feel wanted. I do think this book is thought provoking in that regard and I did up my rating based on this.

Overall, I just felt this story was very different from Stacy's previous works and is definitely for readers that enjoy more of a focus on the psychological parts of the story than the actual thriller part. rating is 3.5 stars rounded up. I will continue to read Stacy's works as I really do love her writing style and can't wait for the next one!

Margot is the quintessential sidekick. Always classified as “Eliza’s best friend” no one took much notice of her on her own. After Eliza’s tragic death, Margot is lost trying to make her way as a freshman in college.

Margot then meets Lucy Sharpe and she suddenly feels special again. Everyone is drawn to Lucy yet she continues to remain somewhat of a mystery even to her closest friends.

After a string of increasingly disturbing events, a fraternity brother is dead and Lucy is now missing. Margot and her roommates must work together to solve the mystery of Lucy’s disappearance. While discovering the true identity of their friend, the three girls also form an unlikely bond.

I really enjoyed this book overall, but it was an extremely slow start. The story really didn’t pick up until the last third of the book. If it weren’t for how the author tied everything together, I would have given the book a lower rating. This was my first book by the author so I look forward to reading her others.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advanced copy of this title in exchange for my honest review.

Man I really hoped to love this one. The beginning had me so intrigued. As the story went on though I lost interest. I felt like it was constantly talking in circles. Would get little hints and could piece some things together. Then talked in circles again.
It is about college students, however, read more high school to me.
I did not call some of the twists as the story unfolded. So they were a pleasant surprise for me!
Overall, it's just not my favorite read.

Thank you, NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books for allowing me to read and give my honest review.

Lucy is a presence to be reckoned with. She’s bold and magnetic, and Margot is instantly drawn to her at the end of their freshman year of college. Margot is always the side character and never the main character. When Lucy asks her to room together, she can’t say no. Margot soon finds herself living in an off-campus house with three other girls. She starts coming out of her shell, a shell she’s been in since her best friend Eliza died. The a a guy from the frat house next door is murdered and Lucy has gone missing.

Only If You’re lucky is another addictive thriller by Stacy Willingham. I was fortunate enough to receive this book as an eARC and an ALC through NetGalley. I love to hybrid read part of a book and listen to the other part if I can to fully immerse myself in the book experience. I have to say that I loved reading the ebook as much as I loved listening to the audiobook, and will be getting a physical copy when it’s out to keep on my personal library. I loved all the secrets and drama that unfolded in this story and loved that I didn’t see the twists coming. Stacy Willingham really knows how to hold your attention while her stories are unraveling. This audiobook was narrated by Karissa Vacker and she is an artist!! I actually just listened to another audiobook she narrated and I’m pretty sure I love her (as a narrator). I’d be happy to listen to any audiobook she narrates. Only If You’re Lucky is out 1/16/24 and it’s worth the read/listen. So keep your eyes peeled for pub day!

Thank you so much NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, and St. Martin’s Press for the advanced copies and the chance to read/listen and review it honestly.

Happy reading!

Major ‘slow southern summer’ vibes in this book, which fits perfectly with the setting and the authors background, but unfortunately (for me) made the first half of this book quite the slow burn. Me and slow burns are notoriously in a love-hate relationship; it’s just my reading preference that I need something to keep me hooked in and interested. ⁠
Despite the slow start, this is a quick read and once I hit the 50% mark things started picking up, and I enjoyed the last half. I thought I had things decently figured out but I didn’t see the ending coming at all, and the twists and turns didn’t stop coming once we hit the last 25% of the book.⁠
Overall this one landed in the middle of the pack for me, but I will definitely keep reading Stacy’s work!

I couldn’t put this book down. I was hooked from page 1. Told via alternating points of view between the past and present, Stacy takes you on a wonderfully crafted Dr. Jekell and Mr. Hyde-ish twisted journey. The story is full of misdirection, and you can’t imagine how it will all end. The ending was a real twist. And I loved that not everything is all tied up nicely at the end. @stacyvwillingham is an auto-buy/auto-read author for me!

Thank you to @netgalley @stmartinspress @minotaur_books and the author for a free advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review.

This is my first novel by Stacy Willingham and it was an enjoyable read. I liked the book, but I did not love it. There were some a lot of slow moving parts and I was in a way able to guess what happened in the end. I would recommend this book for anyone who enjoys New Adult novels and a little bit of mystery with some twists and turns.

I was so excited (and honored!) to receive this ARC! I love Stacy Willingham’s other two novels (A Flicker in the Dark and All the Dangerous Things) and was so excited to dive into her latest work.

This book felt very “Pretty Little Liars goes to college” to me. It was very different from her other two works in that it was a lot slower-paced. It took me awhile to get into this book and the story, but the compelling characters are definitely its strongest point.

Only If You’re Lucky follows Margot as she enters college, where she was supposed to attend with her long-time best friend, but her friend tragically died the summer before. Margot quickly gets sucked into a new friendship group led by mysterious ringleader Lucy Sharpe and finds herself moving into a house next door to a fraternity with these three new friends. Things seem to be getting better for Margot when one of the fraternity boys is suddenly murdered and the attention turns to the four women living next door.

This book really focuses on the limits of friendship, betrayal, and how far hurt can take a person.

Thank you to NetGalley, Minotaur Books, and Stacy Willingham for providing me with this free e-ARC in exchange for a review!

Due to release on January 15th, 2024.

Audiobook and E-book review.
4/5 🌟🌟🌟🌟
The cover was amazing and made me want to give it a higher priority on my TBR list.

This book is different from her previous books 'Flicker in the Dark' and 'All The Dangerous Things', but I'm not mad about it. I have listened to both and loved them, but I have room in my heart for all three books. I didn't find it as dark as I was expecting, but it was more like a whodunit coming of age drama with moments that I found thrilling. I'm not saying there weren't any surprises, because there were. She kept me guessing, as she has done before, until the very end.

This is written from the POV of Margot, the main character, who is a young adult who is reserved and can be persuaded by others, and is a bit obsessive at times. She feels the loss of someone she loved in the past and is determined to change her typical, repetitive behavior and avoid repeating her past mistakes when she goes to college. You are given flashbacks to both the past before college and the present day in college. Fraternity brothers, mean girls, peer pressure, boy drama, murder, and a whole lot of mayhem can be found throughout. If you're not interested in that, then this book won't be for you.

I'm 53 and still love reading about the bad behavior of young adults and the life lessons one learns along the way to fully developing their frontal lobe. As a woman who was once young, I can relate to the desire to be the one girl who is noticed and doesn't seem to be scared of anything. It seems to me that we've all been there at some point. In that way, I could relate to Margot.

I enjoyed the ending and I thought it would be fun to look at some of these characters again later in their lives. You know after their frontal lobe has fully developed. In addition, I think that this book has the potential to become an entertaining movie or television series.

Thank you to @netgallery and the author, Stacy Willingham along with her publishers St. Martin Press and Macmillan Audio with supplying me with the ARC and ALC for my honest review. I read the Ebook and listened to this audiobook simultaneously. Reading several chapters and listening to them in bed at night. Something I have never done before, but it was a fun experience. In my opinion, Karissa Vacker did a great job of narrating the audiobook and giving voice to all the characters I had previously read.

While this one was more YA than her last two, I still enjoyed it so much. Stacy Willingham is definitely an auto-buy author and I was so excited when this one was sent to me. Alternating timelines, two murders to solve and the ending twists that were so satisfying even if a bit predictable made this one read so quick for me. Thanks to St. Martins Press for my ARC.

The lake water was cool on her skin, refreshing to the touch. The moon cast an ethereal glow on the water and the quietness of the night lingered around her. She was out here alone. She savored the moment, allowing herself this small moment of peace. But then she heard them approaching… and the silence was shattered.

Only If You’re Lucky is a thriller following Margot, a freshman at college who is trying to navigate life after the death of her best friend. She meets Lucy, who seems too good to be true, but Margot is desperate for a connection.

I was immediately intrigued by this book when I started it, but the middle really dragged for me. The writing was very prose-like and flowery, which isn’t what I typically like in a thriller. Especially when I loved this author’s other two books and they weren’t written that way. After the slow middle, the final third of the book really picked up and had me hooked again! The ending felt more reminiscent of Stacy’s writing in her first two books.

If you’re looking for a slow burn, college setting thriller, with some great twists and turns… then add this one to your list!

I just recently discovered Stacy Willingham, but I’ve been a huge fan since the first book. The way that she writes a story makes it not only easy to devour, but entertaining.

There is nothing I value more than a thriller author I can count on, and that is Stacy Willingham for me.
⭐⭐⭐⭐

Only If You're Lucky is a dual timeline, slow-burn thriller set at a college before and after a terrible accident at a fraternity party.

My favorite part of Stacy Willingham's novels is the writing. She brings such a unique voice that always captivates me from the first page. In the case of Only If You're Lucky, we get the perspective of our main protagonist Margot and by the end I felt like I really understood her motivations - even more so as the story and twists unfold.

I think readers will enjoy this one as much as I did - with the right expectations. This story is slow rolling. There's not a big reveal after every page and you need that patience in order to be satisfied with the whole story which is why you might be seeing some DNFs. But for me, it paid off in the end and Only If You're Lucky joins Stacy's other two novels as recommended thrillers from me!

Only If You're Lucky comes out January 16, 2024.

QOTD: What read are you most anticipating for 2024?

3.5⭐️

I absolutely love Stacy Willingham and her writing, but I struggled so hard to get through the middle portion of this book. It felt repetitive to me, and like quite a bit was unnecessary.

I absolutely enjoyed the twist and how everything came together in the end. A couple of the twists I predicted, but there were also some that I did not see coming at all!

Had the middle of this book worked better for me then it would’ve been a 4/4.5⭐️ read for sure!

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for the ARC copy!! Out everywhere Jan 16!

Only If You’re Lucky by Stacy Willingham
Narrator: Karissa Vacker
Rating: 4 stars
Pub date: 1/16

Margot arrives at Rutledge College devastated after the accidental death of her best friend, Eliza, months before. She’s shy and careful but wishes she could be more outgoing. Then she meets Lucy Sharpe, an enigmatic and free-spirited classmate who reminds her so much of Eliza that she can’t help but be drawn to her. The duo and two other contrasting friends share an off-campus house next door to a frat house.
As Margot starts to come out of her shell, the plot takes a chilling turn when a neighboring fraternity boy is found murdered, and Lucy goes missing without a trace. This sets the stage for exploring female friendships, loyalty, and betrayal.

This story is very different from Willingham's previous works, introducing a slower-paced, character-driven story with a touch of young adultish vibes. Things don’t start to pick up until the 70% mark, and that’s when all the clues and Easter eggs Willingham has left behind begin to make sense.

The dark academia atmosphere drew me in and reminded me of one of my favorite thrillers, In My Dreams I Hold a Knife. I loved the dual timeline as we hopped between past and present, and Margot explained how the events leading up to Eliza’s death came together with what was happening in the present.

The unexpected twists kept me fully immersed in the story, and I couldn’t put it down! I listened to this on audio, also, and the narrator did a tremendous job bringing all of the characters to life. Karissa Vacker is one of my favorite narrators, and I’ll listen to any books she narrates.

If you're a fan of psychological suspense or character-driven mysteries, this novel is a must-read. Thank you so much to Minotaur for my advanced copy and to Macmillan Audio for my complimentary audiobook.