Almost 4 stars, rounded up. I’m a big fan of Stacy Willingham, and I’ve read her two previous books. Only If You’re Lucky felt very much like a Stacy Willingham book, but also not in some ways. The narrator, although not totally unreliable, was also not necessarily the most trustworthy. Lucy, in particular, as a character was very vivid. And there were def a bunch of twists. Unfortunately, I felt this to be a little slow to start, and I was able to figure out the majority of the twists. I think part of the problem for me is that I've read a fair bit of thrillers, and because of that, the plot just didn’t necessarily feel the most unique. That said, the writing itself was exceptional. And I think that someone that is new to the genre would find a lot to enjoy (since it’ll maybe feel a bit more unique to them and less predictable). And also because of the quality of the writing, I can also see thriller lovers enjoying this one, too. It’s not my favorite from Willingham, but I did enjoy it, and I have no qualms about recommending it.

Thank you to Minotaur, Willingham, and netgalley for the early ARC!

"Only If You're Lucky" by Stacy Willingham centers around a college freshman, Margo, who is grieving the loss of her best friend and trying to find her way in her new life at college. At the end of her freshman year, she is befriended and invited to live off-campus with a group of three other girls. The off-campus house is directly next to a fraternity, and once Margo starts to come out of her shell, one of the frat boys ends up murdered, and her friend goes missing.

I really placed this book on a pedestal before reading it because I highly enjoyed Stacy Willingham's most recent book "All The Dangerous Things." However, this book missed the mark with me.

Firstly, I couldn't relate to the college student characters in this book and their unhealthy bond to each other, possibly because I'm close to forty years old, or maybe because I don't recall college being so carefree and utterly ridiculous. For example, there were immature games played by the four girls, a childish game that I do not recall playing after I turned 13 years of age. These games were not a one-off occurrence but occurred many times throughout the book.

Secondly, the scenario where Margo's best friend, who died in a freak accident, was repeatedly brought up many times throughout the book. This was very off-putting. I felt as if I were a child who needed to be reminded about what took place on the evening when Margo's best friend died. As a result of this repetitive side story, it became aggravating.

On the other hand, I thoroughly enjoyed the off-campus house setting as Willingham explained in the acknowledgments, which was based on her own experience with an off-campus house. Her descriptions of the rental house and the fraternity next door transported me right there with the girls.

Above all, this thriller would make a great book for a young adult. Unfortunately, it just wasn't for me.

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thank you Minotaur Book for the eARC copy.

I have loved the authors previous books and I was so excited to be approved for this one. Unfortunately, this was a big miss for me. I actually stopped reading at 33% and it took me a month to pick it back up, and I only picked it back up because I received the audiobook. The audiobook helped keep me engaged enough to finish it. I felt that there was so much unnecessary filler that bored me. It started incredibly slow and didn't pick up for me until well over the 60% mark. I didn't feel like I was reading a thriller instead it felt like more like a study on a college girl and the grief she holds onto since her best friends death back home. There was nothing to pull me in and I was not invested in any of the characters. I most likely would not have finished this if it weren't for the audiobook that I could listen to in the background while doing other tasks. If you go into this book not expecting her usual thrilling fast paced story, then I think you may enjoy it more than me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for this advanced reader's copy and the opportunity to review. All opinions are my own.

Margot begins college grieving the death of her high school best friend, Eliza, and as her sophomore year approaches, not much has changed. When Margot is searching for a place to live, she is approached by Lucy Sharpe. Lucy invites Margot to live with her and her two other friends, Sloane and Nicole, in a house previously owned by a fraternity on campus.

As Margot, Lucy, Sloane and Nicole become closer and strengthen their relationship as friends and roommates, she shares more about her past and how her best friend Eliza passed away. And things get even more complicated when Eliza's former neighbor and ex-boyfriend moves into the fraternity house next door.

From games of Truth and Dare, to accusations and weird questions, these four college girls examine the ways they are capable of both good and evil.

I give Only if You're Lucky a 3.75 stars, as some points of this book I found a little dry and not sure where the plot was going, but the twist at the end made up for it. In true thriller fashion, I had no idea what was coming, and really liked the ending. Also, the writing was so descriptive and lyrical. I have read both of Stacy Willingham's previous titles, and they were both 5 stars for me. This one was a little slower, but still such a good thriller read. I love her books and will always read whatever she writes next. She is truly one of my favorite authors.

Only if You're Lucky will be released on January 16.

This author never fails to disappoint me. She’s 3 for 3 now and an auto-read/listen for me.

Her storytelling sucks me in right away and I’m left turning the pages as quickly as I can. Feeling an urgent need to know how it all ends.

She did a good job at portraying how intense female relationships and bonds can be. The desire to want to belong to a group or just a strong bond between two people. How jealousy can come out when someone tries to break that bond.

I like that she gives us some breadcrumbs and nothing comes as a huge shock.

A solid new release from a trusted author.

Only If You're Lucky follows Margot, a college student, who is grieving the death of her best friend who died shortly after their high school graduation. After spending her freshman year mostly to herself, she is befriended by the charismatic, Lucy Sharpe, who draws Margot into her more daring and adventurous life. Margot soon finds that there is more to Lucy than meets the eye and we follow along as one of their fraternity neighbors is murdered and Lucy goes missing.

This was my first experience with Stacy Willingham and I've heard nothing but good things about her books. Unfortunately, this book was too slow paced for me to really be able to get into the story and I didn't find myself connecting with the characters. I did think the ending was interesting because there are multiple mysteries that get wrapped up and Stacy did a great job fitting them all together. I liked the writing style enough that I will try her other books and see if I can find one that's a better fit for me.

I really enjoyed A Flicker in the Dark and All the Dangerous Things. I enjoyed the college setting in Only If You're Lucky. It was okay, to me it just did not hit like the others. It is a good read and I know if will appease other readers.

Thank you NetGalley and Minotaur Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this twisty book. It was wonderful. I think it is wonderful exploration of becoming an adult but with murder.
I loved the ending.

3.5 Stars
Only If You're Lucky was written beautifully, and would be an easy sell for us: an unreliable narrator, mysterious death, past and present timeline leading up to the climax, unlikeable characters that would keep you guessing, and a few twists at the end. Only If You're Lucky lacks tension, and you find yourself wanting to just keep reading to get the answers not because you're anxious to know the truth, but because you want to just get to the big reveal. It felt a bit predictable, which surprised us, as Willingham's first two novels were staff favorites. That said, we will continue to keep an eye out on Willingham's future books and will always purchase her titles for our store.

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

3.5 out of 5 stars (3.5 / 5) If you’re in the mood for a slow-burn journey within a college setting, this might just be your cup of tea. This college-set tale has its highs and lows, but the overall experience is an exploration of friendships, mysteries, and a protagonist with a questionable character arc.

The narrative takes its sweet time to unravel, offering readers a slow-burn with potential. The college setting adds an extra layer to the story, creating a backdrop that increases the stakes as the plot develops.

“But friends for life is a myth, a fable. A feel-good fairy tale we tell ourselves to avoid having to think too hard about facing the world alone.”

Margot, the main character, adds an interesting dynamic. Her pliability to the influence of friends creates a character who is not always reliable. This added a complexity I wasn’t a fan of, turning me off to the bulk of the story.

While the slow burn can be enticing, the middle tested my patience and I found myself craving more immediate revelations. The need for bits of juicy information to maintain my attention was a concern and I craved a better balance in pacing.

The slow build finds its payoff in a great ending. The story has a satisfying conclusion that ties up loose ends and delivers the anticipated emotional punch. The strength of the finale compensated for the mid-story lull.


Thank you to Minotaur Books for the copy!

This one is told in the before & in the after. Before the murder and before the missing “friend.” It started out really interesting with following Margot going off to college after loosing her best friend Eliza. She’s been trying to find herself or place since loosing Eliza. She went to a college they both dreamed of. Feeling a bit out of place, she befriends Lucy and her clique. This is where I began to have many questions.
What happened to Eliza?
What’s the pull to Lucy? Why did Lucy, Sloan, and Nicole invite her in so easily. What’s up with Levi? It ended up getting a bit crazy just like I my psychological thrillers, but… somewhere along the mid point it started to slow down. Way down.

At about the 60% mark I felt like I had a lot of information with nothing really happening. After recently reading SW first 2 books and loving them, I fell like this one didn’t live up to the level as the other books. Overall, the premise was good, dark academia, murder mystery, and psycho thriller was there, but it took too long for things to happen or be revealed .

This is my second Stacy Willingham book and most definitely not my last! Willingham has an incredible ability to tell an utterly captivating story. From the moment I started this book, I could not put it down, I didn’t think the twists and turns were unpredictable but a few of them got me. I thought this book was really well executed, It’s one of those “It Girl” mysteries. I’ve read a few of them this year but I think this one was my favorite. Only if you’re lucky had exactly 0 characters that I liked, but even with hating the characters… I absolutely loved the book, I finished it it one sitting.

I was fortunate to receive the digital and audio ARC of this novel. I LOVED READING AND LISTENING AT THE SAME TIME! It’s one of my favorite ways to really get into a book. A huge, huge thank you to the publishers at St. Martins Press/minotaur books and Macmillan audio for the incredible opportunity to review the ARC copies of Only if you’re lucky.

This book was awesome! It’s been a little while since I read a thriller with some serious twists and turns and I had a lot of fun reading this one! It brought me back to my college days and Greek life (ish) and having roommates. I really liked all the characters and the story was really intriguing, every time I picked it back up it was really hard to put down! I absolutely love how the author used a real life experience as the setting for this story, learning that made it even more awesome, and creepy lol! Absolutely recommend!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.
I listened to audiobook version and read this version as well.
I absolutely loved this book.
Great job by the author of weaving together multiple timelines and tragic events and tying it up into a neat bow at the end.
Easy to follow and an enjoyable read. I finished it in one day because I could not put it down!

First, I want to thank Net Galley and St. Martin's Press for giving me an ARC of this book. I recently discovered Stacey Willingham over the summer and loved her first two books so I was super excited to read this one! I think this might be my favorite one so far. She's super good at coming up with twists and I sometimes have a hard time predicting what's going to happen which I love! If you enjoyed Stacey's other books, I definitely think you'll enjoy this one as well!

That first feeling of true freedom, the moment your parents leave your dorm room the first year of college. Everything is new, shiny, and terrifying at the same time. You have the chance to make friends that will be in your life forever. That is how it worked for me. We all started on the same floor and moved into a house together. The gatherings on my bed in the morning to retell what happened the night before. Some nights are blurry and hazy around the edges. This book grabs you and thrusts you back to your freshman year. Frat parties, bad decisions, studying, and your entire life looming before you.

Lucy is charismatic. Everyone knows her and everyone wants to be friends with her. She can make friends with a wall. She is just one of those people and Margot is drawn to her. She has kept to herself since the beginning of the year. Tucked into a safe cocoon with her roommate. Staying in for movies and popcorn. But Lucy draws her out. Asks her if she is looking for a room. She moves in with three girls who she knows nothing about. She is taking a step away from herself, to become a new person. Their house is owned by the neighboring frat. The summer becomes one endless loop of drinking, lounging, and becoming close. But something is lurking just beneath the surface. There are secrets that they are keeping. What is true and who is behind it all?

I completely devoured this book. It kept me on my toes, had me guessing right until the end. The characters draw you in and keep you engaged and enthralled. Thank you to Stacy Willingham and Minotaur Books for this fantastic thrill ride.

I would give this one a 3.5. I really enjoyed the story and historically like Stacy Willingham's writing as well. It did feel a little bit like every other thriller in my opinion, but I did like that the main character was dealing with more behind the scenes than what meets the eye. Overall, liked the book a lot!

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the advanced readers copy of this story in exchange for an honest review.

This is my first Stacy Willingham book, but I had seen many positive reviews of her other two books throughout the years and was excited to be one of the first to read her new one coming out early next year.

I was pleasantly surprised to find how hooked I got from the beginning. I am a sucker for a good "college years" mystery. Maybe its because I never went through the traditional dorm room phase of college but its always been intriguing to me. I found the FMC Margot to be relatable and the writing style as one of my favorites in thrillers - short, easy to digest chapters that keep you on the edge of your seat. You have chapters that go between "Before" and "After" which is also one of my favs. There were a few twists that I did not expect, and there was a final one that I found to be a little hard to believe. As with a lot of books in this genre, there is some suspense to belief that needs to be taken because some of the scenes were just not realistic otherwise. If you can get passed that, I think you will enjoy this like I did.

I will say that I found some of the writing to be repetitive at times, especially when the narrator is talking about Eliza and Lucy and their similarities. There are a LOT of pages devoted to this so be ready for that.

Overall, I had a great time reading this. I liked it so much I bought her other two books and will be reading those sometime in the new year as well!

Only if You're Lucky was such an incredible read! When I say I could not put it down, I. Could. Not. Put. It Down. I loved the dynamic between the protagonist and all of her friends (new and old). There is truly no relationship quite like that of teenage girls, and Stacy absolutely nailed the dynamic.

I'm beyond embarrassed to admit that this was my first Stacy Willingham book, and all I can say is WOW. *Immediately adds all of her other books to cart*

Thank you to Minotaur Books for my arc!


This was the slow burn thriller that I never knew I needed. I always love books about toxic friendships because they always get taken to such dark places and this was no different. However the ending left me speechless. told in alternating timelines you are following along with Margot as she recounts what happened to her two best friends and I loved every minute of it. I couldn't trust anyone and when i thought I had predicted what was going to happen i was completely wrong.

Highly Recommend this!