Thank you NetGalley, Stacy Willingham, St.Martin’s Press , Minotaur Books for the advance copy of “Only if You’re Lucky” by Stacy Willingham. I was extremely excited for the opportunity to read a novel written by Stacy Willingham because of her previous literature high reviews. This book did intrigue me to want to read her other books to compare her novel.

The lay out of her chapter being short in length was compelling for me. It made it easy to convince myself to just read one more and in felt like that made the pace of the book go quicker. The foreshadowing of the book was a little repetitive but I didn’t mind it. I haven’t been reading thrillers lately but I though the storyline was good and I appreciated the multiple twists. I did like the setting of the book being at a college and center around a group of friends. I’m still not to sure how the title relates to the book but it is a appealing cover.

This book will become available on Jan 16,2024. Thanks again for the advance copy for an honest review.

Thank you to St Martins Press and MacMillan audiobook for review copies of Stacy Willingham's Only If You're Lucky. I know this will be popular among fans of this author and readers looking for a fairly quick mystery. My review is my own.

First, the narration for the audiobook is excellent, Karissa Vacker is one of my favorite voice actors and she did a standout job with the story. Second, this is an author who just does not work for me, I have tried her previous books and this time around though I liked this one more, I do love college settings, I finally realized what does not work: there is a lot of internal dialogue, and description and slow development of the plot, more a character study of characters I don't really think need that much study and who I don't want to spend a lot of time with. For a character filled with self reflection, Margot also lacked a lot of insight. That's just me... I like dialogue and while I love character driven stories, this one didn't have enough of a unique plot to hold my attention.. I would have liked more time with the secondary characters, who felt fairly one dimensional to me though important to the story. Third, some of the plot felt a bit too far fetched for me, blame this on me being well ensconced in college life and wondering about a few for me plot holes/leaps that probably won't bother other readers.

It's a slow race to a speedy resolution that I mostly saw coming. As is often the case with thrillers that don't quite work for me, the end feels like the best place to start an interesting plot.

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin's Press/Minotaur Books for an advanced electronic copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Margot is starting her college experience without her best friend (the original plan) because that best friend, Eliza, died after high school graduation, before they could go together. Fast forward to the end of freshman year and enter Lucy: big personality, larger than life, and for some reason, taking an interest in Margot. When they become friends and move into an apartment together with two other girls, Margot is convinced she finally fits in, but there are a few things that just don't add up...

Okay so I didn't dislike the book. I liked it! But I also felt like I didn't care what happened to the characters. I didn't feel for them at all, so I wasn't invested in what might happen to them. The story was likeable, but not my favorite from this author.

CW: death, grief, gaslighting, mentions of sexual assault, alcohol and drug use, vomit

Loved the twists in this book! I wasn’t able to predict the ending and I always appreciate that in a good thriller. The book starts off slower but by the end when all the details come together you see why! Also love a book with female main characters and their friendships being a focus point, rather than a romantic relationship. This takes place during the main character’s college years and it was interesting to think back to that time of my life and how I did/didn't relate to the girls. Bonus points for nicely tying up all questions I had by the ending!

Let me start by saying that I was not a fan of the author’s first book, “A Flicker in the Dark” but I looooved, “All the Dangerous Things”. This was a fun binge for me! I would say that this book is completely different from her first two; this piece was more of a mystery compared to the first two where they were psychological thrillers. I definitely feel like there wasn’t a lot of action but I enjoyed the character building, it made things a lot more suspenseful.

I loved the dark academia aspect to this book, dark academia is my favorite trope when it comes to thrillers. I thought the twists in this piece were fantastic and I was definitely not expecting them!

However, my one big con with this book was the characters! A lot of them were super unlikeable and there really wasn’t anyone I would necessarily root for. Also, it
was super hard to remember a lot of them!

While this one was not necessarily my favorite, I still enjoyed reading it and I think others will as well if they’re fans of Willingham’s.

Thank you so much NetGalley and Minotaur for providing me with an ARC of this!

“Only If You’re Lucky” grew on me. I found the first half to be slow, and I only started to enjoy it in the second half. I thought the exploration of female friendships and the tension building were interesting. But at times I felt disconnected from the plot and characters. Overall it was a so so read for me, but I’m glad I stuck it out.

A Flicker in the Dark was my favorite the year it came out so I was so excited for this one. I think it is still a good thriller; however, it seemed to be missing something. I don't know what it was. But I love this author and I am still excited to see what she does next.

Another amazing book by this author! It did feel a little long and repetitive at times, but it was totally worth it. The characters, plot and twists were so well written!

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.