3 ⭐️'ˢ

“Only If You’re Lucky” By Stacy Willingham

📕 Edition: Audiobook

The story follows Margot, a shy college student, and her larger-than-life roommate, Lucy. The dynamics among Lucy and her housemates—Sloane and Nicole—create a captivating backdrop for the tale.

Willingham weaves a narrative that explores the complexities of friendship, grief, and the blurred lines between right and wrong. The characters are richly developed, each with their quirks and flaws, making them feel incredibly real.

While the book kept my attention with its magnetic characters and a suspenseful plot, I couldn't help but feel that some parts were a tad dragged out, elongating the story more than necessary.

The mysterious disappearance of Lucy and the murder of a fraternity boy add layers of suspense, keeping my interest perked. The narrative is intense, and the twists keep you guessing until the very end.

Thank you @NetGalley , @macmillan_audio for providing me with this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

“Just a couple of harmless little girls”

I love that Stacy Willingham drew inspiration from her college living situation for this book. It was easy to picture the setting. The main characters were developed well. While reading, you just don’t know whether Margot is reliable or not…and you don’t know who around her is actually trustworthy as well. I enjoyed the story as a whole, though it was a slow burner. I really enjoy Willingham’s writing. Thanks to NetGalley for an early copy to review.

Many thanks to netgalley and Minotaur for my advanced electronic copy of Only if You're Lucky, which publishes January 2024.

3.5 stars rounded up.

I am a fan of Stacey WIllingham's books, and for the most part, she has done it again: written a thriller with more depth of character and theme than your average book in this genre. It's a pageturner, as we both want to know what is happening in the present, as well as what exactly happened in the past (which is referenced quite a bit). There's a massive twist I didn't see coming, but I should have. The college setting is realistic and perfect for the themes of wanting to belong, to fit in, to explore moral grayness, to be both good and evil (there's an ongoing thread about Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde) It's also full of bad behavior and poor choices, which i tired of, tbh. I do think her previous two books were stronger, but that may just be personal preference. I enjoyed the author's note at the end, explaining how her idea for the book came about.

Thank you NetGalley, Minotaur Books, and Stacy Willingham for the advanced copy of Only If You’re Lucky in exchange for my honest review.

I unfortunately decided to DNF this one about 20% in. I wasn’t connecting to the story or any of the characters and I had a hard time figuring out what exactly the plot of the book was. Nevertheless, I won’t hesitate to read this author again in the future as I loved her past books.

As is the case with all the books I DNF, NetGalley will be the only retail site I leave a review on.

I received this book as an ARC but that isn't impacting my review.

I like this author. I own her first book, and very much enjoyed her second. This one, I struggled a bit. Maybe I'm the wrong audience because I had a great college life where I used classes and work and friends to deal with things in a positive ways, so I have a harder time relating to the characters. But I think it's also that the story felt done. The unreliable narrator, the femme fatale setting things into motion, etc. Also parts of the plot felt like too much suspension of disbelief. But mostly- for me to be invested, I have to like at least one character, root for them. And I didn't really root for anyone here so I never got invested.

Maybe my expectations are just too high because of the last book, I don't know. But I was disappointed and had to push myself to finish it. That said, I gave it three stars because I did finish it and because the writing is still good. I appreciate the tight story where there isn't a lot of pointless exposition and where a lot of little things pay off. The author also does a great job of building atmosphere and an environment that sometimes feels real. And most of all, there is an ending that wraps up the details and after reading a book without that, i appreciate this one.

𝗠𝘆 𝗧𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆
I was so excited to get an ARC of Stacy Willingham's newest book because I LOVED her other two books. This one exceeded the other two. I went in blind and had no idea of the storyline but it had me hooked from the very beginning. Stacy is such an amazing story teller. Her ability to paint a picture never ceases to amaze me. I had no idea how the story was going to end, and the many twists kept me guessing throughout. If you haven't read any of Stacy's books, you need to. I highly recommend Only If You're Lucky and her previous two books as well!

Thank you to NetGalley, Stacy Willingham and Minotaur Books for an ARC!

I really enjoyed the plot, setting, and character demographics. I looked forward to reading more each time I was able to pick the book back up but at the same time, it seemed to stretch on for long bits of time without furthering the story. There was just a little something missing in terms of character connection for me, but again, overall, I really enjoyed where the story went and the various motives.

This book is a slow burn thriller with some good twists at the end. It will definitely keep you interested until the end. I have read other books by the author and will continue to be a follower. Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for and e ARC of this book.

Stacy Willingham is an auto buy author do I was so excited to receive this book to read and review!

The setting of this biok is awesome I love a good twisty college setting for a book with twists and mystery!

I liked this book and the author will continue to be an auto buy!

Thanks again NetGalley loved this book!

Stacy is an auto buy author for me so I was excited to read her new release! This book kept me on the edge of my seat- I devoured it!! Thank you for sending me an early copy!

Thank you NetGalley and Minotaur Books for the chance to read this new book by Stacey Willingham.

I must admit that I read about the first third of this book one evening and was sucked in by what looked to be an engaging piece of work set in a university environment. Then I got stuck on it for a couple of days and couldn’t seem to make any progress. I couldn’t quite figure out why.

I picked it back up today. I finally figured out why the slowdown. It's set in a college town and there is much to do with drinking, drugs and fraternity pledging. It just put me off at first.

Then the story started to unfold. I like the author, Stacey Willingham. I've read a few of her other books and enjoyed them. This one didn't hit the right note for me at the start. About halfway through the fire caught hold and I burned through the rest of the book in about 3 hours.

SW has a way of taking a kernel of truth and building a big twisting story. Sometimes you want to turn your eyes away from the subject, but it’s always a good ride.

Thank you @stmartinspress @minotaurbooks for the #gifted copy!

Thrilling & nostalgic, this campus thriller gem by @stacyvwillingham delivers a gripping tale told in dual timelines. The suspense is relentless, weaving multiple unexpected twists that I didn’t see coming & kept me hooked!

College memories flooded back, enhancing the immersive experience. It brought me right back to my move in day freshman year 🥹. The trust issues with characters heightened the suspense, making everyone a potential suspect.

Willingham's masterful storytelling shines, concluding with a satisfying ending. She doesn’t miss & is a definite auto-buy author, her skillful pen always guarantees an unputdownable read. A riveting journey that blends nostalgia & suspense seamlessly

𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗶𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲:
◽️ campus thrillers
◽️ feeling nostalgic about college
◽️ multiple twists
◽️ dual timelines

*Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the e-arc of this book*

I think that I can now confidently call Stacy Willingham my favorite thriller author. I read both of her previous novels and loved both of them. When I saw this while scrolling on Netgalley, I knew I had to read it and immediately requested it. I didn't look up a single thing about it, knew nothing going in, and honestly I believe that is truly the best way to go into this. I really don't even know what I can say about this book without giving anything away or spoiling things.
What I will say, is that this book did not disappoint. It was weird and twisty, and it kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time. It seemed like every chapter ended on some sort of cliff hanger which made it a very quick read, because I just had to keep reading to figure it out. I'm not always a fan of dual narrative books, but I feel like the past and present narratives really worked well together in this book and only added intrigue.

I don't think I liked a single character in this book except for maybe one side character. Stacy did a great job making characters seem like both villains and victims at the same time, loving them one chapter and hating them the other.

Only If You’re Lucky by Stacy Willingham is a slow burn. The first quarter of the book not much happens but it does set you up for the rest of the story. Once the story sped up, I could not stop reading! I really enjoyed the main character, Margot, and the way her backstory was revealed. I specifically like books where you are not given all the information right away. . I kind of like not having all the information right upfront. That technique makes it more suspenseful for me while reading. This book definitely seemed different than the authors previous ones. I think that because the characters were in college, it seemed geared towards a younger audience. It still was a really fun book to read! The author did a great job at documenting female friendships in the early 20s/late teens. Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for the advanced copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

I was so excited to receive access to Willingham’s latest release. I binged her first two books in a day each and found them so entertaining.

In comparison, “Only if You’re Lucky” was a bit of a let down. The first 79% felt like trudging through mud. I was on the struggle bus.

For me, The story was by no means “bad,” it just wasn’t especially engaging. Nothing happened that hooked my attention for SO. LONG. It was just “meh.”

I DO want to give credit to the author for once again delivering an emotional punch of a twist ending. And once I hit that 80% mark I loved those great moments of reflection to the elements of the set up.

It was just such a slog to get to the pay off.

I hate not giving her an excellent review on this one, but, damn, it’s only her third and I’d put money on her next books being bangers.

Thanks to NetGalley for a copy of this title in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley, the Publishers, and Stacy Willingham for an ARC of Only If You’re Lucky. At the beginning, I was a little hesitant about what I was entering. I’ve read all books by Stacy and this felt a little different - but I knew there was something there. Holy book heavens - this turned out to be FANTASTIC! Everything building up - it was well worth the ride. Margot is off to college after the passing of her friend Eliza and she’s trying to find her place, become the person she wants to be. Margot finds a friend in Lucy, could she be the replacement for Eliza in her life? It’s college - anything can happen. When one of the boys next door dies and Lucy goes missing … what is Margot going to do? Seems as if something goes wrong in Margot’s life everywhere she goes.

DNF at 15% - I tried I swear! This book is really slow moving and I just could not get into it no matter how hard I tried. I thought the pacing was off - the flashbacks with the roommates were okay but the time jumps were too frequent and I just wanted the plot to keep moving. By 15% I still felt like nothing had happened. The writing also felt very repetitive - I just kept thinking something would happen soon but it never did. I liked this author's prior work so I would try her next book, but sadly this one didn't work out for me.

Only if You're Lucky by Stacy Willingham is a thriller that drew me in with a gorgeous cover, hooked me with a promising premise, and kept me reading with a wonderfully paced narrative. I will be grabbing a physical copy of this one as soon as it comes out and enjoying the authors other work in the meantime.

Stacy Willingham quickly became an auto buy author for me after her debut novel A Flicker in the Dark. I was so excited to receive the e-book from NetGalley for her third, “Only If You’re Lucky” and it did not disappoint!! I love her fluid and descriptive writing style. This one was more of a slow burn than her others, and gave off young adult and dark academia vibes, but in such a mature fashion that you almost forget you are reading about college students. I enjoyed the twists, the characterization and how it was all tied together in a neat little bow at the end. I highly recommend! Thank you NetGalley and Minotaur Books for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

The premise sounds amazing, but it missed the mark for me in execution. The characters are unlikeable, the college antics are overdone, and the pace is too slow. There were no "WOW! I didn't see that coming." moments. I was never quite sure what the point of the story actually was. Too much repetition and a predictable ending made this 2 stars for me.