Dang. I'm so sad. I really wanted to like this one, but it just wasn't for me. I couldn't get past all of the mumbo-jumbo in the first couple of chapters, so I had to let it go.

Sad to say that I didn’t like this book as much as her other books. A flicker in the dark was a 5 star read for me, all the dangerous things was 4 stars and this one was 3/2.5 stars. I do love a college mystery but this just didn’t do it for me.

Set on a college campus, we follow roommates, who live in a house connected to a frat house.

Margot is the narrator and used to be a very responsible girl until she met up with Lucy, Nicole, and Sloane. Lucy was especially poisonous.

Margot also arrived at college three weeks after her high school friend had passed away. That hangs over the storyline the entire time, and she is the gist of the book.

The book goes back-and-forth when Margo’s friend was alive and then back-and-forth current day when they tell what happened before one of the frat guys is murdered and after he is murdered.…very confusing.

It did give you something to think about, though.

Do you really know your friends?

Do you really make the right choices for your friends?

Things did become revealed in the end, but ONLY IF YOU’RE LUCKY just didn't cut it for me.

There is a huge twist at the end, but not enough to raise up my rating.

It was not a book that I wanted to get back to. The college antics simply dragged. A dark read. 2/5

Thank you to the publisher for a copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

This book was not what I was expecting. Honestly, I found the first 80% of it rather boring. I did not care for the dual time line and the ending was just OK.
When Margot goes off to college she is grieving her best friend that recently died. She stayed to herself until Lucy, a popular girl, invited her to move in with them. They live next door to a frat house & there's always something going on. There's lots of twists at the end. It was overall a slow burn with unlikable characters. Unfortunately, this one just was not for me.
Thanks to NetGalley & the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

“One day we were strangers and the next we were friends. That’s how it usually works with girls”.

Margot is a shy freshman at Rutledge University. Still deeply mourning her best friend, who died that past summer, Margot is delighted when the popular Lucy takes a liking to her. There is something magnetic about Lucy that draws Margot in - she has been craving the attention only a best friend can can provide. And Lucy has a way of making everyone around her feel special. That’s what Lucy does - she dangles, especially if someone is “too nice”; at least, that’s what Lucy’s roommates tell Margot when she moves into their apartment.

I have found myself reading a lot of stories lately about the dynamics of female friendships. Maybe it is just the point I am at in life, but these types of bonds have a soft spot in my heart these days. But there was nothing warm and fuzzy about these girls - at least, not in the way you would think with a group of college roommates. Told in dual timelines, readers follow the present day story of Lucy’s mysterious disappearance along with what happened when Margot first met her. I found Lucy fascinating; a strong, charismatic female who reached out to the shy, quiet girl-next-door. I can definitely relate a lot to Margot, but I think it’s easy for anyone to see why she would be so drawn to Lucy. If you have ever been the shy one, the different one, or the one who often feels like they are on the outside looking in, you would welcome the attention of someone who seemed to have it all. Without giving any spoilers, I knew Lucy was different, but I couldn’t quite put my finger on why. As with Stacy Wilingham’s previous two books, I completely missed the big twist and I love when that happens! Lol.

Thank you to Netgalley, Minotaur Books and Stacy Wilingham for the ARC! “Only If You’re Lucky” releases January 16, 2024.

This review will be shared to my instagram blog (@books_by_the_bottle) shortly :)

I've read three of this authors books and there's always something familiar about the plot lines, like I've read this book before. Her previous books were definitely a lot more exciting than this one, I found it really hard to care about the characters, especially Margot. She's obsessive and cringy, this book read as a bad YA novel. Unfortunately didn't do it for me.

I have loved Stacy Willingham writing and books so much so I was so excited to have the opportunity to read her next release early and I was pleasantly surprised. Willingham creates a twisting plot throughout her novels by throwing in a lot of information and motives. This allows the reader to maybe guess an aspect or two of where the story is leading but there is always a more complicated twist that is surprising when I read her books.

This book is a look at the dynamics between friends in high school and in a college setting while also dealing with grief and depression relating to a friends death. When the book first started I was not sure if it would be something that would grip me, but as time went on I grew more and more invested on the characters and the stories that they needed to tell.

There are quite a few murders that happen throughout the novel and the motive behind each action creates a interesting plot and climax. I can't wait to see what else Stacy Willingham brings to the library next.

I recommend this for readers who enjoy a college-setting and a timeline that jumps from past to present.

Slow-burn, single white female-esque, with characters that seem to have multiple personalities. Alternating timelines, we get a very interesting viewpoint of female relationships. The college atmosphere was quite interesting but also annoying at times. I really love Stacy Willingham, but I didn´t think this one lived up to how great her previous books are. Overall, a solid mystery/ thriller that does cover some dark topics.

4⭐️

Margot came to Rutledge hoping for a new start after her best friend passed away. She got that fresh start at the end of her freshman year when she's approached by Lucy Sharpe, the charismatic popular girl that everyone wants to be friends with. Lucy invites Margot to move into an off campus house with her and her friends. And it's in that house, owned by the fraternity next door, that Margot finally feels like she can breathe again. But there's something familiar about Lucy and when she finds herself in the middle of a police investigation, Margot begins to question if she ever knew Lucy at all.

I really liked this! It has the dark academia vibes that I love and I found the characters to be well thought out. I enjoyed how Margot really came out of her shell as she became closer to the girls in the house and how she started to become aware of the similarities between Lucy and her late best friend. I think her protectiveness and boarder line obsession with keeping the chosen friend for herself was really well done.

I did feel like the pacing of this wasn't great. The first half of the book was pretty slow. I normally enjoy a book that jumps back and forth in timelines, but the "After" timeline sections really didn't work for me for some reason. I know they're there to break up the story but they gave just enough information to annoy me before plunging back into the story.

Thank you Netgalley and Minotaur Books for providing this ARC to me!

Stacy Willingham is an auto-buy author for me! I adored Flicker In The Dark and her second novel, All The Dangerous Things did not disappoint. And she's like the sweetest, most down to earth person. Check out all my other posts on her books.. I'll link them in my stories today!

Just like her other books, this is a slow burn with LOTS of thought put in to every detail that leads to the ending. This book takes place mainly at an off campus college house next door to a fraternity. Which for me personally, was soooo nostalgic. I lived with my now husband and his roommates in a very gross, old house off campus for a few years.. and this reminded me of it soooo much. Well minus any crimes.. at least that I know of. lol!

Besides having an addicting setting, the story deals with toxic relationships, friendships between young women, and has lots of twists and turns.. which I didn't see coming!

This book releases January 16th!

Thank you so much @netgalley @minotaur and @stacywilin for my digital arc!

I have been in such a reading slump, but did enjoy this one when I picked it up! Margot as a main character was a bit boring to read from (she was quite obsessive over Lucy/Eliza) and not a whole lot happens until the last 25%. I think the side characters would have been interesting to hear from, especially how they tied into the ending. The twists and drama at the end I didn't entirely see coming. The final "clean-up" was a bit unrealistic, but finding out what really happened to Lucy/Eliza/Levi was satisfying. Definitely reminded me a bit of Pretty Little Liars!

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. Review live on GoodReads and StoryGraph

Dark and Chilling…

This book is about Lucy Sharpe, a larger than life college girl who sets her sights on Margot, who is still reeling from the tragic death of her best friend.

When a student dies and Lucy goes missing, Margot and her roommates are left to pick up the pieces as the lies and betrayal begin to unravel

This book kept me on my toes the whole time and the ending did not disappoint.

I really have enjoy Stacy Willingham’s books and this one really drew me in and kept me interested.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for generously providing me this advanced copy for my honest review.

This was a slow one to start. It didn’t hook me until I was about 60% through and then I couldn’t put it down.

I appreciated the character development as I felt like the author gave me just enough to feel like you knew someone, but also stayed extremely mysterious at the same time. Good for a thriller.

Parts of it were a bit tough to read because it takes place at a college, lots of drinking, partying, and fraternity hazing. I just feel too old to be reading about it now, having lived through that 20 years ago. Don’t really want to revisit. 😝

Overall, a fun read that really kept me guessing at the end with plenty of surprises.

Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!

I have previously read A Flicker in the Dark, and greatly enjoyed that. This newest release wasn’t quite as fast paced as her previous book, but still an overall decent storyline. Margot is a character with a few surprises up her sleeves. It was intriguing to guess what would happen next. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy.

4.5⭐

This one was so good! I knocked off .5 stars because there are some slow parts but toward the middle/end, it does pick up when we start connecting things!

Margot's BFF, Eliza, dies weeks after high school graduation. Eliza brought something out of Margot so after she died she spent her freshmen year in college not drawing too much attention to herself. Then in steps Lucy, who singles Margot out and asks her to be her and her friend's 4th roommate for the following year. They spend a fun summer together. Lucy brings Margot out of her shell and they have a great year, until someone winds up murdered from the frat they live next to.

Secrets are slowly revealed and the twists start! We slowly get the details of the horrible night when Eliza dies and when the frat guy dies, too. The ending was really shocking and a little heartbreaking for everyone!

Thanks Netgalley for this ARC!

✨𝐑 𝐄 𝐕 𝐈 𝐄 𝐖✨

𝐎𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐈𝐟 𝐘𝐨𝐮'𝐫𝐞 𝐋𝐮𝐜𝐤𝐲 𝐛𝐲 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐜𝐲 𝐖𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐡𝐚𝐦

Thanks so much to @minotaur_books @stmartinspress for the gifted ARC & super fun box of goodies that brought me back to college 😂🥹 I have loved @stacyvwillingham’s precious 2 novels & this one definitely didn’t disappoint!

👍🏼: The atmosphere of this whole story was so eery and descriptive, I truly felt like I was there! Switching back and forth between “before” and “after” a murder of a fraternity boy living next door to a group of girl friends, I enjoyed understanding the history of the group of friends and the present investigation that was ongoing. There were lots of great twists & turns throughout the last half of the book and I truly didn’t know who to trust! It was super easy to keep flipping the pages 👏🏼

👎🏼: Although I loved how the story played out, I almost could have used more at the end! And that’s all I can say without spoilers 😂🤷🏼‍♀️

Overall, I really loved this one & flew through the chapters wanting to know how it would all turn out! Stacy’s books never disappoint & I definitely recommend checking her new one out in January! 🫶🏼📖 out 1/16!

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

I have loved Willingham’s last two books! I was beyond excited for this one. However, I think this book was more a case of it’s not you it’s me syndrome. I just struggled from the start to connect with these characters. They were unlikable from the start and so I never felt invested. Plenty of twists and turns to keep you guessing!

Thanks to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

I love the way Stacy writes thrillers. This is my least favorite of the three, but I still really enjoyed it. Definitely had some twists I wasn't expecting which is always a good thing.

Thanks to the publisher for the advanced copy!

This was such a good read! Stacy Willingham has become an auto buy author and I thank Netgalley for allowing me an advanced copy! This book was a wild ride and full of twists and the kinds of friendships unique to women. Can’t wait to read it again!

⭐️: 4.5/5

Still grieving the death of her best friend three weeks after their high school graduation, Margot is shocked when the magnetic and larger-than-life Lucy notices her and invites her to live with her and her friends, Nicole and Sloane off campus their upcoming sophomore year at college. Margot and Lucy soon become the best of friends, but by the middle of their sophomore year, one of the fraternity boys from next door has been found murdered, and Lucy is gone without a trace, leaving behind more questions than answers.

Stacy Willingham is quickly becoming a go-to psychological thriller author for me, and I’ve recommended her first two books (A Flicker in the Dark and All the Dangerous Things) to so many people. Her newest book is no exception, and I’d go so far as to say it’s her best yet! It was compulsively readable, just like the first two, and centered on the feelings of belonging that you crave, especially as a teenager or young adult, and the lengths you’d go to get what you want. The dual timeline was done masterfully, in such a way that you know there are twists coming up that will definitely change the nature of what you think you know, but you have no idea what they’re going to be. I loved the college setting, since it drew me in a lot more than her two previous books, and eventhough I’m probably closer to the age of the main characters in the other two, I was able to relate much more to Margot in this one. This one definitely has some great psychological thriller elements, but it also dives into more emotional, character driven storylines as well, which I thought was a great addition to the story. I definitely recommend this book, as well as both of Willingham’s previous novels.

Thank you to @netgalley and the publishers @stmartinspress and @minotaur_books for this free eARC!