I was glued to this book! The nostalgia of college life, crazy antics of the students, and secrets revealed every chapter just made me want to keep reading more. I loved how the book was structured between before and after. It was so interesting to see how the events would play out.
I kept guessing about what was going on, but this one was hard to predict! Just when I thought I had it figured out, the author threw in another twist.
I have loved all of Stacy Willingham’s books so far, but I think this might be my favorite.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC! 5 5 5 5 5 ***** holy wow. I love Stacy Willingham! I have read all 3 of her books and this one takes the best by far. This book had my favorite storyline of any of them. The plot was super thick and full of twists and turns. I wouldn’t have guessed the ending at all. It kept me wanting to stay up and read for all hours of the night. I originally thought this book might be a little young adult but I was completely wrong. Super original in terms of a storyline. It’s not your average thriller & I think that’s why I enjoyed it so much. The book hangover I got after this book was so real! Cannot wait for another read by her! It may have been my favorite read of the year.

2.5 stars rounded up to 3!

Parts of this felt a bit similar to my college experience in South Carolina — the fraternity parties, Greek life, tanning on the lawn, bonfires.

I felt that there were a lot of over the top and unrealistic elements to the some of the twists in this book that surely the police would catch on to. The ending felt so abrupt compared to the well-paced narratives/flashbacks.

Thanks Minotaur and NetGalley for a free eARC in exchange for my honest review.

I rated this book 5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher (Minotaur Books), and the author Stacy Willingham for accepting my request for an ARC of this book.

Only if You're Lucky by Stacy Willingham is a psychological thriller about friendships, and all the emotions that go along with it, such as the love and acceptance, but also jealousy and anger. Margot is starting college and is looking for a new start to her life after her best friend Eliza tragically dies. While in school, she meets Lucy, who reminds her of Eliza, so she is drawn to her and her group of friends. Lucy invites Margot to live with them off-campus, which she does, and she is able to become more of the person she wanted to become. However, the more time the girls spend together, the more they find out about one another...and they realize some of them aren't who they seem to be. When another person is murdered, Lucy goes missing and the girls are thrown into the investigation and learn more than they expected to about their friend.

I've read both of Stacy's other novels, A Flicker in the Dark and All the Dangerous Things. Both were fantastic, so I was extremely excited when I was approved an ARC for her newest novel. I think this one was a bit different compared to her previous novels; it did seem more "New Adult" fiction which might throw people off if they weren't expecting to read about college kids. I also think it was more of a slow-burn, since most of the twists were at the end. However, I still thoroughly enjoyed this one and I was blown away by all the twists. I thought I figured it out and I was definitely wrong. I also really liked the flashbacks between the past and present time to show how everything fell into place - it was very clever and I think that was a good way to show how Margot had changed as a person within that year, and added more depth to the story.

There weren't really any trigger warnings other than some brief mentions of sexual abuse and drug and alcohol use. There wasn't a lot of bad language, blood/gore, violence, or sex so that also might make this more of a novel that could be geared towards a younger crowd.

I will post to my Goodreads account and my Instagram once it is officially published.

While I enjoyed the concept of this story it just didn’t quite live up to her other two books. All the Dangerous Things being my favorite. It was a very slow burn with very unlikeable characters. Margot kind of just blends in to the crowd while Lucy is polar opposite. It’s very much a who done it.

I will say I enjoyed the twist right there near the end and the ending. That was unexpected and a nice little cherry on top for me.

Overall, it’s a good solid story, but myself personally a bit slow minus the last few chapters.

Thank you Netgalley and Minotaur Books for the e arc it is much appreciated.

Thank you to Net Galley for allowing me the opportunity to read Only If Your’e Lucky and give my honest feedback. The story took place at a college where main character, Margot, attended. Margot is grieving the loss of her best friend, Eliza, her freshman year of college. She and her roommate form a comfortable relationship, but it was nothing like what she experienced with Eliza. Fast forward to the end of freshman year and Margot is approached by a beautiful, life-of the party girl to move in with her and her 2 roommates the following semester. The girls rent their house from the boys next door. Margot decides to take a leap of faith and move in with Lucy and the other roommates. She formed strong bonds with the girls very quickly. Things were only good for so long, when Margot began to hear rumors about Lucy that she worried her. Fast forward and Lucy goes missing and the police investigate the disappearance, questioning Margot and her roommates. This book had so many unexpected twists and turns that I did not see coming! Highly recommend! I rated this book 4 stars!

This was my third Stacy Willingham novel, and like the others it was fantastic! Each one is a unique, compulsive thriller! I'm not even sure how I would pick a favorite between the three, because they are each so different and entertaining.

First off, this book made me feel very nostalgic, as it took me right back to so many memories of my freshman year of college. Dorm life, meeting all new people, frat parties, studying, trying to hold on to high school connections and memories, while also separating yourself from many of them at the same time, etc. These flashbacks were not what I was expecting to feel going into this book at all. To be honest though, I didn't even read the synopsis before starting! Ha.

This book had so many twists and turns, and things that completely shocked me that I didn't see coming at all. There were a few things I thought I had all figured out, then I was completely wrong. It was a very fun rollercoaster of a mystery/thriller and I highly recommend it if this is a genre you enjoy.

Willingham has solidified herself as an auto-read author for me from here on out!!

4+ stars!

I have read and enjoyed all 3 of Stacy Willingham’s thrillers. This is a psychological thriller that took me on such a wild ride! Dual timelines that go between before and after a crime. This is a dark thriller about the complexities of friendship and belonging. Looking forward to her next book. Thanks NetGalley for the eArc.

I am a huge fan of Stacy Willingham books so I was super excited to receive this ARC..

I went into this blind and I am so glad I did. I am not the type to try and guess endings because I love to be surprised and this book was no exception. I loved the college setting, and the Jekyll and Hyde references. This is a slower paced book compared to her other works which is something I didn't enjoy. Something that made the book a little bit more difficult for me to read was the "friendships" I did not find the characters to be likeable- I would not be friends with these people at all . It's still a twisty, fun read and would recommend to readers who enjoy academic thrillers.

Only If You're Lucky is Stacy Willingham's best book yet! It was one of those thrillers you can't stop reading, with a tightly written plot and especially fascinating characters--definitely a must read! Highly recommended.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an ARC of this book.

Huge Stacy Willingham fan here.

If you grab this novel, you will have a very twisty coaster of a ride. The ending, I'm sure will shock almost everyone- and yes, everything is related.

This novel starts with a little bit of a slow burn as we get to know our main character Margot. Told in two timelines (Margot when her best friend Eliza was alive) and present Margot. Margot is really our only character that doesn't have some mystery about her with her wants and thoughts known to the reader.

Margot really resonated with me as a character, as she has undergone a major loss and, like so many of us as 19/20 year olds, is trying to desperately figure out who she is, who she wants to be while attempting to fill the hole that losing her best friend has left in her heart. Margot's present timeline really brought me back to freshman and sophomore years in college where I faced these same struggles and fought to figure out who my true friends were and who I wanted/needed to surround myself with when belonging felt like the most important thing in the world.

When Levi (who happens to be someone Margot knows from back home and could be involved with knowing what happened Eliza) ends up murdered in the frat house next door with her new friend Lucy missing, Margot and the reader have to wonder who has blood on their hands. Is Lucy part of the crime or is she in trouble too? And how much do we really know about our so-called best friends? When the police come knocking what should Margot and her other two friends/roommates say?

This mystery definitely gives a YA feel and a sort of dark academia (although living off campus and having not much to do with classes themselves). That being said, it will 100% keep you guessing. I had no idea what twists were to come, and can't even put words into them for the fear of adding a spoiler other than saying Margot's new friend Lucy isn't just anyone.

Definitively recommend.

Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC of this book!
4/5 stars

This story is another strong one from Stacy Willingham! I think All the Dangerous Things is still my favorite, but this one is a close second. Definitely more a slow burn type of story, but once I got to the twist, I was unable to put it down to see how everything resolved!

The story follows Margot, a sophomore at a small college in South Carolina as she moves into a house with three other girls, one of them the enigmatic Lucy Sharpe. Normal college campus shenanigans ensue. Midway through the year though, one of the girls’ neighbors has been murdered and Lucy is missing. I did not see the end of this one coming, but I would recommend finding out!

This book started a bit slow and repetitive for me. But as the story unfolded and more and more twists happened it definitely became a book I really enjoyed. I think Stacy had an incredible way of writing a story that you can’t guess the ending and this was no different!

I absolutely flew through Only If You're Lucky by Stacy Willingham.

Only If You're Lucky reminded me of Mean Girls but in a university setting with a heavy amount of alcohol involved. it Four girls are sharing a house off campus together that they are renting from the fraternity brothers who live next door. The main character Margot is invited late to the group by leader Lucy. Margot and Lucy both have secrets from their past that keep the reader guessing until the end.

At times this book was repetitive but for the most part I enjoyed it and was here for the story. 3.5 stars rounded up to 4 on Goodreads for this bingey and enjoyable read.

This was a slow burn for me. A bit too slow. I have that experience with this author and was hoping for something more but I DNF at 25%.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC.

I'm always hooked on books from Stacy Willingham! I have to sit and binge read them especially the endings. This one was very different from her previous two books with our main characters being in college, but I loved the premise of this! The twists at the end had me shocked. I can never guess what will happen at the end of her books. While this was a slow burn thriller, it was completely worth it.

“If You Knew You Could Get Away with Murder, Would You do it?”

Lucy Sharpe is larger than life-Just like Margot’s childhood best friend, Eliza, who died three weeks after their high school graduation. Both were the kind of girls who always chose “dare” over “truth”, the kind of girls who were always the center of attention as soon as they entered a room.

So when Lucy somehow notices Margot, and invites her to become one of four roommates in an off-campus house, near her new college-she couldn’t say no. This is exactly the fresh start she needs-a chance to regroup, and be a part of a close knit group of friends.

It turns out that college friends ARE different. They would do anything for each other.

ANYTHING

Margot and Lucy become close, but by the middle of their sophomore year, one of the fraternity boys from the house next door has been brutally murdered... and Lucy Sharpe is missing without a trace.

I love Stacey Willingham’s prose, and this book is no exception. I will definitely be reading whatever she pens next!

BUT, most of this book reads like YA, and I have outgrown that genre. Reading about college girls playing “spin the bottle”, and drinking until they are sick or passed out-yawn!

And, the reveal? It stretched believability too far for me.

If you want to revisit the nostalgia of your college days, or enjoy twists, no matter how outrageous, perhaps this will work out better for you. Expected publication date: January 16, 2024

Thank you to Minotaur books for the gifted copy, provided through NetGalley. It was my pleasure to offer a candid review.

If you knew you could get away with murder, would you do it? This question comes up a lot in this book and for good reason. This book is about friends, friends who thought they knew each other and then realize they don' t know anything about each other. The secrets come out, people die, accidently, mistakenly and on purpose.

As always with Stacy Willingham, the story builds slowly but steadily. I found this book to be very sad. Tragedy is all around this story and I can just feel their emotions, their heartache and their desire to be accepted, by anyone. I think it is something a lot of teenagers and college students struggle with. They are still trying to figure out who they are and where they belong in the world. It is very relatable and I loved how some of the parts in the story were real, I like when authors put real details in their books.

Overall I really enjoyed this book. Thank you NetGalley and St. Martins Press for the chance to review this book.

In terms of mystery/suspense, I found A Flicker in the Dark a decent novel with fantastic writing, so I was interested whether Only If You’re Lucky would be an improvement.
Unfortunately, this book lacked so many things that are missing in not just a suspense/thriller novel but an interesting and good novel.
The narrator and the plot was boring and heavily slow up until the end. I saw the twist from a mile away so I couldn’t enjoy it.

First, thanks to NetGalley, the author, and publishers for this advanced copy in exchange for my honest review. This book started off as a solid 4, but did seem a little long and too much of a slow burn. It’s a good mystery/suspense set in a college scene with girl drama: trying to be friends and fitting in. And of course, some people may end up dead!