After the tragic death of her best friend, Eliza, Margot heads off to college bruised and broken from the loss. There she finds her people: Lucy, the one everyone is drawn to, Sloane, the brash one, and Nicole, the sweet one. She doesn’t know how she has made it into their orbit, but there she is living with these girls and starting to come out of her shell.

When a blast from her not so distant past arrives, Margot is brought back to all those months before Eliza’s death. Then one of their neighboring frat boys winds up dead and Lucy goes missing.

This was reminiscent of In My Dreams I Hold a Knife. I loved the found family vibe and the story behind the mystery. The way this story unravels had me totally clueless about what would happen next. This author writes such intelligent characters and really knows how to pull you in and wind you up.

This author has been hit or miss for me and if you like extremely slow burn then this is for you. However for me, that meant it was way too boring

Only If You're Lucky is a mysterious story of Margot, a college sophomore who is grieving the tragic death of her best friend shortly after high school graduation. Margot's first year at a small Southern private college went by without incident but also without meaningful connection. She has agreed to live with her roommate again next year, but she flakes out on that plan when a charismatic girl named Lucy invites her to live with her and a few other girls in a house next to a popular fraternity house.

We follow Margot's perspective as she lives with Lucy, Sloane, and Nicole and their lives closely intertwine with the boys of Sigma Nu. Early in the story, one of the brothers is dead and then the timeline alternates between past and present to slowly reveal his tragic death and the secrets many of the characters are hiding.

This was clearly the immersive writing on Stacy Willingham with a chilling Southern atmosphere, which she does so well in all of her novels. However, the characters and plot of this one deviates from her first two novels which keeps it fresh in my opinion. I can see some readers disliking this one as it focuses on high school memories and college experiences, but I enjoyed remembering the big feelings of that time in this creepy, secretive plot. Also in Stacy Willingham style, not much happens until the 75% mark, but then you probably won't put this down and she certainly kept my interest to that point where everything starts coming together quickly.

I didn't find this one totally shocking, but I found it very satisfying. If you've liked this author in the past, this is definitely worth a try.

This was Stacy Willingham’s best book. It was fast paced, gripping, suspenseful, and had great twists. The characters were morally gray and hard to pin down which made guessing what really happened to Eliza, to Levi, and to Lucy even more interesting. Highly recommend!

This book takes place in a university setting. Think frat houses, parties and not so much studying. Margot is our main character who is grieving the death of her best friend. She feels like she doesn't really belong with the girl she's rooming with. Then she meets charismatic Lucy, who reminds her of her best friend she lost. What entails is Margot becoming a party girl with Lucy and her other 2 new roommates. This is a story of revenge, anger, murder and secrets being revealed. This was my first book by the author however, I feel as though it was a slow burn and not as thrilling as my usual reads. I gave it 3 stars. It was a pretty solid book. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read for free in exchange for an honest review.

Only If You’re Lucky by Stacy Willingham. Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for this advanced reader copy. Margot is finishing her freshman year at a small North Carolina college. She’s also been mourning the death of her best friend. It’s been a year but she’s unable to move past her grief. She meets Lucy and quickly her world changes. She finds herself living off campus with Lucy and two other girls. They live next door to an unruly bunch of frat boys who just happen to be their landlords. One of the fraternity boys comes from Margot’s hometown though, and he was involved with Margot’s deceased friend. Things get dark and twisty about half way through the novel, and I couldn’t put it down trying to figure it all out. However, the first part of the book read like a young adult novel and it was so close to being a DNF (did not finish) for me. I rarely do that. So first half was a ⭐️ star and the second half was ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️. I loved Stacy Willingham’s two previous books - check those out! Publication in January 2024

Stacy Willingham's 'Only If You’re Lucky' was my least favorite of her three books, despite my initial excitement. It took nearly half the book to truly engage me, but once it did, I couldn't put it down.

The story opens with a missing girl and a dead fraternity pledge, skillfully weaving between past and present. Margot, the central character, narrates the complex relationships girls form during their coming-of-age years, making her an intriguing focal point.

While I anticipated some plot twists, others blindsided me, particularly the shocking revelation at the end. This twist ultimately redeemed the book in my eyes.

Despite a slow start, 'Only If You’re Lucky' delivers an atmospheric mystery with a compelling plot. Stacy Willingham keeps readers guessing until the final pages, making it a worthwhile read.

Starting off in a transitional moment in her life, Margot goes to college in hopes to reinvent herself and let her older self fade into the distance. With a new friend group and living next to a frat house, what could go wrong?
It’s not until Margot is too deep in her new life, with new friends, finding herself in a new mystery that’s looks strangely, very similar to her old life.

Great suspense book for those looking for a mystery that eases you into the depths of the story.

Is history always due to repeat itself?

‼️PLEASE READ THE TRIGGER WARNINGS BEFORE READING

✨thank you @netgalley and @stmartinspress for the opportunity to read this ARC. All opinions are my own.

*Advanced copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.*

Stacy Willingham delivers an atmospheric mystery with Only If You’re Lucky, with twists that you couldn’t see coming. The layered plot keeps the pace moving without being too convoluted or complex.

Margot lost her best friend senior year of high school, but continues on to live out their shared dream of attending the college they had picked out together. Once there Margot is drawn to the enigmatic Lucy, and finds herself living with Lucy, Sloane, and Nicole in an off campus house behind a fraternity. When Margot finds the new pledge, Levi, is the boy she blames for her best friend’s death, her tenuous happiness (and seeming grasp on reality) starts to slip. Lucy is now missing, Levi is dead - and Margot, Sloane, and Nicole are keeping a secret no one can guess.

Questioning what it means to be a girl coming of age and examining the complex and sometimes dysfunctional relationships girls form with each other, you finish the book wondering how lucky you might be to find your people in college- and what that luck exactly entails.

Rounded to 4.5 stars. It took me about 48% to get into the book but once I got the halfway point I couldn’t put it down. I guessed some of the plot twist but the big one at the end had me shook. I didn’t see that coming at all and it redeemed the book for me.

I received an eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This might be my new favorite Stacy Willingham - probably because I am a sucker for dark academia and complicated friendships. For once I am not going to complain that Megan Abbott would have done it better.

Margot and Eliza were best friends, planning on going away to school together. But then Eliza died, at the last party of the year, not long before they were supposed to leave, and now Margot feels rudderless. She goes away to Rutledge anyway, because that was always her plan, but she and her roommate Maggie never really clicked in the same way. She’s just longing to find what she lost when Eliza died.

Enter Lucy. She’s the campus (or at least the dorm) enigma. Everyone’s heard some wild rumor about her, but Margot is drawn to her. And when Lucy suddenly shows up in Margot’s room and offers her a place in an off campus house for sophomore year, with Lucy and two other girls (Nicole and Sloan), Margot is sold. She ditches the boring roommate and immediately moves in with three strangers. Because there’s just something about Lucy - she has the same quality Eliza had, to make you immediately want to be around her. The house is right next to a fraternity - connected by a backyard shed that the boys use alternately for drying tobacco and bleeding out deer carcases. If you’re into that sort of thing it seems like a sweet setup - they have an automatic in for all of the parties and their rent is super cheap, since the boys technically own the house. (to me it sounds like a damn nightmare, but I would have said that at 19 too!)

When the novel opens, we know two things - one of the frat boys is dead and Lucy is missing. The story weaves around through the past and present, showing us the school year leading up to the death/disappearance, and also a few well timed flashbacks to Margot’s last summer before college, when things weren’t quite as perfect as they were initially painted.

I really, really liked this. It’s well paced and well plotted. The multiple timelines are executed extremely well - very often that’s a patch for a thin plot or cheap twist, but I didn’t feel that way here. Much like her last book, I saw some twists but was surprised by others, and the ending is reasonably satisfying. I also enjoyed Margot as a narrator. I feel like I’ve read a handful of books recently where I either found the narrator annoying or wished someone else were telling the story instead (or at least in addition). Margot’s definitely the center here, and I’m glad we didn’t have to hear from anyone else.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me with an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

This book was difficult for me. I've read Stacy Willingham's other books and really enjoyed them. This one - while I enjoyed at the end, took over half the book for me to get into it. I found the main character to be a bit annoying and too much time was spent setting the scene. I desperately wanted more events to happen. .

That being said, it turned around for me as I got to the second half! As the twists and turns started to come through, I was hooked. Ultimately - I'm glad I stuck with it. I fully recommend reading this, with the caveat that it may take a minute to warm up. If you do - you will not be disappointed.

When I tell you I was floored when I got the approval for the advanced copy of "Only If You're Lucky" by Stacy Willingham, I definitely wasn't lying.

Willingham quickly shot into my "Favorite Author" category with her strong debut "A Flicker in the Dark" and her follow-up, "All the Dangerous Things." Her most recent novel, "Only If You're Lucky," is strong but lacking a little of what made the first two so special. Still, it is a great third entrance into her collection.

"Only If You're Lucky" focuses primarily on female friendships and just how deep they can go. It is more geared towards the younger generation, with characters in their first few years of college where their focus is partying and just trying to fit in. The dual timelines made for a little confusing move at first but once I settled in, they were cut off perfectly, leaving me wanting to skip ahead to know what happened next.

Willingham definitely has a way with words and this novel is no exception. She also left things pretty open-ended and while that usually bothers me, I loved it because it left everything open to our own interpretation.

Looking forward to her next novel as soon as possible...please.

Thanks to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for the ARC copy!

Unfortunately I was pretty underwhelmed with this novel. The college aged characters left it feeling a bit YA for me with none of the spunk YA normally carries. I found the twists to be a bit clunky and the ending didn't flow well. The way the stories wrapped up felt more convenient than anything and I had a hard time buying in to it.

I will say that my opinion of the novel was actually improved after reading the acknowledgments where the author describes how she was inspired to write about the setting based on her own experiences. I can imagine anyone who lived in this house with her had fun reading this novel she crafted with the house as the base.

This might be my favorite Stacy Willingham read!

Dark, slow burn thriller about friendships, fitting in and the balance of good and evil. I will say the beginning of the book felt slow and a little wordy, a lot of feelings that felt repeated, but it all tied together beautifully at the end. The finally twists were worth the slowness - this was a great read!

**This book gave me ‘The Craft’ vibes without the witches/black magic.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this arc.

I’m rounding up to 4 from 3.5 stars. I am a Stacy Willingham Stan, however, while I really liked the twist in the end- I felt there was a lot in the middle of the plot that could have been deleted.

This one was a little slower than the authors usual novels. I definitely didn’t consume this one like I normally did but still a decent story. Just not one of my favorites.

3.5 stars rounded up

Going off to college to start your dream life. Meeting a friend eerily similar to the one who recently died. All the pieces of your ideal life falling into place. Then you see your roommate kissing the boy who you suspect murdered your best friend. Things unravel from there in this twisty thriller from one of the queens of suspense.

Would have rated this higher but felt the beginning a little slow.

Thanks to St Martins Press, Minotaur Books, NetGalley, and author for the arc of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for my ARC of Only If You're Lucky by Stacy Willingham! I am rating this book 3 out of 5 stars. As a fan of Stacy Willingham's previous novels, I was excited to dive into this thriller centered around the complexeties and complications of friendship, love, loss, and trauma.

What I liked was the imagery and atmosphere created in both the past and the present and the ways in which both timelines were woven together. This book was a slow burn of suspense. While I enjoyed the building storyline, I felt that the slow burn didn't ever speed up in pacing and I struggled to find the climax. It was at times, difficult to understand why I was going to continue reading. Overall, I would definitely recommend this one, without the expectation of a fast-paced thriller.

Thank you NetGalley for giving me the chance to read this book ahead of time in exchange for a review. It didn't disappoint! Must read!!