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.

3 stars. I was really looking forward to reading another book from this author, as I flew through her other books. The book started out very slow, and was very wordy and descriptive, I think a lot of the book could have been edited out. The last 20% of the book was amazing and I didn’t see the twists coming. I just feel it was a very slow book to get into.

My favorite novel from Stacy Willingham to date! This one’s a slow-burn, but chilling and suspenseful at the same time.

The setting was so relatable - it brought back memories of my own sorority days and the camaraderie we shared as sisters and with other fraternities. Those care-free summer days enjoying one another’s company in an all-but-abandoned college town. The simple days before the responsibilities of adulthood came knocking.

Despite the slow pace, I was hooked throughout the entire novel. Every twist a surprise, leaving me eager to know more. Highly recommend!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press/Minotaur Books for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Stacey Willingham’s latest is excellent as has become the standard for her works! Only if You’re Lucky is very well written and atmospheric with a lyrical quality. I enjoyed reading about the dynamics of female friendships and the challenge of figuring out who you are once you’re uprooted to attend university, I believe this book is best entered into knowing little about it.

Thanks to St. Martins Press/Minotaur Books for the advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

I will read EVERYTHING Stacy writes. This book was amazing, I am so excited for it to be released to the world! So twisty, so gripping. Ugh just loved it and can’t wait for her next!

I'm not sure what it says about me that a novel about multiple murders, some casual stalking, and very messed up relationships made me feel nostalgically warm and fuzzy inside, but hey. It's Stacy Willingham's (genius) world, and I'm just living in it. There are so many thrillers out there, and so many authors who have perfected the art of the twist. Willingham has perfected her characters - in this novel, a group of college-aged young woman who are so real they jump off the page. She writes female friendship so beautifully that there were moments I forgot I wasn't reading a feel-good novel...which means the twist at the end caught me even more off guard. If you're going to read one thriller in the next few months, make it this one.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

★ ★ ★ ★ //5
Only If You’re Lucky
by Stacy Willingham

THOUGHTS:

I want to thank NetGalley, the publisher and the author for giving me the opportunity to read an e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

Ooweeee folks! This book was a dark and chilling wild ride. Sit down and be prepared for whiplash from the twists and turns. My heart was pumping fast from start to finish. Pay attention all the way to the end. I never expected the end and I’m loving how this one ended and I am sure you won’t either.

Do you love a book that has :
-Dual Timelines
-Multiple POV
-Slow Burn
-Murder & Mystery
-Twists & Turns

This book is most definitely for YOU!

Being a huge fan of Stacy Willingham’s previous two novels I was beyond excited to get an ARC from Netgalley to read her newest book. While different than her previous two books it was just as engaging and wonderfully written.

The book goes between “before” and “after” with focus on Margot who at the start of the book is finishing her first year of college and dealjng with the loss of her best friend, Eliza. When Lucy invites Margot to live with her and her two best friends off campus Margot sees it as a way to reinvent herself. As the book continues I saw really quickly that no one could be trusted.

Thank you to the publisher and to Netgalley for letting me read this wonderful book.

This is the third Stacy Willingham book I've read and it is by far my favorite one. It is a story about friendship, secrets, lies, and loyalties . It is about four college roommates living off-campus next door to a group of fraternity boys. Margot is trying to escape the sadness of her best friends death. It is filled with mystery and betrayals.
Many thanks to NetGalley, St Martin's Press and the author for the advanced copy of this book. Publication date is January 16, 2024. Don't miss out on this one!

On,y If You’re Lucky
Stacy Willingham
Jan. 16, 2024
Minotaur
Thriller - my favorite genre
Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion,
I have rated Willingham’s previous novels 5 stars, but this one was a bit different from the other two- a slow burn and not at all fast paced, I would recommend this to a younger reader- its a good character study on wanting to fit in and belonging.
4 stars

Not one of my favorites. This book just was way too slow paced for me especially as a thriller. I found myself very bored and my mind wondered while reading. Some of the time could have been better spent on tying together the ending.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review!

‘Only If You’re Lucky’ centers around Margot’s experiences during her freshman and sophomore years at Rutledge, a small-town Southern college. Still reeling from the sudden death of her best friend, Eliza, weeks after graduation, she spends most of her first year at college in a stupor. Margot sees the opportunity for change when she’s approached by Lucy Sharpe to live in a house together with two other friends for the next year. Margot, who has always been the sidekick, is drawn to the mysterious and vivacious Lucy like a moth to a flame.

But Margot can’t escape from her memories of the past when Eliza’s old boyfriend, Levi, who was the last person to see her alive, moves in to the frat house next door. Events slowly start to spiral out of control as Levi is murdered and Lucy disappears. This slow-burn thriller explores how the secrets we go to great lengths to hide will never stay buried, and that everyone has the capacity to be both a Dr. Jekyll and a Mr. Hyde in the right circumstances.

As a fan of the author’s previous works, I was very excited to dig into this novel and I was not disappointed. Stacy Willingham is able to evoke the longing to fit in that is so common for college students. This was slower-paced than her other books, but she sets the scene so well with her descriptions of Margot’s college life and the friendships that develop between her and her housemates that I didn’t find the story to drag. You quickly realize that many things aren’t as they first seem, and the time jumps between the “before” and “after” of Lucy’s disappearance build tension beautifully. I didn’t see the ending coming the way it did but felt that it fit together well and was believable with how the story had been set up. Overall, another impressive suspense novel from an author that’s quickly becoming a favorite.

4.5 ⭐️ out of 5
Release Date: January 16, 2024

College is a time to reinvent yourself and Margot has more than one reason to be the new and improved version of herself especially after an uneventful freshman year. Then the cool girls bring her into their fold and she thinks this is her chance to be bold and different. But her friends are also trying to change and everyone has a past them and nothing is ever as it appears.

Best yet from this author! This instantly brought me back to my summers in a college town, where your friends create insular and sometimes claustrophobic worlds. Where it becomes difficult to seeing anything beyond your rundown rental apartment and those that share your space. The twists and turns kept me guessing—I stayed up all night to finish! Can’t wait to recommend to my book club.

Lucy has all the compelling charisma of a cult leader: you can’t help but watch her, & you have an illogical urge to do whatever she says - but then she goes missing right after her neighbor’s murder…

Margot spent her freshman year of college in South Carolina playing it safe & trying to process the recent death of her best friend. When Lucy, the “it” girl on campus, invites Margot to be her roommate along with two other girls, Margot decides she’s ready for a change & accepts. The summer between freshman & sophomore year cements the friendship between the four girls as it passes in a drunken haze at the beach & partying in the fraternity house next door (the chapter owns the house the girls live in so they essentially have frat boys for landlords). Sophomore year begins & the summer spell is broken, but Lucy’s mystique lingers, & in light of her eventual disappearance the haunting question remains: do you ever really know someone?

I had high hopes for this after loving Willingham’s A Flicker in the Dark & it did not disappoint! This story keeps you on your toes with the Before and the After timelines feeding you bits of information, & the author’s writing style is vividly descriptive. The ride-or-die friendship dynamic between the four girls is masterfully portrayed & I loved the recurring theme of the Jekyll & Hyde paradox.

Thank you to NetGalley & Minotaur for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!