I had the opportunity to read an advanced reader's copy of Stacy Willingham's book Only If You're Lucky, thanks to #NetGalley and #Minotaur Books - Macmillan. The book was a lot of fun. It's a classic mystery, where you are trying to sort out whodunnit throughout the book, and Willingham throws a lot of twists as you, right up to the very end. You think you have it sorted out, but nope.

The book is the story of Margot, a reserved college freshman who has suffered a major tragedy just before starting school - the death of her best friend Eliza. But the book is also the story of Lucy Sharpe, the mysterious girl who everyone likes, but who is very much like her late friend. The center of attention. Everyone loves her. Lucy asks Margot to move in with her and two other girls into a house they are renting behind a fraternity house. All is good. Margot comes out of her shell, and is finally taking living her life, after the trauma of losing Eliza. That is until there is a murder at a frat party, and Lucy goes missing.

The book uses a "before" and "after" plot hook, back and forth, with most of the story being told "before," as the story unfolds. It's a fun book. Keeps you guessing. Look for it in January 2024.

Margot starts her freshman year of college mostly being a recluse in her room and not making new friends outside of her roommate. She lost her best friend, Eliza, only months before college was starting and hasn’t quite recovered.

Lucy Sharpe, another freshman who lives in her dorm, radiates energy and confidence. Right before summer break, she asks Margot to move in with her and two other girl out of the blue. They have a party filled summer and become best friends.

Now, sophomore year, the fraternity next door has a legacy pledge, Levi Butler, who potentially could’ve been involved in Eliza’s death. What transpires over the next few months will shock everyone, including Levi’s death, Lucy’s disappearance, and what happened to Eliza.

I enjoyed that this book had dual timelines, the before and the after, which refers to the time before and after Levi’s death and Lucy’s disappearance. The book is solely from Margot’s perspective, but the dual timelines tell the story well.

It felt like there was almost of build up to what ultimately occurred and ending was rushed, however I still enjoyed the ride.

Another fantastic thriller by Stacy Willingham. She knows just how to pull the reader in and keep them guessing. A quick and easy read that leaves you wanting more more more! I cannot wait to see what Ms Willingham comes out with next!

I am speechless. Absolutely speechless. Stacy Willingham has done it again and wrote an absolute masterpiece. When I tell you that this book is a five star read, please know I would give it six stars if I could.

Firstly, the writing. The author is amazing at making you feel like you are in the dorms with Margot and experiencing college all over again. You feel the need to want to fit in and the nervousness of making new friends. You understand how Margot feels when she finally finds a group of friends that are her ride or dies.

The plot twists just keep coming. I thought I had this book figured out at least 10 times (spoiler alert, I didn’t). She honestly keeps you getting right until the very end. The best part is the author leaves nothing untied. Every loose end is wrapped up and perfectly explained.

All in all, a masterpiece. Stacy Willingham is now one of my auto buy authors and I will FOREVER recommend her books.

I really like this one as I’ve liked her other previous books. They always keep you guessing even when you think you figured it out, there’s another turn or twist I would definitely recommend us if you’d like other stuff she’s written.

Shy girl, Margot, befriends Lucy, a confident, badass who is the alpha of her group of friends. In Margot’s second year of college, she really comes out of her shell until Lucy goes missing after one of the frat boys that lives next door to them gets murdered.
You think you know what’s happening in this book but you do not!!! So many great twists and I love that they weren’t all jammed into the last 10% of the book. They were spaced perfectly and I did not see any of them coming.
I was hooked in the beginning and in the end. It was a bit redundant at some parts and I did slow down somewhere around the middle but overall - solid thriller. Recommend.

First off, I want to thank NetGalley and Minotaur Books for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was my third book by Stacy Willingham, but it seemed to drag on a bit more than her previous novels. I liked the overall plot, the twists, and the ending… but I spent the first 75% of the book surprised that it wasn’t over yet. There was A LOT of build up and unnecessary scenes between the main characters, and I feel like it detracted from the overall quality of the book- like the author was concerned more with the number of pages than the quality of the story.

Overall, I’m glad I stuck with it because I appreciated the way things were wrapped up, but if you’re struggling to decide whether or not to DNF, maybe look up the spoilers and call it a day.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC! Only If You’re Lucky by Stacy Willingham is a story about friendship, deception and bonds that hold them together at all costs. Margot, a college student, faces a life of regrets having ignored her best friends cries for help. Lucy befriends her and she eventually moves into a house off campus with Sloane and Nicole. What starts out as a silly game of truth or dare turns out to be an excruciating game of cat and mouse. The story started out as a slow burn allowing the reader to get acquainted with the characters and develop an understanding of what makes them tick. However, the heat turns up abruptly and the twists that litter the second half of the novel kept me on the edge of my seat. I can still feel my heart thudding in my chest. A definite recommendation for lovers of thrillers!

3.5 stars. I was so excited to get an ARC of Stacy Willingham’s new book, but it was very different than her first two book. It’s not as original as her first two books. The story of female friendship and jealousy and abusive men is one told over and over again. But Willingham truly writes thrillers while many others’ write mysteries mislabeled as thrillers. She knows how to create drama and tension. I’m always surprised by the twists!

These 19-year-olds’ shortsightedness was hard to read. I tried and failed to remember being 19. Not that I lived at all like these girls but it showed me how much life experiences change you in 10 years.

Margot was a hard character to relate to. For most of the book I felt like it wasn’t really about her even though she was the narrator. I wish we got more about why Margot is the way she is. What happened to her?

There were sort of three timelines and in the beginning I had a really hard time keeping them straight.

I will always love any book written by Stacy Willingham! What I love about this story is that it begins with three mysteries- what happened to Eliza, who killed Levi, and where is Lucy?

Thank you Netgalley & St. Martin's Press for an eARC of Only If You're Lucky by Stacy Willingham. A Flicker in the Dark was one of my favorite reads from 2022, so I could not wait to get my hands on Willingham's upcoming novel as soon as the approval came through! Needless to say, I was not disappointed.

This book is so well written, Willingham truly has a way with words that makes the plot she drives home all the more powerful. Margot is shy and careful. When she meets Lucy, a bold, dangerous and addictive young woman at college, Margot agrees to rooming together to see what happens. She's no longer playing it safe.

A true psychological suspense, I was kept guessing until the very end and really did not see THAT coming. I love books with a college setting and there have been so many thrillers with this setting lately, sometimes they start sounding a lot alike. This is a really unique story and I'm sure will be a hit in 2024!

I was SO excited when I saw that Stacy Willingham had a new book coming!
I loved All the Dangerous Things and A Flicker in the Dark. Her writing is so good, and both books kept me guessing until the last pages!


Only if You’re Lucky was good, but I thought the first 80% was reeeeally slow - which is fine, if you like slow burn thrillers. I usually prefer the past-paced ones. The plot twist is also quite predictable, and I figure it out in the first 10%.


Also, I feel like I didn't relate to this one as much because it’s a college thriller. Frat house parties, young people being stupid, secrets and more secrets… I feel like I've passed this kind of plot, and I’ve read way too many books like that.


The end was pretty good, and that was my favorite part by far. Unrealistic, but still good!

Let me start off by saying I absolutely love Stacy Willingham's novels so far! She is a great author and keeps you at the edge of your seat! Only If You're Lucky did not hit the mark for me as well as her other 2 novels but it still had some great twists and turns.

Only If You're Lucky is a little slower paced. It's set at a college, a little younger audience. The story goes back and forth between present day and the past. I would say things start to pick up around 60%-70% through the book. Very great character build up to that point but on the slower side especially if you're comparing her previous novels.

I would definitely recommend this book to anyone but caution to not expect the same as the previous books!

Only cause your lucky, and only 20% of the book was good I’ll give you 2 stars

80% of this book is a slow burn character build with not much going on. We go from repetitive nothingness to a bunch of twists and turns and a rushed ending.

And then once it gets good they rehash everything that has happened, really? I just don’t get this book. Keep the momentum going, don’t just rehash everything I just worked so hard to get through. I stuck with this book to find out how it would end… and finally, after all that the ending is just okay.

Obviously I am not a fan of this one which is disappointing. I went into this book super excited, having recently reading (and loving) Flicker In The Dark. This book is nothing like that one and I’m honestly surprised it’s by the same author.

Thank you to Netgalley for the arc of Only If You’re Lucky. I really enjoyed this book although I found the middle 40 to 60% to drag. The beginning was fast paced and the end was as well but for some reason I just had a hard time getting through the middle. The ending surprised me and was awesome just like all the rest of her novels.

I overall enjoyed this book. It was slow paced to begin with but picked up about halfway through. I liked the before and after timelines and the twists! Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the advanced copy.

4⭐️

I’ve read and enjoy all of Stacy Willingham’s books so far, but this is my favorite. Her characters always feel so real, and this book was no exception! This story had so many intricate details that all connected in the end. The twists kept coming, and what I enjoyed about them most is while they were unpredictable, they didn’t seem too far fetched or unbelievable. I rarely give out 5 stars, but this book deserves it!!

Thank you for this arc!

Another masterpiece by Stacy Willingham!

Big thank you to NetGalley & Minotaur Books for my gifted galley in exchange for my honest review.

While I really did enjoy this book- I did find it hard to keep up with at times with the alternating timelines. There were basically three. Margot and Eliza's timeline, Margot and Lucy's timeline, and then after Lucy- the roommates and Margot's timeline. It just got a bit confusing.
I also felt like there were quite a few secondary characters, and that got a bit confusing to keep up with, too. I get it, though, it was set on a college campus and there's lots of kids that go there.

I also think this was a bit more of a slow burn compared to her previous two novels, I didn't get hooked on it until about halfway through. It did take me quite a bit to read this, and I kept feeling like I needed to reread certain parts of it because it didn't quite "click" if that makes sense?

In conclusion, though, Lucy and Margot's characters were not all that different from one another. Margot bothered me because she truly was obsessed with Eliza- and it really made me question Margot's sexuality. Because then she became attached to Lucy, and developed the same obsessive tendencies. It was just weird, to me. Was Levi really that bad for Eliza? No. He probably wasn't. Margot was just being selfish.

I have more thoughts brewing about it, for sure.

3.5 - I was very excited when I was approved for an ARC copy of Only if You’re Lucky by Stacy Willingham as I am a big fan of her last two books.

This novel is a psychological thriller written with a dual timeline. You are initially given a glimpse of what has happened in the end, but you have now idea how, why, or who. The storytelling was a slow build with the plot unfolding via pieces of the “before” and pieces of the “after” until those pieces all come together in an unpredictable, twisty conclusion. The characterization was detailed and strategic. Unfortunately, none of the characters were really likable. Nevertheless, I was invested in figuring out the characters and finding out how the story unfolded. While I appreciate the slow build, I believe it might have been a little too slow and slightly repetitive at times. Overall, I enjoyed this novel and I would look forward to reading whatever comes next from this author.

Thank you to NetGalley, Minotaur Books, and Stacy Willingham for this free ARC digital copy.

Margot and her best friend, Eliza were supposed to attend college together till Eliza unexpectedly dies the summer before college. Margot attends the college and manages to get through her freshman year then at the end ends up meeting Lucy, Sloane and Nichole; where she goes to live with them. Margot is drawn to Lucy's personality reminding her of her best friend Eliza. Tragedy strikes Margot again when Lucy goes missing and another college kid is found dead.

I had high hopes for this book but it took me awhile to get through it, the pace in the beginning is slow and boring, it was hard to keep my interest. The before and after timeline for Margot and Lucy seem to take a really long time to get through and nothing there that really jumped at me to make me not want to put the book down. Really nothing to exciting, the ending seemed to have a little more excitement but felt rushed and it just ended.

The book seems to have been written well just not enough there to keep my interest.

Thank you to NetGalley, Stacy Willingham and St Martin's Press for this ARC