I'm a fan of some of Stacy Willingham's previous work. All the Dangerous things and Flicker in the Dark were wonderful. So I was very excited to get an advanced copy of Only if You're Lucky. Margot is the main character and she is mourning the tragic death of her best friend Eliza. Because she is grieving she shuts her self out of the college experience until Lucy invites her to live with her and two other girls their sophomore year. The house is owned by a frat house next door. Margot suddenly wonders why of all people Lucy chose her to live here, since she was a recluse and they were not close. There are a lot of games played, mysteries unfold and questionable behaviors from all involved. When one of the frat boys winds up dead, and Lucy goes missing everything starts to unravel. For me this was a 3.5 star read. It kept me guessing although at times it was a little too far fetched for my tastes.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher Minotaur Books for providing me with a digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I am jealous of everyone who gets to read this book for the first time. EVERYTHING about this book was just so delicious!! Stacy Willingham does it once again and I can't wait to keep reading her work. No spoilers here, just AH THE ENDING!!

3.5 stars

"We break rules when we decide the cost of getting caught doesn't outweigh the reward of doing it."

While the plot was clever enough and the ending really hooked me as all the ends started getting tied up, I'm not entirely sure it was worth such a long, and honestly boring, build-up. It was much too slow-paced for my liking when it comes to thrillers. There was a lot of character development in the first half of the book and very little actually happened. I didn't feel invested in the story until about 2/3 of the way through the book, which is way too late for my preference.

I loved that the house and the property it was on was its own character. The descriptions of it and the way everyone lived was very well-written, leaving me skeeved out and uncomfortable, just as the author intended. Come to find out, the house was based on the author's own experience in college. Super interesting!

Bonus points for Beatles references!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for my advanced reader copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I was lucky to receive an ARC from Netgalley and the publisher for this review.

There is something about this author's style of writing that keeps me motivated to continue reading way past my bedtime. This happened with this book again. This book continued to dangle what exactly happened to Levi and Lucy throughout the novel. The book moves between time periods before the incident and after the incident. The actual events that are occur are the reason it is 4 stars instead of 5. It felt a little bit like a letdown after all of the hype about it throughout the entire novel.

It reminded me of many of Megan Abbott's books. The tension is brewing throughout the entire novel. It just is constantly at the surface about who to trust and watching characters make bad decisions about trust.

The real story is the story of female friendship. What makes a solid female friendship? Are there always secrets? Are you a better friend if you are always spending time together?

I loved Willingham’s previous book, A Flicker in the Dark so I was thrilled to recover this arc. Thank you so much Netgalley!

While ultimately I enjoyed the story unfortunately it did not have the same pull for me as her previous book. Still a great mystery though.

I have read both of Stacy Willingham's previous works, of which A Flicker in the Dark was my favorite. It still remains my favorite, but this is a close second. All the Dangerous Things just wasn't for me. This book is somewhere in the middle for me, a 3.25 star read. This story did have a lot of great one liners and really examines the complexity of female friendships, especially when other romantic relationships enter a friend's life. While dramatized for the purpose of a thriller, I do think it does an excellent job of portraying that complex dynamic.
I was the most satisfied with the ending, specifically the last sentence/ realization. Overall, I think its an excellent read, however, not an excellent psychological thriller. Two things can be true at the same time. The first quarter of the book is rather slow, and not a ton happens until the last quarter. If anything, its a great commentary on female friendships, and the author did a great job at developing these characters, but it's almost like she forgot it was supposed to be a thriller? I still won't give up on this author as I really enjoyed her debut, but this novel wasn't necessarily for me.

This book was a slow burn but it really paid off in the end! After reading so many thrillers, it takes a lot to surprise me but I was really impressed with the twists and how all of the clues throughout the book came together. Like Stacy Willingham’s other books, this one was captivating, well-written, and had a level of complexity and depth that I find rare in the thriller genre. I can’t wait to read whatever she writes next.

Thank you to NetGalley, Minotaur books and Stacy Willingham for allowing me to read this early!

My very first advanced reader copy eek! I loved Stacy Willingham’s prior two novels, and while this one felt different, it didn’t let me down! It started as a slow burn and around 60% picked up and I couldn’t put it down.

The setting is on a college campus in a house that made me so nostalgic. I loved how accurately the author portrayed college life (minus the few murders obvi) and I found each of the 4 girls to be relatable in a different way.

This book was full of friendships and secrets, and really was the epitome of “how far will you go for your loved ones?” The character development was great, and I felt like it was the perfect amount of slow burn to really get me invested. I was left guessing right up until the last few pages, and the ending was both surprising and satisfying. A great thriller that I think will be loved by many, especially fans of Pretty Little Liars!

I also love how all of her books take place in the South. If you are a Savannah local like me, definitely check out All the Dangerous Things!

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this advanced copy!! Be sure to check this out when it comes out on January 16, 2024.

Stacy Willingham is back with quite possibly her best novel yet! A slow burn in the beginning that develops into a fast paced, page turning thriller! Dare I say, unputdownable?!

ARC review
Only If You're Lucky
by Stacy Willingham

I might have screamed when I got approved for this one! The excitement!
I had the pleasure of reading this as a buddy read with a bunch of amazing ladies. This made it so much more fun! Thanks y’all for this experience!

Margot had a rough past year, her best friend passing away. Now at college, she is drawn into a group of girls, Lucy being the shiny star of the group.
But things don’t go as planned, when a fellow student, Levi, is killed. Margot knows him.
How is he linked to her past? Why did Lucy pick her in the first place, as the newest member of her group?

I am a sucker for Stacy Willingham’s work. I gobbled her first books up. I loved them.
I think all her books have a slower pace. Which I enjoyed. Unfortunately this one was way too slow paced for me. While this was in no way a bad book, I had a hard time getting into it. I felt like nothing ever happened besides college girls getting drunk.

Also, I can’t really explain why, but throughout most of the book I felt like this was a sixties/seventies setting (it was not!) and I expected the w**d smoking homilies to come and dance around the corner. I think the names were partly a reason. Margot, Lucy (“I Love Lucy”), Levi… it threw me off for the longest time. I felt like it was an odd coming off age story without and really mystery and tension for the longest time. There was not a single character I liked. There was not much depth to them.

I always loved her tense Georgia settings, this, it does not have the same atmosphere like her other novels. They’re just a creepy house and a fraternity next door. I felt really, really underwhelmed. Things start to happen at around 70 % and then it becomes clear what has happened. But I could as well have skipped the first seventy percent. The story was quite simple to be frank. I just expected so much more from this.

Publication date 16 Jan 2024 by St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books. Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to review this book in exchange for an honest review.

3.5. personally, i thought this was willingham’s weakest so far. i thought this because 1) not only was this a slow burn, but it was genuinely just too slow and not that much happened, 2) it was rather predictable and the characters were so stereotypical i felt i had read about all of them before, and 3) i didn’t think the back and forth timeline was well-executed here. i’m not giving up on willingham, but this wasn’t my favorite by her.

Another great book from Stacy Willingham! She’s becoming a must-buy author for me. Though I’m not one for college campus settings or girl cliques, this book managed to break that barrier for me to still enjoy the book.

My one critique is that it could have been much shorter; withdrawing 100 pages in the first half of the book wouldn’t have been completely detrimental. That said, there was good character development, and looking back once you know the ending, there were many clues dispersed throughout the entire book.

I did not see that ending coming! Perhaps I should have, maybe I was slacking, but definitely did not see those dominos falling as they did.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley, Minotaur Books, and St. Martin’s Press for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is a really good slow burn thriller that immediately drew me in. I loved the college setting, and I also loved the changing timelines between “before” and “after”. But, I think my absolute favorite part of this story is the overall idea of, “Would you commit murder if you knew you would get away with it?”. The characters in this book each have their own opinions in response to this question, but in the end it always comes back to the same answer… It has to be the “right person” for the “right reasons”. Someone who deserved it.
Now with that being said… I don’t think the characters in this story REALLY had the right reasons for their murders. Since this review is spoiler free, you will just have to read it for yourself and see if you agree or disagree. But, in my opinion I just wasn’t connected to these characters in a way that had me blindly supporting their decisions. And the one character I liked the best, was the one we were supposed to like the least I think? Which may just be a me issue. But she was the most interesting and had the most depth to her.

Overall, I would definitely recommend this book for anyone who likes Thrillers and honestly this would be the PERFECT Bookclub book because there is just so much to discuss, especially that ending. Stacy Willingham’s writing has a way of just keeping you guessing and I even found myself thinking about this book when I wasn’t reading. There were times where I was a little confused on where something was going, but in the end I think she did a good job of tying up all her loose ends.

I definitely feel so honored to have received an advanced copy of this book to read and review. Thank you so much NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press & Minotaur Books!

Thank you NetGalley for a preview of this book by an author I enjoy. This tells the story of Margot, a young college student dealing with a major personal tragedy when we first meet her. Her best friend died in what can be described as mysterious circumstances, and the boyfriend who she blames then shows up at her college. Meanwhile, shy, quiet Margo is trying to make new friends and falls into a friend group led by Lucy, who is not a good friend candidate and begins another mystery when she turns up missing. This is a good thriller, lots of character development but unfortunately I didn't like any of the characters very much. That didnt detract though from this being a good thriller with some unexpected twists.

I read this book in one day it was so good! This book was filled with riveting plot twists that I never saw coming. The author did a fantastic job of “dangling” the carrot where I had information but until it was displayed perfectly I never would’ve guessed the ending. I really enjoyed reading the past tense and present with great character development.

Margot is a quiet young woman, reeling from a personal tragedy that upended her first year of college when Lucy invites her to be one of her roommates in an off-campus house owned by a fraternity. Lucy is everything Margot isn't: bold, outgoing, fun...and dangerous. Margot moves into the apartment with Lucy, Sloane, and Nicole at the beginning of summer and their sophomore year is anything but quiet. Through the parties, classes, parties, hookups, and the four women's lives become more and more intertwined. When a frat boy is found murdered, Lucy disappears, and Margot, Sloane, and Nicole have to figure out what was true and what they led to believe was the truth.

Overall, this was a solid thriller. I didn't like any of the characters--I found Margot pathetic and Lucy obnoxious and Sloane and Nicole simply weren't fleshed out enough for me to feel like I knew them--yet I was still engaged in their story. The mystery of the murdered frat boy was intriguiging and the discovery into more about Lucy was interesting but also a touch obvious.

A solid, slow-burn mystery that I would recommend. 3.5 stars rounded up. Thanks to Net Galley and Minotaur Books for my ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Stacy Willingham is one of my favorite authors. Her previous two books are some of my favorites in the thriller genre. I was so excited to be able to get my hands on this ARC! This one did no disappoint.

Margot is fresh off her first year of college at a small liberal arts school in South Carolina. She has spent her freshman year in the shadows and only hanging out with her assigned roommate. She is still reeling from the loss of her best friend. Margot has always been the shy one, the one who plays it safe, and always is in the background. Never the main character but the side kick to her best friend, Eliza. But now at the end of freshman year she wants change. She is tired of playing it safe and decides to room with three girls she barely knows. There is Lucy who is enigmatic and the leader of the group. Sloane who is studious and sarcastic. Nicole who is sweet and the nicest of the trio. They all become close friends and Margot is finally breaking out of her shyness. The girls are living their best lives and hanging out with the frat boys next door. But things take a turn for the worse. One of the fraternity boys turns up murdered, and Lucy disappears. What is really going on? We get swept into this dark academia thriller and we have to figure out what really happened.

What I enjoyed:
- I was in a book hang over after my last read. This book was the cure for that slump! I was immediately drawn in and loved trying to piece it all together
- Multiple timelines. We go back and forth between the past and present.
- At the end of every chapter it felt like a mini cliff hanger. I had to immediately start the next chapter to know what was about happen!
- This was twisty and layered. There were a few twists I did not see coming at all!
- I finished this book ine one sitting!

This is offically my favorite book by this author! Their books just keep getting better and better. Any future books are absolutely an instant auto-buy/read. 5 stars out of 5! Thank you Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

3.75/5 ⭐️

Although I own a few Stacy Willingham books, this is actually the first I’ve read and I really liked it!!

The beginning of the book starts strong, and is written almost poetically for a thriller. As the pages turned though, the style of writing seemed to change a little bit! Some parts did give me a YA feel (not a negative at all in this case)! Middle of the book got slow/almost repetitive but still had you flipping through pages to see where it takes you. The end had a shock factor I wasn’t quite expecting, although if your detective skills are sharper than mine, the clues all lead up to the big reveal perfectly!

This story has a solid plot but in my opinion it’s very character driven! We read about intricate and complicated friendships, family dynamics, and young-budding love that weaves into newfound college life. The characters are complicated and searching for more, for clarity, to discover themselves truly, and that makes the story all the better.

All in all a great read, this makes me want to pick up the rest of her books ASAP!

Thank you NetGalley, Minotaur publishing and Stacy Willingham for the ARC!

Many people might disagree with me, but I liked the ending of this one: not every loose end was tied....

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Was justice done? There might be a heated debate on this issue, and both sides would score points, I'm sure. What mattered to me is that I cared about most of the characters in this story (unlike a recent so called mystery/thriller that had me fogging up my Kindle screen with sighs of boredom).

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Margot was Eliza's devoted sidekick, her silent shadow, BFFs for life, etc., etc., But then Levi moves next door and Eliza abandons the Friend Ship for ROMANCE! Margot is distraught, hurt, jealous..... and yes, LIVID. One night, at a drunken party, Eliza falls to her death, and Margot is left bereft, regretting her stiff-backed pride, and all those angry words....

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Eliza and Margot had planned to attend Rutledge college together. Margot's first year at Rutledge is dismal, to say the least, haunted as she is by grief for what could have been.

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But along comes the loud, charismatic Lucy who - for some inexplicable reason - zeroes in on Eliza's former shadow and convinces Margot to move out of the college dorms and share a frat house rental unit with two other female students.

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There were several fairly loathsome fraternity house Heads who enjoyed torturing the frosh members, but one of them went too far. one too many times. Well, suffice it to say that the body count started to climb as this slow-paced story progressed.

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No spoilers intended here, but this mystery leaves you guessing right up until the last few chapters I did not want to put this book down, it was that riveting. Well done!

I have so much more that I WANT to say about this story, but I think you should experience this very well written thriller and enjoy the journey with no advance warning, just as I did. A thoroughly good read: 5 out of 5 stars!
My thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Wow! NEVER saw it coming! Kudos to author Stacy Willingham

Margot and Eliza were best friends and planned to attend Rutledge College together, until Eliza died 3 weeks after high school Graduation. Margot finds herself seeking new friendships in amongst trying to figure out who she really is. After she spends her freshman year with Maggie as her roommate, she is taken in by an outgoing, outspoken and vibrant girl, Lucy Sharpe. Lucy takes Margot under her wing and invites her to live with her and her two friends, Sloan and Nicole.
They live in a house owned by the Kappa Nu fraternity, which just so happens to be next door.
Between college parties, nights at “Penny Lanes” and the freshman initiation on the island, things become a tangled web of lies, secrets and the rising fear of the unknown.
Lucy is the leader of their foursome, keeping everyone guessing about her outspoken comments, questions and expressions. Margot is often feeling Lucy’s personality reminds her of Eliza and the sorts of things Eliza would do!
They are all shocked and questioned when one of the new incoming freshman ( which happens to be Eliza’s ex boyfriend, Levi) is found dead on the island during initiation and Lucy is missing! Who did it ? Justifiably could have been any of them.
How far can friendship be pushed, trusted and stretched?!!!!
Jealousy…..resentment…disloyalty….this psychological thriller has it!

I recommend this book for anyone who appreciates a psychological thriller no matter your age. It might be a bit hard to read if you currently have a young adult away at college right now but also making you keenly aware of college life.

Thank you @netgalley, @stmartinspress and @stacywillingham for this ARC in return for my honest review!