“Only if you’re lucky” is the second Stacy Willingham novel that I’ve read this year. I definitely liked this one more than the first. The story revolves around four college roommates with Margot as the narrator. The story goes back and forth in time as the police are investigating the disappearance of Lucy and murder of a young man, Levi. Interesting premise, but the book relied a lot on an improbable twist that had me rolling my eyes a bit.

The premise of this book hooked me right away and while it did start off a little slow, you will come to enjoy the pacing as it draws out the tension and gives the reader just enough details to keep them on the edge of their seat, wondering what will happen next. I had so many theories running around in my head and still was unable to figure out the ending. This will be a book that you will want to binge all in one sitting because you just have to know what is going on!

I also really enjoyed the dual timelines, it added even more to the suspenseful, eerie feeling that lingers throughout the whole book and gives very interesting perspectives on the characters!

i was hooked pretty early on and felt like i sped through the first 50% or so. there was a strong undercurrent of mystery that kept me intrigued, wanting to keep reading to uncover all of the secrets lurking beneath. some of the secrets paid off for me, others not so much. i think a few of the twists were a bit predictable and fell flat.

i also felt like there was a simile and/or metaphor every other sentence. once i noticed it in the beginning, my brain picked up on every single one that came after and it was extremely overwhelming and a bit much.

overall i enjoyed it; the storytelling was great and i thought the characters were interesting. however the mystery at the core of the book wasn’t strong enough to make this a favorite.

thank you to st. martins press for the arc!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!
This psychological thriller took me on such a wild ride! Dual timelines that go between before and after a crime had me on the edge of my seat, so excited to see how everything played out and find out who the killer was.
Margot is a college freshman that just wants to fit in. After losing her childhood bestie to a terrible accident after their senior high school year, she feels lost and like she has no friends.
Lucy is the popular, beautiful,enigmatic apparent leader of a 3 girl friend group (Lucy, Sloane, and Nicole) and she randomly asks Margot to move in with them in a house next door to a fraternity house just off campus. Is this a dream come true? Or the beginning of a nightmare?
If you like books that mess with your head, this is a true psychological thriller and definitely fits the bill. Do yourself a favor and go read it now!

Margot really wants to be friends with Lucy. She said she wants Lucy to bend her, break her. Rip her to pieces and reassemble her into something different, better. New. Margot is the shy one, never looking for attention. She ends up rooming with Lucy, Sloane and Nicole. All 3 very different roommates. Margot did have a best friend in Eliza, who died after graduation. Now, Lucy is missing without a trace. This is the book of friendship and surprising endings.
Thought-provoking, Secrets, and Dark! 3.5 stars

Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy!

3.5 stars. I've enjoyed Flicker in the Dark so I was excited to get an ARC of Only if You're Lucky. I found it kept my attention and I wasn't able to predict the ending but I was a bit disappointed with how it worked out in the end. I found it anticlimactic.

Only If You’re Lucky is centered around Margot who is a student at a liberal arts college. Soon after Margot graduated from High School she lost her best friend Eliza in a tragic accident. Margot spends the majority of her first year in college mourning the loss but at the end of the year, she meets Lucy.

Lucy is a stark reminder of Eliza and the exact opposite of Margot. Lucy is very outgoing whereas Margot is more of a quiet introvert. Soon after meeting Lucy, Margot moves into a shared apartment with Lucy and two other friends.

Through Lucy’s friendship, Margot is finally coming out of her shelf and meeting new friends on campus. The duo have became best friends but by the middle of Margot’s sophomore year their neighbor who lives in a frat house next door is found brutally murdered and Lucy is missing.

Only If You’re Lucky is a bit different from Willingham’s two prior novels. Yes it's a thriller but it's more of a slower paced character driven novel than a faster paced plot centered read. I also thought that certain parts had a young adultish feel. But these new elements Willingham incorporated worked and I really enjoyed this one.

Willingham is clearly a talented writer and it shines through in this one. I really enjoyed all of the Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hyde references and how the author used them to compare female friendships. Also, I really enjoyed the dark academia aspect and the unexpected twists. Readers and fans of her prior works, will also enjoy Only If You’re Lucky!

Only If You’re Lucky by Stacy Willingham will be available on January 16, 2024. A massive thanks to Minotaur Books and NetGalley for the gifted copy!

Another great book by Stacy!! Great story! Pulled you in very quick! Definitely didn't see all the twists coming! Read her other two books and was thrilled to be picked to review this one!!

Margot goes off to college at Rutledge while still mourning the death of her best friend, Eliza. At a vulnerable time, she somehow meets Lucy, who ends up inviting her to join her and her two roommates, Sloane and Nicole, in the house they rent next door to one owned by a fraternity. But a few months later, one of the fraternity pledges, Levi, winds up dead and Lucy is missing. Why does death seem to follow Margot around?

This book was a slow burn, and unfortunately, I seem to have a hard time connecting with those. Something about these characters was just unlikeable. The story was a good one with some great twists, and I enjoyed it but it also seemed to drag a bit. I've liked the other books I've read by this author, but this one was just middle-of-the-road for me.

3/5 stars

This rollercoaster of a book kept me intrigued from the first chapter. I love how descriptive the author was with the characters and the setting; it was easy to picture in my head. Near the middle of the book, I felt like it was a bit slow, but the author gave just enough to keep the story flowing. Just when I thought I had the story figured out, more twists kept coming and I did not guess how it would end. I would recommend this book to fans of academia thrillers!
Thank you NetGalley for my ARC.

I was so excited to receive this arc from #netgalley!

Margot is a shell of a person after her best friend dies the summer after their senior year of highschool. Margot goes off to a small liberal arts school where Lucy seeks her out and tries to mold her to be part of her friend group and new roommate. Their house is nextdoor to a frat house and the frat boys are their new landlords.
What could go wrong??

It's well written with good pacing. There's lots of little twists throughout which help the plot along.
It's a fun read for people who are into Rushtok (related to frat life rather than sororities).

After losing her best friend ,Margot starts college and tries to build a new life without the person she always thought would be by her side. She struggles her freshman year to make friends but the summer after meets Lucy , who invites her to live with her and two other girls off campus. She begins to wonder why Lucy picked her but soon starts feeling like she finally belongs. Margot’s struggle to fit in and her determination to gain her own identity leads her into a circle of deception and lies. And she finds herself asking just how far she is will go to protect her closest circle of friends.

This was a wonderfully written and truly thrilling story about growing up and seeing the world without rose tinted glasses for the first time. It’s about learning to admit to yourself who you are and gaining the types of friends you’d do anything to protect. It’s about learning how to navigate those relationships when things aren’t truly as they seem. Stacy Willingham never fails to keep her readers on the edge of their seats! This story was filled with twists and turns that I never saw coming and I loved every minute of it!

This was the first book I’ve read by Stacy. I’ve heard really good things about her previous works so I had really high hopes for this. Regardless, I was excited to read this (thank you Netgalley) for a copy of this book.

Only If You’re Lucky tells the story of a group of girls who form an unexpected, tight-knit friendship in college. What I loved about this book is how Stacey accurately described the feelings of transitioning from high school to college. The awkward, uncomfortable feeling of not fitting in but longing to, and then feeling like you’ve finally found your people. I found the climax to fall short. I was certainly surprised by it, however, it was presented in a few sentences and then that was it. The remaining chapters helped build it up a bit more but it fell flat to me. It was a bit disappointing but generally, a good and easy read. The subject matter reads a bit juvenile and perhaps if written more mature, would enhance the plot.

All the dangerous things was one of my favorite novels of last year and I dove into this one with perhaps too high expectations . This is a different style novel with a group of college students and their drinking, sexing and maybe violent escapades. Although I was initially intrigued and invested in the power dynamics of Lucy, Margot,, Sloane etc, it became repetitive in the middle, almost as if the author was making sure we were keeping up and not dozing off. I don’t read YA fiction but this seemed appropriate to be listed as one. Some of the twists were good, some unexpected, but overall it took way too long to reach them and by then I was no longer invested in them. Having said all this, I can’t wait for the next one as Willingham is a wonderful writer.

A taut thriller that keeps you up late turning pages to finish…college kids living the life -parties, exams, friendships.- until the friends start to unravel the secrets of a hidden past, a mysterious death and a new murder. I loved the college party vibe, the frat boys and the only-when-you’re-young friendships. This thriller had me guessing until the very end! Another gripping novel by this author. Thank you NetGalley for the digital copy.

Really really good. Hooked me from the get-go. The characters, the setting, the back and forth time changes....just so good. I couldn't put it down. Love the college setting, especially in a thriller. Will forever read anything from Stacy Willingham. Thank you NetGalley for this ARC

I believe Stacy W. was coasting on this story. Unreliable narrator, characters with no redeeming values, and unbelievable behaviors. I finished it and said aloud, “What was the point?” I had such high hopes, based on her previous books.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for an electronic ARC in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.
I'd never read anything by Stacy Willingham, but having read this book, I'll seek out her other books. I like a book that makes me guess and leave me wanting to read one more chapter. I enjoyed this book a lot.

I think my expectations were just too high for this one. I loved All The Dangerous Things and went into this one expecting another five star read. I enjoyed the dark academia vibes, but the story was a little too slow for me. I also wasn't impressed with the sequence of events in the end. Sorry to say, this was only a three star read for me. I'm still looking forward to what Willingham does next!

Thank you to St Martin's Press and Netgalley for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Only If You’re Lucky felt like a mix between In My Dreams I Hold A Knife and Bunny (without the lunacy).

This is Stacy Willinghams best book so far, in my opinion! So so good.

Only If You’re Lucky is about Margot, who goes to college shortly after losing her best friend Eliza. She is adopted into a clique with Lucy, Sloane and Nicole. One of the guys at the frat house next door ends up dead and Lucy is missing.

I would’ve loved to see the book go a different way at the end but I still enjoyed every second of it .

If Goodreads allowed .5 stars, this would’ve been a 4.5!