3.5/5 ⭐️

I am a HUGE fan of Stacy Willingham and her first two books so I was super excited to get an ARC of her newest book “Only If You’re Lucky” that is set to release January 2024. Her first two books felt fast paced and addicting, whereas this one was a slow burn for me.

The story of 4 college girls living adjacent to a frat house led by ring leader Lucy- the mysterious manipulative one. The chapters are from the perspective of Margot- the girl who went to college to “get away” from her life back home after the death of her best friend. But then her late best friends boyfriend shows up to rush the fraternity house that she lives at. The chapters switch between present day where Lucy has gone missing and Margot and the other roommates (Sloane and Nicole) are being questioned about where Lucy could be- seeing as she was just questioned for the death of a fraternity member it seems suspicious that she disappears suddenly. The other chapters are from “before”- giving details to Margot and her best friends relationship, how the Outer Banks fraternity rush member entered their life, insight into how the 4 girls became roommates, the lead up of the death- each with so many secrets.

I thought that character development was good and a lot of the book has you wondering what really happened the night Margot’s best friend died and how the fraternity brother died and where did Lucy go? This book doesn’t have many “high thrill” moments like her others, but the lingering questions will get you to the end. Ending has some good twists- a few predictable for me but there was one shock at the end.

I thoroughly enjoyed Stacy's latest book, much like her previous works. One standout aspect of her storytelling was her skillful portrayal of the setting; her vivid descriptions of the house and the neighboring fraternity painted a clear and immersive picture for me. Stacy once again excelled in crafting characters who were just flawed enough to make any plot twist believable.

What I particularly appreciate about Stacy's writing is her ability to seamlessly weave all the narrative threads together. However, it would have been even more satisfying if she had included an epilogue set during the start of the new school year or with the house inhabited by new occupants.

First, I want to thank NetGalley and St. Martins Press for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Only If You’re Lucky by Stacy Willingham releases on January 16th, 2024.


Let me start out by saying how excited I was to be approved for this ARC. I have read the author’s two previous releases and loved them, this book was no different.

Only If You’re Lucky explores the deepest kinds of friendships, it explores the dynamics of best friends who couldn’t be more different. The book is filled with tension and suspense and it keeps you guessing up until the very end. From the very first sentence you will want to know more, you will want to learn more about these characters and the secrets they hide.

This book is a slow burn mystery in the best possible way - it keeps you intrigued but it doesn’t rush the story. The author provides every opportunity to allow the reader to connect to these characters and try to figure out what has happened on your own and it works well. I found myself wanting to get back to the book whenever I had a free moment, anxious to find out what the secrets were and what really happened.

All in all, Only If You’re Lucky was a solid story that I would recommend to others.

A great suspenseful book with quite a few twists and turns. Characters Lucy and Margot kept my interest as their roles intertwined.

Margot meets Lucy at the end of her freshman year of college at a small college in South Carolina. Lucy asks Margot to be one of her roommates and they become deeply intertwined. A fraternity boy who lives next door has been murdered and Lucy is missing. This story begins to unwind with us finding out more secrets about Lucy and Margot. This is a thrilling story about friendship and belonging. I couldn't put it down. This author is amazing and I highly recommend this book. Thanks to Net Galley for the ARC.

Thank you to the author, St Martins press and NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are solely my own.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

As a voracious reader of the psychological human nature thriller genre, I was highly anticipating the devouring of this book. A solid 4 stars; one of the best I’ve read in 2023.

As s many thrillers I’ve read recently, there are 2 timelines, however I enjoyed the fact that it was from one POV

We meet Margot who is a freshman at Ruteledge college in South Carolina who is struggling with depression after the tragic death of her childhood best friend the summer before they were both destined to begin the next chapter of their life together as dorm mates in college.

Endeavoring to recreate herself she forms a relationship with IT girl, Lucy a seductive, mesmerizing young woman to all she meets. Along with Lucy, comes Sloane the smart one and Nicole the nice one. They all become roommates off campus in a large rambling house owned by the neighboring fraternity.

Margot becomes enchanted by Lucy which prompts a more daring albeit darker version of herself. While creating new relationships and recreating her own persona she participates in the college party lifestyle wholeheartedly interacting often with the men from the fraternity. One of whom is her dead friend’s boy crush Levi.

Relationships, lifestyles, motivations and deceptions begin to spiral out of control when another death and disappearance occurs.

This is a study in contrasts within us all; good and evil, guilt, shame, jealousy, and whether we will evolve or regress.

Character development is excellent, for most of the characters I feel I understand exactly who they are. Plot is complex and concise without meandering and the setting is adept and descriptive one can easily conjure up smells, tastes, headaches from the hangovers. Metaphors and illustrative storytelling invites the reader in. Example
“There’s a permanent cloud of smoke in the house…,.caked into the blankets, the couch cushions. Like if you slapped them, they’d cough”.

An excellent read I will be recommending to my reader groups.

Just finished this one! I loved this author’s first two novels so I was stoked to get approved for an ARC - all opinions are my own. Thanks NetGalley and the publisher!

This story follows Margot - a college student who has been floating around her first year of college after her best friend dies. She gets noticed by a popular, beautiful girl Lucy who asks her to be their fourth roommate. Margot is excited to be included but quickly finds that the house is located next to a frat, where a guy she knows from high school Levi is pledging. Not everything is as it seems in this story…

I gotta say - I enjoyed this one a lot. I read the authors note/acknowledgments and definitely agree the house itself was a character! I liked the way this story was told in alternating before and after chapters. The before chapters were so interesting and putting the pieces together was kind of exciting for me. I saw one of the twists but not all of them. It was well executed, well written, and a good read. I read this almost all in one sitting, briefly breaking to get ice cream with my sister but eager to finish tonight! I’d totally recommend this one, especially if you liked the other two books by this author!

What a rollercoaster! I would recommend this book to those who love dark academia thrillers. I found the Willingham's first two novels more mature, but because of the age of the characters, this one felt geared to a younger, new adult audience. However, I couldn't put it down as it was full of fun twists and turns that kept me guessing. Overall, a solid 4 stars because I struggled a little with the pacing throughout the middle.

Stacy Willingham, you quite literally, did it again...

It's no secret my heart beats a little faster for this stand-out author. I have been a huge fan since I read her debut, A Flicker in the Dark, and then completely spiraled down the rabbit hole when I read All the Dangerous Things. This little lady is on fire and I was honored to have been given the chance to read Only If You're Lucky.

I might have had to do a little begging to get my hands on this one, but it was all worth it.

I LOVE college thrillers, it's definitely my favorite trope. Only If You're Lucky, easily swung into the number one spot for most favored books of the year.

I could not get enough.

There is something so wild about the friendship amongst girls and how far they will go to protect their secrets.

This book starts out as a slow burn with a lot of development, it builds until about the mid point and then just completely throws you for a wild loop. I hungrily devoured each page and could not get to the next fast enough, I just had to know what was going on!

This book is twisted!!!!!

Only If You're Lucky, was one of my most anticipated books of the year and has exceeded all expectations.

Excuse me while I go wallow in my tears while I wait for Stacy Willingham's next book...

Check out this teaser :

A sharp and twisty exploration of female friendship from the New York Times bestselling author of A Flicker in the Dark and All the Dangerous Things.

Lucy Sharpe is larger than life. Magnetic, addictive. Bold and dangerous. Especially for Margot, who meets Lucy at the end of their freshman year at a liberal arts college in South Carolina. Margot is the shy one, the careful one, always the sidekick and never the center of attention. But when Lucy singles her out at the end of the year, a year Margot spent studying and playing it safe, and asks her to room together, something in Margot can't say no―something daring, or starved, or maybe even envious.

And so Margot finds herself living in an off-campus house with three other girls, Lucy, the ringleader; Sloane, the sarcastic one; and Nicole, the nice one, the three of them opposites but also deeply intertwined. It's a year that finds Margot finally coming out of the shell she's been in since the end of high school, when her best friend Eliza died three weeks after graduation. Margot and Lucy have become the closest of friends, but by the middle of their sophomore year, one of the fraternity boys from the house next door has been brutally murdered... and Lucy Sharpe is missing without a trace.

From the author of A Flicker in the Dark and All the Dangerous Things comes a tantalizing thriller about the nature of friendship and belonging, about loyalty, envy, and betrayal―another gripping novel from an author quickly becoming the gold standard in psychological suspense.

This book sucked me in right away with its vivid descriptions of friendship, first love, wanting to be truly seen and treachery. How well do you know the people who are supposed to be your friends? Everyone is hiding secrets in this twisty thriller. It’s fast paced and very entertaining.

Another addictive, hard to solve, suspenseful thriller! It wasn’t until the end that it all came together for me. Willingham created another creepy yet gripping storyline, keeping me up way past my bedtime!
Just as good as A Flicker in the dark and All the Dangerous Things!
Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for this advanced copy. My opinions are my own.

This book was enthralling!! I was intrigued from the first page and kept me guessing. Everything Stacy Willingham writes is great - she constantly keeps you on your toes and toes everything together so well. This is a psychological thriller that discusses feminine friendships in college and finding your place in the world.

In this book, we get a dual POV marked “before” and “after”. This really helps keep the story moving and you on your toes as Stacy gives you little bits and pieces of the story that slowly make sense.

Margot goes off to college after her lifelong best friend, Eliza, dies the summer before they’re supposed to room together. After a year of depression at college, Margot meets Lucy, who has a similar charismatic personality to her dead best friend. Lucy invited Margot to live with her and two other girls, Nicole and Sloane.

The girls live a house owned by the fraternity in the backyard, Kappa Nu. They spend time with the frat throughout the summer and school year. One of the pledges for the year knows Margot from their home town. At the end of the semester party, one of the frat members dies.

This one had a slower start for me but like all of her other books I loved it! I had no idea where the story was going to go and I didn’t see the twists coming which I already love in a book! I like how it was told in dual timelines with the before and after! This will definitely be another one I grab and add to my shelves!

I have loved Stacy’s other books and this one was no exception. I think one thing she did really well was the setting the way she described the house and the fraternity neighbors painted such a clear picture for me. She once again made the characters just unlikeable enough to where you believe anything could have happened. I also love how she weaves everything together so well! I would have love an epilogue set when the new school year started or the house had new occupants!

4.5 stars rounded up! 🌟 Only If You’re Lucky follows three college girls through a rollercoaster ride of friendship, college life, trust, deceit, and endless mind games. I loved Stacy Willingham’s first two novels and knew I would enjoy this one too.

I’ve said this before about the author but I’ll say it again - her writing is so realistic and so believable. Specifically the off campus housing to me was so well described and illustrated in my mind. I really felt like I was there myself at one point in time as I dove deeper into this story. The way the “good vs. evil” references were played into the character development was very well done and I loved it!

This was more of a slow burn mystery for me but it completely paid off. I really thought I had it figured out but the twists kept coming! Stacy is just so good at keeping readers guessing until the very end.

A HUGE thank you to NetGalley / St. Martin’s Press / Minotaur Books / the author for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. This was my very first ARC I have received and I feel so lucky to have been able to spend it with another killer Stacy Willingham mystery ❤️

-Pub date Jan 16, 2024 -
-Review also posted to my GoodReads profile on 8/14/23-

Stacy Willingham is easily becoming one of my favorite authors. This is a college murder mystery that will not disappoint. This book kept me guessing the whole time and to see how all the puzzle pieces given throughout came together at the end was just ✨chef’s kiss.✨

Thank you net galley and author Stacy Willingham for providing me with the e-ARC of this book!

Many thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books and Stacy Willingham for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.


❝ 𝒪𝓃𝑒 𝒹𝒶𝓎 𝓌𝑒 𝓌𝑒𝓇𝑒 𝓈𝓉𝓇𝒶𝓃𝑔𝑒𝓇𝓈 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓃𝑒𝓍𝓉 𝓌𝑒 𝓌𝑒𝓇𝑒 𝒻𝓇𝒾𝑒𝓃𝒹𝓈. 𝒯𝒽𝒶𝓉'𝓈 𝓊𝓈𝓊𝒶𝓁𝓁𝓎 𝒽𝑜𝓌 𝒾𝓉 𝓌𝑜𝓇𝓀𝓈 𝓌𝒾𝓉𝒽 𝑔𝒾𝓇𝓁𝓈. 𝐻𝑜𝓌 𝑒𝒻𝒻𝑜𝓇𝓉𝓁𝑒𝓈𝓈𝓁𝓎 𝓌𝑒 𝑔𝓁𝒾𝒹𝑒 𝒻𝓇𝑜𝓂 𝒸𝑜𝓁𝒹 𝓈𝒽𝑜𝓊𝓁𝒹𝑒𝓇𝓈 𝒾𝓃 𝓅𝓊𝒷𝓁𝒾𝒸 𝓉𝑜 𝒶𝓅𝓅𝓁𝓎𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝑒𝒶𝒸𝒽 𝑜𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓇'𝓈 𝓁𝒾𝓅𝓈𝓉𝒾𝒸𝓀 𝒾𝓃 𝓈𝓌𝑒𝒶𝓉𝓎 𝒷𝒶𝓇 𝒷𝒶𝓉𝒽𝓇𝑜𝑜𝓂𝓈, 𝒻𝒾𝓃𝑔𝑒𝓇𝓉𝒾𝓅𝓈 𝓉𝑜𝓊𝒸𝒽𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝒾𝓃 𝒶 𝓈𝓌𝒶𝓇𝓂 𝑜𝒻 𝓌𝒶𝓇𝓂 𝒷𝑜𝒹𝒾𝑒𝓈. 𝐹𝓇𝑜𝓂 𝓈𝓅𝓇𝑒𝒶𝒹𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝒽𝑜𝓉-𝒷𝓇𝑒𝒶𝓉𝒽𝑒𝒹 𝓇𝓊𝓂𝑜𝓇𝓈 𝒷𝑒𝒽𝒾𝓃𝒹 𝒸𝓊𝓅𝓅𝑒𝒹 𝒽𝒶𝓃𝒹𝓈 𝓉𝑜 𝓉𝑜𝓈𝓈𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝒸𝑜𝓂𝓅𝓁𝒾𝓂𝑒𝓃𝓉𝓈 𝒶𝒸𝓇𝑜𝓈𝓈 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓇𝑜𝑜𝓂 𝓁𝒾𝓀𝑒 𝒹𝒶𝓇𝓉𝓈, 𝒶𝒾𝓂𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝒻𝑜𝓇 𝒶 𝒷𝓊𝓁𝓁'𝓈-𝑒𝓎𝑒, 𝒷𝓊𝓉 𝓇𝑒𝒶𝓁𝓁𝓎 𝒿𝓊𝓈𝓉 𝒽𝑜𝓅𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝒻𝑜𝓇 𝓈𝑜𝓂𝑒𝓉𝒽𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝓉𝑜 𝓈𝓉𝒾𝒸𝓀. ❞

Whew! THAT was quite a ride! This is a dark academia novel that offers a glimpse at (some) female friendships, how manipulative, secretive and dependent they can be. How we can deeply envy, despise or strongly admire our closest friends and often portray it as something else. I found this to be very reminiscent of Pretty Little Liars (The show, I haven't read the novels) except much darker, much more sinister.

❝ 𝒯𝒽𝒶𝓉'𝓈 𝓌𝒽𝒶𝓉 𝓅𝑒𝑜𝓅𝓁𝑒 𝒹𝑜, 𝒶𝒻𝓉𝑒𝓇 𝒶𝓁𝓁. 𝒟𝑒𝓈𝓉𝓇𝑜𝓎 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓋𝑒𝓇𝓎 𝓉𝒽𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓎 𝒹𝑒𝓈𝒾𝓇𝑒 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓂𝑜𝓈𝓉. ❞

❝ 𝒯𝒽𝑒 𝑜𝓃𝓁𝓎 𝓉𝒽𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝓉𝒽𝒶𝓉 𝓂𝒶𝓀𝑒𝓈 𝒷𝒶𝒹 𝓉𝒽𝒾𝓃𝑔𝓈 𝒷𝒶𝒹 𝒶𝓇𝑒 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒸𝑜𝓃𝓈𝑒𝓆𝓊𝑒𝓃𝒸𝑒𝓈, 𝓇𝒾𝑔𝒽𝓉? ❞

We follow Margot who is just starting her freshman year of college after recently experiencing the questionable death of her best friend Eliza. Margot and Eliza grew up together, did everything together, had many secrets of their own. Right around their senior year in high school they start going through a bit of a rough patch and start to drift apart, but are unable to resolve things prior to Eliza's death.

Freshly traumatized and ready to start her first year at the liberal arts college she was supposed to attend with Eliza she soon finds her self in a familiar situation of not being noticed, having any friends except her roommate that was chosen for her, just basically going through the motions but not really living.

From afar she notices Lucy Sharpe who is everything she is not.. and eerily enough, everything that Eliza was. Outgoing, dangerous, seductive, popular, powerful. Quickly becoming completely entranced by her, and on the off chance gets the opportunity to become friends with Lucy and her entourage- at the start of summer between first and second year they move off campus together. Margot just wants to live a more interesting life.. to put the past behind her and move on.

Finally coming out of the shell she's been in since the end of high school, when her best friend passed. Margot and Lucy have become the closest of friends, but by the middle of their sophomore year, one of the fraternity boys from the house next door has been brutally murdered... and Lucy Sharpe is missing without a trace.

❝ 𝒮𝑜 𝓂𝒶𝓎𝒷𝑒 𝓉𝒽𝒶𝓉'𝓈 𝓌𝒽𝑜 𝐼 𝒶𝓂: 𝒶 𝒸𝒽𝒶𝓂𝑒𝓁𝑒𝑜𝓃 𝓉𝒽𝒶𝓉 𝒸𝒶𝓃 𝓉𝒶𝓀𝑒 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒶𝓅𝓅𝑒𝒶𝓇𝒶𝓃𝒸𝑒 𝑜𝒻 𝒾𝓉'𝓈 𝓈𝓊𝓇𝓇𝑜𝓊𝓃𝒹𝒾𝓃𝑔𝓈. 𝒜 𝓂𝒶𝓈𝓉𝑒𝓇 𝑜𝒻 𝒸𝒶𝓂𝑜𝓊𝒻𝓁𝒶𝑔𝑒 𝓉𝑜 𝓈𝓉𝒶𝓎 𝒾𝓃𝓋𝒾𝓈𝒾𝒷𝓁𝑒 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝓈𝒶𝒻𝑒. 𝐼 𝓃𝑒𝑒𝒹 𝓈𝑜𝓂𝑒𝑜𝓃𝑒 𝓉𝑜 𝓂𝑜𝓁𝒹 𝓂𝑒 𝓁𝒾𝓀𝑒 𝓅𝓊𝓉𝓉𝓎; 𝑔𝒾𝓋𝑒 𝓂𝑒 𝒻𝓊𝓃𝒸𝓉𝒾𝑜𝓃 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝒻𝑜𝓇𝓂. ❞

❝ 𝐼 𝓌𝒶𝓃𝓉 𝐿𝓊𝒸𝓎 𝓉𝑜 𝒷𝑒𝓃𝒹 𝓂𝑒, 𝒷𝓇𝑒𝒶𝓀 𝓂𝑒. 𝑅𝒾𝓅 𝓂𝑒 𝓉𝑜 𝓅𝒾𝑒𝒸𝑒𝓈 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝓇𝑒𝒶𝓈𝓈𝑒𝓂𝒷𝓁𝑒 𝓂𝑒 𝒾𝓃𝓉𝑜 𝓈𝑜𝓂𝑒𝓉𝒽𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝒹𝒾𝒻𝒻𝑒𝓇𝑒𝓃𝓉, 𝒷𝑒𝓉𝓉𝑒𝓇. 𝒩𝑒𝓌. ❞

I've read all of Willingham's books so far and I've really enjoyed them... I think this one is probably my favorite. It was truly twisted, and unsettling... dark and unnerving.

I stayed up way too late reading this and then couldn’t sleep when I was done. My mind racing with answers leading to more questions.

Thank you for allowing me to read this early. The twists and turns made me not be able to set this book down. The mystery at the surface was excellent but like all Stacy books, I liked what was under the surface. A look into the dark side of female friendship was so fascinating. The line of friendship and obsession. You nailed it!!

* Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. *

"They'll just think we're naive... Just a couple of harmless little girls."

I've read all of Stacy Willingham's books, and I've liked all of them, too. Only If You're Lucky isn't my favorite of the books, I think, but it might be the most memorable to me. This is a story about 5 girls connected by friendship, death, and secrets. I don't want to give too much away, because this book is especially good if you have very little understanding of the overall plot before you head in, but this is the kind of loitering, sticky thriller that keeps you invested from beginning to end.

Stacy Willingham, if you read this, please never stop writing creepy-crawly mysteries.

Stacy Willingham has quickly become one of my favorite authors, and this book is just another example of why I love her writing so much.

Margot has been fascinated by Lucy during her first year of college. She is outspoken, free, and admired by all in a way that Margot yearns to be. When Lucy asks her to move in with she and two of her friends, it is an easy yes for Margot. They live next door to a fraternity house and spend the majority of their time with the frat brothers, drinking, partying, and playing games. Before the year ends, one frat brother will be dead, and Lucy will be missing….

This story of female friendship focuses on Margot and her friends during college, during that time in our lives that we are trying to figure out who we are and what we will do with our lives. The vulnerability and anxieties of that time are captured perfectly, along with the way that girls in college bond to each other in a deep way, intertwining every element of their lives. It almost gave me a twinge of nostalgia for my own college days, parties at houses where your shoes stick to the floor, instant best friends, and the feeling of total freedom.

Margot’s past and present curl up together throughout the book, and, as always, Willingham wraps everything neatly together by the end. The ending was shocking, with multiple twists and red herrings along the way. The author is a master of misdirection, writing brilliant slow burning thrillers that always leave me in awe. She plays a lot with the concepts of good and evil in the story, writing plenty of characters in shades of gray. The atmosphere remains tense throughout the book, as pieces of the puzzle are slowly dropped.

Thank you to NetGalley, St Martin’s Press, and Minotaur Books for this fantastic ARC! All opinions are my own.