Lucy and Margot are ending their freshman year of college. Margot is the shy, studious type while Lucy is the more beautiful, magnetic party girl. Lucy asks Margot to be her new roommate, although with some other girls and Margot agrees. Margot has been having a rough time since the death of her best friend just weeks prior. Margot and Lucy become fast friends upon moving in together, but suddenly Lucy disappears in the middle of sophomore year.

Murder, suspense, action and thrills, it's all here. I do have to say that this was not my favorite Stacy Willingham novel, as I loved All the Dangerous Things. This one was much slower paced, and almost boring. I had a hard time getting involved and staying invested. The characters are unlikeable and unmemorable. There are similar books that are much faster paced and engaging, and as far as slow burns go, this was not my favorite. I listened to the audiobook and while the narrator did a great job, I tried to zip through it at a fast speed.

Special thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for this advance reader copy audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Willingham returns with a new mystery filled with unexpected twists and turns.

Margot is a sophomore trying to find her people after losing her best friend a year earlier. The freshman year she imagined was crushed when Eliza died. Pulled into an instant group by Lucy Sharpe, Margot’s sophomore year is all the things she hoped for, close friends, parties, and an off-campus house. But Lucy is missing and everyone’s past is coming back to haunt them.

Told in past and present chapters the mysteries compound and unfold. It’s a good satisfying conclusion, but not as good as Willingham’s first book A Flicker in the Dark.

This is my 2nd Stacy Willingham book I’ve read. I think the story was a step up from A Flicker in the Dark. She laid out a nice, creepy plot with little pieces along the trail to keep the reader guessing and interested. The problem I have with Willinghams books (the 2 that I’ve read) is I don’t like any of her characters. There is no redeeming quality they are all trash humans. Give me a likable character to cheer for! However over all a captivating tale with great twists. You won’t guess this ending! 4 solid stars. I look forward to more books by this author!

Thank you NetGalley, the author and the publisher for the ARC to read and enjoy in exchange for my opinion.

Thank you to NetGalley and Stacy Willingham for this audiobook for my honest feedback and review.

Unfortunately this was not my favorite book by Stacy Willingham. I think due to the success of her previous works this was probably not as researched or worked on as the others. I did not care for the YA aspect of this book. I like my thrillers more adult themed and having this set as sophomores in college did not appeal to me.

This was not my favorite book from Stacy Willingham. I didn’t not personally find any of the characters likable. It was enough to keep continuing to listen to find out what happened, but not memorable or compelling.

Stacy Willingham is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors. I have enjoyed her books in the past and the fast paced, heart thumping thrill!
This one is dark academia, and a bit slower - but don’t let that fool you. It’s just as good the setup and the backstory add so much as well as the ending - wow!

I loved the narrator and thought she did an excellent job bringing the characters to life and being able to express their emotions as well as distinguish each one.

I liked the atmosphere Stacy created as well as the concise chapters and the build up. The conflict of good vs evil and what’s going on in our lives plays out so well in this one.

Keeps you on your toes. Offers a sense of nostalgia. Must read! twisting plot which I was not expecting, and his hard to surprise me!!

I liked this book even if the ending didn't quite pan out the way that I wanted or hoped. The beginning was definitely stronger than the end for me but it did keep me interested and hooked. The narrator was very good.

This thriller moves very slowly at the beginning, which can make it hard to get into. However, the second half definitely makes up for it!

I had such high hopes for this book because I received an ARC copy of this book and started it a few days ago. This book focuses on a group of friends who are living in a house owned by the fraternity next door. Although, these girls seem to have the perfect friendship, we all know that can't last. United by the outgoing, Lucy, all 3 of the other girls find out that they were all chosen for a reason.

This is a good choice, if you are looking for a simple mystery "who done it" kind of thriller. I gave this book 3 stars because at times it was hard for me to pick up. Willingham's other books are such page turners that I thought this would be similar. However, because of the back and forth of the "before" and "after" I found it a little dull and not as interesting. The book get's good about 80% of the way through and I personally didn't guess the twist!

Overall, a decent read and I'm still going to keep this author on my auto-buy list.

This was a great psychological thriller that kept my attention! I couldn't stop listening to this one. I will definitely be recommending this one to my followers!

What a creepy read! I didn't see the ending coming, but I can agree to it being poetic justice. Having listened, it was sometimes a challenge to keep up with the timeline, but I kept with it. What a great story - college friends, the ways we see ourselves and how we see others, and the mixing pot it became to get to that point. Lots of twists and tangles...I loved it!

This book was a little hard for me to get into as I wasn't captivated by the setting of a frat house and parties, but about halfway through things started to pickup and I ended up enjoying it.

I did though find the narrator (Karissa Vacker) really enjoyable to listen to and think she is part of the reason I kept listening.

This book held my attention but I think I was too old for it because I literally grew tired of the drinking and partying going on at this college. These students had zero self control and were portrayed in a way that is hopefully a caricature of today's college student (it's been a loooong time since I was in university). This book was a slow burn and perhaps a little too slow at times as I kept waiting for something . . . anything . . . to happen. I really didn't love the way Margot treated her original roommate when she had the opportunity to move in with Lucy and the others and, coupled with her other questionable choices and behaviour, found it hard to get on board with her.

I normally favour one timeline over another when there is more than one, but in this case, I didn't find myself wanting to get back to either one, so I'm not certain either really worked for me.

There are a lot of references to the book Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, which I hadn't read before, but read shortly after this one. The theme of there being good and evil in everyone that was in the original certainly rolled over into this book.

I've listened to a few narrations by Karissa Vacker and she always does a good job.

*"A captivating thriller that delves into the complexities of female friendship."*

"Only If You're Lucky" takes us to a liberal arts college in South Carolina, where Margot, the shy and careful one, meets Lucy—a magnetic, addictive force. Lucy draws Margot into her world, and they become inseparable. Living off-campus with two other girls—Sloane, the sarcastic one, and Nicole, the nice one—Margot finally breaks free from her shell.

But when a fraternity boy is brutally murdered and Lucy disappears without a trace, Margot's world unravels. Stacy Willingham skillfully explores loyalty, envy, and betrayal, making this a tantalizing thriller about friendship and belonging. While it's a departure from Willingham's usual style, the evocative prose and gripping ride keep readers engaged.

Friendships come and go but actions with consequences may live on forever. Loyalty, envy, lies, and betrayal are the driving forces in this thriller about the lengths one will go to for friends and the feeling of belonging. Sloane, Margot, and Nicole are “just a couple of harmless girls” brought together by the enigmatic Lucy. She is magnetic and captivating much like Margot’s dearly departed best friend Eliza. Both have secrets that eventually become contagious and deadly. The ramifications of murder or permanent.” One was an accident, one a mistake, and one a necessity.” Who is responsible and who will suffer as truths are revealed and deception uncovered? This is another beautifully written and character-driven emotive psychological thriller by Stacy Willingham. It's easy to get lost in her prose and captured by the original, gripping plot. The narrator did an excellent job bringing each character to life and adding dimension, emotion with an element of suspense. Thank you, NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for my audiobook.

what a rollercoaster of female friendship. I'm really beginning to love this authors mind. She is giving readers killer twists and I was pleasantly surprised by this one.

This was a good thriller. It definitely has Pretty Little Liars vibes. However, don't misunderstand me, it is not predictable at all. It's very twisty and demonstrates the type of impact that can happen between girls that share a secret.

Ultimately this was a DNF for me. The premise was promising; but I couldn’t get invested.

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.5/4 stars!

Oh how I’’ve loved each book this author has written, and was highly anticipating this brand new release. There were many aspects I enjoyed, from the college setting and dark academia vibes, to the themes of female friendship that had me question each of their motives. When the college girl drama turns deadly, I was hit with more shocks and enjoyed the ride overall. What kept this from being a five star read for me was that it felt more YA to me at times, along with the slow pacing of things.

🎧I paired the book with the audiobook and loved the narration by Karissa Vacker which is one of my faves. I just love her voice and can feel each emotion so well.

WHAT TO EXPECT
-psychological thriller
-multiple timelines
-dark academia
-themes of female friendship
-twists
-college girl drama turns deadly

*many thanks to Minotaur Books and Macmillan Audio for the gifted copy for review