⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ [Really Liked it]

I’m usually not a huge fan of slow burns with a large cast but this one worked really well. Dark and twisty with excellent writing, which made it easy to really get into the story. I recommend checking this one out. I’m excited to read other books from this author.

Thank you to the publisher and @netgalley for providing a free advanced copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

This was one I could definitely enjoy! I don’t know what took me so long to read it but when I did, wow! Excellent. The whole thing was brilliant and I am honored to have been given a copy of this. Thank you so much Stacy Willingham & Netgalley!

It wasn't my favorite of her books. It just seemed too similar to a lot of other books on the market with academia settings.

Full of secrets, friendship dynamics. It was interesting watching the tangled web of lies unravel, with a twist ending.

Not my favorite Stacy Willingham, but still a really good read! Dark and provocative, I was hooked until the end. Definitely recommend for fans of psychological thrillers, Willingham's other books, and characters with a little edge.

This was a very fun read, but not my favorite of Stacy’s.

It had an interesting premise but it fell flat for me. I thought the characters were really intriguing with a lot of potential. It has different timelines which I usually love, but I struggled to stay focused on the story. The pacing was a little slow for me., but once it was more clear where the story was going, the pace picked up and I enjoyed it more.

Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for providing me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was such a trip!! I read it on a plane ride and I could not put it down. It was compulsive, thrilling and I had no idea where it was going. I loved Stacy Willingham's other books, A Flicker in the Dark and All the Dangerous Things, so I was convinced she had to have at least one flop but I was wrong. She always brings a twisted ending with a compelling story line and she has quickly become an auto author for me!

This was an enjoyable thriller! I liked the characters in this book and the plot! I did have some trouble getting into the story since it took me some time to connect with the characters and I did think some of the stuff that happened was too much of a stretch for what I enjoy. Overall though a solid thriller with an entertaining story! Definitely recommend trying this one out!

Toxic friendships, dark school vibes and a college campus setting - these are a few of my favorite things! Throw in shady backstories and family drama and you’ve got plenty to make a plot twisty-turny (it’s a thing…go with it). I’ve loved Stacy Willingham’s previous novels and was excited to get an early copy of this one. Not as dark as her other books (given the subject matter), and while I got a more of a YA vibe to some of the characters, it wasn’t so much that it made me play the .“Where are the parents,” card while reading. Definitely looking forward to her next book.

Stacy Willingham has become an auto buyer for me! And of course I will read her next book. This one however, fell a little flat for me. I loved the synopsis and couldn't wait to dive in. This book, and their characters felt more YA than adult which killed the rating. The characters and their behaviors or totally YA, and their actions felt more like high school than college, other than living in a dorm or a house on their own.

I think Stacy Waillingham is my new favorite author. I found the plot to be interesting, the characters well-developed, and the writing engaging.

This is the third book I've read by her and I actually really enjoyed this one. I liked the setting and I enjoyed the storyline. The end was unpredictable and I found this book very readable. She has become an auto read author for me!

This is my first book by this author, though I have her other two books in my personal library (the TBR list/stack has grown exponentially lately). This one is quite a slow burn, with a lot of "before" and "after" back-and-forth between what's happening now in Margot's life and flashbacks to everything that led up to it, which makes me lean away from calling it a thriller, but it was still a good story that left me wanting to keep reading to figure out what was going on and confirm what I thought I'd figured out.

However, I found most of the characters quite irritating and immature (granted, they're in their first couple years of college, but still, they act more like children in a lot of instances than the adults they're supposed to be by this point). And if I never see the phrase "say(s) at last" again, I'll be eternally grateful.

I've seen others saying they liked the author's other two books better than this one, so I'm holding out hope that I'll feel the same when I finally get around to them, as I enjoyed this one, but it just wasn't *great*, IMO.

3.5 stars

**I received a free copy from NetGalley and am leaving this review voluntarily. All thoughts and comments contained within are my own.**

This book really took me for a wild ride! I thought I had it figured out so many times, but I was wrong. If you’re looking for a twisty, quick read this is the one for you. Willingham sucks you into the story and you won’t be able to put it down!

I won't give away any plot points, but it is apparent to the reader and would be to any woman but our main character is clueless...of course, because her actions would differ if she wasn't a forced caricature of a human and the story would be wrapped up quickly. So we, the readers, are left waiting for her to catch up to us....which is the opposite of how any good mystery/thriller should be.

My third book by this author, which I’ve enjoyed. This was centered around the mysterious disappearance of a teenage boy named Finn. The story is told from the perspective of his best friend, Ellory, who is trying to piece together what happened to Finn while grappling with her own secrets and the complicated dynamics of their small town. Willingham skillfully weaves tension, suspense, and emotional depth, keeping readers on edge with unexpected twists. The novel explores themes of grief, guilt, and the impact of past traumas. While the plot can feel a bit slow at times, the book's engaging writing and complex characters make it a compelling read for fans of character-driven thrillers.

Only If You're Lucky read more like a YA thriller, with young angsty characters trying to find their way in college recently out of high school. I struggled with this coming of age aspect of the novel, not really connecting with the characters much. This made it hard for me to hang on while the story slowly built. I had loved Flicker in the Dark so much, I was really excited for this one, but it did not do it for me in the same way.

Stacy Willingham is a master at capturing the human experience. I enjoy authors subverting the formula and making the narrator the villain and I found myself sympathizing with Margot even though she killed her best friend and covered up another murder. We were so inside her head that by the time we learned the truth, we were starting to justify her actions or rationalize just like she was that she wasn't really so bad. It was a chain of unfortunate circumstances. She'd never want to kill her best friend. But we also see the dark side of obsession, undying loyalty and the expectation of the same in return, and finding your identity in your friends. Under the right circumstances, could any of us snap just a little bit and never be able to take it back?

Only If You’re Lucky is the authors third book, it follows Margot, a girl who suffered the loss of her best friend a year ago, and now is moving in to a house with three girls she barely knows at her college. Lucy is the ringleader and a complete mystery, Margot struggles with their relationship, and tragedy strikes, with alternative past and present POVs.

3.5 ⭐️
I left this for so long because I thought I wouldn’t enjoy it, but I did. This was really, really slow, somewhat boring and a touch repetitive, but I still liked it. I liked this better than the author’s last book, but not as much as the first. I was shocked by the end, the twist and how everything came together. The second half definitely moves at a much faster pace and I enjoyed it a lot more, I liked finding everything out. I wouldn’t say this is hard to get into, but it took me so long to get through. There’s little snippets throughout that all contribute to the ending, which I enjoyed. I do recommend this for an academic thriller, a mystery, with a solid ending. It’s a bit hard to review, it keeps you guessing to the end, being led one way, then another. Thanks to NatGalley and the publisher for the free preview in exchange for an honest review.

📖 BOOK REVIEW

🎧 ONLY IF YOU’RE LUCKY by Stacy Willingham
3.5 stars

Genre: thriller
Did I cry: no
Published in 2024

💭: this book was good. I’ll preface this with that. I did enjoy it when I was reading it. Every time I’ve tried to remember anything about it tho, I’ve had to look it up and read the entire synopsis which i think says something. I felt a little bit like the pacing was off in some parts, and the middle kinda dragged on a little bit but i will say that the twist was pretty good, i half predicted it but i still felt it was well-executed. I liked the school setting but especially how it was an off-campus house, that kinda felt unique to me as opposed to traditional boarding school / dark academia vibes. While i didn’t think it was anything extraordinary, i did enjoy and i do recommend it!!