4.5⭐️

“If you knew you could get away with murder, would you do it?”

Stacy Willingham is an auto-buy author for me, so when I became aware of this book hitting shelves in 2024, I knew I had to read it ASAP! As expected, Willingham did not disappoint with her exceptional character development, story/suspense building and unique setting/backdrop. Note that this story takes place on a college campus, which is one of my favorite thriller settings so that was an added bonus for me 😍
While this was a slow burn, the hidden secrets and lies that the characters held had me invested from the start and questioning everyone, rapidly turning pages to uncover everything. The main twists at the end were very well done and the story as a whole was wrapped up perfectly!

Thank you NetGalley, Minotaur Books, and Stacy Willingham for a #gifted ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Only If You’re Lucky is another outstanding mystery by Stacy Willingham! She certainly knows how to keep me guessing.

I always love any kind of school setting, and it was an interesting choice for this one to take place in a frat house the girls were renting out. I felt like it added a bit of extra mystery to the story, more people to suspect!

I did guess something about Margot, but the rest of the story came as a shock to me. Lots of good twists.

I really liked this book! I enjoyed the author's previous book, A Flicker in the Dark, but I liked this one even more. The premise doesn't sound that unusual for a thriller - a quiet young woman named Margot is trying to find her way at university and is thrilled when the beautiful, charismatic Lucy Sharpe invites her to share a house with her and her two best friends. However, the characters make this book come alive and the plot twists help make it something special.

Lucy helps Margot to start having fun, putting the tragedy of her childhood best friend's recent death behind her. However, when a fraternity member from the house next store to where Margot and her three friends are living, many secrets start coming out that will change lives forever. I enjoyed getting to know Margot and Lucy and the two other housemates Nicole and Sloane. Clues are given that not all is as it appears, but I couldn't begin to guess everything that is eventually revealed. I also appreciated the references and parallels to the story of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. This is a fast-paced, engaging read that I would rate 4.5 stars.

I received an advance copy of this ebook at no cost from NetGalley and Minotaur Books, but my review is voluntary and unbiased.

Stacy Willingham has done it again! She has kept me on the edge of my seat and turning pages rapidly. Margot went to school to escape the loss of her best friend, but somehow she could never get away. I could feel the raw emotion, the loss and the fear in everything that Margot did. Characters jumped off the pages and begged me to listen to them. 🧚 Throughout the story I think I questioned every single character at one point. A few escaped my notice, but Willingham would not leave me even those few. I questioned, I doubted and I forgave in very short order and multiple times. What a twisted trail! 💫 I truly wanted to know what happened with Trevor. I feel like there is much more to him. Perhaps he deserved a much closer look as well.

Wow. Wow. Wow. Stacy Willingham is killing it lately - quite literally! Only if You're Lucky had me swiping on my kindle just as fast as it would go. This story is chilling and twisty and all of the things that make a thriller un-put-down-able. Loved it!

What a ride this book was! Love her thrillers and cannot wait for the next one! I loved the twist of this one! Was giving pretty little liars vibes! I was obsessed the entire time . The beginning was a bit slow at times that’s why I’m ducking one star!

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martins Press, and Stacy Willingham for an advance copy of Only If You’re Lucky in exchange for an honest review. This story was another excellent suspense novel by the author. It focused on the power that female friendships can have in our lives. If you’re looking for secrets, lies, and dual timelines- look no further. I found myself rooting for Margot as she fell under Lucy’s spell. The ending was definitely not what I expected and I was very satisfied with it! I can’t wait to see what this author does next. You can pick this one up on January 16th!

DNF. Too slow of a beginning. Not hooked. To commit to an almost 400 page thriller about college girls, I need to be hooked in to the drama sooner. The main character seems lame and not her own person.

Wow wow! Stacy Willingham just gets better and better with every book. From the get-go, I loved this college setting and the Greek life aspect. I liked the flashbacks, but this was really like three timelines and I got a little confused here and there. I went between audio and physical and I think it would be Less confusing solely being physically read.
At its core, this is a story about friendship, found family, and coming-of-age during that last year of high school and first years of college. It’s not necessarily thrilling, but there’s certainly a mystery that I was very invested in. I could totally feel that college campus atmosphere and picture these devoting friendships between the girls.
I’d recommend for fraternity/sorority peeps, anyone who loves a campus setting, and a coming-of-age with some dark, twisty depth.

If you love a slow burn book, this one if for you. I loved Stacy’s other two thriller novels, but this one just didn’t quite live up to those and somewhat missed the mark for me. It was quite the build-up and slow burn and fizzled out. I have mixed feeling about the ending. 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 like her other books.

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!

“If you could get away with murder, would you do it?”

Margo and her best friend, Eliza had dreams of escaping to Rutledge College together after graduation. When Eliza tragically dies, Margo decides to try and pick up the pieces and follows their plan to college in South Carolina. Margo is shocked to find Eliza’s boyfriend, Levi, at Rutledge—the one that caused a deep fissure in their relationship leading up to her death. But she also befriends a mysterious classmate, Lucy, who is hauntingly similar to Eliza. Eliza ends up moving into a house leased by the fraternity next door with Lucy, and Levi just so happens to be their neighbor.

This novel had major Pretty Little Liar vibes to me. I kept trying to figure out how this story would play out, but Stacy Willingham was sure to keep me guessing. Grab this book if you’re looking for friendship drama, lies, secrets and a dash of who done it.

Releases JANUARY 16, 2024.
4/5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Many thanks to NetGalley, Stacy Willingham and St. Martin’s Press for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Margot is a recent high school graduate and about to go off to college to live her dream, when her best friend is found dead. How can Margot go to college and live her life without Eliza. Her first year of college is uneventful as she plays it safe with her roommate, but something changes when Margot meets Lucy, who reminds her of her best friend. Lucy is wild and emotional. Margot moves into this unique frat house rental with Lucy, Sloane and Nicole. Margot becomes bff’s and is living her best life, when her past starts dredging it’s way back into her life. Margot doesn’t know who to trust or where to turn?!

This book was another solid read. Stacy Willingham does a great job captivating and keeping the attention of the reader. Just when I thought I had things figured out she throws me a new curveball. I liked the characters and the character of the house as well. I really enjoyed the explanation of the house in the acknowledgements. If you are looking for a twisty, attention keeping thriller, pick up this book.

Thank you to Minotaur Books, NetGalley, and the author for the opportunity to read an advanced readers copy of this book. My opinions are honest and my own.

I tried really hard to get into the book on multiple different occasions but I just couldn’t. I’m not sure if it was the characters or maybe just my mindset, but it wasn’t for me & unfortunately, I finally stopped trying and just didn’t finish it. I’m more than willing to give the author another chance but this one just didn’t work for me.

Thank you #netgalley & St Martin’s press for an ARC of this book for my honest review.

“If you could get away with murder, would you do it?”

I felt “lucky” to get an early copy of this book because I really enjoyed the author’s first two books. However, this book had a very different feel than her first two. It had a slower pace overall, and there was too much of an inner monologue throughout the book. This story is more character driven than plot driven. This book shows what it can be like for a person to want to belong and fit in. It did a good job portraying the poor decision making that some young adults make, and the potential for toxic relationships and friendships. This book touches on Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, and how one can be both good and evil. I was curious to see how the story was going to end and what everything was building up to. Unfortunately it took forever to get there and nothing really happened for the first 75% of the book. I feel like this book is geared towards younger— somewhere between YA and NA. I am beginning to realize that I personally do not enjoy campus thrillers. I am at an age where I’m not particularly interested in the everyday drama of college students and young adults. However, if you do enjoy campus thrillers you may enjoy this one.

Read if you enjoy:
✔️First person POV
✔️Nonlinear timeline
✔️Slow burn mystery
✔️Character driven

Thank you NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press/Minotuar Books, and the author for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Favorite quote (Pre-publication):
“We would do anything for each other.
Anything.”

Advanced Book Review! Thank you @netgalley and @minotaurbooks for sending me this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.
This was one of those books I requested on NetGalley because I saw it everywhere on Bookstagram and thought I would really be missing something if I didn’t read it. It’s my first book by Stacy Willingham and I’ve seen some really positive reviews so you might have a different opinion.
My overall impression was that it was ok, but nothing overly special. I did read it in two days because I knew secrets would eventually be revealed and I wanted to know what they were (I did figure one of them out), but it was a slower read, and I was pretty far into it before I felt like I learned anything important – although there were some clues along the way. I think the author tried to keep us guessing so there were some twists on top of twists, which I appreciated. However, most of them were not overly shocking, with maybe one exception where I was surprised. I think it could have done deeper into some of the characters and relationships.
But I will say that it kept me reading, and I couldn’t figure out which way things were going to go – for example, toxic friendships or actually good friendships? Friendship or unrequited love?
Also, if you’ve read this book, could someone explain the title to me? Maybe I’m missing something, but I really didn’t understand it.

4.5/5

This book was slow to start but once it got going I didn’t want to put it down. The book goes between the present and the past in Margot’s point of view. She loses a friend in a tragedy and then finds a similar friend in Lucy. Lucy is not who you think she is. Margot, Lucy, and their two roommates Sloane and Nicole have quite a crazy semester.

A great read! Just have to get through the beginning! Stacy Willingham doesn’t disappoint!

Only if You’re Lucky was the perfect first read of my year!

I will be honest, I was sorely disappointed in Willingham’s previous A Flicker in the Dark, and put off reading this new one for a while. However, if any author can develop and improve, it has been Stacy Willingham!

Only if You’re Lucky introduces the reader to mysterious characters that spark empathy. I had several ideas of how the plot would play out, but I am happy to report that any of my guesses fell far short of what the author had planned. The pacing is very good in this novel; there are only a few moments that seemed to drag to me, but my investment in the characters and story kept me reading.

I am so thankful to have been an advance reader of Only If You’re Lucky, and am excited to recommend it to other readers!

This is the second book I’ve read by Stacy Willingham and it did not disappoint. Right from the start I was lured in and captivated. I couldn’t put it down. The two timelines seamlessly weave the story from past tragedies to present tribulations of a college student trying to make a new start and the company she keeps. Oh the secrets they hold on to…

I highly recommend this book to anyone and everyone! Definitely looking forward to more from this author.

Thank you NetGalley for this arc

This is one I really wanted to love. I’ve seen it all over, and couldn’t wait to read it! The beginning started off strong, but I lost interest with some of the characters. I think they seemed a little longer than college age. This wasn’t my favorite read, but I’m glad I read it.

Stacy Willingham does it again! I’ve enjoyed her previous two books so I was looking forward to this one. I could tell from the start that this book was going to be different than her first two. I was captivated immediately and did not want to put the book down. I wanted to know all of the answers! The mystery was great, and had twists that made it unpredictable. I love that Stacy is a local author for me so I can visualize her remarkable descriptions of the setting with ease. She has a way of writing that truly immerses you into the story. She remains a must buy author for me and I look forward to her future novels. Make sure you have this book on your TBR!