Star rating - 3.5

This mystery is an atmospheric, twisty ride that kept me guessing in many ways right up until the end. I like the progression of Willingham's writing. Each book has a similar feel but with a fresh storyline, which I appreciate.

In Only If You're Lucky, Margot is a college coed who has decided to move in with a new group of girls for her Sophomore year. One of which, Lucy, she is especially enamored with. Lucy has an aura about her that attracts and influences those around her, Margot included. Lucy is so much like Margot's deceased best friend, Eliza, that Margo feels guilty at times, as if she is replacing Eliza. However, when a detested acquaintance from the past shows up, Margo finds that history seems to be repeating itself with Lucy.

I had a lot of thoughts while reading this one. It's told in dual timelines, which is one of my favorite structures for a thriller. However, I think my biggest takeaway was that the pacing just was not working for me. While the plot was interesting, I found the first 60-70% to be slow and at times, even a slog to get through. I think there is too much time spent in the "Before", but not enough time spent in the "After" to keep the intrigue. Then, all of the over-the-top reveals happen in the last 10%. I don't mind a melodramatic thriller, but I think they need to be well balanced. This was pretty even keel for the majority of the book, with soap opera level twists at the end.

I think where this one really excelled was the atmospheric setting. This has a real southern gothic feel, I can tell that this author has spent a lot of time in the south. The story felt muggy and uncomfortable. Even though they take place in different settings, I pictured this entire story with the same dreary filter that is used for the show Ozark. This felt pretty similar to A Flicker in the Dark, setting-wise.

The characters were a bit of a struggle with me, as well. These four girls were meant to be college students but Margot, Lucy, and Sloan all read like adult women in their reasoning and dialogue. However, I think the boys in the frat definitely read as typically frat boys. I'm not sure what the purpose was of making this a college setting. I suppose it did force the girls together, and the author did acknowledge that this was largely based on her own college house. However, the characterization was just off.

This was my third book by Stacy Willingham and despite my critiques, I did enjoy it overall. I think Willingham's writing is progressing in a direction that I enjoy. I will be sure to pick up her next release.

Review to be provided once posted to Instagram.

I feel like Stacy Willingham has cemented herself as one of my favorite psychological thriller authors. Once again she writes a twisty story that’s full of secrets, deception, questioning everyone’s motives and turning the pages to see how things will pan out. While this story line wasn’t as engaging and fast paced as her previous two, I really liked the dual timelines and dark academia. This is my least favorite of hers but still eager to try her writing again.

‘If you knew you could away with murder, would you do it?’

Best friends, Eliza and Margot, had planned to attend Rutledge College together until Eliza unexpectedly dies the summer after they graduate high school. Margo spends the first year of college in mourning, barely leaving her room, until she meets Lucy. Charismatic and mysterious, Lucy is everything that Margot is not.

Margot finds herself living in off-campus housing with Lucy and her two friends, Sloane and Nicole. The group of girls find themselves deeply intertwined, becoming quick, inseparable friends as they navigate the school year and their friendships with the boys in the fraternity house next door.

Things take a turn for the worst when one of the fraternity boys is found brutally murdered, and Lucy Sharpe is gone without a trace.

Stacy Willingham writes a great thriller, but this book didn’t stand out as much to me as compared to her first two novels. Slow to start, but a great, well wrapped-up ending. I wish the pacing would’ve been a little quicker, but I did like the ‘before’ and ‘after’ snippets throughout leading up to the climax. I liked the creepy vibes of the house (with it’s shed) as it’s own sort of character. The friendships are eerie on their own level - almost a sense of deja vu. A lot of small twists and turns will keep you guessing up until the very end.

This one leaves you pondering the duality of good versus evil and if a person is truly capable of being both.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for a free digital copy of this book. This is my honest review. Publication date: January 16, 2024.

I did not really care for this. Is Margot shy and timid? You are supposed to think so at the beginning. Not sure what happens along the way but that is not at all how she winds up being. All of the characters are unlikable with few, if any, redeeming qualities and I found the twists more confusing than exciting.

2.5 stars rounded up

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

This one was okay for me. It may have been bad timing on my part, but I felt like I had to reread parts of this book to fully understand what was going on.

I really wanted to like this book since I had enjoyed Stacy Willingham's other books. I felt like with this one the story just lost me towards the middle. It slowed down significantly and felt like it dragged on a bit. The premise of the story was good but I did connect well with the characters. The main character felt a bit whiny and the twist was a bit predictable.

I quite enjoyed Willinghams previous two books, but this one has failen short for me.

I think I'm past the point in my life where I care about reading about drunk, rich, university students who have a dark secret. I feel like this plot point has been overdone and overworked. It doesn't feel fresh.

I mean, the story and the writing itself is fine. But for me, I'm over it. If anything it also felt too YA for me. The plot itself continued to jump back and forth in time which is always a disrupter to me as a reader as well.

Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur Press for the advance e-copy of this book.

This was such a great read to start the new year! Starting off with a bang and rating this one five stars! It's official, Stacy Willingham has solidified herself as an autobuy author for me!

Read and loved her other books as well and this one was highly anticipated for me, based on that. It definitely lived up to my expectations. It has a few trigger warnings and at time, got deep and dark, but I'm a fan of that. The story was great, the writing was superb as usual and I'm a fan!

If you're looking for something gritty and dark to read, make this book it. It took a look at relationships, both romantic and friendship, and the lengths at which people will go. An excellent read!

𝐓𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞: 𝐎𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐈𝐟 𝐘𝐨𝐮’𝐫𝐞 𝐋𝐮𝐜𝐤𝐲
𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫: 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐜𝐲 𝐖𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐡𝐚𝐦
𝐏𝐮𝐛 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞: 𝐉𝐚𝐧𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝟏𝟔, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟒

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you Minotaur Books for my #gifted copy of Only If You’re Lucky!

Wow! What a masterpiece! I enjoyed this book so much and I had no clue how it was going to end! This book is truly about friendship, secrets, and lies and I just found it to be flawless! I love how this book is told in dual timelines, and felt like it added so much to the storyline.

Margot, she and yet to come out of her shell, meets Lucy at the end of their freshman year. Lucy and Margot are complete opposites, with Lucy always being the center of attention and so bold. When Lucy asks Margot to room with her over the summer, she can’t say no. Together, Lucy and Margot live with Sloane and Nicole at an off-campus house next to a fraternity. On top of her new living situation, and trying to fit in, Lucy is grieving the loss of her best friend, who died shortly after graduating from high school. As Lucy and Margot start to become closer, it doesn’t take long for tragedy to strike. Levi, who lives next door, is murdered and Lucy is missing without a trace. Who killed Levi? And what happened to Lucy?

𝐎𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐈𝐟 𝐘𝐨𝐮’𝐫𝐞 𝐋𝐮𝐜𝐤𝐲
🔥Dual Timeline
🔥Psychological Thriller
🔥Dark Academia
🔥Slow Burn
🔥Twists and Turns

Posted on Goodreads on January 2, 2024: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/144922955?ref=nav_profile_l
**Posted on Instagram - Full Review- on or around January 16, 2024: http://www.instagram.com/nobookmark_noproblem
**Posted on Amazon on January 16, 2024
**-will post on designated date

I really liked Stacy Willingham's other books, but this one was just okay. I felt like the ending was predictable. A few twists before the ending I didn't see coming.

SPEAK UP on the r*cist employee SMP and I’d be happy to rave about your books. SO DISAPPOINTED IN YOU GUYS. Booooooo

Stacy, you surprise me with every book you write. This was a fast paced novel of college students behaving badly. I could not get enough.

As Willingham's third novel in the mystery/thriller genre, readers can expect drama, twists and surprises as the story unfolds. In this book, young Margot leaves her hometown for college without her lifelong friend Eliza, who met a tragic death, leaving Margot to follow through with their plans on her own. Margot is a "lost soul" on campus without Eliza's more gregarious character pulling her along, but she is soon befriended by Lucy, Nicole and Sloane. And she questions why would these popular girls pull Margot into their clique? Margot soon discovers a dark side to Lucy that she both fears and clings to. The story winds through college life of booze, boys, drugs, dares and deaths as Margot's past with Eliza seems to take center stage in Lucy's actions. The surprise elements to the story mesh into acts that cannot be undone, and secrets that destroy. This book did not grab my attention as much as Willingham's previous books, and the characters did not pull me into their story as they should have. The book is sure to be another big seller and loved by many, but was a bit flat for me. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read and review this advance reader copy. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. #NetGalley #OnlyIfYou'reLucky

Wahoo!!! With reading so many thrillers, a lot of time I get an inkling of where the story is going before it gets there. I didn't with this story! I was so excited when the unexpected twist popped up! It was GOOD!!! The characters were interesting and I loved that their development felt natural and not manipulated to hide the upcoming surprises. The plot went along a bit slower than this author's previous books, but it felt like the right speed for me as it focused on the characters and how they reacted to the plot going on around them.

I love books that take place at college as this one did. The setting was a big character in the story. I also really like Willingham's writing - she keeps the reader engaged. I thought this was an excellent thriller, very thought-provoking!

I was so excited to read this one as I have heard great things about Stacy Willingham's work. While I will definitely be checking out her other books that come highly recommended, I unfortunately had to DNF this one around the 60% mark. I found myself not eager to pick it up as nothing was really happening. It is a dual timeline and while it threw me off in the beginning, it wasn't overall hard to follow. I wasn't feeling that suspenseful build that kept me wanting to turn the pages. After struggling with it for a few weeks, I decided that it just isn't for me. Thank you to the publisher for the advance copy.

Thank you, NetGalley and Minotaur Books, for my complimentary digital copy for review.

In this compelling novel, we follow a young woman as she navigates the complex realms of grief, university life, and unexpected encounters from her past. The author masterfully keeps readers on their toes, introducing unexpected twists just when I think I have it all figured out. The ingenious use of an unreliable narrator adds an extra layer of shock and suspense to the story.

This book delves deep into themes of friendship, betrayal, and loyalty, while also exploring the profound influence of secrets. The impact of these revelations on the protagonist's life is profound, and the lengths she goes to keep them hidden are both captivating and thought-provoking.

Overall, this riveting and twisty page-turner is a must-read for fans of suspenseful storytelling.

I think that this is my second fave Stacey Willingham! I definitely liked this one more than her last one. It was perhaps a bit farfetched?

This is Stacy Willingham's third novel and probably my least favorite. It's a bit of a slow burn throughout the first half of the novel, but the ending is worth the read, in my opinion! I did not see the ending playing out that way, but that is the great thing about Stacy's novels! Just when you think you have the twist figured out, she throws another kink in there!

It gives the vibe of an academia novel instead of the mystery/thriller vibes of her first two novels. The writing is excellent, and I really enjoyed the alternating timeline of "before" and "after". I'm giving this one a solid 3.5 stars.

Special thanks to St. Matin's Press/Minotaur Books and the author for this advanced copy that releases on 1/16/24.

Stacy Willingham can do no wrong in my eyes! I felt so lucky to get an early copy of this since she's become an auto buy author for me, and this was my favorite of hers so far! I loved the college campus setting and the fact that I couldn't trust anyone. It kept me guessing the entire time and I was just along for the ride. I highly recommend Stacy Willingham to any thriller lover- hers are truly the best!