Only if You're Lucky follows Margot as she is finishing up her first year of college. She was supposed to be attending college with her best friend Eliza, the girl that was bold always took the lead in contrast to Margot's quiet and careful nature, but Eliza died in a tragic accident the summer before they were set to start their freshman year. Enter Lucy, someone that shares very similar traits to Eliza, coming to Margot with an offer to share an apartment with her and two of her friends for the following school year. Margot now has friends and attends parties; it's what she always hoped college would be. Halfway through the school year one of the frat boys next-door is brutally murdered and Lucy is no where to be found. This starts the twists and turns that bring you to the end of the story as we try and figure out who killed Levi and where Lucy is.

Told in dual-timelines from Margot's POV, Only if You're Lucky is a bit of a slow burn. The story picks up at the end and the end is definitely worth the ride, but the first two thirds of the book drag at some points. Not much happens to drive the plot until Levi is killed so it's a bit more atmospheric and character driven in the beginning. While this isn't my favorite by Willingham I would still recommend it overall!

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the advanced e-copy of this book.

I have been such a fan of Stacy Willingham's work, and every time there's an opportunity to apply for an arc of their new books, I do it and I'm not disappointed. I rarely read thrillers/mystery anymore, but this one kept me interested and I managed to finish it relatively quickly. Only If You're Lucky does lean more mystery than thriller, but I found myself intrigued by the story and wanting to put all the pieces together to discover what was actually happening.

Only If You're Lucky features Margot, our FMC is a college student who is obsessed with her former best friend Eliza who died tragically before they were supposed to head off to college together. While in attendance at college, Margot is reclusive and finds herself becoming obsessed with a girl named Lucy who reminds her of Eliza in every way. Suddenly Lucy disappears and Margot's obsession grows exponentially.

This story is messy, and full of secrets. I put together where the plot was going early on. There are quite a few twists that aren't necessarily *shocking* but I still found myself surprised. I truthfully didn't care for Margot, she was boring and her reasonings for being obsessed were a little weird. There are a lot of plot twists towards the end, some believable but some were stretching a bit. I think this was a great mystery all in all, definitely kept my attention and is riddled with unlikeable characters who are absolutely terrible to each other. This was a solid thriller, not my favorite of Willingham's, but I still liked it nonetheless!

Thank you to NetGalley, Minotaur Books, and Stacy Willingham for the early eARC in exchange for an honest review. Available January 16th!

Thank you NetGalley for the e-ARC of this book. I was super excited to get my hands on this since I have absolutely LOVED Stacy Willingham's previous novels.

After some thought, I have decided to rate this a 3.75 stars. As with Willingham's previous books, I loved the writing style. I felt like I was fully immersed in the atmosphere and I was hanging on every chapter near the end.
The beginning of the book was a bit slow, but I personally don't mind a slow burn. We were able to get into the mind of the MC which I think was important. It would have been awesome if we got some other peoples POV's as well though. The ending of this book was the best part though. There were twists upon twists which is what I look for in the thriller genre.

"Only if You're Lucky" by Stacy Willingham presents a sharp and evocative exploration of female friendship, loyalty, and betrayal. The novel delves into the fascinating and intertwined lives of Lucy Sharpe and Margot, two contrasting personalities who become entangled in a web of secrets and deception.

Willingham skillfully paints a vivid portrait of their friendship, deftly capturing the complexities and dynamics that define their relationship. As the narrative unfolds, the author weaves a tantalizing thriller that takes readers on a journey of introspection and suspense, inviting them to contemplate the nature of belonging, trust, and envy.

The novel's tantalizing exploration of the characters' intertwined lives and the mysterious disappearance of Lucy Sharpe creates a compelling and immersive reading experience. Willingham expertly delves into the emotional and psychological undercurrents that define the characters, breathing life into their experiences and inner turmoil.

"Only if You're Lucky" promises an enthralling and thought-provoking exploration of loyalty and friendship, firmly establishing the novel as a gripping addition to the psychological suspense genre. With its skillful storytelling and captivating portrayal of the characters' unfolding fates, Stacy Willingham solidifies her place as an author who sets the gold standard in crafting engaging and resonant psychological thrillers.

I really enjoyed this author’s previous two books, so I was excited to read this one. It was a decent read, but I can’t help but compare it to her other novels. It was much slower paced and lacked the suspense I was expecting. The mystery itself was good, very twisty and unpredictable, and the writing itself was great. I just didn’t like it as much as I was expecting. If you haven’t read her previous books, you might like this one better than I did. Just be prepared for a very slow burn.

3.5/5

Margot and Eliza are the best of friends, growing up together and headed to college in the fall, when Levi moves in over the summer. Soon enough, Eliza is dead and Margot is headed to college alone. Spending a full year mourning, she meets Lucy, who is just as wild and magnetic as Eliza was, and the two form a friendship with Sloane and Nicole. They move into a house off campus with the fraternity next door their landlords. When Levi shows up as a pledge, everything starts to change.
.
💭Thoughts💭
I definitely felt the first quarter of the book was super slow and dragging, but it quickly picked up and caught my attention. Margot was a very weak character so it was hard to feel bad for her but I think that may have been the point? The twists were so good and I truly did not see some of them coming.
.
⌛️Favorite Moment⌛️
The overall vibe of the book completely captured the lost feeling Margot had and how in over your head you can get when you try to be someone you’re not. The anxious feeling I had when reading about their interactions with the fraternity was so real feeling.
.
🎉 Theme Ideas 🎉
Go bowling! Penny Lanes was a huge part of the book and a cool scene to imagine them partying on the bowling lanes after hours!

Margot is living in her freshman dorm, the room she was supposed to share with her long time best friend, Eliza, but instead she came to campus alone. She is the shell of the person she once was, until Lucy invites her to room with her and her two friends at an off campus house. Margot is longing to belong and eagerly joins the three girls in their house adjacent to a fraternity house. But by their second semester together, the carefree summer college living that they enjoyed has turned very dark and twisted.
This story slowly builds as it delves deeply into the unreliable character narrative. Dual timelines set the stage as Margot and Eliza’s friendship parallels with Margot and the girls. And then suddenly, towards the end of the book the pace ramps up as one twist after another evolves. The characters that you thought you knew, but never trusted, come to light. One event leads to another. Part psychological thriller, part coming of age Only If You’re Lucky explores Margot’s need to be accepted, her grief and her expectations of friendship. Usually if I don’t like any of the characters that affects my liking of a book. But this is one of those, where the characters are all flawed enough to the point of being unlikeable (except for Nicole) but that only adds to the unsettling tone of the book even after it ends!
Thank you NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press and Minotaur for my gifted arc for review.

This book gave me an uneasy feeling from the start. A sense of doom that builds and grows as the book goes on. Secret after secret is unraveled until you realize how all the little clues come together. It was a little slow early on, but probably necessary to set the foundation. Great, twisty read!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced release copy in exchange for an honest review.

I love how this story was just as dark and twisty as we’ve come to expect from Willingham, while also having such a different story and set of characters. The dual timeline keeps things interesting during the story’s slow burn of a build up to a very jam packed ending. Once I hit about 60% I just could not put it down until I finished. The story is reminiscent of Pretty Little Liars, or maybe more like The Sex Lives of College Girls intertwined with tragedy and mystery. Readers of Megan Miranda are going to especially enjoy this offering.

Thank you to Net Galley for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A bit of a slog. Margot felt like a boring person that I was not interested in getting to know. Her obsession with Lucy felt a bit…. pathetic? This book felt terribly long with little payoff until the end. I really loved Stacy Willingham’s ‘A Flicker in the Dark,’ but this one was a miss for me.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Minotaur Books for this ARC!

I enjoyed the newest read from Stacy Willingham!

The characters, plot, and twists I didn’t see coming are all things I loved!

I didn’t feel like this one was as thrilling as her past two, though which is why I gave 4 stars instead of 5.

Oh boy. I need a minute to sit with this one.
The twists and turns… and the unpredictable ending… still not sure how I feel about it. But overall - couldn’t put it down (except for stupid stuff like work and feeding kids).
I’ll come back and update.

Anything Stacy Willingham writes, I’m reading. This was definitely a slow burn but she did an amazing job building the story and character backgrounds. Told in before and after timeline, it was clear from the start that all the characters had hidden secrets which I was invested in uncovering throughout the book. I loved the college setting and the added chaos of the girls living next door to a frat house.
About 75% in, the story really picks up and the pieces of the puzzle begin falling into place. As always, Willingham is the queen of twists and turns. I was surprised by the ending and left really thinking about morality and the turn this story took.

Only If You’re Lucky is a slow burn college thriller that will have you turning the pages.
Margot and Eliza are best friends who had plans to attend college together. But after a tragic death, Margot is left to go on her own.
Margot meets Lucy and is immediately reminded of her late best friend. She is full of life, bold and the center of attention. She ends up moving in with her and two other girls in a house right next door to a frat. When Levi, a boy from her hometown who she blames for Eliza’s death moves into the frat, she tells the girls of her suspicions and believes he may be a danger there.
When a boy next door is brutally murdered and Lucy disappears after being questioned, the three remaining girls stay together.
The story is told between Before and After his death as we learn secrets and what really happened.

Only If You're Lucky: Secrets, Suspense, and a Friend You Can't Trust
Stacy Willingham's "Only If You're Lucky" is a chilling cocktail of coming-of-age drama and psychological suspense that kept me glued to the page. Margot, our protagonist, navigates the treacherous waters of grief and uncertainty after her best friend's death, only to find herself drawn into a new friendship fraught with shadows and secrets.

Willingham excels at building tension, expertly weaving hidden truths and cryptic clues into the narrative. Each chapter raises more questions, leaving you desperate to unravel the mystery at the heart of the story. The close-knit friend group crackles with unspoken conflicts, and you'll find yourself questioning just who to trust as the narrative twists and turns.

Margot is a relatable and complex character, her grief palpable and her desperation to find belonging both understandable and heartbreaking. The supporting cast comes alive as well, each with their own motives and secrets adding depth and intrigue to the story.

While the pace might feel slow at times, it ultimately serves to heighten the suspense, allowing the layers of mystery to unfold gradually and keep you guessing until the very end. The climax is satisfyingly twisty, leaving you breathless and eager to discuss the story with anyone who will listen.

"Only If You're Lucky" is a perfect read for fans of dark coming-of-age stories and chilling psychological thrillers. It's a suspenseful page-turner that will stay with you long after you finish the last chapter, leaving you questioning the power of friendship and the lengths we go to for secrets we dare not reveal.

I recommend this book to fans of:

Stacy Willingham's previous works and psychological thrillers in general
Coming-of-age stories with a dark twist
Intriguing mysteries with complex characters and unreliable narrators
Overall: A gripping and suspenseful tale of friendship, secrets, and the dark side of desire, "Only If You're Lucky" is a must-read for anyone seeking a thrilling and thought-provoking read

Margot goes to college to get away from her old life...rich girl from the outer banks whose best friend died in an accident only weeks after graduation. But while she is quietly going through the motions she meets charismatic Lucy who pulls her into a new life...one that might not be so safe.

I'm new to Willingham but I'm now a massive fan. This book as so addicting! Here's what I loved.

The setting- the book takes place on a college campus but really the main setting is the two houses right off campus. Both owned by a frat who occupies the one and rents the other out to the girls--Margot, Lucy, Sloane, and Nicole. The properties are connected as are the lives of the different residents.

The characters- everyone has an agenda and it's hard at times trying to figure out who to trust or even like. But that as the fun of it.

The twists-- this book took so many turns that I wasn't sure what to believe. There are some twists that I did figure out, but it was still fun trying to get to them. I really liked the whole story and thought it as well thought out.

All in all, this was a great thriller with some major twists!

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the gifted copy. My reviews are always honest.

Margot is starting her first year of college exactly the opposite of how she had planned. Her best friend died during the summer and they wrre supposed to be doing this all together. Margot notices this girl named Lucy who has a certain draw to her that Margot can't escape. Once she gets taken under Lucy's wing, things start to change for Margot. Suddenly the boy who was with her best friend on the night of her death shows up at the same school and things quickly go awry.

Wow!!!! This might be my new favorite by Stacy Willingham! I loved the mystery and complex characters that we slowly get to unravel and learn more about. This book was amazing! I highly recommend!

This book had so potential, but I was kind of disappointed. I didn’t like a single one of these characters. The plot was very well written! I liked the twist at the end it has me guessing until the very end. Although there were some holes in the plot and some questions left unanswered I enjoyed the suspense of this book!

Margot goes to college in South Carolina and her life doesn't look at all the way she'd planned. For one, her best friend Eliza isn't there with her. After a difficult freshman year, Margot makes friends with Lucy Sharpe, beautiful, bold, outgoing Lucy Sharpe. They and two other girls share an off-campus house and one day, Lucy disappears.

I really liked this thriller. I really didn't see the ending coming but it was so good.

This is the 3rd book I've read by Willingham and this one was solidly in the middle. She is becoming a must read author for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Available January 16, 2024.

“Only If You’re Lucky”

I’ve just slogged through the advanced reader’s copy (ARC) of Stacy Willingham’s novel, “Lucky,” scheduled for release in January 2024, that's centered on freshman college students and their trials and tribulations.

However, I do not feel lucky after finishing this mishmash of a novel. The last quarter of the book is pretty good and reveals numerous twists and turns that I wasn't expecting. If only the first part was tighter, then perhaps I could feel better giving the book a higher recommendation.

As it is, I just can't suggest readers waste their time on this novel that reads largely like a middle-school Nancy Drew—oh, that's unfair to ND!

“Lucky” is similar to a regurgitated story version of the movie “Clueless” targeted at high schoolers or younger children, rather than Adults. I felt my IQ dropping just reading this drivel.

For example, the author overuses the word “LIKE” so frequently that I started highlighting the word each occasion that I spotted it because I was so annoyed.

I kid you not, Willingham in “Lucky” uses the word “LIKE,” at the minimum 584 times by 100%—the end. There is NO excuse for this tiring, ridiculous indolence.

This being the first book of Willingham’s that I’ve read, it is also most likely the last because “Lucky” is so poorly executed. Nonetheless, I’m baffled by this stinker because reviews of her two prior mystery/thrillers are high.

“Lucky” addresses several of my major frustrations when reading Adult Fiction: (1) authors ‘dumbing down’ prose by using repetitive words throughout a book or (2) continually peppering in annoying clichés rather than creating authentic original phrases with vibrant imagery.

Limiting figures of speech to only one type, such as similes—especially those that begin with “LIKE,” as a comparator is especially exasperating and repetitive, and makes the following descriptions seem forced and trite.

Have these authors forgotten other
essential literary devices and crucial writing tools? Where are the strong metaphors, alliterations, sibilances, onomatopoeias, hyperboles, puns, oxymorons, paradoxes, and so many others—in addition to similes— that add vibrancy, energy, variety, and dynamics to prose and poetry?

“Lucky”, is a juvenile rendering mess in contrast and comparison to Ruth Ware’s, “The It Girl,” and “The Secret History,” by Donna Tartt, (which I consider both five-star favorites) are brilliant, erudite, and scintillating novels that challenge the reader’s mind and imagination and are also both set on college campuses.

Willingham should take note. Adult audiences want intrigue and challenge, not frivolity, fluffy, and flaky.

JoyReaderGirl1 graciously thanks NetGalley, Author Stacy Willingham, and Publisher Minotaur for this ARC for review.