I loved this twisty book. It was wonderful. I think it is wonderful exploration of becoming an adult but with murder.
I loved the ending.

3.5 Stars
Only If You're Lucky was written beautifully, and would be an easy sell for us: an unreliable narrator, mysterious death, past and present timeline leading up to the climax, unlikeable characters that would keep you guessing, and a few twists at the end. Only If You're Lucky lacks tension, and you find yourself wanting to just keep reading to get the answers not because you're anxious to know the truth, but because you want to just get to the big reveal. It felt a bit predictable, which surprised us, as Willingham's first two novels were staff favorites. That said, we will continue to keep an eye out on Willingham's future books and will always purchase her titles for our store.

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

3.5 out of 5 stars (3.5 / 5) If you’re in the mood for a slow-burn journey within a college setting, this might just be your cup of tea. This college-set tale has its highs and lows, but the overall experience is an exploration of friendships, mysteries, and a protagonist with a questionable character arc.

The narrative takes its sweet time to unravel, offering readers a slow-burn with potential. The college setting adds an extra layer to the story, creating a backdrop that increases the stakes as the plot develops.

“But friends for life is a myth, a fable. A feel-good fairy tale we tell ourselves to avoid having to think too hard about facing the world alone.”

Margot, the main character, adds an interesting dynamic. Her pliability to the influence of friends creates a character who is not always reliable. This added a complexity I wasn’t a fan of, turning me off to the bulk of the story.

While the slow burn can be enticing, the middle tested my patience and I found myself craving more immediate revelations. The need for bits of juicy information to maintain my attention was a concern and I craved a better balance in pacing.

The slow build finds its payoff in a great ending. The story has a satisfying conclusion that ties up loose ends and delivers the anticipated emotional punch. The strength of the finale compensated for the mid-story lull.


Thank you to Minotaur Books for the copy!

This one is told in the before & in the after. Before the murder and before the missing “friend.” It started out really interesting with following Margot going off to college after loosing her best friend Eliza. She’s been trying to find herself or place since loosing Eliza. She went to a college they both dreamed of. Feeling a bit out of place, she befriends Lucy and her clique. This is where I began to have many questions.
What happened to Eliza?
What’s the pull to Lucy? Why did Lucy, Sloan, and Nicole invite her in so easily. What’s up with Levi? It ended up getting a bit crazy just like I my psychological thrillers, but… somewhere along the mid point it started to slow down. Way down.

At about the 60% mark I felt like I had a lot of information with nothing really happening. After recently reading SW first 2 books and loving them, I fell like this one didn’t live up to the level as the other books. Overall, the premise was good, dark academia, murder mystery, and psycho thriller was there, but it took too long for things to happen or be revealed .

This is my second Stacy Willingham book and most definitely not my last! Willingham has an incredible ability to tell an utterly captivating story. From the moment I started this book, I could not put it down, I didn’t think the twists and turns were unpredictable but a few of them got me. I thought this book was really well executed, It’s one of those “It Girl” mysteries. I’ve read a few of them this year but I think this one was my favorite. Only if you’re lucky had exactly 0 characters that I liked, but even with hating the characters… I absolutely loved the book, I finished it it one sitting.

I was fortunate to receive the digital and audio ARC of this novel. I LOVED READING AND LISTENING AT THE SAME TIME! It’s one of my favorite ways to really get into a book. A huge, huge thank you to the publishers at St. Martins Press/minotaur books and Macmillan audio for the incredible opportunity to review the ARC copies of Only if you’re lucky.

This book was awesome! It’s been a little while since I read a thriller with some serious twists and turns and I had a lot of fun reading this one! It brought me back to my college days and Greek life (ish) and having roommates. I really liked all the characters and the story was really intriguing, every time I picked it back up it was really hard to put down! I absolutely love how the author used a real life experience as the setting for this story, learning that made it even more awesome, and creepy lol! Absolutely recommend!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.
I listened to audiobook version and read this version as well.
I absolutely loved this book.
Great job by the author of weaving together multiple timelines and tragic events and tying it up into a neat bow at the end.
Easy to follow and an enjoyable read. I finished it in one day because I could not put it down!

First, I want to thank Net Galley and St. Martin's Press for giving me an ARC of this book. I recently discovered Stacey Willingham over the summer and loved her first two books so I was super excited to read this one! I think this might be my favorite one so far. She's super good at coming up with twists and I sometimes have a hard time predicting what's going to happen which I love! If you enjoyed Stacey's other books, I definitely think you'll enjoy this one as well!

That first feeling of true freedom, the moment your parents leave your dorm room the first year of college. Everything is new, shiny, and terrifying at the same time. You have the chance to make friends that will be in your life forever. That is how it worked for me. We all started on the same floor and moved into a house together. The gatherings on my bed in the morning to retell what happened the night before. Some nights are blurry and hazy around the edges. This book grabs you and thrusts you back to your freshman year. Frat parties, bad decisions, studying, and your entire life looming before you.

Lucy is charismatic. Everyone knows her and everyone wants to be friends with her. She can make friends with a wall. She is just one of those people and Margot is drawn to her. She has kept to herself since the beginning of the year. Tucked into a safe cocoon with her roommate. Staying in for movies and popcorn. But Lucy draws her out. Asks her if she is looking for a room. She moves in with three girls who she knows nothing about. She is taking a step away from herself, to become a new person. Their house is owned by the neighboring frat. The summer becomes one endless loop of drinking, lounging, and becoming close. But something is lurking just beneath the surface. There are secrets that they are keeping. What is true and who is behind it all?

I completely devoured this book. It kept me on my toes, had me guessing right until the end. The characters draw you in and keep you engaged and enthralled. Thank you to Stacy Willingham and Minotaur Books for this fantastic thrill ride.

I would give this one a 3.5. I really enjoyed the story and historically like Stacy Willingham's writing as well. It did feel a little bit like every other thriller in my opinion, but I did like that the main character was dealing with more behind the scenes than what meets the eye. Overall, liked the book a lot!

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the advanced readers copy of this story in exchange for an honest review.

This is my first Stacy Willingham book, but I had seen many positive reviews of her other two books throughout the years and was excited to be one of the first to read her new one coming out early next year.

I was pleasantly surprised to find how hooked I got from the beginning. I am a sucker for a good "college years" mystery. Maybe its because I never went through the traditional dorm room phase of college but its always been intriguing to me. I found the FMC Margot to be relatable and the writing style as one of my favorites in thrillers - short, easy to digest chapters that keep you on the edge of your seat. You have chapters that go between "Before" and "After" which is also one of my favs. There were a few twists that I did not expect, and there was a final one that I found to be a little hard to believe. As with a lot of books in this genre, there is some suspense to belief that needs to be taken because some of the scenes were just not realistic otherwise. If you can get passed that, I think you will enjoy this like I did.

I will say that I found some of the writing to be repetitive at times, especially when the narrator is talking about Eliza and Lucy and their similarities. There are a LOT of pages devoted to this so be ready for that.

Overall, I had a great time reading this. I liked it so much I bought her other two books and will be reading those sometime in the new year as well!

Only if You're Lucky was such an incredible read! When I say I could not put it down, I. Could. Not. Put. It Down. I loved the dynamic between the protagonist and all of her friends (new and old). There is truly no relationship quite like that of teenage girls, and Stacy absolutely nailed the dynamic.

I'm beyond embarrassed to admit that this was my first Stacy Willingham book, and all I can say is WOW. *Immediately adds all of her other books to cart*

Thank you to Minotaur Books for my arc!


This was the slow burn thriller that I never knew I needed. I always love books about toxic friendships because they always get taken to such dark places and this was no different. However the ending left me speechless. told in alternating timelines you are following along with Margot as she recounts what happened to her two best friends and I loved every minute of it. I couldn't trust anyone and when i thought I had predicted what was going to happen i was completely wrong.

Highly Recommend this!

I have become a big fan of Willingham this past year, so I was excited to be approved for this ARC.

Set on a college campus down south, the story switches back and forth from past to present. The main character are 4 college girls living off campus next to a Frat House. Someone is dead, the main suspect is missing, and the other 3 girls aren't talking.

Twists are throughout the story, some predictable, other you will not see coming. I enjoyed this page turner that keeps you guessing.

Thank you NetGalley!

Thank you to St. Martins Press/Minotaur Books and NetGalley for this ARC!

I was very excited to read this, but I think I set the bar too high, especially given my love for “Flicker in the Dark”. Don’t get me wrong, this one is great too, but just lacked a bit of oomph for me.

It’s a slower paced one set in a college scene with lots of twists and turns. Excellent writing that kept me engaged. Definitely liked not loved.

4/5 ⭐️

I have read all of Stacey’s novels and this one is by far my favorite!

Margot is still grieving the tragic loss of her best friend, Eliza, when she begins her freshman year of college at Rutledge. Margot and Eliza were supposed to attend Rutledge together and instead Margot finds herself adrift and lonely.

But just before she commits to living with her school imposed roommate she catches the eye of Lucy Sharpe who immediately brings her into the fold of her girl group and that Kappa Nu fraternity brothers. By the end of this book several people will have blood on their hands but you’ll never guess who until the moment Stacey wants you to know.

I love Stacy Willingham! I love a good campus drama filled with mystery. This book had me thinking and trying to guess what happens next the whole time.

Stacy Willingham has done it again! Full disclosure: I would read the shampoo bottle instructions if she wrote them. I absolutely adore her and this book was no exception.

The writing is descriptive while somehow also being succinct, the chapters are short, the characters have depth, and overall I COULD. NOT. PUT. IT. DOWN.

This book was a phenomenal page-turner that had me putting off my grown up responsibilities and reading late into the night because I was so invested.

I cannot recommend this book enough!

Not my favorite. I was obsessed with her first two books and didn’t love the pacing and writing style of this one. But will still read anything she writes!

Stacey Willingham has become an auto-buy author for me, and this solidified her place on that list. I liked A Flicker in the Dark and LOVED All the Dangerous Things. Only If You're Lucky falls somewhere in the middle. I really enjoyed it, and Stacy Willingham will continue to be an author whose books I will pick up as soon as they are released. I was hooked from the very beginning and stayed hooked the whole way through. I liked that this book is so different from her others. It didn't feel at all like she is following a formula for all her books. I DID NOT guess the twist in this one (I did in A Flicker in the Dark). It was a good mix of character and plot-driven, and even had me spooked a few times. Would definitely recommend to any thriller lover!

*ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review