4⭐️

Margot came to Rutledge hoping for a new start after her best friend passed away. She got that fresh start at the end of her freshman year when she's approached by Lucy Sharpe, the charismatic popular girl that everyone wants to be friends with. Lucy invites Margot to move into an off campus house with her and her friends. And it's in that house, owned by the fraternity next door, that Margot finally feels like she can breathe again. But there's something familiar about Lucy and when she finds herself in the middle of a police investigation, Margot begins to question if she ever knew Lucy at all.

I really liked this! It has the dark academia vibes that I love and I found the characters to be well thought out. I enjoyed how Margot really came out of her shell as she became closer to the girls in the house and how she started to become aware of the similarities between Lucy and her late best friend. I think her protectiveness and boarder line obsession with keeping the chosen friend for herself was really well done.

I did feel like the pacing of this wasn't great. The first half of the book was pretty slow. I normally enjoy a book that jumps back and forth in timelines, but the "After" timeline sections really didn't work for me for some reason. I know they're there to break up the story but they gave just enough information to annoy me before plunging back into the story.

Thank you Netgalley and Minotaur Books for providing this ARC to me!

Stacy Willingham is an auto-buy author for me! I adored Flicker In The Dark and her second novel, All The Dangerous Things did not disappoint. And she's like the sweetest, most down to earth person. Check out all my other posts on her books.. I'll link them in my stories today!

Just like her other books, this is a slow burn with LOTS of thought put in to every detail that leads to the ending. This book takes place mainly at an off campus college house next door to a fraternity. Which for me personally, was soooo nostalgic. I lived with my now husband and his roommates in a very gross, old house off campus for a few years.. and this reminded me of it soooo much. Well minus any crimes.. at least that I know of. lol!

Besides having an addicting setting, the story deals with toxic relationships, friendships between young women, and has lots of twists and turns.. which I didn't see coming!

This book releases January 16th!

Thank you so much @netgalley @minotaur and @stacywilin for my digital arc!

I have been in such a reading slump, but did enjoy this one when I picked it up! Margot as a main character was a bit boring to read from (she was quite obsessive over Lucy/Eliza) and not a whole lot happens until the last 25%. I think the side characters would have been interesting to hear from, especially how they tied into the ending. The twists and drama at the end I didn't entirely see coming. The final "clean-up" was a bit unrealistic, but finding out what really happened to Lucy/Eliza/Levi was satisfying. Definitely reminded me a bit of Pretty Little Liars!

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. Review live on GoodReads and StoryGraph

Dark and Chilling…

This book is about Lucy Sharpe, a larger than life college girl who sets her sights on Margot, who is still reeling from the tragic death of her best friend.

When a student dies and Lucy goes missing, Margot and her roommates are left to pick up the pieces as the lies and betrayal begin to unravel

This book kept me on my toes the whole time and the ending did not disappoint.

I really have enjoy Stacy Willingham’s books and this one really drew me in and kept me interested.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for generously providing me this advanced copy for my honest review.

This was a slow one to start. It didn’t hook me until I was about 60% through and then I couldn’t put it down.

I appreciated the character development as I felt like the author gave me just enough to feel like you knew someone, but also stayed extremely mysterious at the same time. Good for a thriller.

Parts of it were a bit tough to read because it takes place at a college, lots of drinking, partying, and fraternity hazing. I just feel too old to be reading about it now, having lived through that 20 years ago. Don’t really want to revisit. 😝

Overall, a fun read that really kept me guessing at the end with plenty of surprises.

Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!

I have previously read A Flicker in the Dark, and greatly enjoyed that. This newest release wasn’t quite as fast paced as her previous book, but still an overall decent storyline. Margot is a character with a few surprises up her sleeves. It was intriguing to guess what would happen next. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy.

4.5⭐

This one was so good! I knocked off .5 stars because there are some slow parts but toward the middle/end, it does pick up when we start connecting things!

Margot's BFF, Eliza, dies weeks after high school graduation. Eliza brought something out of Margot so after she died she spent her freshmen year in college not drawing too much attention to herself. Then in steps Lucy, who singles Margot out and asks her to be her and her friend's 4th roommate for the following year. They spend a fun summer together. Lucy brings Margot out of her shell and they have a great year, until someone winds up murdered from the frat they live next to.

Secrets are slowly revealed and the twists start! We slowly get the details of the horrible night when Eliza dies and when the frat guy dies, too. The ending was really shocking and a little heartbreaking for everyone!

Thanks Netgalley for this ARC!

✨𝐑 𝐄 𝐕 𝐈 𝐄 𝐖✨

𝐎𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐈𝐟 𝐘𝐨𝐮'𝐫𝐞 𝐋𝐮𝐜𝐤𝐲 𝐛𝐲 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐜𝐲 𝐖𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐡𝐚𝐦

Thanks so much to @minotaur_books @stmartinspress for the gifted ARC & super fun box of goodies that brought me back to college 😂🥹 I have loved @stacyvwillingham’s precious 2 novels & this one definitely didn’t disappoint!

👍🏼: The atmosphere of this whole story was so eery and descriptive, I truly felt like I was there! Switching back and forth between “before” and “after” a murder of a fraternity boy living next door to a group of girl friends, I enjoyed understanding the history of the group of friends and the present investigation that was ongoing. There were lots of great twists & turns throughout the last half of the book and I truly didn’t know who to trust! It was super easy to keep flipping the pages 👏🏼

👎🏼: Although I loved how the story played out, I almost could have used more at the end! And that’s all I can say without spoilers 😂🤷🏼‍♀️

Overall, I really loved this one & flew through the chapters wanting to know how it would all turn out! Stacy’s books never disappoint & I definitely recommend checking her new one out in January! 🫶🏼📖 out 1/16!

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

I have loved Willingham’s last two books! I was beyond excited for this one. However, I think this book was more a case of it’s not you it’s me syndrome. I just struggled from the start to connect with these characters. They were unlikable from the start and so I never felt invested. Plenty of twists and turns to keep you guessing!

Thanks to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

I love the way Stacy writes thrillers. This is my least favorite of the three, but I still really enjoyed it. Definitely had some twists I wasn't expecting which is always a good thing.

Thanks to the publisher for the advanced copy!

This was such a good read! Stacy Willingham has become an auto buy author and I thank Netgalley for allowing me an advanced copy! This book was a wild ride and full of twists and the kinds of friendships unique to women. Can’t wait to read it again!

⭐️: 4.5/5

Still grieving the death of her best friend three weeks after their high school graduation, Margot is shocked when the magnetic and larger-than-life Lucy notices her and invites her to live with her and her friends, Nicole and Sloane off campus their upcoming sophomore year at college. Margot and Lucy soon become the best of friends, but by the middle of their sophomore year, one of the fraternity boys from next door has been found murdered, and Lucy is gone without a trace, leaving behind more questions than answers.

Stacy Willingham is quickly becoming a go-to psychological thriller author for me, and I’ve recommended her first two books (A Flicker in the Dark and All the Dangerous Things) to so many people. Her newest book is no exception, and I’d go so far as to say it’s her best yet! It was compulsively readable, just like the first two, and centered on the feelings of belonging that you crave, especially as a teenager or young adult, and the lengths you’d go to get what you want. The dual timeline was done masterfully, in such a way that you know there are twists coming up that will definitely change the nature of what you think you know, but you have no idea what they’re going to be. I loved the college setting, since it drew me in a lot more than her two previous books, and eventhough I’m probably closer to the age of the main characters in the other two, I was able to relate much more to Margot in this one. This one definitely has some great psychological thriller elements, but it also dives into more emotional, character driven storylines as well, which I thought was a great addition to the story. I definitely recommend this book, as well as both of Willingham’s previous novels.

Thank you to @netgalley and the publishers @stmartinspress and @minotaur_books for this free eARC!

ARC Review — Only If You’re Lucky

Stacy Willingham’s writing is so captivating and descriptive! She created the perfect coastal college setting and a story full of interesting characters who were all clearly up to no good.

This book was a slow burn and I truly enjoyed the dual timelines. The mix of before and after kept me intrigued but also kept me wondering and second-guessing everyone’s intentions. I do think some of the final twists were a bit predictable but overall enjoyed it!

With every book, Willingham has become a stronger writer. I honestly think this is her best book yet. Personally, the story worked for me. I really like a college setting, especially a dark one. This book has vibes of <i>Sex Lives of College Girls</i> meets <i>Pretty Little Liars</i>.

Her previous work has much darker material, but I found myself really enjoying how unstable female friendships can be during our college years. I remember finding some of my best friends in college, but I also made a lot of friends who turned out to be not exactly who I thought they were. College is a transitional time, where we are trying to figure ourselves into the adults we are going to be. It's also a time where we think we are untouchable and nothing bad can happen.

This book was a power keg waiting to explode. Willingham had me guessing, wanting to read, and I stayed up late into the night to finish it. Thank you to Netgalley for the eARC. (Pub date: 1/16/24)

Only If You’re Lucky, by Stacy Willingham. Roommates, games, and lies. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

I rate this a 3.

Main character Margot best friend passed away after graduation. Now at college is she is drawn to a new group of girls, and no one is as they seem. Fellow student Levi, is killed and Margot knows him.

This book was way too slow for me, took a long time for the story to pick up. There wasn’t much depth to the characters making it hard to like one. After the slow build up the twists and questions answered were worth it.

Thank you, NetGalley and St. Press, Minotaur Books for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

I’m so happy I was able to receive an advanced copy of Stacy’s new book! She has quickly become one of my favorite authors since picking up A Flicker in the Dark, and her newest book does not disappoint. I finished the entire second half in one sitting, I just had to know what was next! This dark thriller takes a deep dive into female friendship, the secrets we keep, and just how well we know those around us.

Things I really enjoyed: 1) the slow burn and letting the pieces fall into place, but I was still able to figure things out 2) the unreliable narrator, and not always just because of her being under the influence 3) the twists 4) the ending (IYKYK)

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the advanced ebook copy in exchange for an honest review.

Pub Date: 01/16/2024

How far would you go to keep a secret amongst friends?

I had super high hopes for this book. I enjoyed Stacy’s other books so much. Perfect amount of thrill and suspense with plot twists that left me speechless and this one didn’t really do it for me. 70% of the book was a slow burn, which is fine as long as you keep me intrigued. Nothing about this book had me wanting to race home and finish it. Once the book picked up, I enjoyed how all the details unraveled. The ending honestly saved the book in my opinion. I would still read another book by this author though. Her track record is still above average for books that I’ve enjoyed by her.

“It feels good doesn’t it? Finally getting what you want.”

This story takes place at a college and centers around Margot, a freshman trying to find her place at a new school without her best friend by her side.

Still healing from the aftermath of losing her closest friend, Eliza, Margot struggles to fit in with the other girls living in her dormitory. That is until she meets Lucy and her two roommates, Sloane and Nicole. Finally Margot feels like she’s been given a chance to meet those friends that you’re supposed to have for a lifetime and with that — a sense of belonging.

The pacing is a little slow within the first 50% but the story really takes off towards the last half of the book. The twists & turns really surprised me and I was glad the author didn’t give a traditional ending but left you satisfied nonetheless. I’m still thinking about that ending which is always a good thing after reading a thriller!

Read if you like:
Then and now timelines
Unreliable narrator
Girl friendships
College setting

I’ve been a fan of Stacy Willingham since her debut novel, A Flicker in the Dark.

So I am very happy I was able to receive an ARC from NetGalley and Minotaur books in exchange for an honest review.

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

A slow-burning, dual timeline thriller with a college-setting, ONLY IF YOU'RE LUCKY was a miss for me. From the start, you knew this story would not possibly end well. Nothing good can possibly come from a group of girls renting the house next door to the fraternity that owns their rental. With themes of friendship and two sides to every person, I struggled to get into this book, especially when MC Margot was so easily persuaded or "molded". The ending and final twists made it worth my time.

Thank you to @netgalley for a chance to read this one early.

I was so excited to receive an early copy of Stacy Willingham’s latest after LOVING and giving her first two novels 5 star ratings.

I wish I could say this one was on par with those two, but it fell short for me. It was a very slow burn, with little thrill or action taking place until more than half way through the book. The lack of tension in the first half led to my not connecting with the characters or plot in the second half. There was also a lot of repetition to push this book to the point where the unraveling begins which lacked excitement as the ending was predictable.

I’m still a huge fan of hers, but this one wasn’t for me and that is okay. I hope others enjoy it!