A few chapters into this novel I wasn't sure whether I was going to like it. I was having a hard time connecting to the main character, Margot, and the somewhat immature group of friends she finds herself living with in college. We know something happened to Margot's friend, Eliza, that resulted in her death but it isn't revealed for a good part of the novel. Instead, we find Margot with a new group of friends led by the charismatic Lucy Sharpe. As more is revealed about Eliza and Lucy's background, the suspense finally started to engage me. I am glad that I stuck with it because the last 25% of the novel really kicks the story into high gear. There were multiple, shocking reveals that really changed the tone of the story and the way you view multiple characters. Only If You're Lucky is a good, twisty suspense novel whose ending really pays off.


Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of this novel.

This was my first advanced reading copy of a book to review, and I loved it! I’ve read “A Flicker in the Dark” and really enjoyed it so I requested “Only If You’re Lucky” and was thrilled to get approved.

It is told in a Before and After format, which is my absolute favorite for thrillers. I love the foreshadowing. I love trying to guess all the twists. I have read so many thrillers that I sometimes feel like books are too easy to guess. This was NOT the case with this one.

I did not see hardly any of this coming, the way everything and everyone came together. I had several theories and would make mental note of them at certain parts of the story so I could be like, “AHA! I guessed this one early on.” Nope. None of them came to fruition.

The beginning of the book was a fairly slow burn so you do have to be patient and pay close attention to the little nuances. But in the second half it was like hit after hit after hit as the twists were revealed. And the big twists had me SHOOK!

Based on all these other reviews, I would say that I am in the minority when it comes to Stacy Willingham's most recent novel....I didn't like her other book either though so...

The twists were so lame, one after the other...and the whole book was basically the same sentence repeated in different ways for 300 pages.

Sorry!!! Sorry.

I do appreciate the publishers and netgalley for the arc.

(Sorry)

Thank you to Net Galley for this ARC! I just simply adore Stacy Willingham and was so excited to read this early. This story was a slow burn in my opinion, having no idea where it was going. But like her other books, this ending was INTENSE. I loved this story and all the secrets and turns it had. Loved learning that the story was based on her home in college, what a cool detail!!! I seriously could imagine every single scene with so much clarity - amazing!!

Once again, Stacy Willingham has written a mystery that is an all~nighter. The characters are well developed, with an expertly crafted plot. Beginning as a slow burn, the book quickly develops as layers of the truth are revealed.
Margot is mourning the loss of her childhood best friend when she goes to live with a group of girls at college. The house that she lives in is so well described , I felt like I could envision it in my mind. Twists and turns accompany the secrets and betrayals in this Southern novel.
I was very lucky to receive an ARC from Net Galley and the publisher.

3.5/5 ⭐️

I am a HUGE fan of Stacy Willingham and her first two books so I was super excited to get an ARC of her newest book “Only If You’re Lucky” that is set to release January 2024. Her first two books felt fast paced and addicting, whereas this one was a slow burn for me.

The story of 4 college girls living adjacent to a frat house led by ring leader Lucy- the mysterious manipulative one. The chapters are from the perspective of Margot- the girl who went to college to “get away” from her life back home after the death of her best friend. But then her late best friends boyfriend shows up to rush the fraternity house that she lives at. The chapters switch between present day where Lucy has gone missing and Margot and the other roommates (Sloane and Nicole) are being questioned about where Lucy could be- seeing as she was just questioned for the death of a fraternity member it seems suspicious that she disappears suddenly. The other chapters are from “before”- giving details to Margot and her best friends relationship, how the Outer Banks fraternity rush member entered their life, insight into how the 4 girls became roommates, the lead up of the death- each with so many secrets.

I thought that character development was good and a lot of the book has you wondering what really happened the night Margot’s best friend died and how the fraternity brother died and where did Lucy go? This book doesn’t have many “high thrill” moments like her others, but the lingering questions will get you to the end. Ending has some good twists- a few predictable for me but there was one shock at the end.

I thoroughly enjoyed Stacy's latest book, much like her previous works. One standout aspect of her storytelling was her skillful portrayal of the setting; her vivid descriptions of the house and the neighboring fraternity painted a clear and immersive picture for me. Stacy once again excelled in crafting characters who were just flawed enough to make any plot twist believable.

What I particularly appreciate about Stacy's writing is her ability to seamlessly weave all the narrative threads together. However, it would have been even more satisfying if she had included an epilogue set during the start of the new school year or with the house inhabited by new occupants.

First, I want to thank NetGalley and St. Martins Press for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Only If You’re Lucky by Stacy Willingham releases on January 16th, 2024.


Let me start out by saying how excited I was to be approved for this ARC. I have read the author’s two previous releases and loved them, this book was no different.

Only If You’re Lucky explores the deepest kinds of friendships, it explores the dynamics of best friends who couldn’t be more different. The book is filled with tension and suspense and it keeps you guessing up until the very end. From the very first sentence you will want to know more, you will want to learn more about these characters and the secrets they hide.

This book is a slow burn mystery in the best possible way - it keeps you intrigued but it doesn’t rush the story. The author provides every opportunity to allow the reader to connect to these characters and try to figure out what has happened on your own and it works well. I found myself wanting to get back to the book whenever I had a free moment, anxious to find out what the secrets were and what really happened.

All in all, Only If You’re Lucky was a solid story that I would recommend to others.

A great suspenseful book with quite a few twists and turns. Characters Lucy and Margot kept my interest as their roles intertwined.

Margot meets Lucy at the end of her freshman year of college at a small college in South Carolina. Lucy asks Margot to be one of her roommates and they become deeply intertwined. A fraternity boy who lives next door has been murdered and Lucy is missing. This story begins to unwind with us finding out more secrets about Lucy and Margot. This is a thrilling story about friendship and belonging. I couldn't put it down. This author is amazing and I highly recommend this book. Thanks to Net Galley for the ARC.

Thank you to the author, St Martins press and NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are solely my own.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

As a voracious reader of the psychological human nature thriller genre, I was highly anticipating the devouring of this book. A solid 4 stars; one of the best I’ve read in 2023.

As s many thrillers I’ve read recently, there are 2 timelines, however I enjoyed the fact that it was from one POV

We meet Margot who is a freshman at Ruteledge college in South Carolina who is struggling with depression after the tragic death of her childhood best friend the summer before they were both destined to begin the next chapter of their life together as dorm mates in college.

Endeavoring to recreate herself she forms a relationship with IT girl, Lucy a seductive, mesmerizing young woman to all she meets. Along with Lucy, comes Sloane the smart one and Nicole the nice one. They all become roommates off campus in a large rambling house owned by the neighboring fraternity.

Margot becomes enchanted by Lucy which prompts a more daring albeit darker version of herself. While creating new relationships and recreating her own persona she participates in the college party lifestyle wholeheartedly interacting often with the men from the fraternity. One of whom is her dead friend’s boy crush Levi.

Relationships, lifestyles, motivations and deceptions begin to spiral out of control when another death and disappearance occurs.

This is a study in contrasts within us all; good and evil, guilt, shame, jealousy, and whether we will evolve or regress.

Character development is excellent, for most of the characters I feel I understand exactly who they are. Plot is complex and concise without meandering and the setting is adept and descriptive one can easily conjure up smells, tastes, headaches from the hangovers. Metaphors and illustrative storytelling invites the reader in. Example
“There’s a permanent cloud of smoke in the house…,.caked into the blankets, the couch cushions. Like if you slapped them, they’d cough”.

An excellent read I will be recommending to my reader groups.

Just finished this one! I loved this author’s first two novels so I was stoked to get approved for an ARC - all opinions are my own. Thanks NetGalley and the publisher!

This story follows Margot - a college student who has been floating around her first year of college after her best friend dies. She gets noticed by a popular, beautiful girl Lucy who asks her to be their fourth roommate. Margot is excited to be included but quickly finds that the house is located next to a frat, where a guy she knows from high school Levi is pledging. Not everything is as it seems in this story…

I gotta say - I enjoyed this one a lot. I read the authors note/acknowledgments and definitely agree the house itself was a character! I liked the way this story was told in alternating before and after chapters. The before chapters were so interesting and putting the pieces together was kind of exciting for me. I saw one of the twists but not all of them. It was well executed, well written, and a good read. I read this almost all in one sitting, briefly breaking to get ice cream with my sister but eager to finish tonight! I’d totally recommend this one, especially if you liked the other two books by this author!

What a rollercoaster! I would recommend this book to those who love dark academia thrillers. I found the Willingham's first two novels more mature, but because of the age of the characters, this one felt geared to a younger, new adult audience. However, I couldn't put it down as it was full of fun twists and turns that kept me guessing. Overall, a solid 4 stars because I struggled a little with the pacing throughout the middle.

Stacy Willingham, you quite literally, did it again...

It's no secret my heart beats a little faster for this stand-out author. I have been a huge fan since I read her debut, A Flicker in the Dark, and then completely spiraled down the rabbit hole when I read All the Dangerous Things. This little lady is on fire and I was honored to have been given the chance to read Only If You're Lucky.

I might have had to do a little begging to get my hands on this one, but it was all worth it.

I LOVE college thrillers, it's definitely my favorite trope. Only If You're Lucky, easily swung into the number one spot for most favored books of the year.

I could not get enough.

There is something so wild about the friendship amongst girls and how far they will go to protect their secrets.

This book starts out as a slow burn with a lot of development, it builds until about the mid point and then just completely throws you for a wild loop. I hungrily devoured each page and could not get to the next fast enough, I just had to know what was going on!

This book is twisted!!!!!

Only If You're Lucky, was one of my most anticipated books of the year and has exceeded all expectations.

Excuse me while I go wallow in my tears while I wait for Stacy Willingham's next book...

Check out this teaser :

A sharp and twisty exploration of female friendship from the New York Times bestselling author of A Flicker in the Dark and All the Dangerous Things.

Lucy Sharpe is larger than life. Magnetic, addictive. Bold and dangerous. Especially for Margot, who meets Lucy at the end of their freshman year at a liberal arts college in South Carolina. Margot is the shy one, the careful one, always the sidekick and never the center of attention. But when Lucy singles her out at the end of the year, a year Margot spent studying and playing it safe, and asks her to room together, something in Margot can't say no―something daring, or starved, or maybe even envious.

And so Margot finds herself living in an off-campus house with three other girls, Lucy, the ringleader; Sloane, the sarcastic one; and Nicole, the nice one, the three of them opposites but also deeply intertwined. It's a year that finds Margot finally coming out of the shell she's been in since the end of high school, when her best friend Eliza died three weeks after graduation. Margot and Lucy have become the closest of friends, but by the middle of their sophomore year, one of the fraternity boys from the house next door has been brutally murdered... and Lucy Sharpe is missing without a trace.

From the author of A Flicker in the Dark and All the Dangerous Things comes a tantalizing thriller about the nature of friendship and belonging, about loyalty, envy, and betrayal―another gripping novel from an author quickly becoming the gold standard in psychological suspense.

This book sucked me in right away with its vivid descriptions of friendship, first love, wanting to be truly seen and treachery. How well do you know the people who are supposed to be your friends? Everyone is hiding secrets in this twisty thriller. It’s fast paced and very entertaining.

Another addictive, hard to solve, suspenseful thriller! It wasn’t until the end that it all came together for me. Willingham created another creepy yet gripping storyline, keeping me up way past my bedtime!
Just as good as A Flicker in the dark and All the Dangerous Things!
Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for this advanced copy. My opinions are my own.

This book was enthralling!! I was intrigued from the first page and kept me guessing. Everything Stacy Willingham writes is great - she constantly keeps you on your toes and toes everything together so well. This is a psychological thriller that discusses feminine friendships in college and finding your place in the world.

In this book, we get a dual POV marked “before” and “after”. This really helps keep the story moving and you on your toes as Stacy gives you little bits and pieces of the story that slowly make sense.

Margot goes off to college after her lifelong best friend, Eliza, dies the summer before they’re supposed to room together. After a year of depression at college, Margot meets Lucy, who has a similar charismatic personality to her dead best friend. Lucy invited Margot to live with her and two other girls, Nicole and Sloane.

The girls live a house owned by the fraternity in the backyard, Kappa Nu. They spend time with the frat throughout the summer and school year. One of the pledges for the year knows Margot from their home town. At the end of the semester party, one of the frat members dies.

This one had a slower start for me but like all of her other books I loved it! I had no idea where the story was going to go and I didn’t see the twists coming which I already love in a book! I like how it was told in dual timelines with the before and after! This will definitely be another one I grab and add to my shelves!

I have loved Stacy’s other books and this one was no exception. I think one thing she did really well was the setting the way she described the house and the fraternity neighbors painted such a clear picture for me. She once again made the characters just unlikeable enough to where you believe anything could have happened. I also love how she weaves everything together so well! I would have love an epilogue set when the new school year started or the house had new occupants!

4.5 stars rounded up! 🌟 Only If You’re Lucky follows three college girls through a rollercoaster ride of friendship, college life, trust, deceit, and endless mind games. I loved Stacy Willingham’s first two novels and knew I would enjoy this one too.

I’ve said this before about the author but I’ll say it again - her writing is so realistic and so believable. Specifically the off campus housing to me was so well described and illustrated in my mind. I really felt like I was there myself at one point in time as I dove deeper into this story. The way the “good vs. evil” references were played into the character development was very well done and I loved it!

This was more of a slow burn mystery for me but it completely paid off. I really thought I had it figured out but the twists kept coming! Stacy is just so good at keeping readers guessing until the very end.

A HUGE thank you to NetGalley / St. Martin’s Press / Minotaur Books / the author for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. This was my very first ARC I have received and I feel so lucky to have been able to spend it with another killer Stacy Willingham mystery ❤️

-Pub date Jan 16, 2024 -
-Review also posted to my GoodReads profile on 8/14/23-