This is my first book by this author, though I have her other two books in my personal library (the TBR list/stack has grown exponentially lately). This one is quite a slow burn, with a lot of "before" and "after" back-and-forth between what's happening now in Margot's life and flashbacks to everything that led up to it, which makes me lean away from calling it a thriller, but it was still a good story that left me wanting to keep reading to figure out what was going on and confirm what I thought I'd figured out.

However, I found most of the characters quite irritating and immature (granted, they're in their first couple years of college, but still, they act more like children in a lot of instances than the adults they're supposed to be by this point). And if I never see the phrase "say(s) at last" again, I'll be eternally grateful.

I've seen others saying they liked the author's other two books better than this one, so I'm holding out hope that I'll feel the same when I finally get around to them, as I enjoyed this one, but it just wasn't *great*, IMO.

3.5 stars

**I received a free copy from NetGalley and am leaving this review voluntarily. All thoughts and comments contained within are my own.**

This book really took me for a wild ride! I thought I had it figured out so many times, but I was wrong. If you’re looking for a twisty, quick read this is the one for you. Willingham sucks you into the story and you won’t be able to put it down!

I won't give away any plot points, but it is apparent to the reader and would be to any woman but our main character is clueless...of course, because her actions would differ if she wasn't a forced caricature of a human and the story would be wrapped up quickly. So we, the readers, are left waiting for her to catch up to us....which is the opposite of how any good mystery/thriller should be.

My third book by this author, which I’ve enjoyed. This was centered around the mysterious disappearance of a teenage boy named Finn. The story is told from the perspective of his best friend, Ellory, who is trying to piece together what happened to Finn while grappling with her own secrets and the complicated dynamics of their small town. Willingham skillfully weaves tension, suspense, and emotional depth, keeping readers on edge with unexpected twists. The novel explores themes of grief, guilt, and the impact of past traumas. While the plot can feel a bit slow at times, the book's engaging writing and complex characters make it a compelling read for fans of character-driven thrillers.

Only If You're Lucky read more like a YA thriller, with young angsty characters trying to find their way in college recently out of high school. I struggled with this coming of age aspect of the novel, not really connecting with the characters much. This made it hard for me to hang on while the story slowly built. I had loved Flicker in the Dark so much, I was really excited for this one, but it did not do it for me in the same way.

Stacy Willingham is a master at capturing the human experience. I enjoy authors subverting the formula and making the narrator the villain and I found myself sympathizing with Margot even though she killed her best friend and covered up another murder. We were so inside her head that by the time we learned the truth, we were starting to justify her actions or rationalize just like she was that she wasn't really so bad. It was a chain of unfortunate circumstances. She'd never want to kill her best friend. But we also see the dark side of obsession, undying loyalty and the expectation of the same in return, and finding your identity in your friends. Under the right circumstances, could any of us snap just a little bit and never be able to take it back?

Only If You’re Lucky is the authors third book, it follows Margot, a girl who suffered the loss of her best friend a year ago, and now is moving in to a house with three girls she barely knows at her college. Lucy is the ringleader and a complete mystery, Margot struggles with their relationship, and tragedy strikes, with alternative past and present POVs.

3.5 ⭐️
I left this for so long because I thought I wouldn’t enjoy it, but I did. This was really, really slow, somewhat boring and a touch repetitive, but I still liked it. I liked this better than the author’s last book, but not as much as the first. I was shocked by the end, the twist and how everything came together. The second half definitely moves at a much faster pace and I enjoyed it a lot more, I liked finding everything out. I wouldn’t say this is hard to get into, but it took me so long to get through. There’s little snippets throughout that all contribute to the ending, which I enjoyed. I do recommend this for an academic thriller, a mystery, with a solid ending. It’s a bit hard to review, it keeps you guessing to the end, being led one way, then another. Thanks to NatGalley and the publisher for the free preview in exchange for an honest review.

📖 BOOK REVIEW

🎧 ONLY IF YOU’RE LUCKY by Stacy Willingham
3.5 stars

Genre: thriller
Did I cry: no
Published in 2024

💭: this book was good. I’ll preface this with that. I did enjoy it when I was reading it. Every time I’ve tried to remember anything about it tho, I’ve had to look it up and read the entire synopsis which i think says something. I felt a little bit like the pacing was off in some parts, and the middle kinda dragged on a little bit but i will say that the twist was pretty good, i half predicted it but i still felt it was well-executed. I liked the school setting but especially how it was an off-campus house, that kinda felt unique to me as opposed to traditional boarding school / dark academia vibes. While i didn’t think it was anything extraordinary, i did enjoy and i do recommend it!!

This book is about secrets and suspense. It follows a group of friends whose lives change when something terrible happens. The story is full of twists and keeps you guessing. If you like mysteries and figuring out what happens next, this is a great book for you.

This one was fun! Super easy to binge read and such great twists! I loved the dark academia and mystery vibes in this book. It was a bit of a slow burn but there was an interesting cast of characters that kept me interested!

I really like Stacy Willingham’s books and this did not disappoint. This was a good mystery and it kept me engaged the entire way through. I enjoyed the female friendship aspect.

Well. I’m a bit sad to give this rating. I LOVED Stacy’s last (and first) two thriller novels, but this one just didn’t quite live up to those and somewhat missed the mark - it was quite the build-up and slow burn.

A great, quick read! Stacy Willingham is becoming an auto-read author for me that I can easily recommend to friends and students who like thrillers. I love that her books have well-developed, complex characters who feel like they could be actual people in your community. This book (like her others) also showcases Willingham's creativity as she produces an engaging storyline that keeps the reader invested until the final pages. However, some of the storyline in this particular book is a bit far-fetched and less believable, even though I enjoyed the campus setting.

Wow this one had a lot of twists and turns. The time frame goes from past to forward and a few times I got confused if we were forward or back but it worked out fine. The story follows college kids who are living together. The story progresses great until the twists and turns start coming and I love it when you never see it coming!

This book was hard to get into, like Stacy's other books it has a slow start then usually has a twist towards the end. Unfortunately I could not finish this one. The story starts off with the main character living in a sorority house with unlikely friends and with some PTSD from past events.

Full review to come on Goodreads and Amazon. Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for a review copy

Stacy Willingham always has such beautiful book covers, which makes me excited to read the books. This book surprised me in how deep and dark it got. A frat boy is murdered and a friend disappears. This psychological thriller kept me guessing and made me want to keep reading.

This book was just okay for me but I had very high expectations as I LOVED the last two books by this author. I really enjoyed how well the setting contributed to the overall spooky vibes of the story and the dark academia themes really set the scene well. I was super engrossed in the first half of this book and then found the rest of it to drag on a bit.

I absolutely hated the main character in this story. Her obsession with her childhood friend seemed borderline problematic and the repetition started to get irritating as the book went on.

Overall I enjoyed my time with this book, the writing is fantastic which was enough for me to want to keep reading but it was definitely slow for a thriller!

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.

Thank you St.Martin’s Press and Netgalley for sending me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. This is the first book I’ve read by Stacy Willingham. I read 60% of this book and decided to DNF it. This book is set on a college campus but I didn’t like any of the characters. The college students were annoying and immature and the book moved too slow for me. I didn’t feel emotionally invested in this story and I can’t relate to it because I didn’t go to college.

ONLY IF YOU"RE LUCKY was an engaging portrayal of female friendship and the cost of unchecked envy. The pacing was a bit slower than I was expecting for a psychological thriller, but I found the multiple timelines and dark academia to help propel the suspense along. I appreciated the social commentary on the consequences of obsession and toxic relationships. I have enjoyed all of Stacy Willingham's books and look forward to what she writes next!

Many thanks to NetgGalley and the publisher for an electronic ARC in exchange for an honest review.