Do you love a slow burn mystery in a college setting? I love a campus novel with suspicious students and this one delivered! From the first chapters you are sucked into this story and just NEED to know more. The chapters are short which kept me listening to one more, then one more. This is definitely more of a slow burn than a traditional thriller, so go in with that expectation and you will be satisfied!

This was fantastic on audio and I would absolutely recommend you listen to it!

Margot’s best friend Eliza dies a few weeks before they’re supposed to be off to college together. Once in college, Margot meets Lucy, who reminds her so much of Eliza. Both have personalities that draw the attention of everyone around them.
Margot ends up living with Lucy and her friends in an off-campus house. While living with them, she realizes that Lucy has a lot of secrets; some of which link to Eliza.

This book felt like it dragged on to me a bit. I usually zip through thrillers but this one took me a few days. It might be because this book had the whole college/ YA feel. Idk but I couldn’t connect with it as much as I wanted to.

The plot twist was not what I expected but it also didn’t leave me with the “omg. what?!” reaction that I was looking for.


Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur books for the arc of this book.

I couldn’t stop listening to Only If You’re Lucky by @stacyvwillingham, cementing the author as one of my favorite thriller writers. I’m so grateful to @macmillan.audio for an ALC of this one. Karissa Vacker’s narration was pitch perfect, and I was dying to find out what happened in this twisty story about old and new friends and murder. This one comes out tomorrow (January 15)!

The story is told in alternating timelines of before and after. After, a fraternity boy has been killed and Lucy Sharpe, a person of interest with the police, has disappeared without a trace leaving her roommates to try and explain where she might be and why she might have left. Before, we learn how quiet, shy Margot met Lucy her freshman year at college and came into the larger-than-life girl’s orbit.

I loved how small pieces of the before timeline were revealed ultimately shifting the picture I thought I’d pieced together of what had happened. I honestly barreled through it because I had to know what was going to happen next, and the pacing of the book was fabulous. I was engaged throughout. For some reason, this one felt a little different to me than Willingham’s first two books. It might be because of the age of the protagonist. The whole story was set in college with flashbacks to high school, which is one of my favorite settings. I’m not positive this would classify as dark academia—I’m still not sure I completely know what that means—but I think it would, and even if it doesn’t on some technicality, I think fans of the genre will love this book.

I know coming from me this doesn’t mean much because I listen to everything, but when I see Karissa Vacker credited as a narrator, it makes me want to listen even more. I just love her voice, and this book was no exception. She delivered a perfect performance as shy, but desperate-to-belong Margot, and she always does some of my favorite male voices. If you like audiobooks, I would definitely recommend listening.

I think thriller readers will really enjoy this book no matter what format they choose to read it.

This is a slow burn mystery about a group of college friends where one is dead and one has gone missing. Girl friendships can be quite toxic at times, but I am not sure this one is about friendships since Margot moves in with girls she doesn’t know. This was the start of me silently screaming at her. I’d say who does that but if she doesn’t, then there is no book.

There are so many red herrings and so many twists, all in the last third of the book, hence the slow burn, that I wish the pacing would have been a little more even. With unlikable characters and a slow pace, I was losing interest by the time the good stuff started.

Luckily, I had the audiobook too and it was narrated by Karissa Vacker. She is one of my favorite narrators and keeps me wanting to listen. I highly recommend this on audio if you pick it up.

I should add that I think the author nails college life and what can go wrong with jealous, studying and friendships.

While this is not my favorite read of the authors, the twists and reveals in the last third did redeem the slow start.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC of the audiobook. I enjoy this author but this one wasn’t for me. I dislike the trope. There will be lots of readers that will enjoy this one however because of the college setting. It was fast paced with short chapters. The reader of the book did a great job, and I would listen to other books read by them.

This book revolves around Margot who is at college, she was supposed to attend with her best friend Eliza, but she abruptly passed away in an accident during the summer. Margot floats through the first term, finds it difficult to make new friends or close friends, but Lucy chooses Margot as the fourth girl to live in a house for the summer.

Lucy and Margot are inseparable, it seems like Margot is sort of obsessed with Lucy. The plot steadily moves to a climactic point and Willingham is really great at creating the drama and the perfect setting for it. One of the frat boys turns up dead and Lucy goes missing, that’s when we see how unsettling some female relationships can become. I was waiting for the big bang but honestly, I was a little disappointed, there were some twists and I was a little surprised. All in all though, this book fell flat for me, I felt there was a lot of promise, high drama plus an excellent atmosphere but nothing really happened and there was no closure for me….or even Margot.

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

I love a dark academia thriller and this one had me holding on right until the end. An ending some weren't satisfied with (or so I've read), but I loved it! Life doesn't always wrap everything up in a package with a nice bow, and I'm ok with a book that doesn't!

Filled with many flawed characters, this one delves deep into friendships, especially female friendships. People lie. People keep secrets. Even those closest to us.

Margot is a bit of a lost soul. She had planned to attend Rutledge with her BFF Eliza, but Eliza's untimely death the summer before college changes everything. Margot is there, but deep in her grief and just trying to survive.

Enter Lucy, a larger than life personality much like Eliza was, who bursts into Margot's life, convinces Margot to move into a house she rents with two others next to a frat house, and changes Margot's life.

When Levi arrives at the frat house next door, a blast from Margot's past and the guy who was with Eliza right before she died, Margot spirals.

Some bodies turn up. Some people go missing. Some secrets are revealed. And you'll be on the edge of your seat right up to the controversial ending.

Both the audiobook and the ebook were fantastic!

Many thanks to Netgalley, St. Martin's Press and MacMillan Audio for both an ARC and ALC in exchange for my honest review.

I absolutely loved Stacy’s first two books and this one didn’t disappoint. Although it’s not as fast paced, it’s still a solid story that keeps you on your toes. The exploration into female friendships was excellent and took me back to my college years. It’s amazing what lengths girls will go to to protect each other. I really enjoyed the jump between timelines and how everything was revealed. I’m not usually a reader who tries to figure out what’s going on. I enjoy the reveals as they come, but something about this story made me want to figure it out. I couldn’t, and I’m so glad. It was such a satisfying ending. Because of the pacing of this story, I think it’s best experienced on audio.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and Macmillan audio for advanced copies. My thoughts are my own.

📕Friendships are creation of luck. If you are lucky, you’ll find one who will love you, protect you, cherish you, not abuse you, and not use you. Your paths will be crossed by luck. If you are good at reading people, you’ll figure out whether your friend is giving you what you give to him/her or not. If the latter, you’ll end it.
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📗Friendships are compatibility. You don’t make friends with people you think you have nothing in common. It’s hard to make those work. But sometimes someone comes to you and makes you their friend. You won’t think you are meant to be friends with this person but it happens. Those friendships, beware of them! That’s what happened to Margot
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📘Lucy took Margot by surprise when she wanted to be friends with her. Lucy wanted Margot to be her roommate. She introduced Margot to a different world she wouldn’t care for because Margot lost her best friend. Even being at college without her best friend was too much for her. Lucy, though, she was different than everyone and Margot was slowly going to realize you wouldn’t be randomly chosen for a friend by a queen bee

Pub date is today!!!! @stacyvwillingham is an autobuy author for me. This book's ending reminded me why I love her!

Margo was shy and grieving the loss of her best friend from high school, who died before they could go to college together as planned. Lucy was the fun one, the magnetic one. When Lucy befriends Margo, Margo is shocked and hopes maybe this will turn things around for her. She moves in with Lucy, Sloane and Nicole next to a fraternity house. But when she sees a face from the past, her world is rocked again. As she gets in deeper with this group, things start to unravel. Then a boy is murdered and Lucy disappears. What is everyone hiding?

I gave this one ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️. I felt like the buildup was just a tad bit slow, but the twists are so worth it! I could not stop listening and I did not figure it out. Go grab it!

I listened to it on audio and thought the narrator did an excellent job.

Thank you to @netgalley and @macmillan.audio for an advanced copy of this one!

Reading Between the Wines book review #3/130 for 2024:
Rating: 4 🍷 🍷 🍷 🍷
Book: Only If You’re Lucky
Author: Stacy Willingham
RELEASES on January 16, 2024!!!

Sipping thoughts: Nothing is what it seems in Willingham’s 3rd book. I’ve had the honor of being able to read each one of her books for the past 3 Decembers/Januarys. This one was just as good. I had suspicions on what happened and while one was correct, all the other reveals were so shocking and surprising. I love the way Willingham can write to where you feel like you a part of the story and all the while you don’t see what is coming until it is right in front of you. I can’t wait until the end of this year where, hopefully, there will be a 4th release.

Cheers and thank you to @MacmillanAudio and @Netgalley for an advanced copy of @OnlyIfYoureLucky.

#OnlyIfYoureLucky #StacyWillingham #MacmillanAudio #advancedreadercopy #ARC #Kindle #Booksofinstagram #readersofinstagram #bookstagram #nicoles_bookcellar #bookworm #bookdragon #booknerd #booklover #bookstagrammer #bookaholic #bookreview #bookreviewer #IHaveNoShelfControl #ReadingBetweenTheWines #fiction #thriller #suspense #mystery #MysteryAndThrillers #GeneralFictionAdult

I think maybe Stacy Willingham isn’t a good fit for me. I was not a fan of the first one that everyone loved but I did love the second novel. This one was just so-so. The characters could have been fascinating, but they’re all overshadowed by the incredibly dull Margot. The story doesn’t pick up until the last part of the book but by then I was already tuned out.

Thank you so much to the publisher for my eARC! All thoughts are my own.

I have never read this author and have been wanting to give her books a try. So I was thrilled to get an advanced copy of her newest booK! Sadly I had to DNF this one but I think the problem is me. I am almost 20 years older than the characters in this book and just had a really hard time relating to them and their college lifestyle. I was definitely young and crazy (a long time ago-ha!) but the age gap kept me from really investing in the story. I do think this one will be a big hit and I am excited to dive into the author's backlist!

🎧3.75-4⭐️

I had the audiobook narrated by Karissa Vacker who does a great job with distinctive voices and performance. Her voice fits the younger main characters well.

Having really enjoyed Flicker in the Dark and loved All the Dangerous things I was keen to listen to this book.

Margot is a quiet shy girl missing her long time bff Eliza. When she goes to college she he is drawn to the charismatic magnetic personality of Lucy in an attempt to replace her friend and the hole that she has left in her life.

This story starts slowly, it’s very character driven the language used in the prose gives a literary fiction feel. It’s one of those suspense books where everything happens/ reveals in the last section. This isn’t my favourite style of book I prefer a good pace and reveals along the way.

It’s not until late into the book that the pace and interest picked up for me. But then the interest levels really ramp up and there’s a lot going on.
The first part I’d rate at 3.5, the ending 4.5. My overall score 3.75-4⭐️I think it might have been lower if I’d read the book as the narrator does a good job.

This is an interesting look at how jealousy can destroy the soul and the twists and turns that transpire on a college campus. The characters are not particularly likeable, but they aren't meant to be and while I wasn't always sure what was going on, I had an idea of where the story was headed. It's an entertaining mystery and I really enjoyed the audiobook, narrated by Karissa Vacker.

🩸 Spoiler Free ALC Review 🩸

#5 of 2024
Only If You’re Lucky by Stacy Willingham

Pub Date: January 16, 2024

Thank you @netgalley , @macmillan.audio and @stacyvwillingham for granting me access to this ALC in exchange for an honest review.

I think I have mentioned this multiple times here already that as far as thrillers go, I rarely get surprised with the plot twists. It’s always one expected twist after another for me most of the time. Or I’m sorry but sometimes, it gets to be such a lame twist that it ruins the entire story for me.

Now this book, however, was quite different for me. (I know there are some people who disliked this but again, to each their own - we have our own preferences. 😉) This is my first Willingham read and definitely won’t be my last. I will 100% add her other books to my TBR this year (just probably audiobook form - especially when I’m in the mood for thrillers). Her writing is something that I want to read more of. 🤩

There’s a lot of unexpected twists and turns in this book where you think you’ve guessed it but all of a sudden Willingham will shock you with another trick up her sleeve. It has a slower pace than most thrillers that I’ve read and a lot more character driven. At times, it felt like it was a bit YA-ish for me but I still enjoyed it.

What I liked about this book the most is the fact that it wasn’t only centered on being a ‘thriller’ novel but also a story of friendship whether it be the ones you can call true friends or those that are just causing toxicity in your life. It is also definitely a story about self-discovery, dealing with grief and all kinds of love. It also has a dark academia touch to it which I’m starting to be a fan of too.

If you are looking for a dark academia + college nostalgia feels + murder mystery kind of read then this book is for you. I highly recommend it! ⭐️

💭 Do you read thrillers? What was the last one you read?

#macmillanaudio #netgalley #netgalleyreviewer #alc #advancedlistenercopy #staceywillingham #thriller #darkacademia #review #instareview #bookstagram #bookstareview #onlyifyourelucky #pubdatesoon #comingsoon

Thank you NetGalley for the complimentary copy of Only If You’re Lucky by Stacy Willingham eAudiobook. This review contains my opinions of the audio/narrator.

Trying to escape for a new start and off to college Margot goes to what she thought would be a fun-filled journey, to leave behind the darkness and sadness in her small town. An escape from a small town, family plus the memories of a best friend she’d never see again.

She meets a new girl, Lucy who is outgoing and asked her to share a house with her and her friends. Now Margot thinks she’s really something with this new bestie, but then it starts to crumble slowly. Questions arise with no answers that make sense, but she’s still living the high life with the popular crowd.

After months, Lucy comes up missing and Levi turns up dead. There are more secrets spiraling around than one would think in this mystery novel by Stacy Willingham. The narrator, Karissa Vacker did a fabulous job narrating this novel too. Lots of voice inflections, voice changes and an overall knowledge of what she’s reading.

Well-written, lots of leads to keep you guessing throughout the entire novel, more than one mystery weaved into one conclusion. There’s more than one secret in this highly anticipated novel.

This is a story about about luck.

I enjoy a twisty, dark friendship narrative, and this one was particularly effective… and involved something that feels frighteningly possibly in a college setting. I consistently thought I had it all figured out, then realized @stacyvwillingham is better at writing twists than I am at figuring them out. If you’re looking for the perfect summer read this year I think you should pick this up.


Thank you so much @netgalley & @minotaur_books for the eArc & @macmillan.audio for the Alc! I looove a good dark academia & this might count!

This book was so good. I read it all in one day because I simply could not stop. The characters are so cunning and unique and the story line was just mesmerizing. I really enjoyed how detailed this story was and how you never really knew which way it was going to turn. I had several theories about the ending of this book, some were right and some I was utterly shocked when the ending came. Stacy Willingham knows how to write such a captivating and thrilling experience in a book, and she always includes more than one mystery or twist so you’re always on your toes. I have read and love all of her work now, but this one sticks out. The characters were so raw and believable, the split timeline working so well to only handout little snippets of information to keep you wanting more. Seriously her work is some of my favorite thrillers ever, and i’m so thankful to have gotten the chance to read this one early! I highly recommend all of her work, but this one especially as the story is so gripping and nail biting that you’ll just want more and more.

Publication date: January 16th, 2024
Page count: 384
Audio length: 10 hours 17 minutes
Narrator: Karissa Vacker
Genre: psychological thriller
Setting: college, small town
Features: alternating between timelines

Stacy Willingham has done it again! Another skillfully written, engaging psychological thriller!

The main character is Margot. The book spans from the summer before her senior year of high school through her sophomore year of college. Margot’s best friend Eliza dies, and she goes away and starts college, while struggling with Eliza’s death. Margot befriends Lucy, Sloane and Nicole, but her sophomore year her Lucy disappears, and Levi (Eliza’s former boyfriend) is killed. How are these characters and their fates related? How do college friends Sloane, Nicole, Trevor fit into this? Full of unpredictable twists and turns, this well crafted story is full of rich layers which keep the reader engaged.

I have enjoyed all of Stacy Willingham’s books, and look forward to her next one!

Thank you to the author, publisher, NetGalley for advanced audio copy. This is an honest voluntary review.