Fun, atmospheric, and not populated by bitter, suburban closeted alcoholics, which is pretty much all I ask of a commercial thriller these days.

I love a campus thriller, though I tend to prefer those with a more academic bent, of which this is decidedly not. But it’s fun, captures sense of place successfully, and reminds me a little of In My Dreams I Hold A Knife.

In terms of quality this is probably closer to a three star book (there are a number of plot points either too absurd or too coincidental to hold up to scrutiny when you really start thinking about them), but the book feels honest about the fact that it’s one written primarily to entertain, and that it does. The pacing is excellent the protagonist intriguing if not exactly likable, and the story has some interesting things to say about how easy it can be to hide in plain sight yet at the same time never entirely fit in.

I freaking love Stacy Willingham! Only If You're Lucky did not disappoint. I did not quite see the plot twist coming and that is always a thrill. I was invested in the characters- I was engaged with the plot and I loved the narration.

I have read other books by this author and enjoyed them, so was excited to get a chance to listen to her newest novel.

I liked the premise of this novel but didn’t love the execution. It was too long and drawn out as the narrator in the story, Margot, took a lot of time to reflect on things in a way that was off-putting. It was as if the author was attempting to make the book more serious and poetic, which didn’t really fit with the story. The way the characters dealt with death made them all creepy and the expansive use of drugs and alcohol got boring.

The narrator of the audiobook was good and made me more vested in the story - wanting to know what was going to happen. She was able to differentiate her voice to make it easy to tell the characters apart and her pacing put the tension at all of the right moments.

Thank you to #NetGalley and #MacmillanAudio for an early listening copy of #OnlyifYou’reLucky by #StacyWillingham narrator #KarissaVacker in exchange for honest feedback.

2.5 stars

I loved Stacy Willingham's first two novels - A flicker in the Dark, and All the Dangerous things (both were 4 star reads for me) and so I was very excited to have the opportunity to read her latest novel.

Margot is a freshman in college, still mourning the death of her best friend Eliza during the summer after high school graduation. She is quiet, studious, and missing Eliza's exciting, larger than life personality. When Margot meets Lucy at the end of freshman year, she is captivated by her outgoing personality, and very surprised when Lucy asks her to room with her the following year, in a house along with Sloane and Nicole.

She soon discovers that college friends are different, and will do anything for each other. These girls are young and there is a lot of partying, drama, and stupid behavior. To be honest I didn't find any of them very likeable, and wasn't very invested in them. Maybe its because I'm so much older! Margot is appalled when Levi, a guy who was Eliza's neighbor and who Margot blames for her friend's death, moves in to the fraternity house next door. Then, in the middle of their sophomore year, Levi is dead, and Lucy has disappeared.

Margot obsesses over Lucy and analyzes her actions and behaviors since they started rooming together. What was Lucy's role in Levi's death? There are lots of plot twists and turns, but despite that, this book was a slow burn, and for me, quite a slow read. I found some of the twists didn't seem very believable.

Certainly not my favorite of Willingham's books, I suspect I'm not really the right audience for this one. However, I am grateful for the chance to read this, and look forward to her next book.

I listened to the audiobook, and I thought the narrator did a reasonably good job keeping the characters distinct. She certainly didn't distract from the tale.

A big thank you to @minotaurbooks @macmillianaudio @netgalley & @stacywillingham for the EARC & ALC of this book! I really enjoyed (as usual) flipping between the ebook and the audiobook - especially since it was so well narrated by Karissa Vacker 🤯🙌🏼

My FIRST 5⭐️ of 2024 🎉🎉
I’ve been admiring her books after seeing them as BOTM picks & all over Bookstagram - but this is the first one I’ve actually READ (I promise I’m reading her backlist ASAP!) and I am so glad I did!

Only If You’re Lucky centers answers the question of “If you could get away with murder, would you do it?” - filled with themes of dark academia, greek life, friendship, death investigations & more. Flipping between past and present timelines in a very intentional & cliffhanger-esque way (yes I made up that phrase), I flew through the chapters hanging on to every word & trying to guess the way things were going to pan out - I was HOOKED!

I feel like I’ve read enough thrillers that it’s becoming easier for me to guess the ending, so when twists take me off guard I am THRILLED - which is what happened here! If you’re looking for a thriller that delves into the risks & rewards of friendship or one that makes you question if someone is who they say they are this book is for you!

Holy. Cow.

This book was a slow burn written in first person narrative, which are my favorites. And this is a book for those who like a storyline that goes back and forth between the before and after, and always being slightly in the dark as to what is really going on.

Margo has lost her best friend to tragedy, but the details aren't spelled out. She is now trying to find who is in college. But does she know her new friend Lucy, or is it all smoke in mirrors, and who is truly keeping secrets?

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. While listening to it I couldn't wait to finish it, which made it difficult to engage in the everyday activities of my life.

What I enjoyed about <u> Only If You're Lucky </u>:
-I was kept guessing about who Margo really was
-There were great twists to the story
-I found the storyline engaging and enjoyable
-The story didn't tie everything up in the end
-I was always guessing what was going to come next
-The writing was great. It wasn't shallow and just a, she said. he asked kind of book

What I didn't enjoy:
-The depth of some of the secondary characters could have been a little more developed
-I can't decide if Margo is an antihero (but I also don't know if I enjoy that or not?)
-Some parts seemed to be drawn out a little more than necessary, but that may be knit picking a little.

I really enjoyed this book quite a book and will definitely suggest it to friends of mine who enjoy the mystery/thriller/suspense genre. I want to thank Netgalley and MacmillanAudio for an advanced copy of this audiobook. All parts of this review are entirely my own.

4.25 stars. Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the ARC. I am a huge Stacy Willingham fan. I’ve read all three of her books now (well, I listened to this one), and she is one of the best thriller authors on the literary scene. This book was no different — it is another solid, binge-worthy thriller. The storyline hooked me from the beginning and I couldn’t stop listening. The audiobook narrator was fantastic and Willingham’s ability to draw you into her stories is unmatched. There are quite a few twists (some predictable, some not), and although this was not my favorite book of hers it is still remarkably solid and well-written. If you enjoy dark academia, nonlinear timelines, female characters, a slow build, and/or twists, this is the book for you. I really enjoyed “Only If You’re Lucky” and highly recommend it!

Pub date: January 16, 2024

This audiobook was so entertaining. It was full of drama, mystery, and suspense. The pacing was great and I really enjoyed the writing style. I was completely shocked by all of the plot twists and the way everything came together in the end was very clever. I absolutely love Karissa Vacker and she did an incredible job, as usual. I enjoyed this a lot!

Only If You're Lucky
⭐️⭐️⭐️
I've loved her books before. This one at times was really slow. I did enjoy it but not a super crazy can't put down kind of book. I feel like it repeated alot.
It did have good female relationships and secrets. It did have a good thrilling twist at the end.
Thank you for the opportunity to read it. I wish I could have given it more stars.

Thank you Netgalley and the author for the opportunity to listen to the audiobook. This was excellent. I loved the duel timelines. The story had me hooked from the very beginning. Left me guessing.

I have really enjoyed the other two books by this author and I also love the narrator so I was excited to get an early listen to her newest book. Unfortunately this one just didn't hold up like the other two. This was such a sloooooooow burn. I think this could have been several hours shorter and still got the same point across. I stuck it out and I did really enjoy the twists and did not see them coming but nothing really is revealed or happens until about 80 percent in, and then that's pretty much it with a few other little things along the way, which were a little over the top. I also had a hard time connecting with any of the characters, but this also felt more like a YA mystery than an actual thriller so if you are into that you may enjoy this more than I did. I didn't hate it but it is my least favorite from her so far.
Thank you so much to Stacy Willingham and NewGalley for allowing me to listen to an ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Stacy Willingham is an auto buy author do I was so excited to receive this book to read and review!

The setting of this biok is awesome I love a good twisty college setting for a book with twists and mystery!

I liked this book and the author will continue to be an auto buy!

Thanks again NetGalley loved this book!

3.5 stars bumped to 4 because I liked the twists that came out at the end, that I didn't see coming.

A case of mean girls and bumping up one's status, tied in with a past death (or murder?) and how it's all connected somehow...

A light thriller in my books, but one to indulge in nonetheless.
Is it a stellar read? ...perhaps not if you are expecting the same writing as Willingham's previous books, but a good read that I'd want you to pick up so we can discuss. It's one of those... you may not love it, yet you'll want to talk about it once you've read it.

I want to thank NetGalley, the author and the publisher for providing me with an audiobook version of this publication. In return, I have promised to provide an unbiased review.

Really wanted to love this good. It was good but not as good as her others. Still kept me interested and came together at the end.

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

Margot is a freshman at a college in South Carolina, haunted by the loss of her best friend from high school. When she meets Lucy, it’s easy to idealize her as she’s what Margot wants to be: strong, fierce, fun and alluring. After moving in with a few girls, including Lucy, Margot starts to feel her pain ease, but the living arrangement will bring about other problems.

This is a pretty dark read, including: teenage death, drugs, idealization to the point of blind following, guilt, murder, loss of innocence, and the things we all do to try to fit in when we question our self-worth

That being said, I found it to be extremely compelling. I thought that the narrator did a great job at providing an easy listen with no errors and a few voices for the different characters.

This was a tie breaking book for me as I’ve read both Willingham’s previous books: A Flicker in the Dark (loved), and All the Dangerous Things (hated). However, after reading, I’m eager to continue to read Ms. Willingham’s work.

What I loved about it:

Relatable and complex characters. It was easy to follow Margot’s choices as she moves in with the girls. She’s been haunted by the death of her friend for so long that her first year is almost just fighting to survive. When she finds friends who can pull her out, it’s easy to see why she takes this road. That doesn’t mean that on reflection she agrees with all the choices she makes, just that it’s easy to see where her head is at.
Lucy is a compelling character that is not all she seems to be. She’s more eager to get information from everyone else than to explain her own story, leaving the girls to ask each other “do we really know her?” She’s also the one with the most control in changing minds.
Sloan and Nicole, the roommates, are capable of being your best friend or worst enemy and we see them fight their own battles throughout the book.
Lucas is the character from Margot’s past that she wishes was dead (he was there the night that her childhood friend died) and his resurfacing begins to cause the rifts between the friends.

Compelling story line: I wanted to know what course of action these characters would take throughout the book. There were also several times that I found myself questioning what I would do in the situation.

Surprising reveals and twists: These were well done. Towards the end of the book Margot says that she “can’t believe that she didn’t put things together” a certain way. This was right before the biggest reveal and as a reader, I didn’t see it coming either. When reading, you begin to expect the unexpected.

Great Ending: This one had the strongest ending of the three books I’ve read by this author so far. Even after the many surprises, I still didn’t see it playing out the way that it did.

What I didn’t Love About This Book:
This book was a constant “dark read” without any real breaks in the tension. I wish that there would have been just a few lighter moments in between the hard hitting plot and narrative.

Overall, I’m going with a five of five on this book. Very well done,and I anticipate reading the next Willingham book.

I would recommend this book for: thriller lovers who love unexpected paths and twists/turns, those who love dark books set on college campuses, and those who loved “If We Were Villiains” as I kept thinking of this book while reading.

Thank you to MacMillan audio, Stacy Willingham and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

It pains me to do so, but I have to go with middle-of-the-road 3 stars.
pub date: 16 Jan 2024

Big thanks to my besties over at Macmillan Audio for the approval to read Stacy Willingham's latest mystery/ thriller.

Would recommend if you love:
-multi-timeline
-college student age level
-exploring female friendships
-lots of twists

I liked this author's other two books (All the Dangerous Things moreso), but this one fell short for me. Like other reviewers I didn't vibe with the college-aged main characters. None of them were relatable for me but I bet there are a lot of readers that will love this crowd of characters. There are a few mysteries in this story regarding different characters but at the center of it all is Margot, who is trying to find her place in at college after losing her best friend.

I think this was well-written and I do like the multi-timelines but overall, this fell short (for me personally) in several ways.

I did love the narration, the narrator gives good inflection and emotions in the reading. Some narrators are really good with different voices during conversations, I didn't get it as strong here but the story wasn't hard to follow either.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my early listeners copy of this book!

I was so very excited to read this book, as I have loved Willingham's other novels. This however was so so boring. I was trying to get invested in the book for the whole book. It wasn't very twisty and I guessed the twists very early on. Plus none of the characters felt like someone I would care for in real life. I just was really let down by this book.

Only If You’re Lucky is fundamentally a thriller about friendship between young women, and how far we’ll go for our friends. I really connected with the main character, Margo, and I think that a lot of people will too. That feeling of not quite belonging, of being on the outside, looking in, of being in a friendship where the affection feels asymmetrical… Margo gets wrapped up in the lives of her charismatic besties to the point where she wants to be more like them and less like herself, and I think that that expresses our desire for belonging when taken to the extreme.

The book starts a bit slow, but I guess that’s to be expected when you have to build background story for characters. It quickly picks up and the mystery and how all the pieces connect kept me reading. Willingham is queen of the twisty thriller, and this delivers exactly that.

Thank you NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for the advance review copy.

This book was not what I expected. I recently read All the Dangerous Things by the same author and loved that book so was expecting something similar. This book gets high scores for a n interesting story idea and twisty plot, but where it fell apart for me was the juvenile tone. Yes, I knew it was dark academia, but this felt more like sneaking into my kids university dorm parties and realizing I’m too old to feel comfortable or put up with their games. I’m still giving it 4 stars, but this book really isn’t for me.

Well - this will be a 3 star review but one of those 'still read this it was good 3 star reviews'. Hear me out though.. I think if I didn't have high expectations from this author because of her previous two books I would have liked it a whole lot more? This one felt quite juvenile, then it almost lost me, and the end left me mega confused. I really don't want to spoil anything with my review, so I won't explain why I was confused or what I didn't like all that much about it, but it didn't hold up to her previous two books.

Now, in saying that, it was still fairly good. It was super dark, super twisty, the writing was phenomenal and it was hard to figure out what characters to like or trust. It was a fairly slow burn, but it weaved the dark tale to set you up for the blow out ending.