Any dark haired vixen out there interested in having a dangerously intense and homoerotic friendship with me?

This novel is written from the POV of Margot, a tragically loser-esque sophomore at a liberal arts college. She chose the school because her childhood bff planned to go there, but said bff tragically passed away the summer before college.

Margot spent her freshman year understandably depressed in her room, so when the beautiful girl in her dorm, Lucy Sharpe, comes up to Margot and offers her the 4th room in their new off campus housing, Margot can't help but agree.

We find out right away that Margot is the type of girl who trails after more confident girls and lives under secondhand attention. She's also a bit of a compulsive "hoarder", she likes to keep not just pictures but also mementos of her time with friends - receipts, tickets, hair ties...

But quirkiness aside we see the world from Margot's POV which means these things are explained away by the narrator. A lot of what Margot and her friends say and do get the "rationalization treatment" actually, and the beauty of this book is the way we can really understand these characters motives, even when they are flawed.

The story is told in two timelines, "before" and "after" though it is not clear what is the before and what is the after til the very end. As we go through the story we get to see how the way Margot and her peers feel about each other and their own morality changed over the course of the school year.

Usually I get super annoyed at mysteries that work in this manner, where the narrator knows what happened but drags it out. And there were times where pacing was slow and I was like, 'Margot shut up already and tell us what happened?!' but you have to enjoy the process to appreciate the beauty of this book.

This story is about the characters more than the mystery, and it made for a unique take from an author that is a wizard at taking normal mystery clichés and turning them into something new and interesting.

Stacy Willingham you've made a fan of of me

Only If Your Lucky by Stacy Willingham

I was lucky enough to receive an ALC from @netgalley and @macmillan.audio in exchange for an honest review

If you’ve followed me for awhile you know I looooved Flicker in the Dark by Willingham and didn’t love All Dangerous things as much as

Let me tell you I loooved Only If You’re Lucky.
First off I highly recommend the audiobook. I’ve used the audiobooks for all Willingham’s novels and Karissa Vacker does an incredible job narrating it.

If you love thrillers with messy women friendship dynamics you will love this one. The messiness of the friendship reminded me of Bunny and If We Were Villains (I know very different stories but all centered around a friendship group).
I loved seeing the dynamics of the group changing constantly, I loved seeing how all the pieces fit together in the novel and while I figured out one piece of the puzzle I was not prepared for how it would allll come together.

So if you’re looking for something to keep you on your toes at all times. I highly recommend this book!

4.5 Stars
This gave me You meets Saltburn vibes and I don't hate that. I love a thriller with a good twist and reveal and this one did not disappoint (I thought I had it figured out and I was so wrong)! This book pulled me in from the beginning and I enjoyed unravelling the mystery alongside the narrator, Margot. None of the characters were inherently likeable and I didn't exactly love how it ended - it seemed too convenient and a bit underwhelming after all the twists. I listened to the audiobook edition and I really liked how fast-paced it felt.

Thank you NetGalley & MacMillan Audio for the ARC!

Bravo, Stacy Willingham!! I was taken back to my college days of building new friendships, staying out late partying and figuring out life as a young adult. Margo is grieving the loss of her best friend and finds comfort in the new edgy girl, Lucy on her college campus. She quickly starts to realize some similarities between her late best friend, Eliza, and Lucy. Soon enough, Levi, a fraternity boy from the house next store is murdered and Lucy has gone missing. This novel switches time frames from before his murder and after to put the pieces together. I found myself intrigued to know what happened next so I binged the audiobook pretty quickly.
My mouth dropped throughout several of the twists as I was not expecting them. That's what I love about Stacy Willingham's books!

Thank you to NetGalley & MacMillan Audio for the advanced audiobook copy. It was a bonus listening to the audio narrated by Karissa Vacker who does a great job as well! Pick up a copy of this book on January 16th!!

Thank you for the ARC. Unfortunately, I had a hard time reading this book and staying interested. Overall I give this book 2 stars.

While i did enjoy where the story was going i guessed majority of the plot pretty fast. So, it was less about who or what happened and more about why it happened!

I enjoyed Willingham’s novel, A Flicker in the Dark, so I was excited to get an advanced listener copy of Only If You’re Lucky narrated by Karissa Vacker.

This book promised a tangled tale of the complexities of female friendships and suspense. Unfortunately, it fell short for me. I think it’s important for thriller fans to be aware that Only If You’re Lucky is not so much a thriller and reads more like a YA character study. This isn’t why I didn’t care for it. I have a fondness for unlikeable and complex characters, but the plethora of characters introduced in this story lacked depth and left me feeling disconnected and indifferent to their fates.

I think the narration was skillful but the novel struggled to deliver on its potential. Despite my personal disconnect, I think fans of Willingham’s writing might find aspects to appreciate in this novel.

ONLY IF YOU'RE LUCKY by Stacy Willingham is a tantalizing psychological thriller that delves into the intricate dynamics of friendship, loyalty, envy, and betrayal. The narrative, reminiscent of "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde," skillfully captures the battle between good and evil within the realm of dark academia. Margot, grappling with the loss of her best friend, Eliza, finds solace in the enigmatic Lucy Sharpe, whose eccentricity draws her into a web of suspense. Willingham weaves a sinister tale, reminiscent of "Heathers" and "Pretty Little Liars," where Margot's transformation from a shy observer to an active participant in the chilling mystery is compelling. The narrative alternates between timelines, gradually unveiling shocking revelations and building tension. While some plot twists may seem coincidental, the majority are ingeniously crafted, sustaining reader interest through well-timed revelations and a carefully constructed story structure. The eerie atmosphere and the gradual intensification of tension make this novel a gripping read, solidifying Willingham as a gold standard in psychological suspense.

Stacy Willingham has quickly become an auto buy author for me and I really enjoyed this book. Female friendships are such rich grounds for thrillers because of their complicated intricacies. The author did an amazing job capturing the dynamics between teen friends and then moving into college. The mystery of it didn't ring as true to me as her other stories but I still was very entertained!

This book is such a slow paced book and I was not here for it! I wasn't surprised about anything that happened in the story, and I would say what was supposed to be the twists weren't a twist to me. I honestly just could not wait for this long, drawn out story to be over with. I did not care about what happened to Margot's best friend or why she did not like the boy next door.

Karissa Vacker does a great job narrating, as usual. Props to her!

Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for allowing me to listen to this ALC.

I've read a couple of Stacy Willingham's book prior and was very excited to dive into this one! Overall I felt the book was good, but it did drag a bit throughout, but it did have some twists to make it a bit more exciting. I do really enjoy the narrator and hope to listen to more of her audiobooks!
Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an advanced audio copy in exchange for an honest review.

I did not like this book. Again I couldn’t get into the story. The narrator was ok I was just bored and ready to move on to something else. I am disappointed as I liked the author’s previous works.

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

All the Dangerous Things was my favorite thriller of 2023, so I could barely contain my excitement when I received the ARC for Only If You're Lucky. Unfortunately, it fell a bit flat for me. I enjoyed the overall premise of the story, and I was intrigued at the beginning. However, as the book went on, I found I was bored. I enjoyed the setting and most of the characters, but there was no tension. I, unfortunately, did not care what happened or if anyone was still alive. I also found the reveals to be unbelievable. Over-the-top twists or unbelievable reveals rarely work for me.

I did this via audio, and I must say that Karissa Vacker is becoming a new favorite narrator for me. She did an excellent job and made me invest in the story more than I would have if not for her.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books, and Macmillan Audio for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I wanted to read this book because I was entertained by A Flicker in the Dark and All the Dangerous Things. The storyline here also peeked my interest. I was entertained with this Only if You’re Lucky as well.

3.5/5 ⭐️ The previous books I had figured it out pretty early in the storyline, while I had an idea in this book I truly didn’t see how it all came together until the end. I would have given the book higher rating but there was so much inner monologue that at times it became boring or repetitive. As a personal note I think this book had an opportunity for a bit more well placed gore and it would have added to the excitement.

Easy listen with an enjoyable narration, I would recommend for an easy, twisted mystery.

This has been posted to Goodreads.

Margot is looking for a fresh start when she moves away to college. Her childhood best friend passed away during her senior year and she found it extremely traumatic. She finds herself struggling to make friends until she is approached by Lucy at the end of freshman year. Lucy has a spot in her house off campus for next year, with two other girls. Lucy has that undeniably cool aura surrounding her, and Margot can’t say no to her even though she can sense that there is more to Lucy that she is hiding.

A bit of a slow burn, but this was overall a good read for me. It really made me nostalgic for my university days. I loved the imagery surrounding their rundown rental house and the depth of their friendships. Once it got going, I already had the twist figured out but I was enjoying the writing so it didn’t bother me much. I liked the alternating timelines as it added to the intrigue.

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

Short synopsis: Margot heads off to Rutledge College after the sudden death of her best friend Eliza. But death seems to be following in her wake when one of the boys next door is found dead, and Margot’s new best friend Lucy is missing.

My thoughts: I am completely intrigued by Stacey Williangham’s ability to write twisty capturing novels. After reading her previous 2 novels, I knew I had to get my hands on this one.

While it didn’t flow as easily in my opinion as the others, it was completely bingeable. This was a slow burn with flashback scenes, and clues planted throughout that had me constantly questioning my own assumptions.

It did feel a bit YA in places due to the immaturity of the characters, and all the partying but I wouldn’t have wanted it any different since they are in essence young college kids.

Overall, fun thriller with an especially satisfying ending! I listened to a lot of this on audio, and highly recommend. Karissa Vacker always does such a phenomenal job at telling stories.

Read if you love:
- Slow burn thrillers
- Academic settings
- Then/Now Timelines
- Female friendships
- Unexpected twists

This is my third Stacy Willingham book and probably my least favorite. It was a little different from her previous books with the younger aged main characters. It still provided a lot of twists and turns that you didn’t see coming in the dark academia setting.

Slow at times, but I would just speed up the audio when I felt it dragging.

3.5/5

I really enjoyed this book and felt like the flow was definitely there with a twist i didn't see coming. The writing was phenomenal as with all of Stacy Willingham's novels and i enjoyed the narrator a lot. The only reason i rated if 4 stars is i wasnt a fan of the ending, and I'm not quite sure why but it fell flat for me. Will definitely recommend.

Ooh, this was soo good! A unique take on the “It Girl” thriller, and the narration by Karissa Vacker was perfection as always! I absolutely love all of Stacy Willingham’s books…she’s writes such complex, layered thrillers that keep you hooked until the very last page and I loved this one! It kept me guessing until the very end!

Stacy Willingham has once again delivered a captivating narrative that left my heart racing. Ever since her debut, "A Flicker in the Dark," I've been an ardent fan, and my admiration only deepened with "All the Dangerous Things." Now, with the privilege of reading "Only If You're Lucky," I can confidently say that this author is on fire.

Securing a copy may have involved a bit of pleading, but every effort was worthwhile. As a fervent enthusiast of college thrillers, this book effortlessly claimed the top spot among my favorites for the year.

The exploration of female friendships, particularly the lengths to which they'll go to safeguard their secrets, adds a wild and enthralling dimension to the narrative. The story starts as a slow burn, rich in character development, gradually building suspense until it takes an unexpected turn around the midpoint. Each page was devoured eagerly, the need to unravel the unfolding mystery becoming insatiable.

"Only If You're Lucky" is undeniably twisted, meeting and even surpassing my high expectations. Stacy Willingham has once again proven herself as a master of psychological suspense, and I find myself eagerly anticipating her next literary endeavor.

Excuse me as I drown in my tears of anticipation for Stacy Willingham's forthcoming book.

Teasing readers with a sharp and twisty exploration of female friendship, this novel stands as another triumph from the New York Times bestselling author. Lucy Sharpe, a character larger than life, draws in Margot, the shy and careful one. As they share an off-campus house with two other contrasting personalities, their friendship grows, reaching new depths. However, the narrative takes a chilling turn when a neighboring fraternity boy is brutally murdered, and Lucy disappears without a trace.

Intriguing and suspenseful, "Only If You're Lucky" is not just a tale of friendship but delves into loyalty, envy, and betrayal. Stacy Willingham continues to set the gold standard in psychological suspense, making this novel a must-read for fans of the genre.