The premise was promising and as much as I could, I kept my head open to new ideas. The problem occurred when the idea was not new at all. It reminded me so much about "The World Cannot Give" by Tara Isabella Burton. I even give a moment to consider if this is a problem with a trope or just blunt copy and paste, and I am afraid that it is something in between.
The idea is not original. The dynamics between Margot and Lucy are as magnetic as in Burton's work, and they are described as almost the same. The solution is original. The murder mystery was shocking and captivating on its own. Despite that, I found the thriller boring and dragged until the last 30% of the book when I felt, I wanted to know what happens. So with that being said, I would just have more fun, if the relationship between mysterious Lucy with others, were more explored not just superficial. This way it might have been different from the other book that got let traction than this one will.

Despite all, I feel like this book would be perfect for all who like college-age stories and are not prone to a dark academy in the fantasy genre. They might find these dynamics more unputable (it is my new favorite word).

Big shout out to the narrator: Karissa Vacker did yet again an astonishing job. There is something soothing in her voice, but when the time comes her intonation casts a vail of mysteriousness.

A group of college students become quick friends in this academia thriller but who can you trust when one of them dies?
Read this if you like:
Slow burn suspense
Lies & games
College setting
Fans of 'In my dreams I hold a knife'

Up to about 60% I was not sold on this book but because Stacy Willingham is THE BEST, I kept reading. The ending was great, the twists and turns were unexpected for me. No one is truly likeable I'm this story - though I did find myself feeling sorry for Levi.

LOVED! The audio was great - always a huge plus. I really enjoyed the college timeline. I love a good whodunnit and this truly didn't disappoint.

This college setting thriller is perfect for those who love dark academia vibes. This twisty story is full of secrets, lies and the search for friendship. Stacy Willingham always surprises me, especially when I think I've got it all figured out!
Margot is searching for friendship after losing her best friend the summer after their senior year. Lucy, the life of the party, becomes that friend along with Sloan and Nicole, but there's always a price to hang out with Lucy. That price is usually secrets.
I really enjoyed the before/after timeline in this book. Most of the characters are unlikeable and the relationships seem toxic but that's what makes a great drama!

Stacy Willingham is so gifted at producing riveting stories that keep you guessing. Sadly, though, this one did not hold my attention well. It seems quite similar to stories I have read before. The storyline itself did not feel believable to me leading me not to trust the characters and assuming the main character was unreliable in giving all of the details.

Have said that, I felt the narrator did a fabulous job at working with many different voices, both male and female. She kept me engaged enough to finish.

Overall I give this audiobook 3 stars.
Thankyou to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for the ARC.

Margot is a quiet, shy college student who has kept to herself for most of her freshman year of college. Her childhood best friend, Eliza, died shortly after their high school graduation, and Margot is still coming to terms with her grief. Then she meets Lucy, who has a bold and outgoing personality, very similar to Eliza had. Lucy and Margot quickly become best friends, and Lucy invites Margot to live in a house with herself and two other girls. Margot can’t believe her luck and agrees, excited to build friendships within her new group. A few months into their new school year, a boy from the neighboring fraternity is found murdered, and Lucy has gone missing. Alternating timelines depict the events, conversations, and occurrences leading up to the murder and Lucy’s disappearance.

This was a slow burn suspense that was slow moving for the first two-thirds of the book. Personally, I struggled to stay engaged with Margot’s character. Her perspective was monotonous, and I felt that a lot of what she shared could’ve been stated in less words/chapters. I thoroughly enjoyed Stacy Willingham’s previous 2 novels, however, this one was not as gripping and fast-paced as her others. The last third of the book did pick up the pace, as we begin to learn how all of the previous events shared earlier in the book connect. Overall, it wasn’t my favorite; but as a big fan of Willingham’s previous work, I will definitely continue to read her future releases!

Read if you enjoy:
🏫 university setting
🔍 whodunnit
❓missing person
🧐 parallel lives
👯‍♀️ questionable friendships
↔️ alternating timelines
🧩 desire to belong and fit in
🙎🏼‍♀️ single POV

I listened to this book via audio, courtesy of @NetGalley!

Only If You're Lucky is an entertaining, twisty read. It's a story of secrets, jealousy, loyalty, decisions and consequences. I won't share any of the plot - the description is all you need.

It took me about 15% to really get into the book, There were enough clues for me to see some of the plot points coming, but there were still some surprises. I don't think this is a story that I'll remember long after reading it, but I would definitely recommend it to fans of slow-burn thrillers.

The narrator did a great job.

Thank you to #NetGalley and #MacmillanAudio for a free copy of #OnlyIfYoureLucky by Stacy Willingham. All opinions are my own.

This mystery doesn't turn out as I expected - which is great when I'm surprised! It was a fun one to listen to and was filled with so many different themes - grief, trauma, friendship, and trust. Thank you for the ARC!

The characters fell flat, but the ending made up for it with the unexpected twists.

Margot was trying to cope with the unbearable grief of losing her best friend, Eliza, just three weeks before their high school graduation. She had moved away to a liberal arts college in South Carolina to start afresh, but the void in her heart seemed only to grow. That's when she met Lucy, the popular girl on campus who exuded an infectious energy. Margot was immediately drawn to her and they hit it off right away. Lucy, in an unexpected gesture, invited Margot to move in with her and two other girls in an off-campus house, and she gratefully accepted the offer.

Over the next few months, Margot and Lucy became inseparable and shared everything. But one day, tragedy struck again when one of the fraternity boys who lived next door was found dead. Margot was shocked, and as the police began their investigation, she couldn't help but feel suspicious of Lucy, who was the last person to see him alive. As she grappled with her emotions, Margot started to question everything she knew about her closest friend. Can she still trust Lucy, or is there something sinister lurking beneath the surface?

I appreciate the concept of the novel and the various plot twists it presents, although some of them were easy to predict. However, the characters were the novel's main weakness. I failed to establish any emotional connection with them and found them shallow and not as fleshed out as I would have liked. Overall, an okay read.

***Thank you to NetGalley, Stacy Willingham, and Macmillan Audio for graciously sending me the audiobook to review. As always, all thoughts are my own.***

I have really enjoyed Willingham's previous texts, but this one didn't quite hit for me. I found the text to be utterly predictable, and I found myself not caring about the plight of the main character. Still, I will keep an eye out for Willingham's next piece.

Thanks for Netgalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review!

Margot and Eliza had it all planned out. They would attend college together. When Eliza suddenly dies shortly after high school graduation, Margot struggles with grief and attending the college alone.

The first year is tough and lonely. When popular Lucy invites Margot to move in with them, Lucy jumps at the chance.

Life is looking up now that Margot is in the friend group. Little does she know that not all is at it seems.

A slow starter that gradually builds. Lots of memories from the past.

I listened to the audio version of the book. I think some of it would have been boring without the wonderful Karissa Vacker narrating. She did a great job as always.

Yes, the book started slow, but made up for it later on. I couldn't wait to see what happened and why. I did guess some of it but not all.

Thanks to netgalley and Macmillan Audio for the arc.

After a flicker in the dark and all the dangerous things I had high hopes for this book but I was disappointed. I found it a horrible rip off of pretty little liars.

Quiet, reserved Margot jumps at the chance to become roommates with charismatic, outgoing Lucy Sharpe. Their sophomore year of college they live together in a house off-campus along with Sloane and Nicole. The four girls quickly become inseparable. Then, a frat boy from next door is found dead and Lucy goes missing.

I’m a fan of Stacy Willingham and she does not disappoint with this one. The story is well-written, and the characters are fully developed. The story switches back and forth between before and after the murder, but it is easy to follow with Karissa Vacker’s narration. This slow-burn dark academia novel is sure to be a big hit! I enjoyed all the twists and turns. I highly recommend it to anyone that enjoys thrillers! I give it 4/5 stars.

I was excited about this one but it honestly felt very YA. I felt there were unnecessary storylines and too much information about the random frat house and the group’s activities. It also felt like it dragged on and on despite the fact that I listened to it all in one day. I will say I didn’t see the twists coming and the twists were very good. The last 15% of the the book saved the whole thing for me. The narrator was great.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

3.5 ⭐️

𝐎𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐈𝐟 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐀𝐫𝐞 𝐋𝐮𝐜𝐤𝐲 (Out January 16th)
Great Narrator (Obviously It Is Karissa Vacker 👑)
Dark Academia Vibes (Felt Really Similar To Other Dark Academia I have Read)
Easy To Follow (For Me)
A Couple Fun Twists (Listen And You’ll Know 🤭)
Sorority Girl Millennial Nostalgia (Millennial Through And Through 🙋🏼‍♀️)

The end of your teenage years is a complicated time. You’re an adult, but still a child. High school ends and you are thrust into the real world and have to learn to manage things on your own. Add in moving away for college, the death of your best friend, figuring out the kind of person you really want to be, harboring secrets, and things get even more difficult. This is Margot’s reality, as she is confronted with hard truths and the secrets of her past (and present). She must learn who she is and who she can trust.

Overall, this was an enjoyable read. The story kept me entertained and guessing. I got wrapped up in the complicated relationships, the lies, the manipulations, the secrets…and it kept me guessing until the end. The narrator also did a great job bringing these characters to life. I would recommend this book to my friends.

I have read Stacy Willingham’s other books, and jumped at the opportunity to read this one as well. It didn’t disappoint, and honestly it might actually be my favorite of hers. I’m a sucker for a good plot twist, especially when I can’t see it coming. There were SO MANY in this book! Stacy weaved together three different timelines making it all come together flawlessly at the end. The characters were relatable and the pacing was good. I don’t know if I really liked Margot by the end of the story and actually may be feeling a little bad for Lucy. I’m not sure. I need to think about that some more!

Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an early copy of the audiobook! I thought Karissa Vacker’s narration was fabulous.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an early copy of the audiobook for Only If You're Lucky by Stacy Willingham! I absolutely loved listening to this book!

I loved this novel. The weaving of the three timelines together was really well done, and there were enough hints to make the twists believable without making them too obvious (and there were so many twists)! I have nothing negative to say. Stacy Willingham did an incredible job! My sister had also won a giveaway for a copy of the ARC, so we've had so much fun discussing the small details and how shocked we were as new details emerged throughout the story! We are both so excited to get a copy with the official book release.

This novel goes from being about deep friendships, girlhood, and womanhood, to quickly becoming twisted and dark as friendships break apart and secrets are shared between the girls in this book.
***Spoilers below***

I loved Lucy’s character. I often imagined her like Jennifer from Jennifer’s body, where she was all entrapping, magnetic, but also terrifying with how cunning she was, and her easy control over others. I liked that Margot was always worried that Lucy might quietly sneak up on her, or behind a door to listen, moving quietly through the house and only being heard when Lucy wanted to be heard. This connects to the big reveal that Lucy was Eliza’s actual stalker, quietly watching Eliza and Margot, and only being discovered when she purposefully left evidence of her entry into Eliza’s home or left a cigarette by the window. It was sad that she died, but I also liked that the author chose this. The other girls painted her as evil for lying about her identity, sneaking on campus, manipulating others, and stalking her estranged father’s family, but in the end, she was the only one of the girls in that house who didn’t kill anybody. Lucy herself says she could kill someone if they deserved it. Did Lucy’s wrongs mean she deserved to die?

I see some other people call Margot bland, but I can't entirely agree. The point of her character is to be the “vanilla” or “boring” friend who follows the rules, but early on I think it is pretty clear that Margot herself is a bit odd. I love the slow build-up of how clingy and obsessive she was over her friendship with Eliza. At first, her collection of photos, ticket stubs, and receipts seem like little mementos of her friendship with her dead friend. However, as the events leading up to Eliza’s death are revealed, it becomes more and more clear that Margot is just as possessive as she was accusing Levi of being. When Eliza came out and accused Margot of taking the photo I was stunned, but it was satisfying to have Margot called out for her behavior and be confronted with her own obsession with Eliza. Margot’s insistence that Levi was at fault for Eliza’s death also made her seem weird as she revealed more and more details. She reacted to him as if he was a murderer, and as she described what happened to the other girls who had just met him, she attempted to destroy his reputation knowing the truth of what happened. Even before the big reveal, the author makes it clear that Margot isn’t in the right when she’s blaming Levi for Eliza’s death. She says things like “if it wasn’t for him, she wouldn’t have been where she was” or saying that the situation was complicated makes it clear that he wasn’t actually directly involved, and she was just looking for someone else to blame.

3.75⭐️

This was an entertaining and twisty read. Some elements seemed rather unlikely, and ultimately I found the story largely forgettable, but it’s a decent way to spend an afternoon when you’re in the mood for a light read.

Thank you Stacy Willingham, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for providing this ARC for review consideration. All opinions expressed are my own.

What is your definition of a true friendship? This book is a journey of one girl, Margot, as she finds new friends at college after losing her lifelong best friend the summer before leaving for college. But just when she thinks she has found someone with a bond as tight as the one she had with her lost friend, Eliza, she finds that learning about new people isn't as easy as it seems...especially when secrets are everywhere. Even though I have loved Stacey Willingham's work in the past, this one just didn't do it for me. I couldn't relate to the characters and found that the story drug on for far to long. It wasn't until the 70% mark that I felt like the story found a good pace and started to really keep my interest. The writing of this book is not bad. The story is well written and details are woven in the story strategically coming together well at the climatic ending. I just feel like this book will be more enjoyable to a younger audience that is in that stage of building new friendships.
The story is told from Margot's POV and I feel like the narrators voice matched what I felt Margot's voice would sound like. I had no problem with the narration of the story and actually liked the ability to speed up the slow parts.
I really appreciate Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to preview a book from an author of this magnitude.