Only If You're Lucky, Stacy Willingham
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Another five star read from Stacy Willingham. This story is the perfect combination of secrets, friendship, self discovery and just how far Margo will go to find herself in those impressionable years in between high school and college. Through an intricate web of secrets buried deep beneath the surface mixed with the pain felt when keeping those secrets close to her (Margo) followed by the inevitable way her world shatters when those secrets come to the surface is so delicately written on the pages. It really hits home for those who struggle through their college experiences and trying to find themselves only to truly discover who they are when they detach from the worls they grow up in and what they've known their entire lives. A true test of personal morals and values is depicted among the pages as Margo tries to wade through long nights and lazy days with people she can't exactly figure out. When Levi threatens to drag the world she once knew back into light, Margo finds herself at a crossroads between right, wrong, and the truth. Dare I say this is my favorite story from Stacy Willingham yet? It's important to know that Karissa Vacker once again narrates this story so perfectly with raw emotion and as if she's retelling a story of her own. She has easily become one of my favorite narrators and I will always listen to any story she narrates as I find her story telling to be utterly captivating and leaving me wanting to hear more.

Stacy Willingham has mastered the art of the psychological thriller. She knows how to suck you into a storyline. With Only If You’re Lucky, she takes on life at a small college in South Carolina, where an outgoing, popular girl befriends a shy, serious girl. Margot can’t really understand what Lucy sees in her. But she’s not going to question her luck when Lucy asks her to move in with her and two other young women.
Margot is coming back from a bad year. Her best friend died three weeks after their HS graduation. She didn’t make any friends her freshman year until Lucy issued her invite. Then, things are going swimmingly until the young man that Margot blames for her friend’s death shows up on campus. And not just on campus, but part of the fraternity next door. And then, he’s dead and Lucy is gone.
The story is told solely from Margot’s POV. It starts off slowly, setting up the premise. The story jumps back and forth in time - from before and after his death.
The characters are young and that means, there’s a lot not to like. They party nonstop, they steal, they’re self centered. They place more importance on fitting in than doing what’s right. At times, they are completely obtuse and fail to ask the obvious questions. “We knew what we were doing.” From the beginning, the reader is aware that these women have done something. But I was captivated by Lucy. She was truly a star, her gravitational pull drawing the other girls to her even when they know something about her is off.
As you would expect from a good psychological thriller, there were some twists I didn’t see coming. Willingham weaves suspense and an underlying feeling of tension throughout. In addition to Lucy, I really wanted to know what was behind Nicole’s issues. The ending does require a slight suspension of belief. But this was a thoroughly entertaining audio experience.
I listened to this and Karissa Vacker did a good job as the narrator.
My thanks to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for an advance copy of this book.

I almost don’t know how I feel about this now that it is over.

Such a frustrating ride but also kept me on my toes like I love from a thriller. I didn’t super care about any of the characters. Which is fine sometimes terrible characters can be pretty fun. But I HAD to know what happened and who did what.

Margot just finished her first year at College and wants to try something new. Her first year was filled with grief from losing her best friend and this year is going to be redefining-she CLINGS to this captivating girl Lucy. Margot quickly gets entangled in Lucy’s life with her other best friends. Before the school year ends a boy from next door end up dead and Lucy is missing.

In classic Willingham style it has many timelines and you aren’t fully sure where you are with vague before and after headings. At times it was a little jarring trying to reorient myself back to where we were when we left that timeline.
I enjoyed my time.
And Karissa Vacker was the narrator-Absolute my one my favs.

Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan audio for an advanced listening copy.

This author is quickly becoming a favorite author of mine and with each book release, I find myself falling hard over her words. With this latest book, I was beyond excited to dive right in. For me, there’s nothing more enthralling than having a mystery/thriller being told in a dual timeline. It’s like counting down a clock to midnight for the big reveal and this author lived up to the excitement I had when I reached the end. The author is masterful with the sentences she created and the characters she developed.

The narrator has the perfect tone to emit the plethora of emotions throughout this book. She is flawless in her delivery and only enhanced my enjoyment of this book.

Overall I enjoyed this book and it kept me guessing until the end.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the ALC

This one had me guessing right up until the end. Well written story and the narrator kept me interested. I really liked the Jekyl & Hyde parallels between the characters.

I really looked forward to this audiobook, as I loved Stacy Willingham’s first two books, but this one was a bit of a miss for me. A few chapters in I felt like this was a YA novel and the endless bad behavior of college students wore thin. I kept going, and the second half of the book was better (the pace of the first half was quite slow). I think that this book might appeal more to YA readers and those who are not put off by unlikeable characters. The ending is very good and I enjoyed the twists as they were unveiled; it just took a long time to get there. Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this audiobook—which is beautifully narrated.

Thank you so much to NetGalley, the publisher, the author, and narrator for providing this twisty thriller for my honest review. First of all, Stacy Willingham is an amazing writer. I love the way she tells bits and pieces of the story keeping the reader on the edge of their seat. Just when I thought I had it all figured out she would completely surprise me with twist and twist! I loved every minute of listening to this book. The narrator was also phenomenal. I highly recommend the audiobook. Thank you again for allowing me to review the newest audiobook from this fantastic author.

While I really enjoyed this book, I loved her first two more. The character development was spot on and the twists were epic. I didn’t see anything coming, yet it was like a giant jigsaw puzzle finally coming together in the end with a whispered WOWWW. The pacing was a little slow for me at first, but my interest in the characters had me ok with it. An excellent puzzler of a thriller. I loved every minute, just won’t read again.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC audiobook! The narrator was fantastic!

Well… it wasn’t great. I’m severely disappointed.

The prologue had such dramatic tension and ominous feelings, and then it all fizzled out from there. Nothing happens in the first eighty percent of this book. The vast majority of my reading experience was uninteresting and uneventful.

Margot is quite a dull character. We only get her perspective and it becomes so boringly monotonous that I don’t understand why this narrative choice was made. It really limited the story.

The plot is very stagnant. It could have been a more character-driven story except that I didn't really like any of the characters, including the protagonist. I wasn't at all compelled to care about what happened to any of them.

I didn't find the twits to be that exciting or believable. It's not very thrilling or suspenseful and there isn't really much of a mystery either.

There are some themes that could have been interesting, like girlhood, growing up, friendships, and college life. But they are counterbalanced by mundane events and tedious characters.

The writing style was sometimes trying to do too much, the metaphors get a bit distracting.

I finished this book five days ago, I’m coming back to write my review and, honestly, I’ve already forgotten everything about it. That’s just not a great look.

This was definitely a flop, considering that her previous two books were actually really good.

If you’re new to this author, I’d recommend starting with one of those instead because I’m convinced that this one is just a fluke.

If you are reading this and thinking about DNFing, don’t worry, you aren’t missing out on anything - it doesn’t get better. The ending isn’t at all satisfying. By the time we finally get to any reveals or twists, we were so bogged down and detached that we just didn’t care.

I still consider her one of my favorite thriller authors, and will continue to read her releases. Not sure what happened with this one but I’m really sad about it.

The audiobook was done perfectly fine. I don't have any issues with it, just the story itself.

I was initially so happy to have received an approval for this book however quickly realized it’s not for me. The main characters read like the Dawn’s Creek cast-so young and overly articulate thinking they’re wise beyond their years. Which the stereotype is true given the fact that these are all young 20 somethings in college but was still really annoying to deal with. The majority of the book centers around grief of losing a best friend and less of a mystery/thriller. The first reveal doesn’t happen until about 40% of the way through the book and doesn’t really go anywhere until about the last 20%.

I received an audio ARC in exchange for an honest review from netgalley / macmillan audio.

First, I think that the narrator was an EXCELLENT choice - she is really good at keeping you on edge, adding intensity to the thrilling bits, and also has a vast collection of "other" voices to use on behalf of other characters.

The storyline was a disappointment to me. This is my 3rd book by the author and i was really excited since i enjoyed her last works, but this story felt very long and drawn out and a lot of it felt like fluff. It was almost 400 pages, but could have been cut down by 200 - obviously with a thriller, the twists will be saved to the end, but in this case it was like 300 pages of every day college life and then BAM! all of the reveals.

This was one of my must reads for 2024 so I was so excited when I was approved to listen to it early! Such a fun binge read. I loved the shady characters, I never knew who to trust. Pieces of the puzzle slowly came together and I was shook with the twist 🤯

I definitely recommend putting this book on your TBR!!!

Read if you enjoy:
▪️Secrets and lies
▪️Unreliable characters
▪️Past and present timelines
▪️College setting
▪️Pretty Little Liars vibes
▪️Dark academia

Only If You’re Lucky by Stacy Willingham
Release Date: 1/16/24
Format: ebook/audiobook hybrid
Rating: ⭐️⭐️✨

Let me start by saying All the Dangerous Things by Willingham was one of my absolute favorite reads of 2023 and her upcoming release was easily one of my most anticipated 2024 reads. Unfortunately, when I was reading the ebook last month I chose to DNF it due to pacing issues and a lack of interest in any of the characters.

I recently was approved for the advanced audiobook and decided to give it another go, finishing the story to see what happened. While I was able to get to the end, this book was sadly a struggle for me through and through. The plot seemed so far fetched, the characters were pretty two dimensional, and the way everything came together was far too convenient.

This was absolutely a swing and a miss for me, but don’t let it deter you from reading Willingham’s other books. She’s a very talented author, but Only If You’re Lucky just doesn’t deliver in the same way as her other releases.

This book was fantastically immersive. I fell straight into the plot and felt like I was back in college (except for any murdery parts).

I had the opportunity to both listen to this book while I read along, which is my favorite way to read. I thought this narrator did a great job voicing all of the characters. Since we were really only getting Margot's POV, it worked really well to have the narrator use different tones for each character because it was the way Margot heard them because she was telling the story.

Margot finds herself starting college alone after her best friend died in a tragic accident the year before. This was not how the plan was supposed to go. She gets sucked in by charismatic Lucy and finds herself falling right into place with a group of girlfriends.

When someone from Margot's past shows up unexpectantly, someone is murdered, and Lucy disappears without a trace, the girls' world is flipped upside down.

I thought the author did a great job giving each of the girls their own individual personalities. I was nervous that we had to keep track of four of them, but it was no problem at all. They were all so unique but also so relatable. I could honestly say, "oh I know a person like that," when it came to all of them.

Lucy was the popular bully, and I loved to hate her. She was written in such a way that you could see how someone like Margot fell under her spell.

I started to have an inkling of where the plot was going, but not to the full extent. This is my second Stacy Willingham book, and I am excited to see what this author has in store in the future.

I've been a Stacy Willngham fan since her debut, Flicker in the Dark, and then I loved All the Dangerous Things, but Only If You're Lucky is next-level twisty and amazing. The reveals are shocking and unpredictable, and the characters could be the girls next door. I've heard Stacy Willingham referred to as a rising star in the thriller/mystery/suspense world, but it's clear with her latest book that she's arrived. If I could give this more than five stars, I would. Karissa Vacker's flawless narration takes what is already a phenomenal book, adds her talent, and makes it even that much better!

Set at a fictional university in South Carolina, this is a story of girls and boys gone wild. With one girl missing and one boy dead, the dual timelines of this story gradual bring it together. If you are in the mood for some dark academia and Pretty Little Liars this is a book for you.

Themes: 🏫👯‍♀️🖤🩸⏳⌛️

My thoughts: 🥸🫡🤔🫢🤫🤯

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Karissa Vacker narrates this book and it was perfect! The college friendships in the book are portrayed well and I liked the various red flags that started to appear while reading. This is an author I have enjoyed before, and while this isn't my favorite book of hers, it is a very good read and worth the listen!

Thank you #partner Macmillan Audio for my gifted ALC.

📖 About: Margot is still grieving the loss of her best friend, Eliza, who died in a tragic accident. Choosing to fulfil their shared dream of attending a South Carolina liberal arts college, Margot goes off on her own. She initially struggles to find her place, spending her first semester sequestered in her dorm with an equally introverted roommate. But when she's invited to join a tight knit group of friends, rooming with Lucy, the larger-than-life leader of the pack and envy of every girl on campus, Margot gets a chance at a fresh start. But when someone from her past shows up on campus, and two people wind up missing, Margot finds herself in the center of a potential murder investigation.

💭 Thoughts: This dual timeline, dark academia thriller is quite the ride! Intricately woven plotline, atmospheric setting, great pacing, with an unreliable narrator. I felt pretty in the dark for the majority of the book, and had so many unanswered questions, but thankfully all is revealed in the end, leaving me satisfied with the shocking, twisty, big reveal. While this isn't my favorite by Willingham, it's still definitely worth the read/listen. Narrator Karissa Vacker is superb as always! She's one of my favorite thriller narrators. She had a fairly large cast to narrate here, but managed to portray them all uniquely, so I never wondered who was speaking. 5 star performance as always.

Thank you to #NetGalley for the ARC of this book.

Margot is a freshman in college and meets the enigmatic Lucy Sharpe. Margot is never one to be the center of attention, but always the sidekick. Somehow, she manages to attract the attention of the tenacious Lucy, and we begin to learn that Margot had a best friend before college named Eliza, who was very similar to Lucy.

Margot is invited by Lucy to live with her and 2 other students starting the summer after her freshman year in a house rented by a fraternity. When a new student shows up at the fraternity for his freshman year, Margot is in for a surprise as she knows him from her life back home.

WIth Lucy's friendship, Margot begins to come out of her shell, when one of the fraternity brothers is murdered and then Lucy goes missing. Through dual timelines of story telling, before and after, we learn what happened to Eliza, Lucy, and the murdered fraternity brother.

I really enjoyed Willingham's 2 previous books and requested this one because of those experiences. This one was not quite as good as the first two, but I enjoy the author's writing style and felt engaged throughout. Even though some of the storylines were a bit predictable, I still liked reading this book and will continue to read any of her future works.

3.5 stars rounded up to a 4. I wanted to LOVE this book, because A Flicker in the Dark was my favorite thriller I read in 2023. However, this book gave me a more YA feel with the setting and characters. The plot was still really well written, and everything played out in such a wild way that kept you wanting to read more. Thank you NetGalley for this audiobook ARC!