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savvyrosereads's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Out tomorrow [Thank you to the publisher for providing me an eARC to review!]
Rating: 4/5 stars
Margot is grieving the loss of her best friend when she gets pulled into the orbit of the magnetic Lucy Sharpe—and set on a collision course that will change everything.
I genuinely think Stacy Willingham is one of the very best thriller authors out there right now, so this was one of my most anticipated reads of the year! Only If You’re Lucky is definitely a bit different from Stacy’s previous books, but I really enjoyed it.
Academic thrillers are some of my favorites, and this one felt like a pretty unique take on a familiar dynamic. I figured out some of the twists but was completely blindsided by others, which is always the ideal mix, in my opinion! I definitely recommend this one if you want a twisty psychological thriller in a college setting.
CW: Death/murder/blood; sexual violence
Rating: 4/5 stars
Margot is grieving the loss of her best friend when she gets pulled into the orbit of the magnetic Lucy Sharpe—and set on a collision course that will change everything.
I genuinely think Stacy Willingham is one of the very best thriller authors out there right now, so this was one of my most anticipated reads of the year! Only If You’re Lucky is definitely a bit different from Stacy’s previous books, but I really enjoyed it.
Academic thrillers are some of my favorites, and this one felt like a pretty unique take on a familiar dynamic. I figured out some of the twists but was completely blindsided by others, which is always the ideal mix, in my opinion! I definitely recommend this one if you want a twisty psychological thriller in a college setting.
CW: Death/murder/blood; sexual violence
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic friendship, Blood, Violence, Death, Murder, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence
amandaglowgetter's review
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Stalking, Toxic relationship, Blood, Toxic friendship, and Murder
Moderate: Grief, Gaslighting, and Sexual assault
morethanmylupus's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I read a lot of thrillers and, as a result, the big reveals in these books have started to become more and more predictable. This book was full of those big surprises that I never saw coming. More importantly, most of them felt well supported in the book - if I had just interpreted those moments a little differently instead of going exactly where Willingham led me.
This is the kind of book that has an ensemble cast, but really revolves around a few key people: Margot (our narrator), Eliza (Margot's childhood best friend). and Lucy (the mysterious cool girl on campus). We get a supporting cast of: Lucy's friends, the boy next door, and the frat boys next door. The book is mainly set in the present day, but we get some flashbacks to Margot and Eliza's childhood and their last summer together.
This one kept me on my toes despite being more of a slow burn thriller. The payoff at the end was absolutely worth waiting for.
A huge thank you to the author and the publisher for providing an e-ARC via NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.
This is the kind of book that has an ensemble cast, but really revolves around a few key people: Margot (our narrator), Eliza (Margot's childhood best friend). and Lucy (the mysterious cool girl on campus). We get a supporting cast of: Lucy's friends, the boy next door, and the frat boys next door. The book is mainly set in the present day, but we get some flashbacks to Margot and Eliza's childhood and their last summer together.
This one kept me on my toes despite being more of a slow burn thriller. The payoff at the end was absolutely worth waiting for.
A huge thank you to the author and the publisher for providing an e-ARC via NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug use, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Murder, and Toxic friendship
daniallreads's review
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
First read of 2024 & she's a G O O D I E
Thank you St Martins Press, Minotaur Books & NetGalley for the early copy of this book. Stacy Willingham's newest publishes January 16th! Get your pre-orders in now!
***Big heads up my sweet souls!*** Please check your trigger warnings before you read this. She covers a lot of heavy topics including underage drinking to rape.
Stacy Willingham's thrillers get better every year! Her style is MUH JAYM!
I am a sucker for a university setting when I dive into any genre. I get so much nostalgia from the anxiety of starting a brand new life + the chaos dorm-style living. Willingham set the stage with the main characters lounging on the college lawn & studying from their textbooks which made me miss college so heckin much. I loved the friend groups nefarious hijinks + the tiny acts of rebellion they took part in. Living through these characters eyes really helped me step right back into my early twenties.
Willingham captured the freedom of university living well in this thriller and I think that's one of the reasons why this story enraptured my bookish attention.
The setting gripped me but in Willingham fashion, her newest didn't disappoint when it slapped me right in the face with some bomb.com twists. I was not ready for this book, you guys.
BUT I can see a lot of people being underwhelmed with this story solely because of how overdone the "it girl" having a mysterious past + the toxic college setting has become. I will say that frequent thriller toe-dippers will have an easy time figuring out a few of the twists in this one so don't go into this one thinking it's going to be this psychological...mind boggling... life changing story.
It's just a good ol' fast-paced & binge-worthy palate cleansing thriller.
I have a few "icks" that I will update my review following pub date to keep this with minimal spoilers. <3
If you were a fan of "In My Dreams I Hold a Knife" by Ashley Winstead or "His & Hers" by Alice Feeney, you're going to want to scoop this suckah up!
🎳 Mean Girls with a Mystery Flare
🍺 College Nostalgia
🎓 Toxic Friendships
🔍 Quick Read
🎳 Good Versus Evil
Shout out to my friend, Bethany (@illstoptheworldandreadwithyou), for buddy reading with me & dealing with my late night word vomits.
Thank you St Martins Press, Minotaur Books & NetGalley for the early copy of this book. Stacy Willingham's newest publishes January 16th! Get your pre-orders in now!
***Big heads up my sweet souls!*** Please check your trigger warnings before you read this. She covers a lot of heavy topics including underage drinking to rape.
Stacy Willingham's thrillers get better every year! Her style is MUH JAYM!
I am a sucker for a university setting when I dive into any genre. I get so much nostalgia from the anxiety of starting a brand new life + the chaos dorm-style living. Willingham set the stage with the main characters lounging on the college lawn & studying from their textbooks which made me miss college so heckin much. I loved the friend groups nefarious hijinks + the tiny acts of rebellion they took part in. Living through these characters eyes really helped me step right back into my early twenties.
Willingham captured the freedom of university living well in this thriller and I think that's one of the reasons why this story enraptured my bookish attention.
The setting gripped me but in Willingham fashion, her newest didn't disappoint when it slapped me right in the face with some bomb.com twists. I was not ready for this book, you guys.
BUT I can see a lot of people being underwhelmed with this story solely because of how overdone the "it girl" having a mysterious past + the toxic college setting has become. I will say that frequent thriller toe-dippers will have an easy time figuring out a few of the twists in this one so don't go into this one thinking it's going to be this psychological...mind boggling... life changing story.
It's just a good ol' fast-paced & binge-worthy palate cleansing thriller.
I have a few "icks" that I will update my review following pub date to keep this with minimal spoilers. <3
If you were a fan of "In My Dreams I Hold a Knife" by Ashley Winstead or "His & Hers" by Alice Feeney, you're going to want to scoop this suckah up!
🎳 Mean Girls with a Mystery Flare
🍺 College Nostalgia
🎓 Toxic Friendships
🔍 Quick Read
🎳 Good Versus Evil
Shout out to my friend, Bethany (@illstoptheworldandreadwithyou), for buddy reading with me & dealing with my late night word vomits.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Blood, Rape, Stalking, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Death
RTC!!!meganashlee27's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Margot lost her best friend Eliza the summer before college. After her first year passes in a blur of grief and classes, she’s invited to move in with the mysterious Lucy and her friends in a house off-campus. Her new friends, and the fraternity boys next door, help her start to find her own life again…until Levi shows up to pledge the frat. Levi, the last person to see Eliza alive.
I loved Stacy Willingham’s first two books, so I was very excited to receive an ARC of this one! A twisting mystery, told in alternating timelines, this one definitely had some twists I didn’t see coming. The mystery of Lucy and her bad girl reputation, contrasting with the goodness of Margot the girl who just wants to fit in, was really interesting. A great page-turning suspense!
Thank you to NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for an advanced copy of this book!
I loved Stacy Willingham’s first two books, so I was very excited to receive an ARC of this one! A twisting mystery, told in alternating timelines, this one definitely had some twists I didn’t see coming. The mystery of Lucy and her bad girl reputation, contrasting with the goodness of Margot the girl who just wants to fit in, was really interesting. A great page-turning suspense!
Thank you to NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for an advanced copy of this book!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Toxic friendship, Death, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Alcohol, and Drug use
clairebonney's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
3.25
3.25 stars - this one hurts me so much to rate so low (per my rating scale), but I think many people will really enjoy this novel!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Blood, Mental illness, Misogyny, Murder, Vomit, Domestic abuse, Grief, Rape, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Death, Eating disorder, Stalking, Infidelity, Animal death, Drug use, and Emotional abuse
Animal death is a deer and the description is extremely graphicwhenimreading's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
3.0
Only If You’re Lucky follows Margot and a group of young college women after a shocking student death and their roommate’s disappearance, featuring alternating timelines showing their lives before these events.
After enjoying Stacy Willingham’s first two novels, I immediately wanted to read her third installment. I love Karissa Vacker’s performance more and more each time. She has great narration delivery changing voices to represent different characters and the ability to build tension throughout the book.
I liked the college setup and Autumnal atmosphere from the opening chapters. However, I expected a little bit more from the plot. Jumping between timelines and going back to the past seemed too repetitive and slow to build. It lacked the investigative aspect and thrill I enjoyed from previous books. The novel also skews a tad young - jealousy, obsession, mysterious secrets, and wanting to fit in - it was reminiscent of Pretty Little Liars.
Overall, it’s a pretty average slow burn book, slightly predictable with a large reveal towards the very end.
Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the gifted audiobook to review.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual assault, Toxic friendship, Murder, Grief, Sexual violence, Alcohol, Rape, Stalking, and Drug use
bringmybooks's review
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Thank you to Edelweiss, Minotaur Books, & Macmillan for the opportunity to read and review this book before it's publication date! This in no way affected my review, opinions are my own.
✨ 𝗕𝗥𝗜𝗡𝗚 ✨ B̷O̷R̷R̷O̷W̷ B̷Y̷P̷A̷S̷S̷
WOOF THIS WAS NO JOKE but in the absolute best way.
If you could take the entire ethos of the saying, “What’s your damage, Heather?” and then make it even more twisted and then put the girls into a college setting living in an unauthorized off campus housing right next to a v questionable frat house, then you’d have this book.
Willingham takes all the worst parts of female friendships and ratchets up the tension in disturbingly believable ways - I loved (hated) watching all of the drama unfold and genuinely was blown away by how everything came together at the end.
This makes 3 wins for Stacy Willingham (also really liked All the Dangerous Things and Flicker in the Dark) and I can’t wait to see what she writes next!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic friendship, Infidelity, Child death, Vomit, Toxic relationship, Animal death, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Stalking, Drug use, Murder, Blood, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence
tallhousecookies's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Thank you to St. Martin’s Press, NetGalley, and Stacy Willingham for the opportunity to review a digital ARC of this book. What a fun ride.
Margot is swimming in grief; her best friend died under mysterious circumstances 3 weeks after their high school graduation. She’s spent her entire first year of college merely surviving, looking at the fun from afar. Taking special interest in three girls on her hall: Nicole, Sloane, and the magnetic Lucy Sharpe.
So when, at the end of the school year, Lucy asks Margot to room with the three of them for the next school year, Margot jumps at the chance to start truly living again. What happens from there is a series of twists and turns that end up becoming fatal.
Overall, this was a really fun read. I’m personally drawn to stories about female friendship, especially when they turn sour, so this book was right up my alley. This is also my first Stacy Willingham book and it made me want to move her other titles up on my TBR shelf. There were multiple twists that I genuinely didn’t see coming. Some of which were brilliant additions and others seemed to have been thrown in order to wrap up the ending. With that being said, if you’re a thriller lover this book is not to be missed.
Margot is swimming in grief; her best friend died under mysterious circumstances 3 weeks after their high school graduation. She’s spent her entire first year of college merely surviving, looking at the fun from afar. Taking special interest in three girls on her hall: Nicole, Sloane, and the magnetic Lucy Sharpe.
So when, at the end of the school year, Lucy asks Margot to room with the three of them for the next school year, Margot jumps at the chance to start truly living again. What happens from there is a series of twists and turns that end up becoming fatal.
Overall, this was a really fun read. I’m personally drawn to stories about female friendship, especially when they turn sour, so this book was right up my alley. This is also my first Stacy Willingham book and it made me want to move her other titles up on my TBR shelf. There were multiple twists that I genuinely didn’t see coming. Some of which were brilliant additions and others seemed to have been thrown in order to wrap up the ending. With that being said, if you’re a thriller lover this book is not to be missed.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity, Grief, Gaslighting, Eating disorder, Abandonment, Toxic friendship, Misogyny, Murder, and Stalking
Moderate: Rape, Blood, and Sexual assault
booksbytheglass's review
challenging
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
this book is completely different than stacy willingham’s other novels, and let me tell you, it completely satisfied my dark academia, campus thriller loving heart! 🖤
I went in expecting a plot twist heavy, shocking thrillers like her last two novels were, so it took me a minute to adjust to the slow-paced, dual timeline writing style. however, the suspense was absolutely worth it! I think I would have loved it even more if the twists were more out of left field than spoon fed, but it was still SO bingeable!
the four main characters, living together in an old frat house, are 100% unlikable, but that’s honestly the best part of it all! I was desperate to see what happened to these friends to make them so unhinged 😅
overall, I think the reasoning behind the mystery and the unaliving wasn’t that strong, leaving me a bit disappointed in the end. but besties, stacy’s writing style is like crack and I would read absolutely anything she writes!!!! I’m a super fan pls
thank you times a million to netgalley and minotaur books for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!! next year cannot come soon enough!!
rating: 4 stars
wine pairing: dry creek zinfandel
I went in expecting a plot twist heavy, shocking thrillers like her last two novels were, so it took me a minute to adjust to the slow-paced, dual timeline writing style. however, the suspense was absolutely worth it! I think I would have loved it even more if the twists were more out of left field than spoon fed, but it was still SO bingeable!
the four main characters, living together in an old frat house, are 100% unlikable, but that’s honestly the best part of it all! I was desperate to see what happened to these friends to make them so unhinged 😅
overall, I think the reasoning behind the mystery and the unaliving wasn’t that strong, leaving me a bit disappointed in the end. but besties, stacy’s writing style is like crack and I would read absolutely anything she writes!!!! I’m a super fan pls
thank you times a million to netgalley and minotaur books for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!! next year cannot come soon enough!!
rating: 4 stars
wine pairing: dry creek zinfandel
Content Warnings
Graphic: Stalking, Child death, and Toxic friendship
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