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The first half was slow, but the second half picked up and had some twists I wasn't expecting!
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I don’t read a lot of thrillers these days - mostly because they keep getting louder, twistier, and more detached from any version of emotional or psychological reality I recognise - but when I do, Stacy Willingham is one of the few authors I’ll reach for without hesitation. Her books are like slipping into a dark pool: cool, sharp, immersive. The tension isn’t forced, and the twists don’t feel like a writer playing chess with your gullibility. That said… Only If You’re Lucky didn’t quite thrill me.
Set in a small liberal arts college where everyone’s pretending not to care what anyone else thinks while caring deeply, this is a campus thriller built on that potent cocktail of female friendship, envy, performative intimacy, and repression. Margot - the classic “quiet girl with a tragedy” - gets pulled into the orbit of Lucy Sharpe, who is equal parts magnetic and mildly terrifying. There’s a murder. There’s a disappearance. There are secrets, all tangled up in memory and grief and performance.
Willingham nails the claustrophobia of college life - the way every glance feels loaded, the way identity can morph depending on who’s watching. I liked the structure, with time jumps that keep you slightly off-balance and a narrator you’re not sure you should believe. But still, this felt more like a vibe than a fully realised story. I was intrigued, yes, but not consumed.
And maybe that’s the heart of it. This book felt more new adult noir than full-throttle thriller. The stakes, while dark, stayed soft-edged. The characters were well drawn, but some of them never quite stepped beyond archetype. Lucy, in particular, felt like she existed more as an idea - a manic femme catalyst - than a fully fleshed-out human being.
This wasn’t Willingham’s best, but it still did the job as a springboard between heavier reads. Sleek enough to enjoy, layered enough to chew on a little, but not something I’ll be thinking about weeks from now.
3 stars. Read it for the vibes, the psychological tension, and the messy girls with secrets. But if you’re new to Stacy Willingham, maybe start elsewhere.
Set in a small liberal arts college where everyone’s pretending not to care what anyone else thinks while caring deeply, this is a campus thriller built on that potent cocktail of female friendship, envy, performative intimacy, and repression. Margot - the classic “quiet girl with a tragedy” - gets pulled into the orbit of Lucy Sharpe, who is equal parts magnetic and mildly terrifying. There’s a murder. There’s a disappearance. There are secrets, all tangled up in memory and grief and performance.
Willingham nails the claustrophobia of college life - the way every glance feels loaded, the way identity can morph depending on who’s watching. I liked the structure, with time jumps that keep you slightly off-balance and a narrator you’re not sure you should believe. But still, this felt more like a vibe than a fully realised story. I was intrigued, yes, but not consumed.
And maybe that’s the heart of it. This book felt more new adult noir than full-throttle thriller. The stakes, while dark, stayed soft-edged. The characters were well drawn, but some of them never quite stepped beyond archetype. Lucy, in particular, felt like she existed more as an idea - a manic femme catalyst - than a fully fleshed-out human being.
This wasn’t Willingham’s best, but it still did the job as a springboard between heavier reads. Sleek enough to enjoy, layered enough to chew on a little, but not something I’ll be thinking about weeks from now.
3 stars. Read it for the vibes, the psychological tension, and the messy girls with secrets. But if you’re new to Stacy Willingham, maybe start elsewhere.
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I liked the southern setting but didn’t really feel for any of the characters. It was kind of dragged out
and I knew something was going to be up between Lucy & Eliza - guessed they were cousins or something of the sort
and I knew something was going to be up between Lucy & Eliza - guessed they were cousins or something of the sort