Reviews with content warning for Domestic abuse - Only If You're Lucky

Reviews tagging 'Domestic abuse'

Only If You're Lucky by Stacy Willingham

8 reviews

snoopyfanclub's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.25

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blueskyvibes1point0's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

**Please make sure to check your trigger warnings before reading.**

Lucy Sharpe's larger-than-life persona draws in Margot, a shy and cautious college freshman. Despite their differences, Margot is intrigued by Lucy's boldness and agrees to room with her and two other girls off-campus. As their friendship deepens, Margot begins to break free from the shell that she has lived in since the death of her best friend Eliza, only for tragedy to strike when a neighboring frat brother is murdered, and Lucy goes missing, leaving Margot grappling with uncertainty and fear.

Ratings:

1. **Plot and Storytelling:** 4/5 While the story had well-planned twists, it started a bit slow for my taste, taking some time to fully engage me.

2. **Characterization:** 4/5 Lucy Sharpe is larger than life, thanks to Stacy Willingham's skillful character creation. However, I wished for more growth among the supporting characters.

3. **Writing Style:** 3/5 Willingham’s narrative crafted a convincing plot, but the initial pacing felt slower than I prefer for a thriller. It wasn't until about 60% into the book that it truly hooked me and picked up speed.

4. **Originality:** 4/5 The story was unique and engaging. It was a dark take on female friendships in an academic setting and I loved it.

5. **Emotional Impact and Resolution:** 5/5 This book delves deep into your fears, expertly weaving in themes of grief and other emotions. The ending wrapped up beautifully, answering my questions and leaving me shocked.

Overall score: 4/5

I do recommend this book and I would buy it again. If you’re a fan of Stacy Willingham I would add it to your collection.

If you liked this book I would check out “Twenty Years Later” by Charlie Donlea. It’s fast-paced with some good twists and an ending you won’t see coming.

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novellearts's review against another edition

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dark medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

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katiecummings1981's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No

2.0

I found the book repetitive, slow and although I finished it, I struggled to do so.

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honey_coated_chapters's review against another edition

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slow-paced

2.0

°:. *₊ ° . ° .•

𝑹𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈: 2/5

𝑵𝒖𝒎𝒃𝒆𝒓 𝒐𝒇 𝒑𝒂𝒈𝒆𝒔: 384

𝑮𝒆𝒏𝒓𝒆: thriller/suspense

𝑸𝒖𝒊𝒄𝒌 𝒕𝒂𝒌𝒆𝒔:

•female friendships

•alternating timeline (before/after)

𝑹𝒆𝒂𝒅 𝒊𝒇 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆: watching Riverdale unironically and really jiving with the fact that it’s hard to keep up with because so much is happening while the plot is actually not progressing.

———————————————————————

I was really excited to get into this, but it was so boring and I’ll say that off the bat. I was enjoying the setting – college, mean girls, underage drinking. it had all the ingredients for a solid thriller but unfortunately, it fell flat. it took me forever to finish, and felt like a chore to pick up. We follow Margot as our main character, and her tone of voice is so bland and monotone that it was hard to get behind. The side characters, her other friends, Sloane and Nicole seemed so interesting, but we didn’t hear anything from them since we were stuck with just Margot’s POV. She was obsessive, and a lot of the story was repetitive. Nothing happened until the last 30ish pages and even then I couldn’t care less. It read more like a family drama. It lacked tension and suspense, and it wasn’t compelling. I like Stacey’s other books, so this hurts a bit, the writing was good, but the story was really lacking for me.

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astoriareader's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

SYNOPSIS

Margot grew up in the Outer Banks in North Carolina, and she is starting her freshman year at Rutledge in South Carolina. Prior to starting college, her BFF, Eliza, died.
In the summer before sophomore year, she befriends a trio of girls, Lucy, Nicole, and Sloane. She moves into their rental home, which the girls rent from a fraternity that’s adjacent to the rental.
At the beginning of the book, there is a time jump to middle of sophomore year, where Lucy is MIA & something has happened to a frat boy next door. The police are investigating.
What happened to Eliza, Lucy, and the frat boy?

MY THOUGHTS

This is Willingham’s third book, and so far, I’ve read all three & love her writing style. This one, however, was my least favorite of the three.
This was a slow burn with multiple timelines. The chapters are short & digestible.
The characters weren’t very likable, and there’s a lot about toxic friendships.
The ending was okay. It wasn’t bad, and it wasn’t great.
Side note: the cover of the book was really pretty!
I did think this was a compulsive read. I ended up finishing in one sitting because I wanted to see what happened.
The reveal of the mystery about what happened to Eliza was predictable, and I expect readers of the genre to feel the same way.
I enjoyed the book, and it is well-written.

TL;DR: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️suspense/thriller. slow burn. college setting with short, digestible chapters. toxic friendships.

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clairebonney's review against another edition

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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!

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jillwedemeier's review

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
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

A sharp and twisty exploration of female friendship from the “New York Times” bestselling author of “A Flicker in the Dark” and “All the Dangerous Things.”

Still grieving from the loss of her best friend who died three weeks after their high school graduation, Margot spends her first year of college playing it safe, staying in, and studying. Margot has always been the shy, careful one—the sidekick, never the center of attention. At the end of her freshman year, Margot meets Lucy and is drawn to her magnetic, larger-than-life personality. Lucy invites Margot to live in an off-campus house with two other roommates, Sloane and Nicole. Soon, Margot and Lucy become close friends, and Margot begins opening up and getting out of her comfort zone. But then, in the middle of their sophomore year, one of the fraternity brothers from the house next door is murdered, and Lucy is missing without a trace.

I really enjoyed Willingham’s debut novel, “A Flicker in the Dark,” so I was excited to read this book, and it did not disappoint. The book started off slow and then picked up in the second half with so many twists and turns. It really kept me guessing, right up to the very end. The ending was completely unexpected, but everything fell into place perfectly and all the loose ends were neatly tied up. Willingham is a beautiful writer, and she has become an auto-buy author for me. Highly recommend!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press/Minotaur Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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