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Only If You're Lucky
Win a free print copy of this book!
9 days and 04:50:29
15 copies available
U.S. and Canada only
Lucy Sharpe is larger than life. Magnetic, addictive. Bold and dangerous. Especially for Margot, who meets Lucy at the end of their freshman year at a liberal arts college in South Carolina. Margot is the shy one, the careful one, always the sidekick and never the center of attention. But when Lucy singles her out at the end of the year, a year Margot spent studying and playing it safe, and asks her to room together, something in Margot can't say no—something daring, or starved, or maybe even envious.
And so Margot finds herself living in an off-campus house with three other girls, Lucy, the ringleader; Sloane, the sarcastic one; and Nicole, the nice one, the three of them opposites but also deeply intertwined. It's a year that finds Margot finally coming out of the shell she's been in since the end of high school, when her best friend Eliza died three weeks after graduation. Margot and Lucy have become the closest of friends, but by the middle of their sophomore year, one of the fraternity boys from the house next door has been brutally murdered... and Lucy Sharpe is missing without a trace.
A tantalizing thriller about the nature of friendship and belonging, about loyalty, envy, and betrayal—another gripping novel from an author quickly becoming the gold standard in psychological suspense.
And so Margot finds herself living in an off-campus house with three other girls, Lucy, the ringleader; Sloane, the sarcastic one; and Nicole, the nice one, the three of them opposites but also deeply intertwined. It's a year that finds Margot finally coming out of the shell she's been in since the end of high school, when her best friend Eliza died three weeks after graduation. Margot and Lucy have become the closest of friends, but by the middle of their sophomore year, one of the fraternity boys from the house next door has been brutally murdered... and Lucy Sharpe is missing without a trace.
A tantalizing thriller about the nature of friendship and belonging, about loyalty, envy, and betrayal—another gripping novel from an author quickly becoming the gold standard in psychological suspense.
384 pages, Hardcover
First published January 16, 2024
About the author
Stacy Willingham
8 books9,593 followersStacy Willingham is the New York Times, USA Today and internationally bestselling author of A Flicker in the Dark, All the Dangerous Things and Only If You're Lucky.
Her debut, A Flicker in the Dark, was a 2022 finalist for the Book of the Month's Book of the Year award, Goodreads Choice Best Debut award, Goodreads Choice Best Mystery & Thriller award, and ITW's Best First Novel award. Her work has been translated in more than thirty languages.
Before turning to fiction, she was a copywriter and brand strategist for various marketing agencies. She earned her B.A. in magazine journalism from the University of Georgia and M.F.A. in writing from the Savannah College of Art and Design.
She currently lives in Charleston, South Carolina, with her husband, Britt, and Labradoodle, Mako.
Her debut, A Flicker in the Dark, was a 2022 finalist for the Book of the Month's Book of the Year award, Goodreads Choice Best Debut award, Goodreads Choice Best Mystery & Thriller award, and ITW's Best First Novel award. Her work has been translated in more than thirty languages.
Before turning to fiction, she was a copywriter and brand strategist for various marketing agencies. She earned her B.A. in magazine journalism from the University of Georgia and M.F.A. in writing from the Savannah College of Art and Design.
She currently lives in Charleston, South Carolina, with her husband, Britt, and Labradoodle, Mako.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,698 reviews
November 13, 2023
Beyond Boring
Margot, a college student, was obsessed with her former best friend, Eliza, who died tragically and is now obsessed with her current BFF, Lucy. When Lucy disappears, Margot’s obsession grows to the point of danger.
Margot is boring, her voice is boring, and her obsession is boring. The side characters seem interesting, but since only Margot's POV is shared, they get lost in Margot's monotonous narrative.
The narrative follows a before/after structure--neither timeline is compelling.
The plot: Nothing really happens until the ending, which had a bit of unexpected drama, and the atmosphere was a huge plus--both upped my rating.
I was so excited to read this--I loved Willingham’s other books, but sadly this one was a letdown. It reminds me of a Megan Miranda novel--the setting, the group of college students, the atmosphere, and the monotonous tone, but it lacks tension and suspense.
It pains me to write this review. I wish I could recommend this book, but I just can't. I can recommend Willingham's others: A Flicker in the Dark and All the Dangerous Things.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley and St. Martin's Press in exchange for an honest review.
Margot, a college student, was obsessed with her former best friend, Eliza, who died tragically and is now obsessed with her current BFF, Lucy. When Lucy disappears, Margot’s obsession grows to the point of danger.
Margot is boring, her voice is boring, and her obsession is boring. The side characters seem interesting, but since only Margot's POV is shared, they get lost in Margot's monotonous narrative.
The narrative follows a before/after structure--neither timeline is compelling.
The plot: Nothing really happens until the ending, which had a bit of unexpected drama, and the atmosphere was a huge plus--both upped my rating.
I was so excited to read this--I loved Willingham’s other books, but sadly this one was a letdown. It reminds me of a Megan Miranda novel--the setting, the group of college students, the atmosphere, and the monotonous tone, but it lacks tension and suspense.
It pains me to write this review. I wish I could recommend this book, but I just can't. I can recommend Willingham's others: A Flicker in the Dark and All the Dangerous Things.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley and St. Martin's Press in exchange for an honest review.
January 16, 2024
“If You Knew You Could Get Away with Murder, Would You do it?”
Lucy Sharpe is larger than life-Just like Margot’s childhood best friend, Eliza, who died three weeks after their high school graduation. Both were the kind of girls who always chose “dare” over “truth”, the kind of girls who were always the center of attention as soon as they entered a room.
So when Lucy somehow notices Margot, and invites her to become one of four roommates in an off-campus house, near her new college-she couldn’t say no. This is exactly the fresh start she needs-a chance to regroup, and be a part of a close knit group of friends.
It turns out that college friends ARE different. They would do anything for each other.
ANYTHING
Margot and Lucy become close, but by the middle of their sophomore year, one of the fraternity boys from the house next door has been brutally murdered... and Lucy Sharpe is missing without a trace.
I love Stacey Willingham’s prose, and this book is no exception. I will definitely be reading whatever she pens next!
BUT, most of this book reads like YA, and I have outgrown that genre. Reading about college girls playing “spin the bottle”, and drinking until they are sick or passed out-yawn!
And, the reveal? It stretched believability too far for me.
A buddy read with DeAnn. Did this book work for her? Be sure to check out her review!
If you want to revisit the nostalgia of your college days, or enjoy twists, perhaps this will work out better for you?
AVAILABLE NOW
Thank you to Minotaur books for the gifted copy, provided through NetGalley. It was my pleasure to offer a candid review
Lucy Sharpe is larger than life-Just like Margot’s childhood best friend, Eliza, who died three weeks after their high school graduation. Both were the kind of girls who always chose “dare” over “truth”, the kind of girls who were always the center of attention as soon as they entered a room.
So when Lucy somehow notices Margot, and invites her to become one of four roommates in an off-campus house, near her new college-she couldn’t say no. This is exactly the fresh start she needs-a chance to regroup, and be a part of a close knit group of friends.
It turns out that college friends ARE different. They would do anything for each other.
ANYTHING
Margot and Lucy become close, but by the middle of their sophomore year, one of the fraternity boys from the house next door has been brutally murdered... and Lucy Sharpe is missing without a trace.
I love Stacey Willingham’s prose, and this book is no exception. I will definitely be reading whatever she pens next!
BUT, most of this book reads like YA, and I have outgrown that genre. Reading about college girls playing “spin the bottle”, and drinking until they are sick or passed out-yawn!
And, the reveal? It stretched believability too far for me.
A buddy read with DeAnn. Did this book work for her? Be sure to check out her review!
If you want to revisit the nostalgia of your college days, or enjoy twists, perhaps this will work out better for you?
AVAILABLE NOW
Thank you to Minotaur books for the gifted copy, provided through NetGalley. It was my pleasure to offer a candid review
January 13, 2024
“Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" stands as one of the most thought-provoking novels, delving into the unending, epic battle between good and evil. It shines a spotlight on the intricate psychological struggle humans face against their inner demons—questioning which force will ultimately triumph, the darkness or the light.
This book skillfully captures the essence of this monumental conflict, transforming the journey into a sinister thriller that could be likened to a fusion of "Heathers" and "Pretty Little Liars" within the realm of dark academia. The story features unreliable female characters harboring concealed secrets.
At its core, the plot revolves around Margot, who grapples with the recent loss of her best friend, Eliza. Margot plans to attend the same liberal arts college in South Carolina as Eliza had intended. Instead of succumbing to the path her parents have paved, Margot is determined to fulfill their shared dream, even though she initially confines herself to her dorm during the first semester.
Despite battling depression, Margot becomes aware of Lucy's eccentric presence. Lucy, a recent transfer student, becomes the subject of speculative theories regarding her enigmatic past. From a distance, Margot observes Lucy's closely-knit friendship with Sloane and Nicole, finding herself envious of their bond.
When Lucy unexpectedly proposes they become roommates, Margot is astounded by her luck. This offers her a chance to start anew, to embrace a different identity. Without hesitation, Margot embarks on this transformation.
Joined by Lucy, the dry-witted Sloane, the meek yet good-hearted Nicole, the trio becomes roommates and relocates to a fraternity house they rent from boys, courtesy of Nicole's connection with Trevor, a leader of the fraternity club.
The girls form an alliance when a specter from Margot's past emerges within the house, compelling her to share her reasons for selecting this place for her education. This ghostly figure is Levi, Eliza's boyfriend and the last person to have seen her alive.
As the narrative alternates between timelines, it is revealed that both Levi and Lucy are no longer present. The mystery unfolds: Could Lucy have a role in Levi's demise?
Despite the book's gradual pace, the riveting and concise chapters maintain an engaging rhythm that sustains reader interest. The final shocking revelations are undeniably jaw-dropping, although some may appear coincidental or stretched. Nevertheless, the majority of these plot twists are ingeniously crafted and executed.
The eerie atmosphere and the gradual intensification of tension contribute to a sustained sense of intrigue, even though some of the characters may not be particularly likable. However, the whirlwind plot, well-timed revelations, and the carefully constructed story structure are expertly written.
As always, I thoroughly enjoyed immersing myself in this captivating read. My gratitude extends to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for generously providing me with a digital review copy of this utterly compelling book in exchange for my honest evaluation.
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This book skillfully captures the essence of this monumental conflict, transforming the journey into a sinister thriller that could be likened to a fusion of "Heathers" and "Pretty Little Liars" within the realm of dark academia. The story features unreliable female characters harboring concealed secrets.
At its core, the plot revolves around Margot, who grapples with the recent loss of her best friend, Eliza. Margot plans to attend the same liberal arts college in South Carolina as Eliza had intended. Instead of succumbing to the path her parents have paved, Margot is determined to fulfill their shared dream, even though she initially confines herself to her dorm during the first semester.
Despite battling depression, Margot becomes aware of Lucy's eccentric presence. Lucy, a recent transfer student, becomes the subject of speculative theories regarding her enigmatic past. From a distance, Margot observes Lucy's closely-knit friendship with Sloane and Nicole, finding herself envious of their bond.
When Lucy unexpectedly proposes they become roommates, Margot is astounded by her luck. This offers her a chance to start anew, to embrace a different identity. Without hesitation, Margot embarks on this transformation.
Joined by Lucy, the dry-witted Sloane, the meek yet good-hearted Nicole, the trio becomes roommates and relocates to a fraternity house they rent from boys, courtesy of Nicole's connection with Trevor, a leader of the fraternity club.
The girls form an alliance when a specter from Margot's past emerges within the house, compelling her to share her reasons for selecting this place for her education. This ghostly figure is Levi, Eliza's boyfriend and the last person to have seen her alive.
As the narrative alternates between timelines, it is revealed that both Levi and Lucy are no longer present. The mystery unfolds: Could Lucy have a role in Levi's demise?
Despite the book's gradual pace, the riveting and concise chapters maintain an engaging rhythm that sustains reader interest. The final shocking revelations are undeniably jaw-dropping, although some may appear coincidental or stretched. Nevertheless, the majority of these plot twists are ingeniously crafted and executed.
The eerie atmosphere and the gradual intensification of tension contribute to a sustained sense of intrigue, even though some of the characters may not be particularly likable. However, the whirlwind plot, well-timed revelations, and the carefully constructed story structure are expertly written.
As always, I thoroughly enjoyed immersing myself in this captivating read. My gratitude extends to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for generously providing me with a digital review copy of this utterly compelling book in exchange for my honest evaluation.
Follow me on medium.com to read my articles about books, movies, streaming series, astrology:
medium blog
twitter<
August 11, 2023
I definitely considered myself lucky to receive an advanced copy of this book to read! I have loved and rated both of Willingham’s previous novels five stars (and if you haven’t read them yet, please do yourself a favor and read them). However, I found this newest release to be a bit different from the previous two novels, a bit of a slow burn, and not very fast-paced. I also found it to be geared towards a younger audience, and that may be only because it dealt with a college setting.
Our main character of this story is Margot. Margot is still mourning the death of her best friend Eliza, that happened three weeks after high school graduation. Margot is currently in her first year of college in an all girls dormitory when she is singled out by the mysterious and striking Lucy Sharpe. Margot cannot believe her luck when she is asked to move into a house with Lucy and her friends for the upcoming sophomore year.
The house that Margot moves into is owned by the fraternity brothers next door. Margot finally feels a sense of belonging and friendship with her new roommates in Lucy, Sloane, and Nicole. As their friendships develop and grow stronger, she tells them about her past friendship with Eliza and how she passed away. Margot also becomes frightened and concerned when Eliza’s previous neighbor, Levi moves in next door to the fraternity house to be pledged in.
There’s lots of games, truth telling, and accusations throughout this story. There’s also lots of references to Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde, which makes sense because in reality we have a bunch of harmless, naive girls who are capable of both good and evil.
This is a good character study about belonging, and wanting to fit in- along with slow burn suspense. Although this wasn’t my favorite by Willingham, it’s only because it’s totally different from her first two books (and in my opinion, she set the bar too high). I don’t want to say too much more without giving the whole book away, but if you’ve loved Willingham in the past, give this book a try! As always, I will be waiting for her next book to come out!!
Many thanks to NetGalley, St, Martin’s Press/Minotaur Books, and the author for an ARC of this book which I had the pleasure of reading. All opinions are my own. Publication date: January 16, 2024.
Genre~ Mystery & Thrillers, General Fiction (Adult).
Our main character of this story is Margot. Margot is still mourning the death of her best friend Eliza, that happened three weeks after high school graduation. Margot is currently in her first year of college in an all girls dormitory when she is singled out by the mysterious and striking Lucy Sharpe. Margot cannot believe her luck when she is asked to move into a house with Lucy and her friends for the upcoming sophomore year.
The house that Margot moves into is owned by the fraternity brothers next door. Margot finally feels a sense of belonging and friendship with her new roommates in Lucy, Sloane, and Nicole. As their friendships develop and grow stronger, she tells them about her past friendship with Eliza and how she passed away. Margot also becomes frightened and concerned when Eliza’s previous neighbor, Levi moves in next door to the fraternity house to be pledged in.
There’s lots of games, truth telling, and accusations throughout this story. There’s also lots of references to Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde, which makes sense because in reality we have a bunch of harmless, naive girls who are capable of both good and evil.
This is a good character study about belonging, and wanting to fit in- along with slow burn suspense. Although this wasn’t my favorite by Willingham, it’s only because it’s totally different from her first two books (and in my opinion, she set the bar too high). I don’t want to say too much more without giving the whole book away, but if you’ve loved Willingham in the past, give this book a try! As always, I will be waiting for her next book to come out!!
Many thanks to NetGalley, St, Martin’s Press/Minotaur Books, and the author for an ARC of this book which I had the pleasure of reading. All opinions are my own. Publication date: January 16, 2024.
Genre~ Mystery & Thrillers, General Fiction (Adult).
July 18, 2023
ONLY IF YOU'RE LUCKY is a dark and chilling look into female friendships, the lies we tell, the secrets we keep and how much we can ever know those closest to us. Hypnotic and haunting with lifelike characters and mind blowing twists that fall perfectly into place, Willingham's latest is a masterpiece.
December 23, 2023
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.
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.
January 17, 2024
Margot is entering her freshman year of college in a daze. After all, it’s only been a handful of weeks since the death of her best friend, Eliza. Quickly settling into a routine of sorts with her safe but boring roommate, Maggie, Margot can’t help but acknowledge her undeniable state of depression. At the same time, however, she can’t keep her eyes from sliding to the near hypnotic girl on her hall named Lucy Sharpe. Margot’s not the only one who is drawn to the self-possessed young woman. No matter what she does or who she’s with, Lucy seems to claim everyone’s attention.
So when, at the end of the school year, the alluring free-spirit walks into Margot’s dorm room, it’s nothing if not a surprise. Lucy’s proposal is even more astonishing. Would Margot want to take the spare room left open in her off-campus house? Despite her shock and the tentative plans with Maggie for her sophomore year, however, she can’t pass up the opportunity. Finally she just might get a do-over with a potential new friend. So without a second thought, Margot says yes.
Just a week later, she finds herself rooming with the threesome Margot’s been watching from afar all year long. Lucy—the one always leading the charge. Nicole—the girl who always seems to have a kind word to spare. And Sloane—the snarky, intelligent one of the bunch. With them, Margot starts to reawaken, finally living instead of just treading water.
As the summer rolls by and Margot and Lucy become closer than close, it seems the world is finally at her feet. But as suddenly as Margot’s life turned into every college girl’s fantasy, one of the boys from the fraternity house next door ends up dead. Even worse, Lucy seems to face vanished into thin air. Suddenly, the perfect house that she’s been living in all year is invaded by the police and their thinly veiled accusations. How did the perfect year go so bad, so quickly? Was his death an accident—or something more sinister? And where on earth is Lucy?
Jeez Louise, Only If You’re Lucky was one phenomenal book. An alluring tale of deep friendship, startling secrets, and uncomfortable motives, I was drawn in from the very first page. Throughout the long, slow burn of ever escalating suspense and foreboding, I felt tied to the characters and the very real setting. So real, in fact, that it was as if it was just one more persona that came alive on the page.
Like I said, the plot was anything but fast-paced. At the same time, however, its steady unwinding felt purposeful and deliberate in all of its character-driven glory. Along with the thinly veiled doubts that were hinted at here and there, small clues were scattered about that had me questioning each individual and their part in the story. Add in the climax that took me completely by surprise, and my respect for Ms. Willingham’s talent was a foregone conclusion.
As I said, the characters were where this book utterly shined, however. Thorough and believable but also requiring just a touch of suspension of disbelief, I connected with them right off the bat. Unsurprisingly, I was rooting for our narrator, Margot, most of all. Fully fleshed out and complete with awe-inspiring character development, her story was utterly spellbinding. Don’t get me wrong, I loved Lucy nearly as much. Much like an enigma, she was deliciously hard to pin down.
The one piece that rankled just a bit was the very end of the book. Somewhat rushed, in my opinion, it could have been explored a bit more, which would’ve provided a more wrapped up feel to the finale. Given everything that had happened, after all, there were still plenty of potential disasters left to the imagination. But then, I’m also the kind of reader who loves neat, tiny, little bows for a conclusion, so take my thoughts with a rather large grain of salt.
All in all, the first book that I’ve read by Willingham, I’m now determined to move her backlist to the top of my TBR. Dark and chilling but also filled with lessons about how little we may know those around us, this intricate storyline had me in knots. After all, it was a masterpiece to be sure, with perfectly timed clues that lead to one lightbulb moment after another. Plus, who can say no to tale of dark academia. Not I, that’s for sure. So despite the rather mixed reviews, I was won over hook, line, and sinker. Now the only question that remains is which Willingham novel I should try next… Any suggestions? Rating of 5 stars.
Thank you to Stacy Willingham, St. Martin’s Press, and NetGalley for my complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.
PUB DATE: January 16, 2024
Scroll down for my potentially plot spoiling trigger list.
Trigger warning: drug and alcohol use, hazing, death of a best friend, mention of: infidelity, rape
So when, at the end of the school year, the alluring free-spirit walks into Margot’s dorm room, it’s nothing if not a surprise. Lucy’s proposal is even more astonishing. Would Margot want to take the spare room left open in her off-campus house? Despite her shock and the tentative plans with Maggie for her sophomore year, however, she can’t pass up the opportunity. Finally she just might get a do-over with a potential new friend. So without a second thought, Margot says yes.
Just a week later, she finds herself rooming with the threesome Margot’s been watching from afar all year long. Lucy—the one always leading the charge. Nicole—the girl who always seems to have a kind word to spare. And Sloane—the snarky, intelligent one of the bunch. With them, Margot starts to reawaken, finally living instead of just treading water.
As the summer rolls by and Margot and Lucy become closer than close, it seems the world is finally at her feet. But as suddenly as Margot’s life turned into every college girl’s fantasy, one of the boys from the fraternity house next door ends up dead. Even worse, Lucy seems to face vanished into thin air. Suddenly, the perfect house that she’s been living in all year is invaded by the police and their thinly veiled accusations. How did the perfect year go so bad, so quickly? Was his death an accident—or something more sinister? And where on earth is Lucy?
Jeez Louise, Only If You’re Lucky was one phenomenal book. An alluring tale of deep friendship, startling secrets, and uncomfortable motives, I was drawn in from the very first page. Throughout the long, slow burn of ever escalating suspense and foreboding, I felt tied to the characters and the very real setting. So real, in fact, that it was as if it was just one more persona that came alive on the page.
Like I said, the plot was anything but fast-paced. At the same time, however, its steady unwinding felt purposeful and deliberate in all of its character-driven glory. Along with the thinly veiled doubts that were hinted at here and there, small clues were scattered about that had me questioning each individual and their part in the story. Add in the climax that took me completely by surprise, and my respect for Ms. Willingham’s talent was a foregone conclusion.
As I said, the characters were where this book utterly shined, however. Thorough and believable but also requiring just a touch of suspension of disbelief, I connected with them right off the bat. Unsurprisingly, I was rooting for our narrator, Margot, most of all. Fully fleshed out and complete with awe-inspiring character development, her story was utterly spellbinding. Don’t get me wrong, I loved Lucy nearly as much. Much like an enigma, she was deliciously hard to pin down.
The one piece that rankled just a bit was the very end of the book. Somewhat rushed, in my opinion, it could have been explored a bit more, which would’ve provided a more wrapped up feel to the finale. Given everything that had happened, after all, there were still plenty of potential disasters left to the imagination. But then, I’m also the kind of reader who loves neat, tiny, little bows for a conclusion, so take my thoughts with a rather large grain of salt.
All in all, the first book that I’ve read by Willingham, I’m now determined to move her backlist to the top of my TBR. Dark and chilling but also filled with lessons about how little we may know those around us, this intricate storyline had me in knots. After all, it was a masterpiece to be sure, with perfectly timed clues that lead to one lightbulb moment after another. Plus, who can say no to tale of dark academia. Not I, that’s for sure. So despite the rather mixed reviews, I was won over hook, line, and sinker. Now the only question that remains is which Willingham novel I should try next… Any suggestions? Rating of 5 stars.
Thank you to Stacy Willingham, St. Martin’s Press, and NetGalley for my complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.
PUB DATE: January 16, 2024
Scroll down for my potentially plot spoiling trigger list.
Trigger warning: drug and alcohol use, hazing, death of a best friend, mention of: infidelity, rape
January 8, 2024
this was a fun binge! teetering between 3.5-4 stars. it was much different A FLICKER IN THE DARK or ALL THE DANGEROUS THINGS, but i still enjoyed it and recommend it as a 2024 read.
this book is very different from her other two—it almost felt like a different author at times! i would recommend readers go in expecting more of a drama and mystery vs a thriller (which her past 2 very much were). there’s not as much “action” in this book and it’s more character building and drama that causes the suspense.
one of my fave thriller tropes is dark academia and this one had that. it followed young college kids and almost felt a bit YA when comparing to IN MY DREAMS I HOLD A KNIFE w the similar storyline and trope. these characters were much younger (basically fresh out of HS) and definitely trying to find themselves and their “clique.” it brought me back to a lot of my similar college memories in that sense for SURE 😅
my second fave thing about this book were the twists—i didn’t see either coming at all and as a thriller obsessed reader, that’s low key hard to say so that gets a big W from me.
after reflecting more, reason this wasn’t a 5-star star book was bc of the characters and pacing/length of time it took to get to the twists. most of the characters are unlikeable and i felt it hard to really root for someone. there are also a lot of them, so there’s a lot to remember and keep track of personality wise.
Willingham will continue to be an auto-buy author for me! this was an easy and enjoyable binge.
thanks to Minotaur for the gifted ARC. this hits bookshelves on 1/16/24!
this book is very different from her other two—it almost felt like a different author at times! i would recommend readers go in expecting more of a drama and mystery vs a thriller (which her past 2 very much were). there’s not as much “action” in this book and it’s more character building and drama that causes the suspense.
one of my fave thriller tropes is dark academia and this one had that. it followed young college kids and almost felt a bit YA when comparing to IN MY DREAMS I HOLD A KNIFE w the similar storyline and trope. these characters were much younger (basically fresh out of HS) and definitely trying to find themselves and their “clique.” it brought me back to a lot of my similar college memories in that sense for SURE 😅
my second fave thing about this book were the twists—i didn’t see either coming at all and as a thriller obsessed reader, that’s low key hard to say so that gets a big W from me.
after reflecting more, reason this wasn’t a 5-star star book was bc of the characters and pacing/length of time it took to get to the twists. most of the characters are unlikeable and i felt it hard to really root for someone. there are also a lot of them, so there’s a lot to remember and keep track of personality wise.
Willingham will continue to be an auto-buy author for me! this was an easy and enjoyable binge.
thanks to Minotaur for the gifted ARC. this hits bookshelves on 1/16/24!
January 13, 2024
**Many thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press-Minotaur, and Stacy Willingham for an ARC of this book!**
Have you ever seen the cult-classic film Clue?
(Yes, the film inspired by the board game, with the likes of Tim Curry, Martin Mull, Lesley Ann Warren, AND Madeline Kahn in it. If you haven't seen it...make it a weekend goal...you WON'T be sorry! But I digress. 😉)
The film actually has not one, not two, but THREE potential endings, wherein the mystery of whodunit is explained in detail by the butler, Wadsworth. He has figured out the murderer (or murderers!) in each scenario and tells the group in detail how, where, and when each murder was committed.
But one of the lines the group YELLS at the butler in each one of these endings UNFORTUNATELY popped into MY head when I was at about EIGHTY PERCENT of the way through this book...
"JUST GET ON WITH IT!" 😩
Margot has that same buzz of excitement that every young adult has when entering college...and she's equally relieved to leave her high school life behind. Her closest friend Eliza died tragically a short time after graduation and Margot hasn't even begun to chip away at the complex trauma brought on by the event and everything that came before it...including Eliza's entanglement with some less-than-savory characters. But in an attempt to move on, Margot approaches college with fresh hope and settles into her first year at school with a nice albeit boring roommate.
That's all well and good -- until one day, she's approached by the enigmatic and intoxicating Lucy, a beautiful student who is the center of every crowd, with a reputation for danger. Lucy makes Margot an offer she can't refuse: she can come live with Lucy in an off-campus house with two other girls, the sassy Sloane and doormat Nicole, and have easy access to the exciting life she could only have imagined before. Eager to break out of her shell, Margot accepts the invitation and gets swept into a life of late nights, partying, drugs, and dangerous games of Spin the Bottle...not to mention entanglements with the Frat Boys Next Door.
But when a familiar face from her past reemerges, Margot realizes that the man she holds responsible for Eliza's death is within reach...and this might be her only chance to make things right. And when Lucy asks the group one night during one of her trademark games, "If you knew you could get away with murder, would you do it?"....is her question simply rhetorical? Or does Lucy's dark streak extend farther than her trio of soul sisters knows? And when she says she would do anything for her friends...does she truly MEAN...anything?
If there's one thing I NEVER expected from Stacy Willingham after being BLOWN AWAY by her first two books and the creativity, the artful prose, and the veritable HURRICANE of twists and turns in her plots...it was THIS kind of run-of-the-mill book. This one falls neatly into a category that has over-saturated the thriller space lately: the Terrible Teen and her Trio of Friends Trope. Granted, these characters are in their early twenties...but sad to say, this book reads ENTIRELY like YA. In some respects, this may have been hard to avoid, given the location and subject matter...but although I hate to say it, these are Willingham's least compelling characters to date. Although magnetic Lucy was intriguing at the start, by about 25% in, her character became as one-dimensional as the rest of them, and I became less and less interested in her backstory as the novel wore on.
And speaking of backstory...while Willingham normally balances two timelines with efficiency as well as intrigue...I found myself not really caring AT ALL what happened to Eliza in the past, despite the mysterious circumstances of her death. Each journey into the past felt like a snooze, and hardly more interesting than what was going on at the college...and trust me, after a few recounting of drug and vomit filled evenings, THAT picture was plenty clear too. I've just read too many books that are like this, and frankly, it's not the kind of experience I need recounted. The good characters were painted as overly good, the bad as overly bad, and when even the 'good' characters aren't particularly likable? You're in a for a LONG ride.
Speaking of long rides, though I somehow finished this book in 3 days, I think was due to sheer force of will and a desire to get THROUGH it rather than the experience I had with her previous books, where I couldn't flip the pages fast enough. The biggest reason for this struggle? Pacing. When I said earlier that at EIGHTY PERCENT I was STILL waiting for the majority of the big reveal...this is no exaggeration. Slow burns are often problematic for me in and of themselves because I tend to be a fan of breakneck twists and turns, quick chapters, and mile-a-minute twists rather than the alternative...and coming from Stacy, who KNOWS how to write a sharp and speedy book...this felt especially tortured. The amount of times I rolled my eyes in this book just out of sheer impatience made me want to throw in the towel more than once...but I was ACHING for the compelling ending I hoped would come once all was revealed. And the final twists ARE decent, and brought my rating up slightly...but in all honesty, as much as it pains me to say this...it felt like too little, too late.
There are so few voices in the genre who have emerged in the last few years with a voice that feels unique, fresh, and new with the writing chops to back it up, and I still consider Stacy Willingham to be one of these talents. In her author's note, Stacy reveals that she drew a LOT of inspiration for writing this book (aside from the murders, thankfully) from her time at the University of Georgia and some of the associated places there. It often seems like when an author writes a book inspired by life or something they felt they needed to say, it can go one of two ways: the work can stand out as one of their best and most authentic...or the departure from their 'usual' work can seem like a spur of the moment trip from the airport where you picked a destination at random...and rather than ending up in Vegas, you ended up in Boise.
But when it came to this particular gamble, however...I think Willingham would have been better off not leaving ANYTHING to chance.🎲 🎰
3.5 stars
Have you ever seen the cult-classic film Clue?
(Yes, the film inspired by the board game, with the likes of Tim Curry, Martin Mull, Lesley Ann Warren, AND Madeline Kahn in it. If you haven't seen it...make it a weekend goal...you WON'T be sorry! But I digress. 😉)
The film actually has not one, not two, but THREE potential endings, wherein the mystery of whodunit is explained in detail by the butler, Wadsworth. He has figured out the murderer (or murderers!) in each scenario and tells the group in detail how, where, and when each murder was committed.
But one of the lines the group YELLS at the butler in each one of these endings UNFORTUNATELY popped into MY head when I was at about EIGHTY PERCENT of the way through this book...
"JUST GET ON WITH IT!" 😩
Margot has that same buzz of excitement that every young adult has when entering college...and she's equally relieved to leave her high school life behind. Her closest friend Eliza died tragically a short time after graduation and Margot hasn't even begun to chip away at the complex trauma brought on by the event and everything that came before it...including Eliza's entanglement with some less-than-savory characters. But in an attempt to move on, Margot approaches college with fresh hope and settles into her first year at school with a nice albeit boring roommate.
That's all well and good -- until one day, she's approached by the enigmatic and intoxicating Lucy, a beautiful student who is the center of every crowd, with a reputation for danger. Lucy makes Margot an offer she can't refuse: she can come live with Lucy in an off-campus house with two other girls, the sassy Sloane and doormat Nicole, and have easy access to the exciting life she could only have imagined before. Eager to break out of her shell, Margot accepts the invitation and gets swept into a life of late nights, partying, drugs, and dangerous games of Spin the Bottle...not to mention entanglements with the Frat Boys Next Door.
But when a familiar face from her past reemerges, Margot realizes that the man she holds responsible for Eliza's death is within reach...and this might be her only chance to make things right. And when Lucy asks the group one night during one of her trademark games, "If you knew you could get away with murder, would you do it?"....is her question simply rhetorical? Or does Lucy's dark streak extend farther than her trio of soul sisters knows? And when she says she would do anything for her friends...does she truly MEAN...anything?
If there's one thing I NEVER expected from Stacy Willingham after being BLOWN AWAY by her first two books and the creativity, the artful prose, and the veritable HURRICANE of twists and turns in her plots...it was THIS kind of run-of-the-mill book. This one falls neatly into a category that has over-saturated the thriller space lately: the Terrible Teen and her Trio of Friends Trope. Granted, these characters are in their early twenties...but sad to say, this book reads ENTIRELY like YA. In some respects, this may have been hard to avoid, given the location and subject matter...but although I hate to say it, these are Willingham's least compelling characters to date. Although magnetic Lucy was intriguing at the start, by about 25% in, her character became as one-dimensional as the rest of them, and I became less and less interested in her backstory as the novel wore on.
And speaking of backstory...while Willingham normally balances two timelines with efficiency as well as intrigue...I found myself not really caring AT ALL what happened to Eliza in the past, despite the mysterious circumstances of her death. Each journey into the past felt like a snooze, and hardly more interesting than what was going on at the college...and trust me, after a few recounting of drug and vomit filled evenings, THAT picture was plenty clear too. I've just read too many books that are like this, and frankly, it's not the kind of experience I need recounted. The good characters were painted as overly good, the bad as overly bad, and when even the 'good' characters aren't particularly likable? You're in a for a LONG ride.
Speaking of long rides, though I somehow finished this book in 3 days, I think was due to sheer force of will and a desire to get THROUGH it rather than the experience I had with her previous books, where I couldn't flip the pages fast enough. The biggest reason for this struggle? Pacing. When I said earlier that at EIGHTY PERCENT I was STILL waiting for the majority of the big reveal...this is no exaggeration. Slow burns are often problematic for me in and of themselves because I tend to be a fan of breakneck twists and turns, quick chapters, and mile-a-minute twists rather than the alternative...and coming from Stacy, who KNOWS how to write a sharp and speedy book...this felt especially tortured. The amount of times I rolled my eyes in this book just out of sheer impatience made me want to throw in the towel more than once...but I was ACHING for the compelling ending I hoped would come once all was revealed. And the final twists ARE decent, and brought my rating up slightly...but in all honesty, as much as it pains me to say this...it felt like too little, too late.
There are so few voices in the genre who have emerged in the last few years with a voice that feels unique, fresh, and new with the writing chops to back it up, and I still consider Stacy Willingham to be one of these talents. In her author's note, Stacy reveals that she drew a LOT of inspiration for writing this book (aside from the murders, thankfully) from her time at the University of Georgia and some of the associated places there. It often seems like when an author writes a book inspired by life or something they felt they needed to say, it can go one of two ways: the work can stand out as one of their best and most authentic...or the departure from their 'usual' work can seem like a spur of the moment trip from the airport where you picked a destination at random...and rather than ending up in Vegas, you ended up in Boise.
But when it came to this particular gamble, however...I think Willingham would have been better off not leaving ANYTHING to chance.🎲 🎰
3.5 stars
September 4, 2023
Many people might disagree with me, but I liked the ending of this one: not every loose end was tied....
Was justice done? There might be a heated debate on this issue, and both sides would score points, I'm sure. What mattered to me is that I cared about most of the cast of characters in this story (unlike a recent so called mystery/thriller that had me fogging up my Kindle screen with sighs of boredom).
Margot was Eliza's devoted sidekick, her "silent shadow," BFF for life, etc., etc., But then Levi moves next door and Eliza bails and abandons the Friend Ship for ROMANCE! Margot is distraught, hurt, jealous..... and yes, LIVID. One night, at a drunken party, Eliza falls to her death, and Margot is left bereft, regretting her stiff-backed pride, and all those angry words....
Eliza and Margot had planned to attend Rutledge College together. Margot's first year at Rutledge is dismal, to say the least, haunted as she is by grief for what SHOULD have been.
But along comes the loud, charismatic Lucy who - for some inexplicable reason - zeroes in on Eliza's former "shadow" and convinces Margot to move out of the college dorms and share a frat house rental unit with two other female students.
There were several fairly loathsome fraternity house heads who enjoyed torturing the frosh members, but one of them went too far, one too many times. Well, suffice it to say that the body count started to climb as this slow-paced, intricate story progressed.
No spoilers intended here, but this mystery leaves you guessing right up until the last few chapters. I did not want to put this book down, it was that riveting. Well done!
I have so much more that I WANT to say about this story, but I think you should experience this very well written thriller and enjoy the journey with no advance warning, just as I did. It dragged a bit in some places, but it was still a thoroughly good read: 5 out of 5 stars!
My thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.
Was justice done? There might be a heated debate on this issue, and both sides would score points, I'm sure. What mattered to me is that I cared about most of the cast of characters in this story (unlike a recent so called mystery/thriller that had me fogging up my Kindle screen with sighs of boredom).
Margot was Eliza's devoted sidekick, her "silent shadow," BFF for life, etc., etc., But then Levi moves next door and Eliza bails and abandons the Friend Ship for ROMANCE! Margot is distraught, hurt, jealous..... and yes, LIVID. One night, at a drunken party, Eliza falls to her death, and Margot is left bereft, regretting her stiff-backed pride, and all those angry words....
Eliza and Margot had planned to attend Rutledge College together. Margot's first year at Rutledge is dismal, to say the least, haunted as she is by grief for what SHOULD have been.
But along comes the loud, charismatic Lucy who - for some inexplicable reason - zeroes in on Eliza's former "shadow" and convinces Margot to move out of the college dorms and share a frat house rental unit with two other female students.
There were several fairly loathsome fraternity house heads who enjoyed torturing the frosh members, but one of them went too far, one too many times. Well, suffice it to say that the body count started to climb as this slow-paced, intricate story progressed.
No spoilers intended here, but this mystery leaves you guessing right up until the last few chapters. I did not want to put this book down, it was that riveting. Well done!
I have so much more that I WANT to say about this story, but I think you should experience this very well written thriller and enjoy the journey with no advance warning, just as I did. It dragged a bit in some places, but it was still a thoroughly good read: 5 out of 5 stars!
My thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.
January 17, 2024
3.5 rounded up
“Lucy in the sky with diamonds”
Is it true that the friends you make in college are for life? Margot thinks so, as these friends at Rutledge College South Carolina, will do literally anything for each other. Detective Frank questions them about the last time they saw their roommate Lucy Sharpe. They claim it’s three days ago and that her being MIA is nothing unusual. Truth or lies? They are told that Lucy is a person of interest in the murder of fellow student Levi Butler but did they know that already? Part of the storyline pursues the truth about the murder of Levi and the other part examines Before, when Margot arrives at Rutledge. In the latter we get insights into the ring leader Lucy and her magnetic personality as she draws people into her orbit, especially Margot, who is shy and rarely the centre of attention. Lucy brings Margot out of her shell and now they are the best of friends. The other members of the quartet are Sloane, the sarcastic one, and Nicole, the one who everyone likes. Now, that friendship is being well and truly tested with the murder and the vanishing, but the key question is (taking a leaf out of the students obsession with Spin the Bottle for Truth or Dare) if you thought you could get away with murder, would you? Margot narrates this tale.
This is not so much comedy of errors but more a case of Jekyll and Hyde which the author uses well in order to decide if Lucy is a diamond or otherwise. She lies absolutely at the heart of this and for a long time I puzzle over why enigmatic Lucy is even interested in Margot and why she is central to the storyline but then the light dawns. When we first meet her Margot she’s not especially interesting, in fact, I’d go so far as to say she’s dull, she’s vanilla, she’s malleable and she seems to drone on, especially about her friend Eliza from childhood. Lucy is the exciting one and Margot is flat. However if you can get past the slow start and irritation with Margot, it becomes a fascinating and compelling story of obsession and obsessive behaviour, of toxic friendships and equally toxic relationships, there’s also guilt, rejection and resentment in the mix, leading to some disastrous consequences.
For long time very little happens and it feels like a YA novel with student shenanigans thrown into the storyline but it does have sinister undertones and building suspicions as the author lulls you into a full sense of security. I realise that much of what we learn initially is nothing more than an optical illusion as the storytelling becomes increasingly suspenseful with some chapters ending on good cliffhangers. I also appreciate that I’ve missed so many clues as everything starts to click into place and connect. The last part of the of the novel contains multiple twists and a couple are so good that my jaw drops.
Finally, one thing I can say with certainty is that Stacey Willingham writes beautifully and you just have to be patient with this one as I think it’s very clever.
With thanks to NetGalley and especially to HarperCollins, Harper Fiction for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.
“Lucy in the sky with diamonds”
Is it true that the friends you make in college are for life? Margot thinks so, as these friends at Rutledge College South Carolina, will do literally anything for each other. Detective Frank questions them about the last time they saw their roommate Lucy Sharpe. They claim it’s three days ago and that her being MIA is nothing unusual. Truth or lies? They are told that Lucy is a person of interest in the murder of fellow student Levi Butler but did they know that already? Part of the storyline pursues the truth about the murder of Levi and the other part examines Before, when Margot arrives at Rutledge. In the latter we get insights into the ring leader Lucy and her magnetic personality as she draws people into her orbit, especially Margot, who is shy and rarely the centre of attention. Lucy brings Margot out of her shell and now they are the best of friends. The other members of the quartet are Sloane, the sarcastic one, and Nicole, the one who everyone likes. Now, that friendship is being well and truly tested with the murder and the vanishing, but the key question is (taking a leaf out of the students obsession with Spin the Bottle for Truth or Dare) if you thought you could get away with murder, would you? Margot narrates this tale.
This is not so much comedy of errors but more a case of Jekyll and Hyde which the author uses well in order to decide if Lucy is a diamond or otherwise. She lies absolutely at the heart of this and for a long time I puzzle over why enigmatic Lucy is even interested in Margot and why she is central to the storyline but then the light dawns. When we first meet her Margot she’s not especially interesting, in fact, I’d go so far as to say she’s dull, she’s vanilla, she’s malleable and she seems to drone on, especially about her friend Eliza from childhood. Lucy is the exciting one and Margot is flat. However if you can get past the slow start and irritation with Margot, it becomes a fascinating and compelling story of obsession and obsessive behaviour, of toxic friendships and equally toxic relationships, there’s also guilt, rejection and resentment in the mix, leading to some disastrous consequences.
For long time very little happens and it feels like a YA novel with student shenanigans thrown into the storyline but it does have sinister undertones and building suspicions as the author lulls you into a full sense of security. I realise that much of what we learn initially is nothing more than an optical illusion as the storytelling becomes increasingly suspenseful with some chapters ending on good cliffhangers. I also appreciate that I’ve missed so many clues as everything starts to click into place and connect. The last part of the of the novel contains multiple twists and a couple are so good that my jaw drops.
Finally, one thing I can say with certainty is that Stacey Willingham writes beautifully and you just have to be patient with this one as I think it’s very clever.
With thanks to NetGalley and especially to HarperCollins, Harper Fiction for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.
January 7, 2024
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.***
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.***
January 20, 2024
Only If You're Lucky is a slow burn and I know it won't necessarily be for every Reader. For me, though, there is no denying the rich-quality of Willingham's writing.
She pulled this one off in the end, big time. It took me a minute to settle into the story, not gonna lie, but once I did I was swept up into the drama like a nosy neighbor.
In this story we follow Margot, who is a Freshman at a small Liberal Arts college in South Carolina.
It was Margot's dream to attend this particular college with her childhood best friend, Eliza. Unfortunately, Eliza's life was taken in a tragic accident just prior to that dream becoming a reality.
Freshman year, Margot is obviously still coming to grips with the loss of her best friend. She feels like a ship without a port and therefore, plays it very safe. She befriends her new roommate and they barely ever leave the dorm.
At the end of the year though, she gets approached by a girl she's been watching from afar all year, Lucy Sharpe. Lucy is magnetic, bold and popular and for some reason, she wants Margot as a friend.
Lucy offers Margot the chance to move in with her and two other girls in an off-campus house. Unable to refuse a golden opportunity, the chance for a new life, a fresh start and a position amongst the it-girls, Margot accepts, thus changing her fate forever.
As Margot is folded into this new group of girls, she begins to think that perhaps Lucy isn't quite who she thinks she is.
The other two girls, Nicole and Sloane, seem a bit hesitant to discuss Lucy behind her back. Are they just loyal friends, or is there more to it than that?
By the end of Sophomore year, these girls are completely embedded in one another's lives, rarely apart. Then a boy from the fraternity house next door ends up dead and Lucy goes missing without a trace. Circumstances have shifted.
As the police dig into an investigation, it's clear Margot, Nicole and Sloane know more than they're letting on. Are they helping Lucy, or do they really not know where she is? You'll have to hang in until the very end to find out.
As mentioned before, this is a slow burn. You have to be patient as Willingham sets the stage, introduces our characters and fills in some of Margot's backstory.
As the relationship with Margot and her new friends begins, that's when things start to pick up. It's hard to get a read initially on the other girls and you wonder just what exactly Margot is getting herself into.
I did really grow to care for Margot and the other girls over the course of the story. A lot of the things they were doing and going through, I could relate to and through Willingham's writing, it really took me back to that time in my own life, when I met my best friend, Nichole.
Once I was hooked into the characters, I started to fly through this and I loved how the different aspects of the narrative tied together in the second half.
I think some may be disappointed by this because while it's pitched as Adult, I would actually classify it as New Adult. Some Readers are going to pick this up and find that the storyline reads a little young for them, and I get that.
I read a ton of YA stories, personally, and love them; particularly YA Mystery/Thrillers. While I was a little surprised initially, I still feel like this is a strong story. In fact, I think this would be a great transitional book for Readers moving from the YA to Adult category.
Also, I know the synopsis states they're in college, but I rarely read the full synopsis for a Mystery/Thriller, and I think the same can be said for a lot of Readers.
You don't want to spoil yourself, so if you see a favorite authors' name on the cover, you just give it a go. These are the people I think are going to be the most surprised.
If you go into this with the right mindset though, knowing this is a story involving young women in the early stages of college, going through all the things young women in college go through, you could really enjoy it.
I did have the pleasure of listening to the audiobook and absolutely recommend that format. It's narrated by one of the best narrators of all time, Karissa Vacker, and per usual, she brought life to this story.
Overall, I think this was a bit of a change for Stacy Willingham. Her earlier stories have been well and proper in the Adult category. It's nice to see her stretch her legs a bit and I feel she was successful in this story.
It's well-constructed and contains a full cast of nicely-fleshed out characters.
Thank you so much to the publisher, Macmillan Audio, for providing me a copy to read and review. Willingham is a must read for me. I will continue to pick up all her work!
Only If You're Lucky is available now!!!
She pulled this one off in the end, big time. It took me a minute to settle into the story, not gonna lie, but once I did I was swept up into the drama like a nosy neighbor.
In this story we follow Margot, who is a Freshman at a small Liberal Arts college in South Carolina.
It was Margot's dream to attend this particular college with her childhood best friend, Eliza. Unfortunately, Eliza's life was taken in a tragic accident just prior to that dream becoming a reality.
Freshman year, Margot is obviously still coming to grips with the loss of her best friend. She feels like a ship without a port and therefore, plays it very safe. She befriends her new roommate and they barely ever leave the dorm.
At the end of the year though, she gets approached by a girl she's been watching from afar all year, Lucy Sharpe. Lucy is magnetic, bold and popular and for some reason, she wants Margot as a friend.
Lucy offers Margot the chance to move in with her and two other girls in an off-campus house. Unable to refuse a golden opportunity, the chance for a new life, a fresh start and a position amongst the it-girls, Margot accepts, thus changing her fate forever.
As Margot is folded into this new group of girls, she begins to think that perhaps Lucy isn't quite who she thinks she is.
The other two girls, Nicole and Sloane, seem a bit hesitant to discuss Lucy behind her back. Are they just loyal friends, or is there more to it than that?
By the end of Sophomore year, these girls are completely embedded in one another's lives, rarely apart. Then a boy from the fraternity house next door ends up dead and Lucy goes missing without a trace. Circumstances have shifted.
As the police dig into an investigation, it's clear Margot, Nicole and Sloane know more than they're letting on. Are they helping Lucy, or do they really not know where she is? You'll have to hang in until the very end to find out.
As mentioned before, this is a slow burn. You have to be patient as Willingham sets the stage, introduces our characters and fills in some of Margot's backstory.
As the relationship with Margot and her new friends begins, that's when things start to pick up. It's hard to get a read initially on the other girls and you wonder just what exactly Margot is getting herself into.
I did really grow to care for Margot and the other girls over the course of the story. A lot of the things they were doing and going through, I could relate to and through Willingham's writing, it really took me back to that time in my own life, when I met my best friend, Nichole.
Once I was hooked into the characters, I started to fly through this and I loved how the different aspects of the narrative tied together in the second half.
I think some may be disappointed by this because while it's pitched as Adult, I would actually classify it as New Adult. Some Readers are going to pick this up and find that the storyline reads a little young for them, and I get that.
I read a ton of YA stories, personally, and love them; particularly YA Mystery/Thrillers. While I was a little surprised initially, I still feel like this is a strong story. In fact, I think this would be a great transitional book for Readers moving from the YA to Adult category.
Also, I know the synopsis states they're in college, but I rarely read the full synopsis for a Mystery/Thriller, and I think the same can be said for a lot of Readers.
You don't want to spoil yourself, so if you see a favorite authors' name on the cover, you just give it a go. These are the people I think are going to be the most surprised.
If you go into this with the right mindset though, knowing this is a story involving young women in the early stages of college, going through all the things young women in college go through, you could really enjoy it.
I did have the pleasure of listening to the audiobook and absolutely recommend that format. It's narrated by one of the best narrators of all time, Karissa Vacker, and per usual, she brought life to this story.
Overall, I think this was a bit of a change for Stacy Willingham. Her earlier stories have been well and proper in the Adult category. It's nice to see her stretch her legs a bit and I feel she was successful in this story.
It's well-constructed and contains a full cast of nicely-fleshed out characters.
Thank you so much to the publisher, Macmillan Audio, for providing me a copy to read and review. Willingham is a must read for me. I will continue to pick up all her work!
Only If You're Lucky is available now!!!
October 3, 2023
Only If You’re Lucky is centered around Margot who is a student at a liberal arts college. Soon after Margot graduated from High School she lost her best friend Eliza in a tragic accident. Margot spends the majority of her first year in college mourning the loss but at the end of the year, she meets Lucy.
Lucy is a stark reminder of Eliza and the exact opposite of Margot. Lucy is very outgoing whereas Margot is more of a quiet introvert. Soon after meeting Lucy, Margot moves into a shared apartment with Lucy and two other friends.
Through Lucy’s friendship, Margot is finally coming out of her shelf and meeting new friends on campus. The duo have became best friends but by the middle of Margot’s sophomore year their neighbor who lives in a frat house next door is found brutally murdered and Lucy is missing.
Only If You’re Lucky is a bit different from Willingham’s two prior novels. Yes it's a thriller but it's more of a slower paced character driven novel than a faster paced plot centered read. I also thought that certain parts had a young adultish feel. But these new elements Willingham incorporated worked and I really enjoyed this one.
Willingham is clearly a talented writer and it shines through in this one. I really enjoyed all of the Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hyde references and how the author used them to compare female friendships. Also, I really enjoyed the dark academia aspect and the unexpected twists. Readers and fans of her prior works, will also enjoy Only If You’re Lucky!
Only If You’re Lucky by Stacy Willingham will be available on January 16, 2024. A massive thanks to Minotaur Books and NetGalley for the gifted copy!
Lucy is a stark reminder of Eliza and the exact opposite of Margot. Lucy is very outgoing whereas Margot is more of a quiet introvert. Soon after meeting Lucy, Margot moves into a shared apartment with Lucy and two other friends.
Through Lucy’s friendship, Margot is finally coming out of her shelf and meeting new friends on campus. The duo have became best friends but by the middle of Margot’s sophomore year their neighbor who lives in a frat house next door is found brutally murdered and Lucy is missing.
Only If You’re Lucky is a bit different from Willingham’s two prior novels. Yes it's a thriller but it's more of a slower paced character driven novel than a faster paced plot centered read. I also thought that certain parts had a young adultish feel. But these new elements Willingham incorporated worked and I really enjoyed this one.
Willingham is clearly a talented writer and it shines through in this one. I really enjoyed all of the Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hyde references and how the author used them to compare female friendships. Also, I really enjoyed the dark academia aspect and the unexpected twists. Readers and fans of her prior works, will also enjoy Only If You’re Lucky!
Only If You’re Lucky by Stacy Willingham will be available on January 16, 2024. A massive thanks to Minotaur Books and NetGalley for the gifted copy!
September 8, 2023
3.5 stars
Only If You're Lucky is the third novel I've read by Stacy Willingham. Even though I have mixed feelings about the book as a whole, the ending is her strongest to date. If you can handle a slow burn mystery with a cast of unlikeable characters, you do get a decent payoff in the end.
Margot is one of those people who just blends into the background, never attracting much attention. Lucy is the opposite as her personality draws people in. Margot spent her freshmen year in college pretty much only studying and hanging out in her dorm room. When Lucy invites Margot to room with her and two other students in off campus housing, she accepts. It might give Margot the opportunity to step out of her shell. Will she come to regret this decision?
There's a lot going on in this story and I chose to be vague on purpose when describing the premise. Feel free to check out the publisher synopsis as it provides way more details but personally I think it's better to just dive right in without too much info ahead of time. The story bounces around from the present day in which someone has gone missing, and the past which shows everything leading up to the disappearance as well as Margot's life before college. As the reader you are looking for answers to several mysteries.
I hate saying this but it was a bit of a slog to get thru this book because the characters just aren't people you want to hang out with if that makes sense. I can handle unlikeable characters if I feel some sort of investment but I didn't care what happened to any of them. I was only interested in seeing what the author came up with because I have a good track record with her books. It's a decent book with an above average ending but it wasn't a fun popcorn thriller read for me.
If you have never read a Stacy Willingham book, I'd start with A Flicker in the Dark.
Only If You're Lucky is the third novel I've read by Stacy Willingham. Even though I have mixed feelings about the book as a whole, the ending is her strongest to date. If you can handle a slow burn mystery with a cast of unlikeable characters, you do get a decent payoff in the end.
Margot is one of those people who just blends into the background, never attracting much attention. Lucy is the opposite as her personality draws people in. Margot spent her freshmen year in college pretty much only studying and hanging out in her dorm room. When Lucy invites Margot to room with her and two other students in off campus housing, she accepts. It might give Margot the opportunity to step out of her shell. Will she come to regret this decision?
There's a lot going on in this story and I chose to be vague on purpose when describing the premise. Feel free to check out the publisher synopsis as it provides way more details but personally I think it's better to just dive right in without too much info ahead of time. The story bounces around from the present day in which someone has gone missing, and the past which shows everything leading up to the disappearance as well as Margot's life before college. As the reader you are looking for answers to several mysteries.
I hate saying this but it was a bit of a slog to get thru this book because the characters just aren't people you want to hang out with if that makes sense. I can handle unlikeable characters if I feel some sort of investment but I didn't care what happened to any of them. I was only interested in seeing what the author came up with because I have a good track record with her books. It's a decent book with an above average ending but it wasn't a fun popcorn thriller read for me.
If you have never read a Stacy Willingham book, I'd start with A Flicker in the Dark.
October 29, 2023
•Release Date January 2024 •3.5 Rounded up.
This book was just ok for me. I guess I went in with some serious expectations because the previous two books delivered such a gut punch of emotions with heart pounding moments that kept you turning page after page.
This also was more of a YA novel as the setting is in a collage dorm and was just a slow burn from beginning to end. There are some twists and turns but nothing at all like the psychological thrillers this authors first two books were so that hampered my feelings on the book overall.
The characters weren’t enjoyable and I didn’t connect with the main character even a little bit. Someone who likes college settings with good girl/ bad girl drama may appreciate this novel more. I’ve read academia novels before but this one just missed the mark for me.
ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
This book was just ok for me. I guess I went in with some serious expectations because the previous two books delivered such a gut punch of emotions with heart pounding moments that kept you turning page after page.
This also was more of a YA novel as the setting is in a collage dorm and was just a slow burn from beginning to end. There are some twists and turns but nothing at all like the psychological thrillers this authors first two books were so that hampered my feelings on the book overall.
The characters weren’t enjoyable and I didn’t connect with the main character even a little bit. Someone who likes college settings with good girl/ bad girl drama may appreciate this novel more. I’ve read academia novels before but this one just missed the mark for me.
ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
January 10, 2024
Only if You're Lucky written by Stacy Willingham tells the story of a group of college kids who excessively party, talk about the desire to murder someone, and deal with real-life traumas. Then someone is murdered, as well as a second person. But how does it all connect to Margot's best friend who died the year earlier, possibly due to something nefarious (never proven). I enjoyed the overall story but I did cast it too stereotypical when it came to depicting fraternity parties, plus the ending came from pretty much from nowhere, so I felt a bit cheated. Written well. Strong characters. Just a very common story where someone is pretending to be someone else, a popular girl befriends a lonely girl, the middle friends warn her, but each of the harbors secrets. When it all explodes, it explodes but in a slightly confusing way as to who really killed whom. Worth reading if you like the author's work, but if you haven't read her yet, don't start with this one. Will definitely read her next release tho!
November 26, 2023
“You’re only young once, and only if you’re lucky."
‘Changing it up’ is risky. For some authors, it doesn’t work. For Stacy Willingham, dipping her toes into a subgenre - it definitely worked. I loved this book.
I shouldn’t have enjoyed it. I don’t care for younger characters, I never joined a fraternity, I never lived in a frat house. I never did drugs or got ‘wasted.’
BUT…as a university student..
I did know what it was like to be “vanilla, malleable. A blank slate.”
I did know what it was like to want to belong.
I did know what it was like to want to change who I am.
I did know what it was like to be a chameleon and blend in with my surroundings.
PLUS…
Willingham’s writing style is superb! I love her ability to drop a clue at just the right time. So many times I stopped reading because I had a lightbulb moment … knowing that the clue was there, I’d read it before but had missed its significance. The author’s journalism studies definitely added to her ability to tell a great story; she writes a taut plot and surprises readers with the different angles she takes and the way she can get to the meat of the story.
Piggybacking the above thought about hidden clues, I absolutely loved looking for the Easter eggs Willingham placed in this one. I was aware of the inspiration behind this novel and loved seeing clues show up in the story. I found 6 and no, I won't give them away. Being an active reader really increases my enjoyment.
So, that's why I loved it.
Yes, this one is different from her previous two thrillers. I’ve only read All The Dangerous Things (5-star read) and can tell you that this one is also a thriller, it also has a house as a main character, it has the same wonderfully descriptive writing style and vivid setting, there are still multiple twists and it still messes with your head. What is different is the types and ages of characters and the dark academia storyline. With college-aged characters, there’s a lot of ‘college life’ packed into the story. It enhances the storyline.
You’ll read about
✔️Rejection
✔️acceptance/belonging
✔️Being a part of something bigger than oneself
Two things:
😁 I don’t think I’ll ever look at my couch cushions the same way ever again…will they cough?
😁 I won’t forget the Lord of the Flies vibes I got when I read “I suddenly remember the way the shed smelled the very first time I stepped inside; that metallic tang, like something decayed, that has since become as commonplace as the vanilla perfume…I barely notice it anymore, the smell of death.”
“It feels good, doesn’t it? To finally get what you want.”
I was gifted this copy by St. Martin’s Press, Minotaur Books and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.
‘Changing it up’ is risky. For some authors, it doesn’t work. For Stacy Willingham, dipping her toes into a subgenre - it definitely worked. I loved this book.
I shouldn’t have enjoyed it. I don’t care for younger characters, I never joined a fraternity, I never lived in a frat house. I never did drugs or got ‘wasted.’
BUT…as a university student..
I did know what it was like to be “vanilla, malleable. A blank slate.”
I did know what it was like to want to belong.
I did know what it was like to want to change who I am.
I did know what it was like to be a chameleon and blend in with my surroundings.
PLUS…
Willingham’s writing style is superb! I love her ability to drop a clue at just the right time. So many times I stopped reading because I had a lightbulb moment … knowing that the clue was there, I’d read it before but had missed its significance. The author’s journalism studies definitely added to her ability to tell a great story; she writes a taut plot and surprises readers with the different angles she takes and the way she can get to the meat of the story.
Piggybacking the above thought about hidden clues, I absolutely loved looking for the Easter eggs Willingham placed in this one. I was aware of the inspiration behind this novel and loved seeing clues show up in the story. I found 6 and no, I won't give them away. Being an active reader really increases my enjoyment.
So, that's why I loved it.
Yes, this one is different from her previous two thrillers. I’ve only read All The Dangerous Things (5-star read) and can tell you that this one is also a thriller, it also has a house as a main character, it has the same wonderfully descriptive writing style and vivid setting, there are still multiple twists and it still messes with your head. What is different is the types and ages of characters and the dark academia storyline. With college-aged characters, there’s a lot of ‘college life’ packed into the story. It enhances the storyline.
You’ll read about
✔️Rejection
✔️acceptance/belonging
✔️Being a part of something bigger than oneself
Two things:
😁 I don’t think I’ll ever look at my couch cushions the same way ever again…will they cough?
😁 I won’t forget the Lord of the Flies vibes I got when I read “I suddenly remember the way the shed smelled the very first time I stepped inside; that metallic tang, like something decayed, that has since become as commonplace as the vanilla perfume…I barely notice it anymore, the smell of death.”
“It feels good, doesn’t it? To finally get what you want.”
I was gifted this copy by St. Martin’s Press, Minotaur Books and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.
January 8, 2024
Many thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books and Stacy Willingham for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Almost release Day!! 1/16 🤸🏻♀️
❝ 𝒪𝓃𝑒 𝒹𝒶𝓎 𝓌𝑒 𝓌𝑒𝓇𝑒 𝓈𝓉𝓇𝒶𝓃𝑔𝑒𝓇𝓈 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓃𝑒𝓍𝓉 𝓌𝑒 𝓌𝑒𝓇𝑒 𝒻𝓇𝒾𝑒𝓃𝒹𝓈. 𝒯𝒽𝒶𝓉'𝓈 𝓊𝓈𝓊𝒶𝓁𝓁𝓎 𝒽𝑜𝓌 𝒾𝓉 𝓌𝑜𝓇𝓀𝓈 𝓌𝒾𝓉𝒽 𝑔𝒾𝓇𝓁𝓈. 𝐻𝑜𝓌 𝑒𝒻𝒻𝑜𝓇𝓉𝓁𝑒𝓈𝓈𝓁𝓎 𝓌𝑒 𝑔𝓁𝒾𝒹𝑒 𝒻𝓇𝑜𝓂 𝒸𝑜𝓁𝒹 𝓈𝒽𝑜𝓊𝓁𝒹𝑒𝓇𝓈 𝒾𝓃 𝓅𝓊𝒷𝓁𝒾𝒸 𝓉𝑜 𝒶𝓅𝓅𝓁𝓎𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝑒𝒶𝒸𝒽 𝑜𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓇'𝓈 𝓁𝒾𝓅𝓈𝓉𝒾𝒸𝓀 𝒾𝓃 𝓈𝓌𝑒𝒶𝓉𝓎 𝒷𝒶𝓇 𝒷𝒶𝓉𝒽𝓇𝑜𝑜𝓂𝓈, 𝒻𝒾𝓃𝑔𝑒𝓇𝓉𝒾𝓅𝓈 𝓉𝑜𝓊𝒸𝒽𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝒾𝓃 𝒶 𝓈𝓌𝒶𝓇𝓂 𝑜𝒻 𝓌𝒶𝓇𝓂 𝒷𝑜𝒹𝒾𝑒𝓈. 𝐹𝓇𝑜𝓂 𝓈𝓅𝓇𝑒𝒶𝒹𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝒽𝑜𝓉-𝒷𝓇𝑒𝒶𝓉𝒽𝑒𝒹 𝓇𝓊𝓂𝑜𝓇𝓈 𝒷𝑒𝒽𝒾𝓃𝒹 𝒸𝓊𝓅𝓅𝑒𝒹 𝒽𝒶𝓃𝒹𝓈 𝓉𝑜 𝓉𝑜𝓈𝓈𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝒸𝑜𝓂𝓅𝓁𝒾𝓂𝑒𝓃𝓉𝓈 𝒶𝒸𝓇𝑜𝓈𝓈 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓇𝑜𝑜𝓂 𝓁𝒾𝓀𝑒 𝒹𝒶𝓇𝓉𝓈, 𝒶𝒾𝓂𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝒻𝑜𝓇 𝒶 𝒷𝓊𝓁𝓁'𝓈-𝑒𝓎𝑒, 𝒷𝓊𝓉 𝓇𝑒𝒶𝓁𝓁𝓎 𝒿𝓊𝓈𝓉 𝒽𝑜𝓅𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝒻𝑜𝓇 𝓈𝑜𝓂𝑒𝓉𝒽𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝓉𝑜 𝓈𝓉𝒾𝒸𝓀. ❞
Whew! THAT was quite a ride! This is a dark academia novel that offers a glimpse at (some) female friendships, how manipulative, secretive and dependent they can be. How we can deeply envy, despise or strongly admire our closest friends and often portray it as something else. I found this to be very reminiscent of Pretty Little Liars (The show, I haven't read the novels) except much darker, much more sinister.
❝ 𝒯𝒽𝒶𝓉'𝓈 𝓌𝒽𝒶𝓉 𝓅𝑒𝑜𝓅𝓁𝑒 𝒹𝑜, 𝒶𝒻𝓉𝑒𝓇 𝒶𝓁𝓁. 𝒟𝑒𝓈𝓉𝓇𝑜𝓎 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓋𝑒𝓇𝓎 𝓉𝒽𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓎 𝒹𝑒𝓈𝒾𝓇𝑒 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓂𝑜𝓈𝓉. ❞
❝ 𝒯𝒽𝑒 𝑜𝓃𝓁𝓎 𝓉𝒽𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝓉𝒽𝒶𝓉 𝓂𝒶𝓀𝑒𝓈 𝒷𝒶𝒹 𝓉𝒽𝒾𝓃𝑔𝓈 𝒷𝒶𝒹 𝒶𝓇𝑒 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒸𝑜𝓃𝓈𝑒𝓆𝓊𝑒𝓃𝒸𝑒𝓈, 𝓇𝒾𝑔𝒽𝓉? ❞
We follow Margot who is just starting her freshman year of college after recently experiencing the questionable death of her best friend Eliza. Margot and Eliza grew up together, did everything together, had many secrets of their own. Right around their senior year in high school they start going through a bit of a rough patch and start to drift apart, but are unable to resolve things prior to Eliza's death.
Freshly traumatized and ready to start her first year at the liberal arts college she was supposed to attend with Eliza she soon finds her self in a familiar situation of not being noticed, having any friends except her roommate that was chosen for her, just basically going through the motions but not really living.
From afar she notices Lucy Sharpe who is everything she is not.. and eerily enough, everything that Eliza was. Outgoing, dangerous, seductive, popular, powerful. Quickly becoming completely entranced by her, and on the off chance gets the opportunity to become friends with Lucy and her entourage- at the start of summer between first and second year they move off campus together. Margot just wants to live a more interesting life.. to put the past behind her and move on.
Finally coming out of the shell she's been in since the end of high school, when her best friend passed. Margot and Lucy have become the closest of friends, but by the middle of their sophomore year, one of the fraternity boys from the house next door has been brutally murdered... and Lucy Sharpe is missing without a trace.
❝ 𝒮𝑜 𝓂𝒶𝓎𝒷𝑒 𝓉𝒽𝒶𝓉'𝓈 𝓌𝒽𝑜 𝐼 𝒶𝓂: 𝒶 𝒸𝒽𝒶𝓂𝑒𝓁𝑒𝑜𝓃 𝓉𝒽𝒶𝓉 𝒸𝒶𝓃 𝓉𝒶𝓀𝑒 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒶𝓅𝓅𝑒𝒶𝓇𝒶𝓃𝒸𝑒 𝑜𝒻 𝒾𝓉'𝓈 𝓈𝓊𝓇𝓇𝑜𝓊𝓃𝒹𝒾𝓃𝑔𝓈. 𝒜 𝓂𝒶𝓈𝓉𝑒𝓇 𝑜𝒻 𝒸𝒶𝓂𝑜𝓊𝒻𝓁𝒶𝑔𝑒 𝓉𝑜 𝓈𝓉𝒶𝓎 𝒾𝓃𝓋𝒾𝓈𝒾𝒷𝓁𝑒 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝓈𝒶𝒻𝑒. 𝐼 𝓃𝑒𝑒𝒹 𝓈𝑜𝓂𝑒𝑜𝓃𝑒 𝓉𝑜 𝓂𝑜𝓁𝒹 𝓂𝑒 𝓁𝒾𝓀𝑒 𝓅𝓊𝓉𝓉𝓎; 𝑔𝒾𝓋𝑒 𝓂𝑒 𝒻𝓊𝓃𝒸𝓉𝒾𝑜𝓃 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝒻𝑜𝓇𝓂. ❞
❝ 𝐼 𝓌𝒶𝓃𝓉 𝐿𝓊𝒸𝓎 𝓉𝑜 𝒷𝑒𝓃𝒹 𝓂𝑒, 𝒷𝓇𝑒𝒶𝓀 𝓂𝑒. 𝑅𝒾𝓅 𝓂𝑒 𝓉𝑜 𝓅𝒾𝑒𝒸𝑒𝓈 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝓇𝑒𝒶𝓈𝓈𝑒𝓂𝒷𝓁𝑒 𝓂𝑒 𝒾𝓃𝓉𝑜 𝓈𝑜𝓂𝑒𝓉𝒽𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝒹𝒾𝒻𝒻𝑒𝓇𝑒𝓃𝓉, 𝒷𝑒𝓉𝓉𝑒𝓇. 𝒩𝑒𝓌. ❞
I've read all of Willingham's books so far and I've really enjoyed them... I think this one is probably my favorite. It was truly twisted, and unsettling... dark and unnerving.
Almost release Day!! 1/16 🤸🏻♀️
❝ 𝒪𝓃𝑒 𝒹𝒶𝓎 𝓌𝑒 𝓌𝑒𝓇𝑒 𝓈𝓉𝓇𝒶𝓃𝑔𝑒𝓇𝓈 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓃𝑒𝓍𝓉 𝓌𝑒 𝓌𝑒𝓇𝑒 𝒻𝓇𝒾𝑒𝓃𝒹𝓈. 𝒯𝒽𝒶𝓉'𝓈 𝓊𝓈𝓊𝒶𝓁𝓁𝓎 𝒽𝑜𝓌 𝒾𝓉 𝓌𝑜𝓇𝓀𝓈 𝓌𝒾𝓉𝒽 𝑔𝒾𝓇𝓁𝓈. 𝐻𝑜𝓌 𝑒𝒻𝒻𝑜𝓇𝓉𝓁𝑒𝓈𝓈𝓁𝓎 𝓌𝑒 𝑔𝓁𝒾𝒹𝑒 𝒻𝓇𝑜𝓂 𝒸𝑜𝓁𝒹 𝓈𝒽𝑜𝓊𝓁𝒹𝑒𝓇𝓈 𝒾𝓃 𝓅𝓊𝒷𝓁𝒾𝒸 𝓉𝑜 𝒶𝓅𝓅𝓁𝓎𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝑒𝒶𝒸𝒽 𝑜𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓇'𝓈 𝓁𝒾𝓅𝓈𝓉𝒾𝒸𝓀 𝒾𝓃 𝓈𝓌𝑒𝒶𝓉𝓎 𝒷𝒶𝓇 𝒷𝒶𝓉𝒽𝓇𝑜𝑜𝓂𝓈, 𝒻𝒾𝓃𝑔𝑒𝓇𝓉𝒾𝓅𝓈 𝓉𝑜𝓊𝒸𝒽𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝒾𝓃 𝒶 𝓈𝓌𝒶𝓇𝓂 𝑜𝒻 𝓌𝒶𝓇𝓂 𝒷𝑜𝒹𝒾𝑒𝓈. 𝐹𝓇𝑜𝓂 𝓈𝓅𝓇𝑒𝒶𝒹𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝒽𝑜𝓉-𝒷𝓇𝑒𝒶𝓉𝒽𝑒𝒹 𝓇𝓊𝓂𝑜𝓇𝓈 𝒷𝑒𝒽𝒾𝓃𝒹 𝒸𝓊𝓅𝓅𝑒𝒹 𝒽𝒶𝓃𝒹𝓈 𝓉𝑜 𝓉𝑜𝓈𝓈𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝒸𝑜𝓂𝓅𝓁𝒾𝓂𝑒𝓃𝓉𝓈 𝒶𝒸𝓇𝑜𝓈𝓈 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓇𝑜𝑜𝓂 𝓁𝒾𝓀𝑒 𝒹𝒶𝓇𝓉𝓈, 𝒶𝒾𝓂𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝒻𝑜𝓇 𝒶 𝒷𝓊𝓁𝓁'𝓈-𝑒𝓎𝑒, 𝒷𝓊𝓉 𝓇𝑒𝒶𝓁𝓁𝓎 𝒿𝓊𝓈𝓉 𝒽𝑜𝓅𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝒻𝑜𝓇 𝓈𝑜𝓂𝑒𝓉𝒽𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝓉𝑜 𝓈𝓉𝒾𝒸𝓀. ❞
Whew! THAT was quite a ride! This is a dark academia novel that offers a glimpse at (some) female friendships, how manipulative, secretive and dependent they can be. How we can deeply envy, despise or strongly admire our closest friends and often portray it as something else. I found this to be very reminiscent of Pretty Little Liars (The show, I haven't read the novels) except much darker, much more sinister.
❝ 𝒯𝒽𝒶𝓉'𝓈 𝓌𝒽𝒶𝓉 𝓅𝑒𝑜𝓅𝓁𝑒 𝒹𝑜, 𝒶𝒻𝓉𝑒𝓇 𝒶𝓁𝓁. 𝒟𝑒𝓈𝓉𝓇𝑜𝓎 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓋𝑒𝓇𝓎 𝓉𝒽𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓎 𝒹𝑒𝓈𝒾𝓇𝑒 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓂𝑜𝓈𝓉. ❞
❝ 𝒯𝒽𝑒 𝑜𝓃𝓁𝓎 𝓉𝒽𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝓉𝒽𝒶𝓉 𝓂𝒶𝓀𝑒𝓈 𝒷𝒶𝒹 𝓉𝒽𝒾𝓃𝑔𝓈 𝒷𝒶𝒹 𝒶𝓇𝑒 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒸𝑜𝓃𝓈𝑒𝓆𝓊𝑒𝓃𝒸𝑒𝓈, 𝓇𝒾𝑔𝒽𝓉? ❞
We follow Margot who is just starting her freshman year of college after recently experiencing the questionable death of her best friend Eliza. Margot and Eliza grew up together, did everything together, had many secrets of their own. Right around their senior year in high school they start going through a bit of a rough patch and start to drift apart, but are unable to resolve things prior to Eliza's death.
Freshly traumatized and ready to start her first year at the liberal arts college she was supposed to attend with Eliza she soon finds her self in a familiar situation of not being noticed, having any friends except her roommate that was chosen for her, just basically going through the motions but not really living.
From afar she notices Lucy Sharpe who is everything she is not.. and eerily enough, everything that Eliza was. Outgoing, dangerous, seductive, popular, powerful. Quickly becoming completely entranced by her, and on the off chance gets the opportunity to become friends with Lucy and her entourage- at the start of summer between first and second year they move off campus together. Margot just wants to live a more interesting life.. to put the past behind her and move on.
Finally coming out of the shell she's been in since the end of high school, when her best friend passed. Margot and Lucy have become the closest of friends, but by the middle of their sophomore year, one of the fraternity boys from the house next door has been brutally murdered... and Lucy Sharpe is missing without a trace.
❝ 𝒮𝑜 𝓂𝒶𝓎𝒷𝑒 𝓉𝒽𝒶𝓉'𝓈 𝓌𝒽𝑜 𝐼 𝒶𝓂: 𝒶 𝒸𝒽𝒶𝓂𝑒𝓁𝑒𝑜𝓃 𝓉𝒽𝒶𝓉 𝒸𝒶𝓃 𝓉𝒶𝓀𝑒 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒶𝓅𝓅𝑒𝒶𝓇𝒶𝓃𝒸𝑒 𝑜𝒻 𝒾𝓉'𝓈 𝓈𝓊𝓇𝓇𝑜𝓊𝓃𝒹𝒾𝓃𝑔𝓈. 𝒜 𝓂𝒶𝓈𝓉𝑒𝓇 𝑜𝒻 𝒸𝒶𝓂𝑜𝓊𝒻𝓁𝒶𝑔𝑒 𝓉𝑜 𝓈𝓉𝒶𝓎 𝒾𝓃𝓋𝒾𝓈𝒾𝒷𝓁𝑒 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝓈𝒶𝒻𝑒. 𝐼 𝓃𝑒𝑒𝒹 𝓈𝑜𝓂𝑒𝑜𝓃𝑒 𝓉𝑜 𝓂𝑜𝓁𝒹 𝓂𝑒 𝓁𝒾𝓀𝑒 𝓅𝓊𝓉𝓉𝓎; 𝑔𝒾𝓋𝑒 𝓂𝑒 𝒻𝓊𝓃𝒸𝓉𝒾𝑜𝓃 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝒻𝑜𝓇𝓂. ❞
❝ 𝐼 𝓌𝒶𝓃𝓉 𝐿𝓊𝒸𝓎 𝓉𝑜 𝒷𝑒𝓃𝒹 𝓂𝑒, 𝒷𝓇𝑒𝒶𝓀 𝓂𝑒. 𝑅𝒾𝓅 𝓂𝑒 𝓉𝑜 𝓅𝒾𝑒𝒸𝑒𝓈 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝓇𝑒𝒶𝓈𝓈𝑒𝓂𝒷𝓁𝑒 𝓂𝑒 𝒾𝓃𝓉𝑜 𝓈𝑜𝓂𝑒𝓉𝒽𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝒹𝒾𝒻𝒻𝑒𝓇𝑒𝓃𝓉, 𝒷𝑒𝓉𝓉𝑒𝓇. 𝒩𝑒𝓌. ❞
I've read all of Willingham's books so far and I've really enjoyed them... I think this one is probably my favorite. It was truly twisted, and unsettling... dark and unnerving.
January 4, 2024
this book honestly kept me on my toes the entire time.
margot is nearing the end of her freshman year of college, she’s spent it kept to herself moving through the motions grieving the death of her best friend and supposed roommate eliza, who passed away 3 weeks after their hs graduation in an accident. but now a new girl has piqued margot’s interest.
her name is lucy. lucy is the type of girl who you know absolutely nothing about but want to know everything about. she brings in attention but also danger. when lucy singles out margot and asks her to move in with her and two other girls who live in margot’s hall, sloane & nicole she’s reluctant at first thinking “why me?” but ultimately agrees.
but what happens when she starts realizing the same thing that pulled her towards lucy was the same pull with eliza? and what happens when someone connected to eliza comes back into margot’s life?
when i say i saw a few things coming but ultimately was left shocked. it has been DAYS since ive finished this and im still kinda shocked that i didn’t see it coming much. i think the twists were so well written, to the point where you see it coming but there’s a twist you may or may not have missed.
i think it does such a deep dive into friendships amongst adolescent girls, especially in college, that weird imbalance in the friend group where one is the “leader” and everyone goes along with it.
i enjoyed this book a lot, i binged the last 50% in a day and i couldn’t stop thinking about it every time i had to put it down. i will admit the inner monologue was quite repetitive at some points but otherwise, it kept me so intrigued.
it did remind me of the first season of pll, in how they always described allison as the girl who brought on danger and thrived in it bc it gave her attention.
overall, this was such a good thriller/mystery and i would love to read more stacy willingham
Thank you to Stacy Willingham, St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books, and NetGally for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
margot is nearing the end of her freshman year of college, she’s spent it kept to herself moving through the motions grieving the death of her best friend and supposed roommate eliza, who passed away 3 weeks after their hs graduation in an accident. but now a new girl has piqued margot’s interest.
her name is lucy. lucy is the type of girl who you know absolutely nothing about but want to know everything about. she brings in attention but also danger. when lucy singles out margot and asks her to move in with her and two other girls who live in margot’s hall, sloane & nicole she’s reluctant at first thinking “why me?” but ultimately agrees.
but what happens when she starts realizing the same thing that pulled her towards lucy was the same pull with eliza? and what happens when someone connected to eliza comes back into margot’s life?
when i say i saw a few things coming but ultimately was left shocked. it has been DAYS since ive finished this and im still kinda shocked that i didn’t see it coming much. i think the twists were so well written, to the point where you see it coming but there’s a twist you may or may not have missed.
i think it does such a deep dive into friendships amongst adolescent girls, especially in college, that weird imbalance in the friend group where one is the “leader” and everyone goes along with it.
i enjoyed this book a lot, i binged the last 50% in a day and i couldn’t stop thinking about it every time i had to put it down. i will admit the inner monologue was quite repetitive at some points but otherwise, it kept me so intrigued.
it did remind me of the first season of pll, in how they always described allison as the girl who brought on danger and thrived in it bc it gave her attention.
overall, this was such a good thriller/mystery and i would love to read more stacy willingham
Thank you to Stacy Willingham, St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books, and NetGally for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
December 20, 2023
“If you knew you could get away with murder would you?” Lucy Sharpe is larger than life and when Margot is singled out by her and invited to live in an off campus house with Lucy and her two best friends she can’t help but say yes. Margot has been struggling with adjusting to college life and has been stuck thinking about her high school best friend Eliza who died tragically and reminds her so much of Lucy. But Margot is going to learn the true meaning of friendship and that real friends will do anything for you. I listened to most of this one on audiobook before I needed to finish and binged the rest on kindle. I loved the narrator and recognize her from other books and she has such a talent of bringing the books to life. Highly recommend the audiobook, if I were a more patient person I would have finished it that way. I thought the twist was good and it took me longer than it probably should have to be able to predict it. Overall I gave this one 4.5 stars rounded up for a fun thriller with a great ending.
August 25, 2023
An interesting story about:
College friends
Roommates
Lies
Games
Parties
Accidents
Murder
Rape
Twisted minds full of games between
friends who are not who they appear to be.
A mind bending novel where the twisted pieces of the puzzle slowly come together in a suspenseful thriller. Childhood friends, college friends and roommates who have a lot in common with accidents and tragedies. You can guess who's and how’s and be wrong again and again in this wild and crazy mystery.
College friends
Roommates
Lies
Games
Parties
Accidents
Murder
Rape
Twisted minds full of games between
friends who are not who they appear to be.
A mind bending novel where the twisted pieces of the puzzle slowly come together in a suspenseful thriller. Childhood friends, college friends and roommates who have a lot in common with accidents and tragedies. You can guess who's and how’s and be wrong again and again in this wild and crazy mystery.
January 11, 2024
This was one of my most anticipated reads of 2024, perhaps the high amount of excitement put my exceptions too high. It was so different from her first two and felt very YA/new adult. It was on the slower side but overall, I was interested to find how it ended but it fell flat for me. If you are a fan of In My Dreams I Hold a Knife you will enjoy this one.
***** Many thanks to St Martins Press, NetGalley, and Stacy Willingham for the #gifted copy as it was provided to me in turn for my honest opinion.
***** Many thanks to St Martins Press, NetGalley, and Stacy Willingham for the #gifted copy as it was provided to me in turn for my honest opinion.
December 25, 2023
First and foremost, a large thank you to NetGalley, Stacy Willingham, and Macmillan Audio for providing me with a copy of this publication, which allows me to provide you with an unbiased review.
Diving into the latest ARC by Stacy Willingham, I was curious to see how I would feel. A well-paced thriller that reveals things slowly and builds tension as the narrative flows. Willingham does well to hold the reader’s attention with a piece that straddles two time periods and keeps things tense until it comes crashing down in the final pages. Stacy Willingham does well and keeps the reader wondering.
Lucy Sharpe has everything going in her favour. A great personality and someone everyone wants to be around. Margot feels this as they meet during their time at college in South Carolina. Margot is Lucy’s polar opposite with her shyness and reclusive nature. When Lucy asks to room with her for their final year, Margot trips over herself to be a part of it, hoping that it will help push her out of the shadows and allow some more adventurous to emerge.
When Margot and Lucy move into a house off campus, the collective could not be more different. A sarcastic girl keeps things on edge, a quiet one provides balance, and Lucy remains at the centre of the action. Slowly, Margot comes out of her wheel, the first time since high school, when she lost her best friend, Eliza, just after graduation.
Now, in the middle of the year, Margot and Lucy are the best of friends. One of the fraternity boys with whom they spend a great deal of time has been brutally murdered, someone Margot knows from her hometown. Lucy is nowhere to be found and the authorities want answers. Margot finds herself in the middle of the tension, trying to balance truth and the current level of panic. Stacy Willingham does a stunning job in this piece.
I always enjoy a great book that tries to tell a mysterious narrative with flashback moments. Stacy Willingham does an effective job weaving this story together, using a narrative that juggles multiple time periods and character perspectives. Willingham builds the tension as the story gains momentum and keeps things on edge.
Great character development takes place this this book, keeping the reader open to all angles that emerge. There is something awkward about each character, but they come together nicely and keep the reader highly entertained. While things can get a little petty, I enjoyed the development as Willingham takes the reader on quite the adventure.
Plot twists emerge to keep things moving along. The reader has little chance of catching their breath, as events change so swiftly. The layers of mystery emerge and keep things on edge for all involved. I am eager to see how others enjoy this piece, which has a few moments that one could not predict. Another great piece by Stacy Willingham.
Kudos, Madam Willingham, for an entertaining read.
Love/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/
Diving into the latest ARC by Stacy Willingham, I was curious to see how I would feel. A well-paced thriller that reveals things slowly and builds tension as the narrative flows. Willingham does well to hold the reader’s attention with a piece that straddles two time periods and keeps things tense until it comes crashing down in the final pages. Stacy Willingham does well and keeps the reader wondering.
Lucy Sharpe has everything going in her favour. A great personality and someone everyone wants to be around. Margot feels this as they meet during their time at college in South Carolina. Margot is Lucy’s polar opposite with her shyness and reclusive nature. When Lucy asks to room with her for their final year, Margot trips over herself to be a part of it, hoping that it will help push her out of the shadows and allow some more adventurous to emerge.
When Margot and Lucy move into a house off campus, the collective could not be more different. A sarcastic girl keeps things on edge, a quiet one provides balance, and Lucy remains at the centre of the action. Slowly, Margot comes out of her wheel, the first time since high school, when she lost her best friend, Eliza, just after graduation.
Now, in the middle of the year, Margot and Lucy are the best of friends. One of the fraternity boys with whom they spend a great deal of time has been brutally murdered, someone Margot knows from her hometown. Lucy is nowhere to be found and the authorities want answers. Margot finds herself in the middle of the tension, trying to balance truth and the current level of panic. Stacy Willingham does a stunning job in this piece.
I always enjoy a great book that tries to tell a mysterious narrative with flashback moments. Stacy Willingham does an effective job weaving this story together, using a narrative that juggles multiple time periods and character perspectives. Willingham builds the tension as the story gains momentum and keeps things on edge.
Great character development takes place this this book, keeping the reader open to all angles that emerge. There is something awkward about each character, but they come together nicely and keep the reader highly entertained. While things can get a little petty, I enjoyed the development as Willingham takes the reader on quite the adventure.
Plot twists emerge to keep things moving along. The reader has little chance of catching their breath, as events change so swiftly. The layers of mystery emerge and keep things on edge for all involved. I am eager to see how others enjoy this piece, which has a few moments that one could not predict. Another great piece by Stacy Willingham.
Kudos, Madam Willingham, for an entertaining read.
Love/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/
Shelved as 'to-be-read-kindle'
August 11, 20234.5 🌟 rounded up because u felt it deserved a5 more than a 4.
I loved A Flicker In the Dark and All The Dangerous Things so when I saw Only if You're Lucky, I immediately requested it. When I saw I was approved, I immediately started it because I was so excited.
If you've enjoyed either of her other two, then you'll love this one as well. It was a bit of a slow burn at first but then it picked up nicely.
The synopsis from netgalley says:
Lucy Sharpe is larger than life. Magnetic, addictive. Bold and dangerous. Especially for Margot, who meets Lucy at the end of their freshman year at a liberal arts college in South Carolina. Margot is the shy one, the careful one, always the sidekick and never the center of attention. But when Lucy singles her out at the end of the year, a year Margot spent studying and playing it safe, and asks her to room together, something in Margot can't say no—something daring, or starved, or maybe even envious.
And so Margot finds herself living in an off-campus house with three other girls, Lucy, the ringleader; Sloane, the sarcastic one; and Nicole, the nice one, the three of them opposites but also deeply intertwined. It's a year that finds Margot finally coming out of the shell she's been in since the end of high school, when her best friend Eliza died three weeks after graduation. Margot and Lucy have become the closest of friends, but by the middle of their sophomore year, one of the fraternity boys from the house next door has been brutally murdered... and Lucy Sharpe is missing without a trace.
From the author of A Flicker in the Dark and All the Dangerous Things comes a tantalizing thriller about the nature of friendship and belonging, about loyalty, envy, and betrayal—another gripping novel from an author quickly becoming the gold standard in psychological suspense.
I loved A Flicker In the Dark and All The Dangerous Things so when I saw Only if You're Lucky, I immediately requested it. When I saw I was approved, I immediately started it because I was so excited.
If you've enjoyed either of her other two, then you'll love this one as well. It was a bit of a slow burn at first but then it picked up nicely.
The synopsis from netgalley says:
Lucy Sharpe is larger than life. Magnetic, addictive. Bold and dangerous. Especially for Margot, who meets Lucy at the end of their freshman year at a liberal arts college in South Carolina. Margot is the shy one, the careful one, always the sidekick and never the center of attention. But when Lucy singles her out at the end of the year, a year Margot spent studying and playing it safe, and asks her to room together, something in Margot can't say no—something daring, or starved, or maybe even envious.
And so Margot finds herself living in an off-campus house with three other girls, Lucy, the ringleader; Sloane, the sarcastic one; and Nicole, the nice one, the three of them opposites but also deeply intertwined. It's a year that finds Margot finally coming out of the shell she's been in since the end of high school, when her best friend Eliza died three weeks after graduation. Margot and Lucy have become the closest of friends, but by the middle of their sophomore year, one of the fraternity boys from the house next door has been brutally murdered... and Lucy Sharpe is missing without a trace.
From the author of A Flicker in the Dark and All the Dangerous Things comes a tantalizing thriller about the nature of friendship and belonging, about loyalty, envy, and betrayal—another gripping novel from an author quickly becoming the gold standard in psychological suspense.
January 5, 2024
After her first 2 books, Stacy Willingham became an auto read author for me. I was so excited to get an advanced audiobook copy from Macmillan Audio, read by one of my favourite narrators, Karissa Vacker. She absolutely nailed this book, and brought the characters and the scenes to life. Always a pleasure to listen to one of her narratives.
Only If You’re Lucky is a slow burning mystery but well worth sticking with. It is a story of friendships, real and toxic ones. A story of finding out who you really are, of love, of grief and so much more. So many characters were hard to like, but that was the point.
There were plenty of surprises along the way, twists that you certainly will not see coming. I love that about this authors writing. She created this world of college and it felt like you could be there. I wouldn’t want to be friends with these girls…. Or the boys!!
Published on January 16th, highly recommend the audio.
Only If You’re Lucky is a slow burning mystery but well worth sticking with. It is a story of friendships, real and toxic ones. A story of finding out who you really are, of love, of grief and so much more. So many characters were hard to like, but that was the point.
There were plenty of surprises along the way, twists that you certainly will not see coming. I love that about this authors writing. She created this world of college and it felt like you could be there. I wouldn’t want to be friends with these girls…. Or the boys!!
Published on January 16th, highly recommend the audio.
December 14, 2023
I’ll be back with more but that’s 3 for 3 for Willingham and I. A trusted author for me.
January 5, 2024
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.
August 15, 2023
ARC review
Only If You're Lucky
by Stacy Willingham
I might have screamed when I got approved for this one! The excitement!
I had the pleasure of reading this as a buddy read with a bunch of amazing ladies. This made it so much more fun! Thanks y’all for this experience!
Margot had a rough past year, her best friend passing away. Now at college, she is drawn into a group of girls, Lucy being the shiny star of the group.
But things don’t go as planned, when a fellow student, Levi, is killed. Margot knows him.
How is he linked to her past? Why did Lucy pick her in the first place, as the newest member of her group?
I am a sucker for Stacy Willingham’s work. I gobbled her first books up. I loved them.
I think all her books have a slower pace. Which I enjoyed. Unfortunately this one was way too slow paced for me. While this was in no way a bad book, I had a hard time getting into it. I felt like nothing ever happened besides college girls getting drunk.
Also, I can’t really explain why, but throughout most of the book I felt like this was a sixties/seventies setting (it was not!) and I expected the w**d smoking homilies to come and dance around the corner. I think the names were partly a reason. Margot, Lucy (“I Love Lucy”), Levi… it threw me off for the longest time. I felt like it was an odd coming off age story without and really mystery and tension for the longest time. There was not a single character I liked. There was not much depth to them.
I always loved her tense Georgia settings, this, it does not have the same atmosphere like her other novels. They’re just a creepy house and a fraternity next door. I felt really, really underwhelmed. Things start to happen at around 70 % and then it becomes clear what has happened. But I could as well have skipped the first seventy percent. The story was quite simple to be frank. I just expected so much more from this.
Publication date 16 Jan 2024 by St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books. Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to review this book in exchange for an honest review.
Only If You're Lucky
by Stacy Willingham
I might have screamed when I got approved for this one! The excitement!
I had the pleasure of reading this as a buddy read with a bunch of amazing ladies. This made it so much more fun! Thanks y’all for this experience!
Margot had a rough past year, her best friend passing away. Now at college, she is drawn into a group of girls, Lucy being the shiny star of the group.
But things don’t go as planned, when a fellow student, Levi, is killed. Margot knows him.
How is he linked to her past? Why did Lucy pick her in the first place, as the newest member of her group?
I am a sucker for Stacy Willingham’s work. I gobbled her first books up. I loved them.
I think all her books have a slower pace. Which I enjoyed. Unfortunately this one was way too slow paced for me. While this was in no way a bad book, I had a hard time getting into it. I felt like nothing ever happened besides college girls getting drunk.
Also, I can’t really explain why, but throughout most of the book I felt like this was a sixties/seventies setting (it was not!) and I expected the w**d smoking homilies to come and dance around the corner. I think the names were partly a reason. Margot, Lucy (“I Love Lucy”), Levi… it threw me off for the longest time. I felt like it was an odd coming off age story without and really mystery and tension for the longest time. There was not a single character I liked. There was not much depth to them.
I always loved her tense Georgia settings, this, it does not have the same atmosphere like her other novels. They’re just a creepy house and a fraternity next door. I felt really, really underwhelmed. Things start to happen at around 70 % and then it becomes clear what has happened. But I could as well have skipped the first seventy percent. The story was quite simple to be frank. I just expected so much more from this.
Publication date 16 Jan 2024 by St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books. Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to review this book in exchange for an honest review.
December 19, 2023
I’ve read all 3 of Willingham’s thrillers so far, and all of them have ended up at around 3 stars…maybe this author just isn’t quite for me.
this was a pretty well plotted college-set murder mystery thriller (all ingredients i love), but i never really felt super invested in the story, and was never dying to pick it back up (it took me almost 4 weeks of on-again-off-again reading to finish it). I think the issue for me was that i never really cared about these characters enough to care what happened. also i’m dying for someone to add up just how many freaking similes she uses because it got to the point where it was distracting
this was a pretty well plotted college-set murder mystery thriller (all ingredients i love), but i never really felt super invested in the story, and was never dying to pick it back up (it took me almost 4 weeks of on-again-off-again reading to finish it). I think the issue for me was that i never really cared about these characters enough to care what happened. also i’m dying for someone to add up just how many freaking similes she uses because it got to the point where it was distracting
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