This was my second book by this author but this was a lot better.

I absolutely did not want to put this book down! I was thinking about it all day when i couldn't read!
I loved the jumping to the present and the past and the multiple POI's.

All the characters felt well written and they all had decent backgrounds.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins for this ARC.

Only If You’re Lucky by Stacy Willingham
I give this book 4.25 stars.

Margot went to college in South Carolina as a chance to get away – from her small hometown and the memories of her dead best friend.
In a shared house during her second year she gets to know some new girls, but she begins to realise that something’s off about Lucy, she’s not quite what she seems.
Six months later, Lucy is missing and a boy from the frat house next door is dead, leaving Margot in the wake of the investigation. But as the police continue to dig, they realise Lucy isn't the only one with secrets.
This was my first read by this author but I’ve quickly read her other 2 books upon completing this one!
Narrated by Margot the story is told with a past and present timeline and short chapters to keep you reading.Its a slow burn,character driven,dark academia full of secrets and friendship dynamics.The suspense gradually ramps up as the clues and revelations surface and there’s a twist that hit me full on.
With thanks to Netgalley,Stacy Willingham and Harper Collins UK,Harper Fiction

Firstly I love the authors books and this one did not disappoint but not my favourite of hers. I did find this book a bit of a slow burn and does draw you in instantly. The plot builds up slowly but has so many twists and secrets through out. I would highly recommend this book for any thriller lovers and looking forward to more of the authors books.
Thanks to net galley for sending me an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

This is quite a slow build story but in this instance it’s not a criticism. The scene is beautifully set and I can clearly see the places up in my head. The main protagonist is shy Margot who is just starting college in South Carolina, not long after the death of her best friend Eliza. Written from the perspective of Margot and in multiple timelines this is one of those books that slowly drags you in until you realise you can’t put it down now until you finish it.

Briefly, when she starts college Margot is outside the popular girl group until she meets Lucy. Soon she finds herself living off-campus in a property belonging to the Fraternity house next door. Just four girls live there, Margot, Lucy, Nicole and Sloane and they all seem to get on well but always Lucy is in charge. In Margot’s mind Lucy has taken the place of Eliza and she starts to notice a lot of similarities between them. But all Margot’s dreams are shattered when the boy she blames for Eliza’s death, Levi, joins the Frat house. Not long after one of the students is dead, another is missing, the Frat house is suspended and the police are investigating.

I had all sorts of ideas about what was going to/ had happened and I couldn’t have been further from the truth. The secrets and lies are so cleverly wrapped up I didn’t have a clue until the reveals - yes definitely more than one big reveal! Very well written with good, albeit mostly not nice, characters; I particularly detested the odious Trevor. This is much darker than I originally imagined it would be and the last 25% of the book was full of some incredibly good reveals. Enjoyable read.

I have previously enjoyed All The Dangerous Things and A Flicker In The Dark by the same author and was very much looking forward to this new book. The story itself was well woven and extremely descriptive that left little to the imagination. Delving into the minds of older teenagers with their heightened awareness of all that is happening to them and around them. Dramatising every aspect of their lives that when they are older may be overlooked or disregarded. I found some parts of the story uncomfortable reading as my worst nightmare is living in a house full of students that have been let free for the first time in their lives with all their experimental drinking and worse that result in quite revolting consequences. However, the story itself was beautifully crafted and followed the life of Margot whose best friend Eliza had died. Her guilt of not being with her at the time escalated her absolute sadness and it took a long time to decide that she needed to live her own life. The mysterious and charismatic Lucy entered her life and offered her a way to come out of her shell and into a more exciting world. However, it didn’t quite work out in the way she hoped and to discover why you will need to read this involved story for yourself.

Thoroughly enjoyed Only if you're lucky by Stacy Willingham.
Margot has moved on from school to College but is mourning the loss of her childhood friend who recently died. they had plans to go to College together but Margot has to carry on with life without her and cant quite fit in. After her her first year, she was invited to join Lucy and her friends in a shared house and she begins to come out of her shell a little, but everything is not as it seems. Six months later Lucy goes missing after a boy from the frat house next to her property dies.

A great book, really well written and one you just can't put down. I thought this might just be a run of the mill college student book, but it has way more depth and very exciting with many twists and some really great well developed characters and as usual a great and intriguing storyline from Stacy.

A big thank you to HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction, HarperCollins and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this digital ARC prior to publishing

This book had me hooked from the start. It jumps timelines between before and after and follows in particular a young college girl, Margot as she breaks out of her comfort zone and joins a group of other students whose lives seem more exciting than hers. This synopsis sounds like many others but when you add in death, grief, plot intrigue and well written, suspenseful drama then this is not your average story. The characters were well drawn and the writing was excellent.

Twists and turns and lots of unreliable narrators but I just didn’t gel with the characters, think I am just too old. More YA to me but a good read for the right audience.

Another cracking read from the excellent Stacy Willingham. It is set in the world of higher education in America and deals with the interaction of a group of young students. It involves lies and deceit, love and death, intrigue and mystery and is thoroughly enjoyable!

Thank you to the author, publishers HarperCollins and NetGalley UK for access to this as an advance reader’s ebook. This is an honest and voluntary review.

Mourning the loss of her best friend who died before they started at the college they had chosen together, Margot is struggling to fit in. Then Lucy, charismatic, life of the party, offers her the last room in a shared house, out of nowhere. And, under Lucy’s influence Margot begins to live the life her best friend Eliza had always wanted for them. But, there’s a reason people say to be careful what you wish for.

There are many directions the plot of this story could go. So, many hints and suspicious behaviour. And, Margot gives off strong unreliable narrator vibes.

Starting with the knowledge that someone from Margot’s group of college friends and neighbours is dead and another is missing the story flips between the aftermath of that, the time at college leading up to it, and the year before with the events leading up to the death of Margot’s best friend.

I’ve read plenty of those time jump books and it’s often a good plot device to build up tension. But, I for me it didn’t really deliver for this book. With all time phases being told just from Margot’s perspective, I didn’t get to know any of the other characters really well, so felt distanced from their part of the story. And, my interest in the book suffered as a result. I kept finding my attention wandering.

It’s a reasonable thriller, I just feel like it could have been tighter, tenser and creepier, and I’m left a bit disappointed because it wasn’t.

This is a slow burn thriller, set in a college setting. It reads fairly young adult but is intriguing and kept me turning the pages. With small chapters and great character building. It was predictable in places, which I didn’t mind. I didn’t see the twist at the end coming. I’d recommend this book to anyone who likes a slower places thriller. I loved the writing style.

This is a book where you need to persevere to really get into the storyline. Not sure if jumping back and forth in time with the storyline worked for me - you’d go through spells where nothing seemed to progress the storyline, then get a juicy bit where it was really good only to then go back to nothing progressing. Hence a lot of perseverance is required!

The characters are very good and well written into the storyline.

‘They were right, those women. College friends are different. We would do anything for eachother. Anything.’
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Stacy Willingham is now a must buy author. There hasn’t been one of her books that I’ve been able to put down! All of them are such compulsive reads and this new offering out on Feb 1st is no different!
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A sorority and fraternity house are thrown into uproar in Willingham’s latest addition to her arsenal of book. Missing members, murky pasts and a dual timeline puts this book’s plot FIMRLY in the must read category for me!! It’s hard when speaking about thrillers not to say much without spoiling storylines, so just pick this one up and I guarantee you’ll enjoy!
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Pre Order this now and whilst you’re waiting for the release order Stacy’s other works as truly you won’t be disappointed!!

I've read both of Stacy Willingham's outings, A Flicker in the Dark and All the Dangerous Things and have enjoyed and recommended her to other readers, because of this I was really keen to read Only If You're Lucky. The synopsis should have rang bells for me, set in a frat house, dealing with adolescent friendships/relationships this is really a book for the young adult market and not the crime market (which her previous books were aimed at). This is why it just didn't quite work for me, I couldn't connect with these college kids.

Living in the college dorm, Margot struggles with grief of losing her best friend in an accident. Moving into a house off campus in the summer break, new friends start to lift her.
The new group of four girls shape the course of the year. An unexpected shadow of the past arrives and becomes the catalyst for the events that follow.

I really enjoyed Stacy Willingham’s previous book All The Dangerous Things so was looking forward to this one.

For me, I think this would be better aimed at YA as college life is central to the storyline and although I was intrigued how things would pan out it didn’t completely engage me and I wasn’t particularly drawn to any characters. The ending felt like quite a leap too and if I’m honest I was a little disappointed with it.

Having said that I look forward to her future books.

Many thanks to #NetGalley and #HarperCollins for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

This is the second novel by Stacey Willingham that I have read and have loved both.

During her first year at University, Margot meets Lucy who everyone seems drawn to. She accepts.an invitation to share a house with Lucy and her 2 friends and things get very twisty.

I will definitely be recommending this and can't wait for her next one

This book felt like a slow burner but I think it was just that I wanted to know the outcome! I read Stacy’s debut novel, A Flicker in the Dark, and really enjoyed it so I was excited to read this one. It did keep me turning the pages even if it was a little repetitive in places. In hindsight, there were so many clues as the story built but with the clever writing I’m pleased to say that apart from one correct guess I really didn’t see any of the other twists coming. I would definitely say stick with it. I’m keen now to read her second book, All the Dangerous Things, and will look out for future books by this author. Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction for letting me read and review this book.

This slow burn thriller centred around neighbouring frat houses and sorority houses is a great read to get engrossed by on a cold winter's evening. The power of adolescent friendships and loyalties comes to the fore, as first one friend and then another goes missing. Who can be trusted, who should be suspected?
I tend to prefer my fiction a bit faster paced but if you like a book that takes its time to reveal itself, this is a great read.

I was delighted to be approved for this book as I have read all the dangerous things, and a flicker in the dark by the same author. Both books were good, psychological reads. This book is similar in that it is 'good'. I wouldn't say it is remarkable or outstanding but it is a solid, enjoyable read. I felt the pace of this one is slightly slower to her previous novels and I can imagine if you're new to the author, or genre, it may be difficult to motivate yourself to keep going. Once the tragedy and aftermath has happened, the story and thriller aspect really begins to pick up pace, and the story comes into its own. A good twist towards the end and overall a worthwhile experience.

Many thanks for Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review.