Thank you Libro.fm / Macmillan Audio, for the ALC and Minotaur Books, #partner for the advanced copy of Only If You’re Lucky in exchange for my honest review.
Publisher: Minotaur Books / Macmillan Audio
Published: January 16, 2024
SUMMARY:
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.
My thoughts:
This is Stacy Willingham’s third book and of course I was thrilled to get my hands on it. I’ve loved her previous books and while I felt this one was a little different from her other two, I still enjoyed it and will be reading everything she writes.
This is a slow-burn mystery with a dark academia setting, which I loved. It explores friendships and how toxic they can be. While it has a bit of a YA feel due to the college setting, it also gives it that nostalgic feeling, too, if you’ve ever lived on a college campus, which I did many, many years ago! When the college drama turns deadly, the shocks start hitting, and I was instantly on alert. I loved how the dual timeline played out here and I found myself trying to work it out, but never quite getting there. This one has some twists I definitely did not see coming and that ending is one of the best endings I’ve read in a while! But be patient – the build-up to get there is so worth it!
This book is definitely a bit different from Willingham’s previous two books, more character-driven, but it is still good. And I love how in the author’s note, she shares the inspiration behind the book! Stacy Willingham is a trusted author and I will read anything she writes!
Audio thoughts:
I was thrilled to see that Karissa Vacker was narrating this one. She has now narrated all three of Willingham’s books and done an amazing job with each. In this one, she did a fantastic job bringing the story to life, giving each character their own unique voice and personality. It’s always a pleasure listening to Vacker and I love how she is able to infuse just the right amount of tension and emotion into her voice as needed.
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