Margot is off to college without her life long friend Eliza. It doesn't take long for Margot to make new friends. One stands out from the rest and that is Lucy. Things then become interesting for Margot.

This is the third book by the author for me and I have to say then one I liked the least. This book is another one set in a school/college setting and it seems to be the in thing at the moment.

For a lot of the book not a lot really happened. There was a lot of back story with Margot and Eliza which did eventually tie in with the present.

I did find the story plodded on for a while and did nearly give up. However there was a little twist and that picked my interest back up. From then on the story was ok, held my interest and the twists kept coming from then on.

Overall the book justified itself in the end was turned out to be an OK read. ( )

I didn't like Margot very much thru out the book and I found her to be annoying and obessed with the death of her friend Eliza and she doesn't really know who Lucy was I also didn't like her either I also found Lucy to be weird. And Margot only thinks Levi is the one who was responsible for Eliza's death apparently is wasn't him that did it so Margot got that all wrong but she also didn't know what really happened to her. Margot seems to be really rude to her parents always avoiding to go home maybe they want to know what is going in her life and they are worried about her being around people she doesn't know. And Margot is going to be very sorry one day when her parents aren't around anymore.

How would Margot know if Levi did anything to Nicole since Margot was next door the whole time at a party I really couldn't Margot always to be stuck up and the world is at her feet and knows everything but she doesn't.

Why is it any Margot's business where Eliza got the money from and she doesn't have to know anything or do any digging I am sure that Eliza would never do anything like that to Margot if she passed away.

Seems like Lucy is the one not to trust since she doesn't exist going to the school there and lying about who she really was and Lucy sounded like was the one killed Levi but towards the end of the book it was Nicole's boyfriend bulling Levi to do things that he didn't want to do and I am gave this book a 3 1/2 stars. ( )

So I thought this one sounded really interesting and was looking forward to reading it. We knew that the opening scene was going to be super important somehow and I was ready to uncover why. The story was split into before and after timelines. In the before we learn how the girls all became friends. Margot is still grieving the loss of her friend Eliza and she blames one of the fraternity boys for it. The after storyline is focused on the detective investigating Lucy's disappearance... a disappearance which the girls seem to know more about than they let on. I mean the book had all the super interesting elements to be amazing.

I just really struggled to stay engaged in the story because it felt like it took forever for anything to happen. I know we needed all the background on Margot and the friendship with Lucy... and the book spends most the time making Lucy this mysterious character who Margot attaches herself to because she reminds her of Eliza. I honestly got tired of the before storyline really quickly. I think we could have done a lot of that background in less time and achieved the same impact. I don't think we got enough of the after timeline for it to make enough sense. Like I really wanted more of that one to be honest. The book saved all the big twists for the end but like they just felt rushed. One of them was highly predictable and the others I think needed a bit more to them. I struggled to like any of the characters in this one and I think it played a huge role in my not enjoying this one. ( )

Only If You’re Lucky is the latest thriller by Stacy Willingham. I have read other books by her and expected to really like this. I didn’t. Don’t get me wrong. I didn’t hate it. There were parts of the story I really liked but there were also parts that seemed to drag and it was often a lot easier to put down than pick up. I also didn’t particularly like any of the characters andI sorta felt the story would have been better if it was shorter. On the other hand, I did finish it and I did like the twist at the end but if I had to sum this book up in one word, it would be meh.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley and St Martin’s Press in exchange for an honest review ( )

An enthusiastic 5/5 for Only If You’re Lucky.

There are few things in a young person’s life that affect them more than friendships, and if you are lucky enough to have one where that person or people knows everything about you, can finish your sentences, step in when you fall down, cover for you when you sneak out, and hold all your hair back when you’re sick and your secrets, then you have the ultimate friendship; you have a best friend. Margot had Eliza from kindergarten through just before their freshman year at Rutledge, when Eliza died at a party that Margot didn’t go to. And the last person to see her alive was Levi, who vied for Eliza’s attention from Margot.

Starting her freshman year alone, Margot, a forgettable sort who would rather stay in than attend functions, limped through the year with her roommate, Maggie, doing her best to keep Margot afloat. When the girl in the bikini outside their dorm catches Margot’s attention and suddenly befriends her, going so far as to ask her to be the fourth in a 4-bedroom off campus house, Margot is beside herself. Could things be looking up?

When Margot moves in with Lucy, the magnet who pulls everyone’s attention, Sloan and Nichole, she is bothered by Lucy’s peculiar behaviors that seem so familiar to Eliza’s; the same tics and mannerisms, the same pull on people. Margot chalks this up to her own overreach and falls headlong into the party life with her new roommates and the frat boys in the house next door. When freshman, Levi, pledges the frat house and becomes enthralled by Lucy, Margot is determined to prove he was responsible for Eliza’s death. But when a frat party goes very wrong, all bets are off as to what Margot thought was fact.

Stacey Wilkerson, while new on the scene with this being her third book, has knocked it out of the park. She completely nails that deep, intimate bond with friends and their way of feeling and thinking; including their insecurities, power struggles, secrets, and clicks within a group of besties. Only if You’re Lucky was unputtdownable and totally captivating. Just when you think you have it all figured out, Wilkerson adds another whammy.

If you weren’t a Stacey Wilkerson fan before, you will be after reading Only if You’re Lucky.

Thank you St. Martin’s Publishing Group and NetGalley for this advanced reader copy. All opinions are mine alone. This review was uncompensated. ( )