Reviews tagging 'Emotional abuse'

Only If You're Lucky by Stacy Willingham

4 reviews

novellearts's review

Go to review page

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

2.0

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

astoriareader's review

Go to review page

dark mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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

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

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

meganashlee27's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Margot lost her best friend Eliza the summer before college. After her first year passes in a blur of grief and classes, she’s invited to move in with the mysterious Lucy and her friends in a house off-campus. Her new friends, and the fraternity boys next door, help her start to find her own life again…until Levi shows up to pledge the frat. Levi, the last person to see Eliza alive. 

I loved Stacy Willingham’s first two books, so I was very excited to receive an ARC of this one! A twisting mystery, told in alternating timelines, this one definitely had some twists I didn’t see coming. The mystery of Lucy and her bad girl reputation, contrasting with the goodness of Margot the girl who just wants to fit in, was really interesting. A great page-turning suspense!

Thank you to NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for an advanced copy of this book!
Expand filter menu Content Warnings

clairebonney's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark mysterious slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot

3.25

3.25 stars - this one hurts me so much to rate so low (per my rating scale), but I think many people will really enjoy this novel!
Expand filter menu Content Warnings
More...