Stacy Willingham
Author of A Flicker in the Dark
About the Author
Works by Stacy Willingham
Associated Works
The Minotaur Sampler, Volume 4: New Books to Make Your Heart Race (2021) — Contributor — 5 copies, 2 reviews
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Canonical name
- Willingham, Stacy
- Legal name
- Willingham, Stacy
- Birthdate
- 1991-01-30
- Gender
- female
- Short biography
- Stacy 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. - Nationality
- USA
- Places of residence
- Charleston, South Carolina, USA
- Associated Place (for map)
- South Carolina, USA
Members
Reviews
Isabelle has not slept in over a year except for a cat nap or two. Her son was stolen out of her home and she has now changed her focus. All of her focus is strictly on finding her child. She will not rest until she knows what happened Mason. But her own childhood is not innocent, so she begins questioning herself and what actually happened the evening Mason was taken.
There are a lot of moving parts to this novel and the moment you think you know…you don’t know!
I loved Isabelle. My heart show more broke for her and her situation. And then when she starts to question her ability as a mom…geez! Then, when you actually find out about her past and what happened the night Mason went missing…it makes your blood boil!
I loved this author’s previous book, A Flicker in the Dark. But this one, I fluctuated between 4 and 5 stars. I decided on 5 because the ending is so good. It does have some slow places and mundane details but that is by design. I did listen to it. I have more patience with a slow burn that way as well.
The narrator, Karissa Vacker, nailed all the characters. She has just the right tone with Isabelle too. You can definitely hear the heartbreak in her voice.
Need a story which will have you seeing red…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today!
I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review. show less
There are a lot of moving parts to this novel and the moment you think you know…you don’t know!
I loved Isabelle. My heart show more broke for her and her situation. And then when she starts to question her ability as a mom…geez! Then, when you actually find out about her past and what happened the night Mason went missing…it makes your blood boil!
I loved this author’s previous book, A Flicker in the Dark. But this one, I fluctuated between 4 and 5 stars. I decided on 5 because the ending is so good. It does have some slow places and mundane details but that is by design. I did listen to it. I have more patience with a slow burn that way as well.
The narrator, Karissa Vacker, nailed all the characters. She has just the right tone with Isabelle too. You can definitely hear the heartbreak in her voice.
Need a story which will have you seeing red…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today!
I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review. show less
I think this book should come with a warning that reads ..."If you are over a certain age you might want to close this up and look for something else'. It's not by any means a bad story...but it seems to be an age dividing story. I just could not get into any of the characters or have any sympathy for them. I found their actions to be juvenile...their ideas to be on the lunatic side...if I felt anything for them it all it was judgmental. I can only remember closing and not ever going back to show more one book in my entire life and I was determined that THIS WAS NOT GOING TO BE MY SECOND ONE, DARN IT! ... so... I just plowed on and finished it while quietly yelling at the characters. I will say that the best part of the whole book was the ending. I'm not being super critical...the ending got it my 3-star rating. If the entire book had been as good as the ending it would have got a 5-star rating. show less
This is a well written, on the edge of your seat, first book by this author. It's also a psychological thriller about Chloe, the daughter of a convicted serial killer. The story revolves around a new premise...AFTER the killer is caught. The main character, Chloe Davis, is a psychologist in a new town where she is trying to lead a normal life after her troubled past. When she was twelve, Chloe played a key role in getting her father convicted for the murder of six teenage girls, including show more her friend. Two decades later, the pattern of murders begins to repeat itself around her. Filled with anxiety, shame and paranoia, Chloe tries to investigate the murders on her own in order to put a stop to them. In the meantime, she attempts to figure out who could actually be killing the girls since it couldn't be her father...he's still behind bars. Be warned...this book is addicting. What really surprised me is how incredibly emotional this book was. A serial killers’ "blood lust" makes no sense in most cases, but it makes perfect sense in this story. The bittersweet finale is the preverbal icing on the cake, making the characters even more realistic. show less
Only If You're Lucky by Stacy Willingham is a highly recommended novel of psychological suspense.
Margot has always been the quiet one and has spent her first year at Rutledge College in South Carolina grieving the loss of her best friend, Eliza. She is surprised when out-going Lucy Sharpe invites her to join her and two friends renting a house-off campus. Margot surprises herself by saying yes and joins Lucy, the dynamic ringleader, Sloane, the sarcastic smart one, and Nicole, the nice one. show more The house is owned by the Kappa Nu fraternity, and in fact there is easy access to the frat through a backyard shed. The arrangement seems to be going well, but by the middle of their sophomore year one of the frat boys is dead and Lucy is missing.
The writing is very good in this well-paced campus thriller. Suspense builds gradually as the narrative alternates between two timelines, before the murder and the investigation afterwards. It is also clear that more is going on than meets the eye and part of the intrigue and tension is finding out exactly what secrets are being kept. It is definitely a college setting with lots of drinking, partying, and an often present truth or dare game (which I was skeptical that college students would actually play).
Details about Eliza and Margot's past are slowly revealed as the present day intrigue ramps up. A darker side to Lucy's character also emerges. It becomes more difficult to know who to trust as more information is revealed. Certainly the perplexing nature of angsty female friendships and the search for belonging in college is explored. You need to suspend some disbelief at the ending, but the drama leading up to it is entertaining.
Disclosure: My complimentary review copy was courtesy of Minotaur Books via NetGalley.
http://www.shetreadssoftly.com/2024/01/only-if-youre-lucky.html show less
Margot has always been the quiet one and has spent her first year at Rutledge College in South Carolina grieving the loss of her best friend, Eliza. She is surprised when out-going Lucy Sharpe invites her to join her and two friends renting a house-off campus. Margot surprises herself by saying yes and joins Lucy, the dynamic ringleader, Sloane, the sarcastic smart one, and Nicole, the nice one. show more The house is owned by the Kappa Nu fraternity, and in fact there is easy access to the frat through a backyard shed. The arrangement seems to be going well, but by the middle of their sophomore year one of the frat boys is dead and Lucy is missing.
The writing is very good in this well-paced campus thriller. Suspense builds gradually as the narrative alternates between two timelines, before the murder and the investigation afterwards. It is also clear that more is going on than meets the eye and part of the intrigue and tension is finding out exactly what secrets are being kept. It is definitely a college setting with lots of drinking, partying, and an often present truth or dare game (which I was skeptical that college students would actually play).
Details about Eliza and Margot's past are slowly revealed as the present day intrigue ramps up. A darker side to Lucy's character also emerges. It becomes more difficult to know who to trust as more information is revealed. Certainly the perplexing nature of angsty female friendships and the search for belonging in college is explored. You need to suspend some disbelief at the ending, but the drama leading up to it is entertaining.
Disclosure: My complimentary review copy was courtesy of Minotaur Books via NetGalley.
http://www.shetreadssoftly.com/2024/01/only-if-youre-lucky.html show less
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- Rating
- 3.7
- Reviews
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- 83
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