You had me at Grumpy/Sunshine, and then you added Fake Dating…YES!

I loved this!

We have Sybil, who is navigating life based on luck, but it is not going well. She feels like she can never measure up to her sister. After a disastrous day, she decides to buy a lottery ticket and end the day with a late-night donut.

Kieran has put medical school on hold to help out his grandpa at thier at their family’s donut shop. He broke, exhausted, and not great at small talk. After a chance meeting with a woman who left behind her winning lottery ticket.

Kieran tries to find Sybil with a viral video that has everyone swooning and falling in love with their “love story”. Bringing more business to the donut shop. It also just so happens that Sybil needs a date to her sister’s wedding and wants to prove to her family that she can make good relationship choices.

Obviously, the best decision for both of them is to pretend that their love story is real.

Again, I loved this. This was my first time reading a book by Denise Williams. I now have a new auto-buy author!

DNFd!! I wasn’t really able to connect to the characters or the story. I feel like the romance between both of the main characters, felt very forced and not genuine. The actual storyline also was just very bland and boring.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

I would recommend if you're looking for (SPOILERS)

-m/f contemporary romance
-almost one night stand
-fake dating
-plus size rep


There's just an effortlessness and a lightness to Denise WIlliams writing. I loved how neither of these characters were where they expected to be in their lives and yet ended up figuring it out together. THis was playful, fun, but also so lovely to those of us who just feel like we don't haveit figured it out yet.

I really appreciated and enjoyed the realistic ADHD rep in the main female character, especially since she was black like me, and I think that's why I rated it so high.
The dynamic between the two main characters was kind of shifty, inconsistent and all over the place, especially the main male character. He goes from extremely flirty and down bad for the main female character to not being able to stand her, to liking then loving her again, to a third act conflict where he blows up at her in a way that I wouldn't expect from someone falling for her. Especially since she was truly ignorant and didn't mean to do what she did.
They had hella cutesy moments towards the end, and cute banter and chemistry, but it just took a while to get there.
I had fun with it all overall, and felt so seen and represented in Sybil. And although I hated how things ended for Kieran, if he's happy I'm happy I guess.

Denise Williams writes romances that are that perfect blend of sweet, swoony, and steamy, and Just Our Luck is no exception.

Sybil feels like the only one in her family who is a mess--always scattered, running late, jumping from idea to idea, job to job. But when she wins the lottery, she thinks that maybe this is her chance to get things right. Kieran has put his medical school plans on hold to help his grandfather keep his donut shop open, and thanks to Sybil and her winning ticket, an almost-hook-up, a viral video, and (maybe, just maybe) a little bit of luck, he might just be able to save the shop and go back to school. But now there's also Sybil and their burgeoning relationship to consider, and he's having to confront whether or not he even wants to pursue a career in medicine.

There were a few moments where the characters felt immature to me, but that's probably a me problem--I'm closing in on forty, and I relate less and less to characters in their twenties. And the inclusion of Gen-Z slang felt weird to me, but again--old person problems. lol.

Overall, a very cute, fun read, and it left me craving donuts.

If, like me, you dislike when authors make their heroines too perfect, then have no fear—Just Our Luck is for you. Denise Williams' new release stars chaotic good Sybil Sweet. Sybil is down on her luck when she buys a lottery ticket in a moment of desperation… only to lose it at a donut shop.

Enter lawful good Kiran Anderson, a former med student on hiatus to care for his sick grandfather’s donut shop. Kiran and Sybil are absolute opposites—one flying by the seat of her pants, the other rigid to the risk of petrification. They have strong chemistry and are both well-developed characters. Williams creates people only the devil would root against.

While I personally would have liked Sybil to have a few more wins, the novel was funny and tender throughout. If you want a warm book about two people who truly deserve to find love, pick up a copy of Just Our Luck.

I really enjoyed the characters and the premise of the story.
The journey Sybil takes to find herself is honest and compelling.
Fake dating is one of my favourite tropes and this did not disappoint!
I do wish the writing had been a bit more succinct since at times things were a bit over explained/described which made the book drag at times.
Would still recommend!
Much love to Berkley Publishing Group for my ARC!

i wanted to like this book so much but Sybil was annoying,!!!! the whole book i was like GIRL WHAT? LOL.

That being said, this book had some of my favorite tropes in it: Fake dating and he falls first so I'm glad i stuck with it!

I absolutely love Denise Williams' writing. When it comes to a romance novel, Williams knows how to capture the joy that comes with falling in love with someone. Even more so, the banter and spice are an added benefit. Fake dating is one of my favorite tropes because what else will be the outcome beside falling in love. The tension building between Sybil and Kieran was perfectly timed and the conflict being realistic to the character. I thoroughly enjoyed this one!

It was a cute premise, but I wasn't a fan of the FMC. I loved the MMC, but there was just something off about her. I felt like the pacing was also off throughout the book. It just wasn't my cup of tea, despite loving the banter.

1.5

I have never been so frustrated from a book 😭 the characters were so unlikeable. Absolutely no growth whatsoever. It felt like no chemistry and just Sybil making childish mistakes over and over and over and over again. This was tough to get through for me. :/ i thought it would get better as I kept reading, but it got worse.

I loved this book! It's such a sweet semi-chaotic love story, starring a hot mess, bad at love, bad at life, but somehow lucky girl and a focused, responsible, mature doctor-to-be. At first, I thought this was going to be another insta-love story, but chaos kept peeking its little head through, and I loved every minute of it! Sybil usually relies on luck to get her by, and when she wins the lottery, she can't get any luckier! She also hooks up with this hot guy who works at a donut shop, who, unfortunately, is not so lucky. His mother has been absent for most of his life, his grandfather is ill, and as a result, he decided to put his career on hold to help his family, who's barely getting by. They decide to come up with a plan to help each other, and that's when things get pretty intense, but also so incredibly sweet! I absolutely loved Sybil and Kieran! There were so many times I melted just from their interaction, but also so many times when I found myself whispering, "What the..!" This is a beautifully written, sweet love story. 5 stars, all across the board!
Thank you NetGalley, Berkley Publishing, and the wonderful Denise Williams for this incredibly sweet read!

Just Our Luck felt like a warm hug at the end of a tough day—it gives readers the space to laugh, cry, love, and, most importantly, remember that with a little belief and a dash of manifestation, anything is possible. The moment Berkley dropped the cover reveal for Denise’s new book, I knew I had to get my hands on it. Lottery, donuts, and love? Say less! Sybil & Kieran’s story gives major modern day Cinderella vibes with the romance and banter from the movie “The Wedding Date”; perfection! It is wonderful for the fake-dating-trope lovers and those that enjoy mediumish-stakes with a huge dollop of heart-warming gooeyness!

Although I thoroughly enjoyed my read, I have to confess that something was off for me. I’m not sure if it was Kieran’s abrupt shift into this strangely detached character that unnerved me—knowing that he was obsessed with Sybil after their first encounter that caught me off guard—or perhaps it was something else entirely. I was really rooting for the insta-love but then it became something else completely (a slow-sizzling-burn which I’m not mad about because the payoff is delicious) but I would’ve loved to have seen their relationship play out as it had initially started; insta-love/lust. However, I think Kieran’s aloofness throughout the story was ultimately overshadowed by his unwavering support for Sybil. I really loved how, out of all the craziness, they were able to grow this beautiful, deep friendship—one that slowly blossomed into something real and meaningful, just like they said.

As a neuro-spicy girly myself, I felt everything Sybil went through on such a deep level. The reminder that she had support from someone outside of her family was genuinely beautiful. This book is a love letter to all the ADHD girlies out there—a sweet reminder that just because we don’t do things the “right” way doesn’t mean we’re doing them wrong. We’re doing them our way. And I don’t think I’ve ever loved a book more for showing me that the “right” way isn’t the only way.

A hole lot of thanks to Denise Williams, the team at Berkley, and NetGalley for letting me get a taste of Just Our Luck before pub day!

This was a fun and cute book! I honestly had quite a nice time reading this book, and it was just the right kind of light an easy read to disconnect from my daily life. It's grumpy x sunshine, it's fake dating, it's 'he falls first' . It was just enjoyable. Was it always believable? Not really. It did feel sometimes like the 'winning the lottery, aspect was so downplayed (I feel like I would forget about that part quite often, until it was mentioned...) But it did deliver with interesting and loveable characters.
Sybil was a mess, but a charming mess. Did she make dumb mistakes a lot yes. Was she still fun to follow? Yes. Kiran is her opposite, but there was still a lot of sweetness and kindness shining through. And his family was quite fun!
Overall, it was just a fun read. It was what I needed at the time, to escape the daily and just laugh. My first read by Denise Williams, but definitely not my last!

4.5/5 Stars 2/5 Spice

Tropes:
Fake Dating
He Falls First
Grumpy x Sunshine
Opposites Attract


gahhhh keiran & sybil were everything. i loved these two so much. their romance was so precious & i devoured it all in one day. the yearningggggggg in this book had me down as bad a keiran. this was such a binge read & i can't wait to read more from this author!

Review: Just Our Luck
4.5/5 Stars – Slow burn? Nah, this was a slow scorch and I was clinging on for dear life.

This book came in HOT. It had me hooked right from the jump—like full-on, heart-racing, “oh we’re really doing this” vibes. And then… boom. The momentum shifted. What started out feeling like a lovers-to-enemies-to-maybe-kinda-possibly-a-little-bit-of-forced-proximity had me second-guessing everything. But you throw in fake dating? We already know where that train is headed—but the ride there? Excruciating. Torturous. Delicious.

The slow burn had me pacing the room. I stayed up into the early hours, flipping pages and literally trying to pull the chemistry out of this book like it owed me rent. But let me tell you—when it finally delivered? BABY. I was rewarded. Full-body butterflies. Heart flutters. Giddy grins at 3 a.m. like I was the one in the story.

This book tested my patience, and then made it worth every second. If you’re into drawn-out tension, fake dating that delivers, and characters who take their sweet time but leave you swooning? This one’s your kind of chaos

I enjoyed the sweet fun that was Just Our Luck. Who doesn't love a bakery setting? Sybil and Kiran's first night together had me hooked right away, so I was disappointed that it was a bit of an uncharacteristic thing for Kiran. Regardless, the lottery storyline was fun. I read this after another book about "coming into a large sum of money," so I greatly appreciated that Sybil was reasonably smart with her money.

I will say that I expected a little more growth from these characters. Sybil is clearly neurodivergent-coded from the start, and while that explains some of her blunders, it doesn't excuse her from taking responsibility. She does something really bad and does nothing to take responsibility for it, and everyone else tells Kiran he's overreacting. I would have enjoyed more introspection on Sybil's part. It would have given her character more depth to watch her process her ADHD and how best to manage it. Instead, she just read as young and immature. It was hard to reconcile her as someone in their 30s!

I love Williams' writing in general, so I'll definitely look forward to more from her in the past. It seemed like she may have been teeing up another book in the same universe!

I enjoy a feel good novel and this one was just that. I enjoyed the plot and how the two characters meet. A must read.

What I love about this book is that it’s about hope. When times are tough, we have to have hope. And that hope could be massive: that we win the lotto of find the love of our life. Or that hope could be that we find out more about ourselves, find purpose, find joy in the small (donuts).

This is a sweet hug of a novel. Sybil is a favorite heroine: underestimated, unsure, listless. But not because she doesn’t care. She actually cares TOO much. And as we find out through the course of the story, she realizes that although her brain is wired differently that doesn’t mean she is any of the negative attributes assigned to her. She is so much more. And being “too much” isn’t a bad thing.

Kieran and Sybil together made me so happy. The immediate connection to awkwardness to friendship to love. I was along their journey smitten and grinning.

Denise - I think this is your best work. I can’t wait to see what else you give us.

Grab a donut. Grab some joy. Grab Just Our Luck - out now! And thank you to @basicbatchdonuts for allowing me to use your gorgeous store for this photo shoot.

I went into this book really excited—it had so many elements I usually love: plus-size representation, a donut shop setting (I’m a sucker for a good baking trope), a missing lottery ticket, and even a fake dating setup. On paper, it sounded like a perfect rom-com. Unfortunately, it just didn’t work for me.

The main character, Sybil, felt pretty stagnant throughout the story—there wasn’t much growth or change, which made it hard to root for her. And Kieran, the male lead, came off a bit too mean for my taste. I get the appeal of the grumpy trope, but there’s a line between moody and just unlikable, and he crossed it too often.

The biggest issue for me, though, was the lack of chemistry between the leads. For a story built around a fake dating romance, I was hoping for more sparks or tension, but their dynamic fell flat. Without that connection, it was hard to stay invested in the romance or the story overall.

On top of that, the book felt too long—like it was stretching itself to hit every trope without giving enough depth to any of them. I really wanted to love this one, but it just missed the mark.

Thank you to Berkley Publishing for the gifted book in exchange for an honest review.