I LOVE Denise Williams's and her previous work, but this one missed the mark for me.

I struggled with Sybil HARD. She doesn't feel like a realistic human woman. Every decision or lack there of she makes made me look at her sideways at every turn. If she was my homegirl, she would be getting lots of eyerolls and headshaking. So rooting for her to be in a relationship with someone like Kieran? It wasn't happening.

No chemistry.? A nonrelatable FMC? A plot that was kind of all over the place? This one just didn't work and it makes me so sad!

The way this novel started was a bit of a whirlwind that gave me a cluster of emotions. It began with a subtle one night stand that turns into a journey between two people finding each other. Sybil Sweets bought a lottery ticket even though she hasn’t been lucky lately, why not give it one last shot? She visits this donut shop after a night out with some friends and meets Kieran Anderson, who works behind the counter. One thing leads to another and she ends up leaving her lottery ticket there. Lo and behold, Kieran finds the lottery ticket and realizes it’s the winning ticket. However, it’s not his.

This read was good and I really liked Sybil’s character. She’s messy, chaotic, and lovable. She brings out so much character with her personality. They did a great job introducing her ADHD and showcasing that. We see how it affects Sybil’s worldview of everyone around her as well as herself. I wish they delved more into her neurodivergence throughout the book. The diversity of the secondary characters were also a favorite of mine! I loved the grandfather and how supportive he was for his grandkids while being safe space for Sybil to land. Kieran was a good character that had a bit of plot holes for me that ultimately made this underwhelming. I felt that even though he had his ambitions of wanting to go back to medical school while upholding his grandfathers shop; the way he treated Sybil felt forced and disingenuous. It made the romance between a bit unbelievable even though they had instant chemistry.

*spoiler*
*I did notice that it was mentioned that Kieran is a Virgo however, throughout the span of the book we don’t get into that part of the season. The seasonal period is in late winter-early spring. He would realistically be a Pisces or Aries instead of a Virgo. Especially considering they also celebrate his birthday later along the line.*

The ending felt rushed and more could have been explored within Sybil and Kieran’s relationship. Overall, this a funny and cute book that I feel people who love flawed characters who find their passions would like.

Thank you Berkley and NetGalley for this E-ARC.

This was a cute, funny, yet heartfelt romance that featured a neuro-spicy female protagonist (undiagnosed ADHD) and a stoic, family-oriented male protagonist who reunites her with a winning lottery ticket. Her carefree and happy chaos bring a breath of fresh air to his life, and his level-headed pragmatism and unwavering support provide her with the acceptance and sense of purpose she's always wanted.

I struggled a bit with the initial meeting between the two main characters - I'm more of a slow-burn kind of gal and the quick hook-up at the beginning felt a bit off for me. However, the author rectifies it with a fake-dating trope that allows for the emotional connection, intimacy, and personal growth that build into something really great. Extra points for found family and an effortless blending of lives that feels meant to be.

Recommended for fans of Charish Reid and Cathy Yardley.

I was anticipating this book from the moment I saw the cover art and read the plot summary. As a casual player of the lottery, it seemed this was written just for me :)

From early in the story I got a sense of who the FMC Sybil is and how she feels she is perceived by her family and that she's just trying to figure it out (aren't we all?). Perfect candidate for "one day when I win the lottery I will...". Kieran and Sybil's initial meeting and then how they end up fake dating was the absolute cutest thing because even though he was fighting the attraction from the time of the winning ticket realisation, you really got a sense of how taken he was with her.

I like when romances give the reader a full sense of who each character is while developing the relationship between the two and this story did such a good job of that. I appreciated how the themes of commitment to family, trying to find yourself and learning to give yourself grace in the process were explored. These were so very relatable.

The supporting characters like Grandpa Joe, Tom, Lila and Sybil's friends also added a welcome depth to the progression of the story as well, for me.

Minor spoiler below- warning!
The one thing I would've loved to have been developed a bit more was Sybil learning about being neurodivergent and how she navigated her life as a result of that newfound knowledge.

Notwithstanding, that did not detract from my enjoyment of the book. Definitely among my recent favourites and I am looking forward to receiving my pre-ordered copy! :)

Many thanks to NetGalley and Berkley for facilitating an early copy!

I love Denise Williams’ books. Her rom coms are funny and engaging and swoony. So it kills me to say that this one missed the mark for me. The MCs had little to no chemistry, and I don’t know why they love each other. They both individually had more chemistry with Grandpa Joe. I wish I could have enjoyed it more, but it was blah for me. 2.5 stars. Thanks to Berkley for the ARC.

First, thank you to Berkley for the free advanced review copy!

I thought Just Our Luck was a super cute and fun rom-com! Sybil is going through a bit of a rough patch but her luck turns around when she wins the lottery. However, she leaves her winning ticket in a local donut shop the night before. When Kieran, the grandson of the owner of the donut shop, finds the ticket, he turns to the media to help return the ticket to its rightful owner. After coming to claim her ticket, Sybil asks Kieran to fake-date her until her sister's wedding in a few months in order to get her family off her back and in exchange his grandfather's shop would get good press and she would offer him a portion of the winnings.

Sybil's relationship with her family, especially her mom, felt physically painful at times with how realistic the interactions felt- like girl, I've been there. Her ADHD has turned her into the butt of her family's jokes and they always seem to have something to say about her. It was honestly disappointing that Kieran, a guy she just met, is the only one standing up for her.

The only thing that kept this from being a more enjoyable read for me is the ~Conflict~ at the end, the "third-act breakup", in other words. I'm going to be vague to avoid spoilers but basically Sybil makes a really big decision with some of her lottery winnings and it affects Kieran in a negative way. Yes, Sybil is shown throughout the book to be impulsive but I really can't believe that any grown, adult woman would ever think they could do what she did without consequences. And on top of that, everyone besides Kieran was just kind of fine with it? Like they were maybe upset for a day but they all just kind of said "well she meant well" and moved on...Like, no, girl, that was dumb and everyone should be telling you exactly how dumb that was. I know this is a work of fiction but this was just a little much IMO.

Other than that, it was super cute and fun. I loved the banter and dirty jokes between the MCs and I loved Sybil's friend group as side-characters. And I liked how Sybil really grew into herself in the end and found something she was passionate about. I think that's a big struggle IRL for folks with ADHD (speaking from personal experience) - it's hard to focus or even WANT to focus on a job or task that doesn't spark your interest. I feel like the representation of that was well done in this book.

Other than that, really loved the book. This book has:
-fake-dating
-Opposites attract
-Neurodivergent MCs
-well-timed dirty jokes

This was cute but I wasn't sure where it was supposed to go. The whole situation was kind of weird and not even really expended upon. Sybil was a mess and im always hesitant to read a book with a character who has ADHD since I usually can only relate to those whose experiences align with mine and that was not the case with Sybil.

I also did not really feel the connection between the two MC's. It just felt very messy.

I was HOOKED on this book for the first 30% an easily thought I'd fly through. There was spice, tension, a funny group of friends and charming bakery boy and a lottery ticket. Then it dragged. For some reason, this story turned into a fake dating situation with super slow burn, and I couldn't connect to the romance. Within the first chapter, they meet each other. We have spice and chemistry. He even goes on social media looking for her, so I don't understand why they didn't try actually dating. The rest of the book is plot to keep the donut shop, and we watch our mfc family talk negative about her while we also watch her fumble. This felt like two different books, and I didn't like the ending at all. This book was overall meh, but I really loved the beginning!

Who knew lottery tickets could make for such a fun and spicy romance?! These characters were beautifully written and their love is everyrhing dreams are made of!

This book was good but a little all over the place for me. I enjoyed the concept of the story was ok, but no one has time to really fake a relationship. It's too much time and energy. It was nice to see that he fell for her first oppose to her falling for him first concept. It was amazing to me that she won the lottery and just went on about her life like it was no big deal. I don't know who does that.

Denise Williams is my go-to contemporary romance author to recommend these days. Her characters are well-developed. The chemistry of Sybil and Kiran is off the charts in Just Our Luck, which is spicy but even more importantly has a great plot which has you rooting for this fake relationship to become a real relationship. No notes.

[arc review]
Thank you to Berkley Publishing for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review.
Just Our Luck releases March 25, 2025

Sybil is a hot mess — everything she touches goes to shit, and she’s notorious for not being able to hold a job for longer than six months.
Then one day she meets the perfect man at a donut shop after pilfering a box of donuts from his establishment that same morning, and ends up accidentally leaving her IOU stamped on the back of her winning lottery ticket worth $350 million.

Plagued with a tower of medical and student loan debt, and a recent robbery at his family business, Kieran’s morals are put to the ultimate test: will he claim the winning ticket as his own? Or give it back to Sybil?

What follows is a journey of fake dating when Sybil realizes that she can secure Kieran as a date to her sister’s wedding while they simultaneously capitalize off of the virality of their news story in order to pay off his looming debts.

I realize that Sybil was written to have undiagnosed ADHD, but my god, her constant mentality of flying by the seat of her pants and relying on “luck” instead of actually putting in effort to find a “meaningful career” was infuriating.

<i>“I don’t have a job, and I guess now I don’t need one, but I don’t know what to do with my time.”</I>
Are you fucking kidding me? For starters, she could’ve found her own apartment to live in, hired a financial planner, educated herself on how to invest her money wisely, or attempted to execute her duties as her sister’s maid of honor by actually booking a hotel.

Though Kieran and Sybil seemed to have a lot of natural chemistry that first night they met, all of that charm quickly went out the window, leaving their interactions feeling awkward and forced.

Kieran and Sybil were so different from each other fundamentally, that it hindered their long-term compatibility. I genuinely wish they hadn’t reconciled and I can’t understand why Kieran had to be the one to show a grand gesture of apology when Sybil was the one who ruined his entire career path and reputation.

In all honesty, Sybil showed no growth as a character throughout the entire story, and that was probably the most disappointing part for me.

I found this really enjoyable! I loved the chemistry between the main characters, and despite this being mostly just so sweet and silly, it also tackled mental health issues (as a fellow ADHD woman I appreciated the rep). Points off for me finding Sybil at times annoying, Kieran at times too closed off, and the reason for the third act breakup being TOO egregious. But overall, this was so fun, and I sped through most of it because it was such a good time. Plus it was set in Des Moines? Perfection

I love Denise Williams so much, and enjoyed this fake dating/opposites attract romance a great deal. Unfortunately, it was a bit flat at times.

What a sweet opposites attract/fake dating rom com from Denise Williams. Sybil hasn’t had much luck holding down a job or having a meaningful relationship, and she’s big into luck. Kieran gave up his dream of becoming a doctor to run his grandfather’s donut shop. A late night, a winning lottery ticket, and a romantic gesture later, and we’re off to the races.

While the premise was cute and I enjoyed the romance and banter between Sybil and Kieran, I was left a little disappointed by the third act of the book. After showing so much personal growth, it was hard to see Sybil make such a terrible decision even if she had good intentions.

Thank you NetGalley and Berkley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks so much to @berkleypub @berkleyromance @acebookspub for the free book!” 

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I love Denise Williams and when I got the ARC I was so excited.

Just Our Luck follows Sybil and Kieran. Sybil whose life is completely undecided but she still believes in luck. While Kieran an inspiring medical student, who works at his grandfather’s donut shop to help out. The two meet in a steamy, unconventional way bc Sybil says all she needs is a winning lottery ticket and swearing off men. What ensues is a fake dating, cute story and learning about yourself along the way.

I thought this was really cute and I really like Sybil. She was completely unorganized but I loved her attitude and ability to keep moving even when life took a hard left. I loved the idea of the lottery winning and the fake dating scenario that I could see this a movie.

Now my dislike of this was Kieran. He was really mean to her a lot of the book even though he did like her. He wasn’t forced into fake dating her so I was wished he was little less pompous at times.

Her family was not nice to Sybil as well and it wasn’t like she was 45 years old. She was probably in her mid twenties and it’s ok to not have your life completely together.

In the end, I wish there was some more character development in Sybil and Kieran. The ending was a little rushed and I wanted some answers about some of the situations that arose in the story. Overall it was a cute story and I would still recommend it because Denise Williams is great writer. Thank you NetGalley and Berkley for the ARC.

Just Our Luck: March 25, 2025 3.5⭐️

Just Our Luck by Denise Williams ✨

I had the chance to read Just Our Luck as a pre-release ARC, and it was such a fun, feel-good romance with a twist of fate! 🌟

Sybil, a woman waiting to find her place amidst her dreams of a better life, wins the lottery. But there’s a catch — she leaves the winning ticket behind at a donut shop. Enter Kieran, a kindhearted guy who is left the ticket and embarks on a mission to return it to her.

What I loved:
💫 Sybil’s journey of self-discovery and her struggle with the sudden change in her life felt relatable
💫 Kieran is such a swoon-worthy, thoughtful guy—his quiet determination to do the right thing made him such a compelling love interest.
💫 The slow-burn romance was both charming and heartfelt, with plenty of swoon-worthy moments.

While I did feel the pacing was a bit uneven at times, and I would’ve loved more emotional depth in certain scenes, the chemistry between Sybil and Kieran kept me hooked.

If you’re looking for a lighthearted romance about fate, second chances and finding love in unexpected places, Just Our Luck is definitely worth picking up on release day - March 25, 2025.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC! 📚💖

If you are looking for a cute interracial romance with plus size fmc, neurodivergent rep, and burnout rep then this book is for you.

This was a solid 3.5 ⭐️ book. I enjoyed the banter between Sybil and Kieran. I liked how Kieran came around and was supportive of Sybil and helping her find a purpose in life, when her mother was always calling out her flaws. I also liked how Sybil helped Kieran loosen up and learn to have some fun. I didn’t enjoy how Kieran was kind of mean towards Sybil in the beginning, but I think that was his way of protecting his heart. I also didn’t like Sybil mother because she was so mean to her. Overall, I really enjoyed this book and want to read more by Denise Williams.

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin House for an ARC!!

3.5 stars.
I first would like to bring up that I like how closer to the end of the book they brought up a statistic that women tend to be under diagnosed with ADHD due to it showing up and manifesting differently in women than it does in men. Luckily, I was diagnosed at the age of seven. I am not almost 40 years old. I will say when it comes to being neurodivergent and ADHD I can say my decision in making is impulsive and I can see that in the female main character. But that is where her and I in our similarities in ADHD stop. No ADHD can manifest differently and I acknowledge that and I do know that time blindness is a thing, but that does not happen with me as it does with this character. She always tends to be late, especially in the beginning of the book. She has a hard time waking up, which I did have when I was younger, but I did not use an alarm clock.

Overall, I thought the book was very well written. I liked the premise of the book. The book is told in dual POV. I like that our MMC takes time off school to take care of his family due to medical reasons and makes it his priority. I also love that it takes place and a donut shop. And that is how their mate cute begins. I also love the idea of a lottery ticket and the whole lottery system in the book. I do feel the representation was well written in the book. I do feel, though that the middle of the book dragged for me. The pacing was very hard for me personally and the reason I continued was because I wanted to know what happened in the end.
I would definitely give this author another try and do plan to try her back log.

Well goodness, that’s a meet cute to remember! Thanks so much to @berkleypub @berkleyromance for the free book! I don’t know what these reviews are talkin bout. I was in the feels with Sybil the whole way. Except maybe at the 90% mark that decision was a little outta line. But anywho I feel her character represents a lot of people still trying to make it happen and just keep falling short. Everyone wants to win a jackpot and no one ever does. So it was nice to see someone win for a change. Also the cover looks just like me and my boo so that was a bonus.