This is the first time I ever read something by this author and im immediately a big fan! Will definitely read their other books in the future! I’m always a sucker for fake dating and this was no exception!

A VERY generous round up to 4 stars. This book is preposterous - like, the entire setup and families and lottery thing and execution - just entirely preposterous. The scale of money is so disproportionate to the winnings and the idea that there are no financial planners or that they aren't mobbed everywhere they go is just one tip of the iceberg. The end twist means the doctor plot line is never really resolved. But I do really like Sibyl and Kieran and all their friends, and I like the setting in Des Moines.

I received a free ARC from NetGalley.

The way I devoured this book in just a few days...it was delicious from start to finish. I'm not surprised. Denise Williams knows how to create a sweet love story that brings humor, romance, and the heat! I adored Kieran and Sybil with their grumpy-sunshine dynamic against the backdrop of a colorful cast of friends and family. And be forewarned, the mouth-watering donut descriptions will give you cravings.

What's interesting about JUST OUR LUCK is that it manages to be a slow burn with quickie tryst at the beginning. So, while it's obvious that these two are attracted to each other from the beginning, the author cools things off to build the tension back up slowly for most of the book. You will be hanging on every scene waiting for them to realize what we as readers already know.

What I also loved is that it's funny. There were genuine laugh-out-loud moments in this book, especially with the banter. Denise has always had a knack for clever dialogue and JUST OUR LUCK nails it once again.

This book is your happy place. When you need a palette cleanser or just an easy, fun read that will make you smile and swoon, this is the one.

Sweet as the donuts inside, Williams's latest romcom has great neurodivergence rep that gives her signature depth to the story.

If you like cute Interracial romance with instant attraction you should read this book. This book follows the fmc who has adhd and has been told her whole life she doesn’t stick to anything. The mmc is a medical student whose has currently deferred his admission to take care of his recovering grandad. He is running his grandpas donut shop which ks currently struggling. They meet and its this big thing where the fmc loses her winning lottery ticket and the mmc looks for her and someone gets it on video and they both get alot of press. They decide to fake date to help the donut shop and the fmc with her mom.

I liked the fmc yes she was a bit impulsive and all over the place but she was fun. The mmc took a whilr to grow on me cause he was mean and a bit rude to her for like 30 percent of the book. I just did not like the way he treated her even though sometimes his inner monologue say differently. He acted like they forced him to fake date. He did get way better after and i ended up liking both of them. The romance was fun and cute, i liked the backstories to the mc’s. I wanted a little more emotional connection with it but this was fine. Thanks to Berkley for this arc.

Sybil Sweet has been barely scraping by, living at home with her mom, juggling financial struggles, and making one bad decision after another. When she loses her job and gets stood up for what she hoped would be a promising date, Sybil impulsively buys a lottery ticket, clinging to a sense of optimism despite the odds.

Kieran Anderson, meanwhile, is balancing the weight of family responsibility. Taking a break from medical school, he’s working in his grandfather’s struggling donut shop, trying to save the business and pay off mounting debts before returning to his studies.

One late night, Sybil stumbles into Kieran’s donut shop, and the two share a surprisingly magical evening. However, their connection takes an unexpected turn when Sybil, embarrassed by an awkward encounter with Kieran’s sister, leaves abruptly, scribbling a note on the back of what turns out to be a jackpot-winning lottery ticket. True to his character, Kieran embarks on a quest to find Sybil and return the ticket.

The two are soon reunited, drawing the attention of their small town. To help drum up publicity for the donut shop and prove to her family that she’s capable of making mature decisions, Sybil and Kieran agree to pretend they’re dating. While the fake relationship draws them closer, they spend much of the story denying their growing feelings for each other.

Sybil’s struggles with self-doubt and inadequacy play a significant role in the story, though they can feel overwhelming at times. Her lack of confidence is a persistent theme, making it difficult to root for her at certain moments. Therapy, rather than a fake boyfriend, might have been a more effective way for her to address these challenges.

Kieran, on the other hand, is defined by his overachieving nature and sense of duty as a caregiver. While admirable, his career in medicine feels less like a true passion and more like a means of providing stability for his family, which left his character feeling somewhat one-dimensional.

While Denise Williams is known for delivering standout romantic comedies, this one fell short for me. Sybil’s impulsiveness, seemingly intended to be charming, often comes across as immature and frustrating. Even when her potential neurodivergence is revealed, some of her choices remain baffling. Though she does show growth by the end, it feels too little, too late.

Ultimately, while the premise of *Just Our Luck* had promise, the execution didn’t quite hit the mark. Fans of Williams may still find moments to enjoy, but this one may not stand out among her other works.

I really wanted to love this story, and I did for about the 1st half. However, once the 2nd half started and everything started to come together, I was disappointed. I LOVED Sybils energy, but after a while of constantly messing up and beating herself up about it, just got too repetitive. I really wanted her to find and be happy in herself. We did get that towards the end, but it was so brief. Kieran was amazing starting out as well, and he was so good for Sybil, but he was always fighting himself and his feelings, and it came across as being a real jerk sometimes. A lot of the plot was saving his family's donut shop and him going back to medical school. The whole book was focused on this plot. They save the shop, and he has a chance to go back to school, and Sybil royally messed it up. Like it was awful, and everyone's just over it in a couple of pages. I know she makes rash decisions, but that was like.......what are you thinking, Sybil?! Then all is well, and there's no medical school. They sell the donut shop they worked so hard to save, and now Kieran is not a doctor but a medical researcher? The entire plot, the first 300 pages, was just gone. I really loved all the many side characters, and Denise Williams does a wonderful job of giving personalities to all of them.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Publishing for allowing me to read this book.

A little bit sweet,
a little a lot silly,
a fun distraction
⭐️⭐️⭐️


I write haiku reviews but am happy to provide more feedback.

Donuts, baked goods, fake dating… what more could a girl ask for?

In Just Our Luck we follow Sybil Sweet, who leads a rather unlucky directionless life, yet she’s very positive and optimistic. She crosses paths with Kiran Anderson who gave up his dream as doctor and dropped out of med school to help his grandfather run his bakery after a stroke. Sybil, down on her luck, buys a lottery ticket and after a steamy interaction at the bakery with Kiran, leave it there. Kiran and his family figure out that the lottery ticket was a winning ticket. They search for Sybil via a video on social media that goes viral and the two start fake dating for the viewers. However, their chemistry and attraction to each other blossoms.

I really enjoyed this read. It was light hearted and fun and quick, I think we could’ve delved deeper into the neurodivergence angle. It just seemed like something that was thrown in at the end. But overall this book was a fun good time. The romance was cute, the third act break up was reasonable and resolved in a grand gesture which I loved.

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

Just Our Luck by Denise Williams

🍩 A lottery ticket + donuts = love in this sweet and steamy fake-dating romance from Denise Williams, who is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors!

Sybil and Kieran’s instant connection had me hooked from their very first late-night donut shop encounter. Sybil’s charm and struggle to find her footing in life paired perfectly with Kieran’s quiet strength and dedication to his family bakery. The fake dating trope was executed so well here—it’s always a favorite of mine, but this one felt especially fresh and heartwarming.

I loved how both characters brought out the best in each other, with their chemistry leaping off the page. Denise Williams gave them so much depth and vibrancy that I found myself rooting for their happy ending from start to finish. The story was fun, romantic, and oh-so-satisfying, like the perfect donut.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC! Denise Williams has once again delivered another fun and charming contemporary romance that is sure to leave readers smiling. 🍩✨

#BookReview #ContemporaryRomance #FakeDatingTrope #RomanceBooks #DeniseWilliams #SweetReads #BookLovers #DonutShopRomance #NetGalley #RomComBooks #Bookstagram #MustRead #JustOurLuck

I did really enjoy this book for a cute little romance! It was nice to see body positivity and neurodivergence representation! I can’t wait for this book to be out to recommend to people!

This book had me intrigued from the start and I was really excited to see how things play out. I liked the initial chemistry between Kiernan and Sybil and I was excited to see their relationship grow. However, Kiernan flipped a switch and ran from hot to cold really fast and overall I wished we got to see them together more. I did really enjoy the fact that they were polar opposites when it came to their personalities: she was so fun and care free and he was organized and introverted. The two of them having contrasting personalities definitely was a highlight as it kept me engaged when they were working through conflict. I will say the third act conflict was a doozy and Kiernan handled it better than I ever could because that would have been a deal breaker for most people (me included). This was a decent a read but I really wanted to like it more and it fell kind of flat for me.

Looking for your next cute rom-com read with a messy main character falling in love accidentally? Well, you definitely need to pick this book up right away! It's literally the cutest romance read. Be warned that this romance read is for the vibes with a messy yet unapologetic main character. It's nothing wrong with being messy. It just means that you think differently and process differently. You bring something different missing, which the main character, Sybil, realizes. Sybil isn't going to know her true potential until later on, but we as readers will get to know more about her potential as she gains it. It's truly cute yet messy to read. I enjoyed reading it.

This book is sweet and cute. It nice to see not only POC as main characters, but also women with ADHD issues. Not a lot of spice, but there are a lot of sweet moments. This book also touches on female familial relationships, which is good to see. Would recommend as a quick read.

This was my first Denise Williams book and I’m definitely interested in reading more of her work! The cover for this book is STUNNING and I loved the plus-size, BIPOC & neurodiverse representation. The plot intrigued me from the jump and I would have loved to have seen the lottery win play a bigger part in the story. The characters were interesting and their chemistry was great however I do wish we saw a little more character development. Special shout-out to Kieran’s Granddad and his best friend Tom for being my favourite part of the story!

Thank you so much NetGalley & Berkley for the ARC 🤍

I love anything Denise Williams writes and this was no exception. Sybil and Kieran were super cute, and I loved how Kieran tried to deny his attraction. I thought the story would zig but it zagged so I was pleasantly surprised. Definitely give this one a shot.

Thank you Netgalley for my Advanced Reader Copy!

First, I’ll start off by saying the cover of this book was absolutely beautiful. It drew me to wanting to read it. And the synopsis sounded super cute and unique.

I was intrigued by the build up of both the characters and the plot for the first 25-30% of the book. Fake dating is one of my favorite tropes however it seemed a little too forced especially when the MMC was a little dry. I wanted more from him. The story has so much potential, but it dragged a little longer than i would have wanted it to without the plot really developing with it. IMO.

I did enjoy this book. I loved the plus sized representation in Sybil as well as the fake dating trope between her and Kieran. Kieran was a bit annoying for a bit but I'm glad he came around. I did find that their relationship had a bit of a slow burn feel to it because they denied themselves from each other for so long. Overall 4/5 stars! Thank you Berkley Publishing and Net Galley for allowing me to read this book!

Thanks to the publisher for the opportunity to read. Unfortunately, I'm not feeling invested in the romance or writing at 22%. There is very little chemistry between Sybil and Kieran, the dual first person POVs aren't helping, and I just kind of don't believe any of this.

There is a lot to love about this book! It had a quirky heroine, a grumpy, strait laced hero, and a lot of chemistry. It might have been closer to a five for me if not for the third act conflict, and in particular our hero’s behavior during that situation. It all seemed very unlikely and it really took away from my love for the character. Overall, I enjoyed it, but I wish it had wrapped up differently. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the e-arc.