This was a cute read. I loved the beginning with the donut store meet-cute and the ending was sweet and satisfying. Halfway through things got a little slow for my liking. Overall a fun read.

Just Our Luck is going to make you crave a donut or two while reading so I definitely recommend hitting up your local donut shop before starting the book. Considering how sweet and understanding the MMC is you may even end up with a cavity by the end of the book. I enjoyed the first half of the book but I felt that the conflict/plot twist towards the end of the story didn't fit and was unnecessary. I think the issue was so major that Kieran forgave Sybil way too easily. Still I loved Kieran for the fact that he saw Sybil for her true self and fell for her hard regardless of how other's saw her, including her own family members. Sybil was a chaotic mess in such a way it felt like she could make coffee beans anxious. I wish we knew what her diagnosis was early on in the story instead of getting little glimpses and not knowing until the very end of the book. The epilogue was cute and wrapped everything up nicely for the main and side characters. Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

For the most part this is a super cute opposites attract fake dating romantic comedy! The premise is super fun and I really enjoyed how Sybil and Kieran played off of each other. I didn’t love the third act conflict and resolution, though, and it took me out of my overall enjoyment of the book a bit. Still definitely a recommend, though!

2.5 stars rounded!

Thank you, Berkley, and NetGalley for the arc of Just Our Luck, out now!

I liked the fake dating aspect of it, the donuts and the lottery, all cute things. However, I felt disappointed. I truly enjoy Denise's books however this fell flat to me. The fmc and mmc weren't a match in my opinion, and it just felt so rushed. The 3rd act breakup had no reason to occur, tbh and it made me even more angry. There was no character development or anything. And honestly, I thought the mmc was so rude to the fmc so many times.

I appreciate the arc as I truly was excited to have read an arc of Denise's, unfortunately it just didn't match with me.

- Fake Dating
- Plus Size FMC
- He Falls First?
- Grumpy x Sunshine

I just finished this one and in complete honesty I have mixed feelings about it. I was a bit uncertain at the beginning, but I very quickly started having a great time. Since the premise involves winning the lottery it's important to suspend disbelief and it's well worth it. It may be a bit outrageous but it kicked off the friendship between Sybil and Kieran.

I love the two of them and how they both make each other a better version of themselves. Their chemistry was incredible and was swooning when they finally got together.

The side characters were wonderful and I felt attached to Sybil and Kieran. There were so many good messages throughout the book and overall I really enjoyed it!

Keep scrolling if you want to know my biggest issue!

A BIT SPOILERY....

My biggest issue with the book is the ADHD rep - it's not my preference at all. I felt extremely frustrated at times - especially since it wasn't acknowledged as ADHD until the very very end. It felt tacked on when it could've been a bigger part of the story and Sybil's character arc. It also led to a very questionable decision that I just don't understand at all.

It led to the ending feeling rushed and that made me sad because I wanted a bit more from it. But this is fully a personal preference and I know that the representation will likely really resonate with many people.

Thank you to Berkley Romance for the advance reader copy and to PRH Audio for the complimentary audiobook. These opinions are my own.

There are some things I quite enjoyed about this book. It featured a wonderful grandfather with a caring son. The family dynamics that Kiran shared with his gramps and his sister were so sweet.

I also really like several of the tropes, including fake dating and an early grand gesture. The spice was done well.

But I was not impressed with how the characters were written. Kiran describes Sybil as "sweet and kind of messy, but in the best way." And while I appreciate the neurodivergent rep and liked her in the early parts of the book, I was completely taken aback by how little responsibility she took for a really negative thing she did. It made me not like her and not want to root for them together.

Similarly, Kiran does a complete 180 between who he is on the first night they meet and how he acts later. And we see Sybil reflect on the differences, but we never really get a good insight into why. It seems like their first interaction was incredibly out of character for him. And that's not my preference for how I first get to know a character.

So I recommend earlier books from Denise Williams far more than this one.

I listened to the audiobook, and that definitely improved the experience. I'll listen to Teddy Hamilton narrate literally anything, and I also enjoyed Emma Ladji's narration.

3.5 stars rounded up

Fake dating? Check. Winning the lottery? Check. Lovable main characters and a cast of standout supporting ones? Absolutely.

I adored this book from start to finish. Sybil is such a relatable character—constantly feeling like she’s living in the shadow of her father’s past, yet finally finding the courage to stand up for herself, especially in her relationship with her mom. That’s never easy, and it was handled with so much heart. And then there’s Kieran, who’s been putting his own dreams on hold to help run the family business. His quiet strength and loyalty made me love him even more.

One of my favorite things about this story is how rich the relationships are—not just between Sybil and Kieran, but with the people around them. The side characters brought so much warmth, humor, and depth to the story. It felt like stepping into a whole little world where love, family, and second chances matter.

And yes, I always brace myself for the inevitable tension or “third-act conflict” in romance novels, but this one felt real. The drama didn’t feel forced—it was natural, understandable, and didn’t take away from the emotional payoff.

I truly loved this book. It was heartfelt, funny, and surprisingly grounding. I’ll absolutely be recommending it to my friends.

Sybil and Kieran were so sweet and steamy! Sybil‘s life is a bit of a hot mess, and she felt real and relatable when she just couldn’t catch a break — it broke my heart to see her family expect so little from her.

In contrast, Kieran seemed to have his life put together and seeing him defend her and her heart, even when their relationship was still fake, made me love him even more.

I love when the third act conflict hits so well that I see the merit in both positions, and my heart just hurt for them. Their story is a light read filled with plenty of banter — and plenty of donuts.

You’ll Find —
Instalust to Slow Burn
Fake Dating
Opposites Attract
He Falls First
Interracial Romance
Plus Size FMC

Thankful for the opportunity to read!

I am not a lottery person but I enjoy books about people who win it. In Just Our Luck, after a one-night tryst, a woman leaves a winning lottery ticket behind and the attempt to return the ticket goes viral, making these two people become intertwined. It’s fake dating mixed with a lottery windfall and some opposites attract. And so many donuts. This was such a cute and charming romcom that also tackled real life issues with a neurodivergent character and a character putting his life and dreams on hold to take care of his grandpa. The grandpa was my favorite character in this one with his zippy one-liners.

Equal parts adorable but also relatively spicy! I loved following this story and how natural it was for the author to insert a curvy FMC with ADHD. The representation of living with ADHD was so thoroughly thought out, and I truly felt for Sybil whenever there were interactions between herself and her family. Having gone through that type of dynamic before I truly felt seen in this read and I loved the timely and true trope of fake dating, it was done so masterfully for this read!

Winning the Lottery Never Tasted So Sweet in This Trope-Filled Romance

In a time when eggs are priced at insane levels, winning the lottery seems like a sound financial plan. Okay, maybe not, but it may help supplement those grocery store trips. For Sybil in Just Our Luck by Denise Williams, winning the lottery came with a lot more than just extra egg money–or in this case, donut money.

Sybil Sweet is at a not-so-lucky position in life: she’s on her umpteenth temp job, she’s lost her apartment and is back in her childhood room, and her car is on its ninth life. When she finds a lucky penny one morning, leaving for work, she’s hopeful that her plan to pick up the donut order for the morning meeting will show her manager, Josefina she’s taking initiative and deserves a promotion. Instead, she manages to steal the donuts (really, she just forgot her wallet. She’ll pay them back later!), trip and lose the donuts, and get fired.

She thinks the penny’s luck is for her blind date later that night, but she’s disappointed there, too, when the date stands her up. So, she vows instead of putting her energy in men, she’s going to win the lottery with a ticket she just bought for kicks and have the perfect donut … coincidentally from the same shop where she “stole” the donut order that morning.

Kieran Anderson is at his wits end: he’s left medical school to run his grandad Joe’s donut shop while Joe is healing, the shop is in financial trouble, and his sister Lila who’s helping with the shop, is about to graduate college and possibly leave town for any one of six dream accounting jobs. Kieran’s tried almost everything to get Joe’s Donuts out of bankruptcy-infested waters, including staying open late to catch the crowd leaving bars and clubs for the night.

Joe’s friend Tom finds a lucky penny outside the shop one day and gives it to Kieran. Even though Kieran doesn’t believe in luck, he sure could use some, considering someone took off with a $40 donut order that morning. It seems as if the penny might be working because later that night, a beautiful woman walks into the donut shop vowing to find the perfect donut and win the lottery, and she’s flirting with him.

Trope-arrific and Steamy to Boot
For readers who love the one-night stand, fake relationship, or grumpy-sunshine tropes, you will love this novel. Ms. Williams lays heavily on these tropes, as well as a couple of other honorable mentions to get us into Sybil’s and Kieran’s story. After their sexy night, Sybil left her lottery ticket at Kieran’s donut shop, and Kieran’s heartstrung plea via social media to find her leads them into a fake relationship. Grumpy Kieran and eve-optimistic sunshine Sybil are not only a smoldering steamy couple, they are a ball of laughs as they navigate small-time fame, making and selling donuts, and keeping the ruse going for family.

As you probably already realized, when there’s a one-night stand, there’s bound to be some steam attached. Ms. Williams has a nice heaping of spice in her novels–the scenes are open door, but most of her stories are also a slow-burn. In Just Our Luck, our one-night stand is followed by lots of pining and a couple of kisses before we see Sybil and Kieran come together again. When you pair hot and heavy with not-quite-familiar and add on a reluctant fake relationship, you get one delicious romantic dessert.

More to Sybil than Meets the Eye
When we first meet Sybil, readers will pick up right away that she’s clumsy and somewhat forgetful. Readers may even get a bit frustrated with her as Kieran did in the beginning, despite being deeply attracted to her. I even had a moment in the beginning of “give him the money for the donuts!” frustration.

But there’s more than forgetfulness here. What slowly becomes evident is that Sybil thinks differently and possibly has ADHD brain chemistry. As someone who believes she has undiagnosed ADHD, I saw some of my own behaviors mirrored in Sybil. And when I realized it, I became more frustrated with how Sybil’s family treated her than how she was acting.

For readers who are triggered by gaslighting and slight emotional abuse by family, try another delightful novel by Denise Williams. However, for those who want to see Sybil triumph and find the love she deserves, along with a few great donuts, then dive into this sweet treat. Just Our Luck is the fun, escapist romantic romp that we need in these very expensive-egg times.

Donuts, winning lottery tickets, and fake dating tropes? What more could a girl want? JUST OUR LUCK is that charmingly sweet summer romance you’ve long been looking for.

thank you so much to @berkleypub @berkleyromance @acebookspub and denise williams for the free book! :) #berkleypartner #acebookspartner

i loved this so much. while its a far fetched dream to win the lottery the winning part of this book for me is reading about one of the most relatable FMC’s ever.

she’s messy and even though she tries her best, the people on her life still see she falls a little short. she really is the little engine that could though, because despite the perception people have of her, she continues to pick herself up and try again — she has the biggest heart and she puts it into everyone around her 😭😭😭 she really is sunshine personified and i just love when authors write characters that aren’t always put together. this adulting shit is hard and even though i’m only in my 20s, i know there’s still a lot more shit to come my way and i hope i have my heart open in all the ways sybil does :’)

and why can i say about kieran?? a man devoted to his family, and while he’s a little grumpy, he’s got just as big a heart as sybil. also has quite the… appetite. 💋 he’s one of the only ones who continuously reminds sybil that she’s doing her best, offers a hand and just lets her be herself. also he wears an apron, backwards cap and owns a donut shop 😔 i need him.

anyway, 4.5 ⭐️ <3

This book was a lot of fun! Loved the banter and the whole cast of characters. Great plus size rep. Overall, appreciated the undiagnosed ADHD rep, though it sometimes felt stereotypical. Thank you to Berkley and NetGalley for this arc. All opinions are my own.

Sybil is between jobs and can barely keep up with the bills while also living with her mom. Kieran runs his granddad's donut shop with hopes of being a doctor someday, and he has an instant connection with Sybil when she walks through the door to order some late night donuts. After a quick & fun night together in the back office of the shop, Sybil sneaks out but loses her lottery ticket in the process. The ticket, of course, ends up being a $350 million winning ticket, and Kieran sends out a video to social media to help find Sybil to give her the ticket. When they are reunited, they decide to give fake dating a try, to help Kieran get publicity for his donut shop in order to keep making a profit to pay off bills, and for Sybil to have a date to her sister's wedding to prove to her family that she can find a decent man.

I was thoroughly entertained throughout the book, especially seeing the dynamic between Sybil, a little bit chaotic and messy, and Kieran, more shy and buttoned up. What didn't work for me so much was the insta-love and the poor choices made by Sybil near the end of the book. Overall, the author's writing was great and it was a quick read!

Thank you NetGalley, Berkley Publishing, and the author for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

After bouncing from job to job throughout her life, Sybil Sweet moves through life while trying to find the right role and man for her. She was completely comfortable being her family’s wandering soul. When Sybil decides to go to a random bakery after buying a lottery ticket, she figures no harm can come to that. That is when meeting Kieran Anderson turns her night right side up.

When Kieran meets Sybil, he is in awe of her. Her smile lights up the whole room and it seems as though she understands what she is going through. Kieran took time off school to take care of his granddad and donut shop, despite being in the middle of medical school. After a flirtatious one night stand, Sybil leaves him a tip and a lottery ticket. Only that lottery ticket ends up being a huge winner. When Kieran goes viral for his video while trying to find Sybil, he realizes that this may have turned the donut shop’s luck around! In effort to keep the store in running mode, Sybil and Kieran come up with a plan to fake date in order to prove to Sybil’s family that she can be taken serious and that perhaps both of them have luck with each other.

When I heard the FMC would be divergent and plus size, I was all for reading this book! I’ve read quite a few of Denise’s books before and this one made me just as happy as the ones before. I was laughing through a lot of it while also tearing up in some places. Some tropes include: strangers to lovers, fake dating, found family, and neurodivergence. Some possible TWs: parent neglect (towards MMC), absence of parents for both MCs, ADHD topic, anxiety and more. The author does provide more details at the front of this book, so please be sure to read it.

Thank you to Author Denise Williams and Berkley Publishing for allowing me to read this book early in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you to Netgalley, the author, and Berkley Publishing for the gifted e-book! ❤️ #gifted. My review is comprised of my honest thoughts.

Read this if you like: Dual POV, fake dating, opposites, plus size, lottery ticket, steamy 🔥

Love love love. Fake dating is one of my favorite tropes. This did not disappoint. There are tons of really funny parts and so many super sexy parts. 🔥 Wow. I really enjoyed this.

Vibes:

🍩lucky pennies
🍩the lottery
🍩flour fights
🍩kisses in the rain
🍩group chats
🍩tension
🍩sibling love
🍩ADHD rep
🍩grumpyxsunshine

Denise Williams is one of my favorite authors and this is another cute read by her! I loved how Kiran supported and embraced Sybil to look beyond her flaws and embrace her passion and creativity. I think the ADHD rep was realistic and if you enjoyed the rep in Lizzie Blake's Best Mistake, then you'll probably love Just Our Luck. Just be warned, you'll be craving donuts!

Thank you @berkleyromance for the free book and thank you @prhaudio for the #gifted listening copy of Just Our Luck! #PRHAudioPartner #PRHAInfluencer #BerkleyBookstagram #BerkleyIG #berkley #berkleyromance

𝐓𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞: 𝐉𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐎𝐮𝐫 𝐋𝐮𝐜𝐤
𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫: 𝐃𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐞 𝐖𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐚𝐦𝐬
𝐏𝐮𝐛 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞: 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡 𝟐𝟓, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓 - 𝐎𝐮𝐭 𝐍𝐨𝐰!

Denise Williams! This was such a sweet (pun intended) romance! I loved the tropes in this one and the representation was what I look for in a romance book. Sybil and Kieran were the perfect balance for one another and the premise for this book was so fun! If you are looking for a fake dating romance, you will not want to miss this one!

🍩Fake Dating
🍩Opposites Attract
🍩Neurodivergent Rep
🍩Grumpy x Sunshine
🍩Plus Size FMC
🍩Baker MMC
🍩He Falls First
🍩Lottery Winner

🎧I listened to the audiobook, which was narrated by the talented Emma Ladji and Teddy Hamilton. Both were excellent bringing Sybil and Kieran to life. I loved my time listening and highly recommend this one on audio.

Posted on Goodreads on March 25, 2025: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/144922955?ref=nav_profile_l
**Posted on Instagram - Full Review- on or around March 25, 2025: http://www.instagram.com/nobookmark_noproblem
**Posted on Amazon on March 25, 2025
**-will post on designated date

Just Our Luck by Denise Williams is a sweet & spicy fake dating romance that you donut want to miss.

This is the third standalone book I’ve read from Denise Williams & I love that they are always fresh & unique.

Just Our Luck is great for those looking to read…
🍩 Sweet & Spicy Romance
🍩 Fake Dating
🍩 Grumpy Hero x Sunshine Heroine
🍩 Meddling Families

As soon as the hero made his video plea looking for the heroine/owner of the lottery ticket, I was swooning. He had a delightfully grumpy demeanor & a heart as sweet as the entire donut shop. I was so amused by the family members & their hilarious selves & meddling demeanor. I absolutely love a man that unapologetically loves his woman & these two had me smitten.

If you are looking for spicy romance that’s also sweet enough with some sprinkles on top, I recommend reading Just Our Luck!

Massive thanks to NetGalley & Berkley Publishing for the gifted copy, which I voluntarily read & reviewed.