Just Our Luck is a light romantic comedy by Denise Williams set in small-town USA with fake dating, neurodiversity and donuts!

Sybil is about to get sacked from her job. Again. She drifts through work and different living situations, she hyperfocuses and struggles with commitment and money and. Essentially, with keeping it all together. To compensate, she tells herself she is lucky, and her ‘luck’ is the thread that weaves this gorgeous romance together.

Grumpy Kieran is running his grandfather’s failing donut shop. He’s on leave from medical school and is conflicted about whether medicine is his calling.

They connect when Sybil visits the shop and they have a steamy encounter in the back office. Sybil leaves him with a message scribbled on the back of a lottery ticket – “thanks for the orgasm”. What follows is a comedy of errors that begins when Kieran’s sister realises the ticket is in fact a winning ticket – $350 million! Kieran tracks Sybil down on social media but unfortunately. this makes her lottery win very public. As a buffer from her family and to keep the public at bay, Kieran and Sybil agree to the façade of fake dating, and they get closer as they try to make it believable. At the same time Sybil’s impulsivity and trusting nature make her vulnerable as she navigates the consequences of her lottery win. In the storm of confusion, Kieran is there for her. It is so nice to see is how – even though Kieran is a little bit overwhelmed – he thinks she’s the bomb!

The depiction of Sybil’s neurodiversity is fabulous, even though some of her actions are cringeworthy. I loved how Kieran sees her. He doesn’t mind her lateness or her scattiness; he sees her warmth, enthusiasm and decency, and just how uncomplicated and lovely she is. Even when she screws up (and she really does) he gets that she is just trying to help, however misguided or muddled she is. In turn, Sybil appreciates all of Kieran’s awkwardness and the way he follows the rules.

I ached for Sybil at times, and wished her family would appreciate her more, but they contrast with Kieran, who falls for her so completely, flaws and all. The massive lottery win is an added complexity in their lives – it doesn’t solve all their problems. With so many billionaire romances out there, it’s great to read about money not being everything. If you’ve enjoyed Denise Williams’ other romances – especially How to Fail at Flirting – you’ll love this!