JUST OUR LUCK

Sybil Sweet is what people might call a hot mess. She has trouble keeping a job and a relationship. Her mother is a tough character who makes it clear she has no faith in her, and Sybil sadly leans into the assumption that she’s a perpetual failure. Her bank account is one big purchase away from an overdraft, but that doesn’t stop her from putting all her financial eggs in one basket by buying a lottery ticket. When she stops off for a donut later that night, she flirts with the guy behind the counter and they end up having an impromptu steamy session in the bakery’s office—and she leaves him the lottery ticket when she ducks out. It turns out luck was smiling on Sybil after all, because the ticket turns out to be a winner. Kieran Anderson knows the lottery ticket could change a lot for him. He’s trying to decide whether to defer medical school while working in his grandfather’s struggling donut shop while also caring for Granddad through declining health. The payout of $250 million could solve nearly all of those problems, but keeping the ticket from a woman who clearly needs a win doesn’t sit right with him. As Kieran tries to track Sybil down through social media, the story becomes bigger than expected. His search is taken as a grand romantic gesture that immediately goes viral. Then Kieran and Sybil find a way to turn their newfound fame into something mutually beneficial—they decide to fake a relationship to gain more exposure. Unfortunately for the book, though, both characters freeze up and their chemistry doesn’t come as easily once their fake relationship starts; they go from very hot to almost frigid.

Mar 25, 2025 - 07:41

Sybil Sweet is what people might call a hot mess. She has trouble keeping a job and a relationship. Her mother is a tough character who makes it clear she has no faith in her, and Sybil sadly leans into the assumption that she’s a perpetual failure. Her bank account is one big purchase away from an overdraft, but that doesn’t stop her from putting all her financial eggs in one basket by buying a lottery ticket. When she stops off for a donut later that night, she flirts with the guy behind the counter and they end up having an impromptu steamy session in the bakery’s office—and she leaves him the lottery ticket when she ducks out. It turns out luck was smiling on Sybil after all, because the ticket turns out to be a winner. Kieran Anderson knows the lottery ticket could change a lot for him. He’s trying to decide whether to defer medical school while working in his grandfather’s struggling donut shop while also caring for Granddad through declining health. The payout of $250 million could solve nearly all of those problems, but keeping the ticket from a woman who clearly needs a win doesn’t sit right with him. As Kieran tries to track Sybil down through social media, the story becomes bigger than expected. His search is taken as a grand romantic gesture that immediately goes viral. Then Kieran and Sybil find a way to turn their newfound fame into something mutually beneficial—they decide to fake a relationship to gain more exposure. Unfortunately for the book, though, both characters freeze up and their chemistry doesn’t come as easily once their fake relationship starts; they go from very hot to almost frigid.