The writing duo Christina Lauren’s new novel The Paradise Problem focuses on a marriage of convenience to inherit money. Wealthy Liam Weston had married Anna in college; he needed to be married and she needed housing. It was strictly on paper; they barely saw one another. But now Liam needs Anna’s help to continue the facade (although no divorce was ever completed) so he can inherit a massive sum of money. He needs his “wife”:to accompany him to his sister’s lavish wedding on a tropical island. Anna agrees as she now is a struggling artist and desperate for money. No people could be further apart in temperament or personality; Anna is a free-thinking artist while Liam is a tightly-guarded college professor. Liam’s family is insanely wealthy, focused on money, power and proper social connections in contrast to Anna’s single dad struggling to make ends meet. Once on the island the toxicity of Liam’s family forces conversations and new understandings. Predictable plot, beautiful setting, but somehow these two characters seemed to be more lustful than loving. Told from a dual perspective, it allowed the reader to get into the character’s minds more, but it was hard to buy the romance between these two vastly different people. However, romance aficionados will like it.

Would you pretend to be married for $100,000, a shopping spree, and an all paid trip to a beautiful island?

Anna is working to make ends meet, pay her rent, and pay her father’s medical bills. While trying to make it as an artist, she is working at a local convenient store when she is unexpectedly fired.

Liam’s family owns the 6th largest grocery store chain in the United States, is extremely wealthy, and has a large inheritance waiting for him.
There’s just one catch….before he can gain access to his grandfather’s inheritance he needs to be married for five years.

Liam and Anna both were attending UCLA and wanted to get access to student housing…in order to do so, they had to pretend they were married. That’s exactly what they did, but they never officially got divorced.

Four years later, Liam asks Anna to travel for Liam’s sister’s wedding. he needs her to attend so his parents believe he is married, and he is willing to compensate her for her time.

I really enjoyed this book! I thought the plot was unique, and I enjoyed that the chapters were written from both Anna and Liam’s perspectives. This is a perfect summer read, and another great novel by Christina Lauren.

West and Anna marry to access student housing then five years later, West needs her to attend his sister's wedding as his wife and also to access his enormous inheritance - what could possibly go wrong? Family dynamics, sexual tension, a beautiful setting - all draw the couple closer together. This has a real "pretty woman" vibe - a business transaction turning into love story - but it's a fun ride and I loved it.

3.75 stars and rounded up!
I really enjoyed this one and the banter between the main characters is top notch! It seemed to have a slow-ish start (but I think that was a me issue maybe). I love a good fake dating trope and this was it but fake marriage! The growth of the male main character, Liam aka West, is really awesome to read. Another fantastic read by Christina Lauren!!

I don’t know where I’ve been, but how it took me this long to get on the Christina Lauren train, I’ll never know. This book was phenomenal. Anna and her friend’s brother, West, got legally married in college as an arrangement to get cheaper family housing, and then they divorced after graduation… or so Anna thought. Three years later, West shows up on Anna’s crappy apartment doorstep telling her that not only are they still married, but in order for him to get his inheritance, he has to be married for 5 years and he needs her to come with him to his sister’s wedding and be his fake wife to prove it to his crazy family. This book is fake dating (or marriage in this case) and the one bed trope at their best. I truly have no critiques. It is absolutely hilarious. Some of West’s mom’s zingers- ooooh I felt them in my soul. Anna had me cackling out loud with her quick wit, and she was so endearing, and West was a perfect match for her. The tension, flirting, and banter were top-notch, but what I really loved was how they flipped the billionaire love story and had her saving him. Both of their character arcs were great, but West’s was especially good while dealing with his toxic family. On top of all that, the spice scenes were amazing. 10/10. This book was a definite 5 star read for me, and I truly think this book will be the read of the summer.

This was another winner from Christina Lauren! This one has it all: a tropical island wedding, a wealthy and dysfunctional family, a marriage of convenience, an inheritance clause that affects said marriage of convenience, and of course fake dating/married that turns into something real. It was spicy, sweet, funny, and a whole lot of fun! A perfect poolside or beach read for the summer!

Christina Lauren is so good at creating romance worlds with super fun plots and characters. The Paradise Problem was not my favorite of their books, but it was still good. Fake marriages are slowly becoming my least favorite trope, but this one did it well.

I loved this one. I will read anything Christina Lauren writes and so should you. If you love Life Styles of the Rich and Famous and Pretty Woman you will love this. Read it.

omg!! the most perfect billionaire romance to kick off summer reads. the vibes were immaculate, and i love all of the characters christina lauren writes. my only little problem is that there were a lot of pop culture references and i am usually not the biggest fan of those. but they were easy to overlook with the drama and tea that was happening throughout the book.

I absolutely LOVED this book from start to finish. I connected with the main characters right away and enjoyed the perfect mix of comedy, romance, and serious life issues. I will be recommending this one to everyone!

Three years ago, Anna Green entered into a marriage of convenience with Liam “West” Weston. Opposites in every way, the pair amicably went their separate ways, never to meet again.

In present day, Liam is a Stanford professor and Anna, a struggling artist. But when Liam is forced to reunite with his family for his sister’s wedding he hits a snag. See, his family never actually met the lucky lady he married years prior, Liam covering with flimsy excuses. Coming from a powerful and complicated family dynamic, Liam is forced to reach back out to Anna and awkwardly ask for her assistance, namely posing once again as the wife, unbeknownst to Anna, he never technically divorced.

But the ask doesn’t come without monetary provisions. For Anna, this means money she so desperately needs as her father’s medical bills continue to mount. And for Liam, staying married for five years secures receiving a financial windfall as per a clause in his grandfather’s will. All the rough-around-the-edges Anna has to do is polish up and play the part.

However, the path to riches doesn’t run so smoothly as Anna and Liam are tasked with not only becoming reacquainted with one another, but also navigating the treacherous trappings Liam’s family tends to create. But the further they get into the charade, the more Liam and Anna begin to fall for one another. As the lines between fact and fiction begin to blur, each realizes there is also tenacious trouble in paradise.

The Paradise Problem marries the popular tropes of marriage of convenience with opposites attract, but with an inventive spin only @christinalauren could pull off. Throughout this novel I couldn’t help but compare it to the popular tv show, Succession albeit with more romantic roots. If you’re a fan of any of the above, I’d suggest checking this one out as its sure to me a must read this summer season.

This just might be my favorite Christina Lauren! I just absolutely fell in love with both main characters and loved the exotic
location. On top of that, the fake dating trope and character development was top notch! A fantastic summer read!

It's also a hit or miss with these authors but thankfullt this time was a hit and I actually devoured this in one sitting while I flew from Paris. I loved it and can't wait to get a copy for my bookshelf.

One of my favorite reads so far it was funny it was such a good slow burn and I couldn’t get enough of the couple honestly and the pink hair of course!

Oh my gosh. I genuinely LOVED this book!! It got me out a reading slump that I had been in for 2 months and I have been telling everyone about how amazing it is. Buttoned up Liam Weston marries free spirit and artist Anna Green so they can live in subsidized family housing while attending college. When Liam graduates and they go their separate ways, Anna thinks the fake marriage has ended, but she didn’t read the contract fully. She’s been “married” to Liam for the past four years and while she’s been living the life of struggling artist, Liam has been selling her praises as a doctor to his family and keeping up the rouse. This novel was full of family drama, self discovery, love, and so much more.

I had so much fun reading this one. Many many swoon-worthy moments, and I love when a romance tackles complicated family dynamics. I have some problems with West’s big reveal - it left a bit of a sour taste in my mouth about him. The sunshiny girl saves the boring guy angle is also a little tired, but I still enjoyed it quite a bit!

The dynamic duo has done it again with The Paradise Problem! This book gave me all the feels and left me wanting more from Jake and the other Weston siblings! Liam and Anna were the sweetest odd ball couple and I loved all their vulnerable moments together. True love isn’t found in the most standard of places, it can just simply grow with lots of close proximity while being on a beautiful, private island!

I cannot wait to read their next works and I would absolutely recommend this gem to all my book friends who love romantic comedies!
Thank you to NetGalley, the wonderful authors and Simon and Schuster for the ARC.

Anna Green initially believed she was marrying Liam "West" Weston for the convenience of subsidized housing during their time at UCLA. When they parted ways after graduation, she thought they had also parted with their marriage through signed divorce papers.

Fast forward three years, and Anna is struggling as a struggling artist, while West has become a Stanford professor. Despite being in line to inherit a substantial fortune from the Weston Foods conglomerate, West has little desire to join the family business. However, he's eager to claim his one-hundred-million-dollar inheritance, except for one obstacle.

An outdated stipulation in his grandfather's will dictates that West must be happily married for five years before receiving any money. Just as West believes he's nearing the finish line, familial pressure mounts for him to introduce his mysterious spouse, leading him to turn to the one person he's hesitant to involve in his affluent world—his unrefined, seemingly ex-wife, Anna.

What happens? You have to read to find out!

I enjoyed every moment of reading The Paradise Problem! It feels like a playful mash-up of The Unhoneymooner, Succession and Pretty Woman. I could feel how much fun the authors had in writing this one!

Anna Green, a wildly honest struggling artist, has to be one of my favorite MC in recent history and the chemistry/tension between her and the MMC had me sweating from the beginning. I found them, individually and a couple, to be so endearing and lovable. I think this couple will stick with me for a long time!

While I do read for the romance (and this book doesn’t let down), I really fall for a book with sharp humor and this book had me laughing out loud on more than one occasion! Christina Lauren are masters at developing complex, hilarious characters and this book shines up along with the best of them! (I’m looking at you, Fizzy from True Love Experiment)

This book may not appeal to those who don’t enjoy a look into the world of wealthy, entitled families and the corruption that lies within, but I felt like it was a textured, empathic view of a world I know nothing about. I found it fascinating!

Overall, I found The Paradise Problem to be an interesting, complex story filled with all of the delicious humor and spice we’ve come to expect from Christina Lauren!


Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy.

Can a marriage of convenience that has run it's course and is no longer necessary become a real marriage filled with love? Liam comes with a very complicated family that doesn't get along, is very focused on monetary matters, and has an interesting inheritance complication. Anna is struggling to make ends meet and take care of her father’s medical bills when she gets fired from her job. This starts them down their path to finding true love despite many challenges along the way. Perhaps a little over the top, but Christina Lauren can make you believe anything is possible when it comes to chemistry and love.