Christina Lauren's 30th book arrived to make itself known and jump into your summer TBR!

Liam and Anna faked a marriage while they both attended UCLA. Years later, Liam reaches out to Anna to let her know they're still married and that they need to continue faking for his sister's wedding. The perks? An insane amount of money Anna so desperately needs. But Anna, with her pink hair and free spirit, is so different from Liam's polished family.

What starts out as fake, quickly turns into more when lines start to blur. The banter, the romance, the forced proximity, Christina Lauren really hit it all and went big for this book. It was such a treat to read!

This was an amazing premise for a romance, but it just had too much going on for me to enjoy it completely. This was a terrific slow burn, opposites attract marriage of convenience story with the family dynamics of King Lear.

Anna doesn’t start off as the most sympathetic character. But as she struggles to blend in with Liam’s 1%er family you realize that she’s the one with her head on straight. These two make for a great team, but as the wedding festivities commence for Liam’s sister, there are too many people and variables for me to make sense of.

Overall a great story, but a tad too busy for my brain.

𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐨𝐝𝐚𝐲, 𝐌𝐚𝐲 𝟏𝟒𝐭𝐡! 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐤 𝐲𝐨𝐮 @gallerybooks 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐢𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐀𝐑𝐂 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 @netgalley ! 🫶

𝗬𝗢𝗨’𝗟𝗟 𝗟𝗢𝗩𝗘 𝗧𝗛𝗜𝗦 𝗕𝗢𝗢𝗞 𝗜𝗙:
• You want the perfect beach read 🌊
• You liked Crazy Rich Asians & The Unhoneymooners 🏖️
• You enjoy a fake dating / opposites attract trope 👩‍❤️‍👨
• You want banter, snark and a slow burn romance 🔥

📚 Anna agrees to fake marry Liam so that they can live in subsidized housing together at UCLA. To her knowledge their divorce went through after graduation. Fast forward almost five years later to when Liam shows up at her doorstep, with a life altering proposition….

💭 This is the perfect summer read! It had all the best parts of a romcom: major chemistry between the main characters, a tropical paradise setting, toxic families, a glimpse into the lifestyle of the rich and famous and a blossoming romance. I couldn’t put this one down, definitely add this book to your list for the summer or your next vacay! ☀️

⬇️ 𝗪𝗛𝗔𝗧’𝗦 𝗬𝗢𝗨𝗥 𝗙𝗔𝗩𝗢𝗥𝗜𝗧𝗘 𝗖𝗛𝗥𝗜𝗦𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗔 𝗟𝗔𝗨𝗥𝗘𝗡 𝗕𝗢𝗢𝗞? 🤍

Christina Lauren’s "The Paradise Problem" is a charming and heartfelt romance that intricately weaves themes of love, wealth, and personal growth. This delightful tale earns a solid four stars for its engaging characters, witty dialogue, and an intriguing plot that keeps readers hooked from start to finish.

The story centers on Anna Green and Liam "West" Weston, whose marriage of convenience, initially for subsidized housing while at UCLA, was supposed to be a thing of the past. Fast forward three years, Anna is a struggling artist barely making ends meet, while West is a Stanford professor and an heir to the Weston Foods fortune. The twist? Due to a peculiar clause in his grandfather’s will, Liam needs to stay happily married for five years to access his hundred-million-dollar inheritance.

Christina Lauren expertly sets up the tension as West, under pressure from his family to introduce his elusive spouse, reaches out to Anna. The chemistry between the two is palpable and layered with a mix of unresolved feelings and new realizations. Anna’s feisty, unpolished demeanor contrasts beautifully with West’s more refined, academic persona, creating sparks that fly off the page.

The novel excels in its character development. Anna is a refreshingly strong, independent heroine whose grounded nature and loyalty make her instantly likable. West, on the other hand, grapples with his aversion to his family's wealth and the moral dilemmas it brings. Their interactions are filled with humor and genuine emotion, making their journey from contractual obligation to genuine affection deeply satisfying.

The backdrop of the Weston family's wealth adds an interesting dimension to the story. As Anna navigates this new, opulent world, the book delves into the challenges and temptations that come with vast wealth. Liam’s fears about the corrupting influence of his family’s fortune on Anna are well-founded and add a layer of complexity to their relationship.

However, the plot occasionally feels predictable, and some secondary characters, particularly those in Liam's family, come across as stereotypical. These minor flaws, however, do not detract significantly from the overall enjoyment of the story.

"The Paradise Problem" is a delightful read that balances romance with a thoughtful exploration of the impact of wealth on relationships and personal integrity. Christina Lauren’s sharp writing and the genuine warmth of her characters ensure that this novel is both entertaining and heartwarming. Perfect for fans of contemporary romance who appreciate a good love story with depth and humor.

A hilarious and heartwarming story featuring Anna Green, a quirky artist, and Liam West, a proper heir to a grocery store fortune. Their college marriage of convenience unravels into an unexpected second chance at love when Liam returns needing a fake date for his sister’s wedding. Set against a tropical backdrop, we get a fun and emotional take on fake dating combined with complex family dynamics to create a charming slow-burn romance that swept me off my feet. The witty banter and pop culture references brought not just humor but 'I understood that reference' moments that had me hunting for more, while the slow-building tension and romance still stayed my main focus with sizzling chemistry. I found comfort in the predictable and signature style Christina Lauren brings, making it the perfect beach read filled with laughs and a touch of heart.

I LOVED this book so much. I love that even when Anna is supposed to be acting like someone else she’s unapologetically herself. She stands up for people who can’t/won’t and doesn’t really care how that looks. She loves her family more than anything and would do anything for them.

I laughed so many times at the things Anna and Blaire said in the book.

This is such an easy summer read that will have you cackling.

I hope Ray Weston has nothing but bad days for the rest of his life and that his pillow is always hot and uncomfortable.

Read if you like:
🌻Witty Banter
🌻One Bed
🌻Fake Marriage

The writing duo that is Christina Lauren has done it once again with The Paradise Problem. This time around, and in alternating voices, we meet Anna and West; the former a (quite literally) starving artist just trying to pay her father's medical bills, the latter a supermarket heir cosplaying as a Stanford professor. Their young marriage of convenience five years ago was no more than a business deal: both needed cheap student housing allotted to married couples. Fast forward to present day where this marriage of convenience will face one last rodeo in the form of West's sister's wedding... on a private Indonesian island... with family he hasn't seen since before the marriage.

Lauren's strongest asset is their dialogue: it's sharp and witty and brings out the best in every character we meet. Every interaction between the zany characters of TPP is well-thought and had me teetering between laughing and crying. TPP is the best of Christina Lauren and everything you could ask for for a perfect summer romance.

💭 MY THOUGHTS: This book had a lot of my favorite tropes but I especially loved the fake dating vibe of this one! Anna and West are totally opposites: he’s rich and she has no money to her name, he’s type A while she’s a free spirit yet they have the sweetest chemistry and really just get one another.

The whole island vibe is an amazing backdrop to their fake dating rouse where emotions run high, sexual tension is palpable and West’s insanely rich families eccentricities run rampant.

I really loved this one and the ending!

Read for:
💖 Fake Dating
🏝️ Forced Proximity
🛌 One Bed
💵 Billionaire MMC
🌪️ Opposites Attract
🔰 Dual POV

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/ 5
Spice Level: 🌶️🌶️/ 5

While going to UCLA, Anna Green and Liam "West" Weston married in order to be able to live in subsidized family housing. Once graduated she thought she signed divorce papers and didn't see him again until 3 years later.

Now Anna is a struggling artist, barely scraping by and West is a professor at Stanford. He is also one of 4 heirs to the Weston Foods conglomerate, but isn't interested in working for a company that lacks empathy and heart. However, he does want to college his 100 million dollar in heritance, but there is a problem. There is a clause that his grandfather put in place that West needs to be happily married for 5 years before he can collect.

Liam has a his sister's wedding coming up and his family is pushing to meet his spouse of nearly 5 years. This leaves him with no choice, but to propose a deal to Anna, asking her to join him on an island for 10 days to attend the wedding and meet his family. Anna agrees, but Liam is nervous because Anna is everything his family is not. She's unpredictable and not accustomed to the life of the one percent. Liam does not expect her to be his safe haven during the trip, but he quickly realizes that the money might not be worth losing the love of his life.

Let me start off by saying that this is the first book I've read by Christina Lauren and it will not be my last.

Anna and West as a couple; their dynamic was amazing. Plus Anna was a total hilarious badass. Lauren's character work in The Paradise Problem was stellar. Not only did she make me love Anna and West, but she made me HATE West's family. I viscerally reacted to them every single time. Lauren did an amazing job of portraying just how screwed up having money can make a family.

This was not only a wonderful romance story, but it was also an incredible story of growth. As Liam faced his family and the pressure and manipulation his father put him through to become CEO of Weston Foods, Anna was there to keep him grounded. She was the voice of reason and the one person who was able to calm him down. It was a truly heartwarming dynamic. Watching these two come together was heartwarming and I loved every last minute of it.

All in all, if you are looking for a romance that will make you laugh, warm your heart, and will cause you to jump into the book and punch some of the characters, then I highly recommend The Paradise Problem. I can promise you that you will not be disappointed.

I did not end up finishing this book, but I absolutely adore all things Christina Lauren (the recent works especially), so this is no exception. It’s a perfect summer vibe & I was so excited when we got this in at work to sell!!

My favorite duo has done it again! I believe this is my 15th Christina Lauren book and I will continue to read anything and everything they put out.

As a purple-haired girlie, I couldn't help but fall in love with Anna and her pink hair. I ADORE the fake dating trope but this one was extra juicy with the marriage of convenience, tropical island setting, and rich family drama. Liam/West was a babe and I'm obsessed with him. It was a bit of a slow burn, but I loved their chemistry and how they complimented each other.

I seriously laughed out loud at moments and swooned at others. I couldn't have asked for anything better, to be honest.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this eARC in exchange for my honest opinion and review.

“I must do better than be a trash-can horn-goblin about his nakedness.”

Christina Lauren’s latest is a steamy beach read. Not quite as good as “Unhoneymooners”, but a similar vibe.

Anna and Liam (“West”) are married in name only for convenience. She agrees to attend his sister’s wedding to convince his uber wealthy family that they are married so that he and his siblings can be eligible for their inheritance. What follows is the usual line blurred relationship, a perfect “fake dating” trope (which I love). But what is also revealed is a completely dysfunctional family led by a horrid controlling narcissist. It’s uncomfortable even reading the scenes with him in them.

The chemistry between the main characters is very lusty, without an angsty buildup. She’s adorable, he’s a dull person who’s hot, broken, and always conflicted. I enjoy this author duo very much, and liked the book, although I did miss more of the comedy that they excel at. There were moments, mostly early in the book, I just wanted more.

I really struggled with the Weston family… they are SO unlikeable (except for the horny sister in law and her children). The family dynamics put a damper on the book for me as well as the general elitist attitudes of the billionaire class. It gave a bad vibe in a book where I was expecting a “good vibes vacay in paradise” kind of read. I guess this was the “problem” in paradise.

So a bit mixed but I did like it and plowed through it pretty quick. Bottom line, I love these authors, will read anything they write.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

The Paradise Problem by Christina Lauren might be the beach read of the summer. Anna is a struggling artist who marries West Weston in order to be able to live in married student housing. Almost five years later she finds out she’s still married to West, who is really named Liam. He invites her to accompany him to his sister’s wedding on a private island. The only thing is she has to pretend that they’re happily married in front of his estranged mega-rich family. What could do wrong? Plenty. You won’t be able to put this book down.

Paradise Problem was exactly what I love from Christina Lauren: hilarious banter, a top-shelf swoony love story with all the feels, an engaging story with a perfectly paced plot and super-hot spice that was also emotionally resonant. I loved it so much that I'm not quite ready to be done with the world and have been flipping to my favorite parts the last few hours.

✔️ Marriage of Convenience
✔️ Fake Dating
✔️ Opposites Attract
✔️ One Bed
✔️ Love on Vacation

I highly recommend that you go into this as blind as you can. All you need to know are the tropes above and that it's like Dharma and Greg meets Succession.

Like all CLo reads, I'm in awe with the craft on this book. There are layers upon layers with tiny reveals throughout - plot points that lead to character realizations about each other and sometimes themselves too. This kept the momentum super tight.

I loved the characters of Liam and the other Weston kids and the backstory to why they are the way they are; add to that the juxtaposition of Anna and her upbringing and how she perceives the situation; and add to that Liam watching her take it in and reacting to her reaction.

I adored Anna and Liam together and it was a treat watching them go from strangers to friends to lovers and all the confusion in the journey to a satisfying HEA. The moments when it's just the two of them wrapped up in their own little world were the loveliest - that was the paradise and not the gorgeous private beach island setting.

And one bed. My favorite trope was fun and flawless. Two words: sleep cuddle 😆

It's a 5⭐️ read - run and pick this one up. It's the perfect Summer read (though let's be real - if this came out in October, I would still tell you to it's the perfect time to read it. Any time is the right time to read a Christina Lauren book)

Steam 🔥🔥🔥🔥
Banter 🗣️🗣️🗣️🗣️🗣️
Swoon 💕💕💕💕💕

The Paradise Problem felt like a vacation in every way. The dazzling location, The swoony chemistry that was off the charts -- all of it! Christina Lauren write the best banter and this book is brimming with it. It's truly the ultimate beach read in every way!

Thank you NetGalley and Gallery Books for the ARC. It was an absolute treat from cover to cover.

This was really fun! I enjoyed it and will be recommending to patrons. I wrote a staff pick review of it for my system's website.

This was fun. I really enjoyed how the FMC was unapologetic about who she was - even in the face of pompous, entitled rich folk. She did not change a single thing about herself, did not offer any explanation or justification for the choices she made in her life. I love a hot mess express. The below tropes are favorites of mine, so readers who enjoy them will probably find this book perfect:

*marriage of convenience
*fake marriage
*inheritance family drama
*opposites attract
*dual POV

I did not connect with the romantic relationship as much as I was hoping to. I had a lot of questions about the MMC's decisions and did not really like him all that much. One of his brothers, Jake, was a much better character for me. I would have liked to read more about his college friendship with FMC because he was rooting for their fake marriage the whole time. We were not given very much backstory at all - and the book jumps right into the "conflict." It was hard for me to get past the caricature nature of each person - but that is generally a good quality in a book like this. It is cute, funny, probably 1 pepper on the spice level, and easy to read.

Perfect beach read.

This is my favorite Christina Lauren book (so far)!

This book is the perfect balance of romance, humor, good story telling, steam, and great character development. I will admit it took me a bit to really get into it. I initially loved the concept and was intrigued immediately, but it took me some time to really accumulate myself. Eventually I started to really love the characters and become emotionally invested in what was happening. And boy did my emotions really run the gamut with this one!

The island setting was so pleasing and described in a way that I actually felt relaxed just hearing about how beautiful it was. I loved the chemistry between Anna and Liam. The side characters were also all so well developed and interesting. The story itself was just complicated enough to be interesting without being confusing or, conversely, boring. Sometimes with these types of stories the ending ends up being a bit too fairy tale and unrealistic, but this ending for this one I thought was just right and spot on for these characters and their personalities.

I only wish I could spend more time with these characters! Thank you to Net Galley/ Gallery Books for the ARC!

I loved this book so much that I simply couldn't put it down (so I didn’t, really). 📚 Eight hours of reading in one sitting—that’s the level of obsession, and it’s totally worth it! This was my third @christinalauren book, and I’m starting to see a formula that I’m a total fan of and hope to keep enjoying. “The Paradise Problem” is loaded with witty banter, laughs, and a slow burn romance, but when the spice decides to enter the room, it’s HOT. 🌶️🔥

Of course, we also get a good dose of toxic family dynamics, completely different from the family life of our FMC (and myself). Rich, toxic, and with a wedding around the corner. Pretty shocking to see what a narcissistic parent can do. 😲👀

A highly recommended read.

I N S H O R T:
💍 Marriage of convenience
🛏️ Only one bed
🏝️Tropical location
😂 Funny
👥 Dual POV

Thank you to @leoprny for sending me this copy!

While a student at UCLA Anna agreed to marry West on paper only so they could qualify for subsidized housing. Four years later, Anna thought they were divorced when West shows up needing her help. It turns out he is Liam Weston, one of the heirs to Weston Foods, and while he has no intention of entering the family business, he would still like his inheritance. However, due to a clause in his grandfather’s will, he won’t see the majority of the money until he’s been happily married for 5 years - so he never actually divorced Anna. Now that his little sister is getting married, he needs Anna to attend and play the part of the wonderful wife he’s been describing for years.

This might be one of my top Christina Lauren books - it has all the humor, heart, and chemistry that made me fall in love with their writing when I picked up my first book from them (The Unhoneymooners, which is still an all-time favorite btw). I flew through this book because it was truly so much fun. The private island setting made for the perfect backdrop to a summer read, and the family antics led to so much drama and hilarious moments. I loved Liam and Anna together and thought this was one of the best marriage of convenience storylines I’ve read, even though it was so far-fetched and wacky. Overall, a fun read that you should definitely add to your summer reading list.

Thank you to Leo PR, Gallery Books, and NetGalley for the advance copy.