Anna Green and Liam “West” Weston married for one purpose: access to affordable family housing while at UCLA. Five years later, they’ve since moved on to separate lives post-grad and what Anna thought was a divorce..until West comes back with a proposition. He’s actually the heir to a grocery store empire and to access his inheritance, he needs to be married for five years…which is still a few months from then…so they didn’t divorce after all. The even bigger task: Anna needs to join him for his sister’s wedding in Indonesia as his polished, upper-class wife and take on the beast that is the ultra-elite rich. Their work is cut out for them, considering when West comes to visit, artist Anna is sitting in her underwear eating cereal out of a mixing bowl. It’s going to take a lot of convincing for his estranged family. However, Anna and West can play pretend all they want around his family, but it’s not long before the sparks fly for real.
I found myself laughing a lot throughout this while also seeing red when it comes to Ray (IYKYK). This was a cute romance and another home run from Christina Lauren. Thank you to Gallery Books for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Typical Christina Lauren book. Fast paced, can't put it down, swoony, and grabs you by the stomach.

This is the story of Anna and West. They got married in college, just go get affordable housing. Listen, it's Los Angeles, this might actually be a thing. Years later West needs a wife in order to fulfill his inheritance requirements, and while that sounds like a trope, and it is, this is SO good.

This was so fun! I’ve felt a bit ehh about the last few CLo books I’ve read, but this one was really enjoyable! I loved both Anna and Liam as main characters; Anna, especially, was entertaining & I loved both her inner and spoken dialogue. I also enjoyed seeing the extravagance of the Weston family, how the “other half” lives, but there is also quite a bit of dysfunction that’s explored & I liked that the MCs talked things out instead of employing the miscommunication trope (blech). Think of this as The Unhoneymooners meets Crazy Rich Asians—it was a quick and entertaining read!

Liam and Anna get married in college to afford housing during their last two years. After graduation, Anna expects to never see Liam again, and expects that their marriage is over. Only for Liam to come back three years later needing Anna’s help.

Christina Lauren created an amazing book, yet again.
It took me a while to be able to sit down and fully enjoy it, but it was worth it.
The Paradise Problem is a book best read on the beach.

Anna is an artist living paycheck to paycheck. She was a lot of fun to read about, and it felt nice to read someone ‘normal’ in a book. She was bubbly and lively and I enjoyed every moment of her POV.

Liam is a Stanford professor who has his life fully mapped out, until it wasn’t. I enjoyed reading Liams POV and seeing the way he fell for Anna.

This is one of my most anticipated books of this year! I am sure for a lot of us as well. With such anticipation, I always fear disappointment. But this book had a grip on my from page one!

I adore Christina Lauren books and once I hit my groove with them, I fly through them. This book was no different. This book has the perfect mix of banter, “ will they or won’t they?” and a peek into the lives of the ultra wealthy. Excuse me while I go dye my hair pink to match Anna. I have loved the female main characters and all their quirks in both this and the True Love Experiment. Thank you NetGalley for the advanced copy.

A perfect summer ready!!! Christina Lauren never fail to make you giggle, blush, and wiggle your toes. Anna and Liam are so cute and funny, and the tropical vacation setting is top notch for summer. It isn’t my favorite of their books, but that’s okay. Definitely still recommend!

4⭐️

Anna is down and out, having just lost her job at a gas station. The book opens with her husband, Liam, a professor at Stanford, leaving her. The thing is, their marriage was one born out of convenience, hers to get college housing, and his, to ensure he’d get his trust fund. Now, nearly five years after their arrangement, he needs Anna to accompany him at a remote island wedding in order to continue the lie. The Paradise Problem inevitably is their love story and the fallout of their deception. The nitty gritty details of their deal and Liam’s inheritance were a bit confusing, but their love story was sweet, and I found myself really enjoying this story. There were a few Pretty Woman references that make sense, this book certainly had that feel.

This is such a fun summer read and we will for sure be seeing this at the pool and on the beach. In the same air as The Unhoneymooners - Christina Lauren takes us to another tropical destination for their latest rom-com. There is a quirky plot, lots of fun side characters, playful banter, a little spice - basically something for everyone. This was a breeze to read and perfect if you're in the mood for a light read.

Love! One of my new favorite Christina Lauren books! Great characters, funny plot, and awesome setting. Will be recommending!

For readers who:

- love a good romcom
- love every other Christina Lauren novel
- love a good forced proximity trope

I always have high expectations for a Christina Lauren novel. I expect unrealistic situations, clear head-over-heels love early on tha is obvious to the reader but not to the female protagonist, and a sprinkle of humor or wit.
The Paradise Problem lived up to it all. Loved it. Such a perfect summer beach read.

Christina Lauren does it again!!! To be honest, I LOVE some of their books and and remarkably ehhhhh on others. This has shot up to the top of the list - it's definitely one of my favorites of theirs!

THEY 👏🏻NEVER👏🏻MISS

From start to finish this book is rom-com perfection. It is the perfect blend of romance and comedy and heat and emotion. It is meticulously crafted and well paced, not one wasted scene, not one chapter that doesn’t move the plot or the characters forward. It’s a masterclass in romance writing.

I don’t even want to explain the plot because it’s such a fresh and original take on a marriage of convenience that everyone should experience it without any preconceived notions.

All the damn stars, Christina Lauren.

Thank you, NetGalley, for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I LOVED THIS BOOK! The blurb didn't do it justice- I knew this would be an opposites-attract, but I was afraid it would be a grumpy or even mean vs. sunshine, which I don't normally like because I think someone is always raining on the other's parade and I don't like FMC always having to put up with miserable MMC. I was worried that Liam would be a stereotypical stuck up rich person, but he was sweet and different from the moment his first introduction.

The plot is a marriage of convenience which I would normally say is hard to do- but Christina Lauren did it just fine. The paradise setting was so well described without overdoing it, and I felt right there along with them. The drama was a lot and made it page-turner-worthy, without being so far-fetched that it sounded unrealistic. The Westons be crazy!

Highly recommend to fans of contemporary romance, who like semi-spicy stories with bedroom scenes, with confident women and good MMCs. Thanks so much for the ARC, Christina Lauren and Netgalley!

Five years ago Anna Green married Liam Weston when they were in college so that they could get subsidized housing at UCLA. Anna was friends with Liam’s brother, Jake, but never had any sort of friendship with Liam. When he leaves after graduation and passes Anna the paperwork to sign, they go their separate ways with nothing else to discuss.

Three years later Anna is trying to thrive as an artist, but instead she is barely surviving with her multiple jobs. After losing her main job at a convenience store working the graveyard shift, she has no idea what she is going to do. She has her own expenses along with her father’s medical bills, and she has no idea how she is going to make it all work.

When Liam Weston shows up at her front door the day after she loses her job, she is confused. Turns out Anna maybe should have read those documents from three years ago, so she would know that she was still married to him. He needs Anna to come to his sister's wedding with him on a private tropical island.

Anna really needs to be looking for a job instead of pretending to play the perfect wife, but when Liam agrees to pay her for her time, she can’t say no. But will she be able to survive his piranha family who all seem to be out for blood? Or will she be able to ignore the sexual tension with Liam that continues to grow?

Review
I absolutely adored Anna and Liam’s friendship. Their chemistry was off the page and their banter had me smiling from ear to ear. They had such a great connection and I love how it grew throughout the book. Anna Green was such a funky, fun character. Her pink hair, wild wardrobe and charismatic personality made the whole book. Liam was a perfect balance to Anna’s chaos. He had such a level head when it came to everything. They were truly perfect for each other.

The Paradise Problem referenced so many fun things from The Barbie Movie to Dancing with the Stars. I was laughing out loud throughout this whole book. My only complaint is how long the epilogue was.

Getting the chance to dive into this book before May 14th was an absolute delight! The narrative weaves a captivating love story between Liam and Ana, reminiscent of a modern-day fairytale where a wealthy tycoon crosses paths with a dreamer working the night shift at a gas station, striving for her passion as an artist by day. Evoking the essence of timeless romance akin to Gatsby and Daisy, the story unfolds against the backdrop of a picturesque tropical island, adding to its allure. The author skillfully balances moments of intense passion with tender intimacy, creating a truly immersive reading experience.

Anna Green married Will Weston because they both needed housing in college. She thought she signed their divorce papers, but Will shows up on her door years later saying they aren't really divorced, and he needs her help in pretending to be his long-married doctor wife for his family at his sister's wedding.

I loved this book. Anna and Will AKA Liam are both wonderful characters. Anna is fun, quirky and true to herself. While I loved Anna, I really lovvvvveeeeedddddd Will's character. He is an introverted professor at Stanford from an obscenely wealthy family and is the only true good one in his family. He needs Anna to pretend to be his wife for the ten-day wedding trip in Indonesia and then stay married for a few more months to make it to five years. If they do, a huge inheritance will be available to him by his deceased grandfather.

I really enjoyed the talk about wealth. She had no money and was barely scraping by, and he had too much of it that nothing phased him. But, even though he did, it was still a good person, donating his money. His family was a different story. Toxic, toxic, toxic.

This does have a third act breakup, but it was okay for me. It fit for this book. The epilogue definitely made up for it.

Thank you to Gallery Books and NetGalley for an advanced readers copy. Thank you to Booksparks for a final physical copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This might be my favorite Christina Lauren book yet. There was something about it that was so light and fun and sweet, although it did have a surprising amount of depth when it came to the family dynamics. It almost feels like SUCCESSION and THE WHITE LOTUS had a baby with a rom-com, which I adored.

I’ll be honest, from the first 15% or so, I wasn’t wholly convinced by this one. The premise seemed so out there and I was worried we were walking into a disaster. Once I settled into the story and got to know Anna and Liam, all of my fears faded. Sure, the premise is so bonkers and I still reserve the right to find Anna maybe a little bit dumb for not knowing she was married all of this time, but I had a blast reading this.

Although it’s rather trope-heavy, it still felt original, and I loved the way the tension between Anna and Liam built into a slow burn. The romance takes a bit of a back seat in the last third or so as a family scandal comes to light, but I especially adored this one for the banter, the utterly wild side characters and the tropical vibes.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5/5
🌶️🌶️ 🌶️ 3/5

This book was perfect! I absolutely loved every moment and could not get enough of Anna and West. 😍 Over here, we love a fake dating and marriage of convenience trope! 🙌 The growing tension and the steamy slow burn had me desperate for more, more, more with each passing chapter. The chemistry between these two was electric and their building attraction had me at the edge of my seat. I ate this book up!

I would be remiss if I didn’t touch on the family drama that ran rampant throughout this story! It was utterly devastating, but I was sucked in! The dynamic of the Weston family was truly toxic and it hurt my heart to see West struggle with wanting to live his own life or sacrificing a part of himself for his siblings. In the end, I was so proud of this guy and of Anna for standing up to the pattern of abuse that had been instilled in this family. It deserves a standing ovation! 👏👏👏

I’ve only read a small handful of the Christina Lauren backlist, but this one is my new favorite! I cannot wait to read more.

Thank you to Christina Lauren and Gallery Books (@gallerybooks) for the gifted ARC in exchange for an honest review.

West Weston, a paradise indeed.

Anna marries West (Liam) during college as an arrangement for subsidized housing. She assumes they got divorced a couple years later when she signed the papers, not reading the stack of documents. She also assumed he was as poor as she is. A few years later West shows up on Anna’s doorstep asking if she will attend his sisters wedding as his wife. Can they pull off a fake marriage or will real feelings get involved?

I loved the banter in this one and Anna’s heart! The spicy scenes were spincin’ and West had me swooning. This is a perfect summer read!