I think this is my favorite Christina Lauren book to date. I loved it so much.
We have 2 main characters who switch POVs, Anna and Liam. They got married in college so they could have access to subsidized family housing when they were at school. They barely even spoke to one another. Once school was over, they got divorced. Or so Anna thought. 3 years later, Liam comes back begging Anna to go to his sister's wedding with him. Turns out, Liam is part of one of the richest families, like ever. Also turns out, they are not divorced. In order for Liam to get his inheritance, he had to be married for 5 years, otherwise his inheritance would be forfeit. Anna just didn't read the papers she signed. Now in order to keep his inheritance (and for Anna to have a big payout from Liam), Anna and Liam need to masquerade as a happily married couple despite hardly knowing each other at all.
I absolutely loved both Anna and Liam. They are total opposites. Anna is poor. She spends her every penny taking care of her dad who has cancer. She loves her dad so much and he is the best dad. Anna is hilarious and witty and she paints. She just felt extremely relatable. Liam is the "golden child" his father has picked him over one older brother and one younger brother to take over the company when he retires, but he wants nothing more than to never talk to his father again. Liam is part of one of the most broken families I've ever read about. It broke my heart. Liam is trying so hard to be better and not who his father is or wants him to be. He loved his siblings (well, most of them) even though they are deep in the company. Every side character was so fleshed out and fantastic. Anna's dad and best friend (who is literally the best friend. She looks after Anna's dad while she is gone and shops for all of the her clothes for the 12 day getaway). Every one of Liam's family members felt like a real person, down to one of his nieces, Reagan.
The plot was great. The wedding is extremely extravagant and takes place on an island near Singapore. Literally no expense is spared. I loved going along with Anna who is floundering being in this environment where an amount of money that would save her father feels like a penny to these people. She goes between savoring every second, to being disgusted at how entitled these people are. Obviously Anna and Liam are near strangers, but their chemistry is so strong right from the beginning. There was a great mix between wedding activities, slow burn and romantic scenes. There were also a lot of real, difficult conversations between Anna and Liam. It really solidified the connection they formed through the time the were on the island. There was a third act breakup but it made so much sense. The whole book they kept saying that once the wedding was over, they would go their separate ways and get officially divorced once the 5 years were up. To me, it was kind of obvious what would happen from the beginning, but it was just done so well.
The dual POV was extremely effective. It moved the story along so quickly. I was never bored and I always wanted to pick it back up. I laughed out loud so many times at the banter and the absurdity of what these rich people were actually doing. The things that came out of Anna's mouth were just hilarious. Christina Lauren has one of my favorite writing styles ever.
There was an epilogue that spanned the year after the wedding, and it wrapped everything up so well. Everything was just so satisfyingly perfect and I just loved it.

Christina Lauren is the duo of all duos when it comes to romcoms! They literally do no wrong. There is family drama, comedy, heartfelt tragedy, tension, and spice (OHHH the spice!). This one is a strangers to lovers and forced proximity trope and it's fantastic. So very well done. This is a premise that I hadn't seen done before and I absolutely adored. I highly recommend picking up this latest one from Christina Lauren!

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

If you like:
🔀 Opposites Attract
💍 Marriage of Convienence
💰 Fake (Marriage) Dating
🏝️ Vacation Vibes
💸 Millionaire Romance

I would highly recommend this one as it had great banter, tension, and laugh out loud moments! Especially with the opposites attract because of my goodness these two really were opposites!

I also love that these two had history from back in college when they got fake married for a place to live (Liam) and to live for cheap (Anna) in the dorms for families while they attended UCLA 5 years ago. Once their year of being fake married for housing was up, Anna though they got divorced, but in reality their wedding for housing sparked a 5 year countdown for Liam to access his trust fund so they stayed fake married with Anna not realizing it as they went their separate ways 3 years prior… now their 5 year wedding anniversary is approaching and Liam’s buttoned up family is demanding to meet his wife after years of creative lies about why they haven’t met her yet.

Now Liam needs Anna, his feisty and free spirited fake wife to come play the part of the wife of a future Billionaire on a family vacation/destination wedding trip… and what could go wrong when basically two strangers have to pretend they have been married for 5 years under his families scrutiny?

Thank you Gallery Books and Simon Audio for my ARC and ALC copies!

I think this is their best yet! I’m sometimes hit or miss with their novels but I loved this one. Definitely their strongest and funniest! Loved the chemistry and dialogue as well. Such a great story and a fantastic rom-com. Highly recommend.

I’m not sure how Christina Lauren make up amazing stories because I absolutely devoured this book in one sitting. This is my new favorite from Christina Lauren. I absolutely laughed and cried reading this. West and Anna were adorable characters. They were married for convenience and then “divorced.” West shows up at her door asking his wife for a major favor. I can’t wait to have a physical copy and add it to my collection. Thank you once again NetGalley and publisher for giving me this amazing opportunity.

Thank you NetGalley and Gallery books for the e-arc! All thoughts are my own!

This was such a fun read! I love the duo that is Christina Lauren, so I was so excited to dive into this book!

Anna is a struggling artist with pink hair that stands out, while Liam is prim and proper and is the heir to a grocery store chain. Anna and Liam get married to gain access to cheaper housing while in college. After they graduate they divorce and go their separate ways. Three years later West shows up on Anna’s door step and needs a favor he needs her to accompany him to his sister’s wedding and they need to pretend they are married. West stands to inherit a massive inheritance if they can pull it off!

I loved their banter as these two were complete opposites! The tension was perfect and this was definitely a slow burn but when it finally happens it’s burning HOT! I could not put this book down, it had me laughing and smiling! This one is definitely one of my top favorite Christina Lauren book. I definitely recommend adding this to your TBR when it comes out May 14th!

What to expect:
Fake Dating
Marriage of Convenience
Opposites Attract
Slow Burn
Dual POV

What to expect in this book:

-Fake dating/marriage
-Marriage of convenience
-Forced proximity
-Family drama
-Steamy scenes
-Tropical setting
-Alternating POV


Thoughts 💭

Thank you so much to #NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. My favorite romance duo is back and back with a perfect summer romance! The Paradise Problem follows Anna Green and Liam “West” Weston, who get married in college for housing purposes. What seems like a straight forward situation becomes complicated when five years later, West’s sister has a wedding on a tropical island and he and Anna are made to be a happily married couple. Even more complicated, West is set to inherit a great amount of money, but only if he can convince his family his marriage is real. With laugh out loud moments and scenes that made me blush, this is the perfect pool or beach side read for the summer!

I think this is my 9th CL book (not including short stories!) and one of my most anticipated reads of 2024. If you are a clean romance lover like me, there might be some parts you want to skip, but ultimately I loved the chemistry and banter between West and Anna. Anna is from a normal middle class family and West is from the elite, Upper class and is trying to make a name for himself outside of his famous and well-connected family. As someone who loves books with family drama and champagne problems, I was here for it!

Set on an island off the coast of Indonesia, this is the perfect summer reads and might even have you blushing a little while you read. While this ranks among the middle of their books for me, I still enjoyed it. If you are new to this writing duo, I always suggest Love and Other Words (top-tier romance for me). This one publishes on May 14

This was definitely a 5 ⭐️ read for me! It seemed to mix everything I loved about The Unhoneymooners and Love and Other Words. The vibes were immaculate, and the humor had me LOLing throughout the whole book. Christina Lauren has been really knocking it out of the park with this last run of books, and I can't wait to read whatever they do next! The Paradise Problem has easily become one of my CL favorites, and I definitely see a reread in my future.

This was my first novel by Christina Lauren…and I had no idea what I have been missing out on! Adding all of her books to be TBR list!

Anna Green signs her divorce papers takers her couch and her handful of belongings and goes on with her life, without a thought for her ex-husband. Fast forward three years later and West Weston shows up and needs a favor. Down on her luck, living paycheck to paycheck, Anna can’t think of anything he could need from her, however, as it turns out…she is the ONLY person that can indeed help. It turns out they ares till married and West needs her to come to a family wedding on a luxury island with the uber wealthy. Anna decides to join along on the adventure and is in for one wild ride. As the trip unfolds Anna and West go from strangers to collaborators to real feelings…but will it last after, and at what price?

Anna and Liam married for student housing but before they are divorced Liam comes back for a favor. He needs Anna to play his fake real wife so he can get his inheritance as he has to be married for 5 years before he gets his 100 million dollars😮 He is part of the Weston family of the 6th largest grocery store chain. The wedding and festivities are to be held on a remote tropical island. What could go wrong?

I thought the setting was great cause I love close proximity and fake relationships. On a beautiful tropical island no less. The Weston’s are so over the top and Mr Weston is completely toxic. There were some funny moments and I liked Anna and Liam together. I didn’t love Anna on her own though especially in the beginning. She did grow on me over time but she was so immature I struggled with her up front. My biggest complaint was the language of what Anna referred to the male anatomy as. Otherwise it was a fun, easy read that would be a good beach read this summer.

Thanks to @netgalley and the publisher for an arc for an honest review.

This was classic Christina Lauren - hilarious, a little unbelievable and over the top, steamy, and sweet.

The island was so dreamy, and so was Liam/West. I loved all of the family/business nuance and the beautiful wedding! Anna kind of irritated me in her chapters because she was so slothful and flippant at first, but I started to really like her about halfway through when she started to be more real. I think as West fell for her I started to appreciate her more.

This would be such a perfect vacation book to get lost in!!

Practically strangers Anna and Liam (West) Weston find themselves in a rare predicament : fake married on a private island for a Weston family wedding. Unfortunately I did not connect with any characters in this book; I found Anna very unlikable and didn't root for her throughout the story. Some of the writing was very cringe which surprised me coming from these authors.

2.5 stars rounded up

I flew through the first 40% of the book. Fake dating + rich people drama + destination wedding? Yes, please! The middle absolutely dragged for me. It was too much family drama and not enough budding romance. The rest of it was a chore to get through. It was centered around bringing down Liam’s father and the romance was a side story. Ew. What started off strong ended up fizzling out for me.

I always enjoy Christina Lauren books, but I absolutely loved this one! I would say this was their best book to date!!! I love Anna and laughed out loud so many times during this book because of her. She is refreshingly silly, kind, bad ass, smart, and emotionally strong! I will highly recommend this book to all my romance loving patrons at the library! ❤️

“Christina Lauren, returns with a delicious new romance between the buttoned-up heir of a grocery chain and his free-spirited artist ex as they fake their relationship in order to receive a massive inheritance.”

I’ve been a fan of Christina Lauren’s books for a long time. Every time I finish a new one, I declare it’s my new absolute favorite. The Paradise Problem definitely isn’t the exception. It’s 100% my new favorite. Marriage of convenience is one of my favorite tropes and Christina Lauren nails it out of the park with the story of Anna and West.

I loved how Anna’s quirkiness slowly started to rub off on West and change his perspective and outlook. Their banter had me laughing out loud throughout the entire book. Every interaction between the two of them made me feel like I was walking around with hearts in my eyes.

This book was swoonworthy. The tension was top tier as we were waiting for the moment one of them just decide to go for it. It took a little while to get to the spice, but once we got there, the spice was spicing! As soon as I finished it, I IMMEDIATELY wanted to go back and read it again from the beginning.

This book is the perfect summer read. Get your copy on May 14th!!!

I think this might be my favorite CLo book yet, and that's saying something! I loved the set up for this, I loved both characters. It was the perfect summer beach read with all of the family drama and the beautiful setting. It was like White Lotus without the murder and with perfect steamy scenes. I loved it!

The great thing about romance is that it's not about the destination--we all know the destination--but the journey. We even know most of the rest stops we're going to make, but not the road-side attractions along the way. With C-Lo, you know it's always going to be a fun ride--singing at the top of your lungs, making jokes, and probably stopping for some french fries and milkshakes just because you can. And this was no exception. Pretend to be married to get an inheritance? Check. In a beautiful resort where you are forced to act lovey-dovey? Check. With ONLY ONE BED??? Yep, we've been there done that. (Though I do applaud the open shower space--that's masterful leveling up, there.) But the tropes don't matter because the characters and the dialogue are SO GOOD. Anna and Liam are both so endearing you can't help but cheer for them, and they're made more so through the contrast with the appallingly toxic Weston family. The banter was a delight (as always), and you smile and laugh your way from start to finish. The darker moments were effective as well, particularly Liam's conflict about his various responsibilities. It's lovely to have another C-Lo destination that I know I'll be happy to revisit again and again.

Don’t miss The Paradise Problem by Christina Lauren. It is certain to be a ‘must read’ for the summer. Although labeled as rom-com and chick lit, this 5-star read brings an engaging story with multiple levels of emotion. The authors deliver a humorous story, full of snarky lines and hilarious happenings and then hit the reader with a powerful punch of family conflict and drama.

Five years ago, Anna agreed to a marriage of convenience, on paper only, to Liam in order to gain him free housing at UCLA. She mistakenly believed that she had signed the divorce papers after graduation, but Liam appears and tells her that they are still legally married. He needs her to do one little thing for him…pretend to be his wife and attend his sister’s over-the-top society wedding in Southeast Asia. The setting and flagrant display of wealth add a rich flavor to the story.

I could barely catch my breath, but I loved every page. The writing is quick and sharp, all-in-all, a beautifully written narrative.

This book was a breeze to read, it’s the perfect read for the summer. Anna and West got married when they were in college to take advantage of the housing options on campus. Anna thought that Liam had taken care of the divorce papers as soon as graduation came but it turns out, it’s 3 years later, they’re still married and he needs a favor!

In the first half of the book, I wasn’t a huge fan of Anna, I thought she was a bit immature and wasn’t a fan of her language. But in the second half of the book, she started growing on me as her and West got closer. I got to see a fun and protective side of her that was a great complement to West’s personality. Liam “West” on the other hand, gained a space in my heart from the beginning. He was very mature but a little closed off, as he got closer to Anna, he literally blossomed. He opened up about his feelings and showed a more spontaneous side of his personality.

Liam’s family drama was off the charts, I didn’t like any of the characters besides his sister. I know families are complicated but I wish West had stood up for himself earlier. The way he did though was necessary for the development of the plot and the resolution of the final conflict. Which by the way only lasted a few pages which is amazing because I’m not here for lack of communication and more drama 😅

The build up of the heated moments between Liam and Anna was great, not too much too soon, it made sense with where their relationship was at and the spicy scenes were not cringe.

This book was just short of 5 stars because I didn’t connect much with Anna in the beginning

A marriage of convenience between students Anna and Liam seemingly ends after graduation. Divorce papers are signed and each go their separate ways. Well that is what Anna thinks anyway until Liam shows up at her door explaining that they are still married and he needs a favor.! Turns out Liam is the heir to a grocery store chain fortune and the stipulation in his grandfathers will states that he must remain happily married for 5 years. Liam is expected to bring his wife to his sisters wedding at a tropical destination. Anna is a pink haired, struggling artist that has absolutely no money and is the polar opposite of Liam. Liam on the other hand has chosen to stay out of the family business and is a strait laced professor at Stanford. Anna has no choice but to play along when Liam sweetens the deal by offering her a lot of cash. Needless to say they have to pretend that they have a solid marriage and convince the family that they are happy.

This is the duos best book in a long time!! I really liked the premise, even though it is a little over the top. It still worked for me. Liam and Anna were great characters. The setting was great and the family dynamics added a lot to the story. Their chemistry was off the charts as they develop actual feelings for each other. There was a lot of humor, great banter, some tender moments as well as some spice!!

4 stars

Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.