Short synopsis: Anna mid getting divorced, her “husband” West and her got married to be able to get into student housing in college. Now, years later their divorce wasn’t actually finalized and West needs her desperately to act as his wife for his sisters wedding.

My thoughts: Right away, they premise of this was a bit silly and unbelievable, but I knew immediately coming from the dynamic duo Christina Lauren it would be a five star read for me. And I was right!

The banter had me laughing out loud, the setting was dreamy (can I please sleep in a bungalow above the ocean), and the dual perspectives were perfection.

The wealth and privilege was unbelievable! The expectations that West’s parents put on him was so intense. I could see how he’d have a difficult time being stuck between his familial responsibilities and his own wants.

This was one of my most anticipated reads of the year and it DID NOT DISAPPOINT! Do yourself a favor and preorder or be ready to grab this one on May 14, 2024!

Read if you love:
- Forced proximity/only one bed
- Marriage of convenience/fake dating
- Island settings
- Extravagant Weddings
- Wealth and family businesses

(4.5⭐️) I always look forward to reading a Christina Lauren book, and this one was another reminder why!

This book had so many things going for it. The fancy private island setting was really fun, and there were so many descriptions of the landscape that made it easy to imagine. The chemistry between Anna and Liam was fantastic! Their opposite personalities made for a lot of both funny and sweet moments, their banter was top-notch, and seeing their bond grow was swoony. Plus, dual POV! Which I think always adds so much to a romance. There are some heavier moments throughout the book that added a bit of depth, and seeing how Anna and Liam were there for one another was🥹 The way Liam’s family situation was handled was done well (even though at times their horribleness seemed like a lot), and I liked the way Anna and Liam’s story was wrapped up in the end.

I love the works of these two ladies and this did not disappoint. Full of laughs, family tension and a little me bed trope. My only complaint is what a certain piece of male anatomy is referred to as. That threw me food. Highly recommend!

This book was so cute! I loved it. It had the vibes of The Unhoneymooners which is my favorite CL book. This book literally took me through all of the emotions. I flew through the first 75% of this book but took two days to finish the last 25% because I didn't want to get to the drama that was imminent. The drama wasn't as bad as I was expecting. I loved Anna. She was so funny. Once we got to know Liam's not so serious side, I really started to root for him. I really enjoyed seeing Anna's bidding relationship with Reagan and Blair. I wouldn't mind getting a Jake book and I hope Ray rots in the pits of hell. The end.

Thank you to the author and Gallery Books for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Paradise Problem by Christina Lauren is my newest five star read.

Anna Green thought she was marrying Liam "West" Weston for access to subsidized housing while at UCLA. She also thought they'd signed divorce papers when they graduated. Three years later, Anna is a starving artist living paycheck to paycheck while Liam is a Stanford professor. He is one of four heirs to the Weston Foods conglomerate, but he has no interest in working for the corporation. However, he is interested in his one-hundred-million-dollar inheritance from his grandfather. There's just one small problem. Liam won't see a penny of that inheritance unless he's been happily married for five years. Now, he has to admit to Anna that they are still married and that she needs to attend a family wedding and pretend to be his happy and doting bride. He's worried that his family won't believe them, and he will lose his inheritance. Can they pull it off?

The chemistry between Liam and Anna was off the charts steamy. Their witty banter had me wiping tears out of my eyes. The family drama and finding out if they could pull off their fake, but not really fake, marriage to his wealthy family had me so invested in the story.

Tropes: found family, dual POV, slow burn, grumpy x sunshine, billionaire romance, marriage of convenience.

this is the PERFECT summer romcom!!! christina lauren can absolutely do no wrong 🥳 their writing is always perfectly blended between sweet, spicy, and laugh out loud moments!!

starving artist (no really can we stop with this stereotype) anna agrees to a long con with former husband turned friend liam in order for him to get his inheritance, and yes, it’s as conceited and white people rich as it sounds 🥴 there was a lot of drama and not a lot of answers until the very end, which normally I love a bit of mystery but this felt rushed to me when everything finally came out

liam’s family is A LOT, and I loved seeing anna’s POV of the craziness (especially because it was what most of us were thinking anyway), even though her own arrogance and flippant attitude annoyed me at first. the family drama was one of those train wrecks that you can’t look away from, and seeing how liam and his siblings acted out against each other made them seem childish and just as shallow and naive as their parents.

liam and anna’s relationship, however, was the least memorable part for me in the story. they went from reluctant con partners to friends to hook up buddies to lovers in a matter of minutes 🤪 and their third act breakup felt insignificant since their reconciliation happened without any real conversation …

this gave all of the pretty woman vibes mixed with old money great gatsby elements - and I really did love the atmospheric setting 😍 the private island? say less

thank you to gallery and netgalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!! 💚🩷

rating: 4 stars
wine pairing: tuscany red blend

Christina Lauren really knocked it out of the park with this book. I could NOT put it down! I was so invested in the story and just had to keep reading 'one more chapter' every time I thought I'd find a stopping point. I loved it, wouldn't change a thing!

The chemistry between Anna and Liam absolutely sizzled! From the get go, they just had a connection that you could feel through the pages. They brought out the best in one another and even though they're totally opposites, they were perfect for one another. While it starts as a slow burn, when the spice hits, it HITS!

The family dynamics with Liam's family were tough to read, but essential to the story. His father, Ray, is absolutely vile, but I do love it when a fictional character makes me feel such powerful hatred!

The entire marriage of convenience storyline was on point. The whole reason for it made complete sense, and not only set up the plot, but thickened it throughout as you learned more about Liam's history.

This book is a must for your TBR! thank you Netgalley, Gallery Books and Christina Lauren for the advanced reader copy!

I received an advance ebook but the review is my own.

Tags:
-marriage of convenience
-fake relationship
-opposites attract
-one bed
-slow burn

Spice: 3/5

First person/Dual POV

Marriage of convenience tropes are usually a miss me so I had low expectations for The Paradise Problem. The book starts off slow and I found myself putting this down frequently. Initially, Anna came across as incredibly irritating and immature, more like a teenager than a woman her age. However, as the story progressed, I found her more tolerable and she even had some supportive moments with Liam. Liam, as a love interest, was boring at first, but his complexity, especially regarding his toxic family, added depth to his character in the latter half of the book. Despite this, I felt that Anna and Liam lacked a genuine connection. Their time on the island seemed to be purely physical without much development of their relationship. The story could have benefited from alternating between past and present perspectives to better explore their relationship from acquaintances to lovers all from when they decided to get married to now. The second half of the book is where it truly shines, but I wish there had been more focus on their relationship development post-island. The steamy scenes were a highlight, but they sometimes felt disjointed from the main storyline.

This was a great story and I thoroughly enjoyed my time reading it! Christina Lauren has a way of incorporating deep themes and struggle into their poetic love stories and I was so satisfied by the ending.

I enjoyed this book and it is the third book I've read by Christina Lauren. The book had a unique plot and the chemistry between the two main characters was good. I also liked that their connection felt real. The family drama added to the enjoyment of this book.

If there’s one thing I can count on when it comes to Christina Lauren books- it’s fun.

This one screamed summer and was super fun from the very beginning. I loved the twist on fake marriage in this one (I’m always in my fake marriage/dating era). You can literally never go wrong with that trope.

Anna is the best! I loved her carefree and spunky attitude and how she was unapologetically herself (even when posing as the wife of a billionaire).

Liam was a doll! Even as he battled to stay true to himself with his toxic family, there was something so endearing about him. Especially when he was fighting his feelings for Anna.

The epilogue of this one was pure perfection! I really really enjoyed this one!

*will be posting review to Instagram on 5/6

I found this piece to be exceptionally well-crafted, and I'm eagerly anticipating the opportunity to delve into more works by this author. Given its potential popularity among our library patrons, we're certainly looking forward to adding it to our collection

This book was honestly my very favorite Christina Lauren so far! It was so dang cute and left me swooning!

I absolutely love Christina’s writing and the connections between characters she makes. This book was no exception. She writes great banter and chemistry! Loved it!

“they love you, but they’re broken. They’ll choose money every time.”

On the surface, you see two people that get into an agreement, a marriage of convenience in order to gain something from the other. If you really look though, you see a man that’s endured years of emotional and verbal abuse from his narcissistic father. You see a man that does anything he possibly can, enters into said agreement, to pave his own way and get out from underneath his father’s thumb. On the other hand, you see a free spirited woman that has dreams but none as important to her as her father is. You see a woman that enters into said agreement to ensure that she never has to worry about her father.

Despite the love that obviously blooms between the man and the woman via this agreement, you see a woman that witnesses first hand the dynamics of a wealthy family and realizes that money isn’t actually happiness. You see a woman that wishes that the man grew up with a father like hers; a woman that wishes the unending love she grew up with could be shared, and wants to share with him a bit of that love; a woman that realizes how truly blessed she is, wealth or not. She sees a man, emotionally drained & weak, unable to stand up for himself because “family matters” and he has to do what he can for them despite how they treat him.

We see a couple, fake then real, that stands by one another through this brokenness.

I loved this one!

Thank you so much to Simon and Schuster for an ARC of this book!

I went in with not too high expectations. I love Love and Other Words, but the other Christina Lauren books I have read did not hit for me. The beginning of this book, probably first 50%, I was really enjoying. I then started to get a bit bored towards the second half.

This book gives classic rom-com vibes with a cool twist on the fake marriage trope. I really enjoyed the tension between the two main characters and the vacation/summer vibes. This book had good humor and pacing.

I just felt a lack of connection to the characters at times and did not feel too invested in the book. It was not a total miss for me, but I am not sure if I will think about it again. I still think it is worth a shot to try and could see people loving it.

Well Goddamn! 😊

I am really loving the trend of romance books with characters who actually speak their minds vs the miscommunication trope. There is a maturity and fearlessness that makes that seem possible in real life.

Both Anna and West were likable, well rounded characters and you can’t help to root for them. The premise was a little far-fetched but that is probably what makes it enjoyable too. The setting truly did sound like paradise, would love to have an over water bungalow but the travel there sounds like a hurdle!

Notes:
- somehow I pictured Blaire as the sister in law from the movie Bridesmaid. Maybe it was the wedding theme, maybe it was the description, but either way it worked and she always made me laugh
- the sibling were so important to the story but surprised we didn’t get very much Anna/Charlie interaction, feel like we needed a little more Charlie but thrilled she wasn’t portrayed as a spoiled brat
- “Goddamn” is my new favorite term, there are so many that can make you cringe but it made me smile every time.

The Paradise Problem by Christina Lauren is the perfect beach read! With the tropical setting and lavish lifestyle of a wealthy family’s wedding, this story is one you’ll want to jump into and live vicariously through the characters. It truly sounded like paradise.

The fake marriage/ marriage of convenience trope worked so well in this story. Even though Anna and Liam were complete opposites, their slow burn romance was sweet and steamy, and perfectly timed. Liam’s use of “my wife” made me swoon- I loved it!!

Though his awful family served well as a way to move the plot forward, I did not enjoy reading about them. Thankfully, Anna’s sense of humor was funny enough to balance out the discomfort his family added to the story. I could have done without her frequently using “Goddamn” as a euphemism, but, other than that, she was such a delight.

Normally, I love an epilogue, but this one was a lot- and long. The way the epilogue was broken up between Anna and Liam’s perspective and different time periods made it feel like a rushed summary of a second book. That said, I still liked the way their relationship developed in it.

3.75⭐️ out of 5⭐️ (rounded up to 4 on Goodreads)

The Paradise Problem comes out May 14, 2024. Thank you NetGalley for an early copy. All opinions are my own.

Five years ago, Anna Green and William (Liam) Weston married to obtain affordable student housing. Two years after their marriage, they divorced and moved on with their lives (or so Anna thought). Three years later, Liam shows up to tell Anna that 1) they are still married, 2) Liam is the heir of the Weston Food conglomerate and 3) he needs a date to his sister's wedding. Liam explains that he found out about a clause in his inheritance from his grandfather, which states he will have full access to his trust after five years of marriage. Liam asks for Anna to come to a private, tropical island and pretend to be a married couple in exchange for money Anna desperately needs. Anna agrees, but soon discovers that Liam's family may not be something she wants to be a part of - but with inheritance and the company at stake, what choice does she have but to pretend to be the perfect wife?

The upcoming new release from Christina Lauren is everything you want from a marriage-of-convenience romcom. It has humor, heart, emotional moments, and swoony romance. I adored Anna - free-spirited, confident, and emotionally mature and handled herself extremely well within the complex Weston family dynamics. Liam was likable and kind, but his personality definitely hid a bit behind Anna's. I liked them together and the slow burn was truly perfection.

Star Rating: 4.5/5
Spice Rating: 2.5/5

When Christina Lauren writes a new book, it's an automatic add to my tbr, without even reading the description! The engaging characters, banter, spicy scenes, and laugh out loud moments make CLo's books the quintessential romcom. Having the opportunity to read and review an advance copy of The Paradise Problem is a highlight of my Bookstagram journey.

The Paradise Problem contains many of my favorite tropes with a billionaire professor and a starving artist in a marriage of convenience attending an island wedding with just one bed. But the terms of an astronomical trust fund and years of perpetuated deception to his family, lead to Liam and Anna attending his sister's island destination wedding. Let me just say that Liam's parents are utterly appalling with his brother's constant need to one up Liam and attempts to gain his father's approval at turns heartbreaking and maddening.

Often an outside observer can perceive motivations and connections that those in the relationships miss, and Anna offered her insights into the behaviors of Liam's brother and advice on how to change their interactions. I loved that she cared to help Liam connect with his brother when their father just used them against each other. Liam's sister was just the sweetest and her immediate acceptance of Anna despite her parents snubbing, made me like her all the more. Also, the authors' reference to Twilight's Isle Esme lit up my fangirl heart!

I love CLo's writing, and this book was an entertaining read, but what kept me from giving it five stars is the underlying premise based on the lies about their marriage. I found it improbable that a man as well connected and controlling as Liam's father wouldn't have intervened in their marriage of convenience well before they showed up for this wedding, almost five years after the fact. I also didn't like that Liam had kept up the ruse during the years following his PhD and separation from Anna without at least keeping abreast with what she was up.

I still highly recommend this book and believe that my noted concerns are more of a me issue.