I love a well done marriage of convenience story. This one hits just right, with all the humor and heart that I expect from Christina Lauren.

Anna is very relatable, and Liam's family lives down to all the worst ideas of the super rich, which makes for a very interesting mix at an Island wedding.

I throughly enjoyed this book, and recommend it to anyone looking for a fun read.

TW: emotionally abusive parents, parental abandonment (past, off page), parent with cancer (in remission)

I received a free copy from Gallery Books through Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

This book was 10/10! I loved how the author made you feel as if you were one of the rich and famous people basking in the rays on a private island for a week long wedding getaway! The love that blossoms between the main characters is so sweet and pure. They both helped each other see the real person they were on the inside! Family drama, rich lifestyles, weddings, secrets.. this book has it all!

Thank you to the publisher and to netgalley. This is Christina Lauren as their best! It has banter, tension, a gorgeous setting and two great MCs. I had to put this down because I didn’t want it to end. This will probably be the book of the summer and I can’t wait to reread!

I absolutely loved this book. It was everything I’ve come to expect from my favorite writing team. Anna and West got married on a whim when they both needed university housing and they ended up in married housing. West graduates and they part ways still mostly strangers. Four years later, Anna’s life is falling apart when she learns that they’re still married and West has been telling his family they’re still married. Oh, and his sister is getting married and Anna needs to go to a luxurious island for 10 days and pretend to be his wife. Oh and he’s an heir. Christina Lauren really nailed the toxic family dynamics, and I was ready to throw my kindle at the wall if the dad didn’t (spoilery thing) at the end. I loved the steaminess that I’ve come to expect from these two.

The publisher provided an advanced copy via NetGalley for this title. This was such a fun read! CLo hit all of the right feels with this one. Honestly, they never miss. Thanks for giving me a new birthday book each year. Loved it! #NetGalley

Christina Lauren, you are queens of romance, and you gave us so much with this new book. Fake dating. Marriage of convenience. Billionaire who is also somehow a hot Stanford professor? Opposites attract. Rich family drama. ISLE ESME REFERENCES??? I ate it up.

Anna and Liam/West are two people who think that they couldn't be more different, and they're only married because they wanted cheap housing while in college. Relatable. They part ways after graduation, but they're brought suddenly back together by an island wedding and a marriage inheritance clause (as happens with rich, eccentric families, apparently). As soon as the two are on the island, the chemistry and chaos ensues. There was so much good banter, many sweet (and spicy) moments, and a lot of emotion as these two figure out what they want from each other. I was also very invested in Liam and his family drama, and I can say with 100% faith that his dad is one of the most scum of the earth fathers. Gross man. Hated him. He deserves a good kick or 1000000.

All that to say, this book gave me all the feels, and I loved almost every second of it. There were only a couple things that I didn't love. First, I think I'm just a bit burnt out on the quirky girl artist MC. Not to say this is a negative for the book, but I may just need a break from that character type. And, second, once the spice was introduced, I feel like the emotional, sweet aspects really took a backseat, and I missed it. For those two reasons alone, this is a 4.5 rounded up to a 5.

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and Christina Lauren for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley and Gallery Books for the ARC! Can a fake marriage lead to true love? Anna Green was looking for comfortable, affordable college housing, so her friend introduced her to his older brother, Liam "West" Weston, as a potential "roommate." The two cook up a scheme to get married and live together just for the subsidized family housing. Once college was over, West left and the marriage was over. Or was it? Five years later, Liam seeks Anna out. He desperately needs his wife to attend his sister's wedding. But Liam's also hiding a big secret, he married Anna to gain access to his inheritance and he must stay married (well, for at least five years) in order to keep his inheritance. With Anna's father battling cancer and the sudden loss of her job, Anna is desperate for money and this marriage to Liam, might just provide the boost she needs. This is a fun and frolicking romance from writing duo Christina Lauren and is sure to please their fans.

I LOVED this book! From start to finish, I was hooked. Liam (West) and Anna were such nuanced characters with such palpable chemistry that it was impossible not to root for them. I thought their progression was done so well, and I enjoyed how Anna made it a point to tell Liam she didn’t want him for his money. It was important for him to hear that and know he can be loved for him—no strings attached. The plot with his family was really well executed. I enjoyed that Blaire was the crazy sister-in-law, Alex was the annoying brother-in-law, and Jake was the one you wanted to like but made choices you didn’t always like (which is so real). I also enjoyed that even though Anna got paid, she did it for her dad and ultimately got financially independent all on her own with her art. I like that he wasn’t the one who saved her. I had a great time reading this story, and I wish I could read it for the first time over and over again! Incredible story!

The perfect must-read for summer!! Go ahead and pre-order this book because you will not be sorry. This might be my favorite Christina Lauren book or tied with The Unhoneymooners. The plot is so good and cute. The characters are lovable and wholesome. The book is well-written and fun. The writing is perfect for summer. I loved everything about it!!! Christina Lauren never fails me!

Christina Lauren nails another getaway romance replete with makeover scenes, spicey spice, and a lot of humor to boot.

This is a little complicated but here goes…Liam needs to be married for 5 years to inherit bazillions from his family. He got Anna to fake marry him in college. She was poor and needed the cash. Now years later he needs Anna again for his sisters wedding so he can keep up the charade. In a pretty woman esque bargain she agrees to be his on call wife for the getaway. Shenanigans ensue.

Given Pretty Woman is one of my all time faves I of course sank deep into the able hands of Christina Lauren as they took me on a decadent fairytale. I threw out my disbelief and just went with it. I really enjoyed Anna, pink haired artiste, who was confident and carefree. I love a female lead who stands up for herself and isn’t afraid to stand out. Liam wasn’t quite as much of a standout for me but I loved the relationship between the two. In all this story totally worked for me and I found it to be indulgent fun fantasy. If you enjoyed The Unhoneymooners you’ll enjoy this one too.

I love Christina Lauren, their books always make me laugh, and I find them to be so cute and heartwarming. Unfortunately, The Paradise Problem might be my least favorite book by them.

Anna and Liam get married in order to access affordable student housing. They end up divorcing soon after Liam graduates school, or at least Anna thinks they got divorced when she signed the papers Liam gave her. Turns out, they are still married and the papers she signed was an agreement to remain married for 5 years in order for Liam to gain access to his very large inheritance. Liam comes knocking on Anna’s door asking her to join him for his sister’s wedding on a private island. They barely know each other but have to fake a marriage in front of Liam’s family.

I found the first half of the book to be extremely slow, and found myself putting it down several times. TBH, I was so close to DNFing (I’m the DNF queen 👸🏻) but since it’s Christina Lauren I decided to push through. The second half was intriguing and I loved the banter, but I didn’t love the characters. Anna and Liam’s romance seemed a bit forced to me. Oh, and Liam’s parents, they were so insufferable. I couldn’t stand them, they were so mean to everyone. I also wished they would have added more depth to Anna’s dad’s character as he is the main reason she agreed to the fake marriage.

Overall , I can see others loving this book, unfortunately it was a miss for me, but I’ll definitely continue to read future Christina Lauren books. 🩷🩷

4 stars

Two words: Christina Lauren. IYKYK. Readers who fall into the aforementioned IYKYK camp with these two will get exactly what they came for with this new installment from the dynamic duo of romance.

Anna and Liam (who is also sometimes called "West") are at the center of this one. West has that super relatable heir to a $100 million empire vibe happening, and of course Anna - who is all the way broke, unemployed, and trying to pay off her dad's medical bills...OH and is an artist who just hasn't been discovered yet - makes up the obvious other half of this couple. Only in a romance, I tell ya.

Despite the truly expected pairing, these characters are not as irritating as one might guess, and this is in part due to how little they knew about each other when they first met. That initial meeting is also pretty unusual. Years prior to the start of the novel, these two - who hardly know each other - agree to marry for student housing but then lose touch and stay married. Liam resurfaces when he needs Anna to hold up the ruse of their marriage years later for different reasons: his inheritance will evaporate if there's anything fishy about the relationship. There's more to it, but that's for readers to discover. The entire premise is wild, but what matters is that there's an opportunity for these two to spend some quality time together and fall in love for real. If you're coming to this book for that part - the swoony staring into each other's eyes and other parts component - you'll be happy.

I've read more CL books than I can count off the top of my head, and I tend to really enjoy their work. It's always a great escape from reality, and this most recent one is no exception to that rule. I'm glad these two are so prolific and look forward to whatever they put out next!

The Paradise Problem is a witty and delightful romp through the ups and downs of love, wealth, and second chances.
Anna Green thought she was signing divorce papers after her college graduation, but three years later, she finds herself face to face with her ex, Liam "West" Weston, now a Stanford professor and heir to a massive fortune. With a quirky clause in his grandfather's will standing between Liam and his inheritance, he turns to Anna, his ex-wife, for help.
What ensues is a hilarious and heartwarming journey as Anna and Liam navigate the complexities of family expectations, old flames, and unexpected feelings. The author's signature humor shines through in every page, making for a laugh-out-loud read that also tugs at the heartstrings.
With its charming characters, witty banter, and swoon-worthy romance, The Paradise Problem is a must-read for fans of romantic comedies. The author delivers yet another winner that will leave readers smiling long after they've turned the last page.
Thank you to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Another fantastic Christina Lauren book! This is the perfect twist on Pretty Woman with great banter and plenty of laugh of out loud moments. I couldn't read this fast enough and loved reading Anna and Liam's story!

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC of this book! I have really enjoyed reading Christina Lauren's other books and totally enjoyed reading this one too.

Liam and Anna are excellent characters. Many of the other side characters are great too. The humor and pop culture references are top notch.

My only issue with the book was that the beginning felt fast paced and fun. The ending felt a little dragged out and a little disappointing.

I was happy with it as a whole and would recommend for my friends though.

Christina Lauren routinely hits it out of the park for me. The Paradise Problem was no different. I enjoyed our main characters, particularly Anna. I'm a sucker for a story about an emotionally intelligent gal with pink hair!
This is a great beach read (it literally takes place on an island!) with it's slow burn romance, and it's slight predictability- it's just fun!

3.5 stars

Anna and Liam, total strangers, get married during college in order to get cheap housing. They live as roommates and go their separate ways after college. Three years later, Liam shows back up in Anna’s life needing a huge favor. Liam aka West needs Anna to fake their marriage and pretend they’ve been happily married for 5 years at his sisters exotic, island wedding. If they are able to pull this off, Liam will inherit millions.
There’s family drama and slow burn spicy romance. It was pretty cute and predictable but I feel like it could have been a little shorter. Anna was a little annoying at times. It would be a good summer read.

The Paradise Problem by Christina Lauren is a must read for lovers of banter, tension, quirky heroines, grumpy & damaged heroes, and all of the slow burn feels! Throw in a fake marriage and you have a 5 star summer read that cannot be missed!

Liam & Anna started as strangers in a marriage of convenience to gain access to housing in their final year of college. Complete and utter opposites they come back together when Liam must attend his sister's wedding 5 years later on a secluded and private island. The Weston's are a dumpster fire of a family with broken and traumatic pasts, and Anna is the newcomer trying to be the high society, (not)doctor, wife Laim/West has made her out to be. Everything that comes after is romcom + emotional read perfection!

This was a wholly enjoyable read and a must include for your beach bag this summer!

Christian Lauren is one of my very favorite rom com authors -- I'll read anything they write & this one didn't disappoint!

Anna married Liam for access to subsidized housing while at UCLA. Once she graduated, she signed the divorce papers. Or so she thought. Three years later, Liam shows up at her doorstep with some shocking news & a BIG favor from her -- pretend their marriage is real for 10 days so he can inherit his millions.

This was really fun! I love a fake dating trope. Liam's family made me so incredibly angry -- and Anna took it in stride. I loved her character! Shes witty, eclectic, & seems like a ball of fun. And the setting (a private island off the coast of Singapore) made for the dreamiest vibe!

Thank you Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Highly recommend if you enjoy a good rom com, filled with fake dating, frustrating family dynamics, & friends to lovers.

Wow. What a trip this book was. I adore Liam and Anna. They are so well written, so different from each other, yet you can see how they would work so well together. Their journey really had you go through all the emotions, especially when it comes to dealing with the Weston clan and how their interactions have impacted Liam and even Anna. I think the family dynamics were the most well plotted of the whole novel. I loved the love arch for Liam and Anna but was kept on my seat by the madness that is the Weston family. I could have read this book in one sitting if I didn't have to go to work. Really loved this book and am going to be recommending it a lot. Additionally, this would make a fantastic book club discussion kit.