I never pick up romance novels, but I have enjoyed Christina Lauren books before, so k looked forward to this. It was entirely enjoyable! The backstory is incredibly far fetched, but that doesn’t take away from the plot whatsoever. The story centers a faux couple having to pretend to be married for a week on a private island to ensure a payout for the guy. Anna is endearing and quick-witted, Liam is charming and attractive, and the vivid descriptions of the island were incredible. This is a perfect quick summer read (read in 1.5 days). Highly recommend! Thank you to NetGalley, Christina Lauren, and Gallery Books for the ARC!

Anna Green thought she was marrying Liam "West" Weston for access to subsidized family housing at UCLA. She also thought she signed divorce papers when they graduated. However, three years later a visit from Liam reveals that not only are they still married but his family wishes to meet his spouse. Liam devises a plan to introduce Anna to his family in order to fulfill a clause of his grandfather's will, which requires him to be happily married for five years in order to receive his inheritance. He asks Anna to travel with him to a tropical island to attend his sister's wedding and convince his family that they are happily married. This novel reminds me of "Pretty Woman" as Anna prepares for the trip, buying clothing and waxing her lady parts, in order to present herself as the wife of an heir to a grocery chain. The chemistry between Anna and Liam is perfect and definitely holds true with opposites attract. This book was filled with not only witty humor but very relatable family dynamics. Excellent read and another great novel by Christina Lauren.

I really enjoyed this book. From a fake marriage to family trauma and corrupt wealth I was hooked. Every class of people have their problems and it was interesting to see that reflected in the main characters.

It is enraging in some parts, when we think about how real the corruption of money is. I wish we got a little more of the MFC family, but that didn't really follow the main story.

Some characters are meant to be hated and I found it successful for the most part. Others that weren't meant to be super detailed I wish we got more of.

Overall, I would recommend reading this story. Expect to be angry for part if not most of the book. I thought the importance for all characters, but especially the MMC getting therapy was a nice touch. We need to normalize therapy being acceptable.

Christina Lauren does it again. This book sucked me in FAST and became impossible to put down. Liam is one of my new fav CLo MMCs. 4.5 ⭐️s for this fun, sexy, scandalous story! Literally the perfect beach read. 🌺 (Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC of this book! Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.)

Christina Lauren's strengths include taking readers away from their present reality in terms of setting and well-rounded characters. This story is funny, romantic, a little absurd, but has a unique premise. Living a true marriage for five years to inherit billions - wow, that seems so far removed from real life. Yet, it was plausible enough to provide a realistic glimpse into the ultra wealthy. With the backdrop of a private tropical island, and a wedding propelling it all forward, there was so much to dive into.

This is one of my favorite Christina Lauren books to date. It was funny, charming, and Anna was refreshingly different. I appreciated that they didn't shy away from acknowledging the yuck-factor of obscene wealth and that the plot didn't revolve around big misunderstandings/lack of communication between the main characters.

Another love in the menagerie of Christina Lauren! My only complaint is referring to his penis continually as “goddamn.” It was funny the first and even second time but after that 😝

3.75 stars•°. *࿐

“I’d still stay and help you pull this off. I’m your ride-or-die, West Weston.”


I honestly have no idea what should I say about this book. Yes, I finished it in a day but was it worth it? I guess my rating answers that. I did not completely hate this as much as I hated The Soulmate Equation, but also this was not a life-changing experience. This book was-to put it all in one word-mid. I'm sorry but I think Christina Lauren's writing is just not for me.

➸ tropes
-marriage of convenience
-fake dating (more like fake marriage but idk)
-billionaire? romance

➸ the plot
the plot was boring. lmao I am sorry but its the same thing repeated over and over again. the fmc is broke, a painter (like why), and has no options left, her life is collapsing and our mmc just comes back into the picture (just in time, are we shocked?) because he needs some inheritance or something. the revelation in the end, which was supposed to be a plot twist-um I saw it coming miles away. my life has more dramatic and shocking plot twists than this one.

I am sorry lmao, this was the worst summary ever but in my defense, I forgot everything.

➸ the characters
um basic, boring what else? the fmc got on my nerves at first but she grew on me a little, later in the book. the mmc was boring bye. the side characters were annoying asf (except the kids and some 2-4 others), especially his dad ew.

➸ what I liked
-how fmc grew a backbone towards the end
-her relationship with her niece
-chapter 34 was adorable (kinda?)

➸ what I disliked
-his father
-his brother (alex)
-she was a painter, out of all the things
-mmc having major commitment issues
-the romance was kinda fast-paced, I like my romances slow please
-kinda lust-driven relationship ngl
-kinda repetitive
-u are telling me that our lovely christina lauren makes our characters curse without any hesitation but both the fms nd mmc proceed to call his um boner-out of all the things in this world jesus-goddamn???I am sorry I cringed sm. plus they kept mentioning it, like girl ok I get ur damn point can u shut up.

➸ in conclusion
um I think the fact that I did not highlight anything except the first quote and chapter 34 says everything ig, but still it wasn't that terrible. will I recommend it? uh idk, I would say save yourself but if u like the above tropes, sure go ahead.

thanks to netgalley and the publisher for this arc in exchange for an honest review!!

The latest Christina Lauren book lines up with a summer release, so grab this book and take it on vacation or to your living room and enjoy the banter of Liam and Anna as they attempt to convince Liam's family that they have really been married for years for him to get his inheritance. Liam is as proper as Anna is quirky and their personalities make it a tough sell. This is definitely a slow burn, but I am here for it with their witty banter. I laughed out loud at a few of their exchanges and could hardly put the book down. It's definitely a HEA , even if it wasn't exactly the way I was expecting the book to end.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for allowing me to read and review this title in advance.

I always hate opening the last Christmas gift. It means Christmas is over, and I have nothing more to look forward to for a whole year! ! I feel the same way about opening a new Christina Lauren book! Once I finish, I have nothing to look forward to for a long time!

At first, I was a little dismayed by the fake marriage trope. After all, they already used it for Roomies. Silly me! I underestimated them! It’s a testament to their talent that they made The Paradise Problem a completely different book! It was their trademark spicy romance juxtaposed against the issues of income disparity, our broken healthcare system, and the vulgarity of extreme wealth. And, OMG I loved the allusions to their Twilight fanfic roots! What a great read!

Thank you Gallery Books and NetGalley for this digital ARC in return for an honest review!

Christina Lauren have a way of writing normal and relatable characters and Anna was no different. She made me laugh with her real reactions to very abnormal and unrelatable situations. I read this one in a day and a half and was completely sucked into the story, wanting to see how it all pans out (no matter how cheesy and predictable it may be). This book gave exactly what it was supposed to and I recommend it to all Christina Lauren fans! Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

It pains me that I didn't like this as much as I wanted to because I am a HUGE Christina Lauren fan. Overall, I had mixed feelings about this book. The first quarter was meh for me and I found myself not itching to pick up the book. It started to get interesting, but at some points, it was a little too over the top for my taste.

There was too much focus on the opulence and their rich lifestyle. It had Crazy Rich Asians vibes and all that stuff doesn't impress me so I wasn't into it.

I found myself scratching my head at times. There were some parts of the situations that I had lots of questions about and then when things were revealed, it fell flat.

I didn't love this but I think some will.

On a good note, the sex scenes in this book are A+++++++++!

Steam level: 🔥🔥🔥¼
⚠️: toxic familial relationship

Christina Lauren books are so much fun. Realistic and charming characters, fun plots, and I always laugh out loud! The Paradise Problem delivers it aallllll again.

This book has so many good tropes 🙌🏼 marriage of convenience, opposites attract, fake relationship, dual pov, slow burn… and you know some 🌶️! Yes, there were some eye roll moments that take me out of the moment. I gobbled it up, it’s a great fun beachy read that is perfect as we head into warmer weather and more vacays! 😎

Anna is trying very hard to make it as an artist. She's working at convenience story and waitressing, but barely getting by. When she was in college she had agreed to a sham marriage set up by a mutual friend in order to get family housing. She's shocked when the "ex-husband" she barely knew, and doesn't even recognize, from her college days shows up at her door asking for her help.

This spicy romance was very enjoyable. I couldn't put it down. Finished in a day.

It might be my snarky mental state towards romance novels at the moment, but I don't know if this was the one for me. I ended up skimming a lot of the end.

Anna is struggling to make ends meet. Her dad's medical expenses are adding up, and she just lost her job. Then, she gets a business proposition: Pretend to sill be married to a man she married in college (for cheap housing) so he can continue his eligibility for an inheritance, some of which she'll see for her troubles.

It was good, not great, and definitely not my favorite Christina Lauren. It was cute and Anna's funny, and I love how she stuck it to Ray in the end, but that's about it.

Thanks, NetGalley!

These two authors have done it again. This rom-com had me anxiously awaiting the ending. Two opposites decide to get married for student housing. After moving out the fake couple find themselves heading to a destination wedding filled with serious family drama.

This was such a fun summery read! I haven't read too many Christina Lauren books, but The Paradise Problem is definitely my favorite of them all.

This book is written in dual POV between our main characters Liam and Anna. Anna is a mess of a character but is actually super charming for it. We also get a bunch of side characters, both that you'll love and love to hate. Overall this is very much a character driven story which I loved. The language was a bit cringy so I did get taken out of it a few times. I don't think I've ever heard of "goddamn" used in that context before and hated it.

I was reminded lot of Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan when reading this (highly reccomend that book if you liked this one) but there are enough differences that it didn't feel like a full copy/paste.

Rated 4 stars. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC ebook.

This novel is what I’ve come to expect from Christina Lauren. The characters are charmingly adorable with real-life issues they address together. I love the dual writing. This is the perfect summer read complete with a beach location.

I always love Christina Lauren! This was great, quick read.

The two main characters, Liam and Anna, marry while young to solve a housing situation. They do not interact during their marriage and when Liam moves out years later, Anna assumes that she'll never see him again. However, years later, he shows back up with a proposition for Anna.

I really enjoyed all of the characters, the setting and the plot of this story. Thank you NetGalley and Gallery Books for an ARC.

Thank you to Net Galley, the author, and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

At this point in time, I've read and reviewed quite a few Christina Lauren books. This writing duo appears on so many recommendation lists. And typically, what I've found is that I'm usually in for a solid 3-star read (with a couple of notable exceptions). I'm going to be entertained. I'm going to feel compelled to turn the page. I'm going to encounter some funny quips between characters. Some quirky additions to the cast. Even in some of their more emotional pieces, this has been the case. I seek their books when I need something light to read before bed.

And given the premise of this one, I assumed that would continue to be the case. And yet, I find myself here with absolutely nothing redemptive to discuss. Nothing I took away that could be spun in a positive light. Nothing I enjoyed. That is not only rare for this author's books, but for any. I'm not a 1-star kind of reviewer. But this was so all over the place - in the worst way possible - that I don't feel better for having read it. And let me tell you, it was a slog. This clocks in at nearly 400 pages... and I wasn't having a good time during any of it.

Anna and West entered a marriage of convenience during their college years for economic reasons. And after their agreement was up, they went their separate ways. Only now, several years later, West (aka, Liam) is back and seeking Anna's help. He never actually filed for divorce. He's a member of a very wealthy family, who own a chain of successful grocery stores. And because of certain clauses in his grandfather's will, he has to maintain the illusion of a happy, successful marriage for five years to gain access to his trust fund. He and Anna have (without her knowledge) remained married well beyond their separation. And now, right at the very end, his family wants to meet her. His sister's getting married and it's seemingly the perfect opportunity.

If you're wondering how, exactly, a romance sparks from this kind of weird secrecy and manipulation? You're not alone! And yet it does... because Anna needs money to pay her father's medical bills. West/Liam (I kind of hate when characters have so many different names as a plot device... and Liam is short for William... which is also a weird choice) is going to bankroll her time as they travel overseas to meet up with his family. It's very much giving Pretty Woman, despite Anna not being a sex worker by trade.

When they arrive, all hell ensues, as West/Liam's family treats them both like garbage. He's really kept his distance from most of them. Except one of his brothers knows the full truth of this, as he was originally friends with Anna and introduced them to begin with. Another brother is very much suspicious of this arrangement and looking to "test" their relationship. Both of West/Liam's parents are pretty awful... except his mom is only awful to Anna, so that's ultimately fine (it's not).

I could keep going, since there are so many "layers" to this plot that begin to unravel while they're there. I feel like the authors couldn't pick a real direction for this to go in. The pacing was terribly off. The characters felt like cartoon supervillains. I didn't enjoy either main character. The dialogue made me cringe. So much of this required the reader to suspend their disbelief. There's so much I haven't included... and it just felt like a lot.

Maybe some of the problem here is on me. But I found this to be just as messy and bizarre (if not more so) than the only other book by this author I've assigned a lower rating (Something Wild). And that's okay -- not every book is going to resonate with every reader. Doesn't mean I won't enjoy anything else by them moving forward. For me, there are much better Christina Lauren titles out there. My personal favorite is The Soulmate Equation. This one, though, didn't work for me at all.