Thank you to Gallery Books and Christina Lauren for my eARC copy via NetGalley.

Anna Green is struggling. She just lost her job, her dad is getting treated for cancer (which she is having to try and cover the bills for), her lifelong dream of being paid to paint isn't seeming to come to life, and now she finds out that the marriage of convenience she <i>thought</i> had ended in divorce is still very much legally active. Now, her "husband" West needs her to pretend they are happily married (and have been for nearly 5 years) at his sister's wedding. What's in it for her? Well she will get 100K of West's inheritance money. Liam has been riding out his fake marriage in order to get closer to the day he gets his inheritance from his Grandfather, an inheritance with a clear stipulation that you do not get a penny until you've been <i>happily</i> married for at least 5 years. Now with his parents asking about his marriage to Anna, and requesting they bring her to his sister's wedding, he feels there is no other choice but to ask his clearly-not-wealthy wife to play a part so well that she can convince his whole family they're really in love and have been so for 5 years (even though she doesn't seem to realize his name isn't West). What can go wrong?

I am a big Christina Lauren fan. I'm working through all of the duo's novels, have enjoyed each of them in their own ways, and this is no exception. The marriage of convenience, with very high stakes, we see played out on the pages of this book is such a charged relationship that I felt the tension between the two was palpable. I think they did a great job of writing the complexity of Liam's family, each of them negatively effected by the pressure of their family's legacy and wealth in different ways. The development of Liam and Anna's relationship felt very natural, and the choice to show how little they knew of each other by explaining that Anna didn't realize his name wasn't West was freaking hilarious.

My main annoyance was the "goofy girl" vibes we get from Anna's character. Her calling his penis his Goddamn seriously made my skin crawl every single time, and there were A LOT of times it was said. Her "not like other girls" dirty, trash-panda vibes didn't come across as endearing to me, it felt forced and self centered at times. A person can be artsy, choose not to attend medical school, not be a millionaire and still not be a disgusting unserious person (wow I clearly was more annoyed with this than I realized lol). I did enjoy the book otherwise, it was just hard not to knock down stars for this when I found myself rolling my eyes every few pages.

Overall this was a fun read, exactly the enjoyable experience I've come to expect from a CL book, and I would recommend it to anyone looking for a fun romance that dives deep into a difficult marriage of convenience. The spice was spicing, I'll say that. The FMC is quirky, so if that's your thing you're bound to love this as well.

I'm always excited for a new Christina Lauren book, and this one didn't disappoint. I love the banter between the characters, and I just couldn't help falling in love with both of them. One of my favorite Christina Lauren books to date.

The sexiest book I have ever read, but not for the reason you think. The build up of plot and tension between the characters is the stuff of my Rom-Com dreams. This is by far my favorite CL novel and holds the top spot for 2024. While we have seen the poor girl/rich boy trope before, but this felt original, fresh, and chic. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC. Can't wait for everyone to dive into this one.

4.5 stars. I look forward to a new Christina Lauren book every year, and this one was so fun! It felt like Crazy Rich Asians + Unhoneymooners with some marriage of convenience + lots of family intrigue added in.

First off. I loved the characters! Anna & Liam are darling. Anna is just the right amount of chaos and kooky to balance Liam’s orderly and serious. The banter was so good!

The setting of the story is stunning. The descriptions transported me!

There are some heavy things handled really gracefully (see TW below).

There were a couple things that didn’t flow well for me, but overall this was a lovely, steamy read that all CLo fans should have on their lists to read this summer!

Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for the chance to review an advance copy.

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TW BELOW! Possible mild spoilers.


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Last chance to avoid any mild spoilers.



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TW: parent with cancer, verbal abuse and gaslighting from parent, parental abandonment.

Christina Lauren is must read author for me and this book was no exception. Great character development and interesting storyline. Keep me invested and entertained the entire time. Would highly recommend.

This is my new favorite Christina Lauren book! I loved it! Fake marriage, frienemies to lovers, set in a tropical paradise where all hell breaks loose, what’s not to love? It was rich (literally) in my favorite tropes and I loved the banter between Liam and Anna. So good! If you love a feel-good rom-com, this is your next five star read!

I am SO IN LOVE with The Paradise Problem by Christina Lauren! I could not put it down!

Five years ago, Anna and West made a decision that would change everything. Despite not knowing each other, they agreed to a marriage of convenience to access subsidized housing at UCLA. After graduation, they sign their divorce papers and never looked back. Three years later, Anna Green is a struggling artist living paycheck to paycheck trying to support her dad and his medical bills. To make matters worse, she just hit another personal rock bottom. Liam Weston (West) is a wealthy. Trust fund Stanford professor.

They haven't seen each other since the day the divorce papers were signed. That is until Liam shows up unannounced on Anna's doorstep. Liam informs Anna that their divorce was never finalized and that he needs some help. While Anna was under the impression that the only reason for their marriage was to gain subsidized housing at UCLA, West really used it to gain access to his 100-million-dollar inheritance. The catch is he can only gain full access after 5 years of marriage, and his family is starting to wonder where his wife is. West needs Anna to come with him to his sister's wedding and pretend they are still a happily married couple. In return, he will give her the hundred thousand dollars she desperately needs.

This book… I mean… WOW! I loved everything about Anna and West’s story. A marriage of convenience, some forced proximity, a good one bed trope, and a tropical island setting? There’s nothing more a romance reader can ask for! The Paradise Problem had me kicking my feet at some moments, and my cheeks blushing during other moments. Anna and West had off-the-chart banter, too! The characters (whether it was the FMC, MMC, or a supporting character) were all needed to form a complete story. They each brought something so fun and quirky to the book, which made it so easy to read. The Paradise Problem made me so excited for the possibility of warm weather, romance, and falling in love. I can't wait to read this book again and recommend it to all my friends!

Perfection as always from Christina Lauren. This was hilarious and steamy. Not to mention Anna is such a relatable character. Top notch

Loved the fake dating and quirky CLo heroine. Some of the logistics were slightly unbelievable but overall recommend for a sweet read!

Anna and West are delightful characters who find themselves in marriage of convince for housing sake when in college. They never saw each other while living together and when it was time to move on, Anna thought they had divorced. She was wrong and now Liam "West" Weston needs her to be his "real" wife and convince the family he is married to inherent millions of dollars. I loved this book because it included all the things that make Christina Lauren dolls must buy for me. It was fun and romantic and spicy and just made me happy to read. Thank you netgalley for this arc in exchange for my honest opinion.

A huge thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of Christina Lauren's newest heartwarming and hilarious novel, The Paradise Problem. Anna and Liam entered into a marriage of convenience when they wanted optimum student housing, but they barely got to know each other after two years of being roommates. When Liam returns to offer Anna enough money to help pay her rent and her father's medical bills in exchange for two weeks of pretending to be blissfully married at his sister's swanky destination wedding, Anna readily agrees. The island is beautiful, the clothes are incredible.... and Liam's family is completely insufferable.

In typical Christina Lauren fashion, there is delicious romance, hysterical banter and a cast of unforgettable characters that will win your heart. This is another five-star winner from the Christina Lauren dynamic duo that you will devour in a day.

The way Christina Lauren can spin a grocery store business into a steamy hot read is amazing. Main characters both have mega emotional baggage. I love how West is fully open about receiving therapy and how helpful it has been to him. I do wish Vivi was in the book at the end more. She seemed amazing.

The Paradise Problem starts at the end of a marriage of convenience, as Liam (West) Weston moves out of the student housing he married Anna Green to share. Fast forward six years, and West reunites with Anna to ask her to come with him to his little sister's wedding. He conveniently never told his family they divorced (because they didn't). Or that their marriage wasn't real. Oh, and if they stay married just a little longer, he will earn his late wealthy grandfather's inheritance...

I went into this book trusting Christina and Lauren, but also unsure I could champion this romantic hero. But like everything they write, this book was electric. Liam was more charming than I thought a man after millions would be, and Anna was a vivacious mess that I cheered for from beginning to end. Christina Lauren is always a must read to me, but this one was definitely one of my favorites so far!

Thanks to Netgalley and Gallery Books for the eARC!

This was a typical adorable Christina Lauren book. They always have a way of delighting me in a cute little romance with a fun storyline. Thank you for the copy- highly appreciated- will recommend at our store!

This book was so good and it is safe to say that CL never disappoints with their books!

The Paradise Problems is a romcom full of charm! Liam and Anna get married during college to access subsidized family housing while at UCLA and after some time they get divorced… or so Anna thought. Three years later Liam shows up at Anna’s house to tell her that not only are they still legally married but Liam is asking a huge favor of Anna, she needs to act as his happy and madly in love wife during his sister’s wedding to gain full access to his trust, and did I mention Liam is incredibly wealthy!

This book was such a fun, witty, and swoon-worthy book. Both of the main characters are well-written with Anna’s fun, real, and honest attitude about life and Liam’s struggles with his family while also showing how kind and loving he is to Anna. This book also had all the good tropes that I love such as second chance, tropical vacations, duel pov, and forced proximity. This book was also my first billionaire romance and all I can say is I will be reading more.

This book comes out 5/14! Thank you to netgalley and gallerybooks for this ARC!

If you’re a fan of Christina Lauren, then you will be very happy with their latest. Five years ago, Anna agreed to marry her friends brother, Liam, in order to get cheap housing in college. They barely see each other and at the end of two years - they go their separate ways. Anna signs the divorce papers and she begins her life as a struggling artist. What Liam doesn’t tell her is that they actually aren’t divorced. And to add to that, he needs her to pretend to be his wife at his sister’s wedding. As you can imagine, chaos ensues. With a nod to Pretty Woman, this goes beyond and you root for so many of the characters in this story.

Another fun read by Christina Lauren! The fake marriage trope mixed with obvious (and a little mysterious) family drama made for a compelling plot. Anna & West got married to live in family housing for school and lived as essential strangers before graduating and going their separate ways. 3 years later, Anna is surprised to find West needs her to play along for one final week to prove their marriage is not a fraud to West's filthy rich family to keep his inheritance. Under the agreement, Anna will receive a large payment for her help, they jet off to a private island for a his sister's wedding. The banter and "will they, won't they" vibes of the two MCs is entertaining, and a little more spicy than some of their other books. My only complaint is I'm just getting a little tired of the MCs always having perfect bodies in the most stereotyped beauty standards ways. I'd love to see some variety!
The descriptions of the natural beauty of this paradise backdrop mixed with the wild, over-the-top luxury this family can afford to add on themselves, can provide a fun escape and make for an excellent beach/summer read.

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for the ARC. I will devour any book by the writing duo known as Christina Lauren. Fun Contemporary Romance with intriguing plot lines where the romance isn't the only story.

In the Paradise Problem Liam and Ana legally marry when they are students at UCLA to gain access to affordable family housing. Liam is the heir to a grocery store fortune with a clause that he must be married for 5 years to gain access to his inheritance, and Ana is a struggling artist. Liam and Ana must attend his sisters wedding on a private island and convince his family that the relationship is real to protect the siblings inheritance from their power hungry father and CEO of the business.

I loved the setting on a private island, described the decadence of the lifestyle of the rich and made me envious of the ocean bungalow. Ana and Liam had great chemistry and I loved the playfulness between them, appreciated Ana's whit and protectiveness of those that she loves.

This will be a great summer read while soaking up the sun. Grab your sunglasses, chilled beverage of choice and get lost within the Paradise Problem.

Christina Lauren does it again. This has to be by far my favorite CL book. It will make you laugh, tear up a little and really root for love.
Anna and West (Liam) two complete opposites strike up a fake marriage in college for financial reasons. Thinking they were divorced, Anna goes on with her dead end life until one day Liam appears and finds out that they are not divorced and must continue the ruse for West’s sister wedding.
The chemistry and banter between West (Liam) and Anna will hook you in and keep you reading way into the night.
This is an absolute must read!!!
Thank you NetGalley and Galley Books for my ARC.

Another hit from Christina & Lauren 🩷 I love all of their books and can really see the evolution of their writing style over the years. I think I've read through nearly the whole back catalogue at this point. This book was SO good! It was the kind of book you can't put down, you can read it on the beach, on the plane, in your bedroom too late at night. I read it over the course of 2 days, and two very busy days mind you. The books was wildly over the top in the best way. Fake marriage? Check. Billionaires? Check. Exotic vacation? Check. This is not the most serious book but so enjoyable! It reminded me of crazy rich asians and also that amazing 90s movie "The bachelor". Such a specific reference but if you've seen the movie and read this book you'll understand.

Thanks to NetGalley for an advanced copy of the book!