I enjoyed this book! It's pretty much exactly what you would expect from reading the summary, which makes for an easy and enjoyable weekend read. I was in a book slump when I picked this up and it helped me to get out of it. This wasn't my favorite Christina Lauren book,. but you'll definitely love it if you love their other books too. The private island/beach vibes are nice. Kind of a mix between Crazy Rich Asians and the Unhoneymooners.

4.5 stars
I eat up anything Christina Lauren puts in a book - no exception here! I buy-in to all of their different scenarios, including this fake marriage one!
Loved the characters, the banter, and story. Was very cute!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

There is no problem with “The Paradise Problem.” In the latest romcom from the author duo Christina Lauren. Anna is a starving artist, who is saving every penny to pay for her dad’s medical treatment. Liam is the estranged son of a billionaire grocery store owning family. When Liam has to go to his baby sister’s destination wedding on an Indonesian paradise island, he has to take his wife Anna, who married five years earlier in order to stay in married college housing.

In a Pretty Woman style story, Liam makes a deal with Anna to come to the wedding as his fake/real wife where she will need to navigate the ultra rich, including his own toxic stew family.

“The Paradise Problem” has the classic romcom tropes, and even though it may be predictable it is lovable, funny, and steamy.

Themes: 🗣️🗣️🏝️💰👗👰‍♀️💖

My thoughts: 😁😍🥰😘☺️🌶️🥵

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Absolutely loved this one. 4.5/5, knocked it out of the park. Fake marriage, secluded island, one bed, what more can you ask for?

The Paradise Problem was a really enjoyable read because it felt to me like it had a bit more gravity than many romance books do. Is it entirely realistic that Anna - broke, paying for her father's cancer treatments, and just fired by an 18 year old manager from her convenience store job - ends up traveling to a private island with the guy she married for convenience five years ago and has to pretend they are happily married so they can both get lots of money? Maybe not. (Or is it? Is this the kind of drama real rich people go through? Money makes people weird so I guess it's possible.)

Even though we started off with this fake-marriage-for-the-inheritance romance trope and the levels of wealth in this book are completely insane to most people, the characters still felt very real. Anna wasn't some perfect damsel-in-distress, and she wasn't magically great at blending in around so much wealth. But because of this, she actually had a real personality and was a character you definitely wanted to cheer for. Liam wasn't one of those really rich characters who somehow acted like they never had money - even though he was a kind person whose priority wasn't to be wealthy, you could still tell that he didn't know what it felt like to struggle with money. He was realistic and compelling.

The plot here was fun but high stakes; it was a bit like The Unhoneymooners if the side characters in the Unhoneymooners were way more toxic. You have a gorgeous tropical island that makes for a perfect romantic setting, but you also have characters who are wounding each other at every turn. The Westons are the dysfunctional family taken to an extreme, and they were a good illustration of how people often respond very differently to negative experiences. Alex internalized all of his father's hatred and focused on nothing but being good enough; Liam tried to run away and ignore his family; Jake tried to be invisible and not stir the pot; and Charlie allowed herself to live in denial of the type of person her father actually was. None of them were horrible people and none of them were perfect. They had just learned defensive tactics that they couldn't let go of, which I think is a solid representation of how poor upbringings can affect people in real life. It's not a simple equation.

I liked that little moments throughout this book brought out all the different emotions. When Ray and Liam fought, I couldn't help being upset for Liam. When Anna saw that Reagan needed an adult to really pay attention to her preteen struggles, I was warmed by her compassion. There were a lot of ups and downs and well developed characters, rather than an appealing pair of leads and somewhat one-dimensional friends floating around. The emotion and the characterization was better than what I've read in most romance books recently.

But I also enjoyed still getting to read a story that felt like a fairytale. If this kind of drama happened in real life, I'm not sure a happy ending would happen like it did here. But the happy endings are one of my favorite things about reading romance; it's nice to picture a world where the story ends on a high note. I think Christina Lauren struck a perfect balance between idealism and reality, which made this a fulfilling read. I was hooked once I made it a few chapters in, because the writing is great, the characters are likable, and the plot is intriguing. I definitely recommend picking up this book once it comes out!

Another fun and enjoyable romance from Christina Lauren! The premise was bit hard to believe but made for a fun and emotional story. I always know I’ll have a great time with CLo and this was no exception!

4.5 stars

I think this is my new favorite book by this author duo! What a fun, beachy, read.

What I enjoyed:
• lust, angst, and tension. What could be better? It was described and felt so honestly.
• the amount of times this book made me laugh out loud…. Was too many. Hilarious!
•I adored the characters: honest, raw, funny,
• one bed trope, faking it, rom com, fast paced, marriage of convenience
• the atmosphere

What could have been better?
• I do wish we had a bit more character development in regards to the two main characters and how they acted together.

Oh my goodness, this was a swoony, hilarious, steamy, beautiful masterpiece! I love every single book Christina Lauren writes and The Paradise Problem is absolutely one of my favorites! This was such a beautiful story with all the wit and swoon and steam Christina Lauren are known for, and with the greatest epilogue of all time!! I don’t know how they consistently write the BEST books, but they just keep doing it and I’m so grateful!

Thank you to Gallery books for the surprise joy of an early review copy of The Paradise Problem. This has all the tropes I like, marriage of convenience/kind of fake dating/fake marriage themes, rich people being... unlikable, a private island, lots of chemistry and tension, and a female protagonist I really liked! Yes, tropes galore. steamy island scenes, rich people stuff... but exactly what I was looking for and wanted. If anything, I wanted more,

I admit, I really loved the beginning/first half of the book a lot, it had some fun pretty woman kind of vibes (while avoiding a little of the ugh of the movie that does sit well as it ages)... I needed a montage of Anna and all her new clothes and arriving at the airport and the island. I really liked Liam/West as well, I like that he respected Anna, was willing to put his siblings first even when he truly did not want to be at the wedding and seeing his father...., and that he still tried to do the right thing and protect his family and the business even when indeed his father was a remarkable (arsehole).

I felt the last 1/4 of the story was fast, lots of big plot points that had been alluded to were resolved fast and I wanted to know more about some of the reasons for character's later behaviors (Alex in particular). I wanted to know more Blaire a lot more (she seemed FUN), I wanted to know what West's career was like over time..., and I wanted more of Anna's art life and her friend Vivi! I loved the secondary characters and would love to see how they fit into the what comes next vibe coming together at the end of the story.

Christina Lauren is an automatic must read for me. I was over the moon excited to learn that I was sent an advanced copy! In true CL fashion, I enjoyed every minute of this book. Who doesn't love a fake dating scheme in paradise? I had a hunch early on how the story would unfold and while I was partially right, some of the story events left me smiling from ear to ear!

3.5 ⭐️ This is a bit predictable, yet cute, beachy romance. Fake relationship turned real. I didn’t feel the connection to or between the characters as much as I’d prefer so it wasn’t one of my favorites. I think it was still worth the read though.

I received this book from the publisher & NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are solely my own.

Fans of Christina and Lauren will want to add this one to your summer tbr! It's available May 14th.

🏝Setting: mostly takes place on a private island that only the uber-wealthy can access.

Trope: fake relationship and forced proximity

Characters:
🧍‍♂️West: Possible future CEO of a grocery store conglomerate, currently Stanford professor. In line to inherit a huge sum of money from his family's trust fund.
🧍‍♀️Anna: previous med student, previous convenient store clerk, current struggling artist who loves her Dad.

Plot: West and Anna are broke. West and Anna are students. Solution? Get married and move into married/family housing and then get divorced once school ends. Anna doesn't really know West, but she is friends with his brother, so this seems like a safe, affordable decision. They graduate, she receives her envelope of papers from West (but doesn't read any of them), and they move to separate parts of the state. 4 years later, West shows up at Anna's door. It turns out he never filed for that divorce, and he's set to inherit a lot of money. One catch: they have to convince his family they're happily married first.

What I liked:
🍸Anna refused to change for others and stayed true to herself.
🎨Anna's relationship with her Dad
✈️how Anna makes West uncomfortable with her unconventional ways and choice of verbiage.
🏝island setting
🥰Pretty Woman vibes

What I didn't like:
🍹Anna seemed a lot younger than her age
🍦parts of the plot were immature.
🍵West's family was a bit unbelievable
🌶open door scenes that didn't really add to the plot or chemistry.

Overall, this is a fun, entertaining book to toss into your beach bag this summer.

Writing duo Christina Lauren’s latest book, The Paradise Problem, tells the story of a marriage of convenience that won’t end!

Anna Green and Liam “West” Weston meet, get married so that they can qualify for student subsidized family housing, and part ways at graduation…or so Anna thinks. Three years later, Anna is an unemployed, starving artist, who is high as a kite when West comes knocking. West, heir to the Weston Foods conglomerate, has been lying to his family for years about his incredible, Doctors Without Borders wife, Anna. However, the time has come to pay the piper – his family is demanding he bring Anna to his sister’s wedding in Indonesia. West offers Anna $10,000 to come to the wedding and play husband and wife for a week. After all, they are still married.

The Paradise Problem is another win for Christina Lauren! Let me start off by saying – the sex scenes are hot! Anna and West have chemistry galore, and their interactions sizzle. As individual characters, Anna and West each blossomed over the course of the book, growing, and becoming more well-rounded as I turned the pages. However, West’s dad was a piece of work! He is a relic of times gone by that no one wants to remember, and he needs to be put out to pasture! Weddings are always fun settings for books, with lots of colorful side characters, and this was no exception. I especially liked Blair, West’s sister-in-law! I definitely recommend picking up The Paradise Problem when it is released in May. It would be an amazing beach read!

Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery Books for sharing this advanced review copy with me in exchange for my honest feedback.

I admit when I requested this book, I didn't even read the description. Christina Lauren is a favorite author so I requested based on that. When I started reading I thought the plot was really silly. However...this book was so well done! I was pleasantly surprised!! It ended up being SUCH a good book and is definitely one of my favorites of this authors.
The backstory Anna and Liam and how they pretended to be married in college for family housing was a clever history that set up the story. I did think it was odd that they literally knew nothing about each other after living together for an extended period of time. When Liam comes back to ask her help...that was the part that gave me trouble. However, the development of how they learn about each other was so funny and heart warming. I really loved how even though Anna is this hot mess fledgling artist with very little direction in her life...she becomes an anchor for Liam. He is the one with the money and career but he is truly the one that is lost. The way their friendship and very palpable attraction develops makes this book one I cannot wait to recommend to readers!
The one part that seemed so outrageous to me was how over the top the wealthy guests are in this book. Some of it didn't seem believable to me. Maybe because I'm not rich! HA! It was hard to imagine some of those things happening at the wedding. But it did bring a big entertainment value for sure.
I'm so happy I was approved for this book. I will for sure recommend this at the indie store where I work. Thank you net galley!

Christina Lauren crafts, yet another, fun and steamy romance novel. Anna Green is a free-spirited and struggling artist and Liam Weston; a no-nonsense straight-laced heir to a grocery chain. Married in college for subsidized family housing, years later they are complete strangers and Anna thinks she signed the divorce papers long ago. However, Liam stands to inherit a massive fortune from his grandfather's will with the condition that he be married for five years. With a big family event coming up Liam can't avoid having to introduce his family to his "wife"- a wife he hasn't personally seen in years. What follows is a laugh-out-loud, nerve-wrecking sequence of events and two people who realize they might just enjoy being married to one another.

A fun read for those who enjoy opposites attract, sunshine grumpy, and fake relationship tropes. While I enjoyed the Pretty Woman-esque feel of the novel at one point the greed and gluttony of the Weston's came off a little much for me at the end. Overall, it was a feel-good, light-hearted romance by Christina Lauren and would make for a great beach read!

Thank you NetGalley for this advanced copy! Christina Lauren has delivered yet again- fun, quirky characters and banter than had me laughing out loud! I loved being swept away to the gorgeous scenery of this book- it was a perfect read to brighten a bland January. The plot brought a rollercoaster of emotions and I ate up every bit!

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6219215743

The Paradise Problem ARC Review
Author: Christina Lauren
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I freaking love Christina Lauren 💗 I was extremely excited when I got approved on Netgalley for the ARC of The Paradise Problem.

This was so good and reminded me of The Unhoneymooners with the tropical setting but was much more exotic.

Liam “West” and Anna were such an enjoyable couple to read about. The setting of a remote island near Singapore was a dream 🤩 I loved the vivid descriptions and the whole vibe of the book.

This is probably in my top 3 Christina Lauren books now. I loved it so much and highly recommend it for a fun summer read!

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An autobiy author for me. A lush tropical setting and characters that are so well-developed. You don't want to put this novel down. These two are the queens of romance.

📖 ARC REVIEW 📖

Thank you @gallerybooks for an early copy of The Paradise Problem by @christinalauren. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. 🤍

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
Release date: May 14th, 2024

Blurb: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/199797582-the-paradise-problem?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=piYI9l2pOI&rank=1

🛑Read on with caution; review may contain spoilers🛑

The Paradise Problem is the very first book that I’m going to add to my top reads for this year. It has everything I love about the fake-dating-a-billionaire trope – the eccentric yet kindhearted female lead who’s struggling to make ends meet, the very serious, intelligent, and mysterious male lead who comes from a very rich and complicated family, the ruse taking place at a very extravagant wedding, and the family drama. (I think I just basically described a typical Filipino TV series with the family drama lol).

I loved the main characters, especially Anna. She’s a delight and a very fun character. I was laughing for most of the book because she really has no filter and just says what she’s thinking at the moment, and I find that I’m drawn to her character because of how honest she seems. She is truly a breath of fresh air for Liam, who initially seems uptight at first with his upbringing and background but is worn down by Anna. With all the drama his family has, especially with his father Ray (I seriously have not read any other character as manipulative and cruel as he is), Anna is what Liam needs, someone who genuinely cares about him and has always been honest and upfront with him. And even though the majority of the book takes place during such a short timeframe, Anna and Liam’s chemistry and banter are perfect and naturally paced. I swooned and laughed so much with their banter honestly.

Despite having a predictable storyline, I loved and enjoyed every single moment in this book, especially the most satisfying ending for Ray. 😈 lol he’s annoying af 😅

Christina Lauren does (do? the grammar is weird here) not disappoint. I thought a lot about why I feel this way as I read this book and I think the thing that they always do best is the heroine. She is always relatable, likable, and somehow different from all the others before her. Anna is no exception. She is down to earth and quirky, but not in a way that becomes grating or irritating. Their heroines always seem like someone I’d want to hang out with. West was likable too, but not quite as likable as other heroes they’ve written. (I.e. Josh from Josh and Hazel). The ending was tied up a little too neatly for me, but I let that go because it was a comforting one. Oh and the setting made me feel like I was on vacation. As Liz Lemon would say- I want to go to there. All in all, a pleasure to read. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the e-arc.