Five star review! Not only did this book give me major vacation/summer vibes, but it kept my attention and had me laughing and in tears throughout the whole book. Most of the setting took place on an absolutely beautiful private island at a ridiculously expensive wedding. The family values, characters, and crazy events that happened during this book were surprising, fun, and heart wrenching. I loved the characters and wanted to hang out with them myself. This is a perfect vacation read or feel good book that will keep your attention until the last page.

It was ok. I didn't really feel a connection between the two that wasn't sexually in the beginning. Anna randomly being so in love with Liam was a but confusing. The plot sounded really good but it ended up being a copy and paste of books with he same type of trope so it did get a bit boring.

The mmc was flirtatious and fun to read, but sometimes it felt like we didn't get much of his back story with how he grew up in detail.
The fmc is literally señorita awesome. iykyk

The big reveal of PISA was good but the plot twist as a whole felt rushed.

I do think Christina Lauren is becoming a one hit wonder sadly...

Christina Lauren never fails! This one was so fun and addicting to read. Loved it Anna and Liam and their story. Very likable characters. Great for readers who enjoy marriage of convenience/ fake dating trope.

Add this to your TBR!!! Such a great read! Loved the witty banter! Thank you so much for the opportunity to read and review!

The witty banter between Anna and Liam, who find themselves in a marriage of convenience, had me laughing out loud. Throw in some over-the-top wealthy family drama, lavish parties leading up to a family wedding, all set amid the backdrop of an idyllic private island and you have a book I could not put down! Christina Lauren books are always a must read for me and The Paradise Problem did not disappoint. Even though the premise of Anna and Liam’s relationship was a bit outlandish, it was impossible not to connect with these characters. I think Anna is now tied with Hazel from CL’s Josh and Hazel’s Guide to Not Dating as my favorite romance female character. This book was a must read and such a fun escape!


ARC was provided by NetGalley and the publisher.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. Minor spoilers included, but not much you wouldn't read in the book description.

When Anna Green is in college, she finds herself with a unique proposition - marry her best friend's older brother, West, for the chance to live in subsidized married housing on campus. Almost five years later, that choice comes circling back because it turns out the divorce papers she thought she signed were actually an agreement to keep the marriage farce going for five years so that West can access his inheritance. One small problem... West's sister is getting married and everyone expects West to bring his wife to the wedding.

The good - this was a page turner as the reader tries to unravel West and Anna's full stories. The wedding takes place on a lush, tropical private island and West's family are billionaires, meaning lots of fun descriptions of luxury resorts, fashion, and food in the same spirit as "Crazy Rich Asians." West and Anna also have palpable chemistry and I found myself really rooting for them.

The not-so-great - I found the underlying messages about income inequality to be a little heavy handed for a rom-com with West and Anna on such opposite extremes that you wonder how they ever could reconcile each other's lives. Anna is a recently fired convenience store clerk trying to make it as an artist but drowning in debt as she tries to help her father with his medical bills due to cancer. West is a college professor and the son of a grocery store magnate who uses his wealth to control those around him. It was too extreme for me and took away from some of the enjoyment. The wedding reception scene was all too much for me as well.

Overall, it's a fun story of an arranged marriage between almost strangers turning into something real and a great read if you want to dream of being a rich person at a luxury resort on the beach and falling in love.

This book is yet another winner from an awesome author duo! I adored this book. The characters were fantastic, the character development was spot-on as was the banter and humor, and the plot was well-written. I really don't have any complaints about this book. It was simply enjoyable and Anna and Liam were adorable together. I also wouldn't be opposed to reading a future book with Jake as our hero!

Liam and Anna. Wow a highly unlikely pair. Not two peas in a pod that's for sure. But like all my reviews of the writing duo Christina Lauren I'm going to focus first on their writing.

The Paradise Problem was lyrical. I am fascinated by how they weaved this story and how evolved their writing has become! There were so many beautiful references and wordsmith art that these two unlikely characters were becoming enchanting together from their beginning of strangers passing in the night.

I looked at Anna as a mess. She's a slob, careless and I didn't think would appeal to me much but her heart beat so true that you knew you'd stay with her. Liam on the other hand is so put together that he comes off as a complete put together package. The whole package with looks, brains and drive. The beginning of the book which is a great beginning is Liam moving out and the two year marriage ending. But the writing of it is now what is becoming a masterclass of building intrigue and character development by Christina Lauren.

As a lot of plots their are some holes but the writing is so superb that it's easily overlooked. The story has humor, great landscape, a tender budding romance and a great escape novel.

Liam who appears so put together has such a sad family dynamic of coming from wealth that he didn't have love before money or unconditional love where Anna had a father who was outstanding but shows little damage from a mother who abandoned her albeit she had a father who compensated for it.

The troupe is of course predictable as it is with a fake marriage troupe. The wealthy man and poor woman troupe is one I usually don't want to read but Liam's character is so developed that you feel the tenderness but it does feel the weakest part of the story. Again the writing is so well done that all the troupes can be overlooked when what the writing by the duo does with them.

There isn't a Christina Lauren book I wouldn't read at this point but True Love has still topped them all but this one has a special charm to it regarding Liam's character.

I would like to thank Net Galley and the publisher Gallery Books for the opportunity to read the delight of a book The Paradise Problem by Christina Lauren!

I absolutely loved this book. Lately Christina Lauren has been hit or miss in my opinion and I haven’t loved any of the more recent books since The Unhoneymooners. The Paradise Problem broke the cycle of mediocre. The book was funny and heartwarming. The characters and their interactions were hilarious. The setting made me want to go away on vacation (even though I was just on one). It also made me want to revisit all the previous Christina Lauren books I have loved in the past. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a witty contemporary romance.

Forced proximity, fake relationship, & second channel romance all wrapped in in Christina Lauren’s brilliantly witty banter = 5 STAR Read!

What goes around, comes around. And for Liam and Anna, it’s their years-ago fake marriage for university housing benefits. Now they must fake their fake marriage for Liam’s family at a wedding on a private island to save face and Liam’s inheritance.

Add this to your summer TBR!

Publication date: May 14, 2024

Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery Books for allowing me to be an early reader!

Christina Lauren is back with a hilarious romance that was funny & spicy & my favorite of theirs since "The Unhoneymooners" & "Josh & Hazel's Guide to Not Dating". I loved this story. I have been slugging through books lately, but I read this one in 48 hours because I didn't want to put it down! Easy to devour, perfect for a vacation or when you need something fast paced! Things get a little steamy!

If you love movies like "Crazy Rich Asians" & "The Proposal", you'll love this one!

Thank you to NetGalley & Gallery Books for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review!

This is only the second Christina Lauren Book I’ve read but I can promise you it won’t be the last.

The Paradise Problem opens with Anna‘s husband moving out. they’ve been living together for two years and she’s just signed the divorce papers, and she’s thrilled: after all, she got the couch and the TV.

Now you might think she got beat, but since it was an arranged marriage, and she got two years living on campus which she never could have afforded before marrying Liam and gaining access to family housing, it seemed fair to her.

Now, three years later, in order to fulfill the terms of his grandfather as well and inherit a $100 million, Liam has to be married in a love match for five years. The catch is that if the weddings are not for love, if they arranged, the terms of the will are null void, and the money goes to charity. They decide to put on the front and convince everyone that they’ve been together for five years and in Love for five years, supposedly an easy thing to do since Liam has been estranged from his family and not seen them.

The whole family gets together on a private island and shenanigans ensue!

This is most definitely not a closed door, romance book, but the love scenes were great, and I also loved getting to know the characters.

I received this advanced reading copy from Simon and Schuster. through netgalley.com and all opinions are mine.

LADIES, y'all have done it ONCE AGAIN!! I was lucky enough to snag this as an ARC and had the pleasure of reading it in January! What a treat for the longest month of the year! Ha! It made me laugh out loud SO MANY TIMES!! This is a darling story of broken people loving each other through the pain! Such a real life love story but with the added flair of someone being a billionaire!

AMAZING. AMAZING. FANTASTIC. HAWT 🥵😮‍💨.

I think this is the best CLo I’ve yet to read. There was soooo much humor that I honesty wasn’t expecting to laugh sooo much. I’ve highlighted so many things out of this book. I absolutely loved it. These characters were real to me and now I need a movie or series or something cause I can’t unsee them.

A very fun read with lots of good banter and fun side characters. Would read a book about the best friend for sure.

They have hit it out of the park AGAIN!!!! The imagery was fantastic!! I loved how the paintings were described. The sex was so hot, I needed to skip over it or burn my eyeballs!! And the father of Liam was so awful!! Great characters, I love the kids in their books too.

Christina Lauren rarely disappoints and once again knocked it out of the park.

While I can often be annoyed with "fake marriage" tropes, the twist on this one was too good. The background of Liam and Anna that led to the space they were in felt new and fresh.

What I LOVED:
-Liam and Anna -- I loved them both! They had unique and unwavering personalities. Even when Anna was not supposed to be "Anna", she never hid her true self. Their banter, sexual tension (them both looking was FANTASTIC), and inevitable raw honesty created a relationship that I felt truly involved in.
-The setting -- everything about the island and the parties was beautifully written. I can only dream of ever being in a place like that, so it was definitely an "in their shoes" moment for me.
-The side characters -- Anna's best friend Vivi, her dad (wish we had more of him), Jake -- all wonderful people in their corner. Even the "villians" were multi-dimensional. And the children were so loveable.

Meh pieces:
-The "fake doctor" story they ran with. Come on. I thought of a solution for that as soon as he admitted that he told his family she was in Med School. All it takes is a couple of easy questions to find out this flighty artist isn't a med student in Cambodia.
-The ending felt rushed. After all of this beautiful development of their relationship, both between them and with the family, the conflict exploded and then "boom" done, epilogue.
-There were a couple of pieces that felt pulled straight from other novels (especially her art show situation).

But, I loved so much about this plot that I had to give it 5 stars. I started and finished the book in one day (reading way past my bedtime).

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

Another fantastic piece from my favorite writing duo! I love the way they work together creating characters with depth and relatability. The banter between characters is always laugh-out-loud funny and genuine.

In The Paradise Problem, our fmc Anna, is unapologetically quirky, and I love that she stays authentic to herself in such a tough situation. Her emotional maturity shines through, making her a great support for Liam as he deals with his family and all the chaos surrounding them. The story has a perfect blend of humor and seriousness, keeping me hooked from start to finish. The banter between Anna and Liam was realistic, steamy, and had me cackling. And let's talk about the side characters – they're fantastic, well-written and adding that extra spice to the narrative. Although honestly, some of those family members were so unlikeable that I felt like giving them a reality check lol.


What I perhaps appreciated most? No miscommunication drama! Instead, we get a wonderful mix of marriage of convenience, fake "dating," tropical island with forced proximity, and opposites attracting. And speaking of tropical islands, the descriptions and details had me feeling like I was there soaking up the sun and not freezing my a$$ off in the Midwest!

Overall, while I think the premise is a bit far-fetched, it delivered on everything I could ask for. If you like rom coms or contemporary romance, this book could be a great fit for you!

Thank you Gallery Books and NetGalley for the DRC! Pub date 5/14/24

I enjoyed the storyline and it was an entertaining, quick read. The setting of the private island was great. I enjoyed the premise but it wasn't super original. Rounded up to 4 stars.

Overall, I enjoyed this book. The characters were well-developed, the setting was so much fun, and there were some interesting spins on classic tropes. The book slowed down from the middle to the end however and lagged a bit with all of the family drama. The epilogue rushed through so much of the relationship development that got left out of the rest of the book. I would have liked more focus on their falling in love than dealing with the fallout of their family issues.