The Garden of Eden has never looked so dysfunctional and so hilariously weird.

I suppose this book won’t be for everyone, but it hits (in wildly bizarre ways) on the knowingly idiotic quest to be the perfect girlfriend, and all the loaded implications that come with that.

What makes this so deeply funny and also so alarmingly accurate is that we’re looking at someone who wants to be the perfect girlfriend, full stop. Not the perfect girlfriend because she’s found the love of her life, or even the perfect girlfriend because she’s got a shot at the seemingly perfect boyfriend.

The gentleman (and I use that term loosely) in question is undoubtedly not worthy of this sort of dedication from a partner, and yet he somehow becomes the undeserving beneficiary of the fact that women are inherently inclined toward attempting to actualize as their best selves (especially through the lens of a male partner) even if said male partner is mostly actualizing as a self-serving, myopic idiot.

It’s funny, it’s disturbingly accurate, and it really hits for me as someone who feels that not every book that makes a statement needs to teach an overt lesson to either the central character or the reader.

Her name—Reality Kahn. Her goal—to become the greatest girlfriend ever. The reader’s job—to understand a novel written from the point of view of a main character who is taking a heavy dose of hallucinogenic drugs and has the mental acuity of a loyal Labradoodle.

Whether or not the reader will embrace the rat-a-tat-tat writing style of novelist Sophie Kemp likely depends on whether they are under 25 years old and living in one of the new hip neighborhoods of Brooklyn. It will help even more if said reader is studying for an MFA.

Yes, Paradise Logic is that kind of novel. Very aware of itself and its core audience who likely are all in on the joke. Reality is not grounded, get it? She likes to read Girlfriend Weekly magazine and ruminate on heavy topics. Early on, Kemp writes: “If you do not know what a boyfriend is, I will remind you that the main function of a boyfriend is to unlock goodness of the soul.”

Reality meets the man-bun of her dreams Ariel Koffman at a Brooklyn warehouse venue where he hangs out with his band and fellow man-buns. Ariel to his credit seems bewildered by Reality’s attention and very odd manner but ultimately succumbs and agrees to be her boyfriend after she more or less bullies him into it.

Reality is hard to explain. She is naïve, insatiable for sex, and has no understanding that she is being used or spoken down to. Many have described the novel as funny, but I guess it depends on how much madness you can take or how old you are.

This is Holly Golightly on steroids and acid. Reality floats through the Brooklyn scene clueless about seemingly everything. Her former roommates cannot fathom what’s going on with her. She was always a little flighty but now she’s taken off for the moon without a helmet:

“Soo-jin looked at me and said, ‘Girl, who dressed you? You look absolutely insane. In a bad way. Are you OK? You smell like alcohol and also a locker room. Is that guy you’re dating abusing you? He looks like a school shooter.’”

Even in the Brooklyn milieu of sex, drugs and parties, those who encounter Reality, question whether she is “special needs.”

The funniest parts of the book surround Reality’s thoughts about sex such as, “Surely you know what I speak of? Surely you, too, have come home from the deli only to be f*&*ed in the ass by an Ariel or a Mike or a Timothy?”

This line of thought goes on and on with puerile, X-rated descriptions about what it’s like to engage your boyfriend in whatever type of sex he desires.

The story becomes increasingly detached from reality but that seems to be the point. Whether you’ll accept the joke enough to read 240 pages, is up to you to decide. You know who you are, girlfriend.

“Because when you are twenty-three you can fall in love with anyone and this is a terrifying and true thing.”

i think this was THE trippiest book i have ever read. “paradise logic” follows the life of Reality Kahn, who is on a quest to become the perfect girlfriend, whatever the cost. Reality may just be the most unhinged protagonist i’ve ever read about, and it’s not even for the sake of being unhinged necessarily, she just literally has no social or even cognitive awareness. she lives in a world that blurs the lines between the real, the physical, the tangible, and her imagination, her memories, and who she dreams of becoming—and that leaves the reader in the same situation, almost as if the narrative is in a haze, though Reality herself doesn’t question the realness of any of it.

this was so quick to read. i kept picking it back up because it was easy to fall back into, and i just wanted to keep seeing the madness continue. and it was HYSTERICAL. i don’t find too many books laugh-out-loud funny, but this would be one of them. both in the sense of genuinely funny lines/quotes but also in how completely unreal the plot became and how unaware Reality was. a compelling, satirical analysis of relationships and love, and what lengths people are willing to go in order to preserve that status and those emotions, with some allusions to adam and eve.

i feel conflicted because i wish this was a bit more grounded in reality (no pun intended) but at the same time i feel like that would detract from its charm (?) so confusing, i know. but some parts/sequences i felt went over my head because of how nonlinear and surreal the plot was.

i did love the overall message. i even felt personally addressed at times.

“Because when you are twenty-three you will slum it for love. You will sit in the back row on purpose. You will live in a dumpster and sleep on top of newspaper and fall in love with a boy who is named Ariel. You will meet him at a punk venue and he will take you on a first date where you play pinball and do kissing. You will say: I know this is bad. And yet. And yet. Life can be very beautiful when you squint hard from the shit seats, in that place called Paradise. Especially when you are age twenty-three and every terrible thing you do feels remarkable. Every terrible thing you do puts you one inch closer to the gods.”

overall, very mixed feelings. the execution was so unique and bizarre that i find it simultaneously added to and detracted from the beauty of it.

3.5 stars. thank you SO much to simon and schuster for sending me an advanced copy of this for my honest review. (less) [edit]

"..𝘩𝘶𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘵𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧 𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘢𝘤𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘢 𝘱𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘯 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘦𝘯𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘱𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘯 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘣𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘦𝘯𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘪𝘵 𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬. 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘺 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘢𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨: 𝘵𝘰 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘭𝘺.”

The story of Adam and Eve simplified to just Eve within our modern times by way of Disney’s Enchanted. Fun and frivolous with a snake that enunciates its S’s. Lots of drinking. Sex. It’s the hot girl book prepped hot and ready for hot girl summer (yes, still a thing!) Homegirl just wants a boyfriend, not a man, not a hero, just someone simple. And why is wanting something simple so difficult?

this book is not for everyone, but it is for me. Reality is such a unique character, and one I can't help but root for no matter how much I question her choices at times.

Thank you to NetGalley for letting me read this book early.

This is ‘weird girl fiction’ at its peak, but was still somehow so good. While the heavy-handed satire in the opening chapters was at times difficult to take seriously, this book is entirely worth your time if you enjoy books about weird women just trying to find their place in the world.

I tried, really tried but this just wasn't for me. That doesn't mean it won't be for you, especially if you are a fan of somewhat experimental literary fiction and are open to a fair amount of, for want of a better word, bawdiness. I suspect those who are currently dating will find this very funny (or possibly sad). Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. Over to others.

The cover does not do this book justice like please get a new cover so my litfic friends want to pick this up. This was weird and funny. It was written in such a unique way and kept me turning the pages wanting to know how it ended. I love weird female main characters and this one didn’t disappoint!

Paradise Logic by Sophie Kemp is one of the most nonsensical utterly ridiculous unlinear story I have ever read, but OMG was it so funny! after wearing out her welcome at one of her friends with benefits house he tells her she really needs to get a boyfriend. Clearly from her reaction this is something she hasn’t thought of before and oh my goodness she’s so excited to think about it. after going on sub read-it’ss and doing research on how to find a boyfriend. She magically gets the girlfriend magazine that has super outdated but in her mind absolutely accessible information on how to do just that. that’s also where she finds the advertisement to get the pill that helps you become the perfect girlfriend. then her dream comes true she meets Ariel the only fly in the ointment he may not be as in love as she is but he will certainly play the part. This is a crazy crazy book that I find hard to explain but essentially this is what the story is about IDK what I was supposed to take from this book or the profound information it was giving out I think I missed it but either way I still found this book super funny although they did have a lot of detailed sex for sex sake they’re frequent, but very brief. if you’re looking to get into a story where you have characters to root for this is not that book but if you want to laugh out loud many times throughout your reading experience this may just be that book. #NetGalley, #TheBlindReviewer, #MyHonestReview,#SophieKemp, #ParadiseLogic,

this book was as much of a masterpiece as its cover indicates. it was kinda like if chuck palahniuk wrote an amelia bedelia book and the whole thing makes you feel like you’re on an acid trip

needless to say this is only gonna work for a specific audience but that specific audience is me. reality kahn was a fascinatingly insane narrator and i just wanna know what other bonkers ideas occupy the mind of sophie kemp.

Thank you to Netgalley and Simon Schuster for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinions. This was a bit too cerebral for me. While the concept was intriguing, I didn’t click with the writing style and had to DNF

an absolutely deranged weirdo read, i loved it!!! sophie kemp you absolute freak! totally YOLO my dudes

Where to begin? This was wild, disorienting, hilarious, and melancholic. Reality is on a mission to be the world’s best girlfriend and she finally finds a candidate to fulfill the role of boyfriend. Follow along as Reality ascends to the upper echelons of perfect partner with the help of ZZZZvx ULTRA (XR). I was entertained from start to finish and I couldn’t help but root for Reality to achieve her goal, even if she picked a dud of a boyfriend. If you want to laugh (and maybe cry?!), give this a read.

Thank you very much to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for the opportunity to read a copy.

This is the most fun I’ve had reading a book in WHO KNOWS how long.

Kemp takes an all too familiar concept — wasting time bending over backward for an uninterested, deadbeat man — and turns it into an absurdist adventure, trying to answer the question: is authentic true love possible in a patriarchal world?

For 23-year-old Reality Kahn, her quest begins with finding a boyfriend. No easy task that only becomes more complicated once she meets Ariel, a graduate student with the voice of surfer Miki Dora and major school shooter vibes. Reality makes it her life’s mission to become the perfect girlfriend for Ariel with the help of an experimental drug that promises to do just that.

The synopsis sounds tame enough, however, the more you read on, man, the more disorienting the delirious descent into madness becomes.

So unhinge, yet charming. Dark, yet heartfelt. I need to see this as a movie.

3.75 out of 5

Paradise Logic is one of the most entertaining books I’ve read in awhile. It’s about being young, dumb and full of love. Twenty three year old, Reality Kahn, is a zine maker and one of the greatest water slide commercial actresses in the NYC and New Jersey area. Whenever she’s at a crossroad in life she consults Girlfriend Weekly and treats it like a horoscope.

One day she embarks on a quest to become the greatest girlfriend of all time. Reality attends a party in Gowanus at a place called Paradise. There she meets this dude named Ariel, and there the true love blossoms. Or does it?

Paradise Logic is hilarious, short and sweet. It’s definitely not for everyone, the cover alone might throw some people off (for me it was the complete opposite). At times it’s a psychosexual fever dream with descriptions so chaotic you’ll be rolling on the floor with laughter. And then at times Reality is out in public looking an absolute mess, but you can’t help but cheer for her.

This is one of those situations where if the cover has captivated you then by all means check this book out.

I’m very conflicted about this novel. It’s definitely unique and eccentric, which I tend to enjoy, but I found the story confusing and slightly aggravating. Parts of it were interesting, but I can’t really say I felt fully engrossed with the actual storyline. I know this book is satirical but I just didn’t get it. I thought it reeked of pretentiousness. I like weird characters but I found them nauseating more than anything.

I still am not fully sure what to make of this book. It was definitely different than anything I have ever read before. I found Reality to be both fascinating and extremely naive at times. Her inner monologue was extremely entertaining and at times thought provoking. I think this book says a lot about the way girls (especially the young and impressionable ones) build their entire identity around someone else. Reality’s hyperfixation and obsession with being a girlfriend speaks volumes to how fixated we become on trying to make ourselves seem more appealing to someone else. It highlights the way we often are willing to overlook or ignore red flags bred just because we want someone to love us. Although this book was pretty strange and quite comical at times, I do think the underlying message is very important. It speaks volumes about modern self-esteem and possible identity issues when it comes to romantic relationships. Overall the book gets a 3 star rating for the uniqueness and the important message.

I have mixed feelings about this book! I appreciate the confidence and audaciousness it takes to write a book like this. It is wild, satirical, and funny (depending on your sense of humor). My main issue is that there is no real base reality. There is nothing and no one that is grounded. I think it would have been more successful for me if the world had been normal and Reality/Valerie/Girlfriend had been unusual—or vice versa. OR, if this was set in an entirely different world, and every last thing was wacky but still had rules and world-building. There are a lot of very funny moments and lines, but it would work better as a short story, a Twitter account, a sketch, etc. This premise in a long-form book became a little tiresome towards the end, and the comedy style skews rando—which is not my favorite. If you had the time of your life on Twitter in 2012, you may very well love this.

i can’t remember the last time i read something as unique and creative as this book. kemp weaves a web both hilarious and gut-wrenchingly bleak through reality’s narrative voice, a fever dream of epic proportions. pacing was fantastic and i couldn’t put it down! the blend of satire and tongue in cheek esoterica made for a remarkably well balanced work of literary humor. absolutely cannot wait for more from sophie kemp.

If the US cover of Sophie Kemp’s Paradise Logic appeals to you, the book won’t let you down. It’s upsetting, it’s funny. It’s not NOT a tragically accurate depiction of what dating in New York in your 20’s will do to your psyche.

Think of it as the weird girl fiction final boss. Like any final boss it’s demanding, it will it fatigue you. But I think this book accomplishes exactly what it sets out to do, so anything less than 5* would be wrong.

Thank you to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for providing this e-arc.