Whoa, this was a wonderful debut. It had me hooked from the first page and didn’t stop. I enjoyed getting to know the characters and the relationship between Jane and her father. It was interesting to read from the perspective of the beginnings or birth of the internet. I remember that time well, although I was young. This book somehow felt nostalgic for me, too though I didn’t grow up isolated in the woods with my father. Great read. Don’t miss it.

This book is a phenomenal thriller with such deep, thought provoking questions about our society. If there was ever a “page turner,” it is this book. I absolutely could not put this down.

Jane lives in a shack in the woods with her kooky dad. He has raised her far apart from society, a Luddite of the most exceptional proportions. Jane, at 17, knows no one except her father, and has near no contact without the outside world. Set in the late 90’s, they only leave their Montana home periodically to sell a zine called Libertaire. Jane’s father tells her that her mother died in a car accident, which she had never questioned until now.

Hungry for the outside world, she sneaks episodes of the X-files and get access to the internet via a modem. In these early days of the internet, social media is arbitrary and sparse- but Dad wants her to learn HTML so he can publish his “manifesto.”

This is where the tires start to fall off, and learning who she is and that her father is more than just a tin foil hat extremist. I don’t want to give away any more of the plot, but know that once we leave the shack this entire story goes full throttle.

I think what sets this book apart from other suspense/thrillers is the theme of the complicated relationship we have with technology. Although it hurts just a little to call a book taking place in 1995 “historical” fiction, the time period when the world was hurtling towards connectivity with little regard for the implications truly doesn’t take that long to feel like a long time ago. In some ways, Jane’s “kooky” conspiracy dad is actually right about what he was warning the world about. And that’s what is so deeply moving about the greater theme— we know more than the characters about what is to come. We know he’s not totally wrong, even though in many ways, he is the villain of this story.

Also, the epilogue was so unexpected and wonderful. It doesn’t end with a bang, but with an echo.

Pub date was pushed from June 10 to June 3, so I am sure this is going to be a book club pick of some kind.

***a best mystery/thriller of 2025***

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for the ARC. Book to be published 6/3/25

PS- that is THREE outstanding ARCs in a row for me after a dearth of mid picks. Reading so many good ones feels like an embarrassment of riches. I actually feel as though I am bragging to all my #bookstagram friends.

Absorbing and thought-provoking.

*Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an e-galley in exchange for an honest review.

First I want to thank NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC. Before I begin my review see if you can get an ARC of this book. This book, once I started to read it I was up to 2:30 am because I had to finish it. It starts off with a teenage girl named Jane who lives in a cabin in a rural area. She is homeschooled by her father who is a fanatic about the modern technology that is happening. Jane, who is shut away from the world is told by her father that her mother was a school teacher who died. At the end of part 1 he takes Jane in his truck, gets her dressed up, looking like a slut and she is told to get the guard’s attention so he can get into the building in Seattle. Well things do not go as planned because the guard trues to rape her causing Jane to shoot him but he is not mortally wounded but then she hears an explosion that her father did. She realizes she is an accomplice to a crime. Eventually she goes back home breaks into his office and finds documents that show her that she has been lied to by her father. She finds her real name and her mother’s name etc. In part 2 Esme which is Jane’s real name embarks on a journey to San Franscisco to get answers. This is a journey that had many mishaps but she finds her answers. I do not want to give away any spoilers but this was the terrific book I am avid reader but this book is truly fantastic. I would give it ten stars if I could. I truly think that this is a must read book. Again I want to thank Net galley and the publisher for this ARC I received. When I found out it was available I read some reviews that had such high ratings, then I requested it. Again I know I am repeating myself but this is a must read book.

Jane has spent almost her entire life in the middle of nowhere Montana with her father, living off the grid. As she begins to outgrow her life there, she realizes nothing about her life or her father is as it seems.

I could not put this book down. I was not only invested in putting together the pieces of Jane’s life, but also interested in the era it took place in and the implications of the topic on our current climate.

Thank you netgalley and Random House for the arc!

This is a very special book, and one I am eager to tell others about.

Although Brown tend to get a bit lost a bit in her own writing -- the snow on the ground! the beauty of coding! -- even her more flowery sections are satisfying to read and work to steep the reader in Jane/Esme's world (well, her two very different worlds) in ways that prove important to understanding the full context of this story.

Mostly, Brown has a strong handle on what interior voices sound like, and Jane/Esme always rang true to me, both as a very sheltered person and a deeply curious young woman coming of age (what a combo!). You get her, you really understand her, and that's not easy, given the situations she's put in. She feels unique, but totally believable. Most readers will have never met anyone like her, and yet, it's easy to imagine what it would be like to speak with her.

I also appreciate Brown's viewpoint on her often quite heavy subject matter. By showing things through Jane/Esme's eyes, she lets both her lead character and her readers draw their own conclusions. Jane/Esme is often dealing with incredibly weighty questions -- what's family legacy? what's good and what's bad? is violence ever the answer to curing societal ills? what even are societal ills? -- but we're given enough information and perspective to parse it ourselves.

One of the best books of the year so far for me!

“CAN YOU EVER escape legacy? Does it define you, whether you like it or not? Even if you consciously flee it, doesn’t it still circumscribe the shape of who you are, or are not?”

Jane is 17 and finds herself in a dangerously precarious situation. This sparks something in her- a deep need to discover the truth of her life to this point- and to find a path for her future.

How do you make your own way in a completely new world, full of technology and information? Do you leave your past self completely behind? Or is it always a part of you, even when you decidedly depart from everything you’ve ever believed you’ve known?

Such a cool story- enjoyed it, although the pacing was a little unnecessarily slow at times- we knew what was coming though it rolled out very lazily. All in all, a great read- will be a definite hit of the summer! Release date set for June 10th!

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House for the advanced copy!

This is one of those books that is just begging to be made a movie! A young girl living in the middle of nowhere with her father who has sheltered her whole life from the outside world. He comes up with a crazy plan that will put them both in jeopardy. Good one!

This book absolutely blew me away and I knew from the synopsis it was a book I had to read! This reminded me of a cross between “These silent woods” and “Educated” but so much more.

It’s a coming of age story about a teenage girl who was raised in isolation in the woods of Montana. A father who homeschools her and teaches philosophy but restricts her in every other way. He is very anti- government and throughout the story we will begin to see why…

There are so many great underlying themes of this story that are so deep and meaningful. The family we are born into and how that shapes us, choosing our own path in life and how far our loyalty takes us. Also, there’s a strong emphasis on technology and its influence on our lives both positive and negative. I couldn’t put this book down!

This book was phenomenal and is A LOT to unpack! What Kind of Paradise follows Jane, who lives in an isolated cabin in Montana with her father. Her father homeschools her with philosophy rather than traditional learning. As we follow Jane's journey, she begins to question what she's been told by her father about the circumstances surrounding her mother's death. When she believes an opportunity to escape arises, she joins her father on a trip to Seattle, not realizing she would become his accomplice to an unthinkable crime. The story then takes another turn as we follow Jane on another new journey as she discovers life outside of the world she's always known. This is a unique coming of age story as Jane adapts to the modern world. This story is captivating and very thought-provoking. I definitely recommend What Kind of Paradise. This Netgalley for the ARC!

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this title.
This novel hooked me from the beginning. Elements of mystery, complex characters and philosophical dilemmas. This book keeps me turning pages and kept me thinking. I was able to put myself in the shoes of the main character and empathized with every decision she made. Well done

I could not stop reading. Great book!! "What Kind of Paradise" was a suspenseful, what has the father done, who is he or his daughter, innocents of a child growing to adulthood. This novel has a calm, loving, yet why atmosphere as you want to not put it down! Super great storyline that made me want to keep reading.

Thanks NetGalley and Random House for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. I absolutely loved this novel. In fact, it might be my favourite book by this author. I remember growing up with the growth of the Internet, and it took me back to hear the stories that Brown wove into this suspenseful book. I loved the character development as well as the plot. She makes you think deeply about the line between right and wrong. Definitely check this book out when it’s released in June 2025.

This had major familial cross hairs woven throughout the book and kept me fully engaged from start to finish. This was utterly captivating.

I enjoy novels by Janelle Brown so I was happy to be approved for this ARC. It was a bit slow paced for me and I didn’t really connect with Jane. I liked it, but it didn’t have the suspense i preferred in Pretty Things and I’ll be you.

I received a free ARC ebook of <i>What Kind of Paradise</i> from NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review.
Growing up in an isolated cabin with her father, teen Jane is homeschooled, well-read, capable, and lonely. From their infrequent trips to Bozeman, Jane knows that others live differently, but it is a world her father, Saul, condemns. He views the growing dependence on technology as a threat to humanity. Jane longs for more and decides she must leave.
Jane fails to recognize her father's growing instability. Her quest for freedom coincides with her father's irrational actions. But, what price is Jane willing and able to pay for a life to call her own?
A great read.

"What Kind of Paradise", author Janelle Brown unravels the story of 17 year-old Jane who's grown up in the isolated woods of Montana in the 1990s with her father Saul. For as long as she can remember, Jane has known her upbringing is different; she's been home-schooled her entire life and living in a small cabin with her father, they have little contact with outside society and people. Despite the difficulties, Jane has looked up to her father for his intelligence (he taught her everything he learned at Harvard!) and care he's shown her, especially since her mother died when she was younger in a car crash.

Their lives take an abrupt turn however when Saul pulls his daughter into one of his mysterious extended trips from home, and Jane unknowingly becomes an accomplice in a shocking crime. Her life is completely upended and Jane is forced to confront the fact that her entire life has been a lie. Fleeing to San Francisco in the midst of the Internet revolution, Jane attempts to create a new life for herself and discover the truth about her own identity, but struggles to cut off the weight of her father's legacy - and his crimes.

From the beginning pages, I was immediately pulled into this novel; as it's written from Jane's first-person perspective, you get to piece together the parts of her life and story with her and understand as a character. Even though the novel is set in a time period already passed, many of the themes it calls out are extremely relevant today, especially given the rapid changes in technology and the ways our lives have changed both for the better and worse because of it. I appreciated as well being able to follow Jane's character development and growth; she begins the novel as a sheltered adolescent but is quickly forced to become independent and make decisions for herself - including ones that have repercussions for many others. And while this is a work of fiction, it's clear that Brown was inspired by the real-life events surrounding Unabomber Ted Kaczynski.

Thoroughly a recommended read for when "What Kind of Paradise" is published in June 2025!

3.5⭐️ rounded up
Intriguing premise that is well executed. I’m enjoying all the books that are looking at stories through a less common POV and this story - that is loosely based on the Unabomber - is infinitely more interesting when told through the eyes and memories of a daughter. Lots of fun tidbits from the 1990s, this book is part coming-of-age, part reflection on society in the technological age, and part family drama. Think Educated (by Tara Westover) meets These Silent Woods (by Kimi Cunningham Grant) then add in some murders. A few slow chapters in the middle section, but otherwise a pretty engaging read.

A page-turner from the beginning, this novel is about Jane who is being raised by her beloved father in a remote cabin in Montana, completely off the grid. She loves him unconditionally as he teaches her literature as well as the dangers of technology and the federal government. Often he stages drills if the bad guys come to get them. The reader understands his delusions but Jane is committed to him and desires his approval. Things change as she grows up, however, and begins to see the outside world in brief glimpses. Jane finds out a bit about her mother, who she thought died, and her real identity and understands that her father may not have been honest with her. In an attempt to possibly escape for a new life, Jane accompanies her father on a trip to Seattle and becomes an accomplice to a crime. They part ways and the remainder of the novel follows Jane as she tries to build a new life while still being heavily influenced by her father and upbringing. The story raises many questions about technology, AI, and the balance of both good and bad influences on society. I highly recommend it!

Where to begin? This book is incredible. Jane/Esmes story is so powerful. A child locked in isolation in the woods of Montana, growing up in a cult-like environment under her father’s rule. Growing up with Jane throughout this story was incredibly touching and felt awe inspiring as we watched her navigate struggles. Incredible novel couldn’t recommend enough.