3 stars. May round down later. Not sure about this. Honestly read more like nonfiction. Expected some mystery or thriller elements so that's probably on me for not reading the synopsis. Overall slow and not captivating. But gave it 3 stars bc I kept reading, even though I skimmed alot at the end.

This book was well written and I couldn’t put it down. Elements of mystery and family secrets. A young girl discovers her past and who her father really is.

This was a winner for me because I loved the mid-1990s setting, when technology, especially the internet, was so magical. I think this book will appeal specifically to Gen X readers.

This one has stuck with me, what a fabulous book. A coming of age story of a girl raised in complete isolation by her father, shut out from socialization, relationships and most technology. While some parts of the book did feel on the slower moving side, the book held SO much to process and work through, I am still thinking about it!

I loved the setting as well, remote Montana deep in the woods versus technology saturated start up Seattle, such a shocking contrast. The author did an incredible job with character development, portraying the paranoid father and naive yet very intelligent daughter slowly being exposed to the world all of us take for granted.

Overall, a slower read, but HIGHLY recommend!

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC, all opinions are my own

DNF @73%

I didn't start liking it until about 20% through, then I enjoyed it until around 50% through. I don't like the direction it went in and I don't care about what was happening at this point.

I loved this book! The author mastered the coming age with suspense. I don’t want to give anything away, but as the MC discovers secrets, oh wow. This was beautiful.

The first novel that I read by @janellebrownie was Watch Me Disappear and I’ve read everything by her since then! Her newest novel, What Kind of Paradise, is a character driven story about a girl who grows up in seclusion in an isolated cabin in the middle of nowhere Montana. Her daily contact is with her father and occasionally a mother-daughter duo at the small town bookstore.

I highly recommend this book if you love:
💛 books set in the 1990s
💛 character driven stories
💛 complicated family dynamics/relationships
💛 coming of age stories
💛 themes related to nature vs technology

Overall, I really enjoyed this emotionally gripping book.

10/10

Oh. My. Holy.
I couldn’t put this book down. And now that I’ve finished it, I want to pick it up again and read it all over again

First of all, Janelle Brown is an amazing writer. She has such a talent for descriptions that I would read some sentences and paragraphs over again, simply to enjoy and understand how she did it. (Yes, I’m a writer and really respect great writing talent).

On top of that, the story is incredibly compelling, probably made more so since I grew up with the emergence of the internet and the homegrown terrorism of the Oklahoma bombings, Waco, Unabomber, etc.

This story is about Jane, who lives in the woods of Montana with her father - kind of like Thoreau, but a little left of our normal impression of sanity.

Jane doesn’t know much about her childhood. As she grows up and learns more, it raises more questions than answers.

Next thing you know, things have taken a pretty wrong turn.

Read this book.
Now.

#netgalley #whatkindofparadise

First and foremost; thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read and review this ARC.

I thought the emotional centerpiece of the story was Jane/Esme herself.

Brown does a phenomenal job portraying her dual identity: the sheltered daughter complicit in her father’s crimes, and the fiercely determined young woman who strikes out to build a different life against all odds.

Watching her evolve—from unquestioning compliance through relentless inner conflict to full self-realization—shows her struggle to find her place. Her character is at once vulnerable and resilient, and her journey is steeped in emotional roots.

What Kind of Paradise by Janelle Brown
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Jane lives off the grid with her father in an isolated cabin in Montana. She longs for more freedom. As she approaches her 18th birthday she starts looking for answers to questions that her father won’t answer for her.
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What I liked:
-I loved the mystery of why her dad won’t answer her questions. Once Jane started getting answers I was hooked.
-I don’t want to give anything away, but there were a lot of answers that Jane discovered. I felt so bad for her.
-I really liked the friend that Jane made and thought their friendship was sweet. I wish Jane had more friends.
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4⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Full of secrets and building suspense, What Kind of Paradise is a great mystery story.

What Kind of Paradise by Janelle Brown is a haunting, slow-burn literary mystery that explores the fragile line between truth and belief, isolation and connection, and the cost of progress—both personal and societal.

Raised off the grid in a remote Montana cabin, Jane has only ever known the world her father built: one of woodstoves, philosophy books, and a deep distrust of modern life. But when a shocking revelation forces her to flee to 1990s San Francisco, Jane begins to unravel not only the truth about her past, but also the dark legacy of the man she once idolized. As the early internet age pulses around her, Jane must navigate a world of tech optimism, buried secrets, and moral ambiguity.

Brown masterfully blends coming-of-age introspection with psychological suspense, crafting a story that’s both intimate and epic in scope. The novel pulses with tension as Jane’s journey becomes a reckoning—with her father, her identity, and the seductive promises of a rapidly changing world.

If you love character-driven fiction with philosophical depth and a touch of thriller, What Kind of Paradise is a must-read. It’s a chilling reminder that paradise is never as simple—or as safe—as it seems.

Seventeen year old Jane lives with her father Adam in a remote cabin in Montana. They live an isolated life except for occasional trips to the bookstore in town. Jane is homeschooled and educated in philosophy, survival skills and how to take care of herself. Her father teaches her that technology especially computers is destructive to civilization. She was told her mother died in a car accident. Despite her father’s warnings about computers, he brings home a computer and wants her to type his manifesto. Jane also uses the computer for personal use. One day her father tells her he’s going on a trip and may not be back for days. Jane asks to go with him which he allows. The trip changes their lives.

This story takes place in the 90s which was the rise of the internet and computer age. It shows the simple life of Jane’s without the computer and technology and then her life with them and how simple things in life are forgotten. She questions both forms of living.

The story discusses humanity vs technology, mental illness, impact of technology, family dysfunction, parent child relationships, self discovery. It’s a coming of age story with a young woman who had difficult choices to make. It’s a thought provoking story of what you would do if put in Jane’s position especially with moral dilemmas. There were many points made about the control technology has over people’s lives especially today when everyone’s faces are stuck to their phones. It shows what impact technology and the internet had in our world and the positives and negatives to them.

Thank you #netgalley, #random house publishing

I'm probably in the minority when I say that this just wasn't my jam. I loved the first part - when they were living alone in the woods and there was something not quite right. But all of the tech just really turned me off.

Before reading this book I was expecting it to be similar to “Room.” Total isolation, sheltered existence, abuse etc. Luckily it wasn’t that insane but dare I say it was a bit bland at times? Overall it is an intriguing premise that kept me on my toes. I enjoyed the story set along side the boom of the internet. Having grown up in a similar time period that was interesting to me. I was definitely hooked and on the edge of my seat to find out what happens to the characters but the payoff wasn’t quite strong enough. It all wrapped up very quickly with minimal drama and I was expecting more. All it all it was a gripping and fascinating read just needed more of a punch at the end.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are mine alone.

This is a novel that really makes you think about the impact of technology and it felt extremely relevant.

We follow Jane, a teenager that has lived her whole life in an isolated cabin in Montana at the will of her father. She's been told that her mother is dead and technology is brainwashing everybody, so they live a life without it. Soon she finds pieces of evidence that her father is lying and may, in fact, be a criminal, so she decides to leave to discover the truth about herself.

This was so well-written. It wasn't beautifully written in the way that it was full of prose and flowery writing, but in the way that I couldn't put it down. Watching Jane try to figure out the truth while realizing that not everything is black and white is masterful. While her father is not correct that all technology is evil, other characters are also incorrect in thinking that technology will save us. There's a fine balance that has to be found and I love that messaging, especially in this day and age. This was a great read!

4.5 stars, I really enjoyed this! I couldn't help but root for the main character. Themes were thought-provoking and writing was very strong. The story kept moving along, and I truly felt like I was in the main character's head. I will be recommending!

This book is lightly based on the unabomber from the late 80s/early 90s. It's about a father who is willing to do everything to protect his daughter from what he sees as the government taking individual autonomy away. He is way ahead of his time and moves himself and his young daughter to the wilds of Montana to live off the land and write his manifesto to share with the world. Jane, his daughter is incredibly intelligent and is starting to wonder if what her father is preaching is correct or if maybe there's a whole other world of thought out there. Thru a series of events, Jane finds herself on her own, making her way to California, with zero street smarts and total confusion for how the world works. This is a story about love and protecting what you love and going to the ends of the world for what you believe in.

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House for the ARC! What Kind of Paradise dives into the influence that technology has on our daily lives and the way we think. Jane lives in a secluded cabin in the woods with her father. For years that have lived off the land and had minimal contact with the outside world. As Jane turns 17, she starts to question some of her father's actions and wonders if she is being told the whole truth about her childhood and her mother. What Kind of Paradise was thought provoking and had a perfect twist to keep you on the edge of your seat.

This book was amazing. It wasn’t what I was expected at all and I really enjoyed it. Highly recommend.

This book is wild. A father and daughter are living off the grid. The father, who thrives in conspiracy theories, wants to protect his daughter. Jane starts questioning her life as she becomes a teenager. She starts doubting things her father has told her about the world, his past, about her mother and how she died. There’s so much happening, I was hooked on this story and couldn’t wait to see it all come together.
This is going on my list of favorite thrillers. If you like books that will keep you on the edge of your seat and lots of action, you won’t be disappointed with this amazing read.