5 ⭐️
Expected publication date - June 10, 2025

WHAT I LOVED - I loved the mystery... Why are this young girl and her father living so remotely in Montana? Why are they hiding from the feds? What were they doing before this?

WHAT I LIKED - I enjoyed watching the MFC go from accepting the life her father chose for her to rebellion against his rules while she searched for answers on her own.

WHAT I DISLIKED - How much I tended to agree with the father... not the paranoid delusions or violence, but the solitude of life in the forest, not constantly connected to everyone, all the time.

WOULD I RECOMMEND? Yes. Maybe because I am roughly the same age as the MFC, and I remember how quickly technology took off, for the better and the worse.

A sheltered teenage girl raised off the grid comes to a eye opening reality about the world she thought she was part of. I found Jane's struggle quite realistic and the Unabomber-like story more interesting when witnessed by a naive loved one. Her struggles with a vast amount of 'book knowledge' not helping her transition to worldly success was frustrating to watch.

This is a well written novel that gives us deep characters and an early glimpse at the internet and the ways it affected the world.

'Which is true? Is it possible it could be both?'

'Looking back now, can I blame myself for believing this? After all, I was a very good student, and I'd only ever had one teacher.'

'The longing for love is a flawed piece of human coding.'

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for an early copy in exchange for an honest review.

I don't want to say a lot, I feel this is the kind of story that is best when readers don't know much about the plot, only to be told to go with it, let the story twist and open up and go in directions you might not expect as Jane's story unfolds.

Thank you to Random House for What Kind of Paradise by Janelle Brown — I can already tell this will be one of my top reads of the year. It’s the kind of story that lingers long after the final page. I was completely drawn in by the layered, nuanced portrayal of Jane and her journey.

What could have been a straightforward fictional take on a Unabomber-type narrative becomes something much deeper in Brown’s hands. Her storytelling brings empathy, compassion, and even grief to the forefront, all while skillfully building suspense and tension.

A slow-burn character study with emotionally resonant moments, What Kind of Paradise also thoughtfully explores societal trends and delivers a powerful, well-earned conclusion to a complex tale.

Since the age of 4, Jane has grown up in an isolated cabin with only her dad for company. He has taught her about philosophers and instilled in her the belief that much of the outside world is the enemy. Now, at 17, in the 1990s, her self-proclaimed Luddite father brings home a personal computer. Although she’s had a loving upbringing, Jane uses this new technology as a portal to explore the outside world and, ultimately, to plan her escape.

What an amazing book! It really makes you think about technology and our growing dependence on it. Is technology the answer to everything, as things continue to advance? Or is it the enemy? Or, perhaps, it's somewhere in the middle. A lot of this book takes place in the late 1990s, which is when I was in high school, so I really connected with the time period—the rise of early home computers, chat rooms, and the internet.

I think this would be an excellent book club selection, as there’s so much to discuss!

This book publishes June 3rd, while you wait, I recommend Brown's previous thrillers, I'll Be You and Pretty Things, both are excellent!

Thank you for this ARC! I found the premise to be very interesting. I love books that take place in nature, although that wasn't the majority of the story here. I think this could be a great book club book, as there is a lot to think about regarding the internet, AI and our dependence on technology. This was a unique story with great character development and fast paced plot. I recommend it!

This. Book. Is so good. This is the exact formula I need in a book. It was eery in a not obvious way (does this even make sense?), focused on childhood, parenthood, our perceptions of the world BECAUSE of our parents. I couldn’t put this book down & highly recommend.

I thought this book was really excellent. I loved the development of the main character. It was thriller, but much much more so. So many emotions and ideas. Coming of age. Father/daughter relationship. Community. Family. So very good.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the digital advanced reader copy.

I usually like Janelle Brown's books but the pacing felt off and it was hard for me to get into the book. I was not a fan of the father and that threw me off really wanting to like the book. It wasn't bad but it just wasn't for me.

Jane lives in an isolated world with her father. But when she learns the truth and leaves, she has to figure out things on her own.
The pacing was slow in the beginning but it keeps you moving through.

Thanks NetGalley for this ARC.

I’ll start at the end. You’re on the last page and you know the story is over – yet, is it? You can’t let it go. The characters are deep in your mind. You want to take time to digest it as this book is one that has meaning for where we are in the world right now.

Jane is 17, living in a small cabin in a remote area with her dad, Saul. He has raised her to survive mostly on the land without the influences of the internet. She has only one friend, a girl about her age that works at a book store an hour away in Bozeman, Montana.

Saul has done a good job teaching Jane how to hunt, raise chickens and plant vegetables. He tells her very little about the outside world where he once worked with technology in Silicon Valley. He was on the ground floor doing research, trying to figure out the future of computers. Something happened which made him leave when Jane was 4. And now in 1996, he needed his daughter’s help.

The story made me think of the past in college when I was stuffing a stack of punch cards into a machine hoping everything was in the right order for a computer Fortran program. One of my professors said, “Someday information will be accessible on your wrist watch.” It was hard to imagine at the time. He discussed how information overload would change us.

This book was engaging taking readers into the early 90s when the Silicon Valley was already exploding. Janelle Brown described it perfectly from the outside world of the forest into the cities with the hair, clothes, attitudes and way of thinking. She mixed lines of philosophers with the movement of young workers beating the clocks to spit out reports with wild parties afterwards.

The author made you think about change in our world with the advancements of technology. We all can feel the effects of the internet. Kids used to be seen playing outside in neighborhoods and now they are hidden in their rooms chatting with friends online. The book is a must for discussions of all kinds.

My thanks to Random House and NetGalley for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this book with an expected release date of June 3, 2025.

I received a complimentary copy of this book "What Kind of Paradise" and all opinions expressed are my own. Very hard to stay focused on this book. Just not for me. Took forever to finish.

great characters and story! meh pacing, but that doesn't detract too much. 4 stars. tysm for the arc. would recommend.

This book was so much more than I expected. The synopsis grabbed my attention and I was not disappointed. Jane, lives in the woods of Montana in a shack with her father. He homeschools her and she only gets into the local town a few times a year. She is mainly isolated in the woods with just her father for company. Turns out her dad seems to have some loose screws and puts his paranoia on his daughter. One night as her father is leaving for a few days, Jane begs to go with him and the plot gets thicker by the minute. Jane is lead down a path she was not expecting and is forced to flee. Jane then goes on a journey of sorts to try and find out who she really is based on a picture she found in her father's room. Is her mother still alive and where is she?

As Jane navigates life on her own and realizes how sheltered she was from the world, she has to learn to live and be around people.

Some areas were a little predictable but I don't think that takes away from the story as a whole and would recommend this book!

Thank you NetGalley and Random house for an ARC in return for an honest review.

Ok, I ended up giving this a second chance. I have loved Janelle Brown since, Watch Me Disappear. It has been a few years since I have read that and I still think of the ending often. I didn't feel the same about this one though, it didn't keep me that interested. I thought it was pretty boring and the dad is just too unlikable.

Wow this is not the normal type of books I read, I normally read thrillers but this book was absolutely phenomenal! Thank you NetGalley and Random House for this advanced readers copy in exchange for my honest review.

Janelle Brown’s lyrical writing captivated me and Jane’s unusual upbringing in the Montana wilderness, her relationship with her father and the family secrets propelled me. Brown deftly crafts multidimensional characters, and the reader is never quite sure what to think. Is her Luddite father brilliant or insane? Is he a villain or is he a prophet? I enjoyed learning about the 1990s, the early years of the internet. The exploration of AI and the impact of social media and computers on society was especially timely.

What Kind of Paradise is marketed as a mystery/thriller, but because Jane is just turning eighteen, dealing with coming of age, parental relationships and self-discovery, it would appeal to a YA audience. I look forward to reading more of Brown’s books.

My thanks to NetGalley for an Advanced Readers Copy of this book. All opinions are my own and not biased in any way.

4 stars

Jane, 17 and her father Saul live off the grid in an isolated cabin in rural Montana in the early 1990s. Jane doesn’t remember any other life, they’ve lived there since shortly after her mother died in a car accident when she was a small child.

Jane only knows one person her age and sees her only during her rare visits into town with her father; she is homeschooled and her dad and their plot of land is her whole world. Her dad is a genius, went to Harvard, writes loads of letters to the editor to various publications (they never print them) and makes his own zine with his political opinions, especially his dislike of advancing technology, to a tiny group of subscribers.

Jane doesn’t think to question much, until she starts pushing back a little, wanting more freedom until there’s a huge, tragic event that changes her life with her father forever. How will Jane handle a world where everything she knows is upended?

I read and enjoyed another book by this author, but, I swear, through about the first forty percent of this one I could swear I had read it before. I even checked to make sure it hadn’t been previously published under a different title. It hasn’t been. I’m left wondering if there’s another book out there that has a first section that is super similar or I’m nuts.

Anyway, the book is pretty good, even though it almost reads as if it were YA (it’s not, because it’s at least partially based on something I won’t spoil.) Readers will see some of the plot points coming, but it’s still enjoyable and well done.

What Kind of Paradise is a blend of mystery, thriller, and a history of the internet’s creation. It was fun revisiting a time from my childhood, like the ’90s, when the internet and technology were just starting to gain traction. Really makes you think about how access to information has evolved from then to now. Especially nowadays where we have ‘iPad babies’ and so much access to technology.. this book is an intriguing take on how it all came to be.

It dives into technology while also exploring themes of family, loss, coming of age, and self-discovery—all seamlessly woven together. And a ton of suspense and jaw-dropping moments along the way! The different plotlines of the story weave together perfectly, told from Jane's sometimes wise & sometimes naive point of view. Such an intense read! I was on the edge of my seat and stayed up way too late because I couldn't put it down. This book will be a top read for 2025.

A story of love, loyalty and fate. A father and daughter living in isolation with their relationship built on secrecy.
Stick with this one, its a slow start, but you will not forget Jane's story.

A Father's Love or Prison? What Kind of Paradise Asks the Hard Questions

Ever wonder what it'd be like to grow up with no Instagram, no friends, and no idea what's happening in the world? For seventeen-year-old Jane, that's not a thought experiment — it's her life.

Janelle Brown's new novel drops us into the Montana wilderness, where Jane and her father live in complete isolation. No phones, no internet, no visitors. Just trees, mountains, and a whole lot of questions Jane's starting to ask about why she's really there.

Brown doesn't just tell a story here — she pulls you into Jane's head until you feel the walls of that cabin closing in. You'll catch yourself holding your breath as Jane pieces together the truth about her sheltered life, questioning everything her father has told her. Is he protecting her, or controlling her? That's the million-dollar question that'll keep you up at night.

The real magic happens in the space between Jane's love for her father and her growing need to break free. Brown writes their relationship like a delicate dance — there are no villains here, just complicated people making complicated choices. And that Montana wilderness? It's not just pretty scenery. Those vast, dangerous landscapes mirror Jane's internal world perfectly: beautiful, wild, and more than a little scary.

Sure, the book takes its time getting going. The first few chapters move like honey in winter, but trust me — that slow build pays off. Once Jane starts pulling at the threads of her father's carefully constructed world, you won't be able to put it down.

This is Brown at her best, serving up a story that's both intimate family drama and larger commentary on how we define freedom in an age of constant connection. It's the kind of book that makes you look up from the last page and see your own world a little differently.

Bottom line: If you can handle a slow-burn start, What Kind of Paradise delivers a punch-to-the-gut story about love, control, and what happens when protection becomes a prison. It's not just good — it's important.

4.5/5 stars