The Paradise Problem by Christina Lauren Book Review

Reasons For Reading This Book:

I read this book alongside the members of the The Readheads Podcast Book Club. The Paradise Problem by Christina Lauren was the selection for August 2024. I read and reviewed this book around that time. I have read a Twice in a Blue Moon by Christina Lauren in 2021. I rated it 3 stars. Unfortunately I did not write a review of it for the blog. I know that this author duo write a lot of books that readers love, so I was excited to read another one of their books.

Content of This Book:

A struggling artist, raised by her single-father makes a deal with a fellow college student to get married for the perk of subsidized housing. Liam 'West' Weston is one of four heirs to Weston Foods conglomerate. Even though he has no interest in taking on a position at the company, he is interested in the inheritance from his grandfather. After graduation the two went their separate ways. Three years later Anna and Liam are pulled back into each others' lives in order to keep up the appearance that they are a happily married couple. In order to keep up with story the two have to play the part while attending Liam's sister's wedding festivities on a private island surrounded by his family and billionaires in attendance.

What I Liked About This Book:

One of the most enjoyable parts of this book was how easy it read. The descriptions were fluid, intentional, and detailed. The descriptions of everything from the sand on the beach to what everyone was wearing was top tier and beautifully written. I was easy to pickup with book at anytime and fall right into the story. One of my favorite parts was that the narration was split between Liam and Anna. I loved getting to know them as characters from their own point of view but also from the other persons' as well. Going along with that I also found the choice to recount experiences from other points of view to help with the character development. Using this technique allowed me to gain both perspectives. The character development was also very thorough and allowed the reader to truly understand the two narrators. Before starting this book I had the thought that it might be too focused on the romance/fake romance between Anna and Liam and that made me think that I could easily lose interested in their was nothing else going on in the plot. I was pleased that this was not the case. The plot also included the opposing dynamics of family life for both Anna and Liam. The plot also went into the business side of Weston Foods. If you have ever watched a Korean Drama, you might have noticed some of the same tropes or how certain points in the plot occurred in the same sequence that they do in the dramas. When it comes to my satisfaction with the plot as a whole, I am satisfied in how the romance progressed and concluded. Reflecting now I can also see how the characters were able to learn from one another, which resulted in growth and an interesting, yet predictable, ending. Last praise I will give is that the tone and voice was clearly different between Liam and Anna's chapters. The humor used by each was different and so was the choice on what was important enough to describe to the reader varied between the two.

What I Disliked About This Book:

Prior to listening the Readhead's podcast episode, I made comments to myself that some of the aspects of the plot were unbelievable. Just one example is that they lived together but never interacted or got to know one another. I see how having it be this way led to more discovery once they did come together, I just turned a blind eye to this fact. The host's also had mixed feelings about how descriptive the author's were about the clothing and accessories worn by the characters. I did not mind that this way something they chose to focus on, but with that being said I was so bothered that Anna hair was pink. I kept having to remind myself of this fact when picturing her.

Would I Recommend This Book?

For what it is I would definitely recommend this book. I enjoyed my time reading it and think it is the perfect honeymoon, travel/vacation, or pool/beach read. I will be adding it to the books I recommend to my best friend and sister-in-law.

When I Should Be Studying