Reviews with content warning for Bullying - The Paradise Problem

A rom-com that makes me laugh out loud and startle my sleeping dog is almost always a 4+ star read. This one got multiple laughs (Anna Green, you delightful muppet!), was a slow enough burn to make me believe the unbelievable chemistry and subsequent steaminess, incorporated ethical considerations while portraying the lifestyles of the rich and famous, and had a pretty satisfying conclusion (including

the well-deserved comeuppance for a super-rich super-toxic asshole. yay!

). Christina Lauren's books don't always work for me, but this one was fun! Recommended for fans of Love, Theoretically by Ali Hazelwood.

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savvyrosereads's review

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

Thank you to the publisher for providing me with a free copy.

Rating: 5/5 stars

Anna believes she got divorced years prior, after a short-lived marriage to get access to family housing in college. But when her husband shows up asking for her help to save his inheritance, she agrees to travel to his sister’s wedding in Indonesia…as his happily married wife of five years.

My favorite CLo so far! I typically love their books, but they’ve absolutely hit it out of the park with this one. It’s laugh out loud funny (literally—I laughed out loud, for real) and super sweet and Anna and Liam have so much chemistry. Fake relationship tropes are usually my favorite and this one hit all the right notes for me. I was up until 2am reading because I literally could not stop.

I truly don’t have any more words besides saying if you like romances you should read this one. I think it will be one of the “it” books of summer, and it absolutely should be.

CW: Emotional abuse/manipulation/gaslighting; discussion of cancer; mentions of sexual harassment

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thatswhatshanread's review

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adventurous funny hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

A very cute vacation read, this one is perfect for summer!! In the vein of CLo’s other paradise-set fake marriage romcom, “The Unhoneymooners”.

This one was super immersive and escapist with the right elements of romcom success: great spicy scenes, likable main characters, a fun exclusive island setting. The fake dating and marriage-of-convenience trope worked well, which surprised me because usually the fake marriage trope is just so unrealistic to me but made a lot of sense for this story, and really aided the sexual tension. Anna’s personality was a little much for me at first, but I loved how she interacted with Liam and balanced him out. Liam was HOT and closed-off, not quite tall, dark, and mysterious but full of intrigue and a soft center. I really liked them together. “Pretty Woman” vibes.

The plot was fairly predictable, but my main qualm (most of the reason I give it 4 stars) was with Liam’s family. They SUCKED!!!! I understand they are filthy rich but the Westons kinda turned me off the story at times. Liam’s dad especially was awful and gave me so much secondhand rage. The rich vs. lower middle class comparison here felt very “The Menu” as far as outrageous privilege and the insane, malicious stakes of the 1%. The Weston family had no redeeming qualities to speak of.

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meganpbennett's review against another edition

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emotional funny lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I greatly enjoyed a few other Christina Lauren books, so I was excited when I saw that this one was on NetGalley. It had a few tropes that I love, and had so much of the banter I enjoyed in other books. While it had a very strong start, the middle dragged a bit, though it picked right back up in the end, which was perhaps a bit too rushed. Though the epilogue was a nice touch.

Thank you to Gallery Books and NetGalley for the free electronic advanced reader!

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thrillofthepage's review

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funny hopeful lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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gondorgirl's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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