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A review by whit_lovesbooks
The Paradise Problem by Christina Lauren
emotional
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
A ten-star book through and through. This has been solidified as my favorite contemporary romance ♥
I love romance books. They are usually idealistic and sweet, which is perfect for escaping my (somewhat depressing) reality. I don't expect romances to be realistic - honestly, I consider them in the same vein as fantasy - fun to imagine, not rooted in reality.
This romance book? Well. It was still fantastical, but the characters were written so well that it somehow felt so much more real.
Firstly, there was an underlying theme of "f**k the rich" in this story, and as someone who doesn't enjoy billionaire romances (because I hate the idea of billionaires existing), this was soooo delicious to me. The FMC, Anna, doesn't come from money. Her fake marriage to the son of a billionaire had so much potential for both funny situations and serious conversations...BOTH OF WHICH WERE DONE.
Actually, before I go further into the plot, I want to highlight both Anna and Liam.
Anna is such a fantastic character. 25, starving artist type recently fired from her job at a convenience store, pink hair, general mess of a human. Yeah, in LOVE with her. Her silliness was such an excellent characteristic !! Every single one of her emotions in this story were valid. She had so much depth to her. Her love for her father motivated a lot of her actions, but as the romance slowly progressed, I could see that she is just generally a deeply loving character. There were moments in the book where she got defensive of Liam (and then was snarky to some billionaires in that defense- WE LOVE TO SEE IT).
Liam? Also a fantastic character! Something I've noticed in a lot of romance books is the authors of said books writing their MMCs as more wooden, less emotional. I get why they do it as someone who interacts with men on a daily basis. I don't hate that it is a common character trait with men...but let me tell you - when I do find male characters that are in touch with their emotions, I eat that shit up. Liam, in particular, used to be a man who was not in touch with his emotions. Honestly, if the authors had decided to keep him that way, I would've understood them! His family life was roughhh, and the expectations placed on him at such an early age would've sent many to either an early grave or to a mental institution if they had stayed in touch with their emotions! SO yes. I get it. But him being in touch with his emotions because he went to therapy? CHEFS KISS, my friends, CHEFS KISS. Maybe even a french kiss! I wish more men did that!
The romance started off very horny, and you know what? I get it on both of their ends! Reading their descriptions as a bisexual was quite fun for me. I mean, pink hair? Anna could get it. ANyway! It started off as a very physical connection, but the more they spent time with each other, the more their respect for each other grew. I loved that each new detail they learned about each other inspired new and complicated emotions. Liam learning about Anna's father having cancer helped him understand Anna's motivation for going along with his crazy plan. Anna learning about Liam's terrible father (and interacting with him personally) made her feel protective and angry. etc. etc. All of it was so good. The softer romance developing slower felt more real and I loved it so much.
"I'm not even asking you to choose me. I'm asking you to choose yourself."
This quote was SOOOO!!!!! The communication between Liam and Anna, especially at the end, was getting me so good. The respect and adoration they had for each other at the climax of the story was incredible. I cannot praise it enough.
Speaking of praise, I want to thank both Christina and Lauren for their success in making me hate a character so badly that I wanted the genre of the book to change to a murder mystery! Liam Weston's father, Raymond, would not have survived that book in an ideal world. He was nasty. His manipulation of his children was disgusting. His complete and utter disregard for the feelings of literally anyone but himself was a kick-in-the-nuts offense. However, his worst crime is something that is truly vile, and one that I will not spoil for those who have not read the book and are somehow reading this review. However, once you read it, you will understand that any father that could do that to his son does not deserve life. Simple as.
Maybe that is why I loved Liam's bravery at the end. He finally chose himself, and it felt satisfying in a way that is difficult to explain. Honestly, his character arc outside of the romance was amazing all by itself.
My last point I want to make - the conclusion of this story was SO SATISFYING. I love me a good ending, but this one tied up every single thread that was introduced in such a good way. Like. By the end of the book, I audibly sighed and went, "now that was an ending." Good stuff.
I listened to this audiobook, and the narrators did a great job. I will be ordering a physical copy of this book immediately.
I love romance books. They are usually idealistic and sweet, which is perfect for escaping my (somewhat depressing) reality. I don't expect romances to be realistic - honestly, I consider them in the same vein as fantasy - fun to imagine, not rooted in reality.
This romance book? Well. It was still fantastical, but the characters were written so well that it somehow felt so much more real.
Firstly, there was an underlying theme of "f**k the rich" in this story, and as someone who doesn't enjoy billionaire romances (because I hate the idea of billionaires existing), this was soooo delicious to me. The FMC, Anna, doesn't come from money. Her fake marriage to the son of a billionaire had so much potential for both funny situations and serious conversations...BOTH OF WHICH WERE DONE.
Actually, before I go further into the plot, I want to highlight both Anna and Liam.
Anna is such a fantastic character. 25, starving artist type recently fired from her job at a convenience store, pink hair, general mess of a human. Yeah, in LOVE with her. Her silliness was such an excellent characteristic !! Every single one of her emotions in this story were valid. She had so much depth to her. Her love for her father motivated a lot of her actions, but as the romance slowly progressed, I could see that she is just generally a deeply loving character. There were moments in the book where she got defensive of Liam (and then was snarky to some billionaires in that defense- WE LOVE TO SEE IT).
Liam? Also a fantastic character! Something I've noticed in a lot of romance books is the authors of said books writing their MMCs as more wooden, less emotional. I get why they do it as someone who interacts with men on a daily basis. I don't hate that it is a common character trait with men...but let me tell you - when I do find male characters that are in touch with their emotions, I eat that shit up. Liam, in particular, used to be a man who was not in touch with his emotions. Honestly, if the authors had decided to keep him that way, I would've understood them! His family life was roughhh, and the expectations placed on him at such an early age would've sent many to either an early grave or to a mental institution if they had stayed in touch with their emotions! SO yes. I get it. But him being in touch with his emotions because he went to therapy? CHEFS KISS, my friends, CHEFS KISS. Maybe even a french kiss! I wish more men did that!
The romance started off very horny, and you know what? I get it on both of their ends! Reading their descriptions as a bisexual was quite fun for me. I mean, pink hair? Anna could get it. ANyway! It started off as a very physical connection, but the more they spent time with each other, the more their respect for each other grew. I loved that each new detail they learned about each other inspired new and complicated emotions. Liam learning about Anna's father having cancer helped him understand Anna's motivation for going along with his crazy plan. Anna learning about Liam's terrible father (and interacting with him personally) made her feel protective and angry. etc. etc. All of it was so good. The softer romance developing slower felt more real and I loved it so much.
"I'm not even asking you to choose me. I'm asking you to choose yourself."
This quote was SOOOO!!!!! The communication between Liam and Anna, especially at the end, was getting me so good. The respect and adoration they had for each other at the climax of the story was incredible. I cannot praise it enough.
Speaking of praise, I want to thank both Christina and Lauren for their success in making me hate a character so badly that I wanted the genre of the book to change to a murder mystery! Liam Weston's father, Raymond, would not have survived that book in an ideal world. He was nasty. His manipulation of his children was disgusting. His complete and utter disregard for the feelings of literally anyone but himself was a kick-in-the-nuts offense. However, his worst crime is something that is truly vile, and one that I will not spoil for those who have not read the book and are somehow reading this review. However, once you read it, you will understand that any father that could do that to his son does not deserve life. Simple as.
Maybe that is why I loved Liam's bravery at the end. He finally chose himself, and it felt satisfying in a way that is difficult to explain. Honestly, his character arc outside of the romance was amazing all by itself.
My last point I want to make - the conclusion of this story was SO SATISFYING. I love me a good ending, but this one tied up every single thread that was introduced in such a good way. Like. By the end of the book, I audibly sighed and went, "now that was an ending." Good stuff.
I listened to this audiobook, and the narrators did a great job. I will be ordering a physical copy of this book immediately.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content