The Paradise Problem By Christina Lauren | Book Review
As soon as I saw that my favourite author duo had a new book coming out, I preordered my copy and waited not so patiently for it to arrive. The Paradise Problem is that perfect summer beach read that you don’t want to miss.
Plot (From the simon and Schuster Website)
Anna Green thought she was marrying Liam “West” Weston for access to subsidized family housing while at UCLA. She also thought she’d signed divorce papers when the graduation caps were tossed, and they both went on their merry ways.
Three years later, Anna is a starving artist living paycheck to paycheck while West is a Stanford professor. He may be one of four heirs to the Weston Foods conglomerate, but he has little interest in working for the heartless corporation his family built from the ground up. He is interested, however, in his one-hundred-million-dollar inheritance. There’s just one catch.
Due to an antiquated clause in his grandfather’s will, Liam won’t see a penny until he’s been happily married for five years. Just when Liam thinks he’s in the home stretch, pressure mounts from his family to see this mysterious spouse, and he has no choice but to turn to the one person he’s afraid to introduce to his one-percenter parents—his unpolished, not-so-ex-wife.
But in the presence of his family, Liam’s fears quickly shift from whether the feisty, foul-mouthed, paint-splattered Anna can play the part to whether the toxic world of wealth will corrupt someone as pure of heart as his surprisingly grounded and loyal wife. Liam will have to ask himself if the price tag on his flimsy cover story is worth losing true love that sprouted from a lie.
Discussion
This book switches perspectives between Liam and Anna, which I love. Going into this, you may think it’s a fluffy summer “friends to lovers” story- which it is- BUT it also dives deeper into family dynamic and how our relationships with our parents shape us. I loved the complexity of the characters, and the depth that Liam’s situation added to his own character development.
Immediately, I loved how Anna was not your typical romance story love interest. She’s got pink hair, a foul mouth, and a wonderful headstorong attitude- which made seeing her transform into a millionaire’s wife even more fun. She never wavers on her beliefs, even when pretending to be someone she’s not. Her own sense of self helped Liam to find his way instead of following the path his father wanted.
The setting of this novel was a wonderful, lush and sexy private island, where Liam’s sister Charlie is getting married. This book has just enough spice to satisfy you Booktok girlies, and enough substance to keep you wanting more. It ended exactly how I wanted it to end, and I really enjoyed this book overall.
