Title: The Paradise Problem
Author: Christina Lauren
Publisher: Gallery Books
Genre: Romance
Pages: 352
My Rating: ❤️❤️❤️🖤🖤
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The Paradise Problem
Anna is a struggling painter who has just lost her job at a convenience store. A day later, Liam is standing in front of her. Years ago, Anna married Liam just so she could live in a certain apartment. They barely saw each other, they were only married on paper.
The last time they saw each other was two years ago, and now he is standing in front of her again. He tells her that they never got a divorce and that he needs her. Liam is attending a wedding soon, and he needs Anna to pretend to be his wife. In exchange, he is willing to pay her a lot of money, which would solve all of her financial problems.
Review
I was trying to get out of a reading slump when I saw this book on my wishlist and decided that it might be the one that would finally end my slump.
I liked the story, although I don’t always enjoy the fake dating trope. I guess that’s just a personal preference. The story started off great and I was immediately hooked. At first, it was a bit confusing. Anna and Liam were married, yet they seemed happy that they were going to get a divorce? Thankfully, the situation was explained pretty quickly.
The characters were likable enough. They both had reasons to pretend they were a happily married couple, even though they were basically strangers who were only married on paper. Anna needed money for her father’s treatment, and Liam needed Anna so he could secure his inheritance. I especially liked the moments when it was just the two of them and they started to bond and get to know each other. There was definitely chemistry between the two main characters, but sometimes I felt like something was missing. I’m not exactly sure what it was.
There were also several side characters, and they were a lot less likable. The worst of them all was Liam’s father. The whole family is incredibly rich and spoiled. I mean, Liam’s sister is getting married on a private island, and they go all out. They can basically just throw money at their problems. I have nothing against rich people, but I really didn’t like the side characters. They were just super annoying. At one point, I honestly wanted to hit Liam’s father in the face with a chair or something.
Overall, I think this was just an okay book for me. Maybe it was because I was still partly in a reading slump, so I’m trying not to be too harsh and say it was “meh.” I think that’s why I’m giving it 3/5 stars (or hearts). But I can still safely say that this is my least favorite Christina Lauren book. Their other books usually have me giggling and blushing, but that didn’t happen with this one.