The Paradise Problem by Christina Lauren
Christina Lauren, returns with a delicious new romance between the buttoned-up heir of a grocery chain and his free-spirited artist ex as they fake their relationship in order to receive a massive inheritance.
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.
The Reason
I just really needed something light-hearted after a lot of horror for October, plus other heavy reads.
The Quotes
“When we care about someone, they deserve the benefit of the doubt. We have to consider not only what they did, but also why they did it. Intent matters.”
“We get to decide how much of our hearts we want to give them.”
“Being an artist is sometimes about not being afraid to do it badly first.”
“The day my husband moves out of our apartment is also the day Resident Evil Village releases for PlayStation, and you might be surprised which of these things lands with a greater emotional impact.”
My Thoughts
I really enjoyed this one because I absolutely love the fake dating trope. But also, a lot of the story resonated for me in terms of having a difficult relationship with family and finding someone who advocates for you no matter what. One of the reasons I love the found family trope as well.
The premise is a little fantastical because we all want to be married to a rich heir who’s actually a really good guy, but they are few and hard to find in our real world. But who cares? This is a book, for escapism, and fantasizing about being the adored wife of a hot billionaire who’s absolutely into you. So I am totally here for it!
I loved Anna and West. I love their story and the way their fake marriage turned into a real one. I hated West’s parents with a passion, and I’m not completely satisfied with their comeuppance, but as long as Anna and West get their HEA, I’ll accept it.
This was just the book I needed after reading so many heavy/horror books over a short period of time. I think I need more!
My Rating
⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 stars.
Have you read this book? Would you read this book? Did you like the book or do you think you would like it?
