Friday, June 07, 2024

All my roads, they lead to you: THE PARADISE PROBLEM.

The Paradise ProblemThe Paradise Problem by Christina Lauren
My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

This is a typical fun, free-spirited Christina Lauren romance, as we watch Anna Green and Liam Weston live out a somewhat "fake" dating scheme, despite being, in fact, legally married. Anna and Liam marry in university--on paper only--to secure cheap housing. Unbeknownst to Anna, they remain married: she fails to read detailed papers from Liam that she thinks are for their divorce. Liam, the son and heir to a wealthy grocery store chain, knows he'll inherit his trust if he fulfills its weird clause: marry and remain so for five years.

But when Liam's family somehow finally force him to bring his wife to a family event (his younger sister Charlie's wedding), he has to turn up at Anna's apartment, come clean, and beg her to travel with him to a secluded island and play happy couple. Broke and recently unemployed, Anna reluctantly agrees, since Liam will pay her a hefty sum. (I get that Liam was on the outs with his family, but seriously, no one thought it was weird not to see his wife for nearly five years?)

Of course, once on the island, the two discover that, despite their differences, they have a mutual attraction. There's much drama with Liam's family, most of whom are pretty awful, and a lot of craziness related to the legal aspects of the trust. Watching his family spend obscene amounts of money isn't all that fun (even if the book sometimes tries to make that exact point). Liam and Anna have crackling chemistry, but the whole thing always feels a bit weird, since he's paying her a lot of money to be there.

This is a cute romance, with some fun sexy scenes and playful banter, though some of the premise feels a bit flat. It's still quite enjoyable, and I grew to love Anna and Liam. 3.5 stars.

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