I’ve said it many times, but for the people in the back, Christina Lauren writes the best romances out there. They are witty, funny and spicy with relatable characters (even when they happen to be heirs to a supermarket fortune). In this standalone novel, the reader is whisked away to a luxury private resort.

Sounds surprising? Well, it certainly is for the heroine Anna. She’s a struggling artist who has just lost her part-time job to help pay her father’s medical bills. She literally doesn’t know where she’ll get the money she needs, so it’s lucky that her estranged husband Liam (aka West) contacts her. Their marriage was not in the traditional sense, more it was a plot to ensure they both got cheap college housing. But now Liam needs Anna’s help. He’s an heir to the Weston Foods fortune, but it comes with a caveat. He needs to prove he’s happily married to Anna at his sister’s wedding which is taking part on a private island in Indonesia. Anna agrees to help Liam and an all-expenses trip is on the cards. But Anna and Liam are very different people who hardly know each other – and have their own baggage. They need to pull off this trip by flying under the radar, but everyone’s interested in meeting Anna and learning their story. Can Anna keep up the façade as Liam is attacked by the family that is meant to love him?

This story is a fun riot. No money is spared to make the wedding of Charlie (Liam’s sister) the most glamourous event dripping in crystals, fancy food and designer clothes. It’s even being covered by business magazines – but at a cost for access to the family business and their future plans. Liam’s sister is fun, but the rest of the Westons are not. Liam’s mother is a snob who looks down on Anna’s pink hair and wears Gucci to take out the rubbish. His father is a tyrant who bullies his children, particularly Liam, and uses any mistake as a future threat to ruin his children. Add in Liam’s creepy sycophantic brother Alex, and the island and its wealthy displays start to lose their sheen. Anna has been told to turn it down by Liam, but she’s astounded at how this family treats each other. She’s going to protect her husband, fake or otherwise! Her feisty determination is part of what makes this book shine. Liam is a little weaker as a character, experiencing a lack of confidence and is scared of his father’s ability to ruin what he worked so hard for independently. He’s a quiet, caring guy and once he opens up to Anna, he becomes much more interesting.

The superrich setting had everything you could want and more (it’s up there with Crazy Rich Asians) as well as the dramatic end to the wedding. What I liked was that the novel went continued after the big scenes, through the bust ups and into a happily ever after that worked for both Anna and Liam on their own terms. I thought the originality of the marriage of convenience trope was great and the summer vibe of the tropical vacation (partially from hell) was just right for an Australian winter. I loved that Anna didn’t take herself or the Westons too seriously and had the guts to stand up to the family for who money is everything and nothing. Overall, it’s delicious fun that doesn’t quit. A perfect escape read.

http://samstillreading.wordpress.com ( )

Fake dating, only one bed, horrible rich people, confronting partner’s dreadful family of origin? The Paradise Problem may have fallen off the RomCom tree and hit every trope on the way down, but Christina Lauren does it in an immensely satisfying manner. Comfort Book Alert! The Paradise Problem is pure reading bliss - tuck it into your beach bag this summer. ( )

Did I get the warm fuzzies? I did. Did I have to work really hard to accept how ridiculously contrived every moment of this was? I did. Did I love this? I did not, but it was fun for those not in need of verisimilitude in their romance reads.

Lauren's "True Love Experiment" was so freaking good and its precursor, "The Soulmate Equation" was also pretty great. I don't know if Christine Lauren can continue to effectively compete with themselves. Here I don't think they even tried. Everyone in the book is too perfect, too beautiful. Rich people are horrified that someone is an artist which is silly. I know more trust-fund kid artists than I can shake a stick at. The evil daddy figure is cartoonish as is the perfect father. I loved the relationship between Anna and Liam though, it was sweet, respectful, sexy-as-hell, honest, and smart. I loved the consideration of excessive wealth and how we need to consider the fact that certain degrees of wealth are truly obscene. I was also a fan of the subtext that conveyed the important truth; without context people fail to appreciate their comparative privilege. I loved the clear point that it is indefensible that some people need to work to find ways to spend their wealth when most people struggle to eat and cover medical expenses. The problem is that I am willing to suspend disbelief in romance, but if we are going to talk about wealth inequality that grounds me in reality, and things I would let pass in pure dreamy fairy-tale like romance I can't overlook when I am considering the brutal impacts of poverty.

Overall, a fun read, I will say a 3.75, but it needed to be one thing or the other for me, truthy or pure fantasy, to really love it. ( )

Liam Weston and Anna Green were the perfect fake married couple, together just long enough to take advantage of married housing at UCLA but were actually little more than strangers. After graduation, they both went their separate ways until 3 years later when Liam contacts Anna and tells her that there was no divorce, and he needs her to be his fake wife for a while longer so he can claim his inheritance. All she has to do is accompany him to an isolated island for his sister's wedding, but when they get there, Anna realizes that she may be in over her head as family backstabbing takes center stage.

The Paradise Problem is an enjoyable story that tackles some serious issues, but also engages the reader with lots of fun, quirky characters and an abundance of humor. While the plot raises questions about the super rich, and how they spend their money, it also contrasts that with the daily struggles of average people just trying to make ends meet. Even though this aspect of the story works well, it does get a bit overdramatic by the end, focusing on an over-the-top villain. However, the comedic parts of the narrative, particularly the character of Anna, makes this book well worth the read. Overall, The Paradise Problem is an extremely good novel that will probably be overlooked in a spring filled with so many outstanding romance releases. ( )

Three years ago Anna and Liam entered a marriage of convenience so they could both utilize the family housing at their university. When it was time for Liam to graduate, they would divorce and move on with their separate lives. Easy.

Except, when Liam shows up at her door again, it quickly becomes apparent that all was not so easy. Turns out, his family still believes they are married and in order for Liam to gain the full extent of his trust, they must show a united married front. Meaning, Anna must accompany Liam to his sister's lavish destination wedding in four days time.

The last few years have been hard for Anna. In dealing with her father's medical bills and her art career going nowhere, to top it all off, she just got fired from her dead-end job. So when Liam offers to pay her for her time, there's no way she can turn it down.

However, Anna was not prepared for the full extent of the family dysfunctionality she was walking into. As she and Liam play their parts, she finds she might just be falling for her husband.

I missed the last Christina Lauren release so getting into the this book was such a treat and reminded me why they are such a great romance duo.

The tropes are ones we've read before in different iterations, but in Christina Lauren's hands it's fresh.

The idea of this idyllic setting juxtaposed with the toxic family dynamic is at times startling. But I think it says a lot about what is perceived on the outside and what is really underneath. It's a theme that runs throughout the story. Anna sees Liam and his money and assumes he's just another rich kid who is looking to gain his inheritance. Also, Liam looks at Anna with her go-nowhere job and assumes she's a lazy slacker. The best part is seeing them discover each other's true selves.

It's been awhile since I've read a romance with such a raw sexuality about it. The chemistry between Liam and Anna is palpable and maybe made even more sexy because of the conflict of it all. I mean, Anna is technically only supposed to be around until after the wedding. He's literally paying her to be there. Afterward they're supposed to go their separate ways until they're able to divorce and Liam's inheritance is secured. Then they begin to feel like they want more yet they're so seemingly different. The back and forth in regards to their feelings toward each other as well as what each of them is dealing with in their personal lives is handled really well.

It's all at once juicy and heartening. I really enjoyed this one. I really didn't want it to end. I never felt like the book was dragging or losing momentum, but I equally felt like the right amount of time was taken to fully address all issues. ( )