The Paradise Problem by Christina Lauren: Privilege and Greed

The Paradise Problem by Christina Lauren is a gripping love story in the center with commentary on class and privilege.

The Paradise Problem by Christina Lauren

The Paradise Problem by Christina Lauren Publisher Description

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.

Review

Opposites attract trope should have Liam and Anna picture in the dictionary. They are so different that I doubted these two could cohabit together, let alone be romanticly involved. However, Christina Lauren successfully created the perfect opposites ideal for each other.
Anna is a struggling artist, while Liam is a professor and an heir to a wealthy grocery chain and inheritance he is about to receive.
However, Liam’s father is adamant that he should take over the family business, but Liam has no interest in doing so. So, he is eager to secure the inheritance left to him and his brothers by their grandfather. To access the inheritance, he must be married for five years.

Characters

Liam and Anna were married to gain family housing during college. They never got divorced. He has been selling stories about his ambitious wife to his family for years. His sister is getting married in Indonesia, and Liam needs his wife with him.
Anna is a struggling artist who just got fired. Unfortunately, her father has health issues, and she is financially responsible for his medical costs. Liam’s offer to go with him to Indonesia and pretend to be his wife will change her and her father’s life. If they convince Liam’s father that they have been happily married for years, he will pay her more than she had ever dreamed of. So, she accepts.

I adored both characters. Anna is hilarious, and she made me laugh so hard I was on the verge of tears. Liam is grumpy, and I had some reservations at first, but he won me over.

The Paradise Problem is a dual point of view. The writing style is simple, and the humor is immaculate.

I was flying through the first half of the book and enjoyed it. However, the second half fell a bit for me. When the book gets spicier, the plot starts to drag a bit. If the spicy scenes were shorter and the plot resolved earlier, this would be a 5-star book.

However, I do recommend the book. Due to the paradise coast setting in Indonesia, it is a perfect summer read. Also, it has the same summer vibes as Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren.

Read if you like:

• Opposite attract couple
• Spicy Rom-coms
• Summer vibe books
• Complicated family subplot
• Eccentric heroine with button-up hero

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