Christina Lauren, the instant New York Times bestselling and “reigning romance queens” (PopSugar), 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.

Book Type:

Romantic Comedy

Review: The Paradise Problem

Two ex-roommates fake a relationship to land a massive inheritance in this new marriage-of-convenience rom-com from writer duo, Christina Lauren.

To score subsidized family housing, Anna Green and Liam “West” Weston faked a marriage while at UCLA. Once they graduated, and with divorce papers signed, they went their separate ways.

Three years later, Liam (a now Stanford professor), approaches Anna (a struggling artist) with the news that they’re still married, and with an irrational offer that comes with money she desperately needs.  Anna must stay married to Liam for a little longer and accompany him to his sister’s tropical wedding. The catch? His family is awful, but if they can keep up the ruse, Liam—the heir to a grocery store conglomerate—receives his one-hundred-million-dollar inheritance. Liam wants nothing to do with his problematic father and their company, but for him to do what he aspires, he needs the money.

Free-spirited, pink-haired Anna couldn’t be more different than the polished and pretentious one-percenters, and when things get heated during the wedding week, everything begins to spiral. Worse yet, the more time Anna and Liam spend together, the more the line blurs between what’s real and pretend.

In their singular, never-fail style, Christina Lauren deliver an irresistible, opposites-attract romcom teeming with fantastic banter, pop-culture references, and just the right balance between spiciness and emotion. I was swept away by the characters falling for each other in paradise, coming together to fight against Liam’s awful family. This is the perfect, one-sitting, poolside read—I loved it!