On the HahaFiction shelf
The Paradise Problem
Anna Green thought her student marriage was a finished piece of paperwork. Then Liam Weston returns with an expensive problem: his grandfather’s fortune depends on five years of happy marriage, and his family expects to meet his wife at an island wedding. Anna needs money. Liam needs someone who can make their arrangement look like love.
From the author’s blurb
“Think Succession, but sillier and sexier, and where the working class chaotic heroine comes out on top.”Read the full description at Christina Lauren, author commentary
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What makes it funny?
Anna answers Liam’s solemn inheritance explanation with mock-aristocratic language, while he tries to keep the conversation on track. Her untidy apartment and frank commentary give little sign that she’s ready to impress a wealthy family. Readers in romance book groups single out funny lines and the sweetness of the fake relationship.
The comedy at work
The couple have legal paperwork in place and very little shared intimacy to show for it. Every family gathering asks them to act familiar while they are still learning about each other. Anna’s lack of polish makes that performance harder in a world where Liam already feels constrained by his family’s money.
Try this if…
For a taste in steamy, lighthearted romance with a tropical setting and difficult rich relatives. Readers mention Crazy Rich Asians and The Unhoneymooners when recommending it; the central attraction here is the increasingly complicated performance of being married.
Good to know
The authors flag plentiful sex, and Anna’s language is blunt. Reader reactions are split: some couldn’t get into it or stopped listening, while others found the ending too far-fetched or the tone too young for their taste.
A few distinguishing details
- A student marriage with a $100 million complication
- Performing domestic bliss at a private-island wedding
More funny contemporary romance
Sources & further reading
- Excerpt at Entertainment Weekly
Reading sample
- Author commentary
Author commentary
- Kirkus review
Review
- Publisher
Publisher
- Reader discussion
Reader discussion
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