The Paradise Problem by Christina Lauren

 

Summary (from the publisher): 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: While at UCLA, Anna Green and Liam "West" Weston marry in order to access subsidized family housing. After graduation, they went on their separate ways after divorcing, or so Anna thinks. Three years later, Anna is a starving artist, and West is a Standford professor and heir to the Weston Foods fortune. But he won't be able to access the one-hundred-million-dollar inheritance until he's been married for five years. And little does Anna know but they never were divorced and are in fact approaching the five-year anniversary of their "marriage." To appease his parents, Liam convinces Anna to travel to a luxury resort in Indonesia for his sister's wedding where they must pretend to be a happily married couple. 

I have to be honest. I have heard great reviews about this book for a good while and from a good many people. But I was also sort of reluctant to read it because the cover is giving white middle-aged dad goes on vacation while wearing a short sleeve Hawaiian print shirt to me. It is just not doing it for me. But they were right! Despite my cover art judgement, this book was so cute. 

I almost always love marriage of convenience storylines, no matter how improbably and this one was no exception. I especially loved the way the two go on a luxury trip to Indonesia together. West comes from extreme wealth and takes the luxurious surroundings for granted. It's only through Anna's eyes that he pauses to appreciate their surroundings. I loved all her little asides about the luxurious lifestyle of his family and the references to her much more humble origins. I like how she brings him back down to reality and affirms his feelings that what his family believes is important (power, wealth), isn't what he views as the most important things in life. 

West's family (well his father in particular) are deeply problematic. After getting to know them more through their trip to the wedding, it made total sense why he has distanced himself from his family and wants to make it on his own. I really liked the way this was all tied up in the epilogue. 

Of course, like virtually all marriage of convenience books, there is some suspension of disbelief required here. The authors sort of skate over the logistics of their on-paper marriage. I understand why Anna would want on-campus housing, but it didn't fully make sense that West/Liam would be interested in this arrangement. And I was similarly skeptical of the divorce that never was. I accept that Anna would obliviously assume they were in fact divorced. And I guess it makes sense that West would rather stay legally married in the interest of inheritance requirements. But they seemed like a massive deception that was just glossed over. Still, I appreciate that this was the setup required for us to enjoy this story, and I'm willing to let it slide.

This was wonderful on audio, with dual narration. 

Stars: 4