The Paradise Problem

Christina Lauren is the pen name of longtime writing partners Christina Hobbs and Lauren Billings. In interviews with multiple publications, including Forbes, The Atlantic, and Buzzfeed, the pair have shared that they met at a 2009 Comic-Con panel on fan fiction and instantly bonded. They began by collaborating on fanfiction inspired by vampire romances such as Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight series. To date, the authors have collaboratively written 17 novels that have made the New York Times bestseller list, and their works have been translated into more than 30 languages. Some of their most prominent titles include Josh and Hazel’s Guide to Not Dating (2018), Love and Other Words (2018), The Unhoneymooners (2019), and The Soulmate Equation (2021).

Their novels often feature alternating perspectives, for each author writes scenes using one specific character’s voice. This system allows each writer the space to fully develop an important point of view and voice in support of the broader narrative that they have outlined together. This dual narrative approach is evident in The Paradise Problem as events unfold from the perspectives of Anna and Liam in turn, whose interwoven voices build tension and create key instances of dramatic