The Paradise Problem

Published in 2024 and written by Christina Lauren, The Paradise Problem is a romantic comedy that follows Anna Green and Liam “West” Weston as they find themselves thrust together by circumstance nearly five years after marrying for convenience. To preserve Liam’s inheritance, they must now maintain the façade of their marriage throughout the family-related chaos of a destination wedding on a private island, where true feelings begin to emerge. Lauren juxtaposes Anna’s paycheck-to-paycheck life with the luxuries of the Weston family’s generational wealth. As Anna struggles as an aspiring artist and works to pay for her father’s medical expenses, the narrative explores the impact of wealth on relationships and critiques the conflicting dynamics of The Tension Between Romantic and Familial Loyalty.

This guide refers to the 2024 Gallery Books hardcover edition.

Content Warning: Both the source text and this guide contain descriptions of neglect, and emotional and physical abuse.

Plot Summary

The novel alternates between the first-person perspectives of Anna Green and Liam Weston, who married years ago to qualify for family housing; at the time, he was a graduate student and she was an undergrad. When Liam moved out two years later, Anna assumed that they were divorced; however, almost five years after their wedding, Liam arrives on her doorstep and reveals that they are still married and must remain married for another five months so that he can inherit nearly $100 million. Liam is heir to the Weston Foods fortune, and to keep his family from realizing that his marriage has been a fraud, he and Anna must now attend his sister’s wedding on a private island in Indonesia. If the plan works, Liam will receive his fortune, pay Anna a handsome sum, and save his siblings from a loophole in his grandfather’s will that he doesn’t share with anyone else. The loophole states that if any one of the four siblings’ marriages is fraudulent, they will all forfeit their inheritances.

Liam is now a professor at Stanford, while Anna is an aspiring artist who is struggling to pay the bills for her father’s cancer treatments. Liam previously believed that she was pre-med, so he told his family that she was in medical school, and he is now dismayed to discover that she has just been fired from her job at a convenience store. Anna worries that she will not be able to fake medical knowledge or behave correctly around his family, and Liam shares these worries. Her casual nature is shown in her propensity for swearing, her habit of dyeing her hair pink, and her insistence upon calling Liam “West,” his college nickname. Liam’s mother, Janet, takes every opportunity to bully and gaslight Anna, while his father, Ray, is too busy trying to lure Liam back into the family business to pay any attention to her. Additionally, Liam’s older brother Alex is openly suspicious of her, but Anna quickly earns admiration and allyship from Liam’s sister (Charlie), his sister-in-law (Blaire), and his niece (Reagan).

Tension is high between Liam and Alex, for the latter covets the position of CEO at Weston Foods, while Ray wants to give this position to Liam. Ray and Liam argue about Ray’s role in an old software scandal around a system called PISA, during which Ray blamed everything on Liam. Anna watches Liam cope with his father’s toxicity and sees what the conflict does to Liam’s relationship with Alex; the two siblings have been constantly pitted against one another, and as a result, they engage in petty acts of one-upmanship.

At one point, the siblings instigate a competition to see who can kayak farther out to sea during a “fun” family outing. When Anna and Liam’s kayak is separated from the rest, they share an honest conversation about their families, and she begins to see Liam in a new light.

As they attend one cocktail party after another, Liam’s admiration for Anna grows. Over the course of the extravagant wedding events, their pretense of being husband and wife becomes increasingly authentic, and they soon find their mutual attraction growing as they kiss and share a one-room bungalow in a romantic setting.

Anna is thrilled to learn that three of her paintings have been sold to an anonymous buyer. Meanwhile, she continues to be appalled by the excesses of Liam’s family, and she is also concerned by Liam’s connections to such extensive wealth. As she and Liam explore the beginnings of a real relationship, they vow to survive the trip without letting anyone learn that their marriage began as a sham. At Charlie’s wedding, a reporter hints that Liam is taking the role of CEO; this outrages Alex, who announces to the crowd that Anna is a fraud. Alex also reveals Anna’s background and accuses his brother of trying to con them all. With this development, Ray plans to force Liam to rejoin the company; if Liam refuses, his actions will cost all his siblings their inheritances. When Anna confronts Ray, he has her and Liam flown off the island.

Although Anna urges Liam to turn down the role at the company and to choose himself instead, he remains conflicted because he knows that his siblings would choose themselves. When Anna finds out that Liam is the one who anonymously bought all three of her paintings, she accuses him of trying to control her career with his money, just as his father does with him. Angry, the two split up on their way back to California.

Upon returning to his house, Liam stares at Anna’s paintings, and when he contemplates her willingness to live a happy life without wealth, he is inspired to turn down the job at Weston Foods. Outraged, Ray releases evidence that Liam’s PISA software was used to stalk and harass female employees, conveniently neglecting to mention that he was the one doing the harassing. He tries to pin the blame on Liam, but Alex calls a press conference and reveals that Ray is the guilty party. Ray goes to jail and can no longer challenge his children’s inheritances. Freed from Ray’s toxic influence, the remaining Weston family members are finally able to build happier, healthier relationships, and Liam and Anna decide to get married again—for real this time.