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Quick answer: If you loved The Paradise Problem, try The Unhoneymooners, The Soulmate Equation, The Wedding Date, The Spanish Love Deception, Book Lovers and Happy Place. Each one is a fun, swoony romance with fake relationships, family drama and luxurious settings.
Christina Lauren's 2024 rom-com follows Anna Green, a struggling artist who once married billionaire heir West Lassiter for convenience so they could both get campus housing. Years later, West needs her to pretend they are still happily married at his sister's wedding on a private island, where his difficult family's inheritance is at stake. Readers love its banter, family secrets and tropical setting. These books share its fake marriages and its fun.
Table of Contents
Quick Picks at a Glance
| Book | Author | Heat level | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Unhoneymooners | Christina Lauren | Medium | readers who want more Christina Lauren |
| The Soulmate Equation | Christina Lauren | Medium | readers who like matchmaking |
| The Wedding Date | Jasmine Guillory | Medium | readers who like fake dates at weddings |
| The Spanish Love Deception | Elena Armas | Medium | readers who like fake dates abroad |
| Book Lovers | Emily Henry | Medium | readers who like smart banter |
| Happy Place | Emily Henry | Medium | readers who like fake couples on holiday |
| Crazy Rich Asians | Kevin Kwan | Low | readers who like rich families |
| The Hating Game | Sally Thorne | Medium | readers who like rivals |
| Funny Story | Emily Henry | Medium | readers who like fake dating |
| The Kiss Quotient | Helen Hoang | High | readers who like contracts and romance |
| Act Your Age, Eve Brown | Talia Hibbert | Medium | readers who like chaotic heiresses |
| The Fine Print | Lauren Asher | Medium | readers who like billionaire heirs |
| Royal Holiday | Jasmine Guillory | Low | readers who like vacation romance |
| Beach Read | Emily Henry | Medium | readers who like summer romance |
| The Love Hypothesis | Ali Hazelwood | Medium | readers who like fake dating |
1. The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren
Enemies share a free honeymoon in Maui.
Best for: readers who want more Christina Lauren.
2. The Soulmate Equation by Christina Lauren
A DNA test pairs enemies.
Best for: readers who like matchmaking.
3. The Wedding Date by Jasmine Guillory
Strangers attend a wedding together.
Best for: readers who like fake dates at weddings.
4. The Spanish Love Deception by Elena Armas
A woman brings a coworker to a wedding in Spain.
Best for: readers who like fake dates abroad.
5. Book Lovers by Emily Henry
An agent meets a brooding editor.
Best for: readers who like smart banter.
6. Happy Place by Emily Henry
Exes pretend to be together.
Best for: readers who like fake couples on holiday.
7. Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan
A professor meets her boyfriend's wealthy family.
Best for: readers who like rich families.
8. The Hating Game by Sally Thorne
Office rivals fall in love.
Best for: readers who like rivals.
9. Funny Story by Emily Henry
Jilted exes pose as a couple.
Best for: readers who like fake dating.
10. The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang
An economist hires an escort.
Best for: readers who like contracts and romance.
11. Act Your Age, Eve Brown by Talia Hibbert
An heiress meets a grumpy innkeeper.
Best for: readers who like chaotic heiresses.
12. The Fine Print by Lauren Asher
A theme park heir meets an employee.
Best for: readers who like billionaire heirs.
13. Royal Holiday by Jasmine Guillory
A stylist falls for a royal aide.
Best for: readers who like vacation romance.
14. Beach Read by Emily Henry
Rival writers swap genres.
Best for: readers who like summer romance.
15. The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood
A PhD student fake-dates a professor.
Best for: readers who like fake dating.
How We Chose These Books
Every pick is a real, widely available book that shares something specific with Paradise Problem: its tone, its themes, its pace or the kind of characters it puts at the center. We mixed well-known favorites with a few less obvious titles, and we noted who each book suits best so you can match it to the reader. Where a book belongs to a series, we list the first volume so you can start at the beginning.
If you are not sure where to begin, start with the first three picks in the table: they are the closest match to Paradise Problem. The rest of the list moves further out, so it works well once you know which part of the original you liked most. If a pick is part of a longer series, read the first book before you commit, and check the age or content notes in the table before passing a book to a younger reader.
How to Choose
For more Christina Lauren, The Unhoneymooners is the closest in tone. If you love fake relationships at weddings, The Wedding Date and The Spanish Love Deception are favorites. Crazy Rich Asians has the same difficult wealthy family. For witty Emily Henry romances, try Happy Place or Funny Story.
Related: Book Lovers by Emily Henry: Summary and Key Takeaways · Beach Read by Emily Henry: Summary and Key Takeaways
Frequently Asked Questions
What is The Paradise Problem about?
A struggling artist pretends to still be married to a billionaire heir at his sister's island wedding.
Is The Paradise Problem spicy?
It has some open-door scenes.
Is it a fake relationship romance?
Yes. Their real marriage of convenience becomes a fake happy marriage.
Is it a standalone?
Yes.
Who is Christina Lauren?
The pen name of Christina Hobbs and Lauren Billings.
Where is it set?
Mostly on a private island off the coast of Georgia.
What should I read next?
The Unhoneymooners.