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What Kind of Paradise
Janelle Brown
Publication Date: June 3rd, 2025
Random House Publishing Group
368 Pages
Amazon | Goodreads | Bookshop.org
Genre: General Fiction
This is my first book by this author, and it was a winner. Jane and her dad live in a cabin in the woods of Montana. She knows nothing about her past except that they used to live in San Francisco and her mom died in a car accident, but as Jane comes of age, she starts to question everything her father has ever told her. She then learns that her dad is a criminal, prompting her to escape and head to San Francisco to investigate her past.
Janelle Brown writes beautifully, and I don’t mean in a flowery prose sort of way; her writing sucks you in and keeps you turning pages to find out what happens next. This was such a compelling read and very thought-provoking. There are plenty of genres to describe this one, and it didn’t bother me at all. This is a character-driven literary mystery, a coming-of-age tale, and a smidgen of romance all in one. It asks the question, “Has the internet and technology improved our lives or has it ruined us?”
The author magnificently builds suspense and slowly peels away the layers of family secrets like an onion. This isn’t just a mystery or thriller in the usual sense; it’s really about how our parents’ choices impact our lives far into the future and whether we can ever escape them. The premise is utterly unique and executed well. I have to admit that it is a slow burn as we learn about everything from the past, but in a really good way, I thoroughly enjoyed it. And it was a great throwback to the ’90s.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.
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