I thoroughly enjoy all of Elin Hilderbrand books. I would say that her books are a guilty pleasure of mine but I'm not ashamed that I love reading her books. However, this book was not for me. Her previous book in the Paradise series, Winter in Paradise, was a pleasant read that I was able to finish in a few sittings. I started this book in early September and have just now finished it in January because I kept putting it down and not wanting to get back to it. This book is incredibly too long and I feel that there is too much unnecessary fluff. Elin Hilderbrand does a fantastic job of adding details to her stories, which makes me come back every time. However, this book had too much.

One thing that I did enjoy about this book was getting to revisit some of the characters. Since I am a fan of her books and do enjoy some of the characters, I know that I will pick up the next book when it comes out.

Another amazing book in the paradise trio! After reading the first book, I was immediately hooked and couldn’t wait to read part two. This picked up right where the first left off and continued to add to the mystery of the helicopter crash while developing the characters more and more. I can’t wait to see how it all plays out in the last book. Thank you, NetGalley for the ARC!

Elin Hilderbrand is the queen of summer novels, but she is now my go-to Christmas author as well! What Happens in Paradise picks up where Winter in Paradise left off, with Irene and crew making sense of the deaths of Russ and Rosie. This book gets even juicier as the FBI gets involved in Russ’s shady business dealings, and we learn more about Rosie through her diary entries. Like all of Hilderbrand’s books, this is a fun, easy read with high quality writing.

For a great escape to a family filled story, you can’t go wrong with this series. It will bring you into a family and then leave you wanting more.

I can’t believe I have to wait a year to see how this story ends! With all the Steele family back in St. John, the love and lies continue. How will these relationships end up?

Certainly not her best book but a cute follow up. Seemed a bit scattered but still enjoyable. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher.

This is a follow up to Erin Hilderbrand's Winter in Paradise. The story chronicles the story of Irene Steele and her sons' discovery of her husband's secret life and additional family. When Irene's husband dies in a plane crash, Irene discovers that he had a young lover and a daughter on a tropical island. Irene and her sons fly to the island to try to figure out what is going on. What Happens in Paradise continues the story but adds more twists and turns along the way. A drawer full of cash leads the families involved to more questions than answers. I enjoyed the story but felt that it was a little too predictable and drawn out without giving the reader any conclusion. I know that there will be a third book, but I wanted more from this one.

I've always been a fan of the beach read - thanks to Elin Hilderbrand. They say the sequel is never as good as the original and that rings true for this lackluster second novel in the series. I sincerely hope the third book in the trilogy is better. This book just felt like all filler and not a whole lot of action. It leaves on a major cliffhanger and we have to wait for the next book for probably a year! I hate when that happens. I feel like I also didn't remember enough of the first book - since it had been a year since I read it - to really fully appreciate this one. It was just an OK read for me. I know Elin can do better than this!

The one positive is that this inspired me to book a trip to the US Virgin Islands and I will be going in January for a much needed beach vaca!

Irene Steele and her sons, Baker and Cash have felt called to go back to the Virgin Islands. One by one, they decide to go back to paradise where their husband and father had lived a secret life. Irene gets a job on Huck's boat, taking tourists out fishing. Cash got a job on a separate boat for tourists, and Baker will work as a coach at the local school. The three of them are piecing together some missing pieces of Russ's life. They are getting to know his daughter and the life that Russ lived when he was on the island. Meanwhile, Rosie's best friend, Ayers, is trying to decide who she sees as her future. Baker, Cash, or her boyfriend, Mick. But it is the FBI who turns their world upside down, yet again. Russ was involved in a lot of shady stuff that may cause them to lose everything. Will St. John remain the paradise they all have grown to love, or will it turn into another version of hell?

I have to say, that What Happens in Paradise was not quite as enjoyable as Winter in Paradise. Mostly because of Ayers and her inability to make a decision. It really irritated me how she went back and forth between two men. Irene and Huck remained the only two characters who behaved like adults. I did like how the author gave us some more backstory between Rosie and Russ. How their relationship started and how Rosie felt knowing that Russ was married. It didn't make either of them any more sympathetic, but it did at least answer some questions. I know that What Happens in Paradise is the second book in a trilogy, so we have to wait a whole year to find out how it ends. I just hope that the conclusion is better than this one; I was disappointed.

Bottom Line - While Winter in Paradise could be passed off as a Christmas novel, there is no way that What Happens in Paradise can get that tag. I think fans of Elin Hilderbrand's will read this book regardless of the reviews and I get that. Here is hoping the final book in the series will be better.


Details:
What Happens in Paradise by Elin Hilderbrand
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Pages: 352
Publisher: Little, Brown, and Company
Publication Date: 10.8.19
Buy it Here!
Thank you to NetGalley for the free book in exchange for an honest review.

I loved Winter in Paradise and was really looking forward to What Happens in Paradise, and while I enjoyed it I didn't love it as much as the first one. What Happens in Paradise builds upon the first book and it is awesome to get to go back and revisit St. John and all the familiar characters, but I felt like this was just a bridge between the first and third books. I enjoyed learning more about the characters but sometimes it was a little much. I will be waiting in anticipation for the third book to come out next year.

While I enjoy the characters and the overall plot line, the series is feeling a little drug out. The first book ended in a cliffhanger and now the second book does as well. I feel like I keep reading, but I never get any resolution.

Elin Hilderbrand never fails to disappoint. This novel is no exception and I eagerly anticipated the release of it as I devoured the first novel in this set. This follow-up is a lovely addition to the romantic mystery it follows. What I enjoyed about this enthralling read is that it expands on the drama and curiosity built in the first book and managed to stay fun, dramatic, and engaging. I cannot wait to see what happens next!

This second book of Hilderbrand's new "Paradise" winter series is just a good as the first. I am a long time fan of Elin Hilderbrand's books and this one is a great follow up to Winter in Paradise, published in 2018.

We pick up where we left off last year on St. John Island with Irene Steele and her two adult sons trying to learn more about the other life that her husband and their father led. He had a girlfriend and a child as well as an island mansion. As they learn more about him and the other life he led, each of them learn about themselves as they befriend locals and start new lives in Paradise.

I definitely recommend reading Winter in Paradise before this one. As so many books in a series repeat the previous information ad nauseum, What Happens in Paradise doesn't. Don't let the winter blues get you down! Pick up this series and enjoy the sunny Caribbean. I can't wait for the third installment! As always, thanks to Little, Brown & Company as well as Netgalley for this advanced copy for review.

What Happens in Paradise takes us back into the life of Irene (affectionately known as Angler Cupcake by a certain rugged fisherman) and her sons Baker and Cash in this follow-up to the stunning 'Winter in Paradise' that came out last year (not gonna lie- still mad about that cliffhanger. I thought about it all the time between the books releases).
This is what Elin HIlderbrand does so stunningly well; she reels us in to her world and makes us relate to and love even characters that really do live in a bubble of wealth and privilege that make them difficult to identify with; and the addition of Ayers who lives hand to mouth like much of us do in our 20s and 30s, and the flawed character of Rosie shown in flashbacks through her diary entries make these St. Johns novels some of the easiest of her works to connect with.
The vibrancy of the settings, the tender heart with which she brings romance to life, and the hysterical character of the jilted bartender who can't contain his bitterness or drama even while describing wines to his clientele make this some of the best storytelling of the year.
Do not miss this gem by Queen Elin.

Love Elin. Love the continuation of the story. Page turner. I couldn’t wait to finish! 100% recommend!

Waiting for book 3!!!

I can't wait to read the third book of this series. What a cliffhanger! I am enjoying this series, somewhat different from Ms Hilderbrand's other romances. I like the setting and all the characters, and the plot!!! Do start with book 1 of the series so as to not be totally confused.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for lending me a time-constrained e-arc. I am under no obligation to post a review.

If you like the author, you will enjoy another of her stories set on a tropical island, in fact this is a follow up to her last Caribbean story which didn't do anything for me. I really have to stop reading her books as they bore me. She recaps absolutely everything from the last story including parts that really don't matter to this story. I don't like her characters and know I am in the minority when I say this, but I didn't finish it.
Thank you NetGalley for an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest opinion.

While I usually love Hilderbrand books, I struggled to finish this one. Storyline was typical of a beach read, sunny skies, fruity drinks, beautiful water but not a lot of depth in the story or characters. Maybe the third book will be the best!
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What Happens in Paradise by Elin Hilderbrand is the second in a set of books taking place on the gorgeous island of St. John. Hmmm, I have never even been to St. John, but Ms. Hilderbrand has such a way with words that I feel like I have and that I experienced many of the locations in the book. I am much more of a winter person, but from the visuals painted in this and the first book, Winter in Paradise, I would really like to visit St. John at some point. The storyline in this book picked up right at the cliffhanger ending of the first book and it figures, this one ended in quite a shocker itself.

After that cliffhanger in Winter in Paradise, I was dying to get my hands on this book! There were so many secrets, so many lies, and now I need the third! I kept thinking I knew what was coming, but I didn't.