Janelle Brown’s What Kind of Paradise delivers an engrossing, slow-burning coming-of-age thriller set against the dawn of the internet age. The story opens in the isolated woods of 1990s Montana, where teenager Jane lives off-the-grid with her enigmatic father, surrounded by woods and 19th-century homesteaders philosophy.

As the book unfolds, Jane's sheltered world begins to crack. A mysterious introduction to technology—a laptop, modem, and coding book—is a catalyst for transformation. The internet entices her with its possibilities, yet also reveals deep moral and familial fractures. As Jane becomes more aware and questions her own reality, she unwittingly is complicit in a crime perpetuated by her father, so she flees to San Francisco in search of truth. What Kind of Paradise is a beautifully rendered novel about identity, isolation, and the murky interplay between nature and technology.

This gave me all the 90s nostalgia vibes. Jane grows up with her father off the grid in Montana, believing her whole life that her mother passed away. As she enters her teen years she starts to push the boundaries of the small life her father has created. Jane begs her father to let her come with him on one of his mysterious trips away from the cabin. Unbeknownst to her, her father makes her an accomplice to a crime. Believing that the cops are on to her, she flees to California in search of answers. Everything she's been told her whole life is a lie. This story centers around the birth of the technology era and the rise of the internet. Mixing in elements of the unibomber. It was very well done.

Great read, and a wild ride through a teenage girls' life. Really enjoyed it. .

This is an edge of your seat while also being a slow burn mystery/thriller. Jane has been living in isolation with her genius/eccentric and increasingly paranoid and angry father. She has always idolized him, but as she grows into a teenager she starts to question her reality. Why have they lived just the two of them in a lonely cabin in Montana? Why does her dad lock his study when he leaves, and where does he go? As she is pulled further into her father’s dangerous mind and orbit, Jane becomes an accomplice to a crime she didn’t expect. So she flees to the only indicator she has of her past: San Francisco.

The nostalgia was here for me as half of the book is set in San Francisco, which was fun. The descriptions of life in desolate Montana, though, were stunning. Ultimately, it was hard to understand Jane but it was also easy to have sympathy for her. A solid mystery.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a digital ARC of this title!

This story is reminiscent of These Silent Woods. A father and daughter live off the grid in the early mid 90s, when the Internet was just blossoming. The story has mystery, nostalgia, even a bit of romance. A very good page turner!

My favorite book so far this summer! I loved how the novel follows Jane’s journey from a bizarre Montana upbringing to the tech booming ‘90s San Francisco, mirroring her emotional awakening with the rise of the internet. The psychological suspense is gripping, threaded with deep explorations of family loyalty, isolation, and the murky cost of technological progress. Jane’s voice feels achingly real—determined yet vulnerable—and her fight for truth and identity is both haunting and unforgettable.

I really enjoyed the setting of this book - (time: the 1990s/place: remote Montana and Silicon Valley). It's not only a coming of age story of our main character, Jane/Esme, it's also a coming of age story of the .com and internet era.

Jane has been living off grid in a remote Montana cabin with her father for the last 14 years, believing that her mother died when Jane was four years old. On the brink of adulthood, Jane begins to question many things as she finds incriminating evidence upon sneaking into her father's office when he sometimes leaves for days on mysterious trips.

What she finds in his office only unlocks her drive to find out more and more. Unknowingly to Jane, she actually aids her father in committing one of his big first crimes. All he wants to do is protect Jane, and actually society in general, against the thrust of technology and the internet boom emerging in the 90s. Jane fears for her existence and feels she must get to the location of her found evidence - Silicon Valley.

The story turns out to be a wild ride of daughter vs father and father vs. society as Jane's Dad looks at himself as some kind of savior sent to rescue mankind from the technology blitz. Be sure and read the author's note and acknowledgement at the end as she mentions that the character of the Dad is based loosely on the Unabomber. I felt this information made the story even more interesting.

What Kind of Paradise dropped June 3rd. If you like coming of age stories mixed with historical fiction with some added mystery, grab this one. Thank you, NetGalley and Random House, for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

3.5 stars - What Kind of Paradise has certainly made an impact on Bookstagram. Before anything else, I think it’s important to note that this is by no means a thriller, as has been advertised. I would say it should be marketed as a coming of age/historical fiction instead. I was under the impression that this was a thriller so I did go into it expecting a completely different story, perhaps altering my reading experience.

Janelle Brown is an incredible writer. The story itself was compelling, and I was pleasantly surprised that it was set in the 90s as I hadn’t yet read a book during that time period. I enjoyed the main character’s journey discovering her own identity and the struggle she faced while uncovering the truths about her dysfunctional family. The plot explored themes such as the rise of technology and how it affects individuals and society as a whole, as well as themes of intelligence versus madness. It was quite a thought-provoking read.

While it is a strong character-driven story, I did feel the pacing bogged down at times and the overall length of the book felt longer than it was. With that said, I still enjoyed What Kind of Paradise for being something that I usually wouldn’t reach for. I think it’s worth picking up if you’re looking for a slow burn coming of age story.

Many thanks to Random House for sending me a copy in exchange for my honest review.

This book was fascinating. I loved the short chapters and the plot gripped me. I empathized with Jane - rooting for her throughout. That the main character was loosely based on Ted Kaczynski - the Unabomber - was well done as well as the descriptions of the early days of the internet. It brought me back to my college days-early 20s. The social impacts were deeply explored too - the relationships, feelings, morality and choices made. This is a unique coming of age story that has a lot of heart. One of my favorites this year!

"Humans may believe that we are in charge, but we shouldn't be, because we can't be trusted with that power.”

What Kind Of Paradise is allegedly 368 pages, according to Goodreads. I read the ebook and it felt more like 500+ pages so I’m assuming the font was tiny and the margins non-existent (someone with the physical copy please confirm).

This was a BOTM pick and received raving reviews far and wide, so I understand I’m in the minority here. I found it slow, boring, and predictable. Yet somehow also incredibly unrealistic? I’m disinterested in the FMC-raised-in-isolation-and-doesn’t-understand-societal-norms plot that has been overdone the last few years.

2.5⭐️

Took me a little bit to get into but it was so worth it. Not the typical book I would read, but I really liked the main character. Can't wait to read more from this author.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

4 stars

Great book. Jane has lived in the woods in Montana with her reclusive dad her entire life. It is the mid 1990s and while Jane knows all about survival skills she is homeschooled and has limited knowledge of the world. Jane's Dad is very anti technology with a harsh view of the world. Her whole life has just been the two of them. Things happen and she realizes he hasn't been honest with her. Seeing her learn about the modern world and deal with her problems was fantastic. Highly recommend.

This isn’t something that I would normally pick up but I was sent a widget and ended up loving it. The main character was so great and I ended up feeling bad for the dad in the end. Can’t wait for more from the author

The first half of the book tells the story of Jane, a teenager whose father has kept her isolated in the woods of Montana to shelter her from the technological revolution of the '90s. She seems to be fairly happy until she asks her father to come with her on one of his mysterious ventures from the cabin and things do not end well.

From there, we discover a lot about Jane as she discovers a lot about herself, including a new name and history she never knew. We see another side to her father, learn about her mother and watch as she tries to assimilate into modern society after 18 years away from it.

This is a thought-provoking, deep book. It's hard to decide which side of the argument you are on, as all are provided in meaningful ways through emotional connections to characters and their interactions with each other. While the end sort of wrapped up quickly and a little too easily, this is definitely worth reading!

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for this digital ARC in exchange for my honest opinions.

Jane Williams, an intelligent and sheltered, has been raised by her father, a jaded and paranoid sovereign citizen, in a lone cabin in the remote forests of Montana. Jane only has her father for companionship and socialization. As he grows increasingly maniacal in his Luddite philosophies regarding modern society and technology, Jane longs to experience a wider world, despite her naivety. Jane maneuvers a chance to breakaway, but with unexpected and dire consequences.

This was an excellent novel. The suspense, the character development and flow of her writing were outstanding. Thought provoking as well. Her book is a definite must read.

Similar to These Silent Woods and Educated, but I enjoyed both of those more. I liked this one a lot, just didn’t love it like I had hoped.
Intriguing and well paced - it kept me moving though it and I was interested to see where it went!

Janelle Brown delivers a captivating and thought-provoking novel in What Kind of Paradise, skillfully balancing suspense with emotional depth. I was particularly impressed by the strong characterization—not just of the main characters, but also the supporting ones, each of whom felt fully realized and essential to the story. The writing is both powerful and accessible, making it an easy read despite tackling complex themes.

The plot kept me intrigued throughout, never veering into predictability or "fluff." If anything, I found myself wishing for more details about Jane/Esme’s life “after”—her journey felt so rich, I wanted to stay with her longer. Still, this is a compelling and well-crafted novel that I thoroughly enjoyed. Highly recommended. Thank you to the published, author, and Netgslley for the ARC.

I loved this book. It's set in the 90's and is about a father and daughter living off the grid. The daughter escapes to San Francisco and the early internet industry.

This new novel by Janelle Brown will scratch your itch for any number of literary conventions. Here are a few: woman on the run; off-grid living; early internet; conspiracy theories; bad parenting; and self-discovery. In other words, there's never a dull moment.

Jane grows up living with her father in remote Montana. Her father educates her and does it well. She has little interaction with the outside world. It's the 1990s. Her father occasionally vanishes for a few days and Jane takes those opportunities to watch TV, which he keeps locked in his office. He brings a computer home and tasks Jane with uploading his "Manifesto" to the brand new Internet. Her curiosity and innate talent will both tangle her up and serve her well.

There is a lot to dig into with "What Kind of Paradise." It's not a rip-roaring story, but one that carefully peels back its layers to a reveal an un comfortable core. Jane's journey will lead her to surprising places and we will be along with her This is an intelligent novel which explores both the off-grid movement and the excitement of early tech It's human and beyond. Janelle Brown does not disappoint.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a digital review copy for review purposes. All opinions are my own.

i enjoyed this ride a lot (and considering i’m a huge sucker for any off the grid style fiction, i was already counted in). jane grows up in a remote cabin in montana with her dad, who is mysterious and a little off. she’s homeschooled, raised on old philosophy books, and lives completely off the land. she knows nothing about the outside world, and her past is a total mystery. then she learns something horrible, escapes into the real world, and starts digging into what actually happened to her mom.

this was a slow burn, but in the best way. the writing was so lovely and atmospheric, and i thoroughly enjoyed it. highly recommend if you’re into complex family dynamics and slow, mysterious unravelings.