I really did enjoy the book—the settings were excellent and you really could see how it would feel like being isolated in Montana. I liked the switch to early internet start up culture.

There were some odd mistakes though—“two buck chuck” came out in 2002, Clorox wipes and the Sims in 2000. The Sims is having a whole 25th anniversary event which made it stand out more.

Perhaps it because I am the same age as Jane/Esme but these errors were pretty glaring.

A coming-of-age story set in the 90s during the internet boom, this novel follows Jane, a teenager raised in the middle of the woods by her brilliant and hermitic father. As Jane nears adulthood, she grapples with exploring the world outside of their isolated cabin and learning to think for herself—even as she realizes her father (who has always zealously spouted the evils of technology) may not be the man she has always idolized.

Once I started reading this book, I was hooked and couldn’t put it down! I admired Jane’s tenacity to discover the truth, and identified with her struggle to stay true to her family but also forge her own path and identity. I enjoyed how it felt fast-paced but we still got to see Jane’s character development throughout.

What a nostalgic trip back to the 90s with the latest by Janelle Brown! I love her books so I was so excited to dive into her newest. WHAT KIND OF PARADISE travels the ready back to the late 90s when the internet is about to explode... as well as some other things (hint hint). Loosely based on the story of the Unabomber, I had a hard time putting this one down. I thought it was going to be a thriller at first, but while there is a solid mystery running through the center, I think the novel is a big genre-defying.

Jane, our narrator, is a 17 year old girl growing up off the grid in Montana with her Dad. She is sheltered and secluded from the world, that is until her Dad brings home a TV and a computer which she sneaks looks at when he's away. There, the world opens up to her, but once her father founds out, all things go to hell. Taking us on a whirlwind adventure, Jane sets off to figure out life as both an adult and possibly a fugitive at the same time. The book is so well-written and sad and heartfelt. Another great novel from Brown and I can't wait for more.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this novel in exchange for a fair and honest review.

This might just be a five-star read for me. I found even more to love about Janelle Brown in this one, seriously so good! I always know it's a good book when I stay up late reading it!

Jane is a fantastic main character, her personality and background living in the remote setting is so well-developed and believable throughout. You can't help but root for her, not to mention you also can't help but root AGAINST her father.

I admire Jane's journey and her attitude to keep pushing into a new life, despite how scary and "unknown" the future would be if she broke away from the life she knew in Montana. Her story becomes equal parts heart-breaking, thrilling, and captivating.

Brown packs a lot of story into a little more than 360 pages, with an ending that ties a bow on the whole thing. I expect this book and it's story to stand out over time rather than fall into the abyss of the novels I read throughout the year. I will definitely be recommending this one to fellow readers, friends, and family.

What Kind of Paradise is a nail-biting novel from Janelle Brown that I couldn’t put down. The protagonist, Jane, stayed with me for days as I rooted for her twists and turns. It was expertly written with character development that had a balance of empathy and critical examination.

Jane, a teenager in remote Montana, begins to question her entire life which has been warped by her father. The pacing of the novel is masterful, slowly building a sense of dread as Jane pieces together her narrative in her father’s words. Brown perfectly captures Jane as a naive teenager and her father, her only teacher, as an academic brilliance and his disillusionment with modern society.

What Kind of Paradise was believable, unsettling and suspenseful in every possible way and left me wanting more.

Not to get spoilerish in this post but wow this book really drew me in. From finding out the truth about the girls dad to how everything gets resolved it was all wild. Tbh i want more like a novella sequel or a whole full length novel it was such good writing I want more.

This book will make you think! Is technology all it’s cracked up to be? Are we sacrificing things we will regret? Loved the characters and was drawn right in!

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

5⭐️ my first Janelle Brown book, just Wow! This is a must read! Set in rural Montana, teenager Jane lives with her off the grid dad Adam, isolated from the world. Homeschooled and raised without a mom, she’s soon to be 18 and starts to question everything. Where does her dad disappear to and what is in his locked room and desk? A series of events leaves Jane alone and searching in Silicon Valley for answers and the life she was denied.

Beautiful writing, puts you right there in the wilds of Montana and in the birth of tech in Silicone Valley.
The story is engaging, tense and mysterious at times, a real page turner. One of my favorites books this year and I’m sure for 2025!

Thank you NetGalley and Random House for the eARC in exchange for my honest review

TL;DR: the latest from Brown is surprisingly prescient in its exploration of silicon valley, public anger at the 1%, and survivalist living in the face of an overreaching government. It's really well done, and the character work is so strong. Not to mention I found myself on the edge of my seat most of the book. The author continues to be one of the best when it comes to writing complicated, nuanced mother/daughter relationships. This is a home run.

Absolutely amazing. I don't even have words to describe how much I enjoyed this book. The plot, the characters... so so good.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this arc in exchange for an honest review!

This was a good story but for some reason I had a hard time getting into it. Overall I just felt sad for Jane/Esme. I liked the television references and Lionel was probably my favorite character.

Kindly received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Janelle Brown is quickly becoming one of my favorite mystery/thriller authors. Her novels continue to get better and better and this latest offering is no exception.

A book influencer I love was raving about this book, so I immediately requested an ARC, having no clue what this was about. I devoured this book!! It was perfectly executed, the pacing was spot on, and the characters had so much depth and nuance. Somehow this is the first book I've read by Janelle Brown, but definitely not my last. Her writing was deeply researched, gripping and suspensful. I especially enjoyed reading about the early days of the internet, being a teen myself in the late-nineties and visiting endless chat rooms. This book really captivated me and I didn't want it to end. Can't wait to tell everyone to read this book when it releases in June 2025. Thank you NetGalley for the early digital copy.

I loved this and was hooked from the very beginning! The MC was great, teetering between being self sufficient and smart to also being naive based on her isolated upbringing. I found this to be a slow burn mystery, with excellent writing and story to keep me invested. The book tells you upfront what the inevitable end will be, and then takes its time telling the story.

It’s always fun to revisit a time from my childhood like the 90s when the internet and technology were just becoming popular. The use of this time period was very interesting, and it did make me think about how readily available information is now vs then.

Overall a very solid story that kept me invested with great characters and an interesting plot that I recommend!

Thank you, NetGalley, for this uncorrected ebook ARC of 'What Kind of Paradise' by Janelle Brown - expected release date 06/10/2025

ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I've read a few of Brown's previous books and enjoyed them all. I requested this ARC blindly because it was hers, I didn't read the summary first, so I didn't know what this reading journey was going to entail. Holy cow, this book was a trip and I loved everything about it. Totally different vibe than her past books but just as exquisitely written. Kinda has a Stockholm Syndrome-esque feel to it, regarding Jane's relationship with her father. Is he a criminal, a conspiracy theorist, manic, paranoid, or truly trying to protect his daughter from the strangling fingers of technology development and the dangers of the outside world? About halfway through, intentionally damaging actions are taken, secrets are revealed and Jane is forced to start life on her own. The different plotlines of the story weave together perfectly, told from Jane's sometimes wise, sometimes naive point of view. Such an intense read! I was on the edge of my seat and I stayed up way too late because I just couldn't put it down. This book will be a top read for 2025.

A solid mystery/thriller! This reminded me of the novel The Silent Woods, which I devoured and was one of my best the year it came out. In What Kind of Paradise there is great suspense , mystery and a likable main character. Following along ties Jane as she unravels her past and looks to the future - I was totally engaged in her story beginning to end. Solid read!

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group for providing this ARC for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

What Kind of Paradise by Janelle Brown follows a teenage girl, Jane, who has spent her childhood in seclusion in the Montana wilderness with her father. After introducing the early internet into their lives, Jane realizes that she’s part of something much greater and more sinister than her father’s led her to believe. Fleeing to San Francisco, Jane seeks to find a truth about her identity by both learning about her past and about who she wants to be on her own.

(Spoiler alert here:) This book’s main premise is a fictionalized version of the Unabomber saga. The father, Adam, is the same ‘tortured, radicalized genius’ with a similar career and backstory. He writes a manifesto and turns to domestic terror. Where things depart history is that this posits, what if he had a daughter? What if he had an ex-wife as part of his lore? This is what is probably the most interesting element of the story, which is seeing how easily the concept of a younger, unwitting accomplish slots in. A brainwashed, sheltered teen with esteem for her father creates a nice, complicated narrator grappling with her identity.

Without spending too much of this review going through the individual questions the book posits, this story does bring up a lot of discussions of agency, technology, parentage, and radicalization. While the author can sometimes be a little too over handed with trying to pose some of the questions, it would be an excellent option for a book club, as it covers a lot of pretty big ideas.

I think that this book, despite dealing with some pretty heavy themes, is very readable. The prose is relatable and engaging, while still not trivializing what Jane is going through.

Where this book was disappointing was in the pacing. It felt like the book came to such an ending, and then the ‘postscript’ was so abrupt. It felt like a quick summary that didn’t do justice to the rest of the story, and it seemed a little hurried comparatively. It’s my opinion that the two book end chapters in present day did little to add to the narrative. I felt like they made the pacing somewhat uneven. The information that was given in these chapters didn’t improve the story, and I think the narrative is best ended on the very finite but open ended note of the final 1990s chapter.

I think for people who enjoy crime stories, this is a wonderful choice. Despite the fact that it’s not true crime per se, it uses a real life inspiration that makes it compelling option. I’d rate this a 3.5/5 but will round it up for a 4/5 for the purpose of review.

I feel like "The Great Alone" by Kristin Hannah pulled off the dangerous loner father trope better. Jane doesn't seem to really struggle to adapt and she always manages to luck out into finding someone willing to take a chance on her, despite her complete lack of...anything. This isn't bad, but it is so busy rushing through to make it's saying something Important that it never actually says anything.

This book was GREAT and I finished it in less than 24 hours because i was so caught up in the story.

It gave you so much to think about how Jane had no other outside influences and her sheltered life led her to be so conflicted with everything she was confronted with.

It hurt my heart almost physically when Jane/Esme found her mother and wasn't presented with the scenario she had yearned for since she found out there was a possibility she was alive.

The writing was so amazing to me, to evoke so many feelings -sympathies, anger, sadness and so much more.

I really, really liked this book. I thought the premise was so interesting. I liked the main character a lot. The author did a good job of making this story believable. I found the AI stuff very interesting.