2.5 stars-Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book, releasing this Tuesday June 3rd!

This novel follows Jane, being raised by her father off the grid in rural Montana. After a series of bad events, Jane flees to San Francisco, where she arrives at the start of the dot com boom happening in the mid-1990s. This novel was an interesting look at the rise of the tech industry and the beginnings of conversations about what effects the internet and technology would have on our lives-would they lead to a utopian future or to the destruction of all that makes us human? This was an interesting theme and I don't remember having read something that tackles these questions during this time period, so definite points for originality there. Unfortunately, while the book was a quick read and I generally liked the writing, I didn't really connect with Jane or most of the other characters-while I think given her background her naivete and the mistakes she makes weren't necessarily out of character, I found them frustrating and felt like I was just along for the ride as I read, instead of really rooting for her or being deeply invested in her story and its outcome. Overall I didn't feel much of a connection with anything in here.

Wow, this is certainly Janelle Brown's most gripping novel to date. As usual, she sets our characters in high risk and bizarre situations that have you thinking “what would I do….” Jane is pretty realistic teen FMC. I enjoyed the research that went into both the philosophical and technological elements. It did feel too heavy handed in these areas, just enough to show the madness that consumed Saul, and eventually Jane. Thank you very much for this ARC, I will be recommending it!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc and to PRH Audio for the alc.

This was another mesmerizing thriller from Janelle Brown. I was hooked from the first page. What I especially liked about this book, is that it played out kind of like a movie. Additionally, I don't think I have ever read anything quite like this book before. I loved following Jane/Esme's story and watching her grow as an FMC. As for the audiobook narrators, Helen Laser did a great job as always, and I had never listened to Peter Ganim before, but I would be interested in listening to more by him in the future. I can't wait for Janelle Brown's next book!

I did not want to put this book down! I was immediately curious about Jane and her father as we learn of their solitary existence in the Montana wilderness, then as events begin to occur and Jane is faced with some harsh realities, the pace of the story picks up and I was hooked. I loved the nostalgia of the 90s internet (remember flashing neon text on webpages anyone?) and some of the more complex themes in this story like how technology has shaped our society and how it influences children. This book does a good job of presenting both sides.

If you're looking for a traditional thriller, this is not that. I would consider it more of a literary suspense, as there is strong character development and significant literary themes to wrestle with as the story unfolds. There are definitely moments of suspense and a twist or two, but this story is less about the shocking twists and more about Jane's experience. I thought the ending was perfect.

My review will be posted to my Instagram grid on Monday, and I will highlight the book in my stories next week.

I thoroughly enjoyed this story, even though it’s not my typical read! Jane is a seventeen year old who lives with her father in a remote area of Montana. She is homeschooled, but most of her education comes from listening to her father’s beliefs about technology and the threat of technology to the future of mankind. When a rare opportunity arises for Jane to leave their home with her father, things turn quite chaotic, and Jane enters a future she never imagined. Along the way she will find answers to her past, and her true character will be revealed.

Wow this is a dark novel for Jenelle Brown!!!!!!!!! It was a very, enjoyable read and i couldn't read it fast enough!!!!!!!

What Kind of Paradise by Janelle Brown is a suspenseful read that is perfect for a summer escape! This author wrote another book, Pretty Things, that captured my attention so I was excited to get an advance copy of this story!

The premise of this book is that a girl named Jane lives in an isolated cabin in Montana with her father during the 1990s. The main character's name is Jane (or is it?) and she knows no other life than the life with her father.

As the story unfolds, Jane begins to wonder about her past. What really happened to her mother? Her father says that she is dead. Why does she live her life in such a remote area?

As Jane becomes older, she has more questions for her father. Soon, she finds herself an accomplice to a crime and must flee the only life she has known.

I really enjoyed this story. I found myself wanting to know more about Jane, her history, and to see where she would end up.

This book had the potential to be my favourite so far this year. It made me ponder the rapid rise of technology and its influence on our society, along with how it can impact relationships (in this case, family dynamics). Along with its thought-provoking message, the plot had me hooked from the beginning. At first, it reminded me of The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah, one of my favourite books. They had a lot of similarities — both teenage girls are trapped in isolated lifestyles and under certain political influences of their fathers. The ending was quite anti-climactic, though. I wish it had a stronger climax and more unravelling of the story after.

My first book by this author and I will certainly not be my last! What a ride. I loved the character progression and the atompshere was so immersive.

A beautifully written devastating novel about Jane, a seventeen year old young woman faced with terrible choices. Raised off the grid by her father in Montana, she has no understanding of so many things except that something isn't quite right. And then it's 1995 and her father who has been writing a manifesto based on his thinking about among other things, computers, buys a lap tap and gets her to learn to create a website. This opens her world, especially when she connects to Spencer in San Francisco. More importantly she finds a photo and other information in his desk that leads her to believe he hasn't been telling her everything about her mother. When he ropes her into a bombing at a tech company, it gives her both a chance to escape and puts her in a horrible position. It's the after that is tortuous as Jane who now knows she is actually Esme gets a job at a tech company and begins to build a life, always looking over her shoulder and for her mother. Brown acknowledges that her father, his thinking, and his actions echoes the Unabomber but Jane (and her mother) are unique. You'll feel for her as she struggles with all of it. This was a real page turner for me- what would Jane/Esme do? Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. This is terrific.

This was a page turner! I really enjoyed the story of Jane/Esme. I really rooted for her to get away from her dad and have a normal life.

Thank you for the eARC of What Kind of Paradise, I absolutely loved this story. The setting, the time frame, Jane/Esme's voice was fantastic!
If I'm going to offer any sort of criticism, what was her name!? lol
Excellent book, can't wait to recommend this one over and over!

Filled with tension!

A young woman is raised in an isolated cabin in the woods by her father who suffers from paranoia and delusions.

I really enjoyed this story! I can’t believe it took me so long to pick up one of Janelle Brown’s books, but I’m excited to explore her other titles now. The complexities of Jane/Esme’s parents surprised and swayed my opinion from beginning to end, and that’s something I always enjoy. At first, detesting her dad and then feeling sorry for him, while having the opposite reaction to her mother. I found the corporate tech angle of her parents’ backgrounds intriguing, especially her father’s spiral into paranoid delusions based on the future of the internet. Jane/Esme had an unfortunate life which she was able to break free from, making her instantly likable. The book definitely gripped me from the start, the pace was fast, and the story held my interest. I loved the 90s timeframe and San Fran setting after Jane/Esme and her father became separated and she finally meets her mother. The shocking scene with the security guard getting shot still sticks in my mind. I found the end satisfying after she finally gained independence, but also sad considering what happened to her relationships with her parents.

For readers who enjoy stories layered with suspense, about dysfunctional families, set in the 90s.

Growing up in an isolated cabin in Montana in the mid-1990s, Jane has only her father to rely on. They live off of the land, use a woodstove to heat their cabin, and Jane is homeschooled. Her father tells her little about his past - just that he used to work for the tech industry until he decided that it was destructive and out to destroy humanity, and that Jane's mother had died in a car crash. Jane's father has a manifesto that is online that details everything that he believes about technology. He had Jane help him set it up, but she is questioning of his views, and when she comes across a picture of herself and a woman and the names were entirely different, she begins to question what else he is hiding. When he goes on one of his "trips" she asks to accompany him, planning to use that to escape him. However, everything goes horribly wrong. She is forced to shoot a security guard in self defense, and then jane goes on the run. When she sees news headlines detailing a horrific crime that she realizes her father was responsible for, Jane realizes she can never go back to Montana. Even though she had no idea what he had been planning, she is afraid she will be considered an accomplice to his crime, especially when both of their names are listed as being wanted by the FBI in connection with the case. Jane flees to San Francisco, to her birthplace, changing her name back to her original name. She hopes to find her mother, and decide who she is and how she will go on from here.

This book was so good. It wasn't a thriller, more of a general fiction novel. There was some suspense as the FBI closed in on her, and she was feeling cornered and didn't know what to do, but for the most part it was a novel about a girl who was trying to reinvent herself. Because she had led such a sheltered life, there were so many things she didn't know - she had never had a Happy Meal, or Flamin' Hot Cheetos, had no idea how to buy her bra at age eighteen, thought you had to go to the library if you wanted to look up a number in a phone book. Those parts made me smile. Other parts, parts where she was hurting, or rejected by a parent, or just didn't know what to do - those parts made me want to give her a hug. I can't imagine the culture shock of entering a world at eighteen, and not understanding most of what you see and hear. I can't imagine having a parent that raised you, that has done something so horrific, and now you need to make the decision whether or not to turn them in. I can not recommend this one enough!

4 stars

I try to go into books with as little information as possible, and this is one of those times when that strategy paid off. Prospective readers should come in the same way for maximum enjoyment.

Jane lives with her dad in a fully off the grid situation in Montana, and as any typical reader will identify immediately, things are not okay with him. Also, things are not great with Jane, though she does not really have much to compare to, so she's not fully aware of how different her life is from a typical teen's. Her dad's distaste for institutions, various aspects of technology, and general social norms makes him a tough nut to crack. It's one thing to control a child, but it's a whole other problem to confine an adult to a life without options.

Through some shocking turns, Jane makes dramatic realizations and backs them up with some equally dramatic actions. I really enjoyed the way Jane is written. She grows and reveals incredible resilience in so many disparate situations. She's a real testament to the human condition, and that was certainly not an outcome I was expecting from where I saw this all going.

Brown effectively captures the era in which most of this book is set, from the attitudes toward technology to the pop culture references (because we were all racing home to watch Buffy on VHS!). I loved the sense of place, the way the characters and plot evolve, and even the grittiness. This is a big win for this author and for readers, too.

Jane is growing up in a totally isolated cabin in Montana in the mid 90's with only her father. She only knows what he teaches her and is very evasive about their past and where they came from. All she knows is that her Mother is dead. The older Jane gets, she really starts to question things more and more. She finally talks her Dad into taking her on one of his mysterious trips to town. She unwittingly becomes an accomplice in a horrible crime that he commits. She has no choice to run. She has uncovered some details about their past that don't make sense, so she heads to California to try to find the truth. The more she learns, the more torn she becomes. She loves her Dad, but also knows that he's not a good man. The rest of the story follows her as she wrestles with the truth and gets involved in the newly emerging internet world. Will she do the right thing or get sucked back into her Dad's world, and will she get the answers she wants about her past. I would call this one a more literary suspense and great for Summer reading.

Thank you to @netgalley and @randomhouse for this #gifted copy. Released on June 3, so preorder now!

Janelle Brown hit it out of the park with this one. I cried. I gasped. I enjoyed watching this mystery unfold and getting a glimpse into this really flawed family.

I wasn’t sure this one would be my cup of tea… but wow, was I wrong. From the very first page, I was hooked—and the story never loosened its grip until the very last line. Janelle Brown has crafted a rich, emotionally layered novel that’s all about the people: their flaws, their secrets, their tangled, beautiful connections.

At the center is Jane, a deeply compelling protagonist whose story unfolds with quiet power. This is a character-driven novel in the truest sense, and every one of them—Jane, her family, even the people on the periphery—feels real, complex, and achingly human.

What really struck me were the family themes, especially the nuanced exploration of father-daughter and mother-daughter relationships. There’s so much tenderness and pain wrapped into those bonds, and Brown writes them with honesty and depth.

Another standout element was the setting in the early digital age. It’s such a fascinating lens—watching the internet begin to seep into everyday life, before social media became what it is now. Brown captures that in-between era so vividly, and it adds a quietly powerful backdrop to the story’s emotional core.

What Kind of Paradise surprised me in the best way. It’s smart, intimate, and full of heart. If you love character-driven fiction with emotional complexity and just the right amount of nostalgia, this is one you won’t want to miss.

What Kind of Paradise by Janelle Brown is a mesmerizing and layered story that will stick with you long after the final chapter. This isn’t your typical thriller; it reads more like a beautifully written blend of literary fiction and mystery. Brown crafts a slow-burning, emotionally complex tale centered on Jane, a teenage girl raised in total isolation by her father in a remote Montana cabin. Her journey, both literal and emotional, as she unravels her father’s secrets and searches for her own identity in late-90s San Francisco is utterly gripping.

Set against the early days of the internet and the shifting landscape of California, this novel explores big questions about freedom, trust, and what it means to truly belong. It’s eerie, poignant, and thought-provoking, with prose that pulls you in and refuses to let go.

I loved this book - a top read for 2025 so far! Thrillers are not my go to genre but I could not put this one down. This is one that will stick with you and the questions it raises around technology and the impact on humanity. I don’t want to give anything away by summarizing much, because I think the beauty in reading is being surprised as the story unfolds. This was my first book by this author and I’m looking forward to exploring her backlist for more! Thank you so much to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for the ARC.