"...I could see exactly what he meant: What kind of paradise we inhabited, the utopia he so desperately wanted our world to be." -Jane

Jane lives a secluded existence, totally controlled by her father. She has nothing to compare to, no touch with society other than what her father deems appropriate for her. It's the 1990's and at seventeen she has been 'home-schooled' by a man who shuns society in general, hates technology and has educated her by way of 19th century philosophy. After begging to go with her father on one of his trips away from their cabin in Montana she is shocked to realize that she is part of a horrific crime. What has her father done? Who are they really? Is her mother really dead as he has told her?

I received an advanced reader's copy of this book from the author and publisher through NetGalley. I finished in the wee hours of this morning, and I can honestly say I am not sure how I feel about it. "Jane" is a magnetic character. Through the pages I did come to care about her. I was invested in what would happen to her, what had happened from her early days forward. She is so sheltered having been raised by a selfish, most probable mentally disturbed individual. She is an incredibly naive child. It's sad.
I think part of my problem is the timing in the story. It starts with an adult character, mother of a teenager, who tells her story by recalling the events of her life with memories and her father's writing. In some places it dragged for me, mostly where her father added to the story. It wasn't long before I thought of Ted Kaczynski. I will leave it at that.
The girl is a believable character who comes across as realistic in speech, thought and naivety. I will admit that the father made some sense at times. He was a deluded and awful person in his quest to have a perfect world for his daughter. There is suspense as she steps from her known world, her father's utopia, into the 'real' one. It certainly highlights the introduction of computers, Internet and the 'sides' of the value of both. (Makes one think with AI, etc. of today.) There are some very sad things for Jane to deal with also. She does stay mentally strong in my opinion.
Lionel is a character that shines in this story. He is one reason why I can say the book was worth reading. This is my own unsolicited opinion.

Language
Trigger: 'kidnapped by parent'
Having no choice

I felt like id read this book before. The first section, with her dad, was so similar to other books i've read that I found it boring and it just took forever to move on. The rest of the book failed to make up for the beginning.

Thanks to Netgalley and Random House for the ARC of this book. I had heard a lot of hype about this book, and it did not disappoint. It is hard to describe without any spoilers, but it is about Jane, the daughter of two extremely intelligent Silicon Valley pioneers. She is raised by her father off the grid in Montana after he turns away from technology and comes to believe it will destroy the world. It is very much a coming of age story about Jane, who grows up isolated and homeschooled by her father. Once she moves to the real world, namely San Francisco at the birth of the dot com boom, she must confront her feelings about her dad. Unlike most teenagers, her view of her dad is pretty nuanced even though his behavior was extreme. In San Francisco, Jane is also exposed to a utopian view of technology that is the polar opposite of what she was taught growing up. In addition to a think piece about the impact of information technology on society, this novel also ends up being a fantastic period piece about San Francisco circa 2000. It was only 25 years ago, but the painful naivete and hero worship of that period feels worlds away. Like Jane's parents, geniuses who lacked key social and parenting skills, the lack of understanding of how humans would manipulate technology has proven very costly. Despite his actions, Jane's dad ends up looking like the prophet. Even though it is definitely a.page turner, I would classify this book as literary fiction.

This was a long book. Centered around technology advacements and what one man would do to try and keep that away from his family. Parts were a little long and borning, but overall a pretty good story. I liked how they made one character out to be the 'villian' only to discover later, that really was not the case.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Jane is a teenage girl, raised isolated in the wilderness of Montana with only her father to keep her company. She know almost nothing about her past or her dead mother, and next to nothing about the modern world which is just outside of her reach. As both her father's thinking and behaviors become more fringe and concerning, Jane makes a brave and desperate plan to escape her life of seclusion and find answers about who she is and where she came from.
This is the kind of "thriller" I tend to like- slower burn and cerebral, although at times it did slow to the point of become a tiny bit sluggish. I still enjoyed it, but this is good to know going in. Brown does an excellent job of presenting two sides of a philosophical debate about what constitutes progress, as well as the dangers of hubris and the choice to live in an echo chamber. It's also a coming of age story- maybe an extreme one, but the themes are universal. That said, Jane's loneliness and confusion felt visceral and heartbreaking. I unhesitatingly recommend this to a variety of readers and am glad to have finally read one of Ms. Brown's books! I was not disappointed.

From the ARC: "Never underestimate the power of love to lead you down the path toward willful blindness. Faith in the people you adore doesn’t disappear slowly, with each tiny disappointment; instead, it collapses all at once, like the final snowfall that triggers an avalanche when the weight suddenly becomes too much to bear."

I read and really enjoyed two of this author's books, Pretty Things and I'll be You, which fell in the mystery/thriller/suspense genres. This book is categorized as thriller, suspense, psychological fiction, so I went in expecting a fast paced book with a twist or two. I don't think that this book actually falls under those genres, and I'm not sure where it belongs (coming of age?) but I don't think I'm the most qualified person to review this novel. That said, here goes:

What I liked:
Jane's father, Saul, is a highly intelligent character. We're introduced to him at a point in his life when his narcissistic and paranoid tendencies have taken over and clouded the ability to use his incredible mind rationally. Jane was raised by her father alone in a cabin in the woods, with minimal influence from the outside world. He had little difficulty imposing his anti-technology, anti-government, self-reliant belief system upon her. Plus, if Jane needs any further defense than being brainwashed from a young age, there was truth to portions of his beliefs. We are wasteful, we do buy a lot of useless crap that ends up in landfills within a relatively short period of time, we should mend instead of replace and we definitely should respect nature more. But his beliefs go beyond that into extremist territory, especially with regard to technology. While he initially attempted to disseminate these beliefs via a magazine he wrote & sold through a local bookstore, that ability came to a halt and technology continued to progress leading him to feel the need to take drastic action.

Jane shares insight into what her life was like growing up with her father both living off the land and being homeschooled. We see how she was manipulated into helping her father commit an atrocious act. Most interesting, I think, was her introduction and adaptation to society (once going back home to the cabin was no longer an option) and the accompanying realization of all the things her father hid from her. Even with that knowledge, it's still profoundly difficult for Jane to see her father in black and white as the rest of the world does.

This was very well written and I am sure it will captivate the right audience. It read like a memoir. For me, I thought it progressed slowly and I didn't feel the constant pull to pick it back up as with books I'm really into, but I read mysteries, thrillers and fantasy which tend to move at quick & suspenseful pace.

Thank you Netgalley, Random House and Janelle Brown for the ARC.

What a compelling novel! This newest story by Janelle Brown reads like a memoir and is unputdownable. The characters of Jane and her father are convincingly crafted and the story trajectory is nuanced and true. Loved every minute of reading What Kind of Paradise. #RandomHouse #netgalley

Jane and her father, Saul, live a very isolated life in a remote cabin in Montana. When her mother was killed in a car accident, Jane was homeschooled and isolated, alone with her father, except for her trips to the local bookstore. Saul isn't the best father. He leaves for days at a time, and when he is home, he writes his thoughts about the downfall of society and technology. When he returns from his trip this time, he returns with a computer. Anxious and curious Jane teaches herself how to use the computer, and the world outside of the cabin opens in front of her. Once she's learned more about the world, and made a friend in San Francisco, Jane begs Saul to take her with him on his outing. When he does, everything spirals and Jane has no choice but head to San Francisco.

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Well, well, well..... Saul is brilliant, but clearly suffering from mental illness. Jane is being held back from the modern world because of this illness. Janelle Brown does an excellent job of creating a claustrophobic setting; you can feel the body heat and the smells of living in close quarters.

Essentially, this is a story about family, growing up, and finding your own way. It's powerful storytelling, and this book is a gem.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.

An engrossing and suspenseful story about a father and daughter who live off-grind. I found myself turning every page with rapt attention as the eeriness of their situation came to light. A one-sitting type of read!

an interesting drama that comments on the rise of technology and a teenager’s quest to find herself after a life of isolation and unanswered questions.

i found the premise to be intriguing, but ultimately this fell a little flat. the pacing was off. there were parts that had me immersed in the story, while other chapters dragged. it took me a while to get into this book. there was a lot of terminology used that made it hard to follow, but made sense for the characters.

overall, a solid story, but i wasn’t particularly attached to it. however, i wish that esme and lionel ended up together! i thought that they would :(

thanks to netgalley and random house for this digital arc in exchange for a review! all thoughts are my own :)

I did enjoy this book but honestly it was so similar in the first half to another similar novel that I found myself a bit distracted and struggled to keep going. In the end, I’m glad I did because it was a very compelling story with so much to love. A slow burn with a good payoff for sure.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4 for me, and I’m sure I’ll be an outlier. I've already seen rave reviews from other readers that I trust.

I've read 1 or 2 of the author's previous books and enjoyed them. The slow story and build in this one kept me from feeling connected to the characters and story. I liked the protagonist a lot but it felt like we jumped years in her life, when her true character was being built. Good setting. Different topic for me. But all in all, it didn't grip me as a suspense or mystery story should.

I really enjoyed this book. Very thought provoking with a gripping story. Loved the protagonist, Jane.

This was such a unique and fascinating book. A nostalgic mystery that takes us back to the 90’s. Jane is 17 and lives off grid in the desolate woods of Montana with her father. She is homeschooled and knows no one besides her dad. He is anti-government and warns of the dangers of technology. As she gets older she starts to wonder about the world outside of her sheltered life. She leaves her father and has to navigate this all new life. I was invested in reading about the difficulties Jane faces and how the author explored the birth of technology. Having grown up through those times it definitely brought back memories of those times for me. As Jane uncovers secrets, she is caught in the middle. She doesn't know if she can believe the things her dad has said. It was full of suspense and I loved the true crime vibes too. I wouldn't call this a thriller, it was more a character study, and a coming of age. The pacing was steady and the mystery was gripping. I really liked this one

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the gifted copy. All opinions are my own.

This was NOT what I expected at all but I found it absolutely gripping. In the 1990s, a teenager lives in the wilderness with her paranoid/prepper/Luddite father, who wants her to help him spread his anti-technology manifesto on the brand new world wide web. This process will lead to a series of dramatic events and her uncovering of some secrets her father has been hiding.

My full review will be up May 27, but if you remember dial up internet, surfing the net, etc. you should try this one. (Or if you're a young millennial or Gen Z curious about life before AI, smartphones, and social media.)

It's the mid-1990s, and seventeen-year-old Jane Williams is living a secluded life with her father, Saul, in a remote cabin in Montana. After the death of her mother in a car accident when she was very young, Jane has been homeschooled and rarely interacts with others, except for when she visits the local bookstore. Saul spends his time writing his thoughts about society and his concerns about the dangers of emerging technology. He often leaves Jane alone for days at a time. After his last absence, he returns with an IBM computer. After Jane teaches herself how to use it, the world opens up. When Jane begs to go with Saul on his next outing, everything turns to disaster. Seeing no other choice, Jane runs away and heads to San Francisco.

I've read Janelle Brown's books, but none of them could have prepared me for her latest, What Kind of Paradise. It is a deep and thought-provoking story that delves into the mind of a brilliant man (perhaps a madman) who is trying to protect his daughter and others from a doomsday scenario where machines/AI control our lives. The story is intentionally claustrophobic as Jane is essentially a captive of her father's beliefs. Once she breaks free, the story is extremely intriguing as Jane has to exist on her own, clearly benefiting from the survival skills she had learned throughout her years with Saul. This is a well-done blend of genres set during the period when home computers were increasingly being brought into households and the World Wide Web started to change everything. It was a captivating read. 

4.25 stars.

Jane lives in a cabin in the Montana woods with her father, a zealot, as her only company. When she gets wrapped up in one of his schemes, they lose one another, with Jane alone for the first time in her life. This book isn’t a mystery, nor a thriller like it’s being marketed. It’s a story about a teenage woman coming into her own, finding her identity and shedding the false beliefs that were jammed into her brain from childhood from a paranoid delusional father. I enjoyed the story, once I understood that it wasn’t going to be the fast paced of some of her others. I’m still searching for that high I felt reading PRETTY THINGS! Instead, this story will make you sympathize with Jane, it will also make you want to jump into the pages and shake her. The journey was a long one, but one I gladly took in parallel.

What Kind of Paradise is about Jane, who grows up in an isolated Montana cabin, believing her father is her whole world. But when she uncovers a terrible truth, she runs to San Francisco searching for answers—and starts to question everything she thought she knew about her past, her parents, and herself.

I loved Janelle’s previous books so I was really looking forward to What Kind of Paradise. I had mixed feelings about this one. The premise was interesting, but the execution felt meh. It’s not really a thriller as it leans more toward general fiction with a hint of suspense. The pacing was uneven where the beginning drew me in, but the second half dragged and felt way too slow. All the tech talk made me lose interest. I just couldn’t connect with Jane as she felt too emotionally distant for me to feel much empathy toward her. The ending also wrapped up a little too neatly. Overall, this one just didn’t work for me the way I hoped.

I thoroughly enjoyed this story of father-daughter relationships, the positive and negative impacts of technology, and coming of age in the turbulent 1990s.

After living in isolation with her tech-fearing father, Jane discovers information that, through her father, links her to a terrible crime. This motivates her to step out of isolation and head to the Bay Area, where her father said her mother died in a car accident. Once there, she starts to question everything she knows about her upbringing, her parents, and the Internet at large.

What Kind of Paradise is an emotionally resonant coming of age story, with a richly textured 90s backdrop and a twisty plot that will have you on the edge of your seat!

📱What a fascinating concept! Thank you to @randomhouse for the sneak peek, and @reliablebookgirl_rbg for the great rec. This is out June 3rd!

📱 This book takes place in the 90’s tech boom and it’s got all the nostalgia ($3 Starbucks drinks y’all). It’s also about someone who saw some of the dangers tech was going to bring to society — and how he chose to handle that.

📱 There was some inconstant pacing with this, but overall I tore through it pretty quickly and really enjoyed it. I liked that it made me think but was also just very entertaining. Overall, I definitely recommend it..