Janelle Brown’s newest novel, What Kind of Paradise, is a slow-burn, coming-of-age thriller that excels in exploring the conflict of familial loyalty, technology, and finding one’s identity.

This novel focuses on Jane, a teenager growing up in an isolated cabin in Montana in the 90s with her father. Jane remembers very little of her past, but knows that her father was a Harvard graduate who used to work in tech in Silicon Valley before her mother’s tragic death caused him to move to Montana with Jane. As Jane grows up with very little access to the outside world, her father instructs her on his beliefs regarding the future of the world and the dangers of technology, as the internet continues to become increasingly popular. Jane becomes more involved in the publication of his teachings in an online manifesto, and she learns that her father is determined to make his thoughts known to the outside world, by whatever means are necessary.

When Jane is forced to run away after her father escalates his teachings into violence, she creates a new existence in San Francisco, in hopes of discovering more about her mother and her past. In doing so, she begins to work in tech and learns more about the internet, determining for herself the good and potential harm it may bring. But when her past catches up to her, she must make the ultimate choice: stay loyal to her past or forge ahead with her future.

As someone who grew up as a teenager in the 90s, this was such a fascinating read for me. It brought back the early days I remember, when the internet was young and we were all intrigued yet uncertain of it. It’s definitely a slow burn thriller and focuses on the internal conflict Jane faces as she wrestles with the love and respect she has for her father, combined with the realization that her simple existence must be broadened once she enters the outside world. Her internal conflict deepens when she understands the lengths to which her father will go to make his voice heard, and she is forced into a choice that no child should face. This novel takes inspiration from a major case that I remember as I grew up in the 90s, and I enjoyed Jane’s perspective throughout the narrative.

Also, the importance of the timing of this novel cannot be overstated. The internet has forever changed how we view our world, our history, and truth. This glimpse back into when it first began was bittersweet. Yes, it connected us in a way we never had before. But it irrevocably changed us, and this novel highlights that as a warning to us now.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for this gifted eARC, in exchange for my honest review.

If you loved psychological family dramas like Pretty Things or thrillers with a strong philosophical undercurrent, this novel will grip you. It’s a razor-sharp tale of faith, freedom, and the cost of finding your own truth — and one of the most memorable thrillers of 2025 thus far.

This was not what I was expecting, and in the best way. Set in the 90's, this is the story of Jane, who lives in isolation in Montana with her father. Her father has very strong beliefs about the way the world is heading with the up and coming use of the internet and potential for growth in technology and AI in the future. When Jane helps her father do a task that leads to many terrible consequences, she has to find her way into the world outside of her home and discover some hard truths about her life. This book was a page turner. Part mystery, part nostalgia (oh dial up!) and party family drama?! There were many layers to this book and I really devoured it. It also had me thinking about the way the world felt back when I was the same age as Jane during this story and we were getting new technology tossed our way almost every day. The growth of what the internet was then to what it is now is something I remember, but this book reminded me how much of a change it truly has been in just the past 30 years. This was a great read and I can't wait to check out other books by Janelle Brown! Thank you netgalley for this arc in exchange for my honest opinion.

The dawn of the internet has never been more interesting!

Author Janelle Brown has sucked me into another one of her thrillers, this time focusing on a father who forces his daughter to live an extremely sheltered life in the Montana wilderness. She finally decides to break free from his cultlike influence over her, but that happens to be the same day that he decides to try & get his personal manifesto noticed by the world at large, resulting in disastrous consequences…

Jane figuring out how to live independently of her father in San Francisco is a fascinating look at the life programmers led when the internet was first beginning, & a vast array of views on technology were explored in this compelling story. I really enjoyed the message that humans need community, & am already looking forward to reading whatever this author comes up with next.

Thank you very much to NetGalley & Random House for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I have not read any of Brown’s previous books before but I was intrigued by the premise of this latest work. Jane has grown up in a state of tabula rasa; she only knows what her father has taught her, which has left her with large gaps in her education. She does not see anything particularly wrong with living in isolation, nor does she fully understand how her father is perceived by others.

Now, being of a certain age, I can remember stories in the news involving isolated cabins in the woods and manifestos etc, so the plot hooked me from the very beginning. Jane might have been clueless about her father’s intentions, but I knew what was going to happen. However, there were other plot elements that took me by surprise; I appreciated the big reveal.

I would absolutely recommend What Kind of Paradise. I’m approximately the same age as Jane, so it was easy to empathize with her. Knowing how her situation would unfold did not affect my interest– rather, I was more invested in the outcome because I wanted to see how Jane would handle herself. This is my first experience reading one of Brown’s books, but it certainly won’t be my last.


I received a digital ARC of this book from Random House/NetGalley.

Janelle Brown’s What Kind of Paradise is a gripping blend of coming-of-age drama and psychological thriller. The story follows Jane, a girl raised off the grid by a survivalist father, as she escapes into 1990s San Francisco and uncovers the truth about her past—and the dark side of her father's life. Set against the early days of the internet, the novel explores identity, control, and the definition of freedom. Brown’s writing is sharp and the tension and plot is slow-burning. A perfect read for fans of character-driven suspense. Thank you Random House Publishing Group and Net Galley for an advance copy of this book. I give this 4.5 stars.

I throughly enjoyed this book!

It was thought provoking, enticing, and I didn’t want to put it down.

I found the characters to be so complex and interesting. I loved the way the author gave each and every one of them incredible depth and layers.

I would definitely recommend this book to anyone and everyone!

I received a a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and statements are my own.

Jane lives off the grid in an isolated cabin in the woods with her father. The two of them moved there after her mother was killed in a car accident when Jane was young. She’s home-schooled by her father, and they make occasional trips into town so he can deliver the zines he writes and self publishes to their local bookstore. On one of her father’s multi-day trips away from the cabin – she assumes he’s contacting people supportive of his views in the zine – Jane starts becoming suspicious of her father and what he’s told her about their life. This was a very fast read – I had a hard time putting it down and couldn’t wait to find out what exactly had happened that led to Jane’s father’s views and the life they shared. I can't wait to go back and read some of the author's previous books. Many thanks to NetGalley, Ms. Brown, and Random House for the ARC of this title.

A fascinating, character-driven thriller with a ripped-from-the-headlines feel, this story of a girl raised in isolation by a man modeled after the Unabomber is fast-paced yet personal, and impossible to put down.

A Brilliant Exploration of Technology and Human Connection

"What Kind of Paradise" tells the story of Jane, raised in isolation by her father in a Montana cabin during the mid-1990s. When she discovers her devotion to him has made her complicit in something terrible, she flees to the Bay Area—the only connection to her mysterious past. There, in a region transformed by the early internet boom, Jane must confront both her history and a rapidly changing world that challenges everything she thought she knew.

This book is brilliant. Janelle Brown has crafted a novel that raises profound questions about technology's role in our lives without ever boring the reader. This book was exceptionally well-written—the prose was never flowery or over-intellectualized, but rather clear and resonant. Instead of unnecessary exposition about the dangers of technology, Brown seamlessly weaves the book's themes into a compelling narrative. This is undoubtedly a literary thriller--a genre we need more of.

I would recommend this novel to readers who loved "God of the Woods" or Liz Moore's work more generally. Like Moore, Brown excels at writing with empathy, asking critical questions, and perhaps, most importantly, entertaining her readers.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the ARC, in exchange for my honest thoughts.

I have to admit that this book took me a little while to get into. It had a really slow start and I picked it up and put it down a few times before really committing to it. But once I did, I was glad that I pushed through.

This psychological suspense novel explores themes of isolation, identity, and the interplay between technology and society. Set in the mid-90s, the story follows seventeen-year-old Jane; but Jane isn't like your average teenage girl. She lives isolated in a cabin the woods in Montana with her reclusive father. She's never taken public transportation or seen a movie. Her father leaves her for extended periods of time to fend for herself. He balks at the idea of her going to college or going to live her life in the modern world. And she's not entirely sure what actually happened to her mother all those years ago.

This book is a really fascinating study in how we grow and define ourselves in either replicating or breaking apart from that which we only know, Jane is a smart girl. It's clear from the start of the book that her dad is not mentally well, and Jane starts to catch on that her reality is one that needs to be escaped. Her father, former Silicon Valley whiz, turned hypervigilant, anti-technology conspiracy theorist with paranoid delusions, enlists Jane to help him write his manifesto, which we all know is never ever good. She starts to see her father for what he really is. When her father involves Jane in a deadly crime- think not far off from Ted Kaczynski level dangerous- Jane must decide how to forge her future and explores how she can exist in a world that she doesn't understand how to navigate.

"His pleasure, I was starting to realize, was usually tied to someone else's displeasure; nothing made him happier than imagining that he's really taught those fools a lesson'.

While I was very engaged in the majority of this book, I found the pacing slow at the start and end of the novel. While I felt the ending was very realistic, I was just hoping for more of a payoff. A thought provoking novel but it just didn't hit the make for me- 3.5 stars.

Wow wow wow!

It's the mid 1990's: 17 year-old Jane Williams and her dad Saul live in a remote cabin in Montana relatively off the grid since the death of her mom when Jane was 4. Her father seems to be keeping secrets from her and falling deeper into his obsession with this new unknown internet technology. Up until then he had preached and lived by his personal manifesto of no real interaction with pop culture or current events. Stranger still, her dad ends up taking her a long on a rare errand outside of the cabin, only for her entire world to be turned on its head in the most unexpected ways. Jane has to flee her unraveling father but how will she find out the truth and survive in the real world?

I read this in one day, ironically on my 47th birthday, which led me to understand Jane and I were the same age in the late 1990's as the internet boom was taking place. I was enthralled and intrigued by this incredible story both in its deep nostalgia, plot, and fantastic characters. I adored Jane and the fascinating cast of characters she encounters. The way this book drops us 2025 readers head first back into the late 90's internet explosion and it's ominous technology predictions was extraordinary. I literally wrote these words on my hand-held computer that seemed outrageous to folks back then! Anyhow, this book...wow this book. It truly has it all - family drama, isolation, coming of age, murder, found family, 1990's nostalgia, mystery, love, intrigue.... that's not even everything! The author absolutely hit this out of the park, I felt like I was watching a movie while I was devouring these pages! A few times while reading I thought fans of Tomorrow, Tomorrow, and Tomorrow would LOVE this. If that's you, or if any of what I've said sounds interesting, READ THIS BOOK! You will not be disappointed! Especially my Gen X/Xennial reader friends who grew up in the 1990:s internet boom as well. Utterly fantastic book!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this absolutely GEM of a book!

What Kind of Paradise pulled me in from the very beginning.

As a coming-of-age story about Jane and the isolating life she has lived thanks to her father, Jane grapples with breaking free and seeing the world for what it is without the dystopian lens she has grown up with.

One of my favourite reads of the year so far.

This is a interesting read based on 1990s dot com era. A recluse former tech worker keeping his daughter in the Montana woods away from society. As she ages she questioned everything he taught her and leaves after she learns the truth behind his lies. She goes to San Francisco on her own with little understanding of the real world. Seeking the truth behind her Mother's death she soon finds more about her earlier life.
A compelling read with strong characters. Thank you to the publishers, Net Galley and the author. My review opinion is my own.

While this story wasn’t as propulsive as I would have liked, it was a solid suspense novel. I enjoyed the premise and the nostalgia of the 1990s dotcom era. The plot held my interest, especially after the first third of the book when things started to pick up.

I especially enjoyed the moral dilemma that Esme faced, and the way she chose to handle it was satisfying.

This starts out really strong and is an interesting idea. The first half of the book has a very similar vibe to These Silent Woods, a book I loved. The atmosphere was fantastically done and I could easily picture these scenes as though I was in the cabin too. When we leave the Montana woods though I began to struggle a bit. I loved the found family aspects, but struggled with how many coincidences and unrealistic situations were required for the plot to make sense. Jane was incredibly naive, somewhat expected given her upbringing, but I had a hard time connecting to her. The pacing was off for me - it’d be very slow and then something interesting finally happened and it’s breezed through quickly and right back to slow paced internal thoughts. I kept waiting for the slow build up to result in a big reveal or surprise twist but it ends about how you’d expect with no major wow moment. The open ending in the 90s timeline felt like a better place to stop than the rushed future catch up of the last few chapters. I quite liked the ambiguity of it,

While this falls in the it’s good but category for me, I can see why others have loved it. It’s beautifully written and a creative idea, and readers who enjoy slow paced character driven emotional stories should give it a try. 3.5⭐️ rounded up.

Thanks Random House & Netgalley for the DRC!

This was not at all what I was expecting. A very quiet novel that draws you in. There is enough intrigue to keep you interested and wondering where it is going. You can't help but feel for Jane. A social commentary on how technology has changed us.

Saul Williams and his young daughter Jane are living off the grid in Montana. Once one of the rising stars in Silicon Valley, Saul has completely turned away from all that and writes manifestos warning that technology will ultimately destroy humanity. As Jane grows older, she begins questioning what she's been taught, and one day while digging through her dad's papers, she learns he's been lying to her all along.

The author says Saul's character is based loosely on the Unabomber Ted Kaczynski's radical acts. It's the story of one man's increasingly mad anti-social ideas which lead him to plan violent acts in pursuit of his own agenda. Some interesting philosophical points are raised about where advances in technology are leading us.

Many thanks to the author and publisher for providing me with an arc of this new novel via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and the opinions expressed are my own.

I really enjoyed this book! Esme goes on such a journey. It’s so fascinating to watch her put together her past life and try to work through the brain washing her dad put her through.

<i>We are undone by the specificity of our dreams. Reality can never live up to the shining edifices we forge inside our fantasies: Life, in all its confusing complexity, in destined to be a disappointment in comparison. The lottery winner discovers that riches don't equal happiness; the longed-for baby is colicky and sour; losing fifty pounds still doesn't bring you love; winning the election doesn't trigger societal change.</i>

Jane was raised by her father off of the grid, hidden in the wilds of Montana. And now that she's seventeen, she's beginning to long for something more. Her only friend is the daughter of a bookstore owner who sells her father's newsletter on her shelf of locally produced zines, and she sees her only infrequently. She's never left their home alone, although her father often leaves for days. When she discovers that her father lied when he told her that her mother was dead, Jane dreams of running away to find her. When he gets her to create a website where he can post his anti-technological manifesto, she discovers the world of the internet, still in its early days in 1995. When her father hatches a plan that requires her help, she knows this is her chance.

The elevator pitch for this book is "What if the Unabomber had a daughter?" and there's no denying that the story held my attention throughout. And while the scaffolding of this story is fairly sensational, Brown uses it to look at how the internet and its uses has changed over time, the plucky pioneers giving way to corporations intent on using it to extract money. Jane's adventures once she runs away, as a teenage girl with no experience relating with the world, are unbelievable, but Brown's not looking to tell a sadly realistic story, but one that explores our relationship to technology and how that relationship has shaped us and changed over time. This was a novel with some thought-provoking ideas wrapped in a lot of thrilling plot. I am glad they decided against calling it The Unabomber's Daughter.