Rating: 3 stars

The Paradise Hook-Up starts with an irresistible setup: two strangers, Jem and Dee, are stranded together in a hotel room in Greece during a storm. What could have been a breezy, chemistry-filled summer romance quickly turns into a steamy but surface-level connection that’s heavy on physical encounters and light on emotional depth.

The alternating perspectives are a high point, offering insights into both characters and preventing the usual one-sided judgment. This structure adds a layer of understanding that helps the reader connect—at least momentarily—with both leads.

However, the novel leans hard into the "locked-room lust" trope without offering much in terms of plot or character development. The dialogue occasionally veers into cringey territory, and the emotional stakes never quite land. While fans of light romance or certain tropes like "fake relationship" might find brief moments of enjoyment, the overall experience feels more like a rushed story than a polished novel.

Ultimately, The Paradise Hook-Up has potential but doesn't fully deliver. It’s not a total miss, but readers looking for depth or meaningful romance may walk away a bit disappointed.

A big thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Paradise Hookup was exactly what it promised -> fun, fast-paced, and full of tropes (forced proximity, fake dating, one-bed, opposites-attract). It is a solid 3 star good time and when the reviews said a cross between Christina Lauren and Tessa Bailey, I whole-heartedly agree.

Dee is the "wild" twin, who is trying to prove herself. Without giving too much away, she needs her sister's business partner (aka super hot nerd named Jem) to pretend to be her boyfriend for what is supposed to be a luxurious, short trip to a Greek isle. Things don’t go to plan, of course, and they end up stranded together thanks to a storm… with nothing but time (and chemistry) on their hands.

What surprised me most was the emotional vulnerability woven into Dee’s character. She’s not just the chaotic, confident one. She takes on that persona to hide how often she’s felt like the “forgotten” twin, and that played into her dynamic with Jem in a way that made their connection feel deeper than just lust. Watching that play out gave the spice some emotional weight.

This was my first book by Christy McKellen, and while it didn’t break any new ground, the setup felt slightly more original than your average fake dating rom-com. It was a good time, fast-moving, VERY spicy, with a satisfying ending.

I enjoyed this book releases tomorrow and perfect summer book so defo go read!!

Blurb

🏝️ Greek setting

🏝️ Only one bed

🏝️ Funny and spicy

🏝️ Fake business partners

🏝️ Forced proximity

🏝️ Teacher becomes the student

Dee Donovan is used to living up to her reputation as the ‘wild’ twin. She finally has an opportunity to prove everyone, especially her father wrong. She just needs her sister's business partner Jem to play along with her outrageous plan. Secure a business deal by faking it as her boyfriend in Greece. The catch? Jem and Dee are not that close. In fact, Dee can’t put her finger on it, but Jem seems to really dislike her!

However, it’s just for 24 hours. Until a storm blows in trapping them, alone in Paradise! With no way of getting home, they need something to do… why not confront their tensions head on? After all, they’ve been dancing around their chemistry for years now. But Jem has a secret – he’s not quite as experienced as Dee in this particular area!

So Dee promises to teach Jem everything she knows before they return. And it’s clear that her student is a very fast learner! And all too quickly, they start wishing the storm would hang around. Because neither want to think about what will happen when they have to return to reality

If you’re a fan of Tessa Bailey's steam, Christina Lauren's banter, or Ali Hazelwood's nerdy charm, then get ready to devour this hilarious and heartwarming opposites-attract romance!

Set against the dreamy backdrop of the Greek islands, this story brings together wild-child Dee Donovan and buttoned-up Jem in a sizzling, slow-burn whirlwind of fake dating, forced proximity, and laugh-out-loud tension. What starts as a 24-hour business ruse quickly turns into something deeper—and much hotter—when a storm traps them in paradise with only one bed and no distractions. 😉

Dee is fierce, funny, and determined to prove she’s more than just the "wild twin," while Jem’s quiet intensity hides a vulnerability that makes you fall for him hard. Their chemistry? Off the charts. The spice? Chef’s kiss. And the emotional payoff? Totally worth the wait.

With witty dialogue, a fresh twist on the "teacher-student" trope (yes, in that way), and just enough angst to keep you hooked, this book is pure summer romance magic.

Honestly this was quite bad. The smut at points was okay, but it lacked plot, character development and the writing was quite stiff, disjointed and boring. Thank you for the arc NetGalley, and sorry to the author for not liking it I guess 🥲

The Paradise Hookup was fun easy and quick read for me. The enemy to lover for me is always a great read. It was written in such a great way that I was done with the book before I realized it.
The characters were so likable that it made me eager to see what was going to happen. There was just the right amount of spice in it but not over the top.
Thank you NetGalley, Christy McKellen and Boldwood Books for the Arc of The Paradise Hook-Up. This is my personal review.

This book was so much fun, and it was fast paced and I love that, and we got straight to the point and I was not disappointed. It was a little hard to like Jem throughout the whole book. He was a little mean and even Dee is a free spirit and a little wild, I was expecting a little more. But overall I was loving the spice, and even the ending was super cute.

thank you so much to NetGalley for thr opportunity to read this ARC. i had really high expectations for this one and unfortunately it fell flat for me. The main tropes in this book being enemies to lovers and fake dating really excited me as those are some of my favorite tropes in romance books. This book was really fast paced and made for a very easy/quick read. unfortunately i felt that it was a little too fast paced as I dont think the characters were fully developed and some aspects could’ve been expanded on more. I didnt think Jem and Dee had much chemistry overall and besides their physical connection I didnt see much there between them. Overall while this was a quick and easy summer read a lot of aspects fell flat for me which is the reasoning behind my 1.5 star rating.

I loved this book from start to finish and read it in one sitting. It was the perfect summer romance.

We meet Dee, who has injured herself, and to avoid losing her job, her identical twin sister steps in to cover for her. Since she cannot return to her own flat, she stays at her sister’s place and has to deal with her annoying business partner, who happens to be working there too.

Jem cannot stand his business partner’s sister, but when her dad asks them to help him bring on a new board member, he jumps at the chance to network. Once they arrive at the private island, they butt heads constantly, which only makes their chemistry burn hotter.

When a storm strands them alone on the island, they turn to each other for company, and you can guess where that leads. They agree it will be nothing but a fling and that no feelings are allowed, but it never really works out that way, does it?

Dee and Jem were such complex characters, and I loved watching them grow and adapt as the story progressed. I could not contain my glee at all their snarky banter. They were truly made for each other. I was so happy with how their story ended and cannot wait for you to experience it too.

Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for the opportunity to read this super cute summer romance.

If you enjoy an enemies-to-lovers story with forced proximity, one bed, and a secluded island, be sure to add this to your TBR

Dee is the 'lesser' twin, both of his parents thinks so. But she learned to toughen up, and put up this great fun persona, which also led to everyone not taking her seriously. In come Jem, her twin's business partners. He detested someone so free, so loosey goosey, flighty, irresponsible.

Out of a turn of events, Dee's dad found her and Jem in the same bed (fully clothed) but still suspected. He needed the 'good twin' to go w/ him for a business deal, but because of their lie, Dee ended up going, and of course the 'boyfriend' has to go too. And exploring of each other, their own feelings, and personalities, all unfolds.

I really do feel for Dee, all she ever wanted is to be loved and not to be left behind. She's left behind and being treated horribly by her own parents, the people who is supposed to love you. But they don't. She is competitive and talented but after being beaten down since young, it's no wonder she gets attention in different ways. Jem was a different story, strait laced, no time to play, already have been taking care of everyone but himself. How can he be tangled with a mess of a girl like Dee?

I think the book gets alot of flack because it's very spicy, it is unusual that the man has less experience than the girl. And they learned together. Thru that, they developed feelings. I do feel for the characters, wish the book is longer to flush out further. They have dimensions, but needed more of it. Some parts felt rushed, and some parts got brushed thru, but there's a HEA, and I'm here for it.

It's a quick fun read. Thank you NetGalley & Boldwood Books for the ARC

This was a very good kind of friends to lovers story as it started with an awkward situation and then a journey resulting in love. This was different to others where one of the main characters is a twin and the MMC was in love with the FMC sister, then they hook up and the rest is history. I loved how the characters have been written and that the author allowed them to be vulnerable with each other in the getting to know you stage. I think the back story for the characters make them more believable and it was not an insta love.

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review!

This is a great quick and easy read for those who enjoy an enemies to lovers, one bed, work frenemies to lovers!

I have read a fair few McKellen books, sadly this one wasn’t my fave, I found the plot rather rushed at times, although that was expected in such a short book. However was a perfect quick and easy read that I am sure plenty of readers will love!!

This was a cute, quick read. A great summer rom-com that was also a good palate cleanser. It wasn't really my favorite, Jem and Dee were a frustrating couple, but it has one of my absolute favorite tropes: enemies to lovers! Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for my digital ARC!!

3,75 ⭐️ | I am pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this one. Normally I’m not a fan of relationships build on physical intimacy but because it was clear from the beginning that the MC’s were just looking for a hook-up, I was okay with it. It was fast-paced, easy to read and had plenty of tension and steamy moments. The personal growth both Dee and Jem were going through gave the story more depth. I personally didn’t feel the romantic connection they’ve build towards the end but overall this was a quick, fun and sweet read.

Thank you NetGalley, Boldwood Books and Christy McKellen for the chance to read & review!

Thank you for the opportunity to read this article.
I was really hoping for a great book and this one was just ok. The plot had some holes and it just felt a little off. Rushed maybe. The characters were good and the banter was great but the story over all just fell flat for me.

I'm not a fan of books with sex scenes put in just to spice up an otherwise boring story, I'm pleased to say that this isn't the case here. Dee comes across as a flighty character, prone to spectacular incidents such as the one at the start of the book where she badly sprains her ankle. Jem, on the other hand, is a serious guy concentrating on the business that he is trying to start with Dee's sister Bea. As the story develops though you see the real person behind each of them, Dee's issues with her father and Jem trying to ensure that his mother is looked after. The sex scenes are, to quote a famous saying, all in the best possible taste and didn't feel gratuitous to me. A fun, spicy read to sit back and enjoy.
I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher through Netgalley, however this did not influence my review of the book.

It was a quick summer romance of enemies to lovers but just not the book for me. Thanks for the eARC #netgalley

I enjoyed this book for many reasons. The first being it is enemies to lovers and that is one of the best tropes. Another thing I liked was how fast paced it was, I felt it moved really well and didn’t have really any boring parts. I liked Dee as a character and am glad she didn’t let people break her down and used it as motivation. I liked all the build up to what was inevitably going to happen with the shared room, trapped on an island and the types of personalities they have. I honestly didn’t really care for Jem because I felt as though he never really respected Dee until the end, and I felt like he was a bit too rude to her. I also didn’t like that Dee was wanting to change herself for him, even though it ended up being for her at first it was for him. Otherwise I really enjoyed it, it had just the right amount of spice and I didn’t feel like it was overly done. I recommend this cute summer romance.

Tropes:
🏝️ Holiday romance
🔥 Enemies to lovers
☀️ Grumpy/sunshine
💕 Fake relationship
✨ Dual POV

Thank you to Love Books Tours, Christy McKellen & Boldwood Books for an ARC copy of this book. *All thoughts and opinions are my own*

Dee was a fun, well-written character and the chemistry between her and Jem was great. I would have liked more character development for them both, but with this being a short whirlwind holiday romance book, it didn’t take away from the story.

The story touches on deeper themes - neglect, dementia, grief and toxic parenting, and had me rooting for Dee and her personal development more than it did the romance. At first I struggled to get into this book but the more I read, the more I enjoyed it. It was a short and sweet holiday romance that I read in less than a day and would recommend.

The Paradise Hook-Up by Christy McKellen is a fast-paced romance book, filled with banter and humorous moments. The story follows Dee, who convinces her sister’s business partner, Jem, to pretend to be her boyfriend, to help her father secure a business deal. The two travel to a remote island, where a storm hits, leaving them stranded.

I liked how fast-paced the book was, as it made for a quick, enjoyable read. The witty banter between Dee and Jem were the highlight of the book for me.
I did feel like at times there could have been more detail added to the plot, as things sometimes felt a bit rushed.

Overall, it was a fun read, that kept me engaged. I did find myself wanting to keep picking the book back up to find out what happened next.

If you like short, romance books, that are easy-to-read, I would definitely recommend this book.

Tropes:
Grumpy x sunshine, opposites attract, forced proximity, enemies to lovers

Thank you @netgalley and Boldwood Books for the opportunity to read and review this ARC!
Rating: 3/5