User Reviews
Rating: really liked it
*2.5 stars*As much as I hate to admit it, given my love for the majority of Elin Hilderbrand’s work, the Paradise series overall was an unbalanced mess of sorts.
For me, the intrigue of the secrets and a new island to explore made Winter in Paradise (
book 1) a promising start to the trilogy. Yet, What Happens in Paradise (
book 2) presented itself as a missed opportunity, given the stagnant storyline. Worst of all, I found
Troubles in Paradise (
book 3) to be a hodgepodge of chaotic decision-making. What happened to Hilderbrand’s skillful character creation?
What sets Hilderbrand apart from other women’s fiction in the beachy space is her penchant for creating interesting characters. Characters that pour their hearts out to readers and command their undivided attention—regardless of their misdeeds (
infidelity is a big one with her lately), gossipy nature, or their unwillingness step outside of their status quo. This time around, the wishy-washy feelings crowding every space, the declarations of love muttered all too easily, odes of marriage, and the continued naivety was absurd. An underdeveloped mess that left my head spinning with regret for subjecting myself to these people—
again.
Troubles in Paradise picks up right where What Happens in Paradise ends, with the FBI kicking Irene out of the picturesque St. John compound her dead husband bought with dirty money. Her place in paradise gone, along with her bejeweled Victorian in Iowa and most of her worldly possessions. Far from what anyone would consider a surprise twist given the depth of Russ' misdeeds. Yet, readers are spoon-fed a dose of misconstrued shock as Irene and Cash scramble to find alternate accommodations.
One thing to be thankful for, Ayers finally making a decision when it comes to Baker and Cash. Yet, her indecisiveness and wishy-washy behavior continue to run rampant, this time with a Steele brother, an ex, and the predicament she finds herself in (
a storyline arc I despise). And then there’s the messiness Irene finally decides to confront—her feelings for the stepfather of her dead husband’s lover. Three books in and she does an about-face, questioning his knowledge of the infidelity. It all felt a little too late.
A host of ridiculous antics, underdeveloped relationships, and a data dump to finish things off, left behind a lingering taste of regret.
Hilderbrand chose to string readers along for a trilogy when the Steele story likely would have been more impactful housed in a single novel. I can't say there's a gaping hole in my heart left from the end of this series.
One thing I will always treasure is the time my husband and I spent in St. John. We booked a spontaneous holiday trip to the island in December 2018 after I devoured Winter in Paradise. Our time in St. John/St. Thomas proved to be one of our most memorable vacations. So, while these characters didn’t do it for me, the place certainly did. Now, if only I could convince my husband that we need to get to Nantucket.
*wink**Thanks to the Little, Brown and Company for providing a copy in exchange in for the honest thoughts I shared here.
Rating: really liked it
I’ve been saying I’m done with EH for probably the last 3 books of hers that I’ve read but still wanted to at least finish this trilogy. And now I’m really done. I’m tired of every book having an infidelity story line. I’m tired of the endless name dropping of restaurants and landmarks (in both this trilogy and her other series). I’m tired of her overuse of exclamation points and irrelevant parenthetical asides. I’m tired of every character having a bizarre name (Cash, Baker, Dunk, Swan[?!], Floyd, Tilda, Bright[?!]....). I don’t even really get why this was a trilogy. The actual plot could have been wrapped up in one book, especially with as tidily as every problem was resolved. We definitely didn’t need this slew of random side characters who didn’t matter one bit to anything. Who cares about the news anchor? Who cares about the “school wives”? No one. And I definitely don’t care when they only show up in the last 2 chapters of the book.
Rating: really liked it
This was a satisfying conclusion to the trilogy set in the Virgin Islands. I loved all the characters because they were flawed and didn’t always make the right choices, but they all did their best to be good people, which is something we could use more of in the world. I really enjoyed this series, and strongly recommend it to transport you to some place beautiful. It had romantic elements with the acknowledgement that love is never easy, no matter what your age.
Thanks so much to NetGalley for the opportunity to review this novel, which RELEASES OCTOBER 6, 2020.
Rating: really liked it
The Steele family finds themselves back in St. John for good in “Troubles in Paradise” the final book in the Paradise series by Elin Hilderbrand.
Irene, Cash and Baker have all made plans to move to the island in hopes of a fresh start after their lives literally fall apart. What better place to live than St. John with people they have all grown to care for?
If only they could leave their troubles behind. Unfortunately for this group, trouble follows them.
“Love is messy, complicated and unfair.” This is an attestation that everyone who was impacted by the actions of Russ Steele and Rosie can speak to in one way or another.
Then there’s the fact that Russ Steele was involved in some very shady business deals with very bad people.
One can hope that the bonds forged by Irene, Baker, Cash, Huck, Maia and Ayers are strong enough to weather even the worst of storms. “Troubles in Paradise” is the last in the “Paradise” series by Elin Hilderbrand. While I liked this book, I didn’t quite love it. The first book in the series “Winter in Paradise was definitely my favorite while I felt that both “What Happened in Paradise” and “Troubles in Paradise,” left a little to be desired. While I felt the strength of a few of the characters storylines throughout the series (such as Irene, Huck and Maia) a few seemed to lose their focus and became wishy washy (i.e. Baker and Ayers) and that was a let down.
What I loved about this series however was the friendship between the characters. Specifically, how everyone seemed to look out for each other, regardless of what was going on in their lives. For me, Elin Hilderbrand excels in writing stories about a large cast of characters and weaving everyone stories together and that was evident here. Admittedly, my favorite part of this book was the surprise at the end, when a character from another series appeared, giving us a glimpse as to how my favorite Elin Hilderbrand characters are doing now. Thank you so much for that Ms. Hilderbrand! Could you maybe write another book in that series, for me?!
3.5 Stars
Thank you to NetGalley, Little Brown and Company and Elin HIlderbrand for the arc.
Published on NetGalley and Goodreads on 8.23.20.
Rating: really liked it
Troubles in Paradise, you say? Oh let me count the ways:
- Who the heck is the narrator? Told in first person present tense, three books in and I still can't figure out who the "I" is that's telling the story. I even went back and reread the beginning of this one for clarification, which wasn't to be found.
- Are we really supposed to believe that every. single. character. is so easily susceptible to insta/outsta/re-insta-love?
- Why did Hilderbrand feel the need to tack on a conclusion with a fabricated hurricane and introduction of a random, new character?
Listen, I get that these are escapist novels. I happily went along with the first two, but this final installment in the trilogy just highlighted my overall issues with the series. I did enjoy the St. John setting and the characters' ties to Iowa City (Go Hawks!), but all-in-all this is a reading adventure I'm glad has run its course.
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Rating: really liked it
I enjoyed this Paradise series, which follows Irene Steele and her family who are shocked by the unexpected death of Russ Steele, husband and father, in a helicopter crash in the Caribbean. Russ traveled frequently for business but details surrounding this trip are hazy, leaving Irene and her 2 adult sons, Baker and Cash, wanting answers. They travel to St. John to investigate themselves and the surprises keep coming. The story is told from multiple POVs — both Steele family members and St. John locals.
I tore through the first book (
Winter in Paradise) which was my favorite of the 3. I thought the story was engaging and wanted to continue reading to see how things would play out. Overall, I enjoyed the conclusion of the trilogy with this book (
Troubles in Paradise).
Rating: really liked it
I'm sure this is going to be an unpopular opinion.
I wavered between 2 and 3 stars.
I felt like this book had way too many hard to believe moments. One person gets money, then another person. One moves into a house from an ex, etc. It seemed like when a problem arose, boom, it was fixed without anyone even trying to work on fixing it. Things just don't come that easy to everyone. The more I got into the book, the more Ayers annoyed me. Then the moment between Baker and Duncan had me rolling my eyes. Not sure what the point of Margaret Quinn was.
Thanks to Netgalley for an advance copy.
Rating: really liked it
So repetitive. So repetitive. So repetitive. So repetitive. So repetitive. So repetitive. So repetitive. So repetitive. So repetitive. So repetitive. So repetitive. So repetitive.
Rating: really liked it
4.5 stars.
Troubles in Paradise is a dramatic and romantic conclusion to Elin Hilderbrand’s Paradise trilogy—but I want more!
Irene Steele and her adult sons, Baker and Cash, are still trying to come to terms that Russ, their late husband and father, wasn’t the man they thought he was. It’s been an emotional and difficult realization, particularly for Irene.
If learning he was leading a double life with a secret family on the island of St. John wasn’t hard enough to reconcile, now the federal government has seized both his villa on the island, where Irene, Baker, and Cash have been staying, as well as Irene’s home in Iowa. They have no money, no clothes, and all of Irene’s possessions have been seized, and they have to depend on the kindness of new friends.
But trying to make sense of it all causes friction for Irene and Huck, who has become both her boss and a friend with some potential. Baker and Cash experience difficulties in their romantic relationships, too. All three are at a crossroads in trying to figure out what their next steps will be, but they know they want to stay on St. John.
Yet with a mysterious figure watching them from a jeep, and a hurricane threatening the island, will they be able to get closure of any kind? And will the island survive?
I have become a big fan of Hilderbrand’s books over the last six months, and I really enjoyed this series. She has such a talent for imagery—I’ve never been to St. John but I could see it in my mind’s eye. She’s also really skilled at creating tension and obstacles in romantic relationships.
There were times I really wanted to shake these characters for not saying what was on their minds. (I feel like that a lot when I read, lol.) I definitely felt invested in this series and I’m sad it’s over. But at least I have more of her books to read!
Check out my list of the best books I read in 2020 at https://itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com/2021/01/the-best-books-i-read-in-2020.html.
Check out my list of the best books of the last decade at https://itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com/2020/01/my-favorite-books-of-decade.html.
See all of my reviews at itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com.
Follow me on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/the.bookishworld.of.yrralh/.
Rating: really liked it
This is the final installment of the Paradise series, and I wish I could have given more stars, but I had to wonder why a third installment was needed. We managed to sew up Rosie and Russ's story in a chapter but the rest of the book felt redundant and uninteresting. I had hoped for more and the ending fell short.
Rating: really liked it
Trouble in Paradise by Elin Hilderbrand
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
“Trouble in Paradise” is the third and last book in the “Paradise” series. I absolutely loved all three of the books which normally does not happen. Usually the first book is amazing and the other books in the series fall short of enjoyment. This series kept me totally intrigued and wanting to continue reading the next book in the series right away. The story line, the characters and the balance of suspense and the strength of family and friendships make this series a must read.
Rating: really liked it
Not a bad last book in the series. Some characters were introduced, especially at the end that made no sense. Other characters/situations just dropped off with no closure. This was a fast easy read that allowed little thought to go into it. Nice after a stressful day.
Rating: really liked it
Thanks to Netgalley and Little, Brown and Company for an egalley in exchange for an honest review. Just like that Elin Hilderbrand concludes another trilogy and rips my heart out while also making me smile. Although you could read Troubles as a stand-alone, I would suggest reading books 1 and 2 because Irene, Huck, Cash, Baker, Maia, and Ayers are the kind of characters that you want to spend as much time with as possible. I loved all the ups and downs of this trilogy and the final installment was full of heartache and redemption. Although I cannot travel at the moment, I have enjoyed my literary escape to St. John very much.
Goodreads review published 11/10/20
Publication Date 06/10/20
Rating: really liked it
[ been raided by the FBI, lost access to Russ’s mansion villa and all his fortunes obtained illegally through his money laundering. Irene has also lost her house back in Iowa. Her two sons, who were planning to move to St. John with her, are now adrift and trying to find housing. And Ares may have a surprise of her own. (hide spoil
Rating: really liked it
Really disappointed in this last book of the series for the following reasons:
- I had a hard time understanding how Ayers first got sick from pregnancy after she had had sex with Baker only eight days beforehand - later she thinks she's six weeks pregnant, which means she conceived on the beach on his first visit - however, that incident was "interrupted" by other people arriving at the beach.
- No one seems to be very upset that Rosie and Russ are dead.
- When Baker comes back from leaving his life in Houston, he doesn't contact Ayers right away even though she is the reason he moves to St. John.
- We don't know what happens to Marilyn Monroe - is she safe? Did Baker's friends get out okay before the hurricane?
- Why don't we get reactions of the characters to MAJOR life events, like Ayers having the baby - hello, Baker's reaction? Floyd? Irene? She has Maia come in the room - what about the father???
- Long descriptions and passages for events/characters that are not important to the main story - Phil and Sunny's travels, Duncan Huntley, Margarent Quinn.
- It seemed like the book suddenly wrapped up, to get to the end. I would have liked to read about the scene with Huck and Irene when she jumps on the boat, or Cash coming to ride the hurricane out with Tilda.
There's more but I don't want this to be a novel in itself.
