Today’s review is for a new, debut romance by Chelsea Curto, An Unexpected Paradise. I was so lucky (and grateful) to receive an e-arc of this book, and absolutely loved it. I just got the paperback and have been highlighting and tabbing so much of it; I couldn’t be happier to finally be back to blogging with this gem of a book. Fair warning, there will be some spoilers in this review.
An Unexpected Paradise is an enemies-to-lovers workplace romance, with main characters Jack Lancaster and Jo Bowen working at a tech company start-up called Itrix, their rivalry well-known throughout the building. Jack and Jo are sent on a work trip together to a conference that is any tech-lover’s dream. The only catch? Jo’s ex-boyfriend, who harasses her just enough that Jack jumps in–claiming to be her boyfriend. So, there we have the tropes: enemies-to-lovers, coworkers, fake dating, one bed, and some serious pining.
We also have some trigger warnings, that Chelsea kindly places for us at the very beginning, and I’ll list them here: mentions of miscarriage, depression, self harm/suicide attempt, abuse, drink-spiking/attempted rape. I will tell you, while I am grateful for Chelsea’s warnings on these (we all have triggers, and Chelsea graciously took that into consideration when sending this book out into the world), one thing I did notice was that she did not depict most of these on-page, simply referencing to many of them at multiple points. When she did depict these, she did so in a way that seemed, at least to me, respectfully done, and not one of them triggered me personally (despite more than one of these subjects being personal triggers of mine).
Now, on to the points I really loved about this book (you all know I love my bullet point lists of awesome factors)!
. The humor started in chapter one–this is pretty rare in my experience, and Chelsea had me laughing so hard that I found myself snorting. This brings the reader some joy as well as helping to balance out the more serious elements she has incorporated into this book. That’s such a rare but needed element, and I applaud her for doing so in an effortless manner.
. Jo Bowen’s interactions with her “work husband”, Tyler, in who we see some awesome LGBTQ+ representation! I’d love to see some more on Tyler in the future; while he is a minor/side character, I’d like to know more about him and his husband and their little family, as well as more interactions between him and Jo or even Jack.
. Jack Lancaster . . . enough said? I think not–let’s carry on and dive into that a bit more.
. Jack checks on Jo after they’re told about the work trip and she begins to have an anxiety attack (we get a little of this from his POV as well as hers, which I personally really enjoyed). Even though they were currently still in the enemies zone, he set that aside to see if she was okay, and I have mad respect for that.
Jack has some other amazing moments, such as protecting Jo in a bar and sticking up for her to her nasty ex. Again, respect, because while that’s something that should be commonplace, it sadly isn’t.
Jack handles Jo’s OCD with incredible patience and care. As someone who suffers from OCD on a daily basis, I can promise you that his reaction was beautifully written (as were the descriptions of the disorder itself) and exactly how I’d hope my partner reacted IRL.
. Jack’s group chat with his best friends–something we don’t often see, is how male friends interact with one another in multiple scenarios, and Chelsea brought a ton of humor and comradery into these characters and their scenes together. Something I personally loved was their “9 1 1 Bro Code”, and his best friend, Henry.
. That brings me to my next point–Henry. Just . . . fucking Henry. An amazing character I am so excited to learn more about in the future. Henry is a character that brought wisdom and humor together in one go and is a person I would love to know in real life. (Special mention to his scene in the bar. You’ll know it when you get to it–I legitimately cackled.)
. There’s a scene where Jo starts to realize that she is interested in Jack, and I thought it was really nicely done, especially as we get little glimpses of Jack’s interest in her throughout other chapters done in his own POV, where Jo has not yet caught onto his attraction. There’s a nice mix of slow-burn and insta-love here, and it’s a really interesting process seeing them come together.
We know this takes place, partially, at a work conference, where they begin fake-dating to get Jo’s ex off her back. Here are a few little pieces of what I enjoyed during their conference: the entirety of their conversation about fake dating (in Jo’s bedroom) because it was so sweet and well done, with amazing and thorough communication; Jack’s “overboard” schedule (*swoon*) followed by Jo’s kiss to his cheek at breakfast (*butterflies*); fried macaroni and mashed potatoes (that’s all you’re getting), and their excursions (yes, I’m including their fancy dinner in this, again, all you’re getting).
. The sex! While I personally am a reader who doesn’t love a whole lot of spice, Chelsea did these scenes so well that I just couldn’t get enough, and I loved reading it all. Even if these scenes aren’t your thing, you won’t be able to deny that they are written fantastically.
Now, I’m going to list some of my favorite quotes (another thing you guys know I like to do when I truly fall in love with a book); I hope that these will convince you to give it a read if you haven’t already.
. “You’re trying.”
. “An hour with you is better than a hundred without.”
. “I want you. Just you.”
. “All that I have, and all that I am, is yours.”
Now, for the most important aspect of this book (to me) and where the biggest part of my respect for Chelsea lies here.
The way Chelsea incorporated mental health into this romance. She didn’t incorporate it purely to do so; she did so with class and a purpose. She really went into this looking to show support to those struggling, and to show that mental health does not only effect women, something I wholeheartedly support and respect. Her depictions of OCD, anxiety, and depression, are not only accurate, but thought-out and accepting. The responses these characters have to the one struggling are respectful, kind, and considerate; they are simply and beautifully done, in a way I’ve never seen before and have only dreamt of seeing represented in such an accurate manner, with such accepting responses.
I am getting tingles just writing this review–you know the kind, the good kind you get when you’re excited and really love what you’re watching, reading, or listening to? The kind that mean you’re excited and happy and want more? Just from writing a review, you guys! It was so much more intense when I was actually reading the book for the first time, to the point where I turned to the book when I was anxious, or when I’d woken up and couldn’t get back to sleep because I just had to know what happened next. Now that I’m reading it for a second time, I’m noticing so many wonderful things I hadn’t before, I’m taking my time and truly highlighting all the little things, and loving it just as much, if not more, than the first time.
I cannot say enough about this book. I’m annotating this book, which is something I so rarely do that it’s always surprising for someone to see me with tabs and a pen in hand. I actually had to go out and buy more tabs for this, twice.
I’ll leave you with this: I could relate to both Jack and Jo. Chelsea handled mental illness and abuse with respect, acceptance, accuracy and class, so remarkably well and with the gentle insistence that it is okay not to be okay. That therapy is okay. Chelsea makes you feel seen, heard, and loved with this book, and makes you believe that things will be okay. That you’ll find someone who loves every piece of you. That you aren’t alone.
You aren’t alone.
You will laugh and you will cry with this book; you will get butterflies and tingles and never want it to end. Please, please consider giving this book a shot, it truly deserves it. Chelsea, thank you so much for sharing this book with the world–I am so grateful, and so proud.
An Unexpected Paradise released August of this year, and I’d also like to note that there is a sequel in the works for this book, starring Jack’s best friend, Henry, releasing this October; I could not be more excited for it.
If you read and love this book, please leave Chelsea a review and let her know you’d like to see more of her work! This book deserves every ounce of praise it gets. 4.5 stars out of 5 (9 of 10, if you’re extra like I am), that missing .5 simply being because I wanted more! (Yes, I did rate this 5 stars on Goodreads, I’m just kidding with you.)
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