Paradise

by Joanna Nadin

Can Billie find the truth When sixteen year old Billie Paradise inherits her grandmother's house, it's a fairytale come true. She and her family move from their rented flat in London to start a new life by the sea. Maybe Billie can even find the father she's never met. But moving back to her mum's childhood home uncovers long-buried secrets and Billie soon discovers that people may die, but the past lives for ever.

Genres: Young Adult, Mystery, Romance, Contemporary, Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Death

262 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2011

About the author

Joanna Nadin is an English author of juvenile fiction best known for the Rachel Riley series of teenage novels Based on Nadin's own childhood, the series follows the comedic narration of a 13-year-old girl.

Nadin has also written several books of juvenile fiction. These include two books for the Oxford University Press "Project X" series designed to encourage boys to read.

Nadin previously worked as a policy writer for the Labour Party (UK).In 2001, she became a special adviser to Tony Blair.

As a child I buried myself in books both at home in Essex and at my grandparents’ houses in Cornwall, where I spent a large part of my time, and where many of my stories are now set. Books and later films were an escape not just from where I was but who I was, which, as I saw it, was pretty much a geek. They gave me the freedom to become someone else, from George in the Famous Five to Velvet Brown winning the Grand National to Baby dancing the Chachacha with Johnny Castle.

Reviews

[Cassandra · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a weird story.

It started of strong. The writing was very atmospheric and eerie and really quite beautiful. But, the ending twist I saw a mile away. I was not down for the turn it took. It was like a bucket of cold water. Even now, years later, I can still take my horror at the author ruining the story.

In my opinion of course.

[Kristy]

I don't really know how to rate this book.

It was extremely well written, the characters felt like real, flesh and blood people. The book was quite atmospheric, you truly got the sense that the story took place in cold, grey place.

I can't tell if I enjoyed the story or not though. It was decent, fairly original as well. But there was just something about it that makes it so I can't tell if I liked it or not.

[Catherine Bruton · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was lucky enough to be sent an advance copy of this amazing novel by Joanna Nadin. I love all her stuff but this is a bit darker than the Rachel Riley books or Buttercup Mash. It's more like Wonderland which came out last yeat I think. I couldn't put it down and read it in a day. Slick, beautiful and compelling!

[Aju · Rating 4 out of 5]

Have you ever had someone that you adore broke your heart?

Bill paradise lives in a flat with her mother and half brother,Finn. Her life was a straight path but all that changed when she receives the key to her grandmother's home which is more like a mansion which she has never been in, her mother on the other hand once roamed the rooms but left it behind until now. But why leave your birthplace when you get to live life like a queen you might ask, well that is one of the question in the sea that follows Bill like a shadow the moment she turned the keys to open the door. You might think that Bill is a fan of this new lifestyle but that is where her mother's past and her questions take over.


While her mother single-handily supports the family and walks the familiar streets, while Bill is asking herself questions like who her father was and what happened to him. One day when trying to send a letter to her fiend she meets a boy who eventually becomes her "friend" and swimming instructor but what she doesn't know is that he could be her answer. She knows that her mom stabbed her in the back but what she has no idea is how deep the scar on her back caused by her mom's knife really is.


This book is fascinating and sure to make you sit on the edge of your chair. (don't say I did not warn you) I recommend this book to bookworms, people who like books on betrayal and also people with excursive vocabulary. This book is not a good book for people who just started to read because it has advance vocab and it has a complicated story line with a lot of flashbacks.I look up to Joanna Natdin as this book really is full of surprises and it also includes detail later in the book in the form of memories or moments in the past.

[Vikki VanSickle · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a very "secrets and lies" family tale about a teenager with a troubled young mom who inherits her grandmother's beautiful old house in Cornwall. They flee London, hoping for a fresh start, but Billie's mother gets sucked into dark memories of the past and teeters on the brink of sanity. Billie falls in love, but her new relationship is tested when the truth about her family rises to the surface.

I really enjoyed the setting of this novel, which was gloomy and atmospheric. Nadin has a poetic sensibility to her writing, and the narrative had some truly lovely moments. The story is quite unbelievable and the twists are too obvious, too soon. At times I felt like I was reading well-written melodrama. This may not bother some teenage readers, but voracious readers will predict the outcome quite easily.

[Andrew Corsini · Rating 5 out of 5]

Joanna Nadin was my university Creative Writing lecturer in 2nd year. It goes without saying, I was feeling insecure about my writing, and her help and feedback picked me up and urged me to carry on. For that, I'll be forever grateful for her help and insight and the fact that her writing exists in the world. I did like this book a lot, its careful compact writing the clear sign of a great and considered writing; the way she jumps inside the head of the protagonist. This book sums up the feeling of most teenagers of life being this vast plain, everything all directions, and it had a clearness and a frankness that was a breath of fresh air. My favourite writing by Joanna Nadin, however, will be -- after a terrible first year -- the phrase she put at the bottom of my essay, the one that meant the whole universe to me:

"Good job".

[Anya Zhang · Rating 3 out of 5]

I started off with a feeling of unknown with this book; basically, I didn't know if it was going to be a good read or not. But as I started reading the book and got into the rhythm of it, I gradually started to enjoy the book and get into the story. I hadn't read a realistic fiction book about a teenager for a while, and not knowing the outcome of the story, so I didn't know how I would react to this book. It was a little boring in the beginning, but it quickly started picking up after that, and overall, it was a great read!

[Daisy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story was about a girl that had to live with her mother and brother. One day she inherits her grandmothers house. They moved to her house to live near the ocean and many things happened in that town. This book was great because I really kept me interested. The book also witched perspectives to her friend.

[Tatiana · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has easily become one of my favorites. Along with being an enticing read, the synopsis really doesn’t do the book justice. It has just the right amount of twists to keep you interested without making your head spin. Although i was satisfied with the ending, there are a few questions that left me wishing it was a series.

[Trisha Mehta · Rating 5 out of 5]

The ending was really unexpected and I loved that. Although I do wish we knew where the rest of the story (jimmy and danny) went, I did truly love this book.

[Book Twirps · Rating 4 out of 5]

When Billie Paradise receives a key to her grandmother's home, it seems things may finally turn around for her. What Billie doesn't understand is why her grandmother left the house to her seeing as how they'd never met. Billie's mother left home when she discovered she was pregnant and didn't return. Even though she is reluctant to leave the flat in London and all of her friends, Billie knows that moving to the house might do her family some good. Her mother has changed -- dealing with her new husband who travels constantly has taken a toll on her. Getting away will be good for her mother and Billie's younger brother Finn. Billie sees this as a chance to not only help her mother, but maybe answer a few questions that have bothered Billie for years. Namely, who was her father, why did her mother leave her hometown, and how did her mother's brother, Will, die?

Billie is surprised to see how grand the house is. It's hard to believe that her mother could have grown up in the house seeing as how they've barely been able to pay rent or keep food on the table the last several years. As Billie begins to investigate her mother's past, she meets Danny and a sweet romance begins to blossom. But can Danny save her from the shocking truth of the family secrets she's about to uncover?

I wasn't sure what to expect when I picked up Paradise, but I must say I was very pleasantly surprised. Ms. Nadin's writing is beautiful, and after a while, I found myself so immersed in her prose that I probably would have kept reading even if the plot totally fell apart (which it didn't).

Another thing that Ms. Padin does effortlessly is alternate between past and present. The present is all told from Billie's POV, but the snippets of the past vary, giving us a glimpse into Billie's families past lives. This is where the mystery deepens, and where a lot of the juicy stuff happens. While I really liked all of the characters, I wish I had connected with Billie a little more. I almost felt like she was keeping me at a distance, which may have been considering her character. If this was Ms. Padin's intention, it worked brilliantly. My other complaint was the ending which felt more like a summary, and also felt a little rushed. I just didn't feel that it was as fleshed out as it could have been, though it is still satisfying.

This is a quick and easy read, perfect for a rainy day. It's a perfect blend of contemporary romance, family secrets and a mystery that didn't really feel like a mystery, but still held a nice punch when the reveal takes place.

[Taylor · Rating 3 out of 5]

3/5 For now, but when I was younger --maybe 15-- I would have loved this book for all that it is.

Billie Paradise, a sixteen year old girl living a troubled life, finds herself whisked away to the small town that her mother grew up in: Seaton. This teen is bequeathed a house upon the accidental death of her estranged grandmother and her neurotic and unstable mother feels it is F A T E to return. Billie wants to go in order to find out about her father, because, just maybe, in doing so, she will learn about herself.

Nadin's young adult novel is borderline gothic: ghosts that haunt a family; a cold, cluttered, dark abandoned house; a seaside town that always rains.... and so it goes on including a seniors home fully of another version of death not like the main plot of Uncle Will. One could argue that if this was written with a bit more sophistication and directed more towards an adult audience it would be worthy of the Bronte sisters imagination.

Additionally, the novel bounces the reader through three separate timelines: Evelyn (the grandmother), Het (the mother), and Billie. Each generation of women find love and tragedy in this sea-side town. (In my opinion, Billie gets a little too much family time...if you know what I mean...) Near the end of the book, however, we are introduced to several new character perspectives in order to give the reader full knowledge of the main event. This, was alright, although this part of the story is already easily gleaned by the time one reaches half-way though the text.

I liked that this book was a simple one shot and a (more) complex story for teen readers, but the lack of character development, the poor historical development, the excess of character narratives, and the over-played tropes of teen-raising-tragic-mom would not have worked if this book was any longer. If anyone has watched Gilmore Girls: Year in the Life and read any subsequent articles about Rory being one to follow her mother's footsteps; the whole "like mother like daughter thing" this was the exact theme of this book. That and the theme of "EPHEMERA": important, memory holding objects--which never really took off, in my opinion.

Would recommend to teens or die hard YA fans, but for me it is a one time read.

[Natalie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Love was the last thing Billie Paradise expected to find. Billie is surprised when she inherits her grandmother’s house, a veritable mansion in the small town of Seaton. Besides her mother, Billie’s family is shrouded in mystery; a father she never knew and grandparents that were never spoken of. Still, with her mother on the verge of losing it, the offer for a fresh start is irresistible. Billie has one wish for her move to Seaton – to find her father. What she finds instead is hushed up secrets and a boy named Danny. With Danny in the picture, her mind drifts further away from the truths her mother is hiding. The trouble with the past is, it can never stay buried and sooner or later it will always catch up to you.

Told in three parts, across three generations of women, the novel progresses quickly and focuses on the interpersonal relationships within a dysfunctional family. Many readers would quickly recognize aspects of the characters within their own families. While the story is coherent, the writing is often jumpy and, occasionally, hard to follow. Ominous foreshadowing outlines the plot and provides large, glaring clues as to the climax and conclusion. With a slightly gothic feel, this story would appeal to fans of slightly darker, tragic stories.


I wasn't sure what to make of this book. I didn't love it and I won't be reading it again, but I also didn't find it awful. That's why I settled with a three. I totally knew what the ending was going to be. There wasn't even a guess. When she was with Danny I thought, that's going to be upsetting when you find out your making out (and more!) with your cousin. Dum, dum, dum..... Her mom was the most annoying character of all. Eleanor wasn't much better, but Het was the worst. She was so irresponsible. I thought Billie's character was realistic and that she behaved much the way a teen would.

I did have a few issues with the writing. It was a little jolting, like the thoughts weren't stringing together appropriately.

[Arlena · Rating 4 out of 5]

Author: Joanna Nadin
Published By: Walker & Company
Age Recommended: YA (some Language)
Reviewed By: Arlena Dean
Book Blog For: GMTA
Rating: 4

Review:

"Paradise" by Joanna Nadin was a good contemporary fiction read. This author gave us a well written read that full of mystery, family secrets and even some romance in this well captivating read that moves from present to past. This novel was written very cleverly. You will only have to pick up this read to see what I am speaking of. Billie Paradise, a sixteen year old from London had inherited a house in Cornwall from her grandmother Eleanor...Now maybe Billie can get some question answered she had long wondered of ... namely just who
was her father," why did her mother leave her hometown, why did her mother's brother...Will die?, and just why the grandparents that were never spoken of? You will find that "Paradise" will take you on a wide up and down ride that will give you various points of views from Billie, her mother, grandmother Eleanor and also the cast characters from Alexander, Jonty, Tom and others in this good story. As Billie falls, in love...will her love be tested when the truth about her family starts to come out? This is where I say you must you must pick up "Paradise" to see all the what, where, why and how to this well written read. Yes, this may have been a little predictable with this dysfunctional family but it still was a good read that I enjoyed reading. Be ready for family secrets and lies that will all come out in the end.

If you are in for a good quick and easy read you have come to the right place for "Paradise" will give you that and so much more. Be ready for the big bang in the end only to give you the real truths about this family and yes, I would recommend "Paradise" to you as a good read for the YA.

[Shelley Mastalerz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Billie Paradise is unsure of what to do when she inherits her grandmother’s estate in a small seaside village in England. All she has ever known is her small flat in London that she lives in with her mother and her half-brother, Finn. What’s more is that she never met her grandmother and her mother left the village when she was pregnant with Billie, and has never returned or communicated with her family since. However, once her mother, Het, finds out about the offer, she tells Billie that their family needs to make the move. At first Billie is bitter about being told what to do with her inheritance, but she soon complies. Billie believes that her mother needs a change, and also secretly Billie hopes that she might find more information about her father that she has never met. Once Billie and her family arrive, haunting secrets are unleashed. Why did her mother leave in the first place? What really happened with Billie’s father? The secrets are inescapable; they become an eerie and palpable presence. The book is told in multiple perspectives: Billie in the present tense, and flashbacks from Het (Billie’s mother) and Eleanor (Billie’s grandmother). Readers who enjoyed Jellicoe Road might like this title for they have similar structure (multiple perspectives), similar storyline (mysterious family pasts), and similar feeling (mysterious and eerie).

[KWinks · Rating 3 out of 5]

While it was lovely to read a book that takes place in a shore town in a different country, I found this one to be a little bit of a let down. I think it's because the entire plot revolves around a big reveal that is pretty much handed to the reader in the introduction and solidified on page 148. If you look beyond the big "wow", that really isn't that wow, then you see a family that is a mess. I wanted Billie to get her act together, and kept forgetting that she was 16 because in some parts of the book she is crazy mature for her age and in others, not so much. I just wanted to reach into the book and smack the mother. The finances really ticked me off too. At no time did Billie have to report to a lawyer's office to sign paperwork? What if the key had been delivered to the wrong address? No one stopped by to tell Billie where the checkbook was? And if Eleanor was so bent on reconciliation, why didn't she at least write a stinkin letter explaining anything? There is so much dysfunction going on here on so many levels that I just felt the addition of the artist was overkill. My head is still spinning actually, and not in a good way. I did like Billie and the author's voice. I liked Danny and Finn.

[Sophia · Rating 4 out of 5]

[Original Review]
I always like these kinds of suffocating, small town with a big secret kind of books. In fact, I dare say I wish I'd written Paradise myself. It was a good length and unravelled perfectly.

Billie was a sweet, sympathetic character and I couldn't help but root for her the whole time. I just wanted her to catch a break. She was stuck playing mum but it didn't turn into a Cinderella/'oh woe is me' type story. She just got on with it and tried to do the best for her family, which was admirable. I wish there had been more about Eva and their burgeoning friendship - if that's what it was. Billie's romance did not seem too forced either. It unfurled organically but Joanna Nadin didn't dwell on it too much because it wasn't the most important love story in the book.

The water theme was appropriate as it is definitely a story of staying afloat during life's storms, rebirth, washing away the past, and starting again. The end was heartbreaking, although you kind of see it coming, however it was still a bit of a shock. It was a bit of a punch in the gut for Billie who had already been through so much but the ending had a glimmer of hope.

[Samantha · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been a fan of Joanna’s work since the first Rachel Riley book. When she brought out her first non-Rachel Riley related teen book, Wonderland, I quickly brought it/read it and loved it so when she released a second YA solo book, Paradise, I snapped it up.

Paradise is an amazing book that tells us of Billie Paradise, a sixteen year old girl from London who inherits a house in Cornwall from her dead grandmother Eleanor. While in Cornwall she begins the hunt for her father and on the way Billie discovers a lot about her family and herself.

The whole book is an up and down roller-coaster and the difference in points of view really helps the book. You see the different views of Billie, her mother Het, her grandmother Eleanor and also from the characters of Tom, Jonty and Alexander who all play roles in Billie’s story.

The book is fantastic and the twist in the end of the book is really wonderful. I didn’t want to stop reading the book at any point because the book was so well written. The book shows how much of a talented author Joanna is and she really does need more recognition. Well done Joanna.

[Keri Lockhart · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm giving this book 5 stars because I was interested the entire time! I really enjoyed the format that it was written in. The story itself was really intriguing. I had enjoyed trying to figure out what the big secret was. And though I had predicted a few things, the rest was still pretty surprising. The ending felt a bit rushed and I felt closure. The last chapter was as I had predicted. I was slightly disappointed by one thing but in reality...it makes perfect sense. It was a realistic story. I felt a kinship with a lot of it. Especially growing up not knowing my biological father and having a mother who's past is a mystery to me. It was a well told and interesting book. I'd recommend it for anyone looking for a quick and intriguing read. Oh, I did feel bad that most of the witty British references were lost on me. I'm positive the story would have been even better if I were familiar with them. This, I don't hold against the author at all. It didn't dull the story for me either. Just a fact of my ignorance to British happenings and people. Again, is recommend. :)

[Kiara · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was very intrigued by this book. The cover was beautiful and it sounded great. I started it and flew through it easily. The writing was simple but I did like it. There were many similes and metaphors that I really liked and the descriptions were very well done.
The characters were quite complex and I must admit, I did get annoyed with them at points.
There are many underlying story lines and different plots to the story. I felt like I was reading stories within stories.
The chapters that I seemed to enjoy most were the ones from the past that were in Het and Eleanor's P.O.V I thought they were just so well written.
It's a different type of story than to what I usually read and I did enjoy it a lot.
I would recommend you read this if you like stories involving small towns, dysfunctional families and lies. Also if you're looking for something new to try.

[Les · Rating 3 out of 5]

Het is a Cambridge student from a small coastal town. Her surgeon father is a tyrannical bastard, physically and emotionally abusive to his wife and daughter. Whet Het get pregnant by a carnival worker, and defies her father's demands to get an abortion, he kicks her out of the house. Within days everything from her room has been stripped and thrown away and she is never mentioned again.

Fast forward 17 years...Het has her daughter Billie and then a son from her current boyfriend. They live a hand-to-mouth existence in London. Then one day a package comes in the mail for Billie. Her grandmother has died and willed their home to her.

So they abandon London and move back to the house Het thought she'd never see again. Billie is looking for answers about her father that Het won't provide. But in a small town it's hard to keep secrets buried, and not everyone is who they seem...

[Sabrina · Rating 2 out of 5]

I liked the characters and the plot but I felt it was a bit too YA for me. I also felt uncomfortable with the idea of Billie and Danny and the romance between them before they found out...very different...I wish the novel was longer and more in-depth. The background information wasn't dragged out enough. I was hoping for maybe some kind of proper relationship for Billie...not the situation where she was intimate with her cousin. If I had the chance to change the novel I would add more depth and history and strong relationships between characters. I would also have more dialogue from Billie, as she is the main character and I felt that the novel was too short and wrapped up too quickly. I also disliked that the mother was represented as a weak, throwaway character.

[Zoe · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was well written, but it wasn't my kind of book. I was recommended it from a person on twitter. I was hopeful at the beginning because the MC came from EXACTLY the same place I grew up in (Peckham, London) and even went to the same primary school! However, the storyline wasn't for me. The best bits were the sort of flash-back parts describing Het or Eleanor's past encounters. What the reader finds out is sad and tragic as the book goes on. But WTF is up with the cousins bit at the end?! Like what even compelled the author to write that in? I wanted a happy ending damnit! Also, the ending was rather rushed I felt. I wanted to know more about the end.

[PopcornReads - MkNoah · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I was in grad school, a professor told us there is no such thing as normal and that all family dysfunction spans generations until someone has the insight and courage to break the pattern. This YA novel is about one such dysfunctional family and the secrets that keep them locked in their dysfunction. If you like mysteries about families in which a courageous teen is determined to break the pattern then this one is definitely worth exploring. Read the rest of my review at http://popcornreads.com/?p=4818.

[Carmen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lugu saladusest. Ja sellest, kuidas kapiluukered alati päevavalgele tulevad - no matter what.

Korraks käis viimastel lehekülgedel peast läbi mõte, et äkki upub kogu perekond ära. Aga selline lõpp oleks olnud liiga julm vaese ennastotsiva tüdruku elule.

Pisut segadusseajav, sest paralleelselt jutustati lugu kohati 4-5 inimese vaatevinklist. Samas eks seda igas raamatus ju ei kohta, seega mingil määral ikka omapärane.

Haha ja muidugi - Billie Paradise on ikka üks kohutav (ja irooniline) nimi. Loodetavasti ei muuda päriselus ükski ema oma pere nime Paradise'iks.

[Lizz Martensen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Don't Judge a Book by Its Cover. But I did. This book is pretty much nothing like what I thought it was going to be. I'm not sure what I thought it was going to be like, but it is a teenage angst story about Billy, her mother, and her grandmother, their stories told in alternating chapters. The story is interesting so far ... Continue reading at Lizz the Librarian

[Brittney · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a book abut a girl named Billie who moves to her deceased grandmother's house in Seaton and is abut to uncover the mystery of her family. At first this book was confused because it goes back and forth between the past and the present, but then it kind of all comes together thought the book. There are a bunch of twist and turns and Billie finally solves what happened to her Uncle and Father so many years ago. This book has mystery, a little bit of romance and a lot of surprises.

[Andrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5
Odd book...definitely not what I was expecting. However, it definitely had some sort of strange yet memorable impact on me. I wouldn't recommend it, though. Nothing super eventful happened. It was all slowly paced and very mellow until the end. Everything happened too quickly, or wasn't described in enough detail, in my opinion. Not the most amazingly written book, but it had some deep stuff hidden between all those British slang words.

[Christie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really loved this book. I couldn't stop reading it and stayed up way too late to finish it. I love the back and forth through the different narrators and all of the clues along the way so readers can try to figure out how the events come together. My only complaint is that I wanted it to be a little longer! Very well done.

[MelbourneSharonB · Rating 3 out of 5]

A romance, a mystery, a story of family relationships; a bit of a page turner at times. 'Paradise' if the surname that slighlty off-beat mother Het gives herself and her two children in her efforts to create a feeling of all being wonderful in her life; but all is not wonderful and she is only covering up a secret.