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Paradise Logic
A hilarious, surreal, and devastating journey into the mind of Reality Kahn, a young woman on a quest to be the greatest girlfriend of all time.
It was decreed from the moment she was born. Twenty-three-year-old Reality Kahn would embark on a quest so great, so bold. She would become the greatest girlfriend of all time. She would be a zine maker, an aspiring notary, the greatest waterslide commercial actress on the Eastern Seaboard. She would receive messages from the beyond in the form of advice from the esteemed and ancient ladies magazine, Girlfriend Weekly.
When she attends a party in Gowanus at a punk venue known as “Paradise,” Reality meets Ariel, who will become her boyfriend. She bravely works for his everlasting affection and joins a clinical trial created by Dr. Zweig Altmann to help her become a more perfect girlfriend. She stars in a new commercial. She learns how to become an indelible host. But Reality will also learn that sheer will and determination, and a very open heart, are not always enough to make true love manifest.
At turns laugh-out-loud funny, tragic, and jarring, Reality’s quest grows ever complicated as the men in her Ariel, her waterpark commercial agent Jethro, and Dr. Altmann himself prove treacherous. Paradise Logic is a thrilling, psychosexual breakdown of our obsession with authentic true love, asking whether that is even possible in a patriarchal world, and announces Sophie Kemp as a wholly original, transformative, and brilliant new voice in fiction.
It was decreed from the moment she was born. Twenty-three-year-old Reality Kahn would embark on a quest so great, so bold. She would become the greatest girlfriend of all time. She would be a zine maker, an aspiring notary, the greatest waterslide commercial actress on the Eastern Seaboard. She would receive messages from the beyond in the form of advice from the esteemed and ancient ladies magazine, Girlfriend Weekly.
When she attends a party in Gowanus at a punk venue known as “Paradise,” Reality meets Ariel, who will become her boyfriend. She bravely works for his everlasting affection and joins a clinical trial created by Dr. Zweig Altmann to help her become a more perfect girlfriend. She stars in a new commercial. She learns how to become an indelible host. But Reality will also learn that sheer will and determination, and a very open heart, are not always enough to make true love manifest.
At turns laugh-out-loud funny, tragic, and jarring, Reality’s quest grows ever complicated as the men in her Ariel, her waterpark commercial agent Jethro, and Dr. Altmann himself prove treacherous. Paradise Logic is a thrilling, psychosexual breakdown of our obsession with authentic true love, asking whether that is even possible in a patriarchal world, and announces Sophie Kemp as a wholly original, transformative, and brilliant new voice in fiction.
255 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 25, 2025
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June 9, 2024i wrote this lmfao
August 26, 2025
4.75 loved it. just as absurd as you would expect but not in a difficult or incomprehensible way, thoroughly fun and entertaining but also kind of vaguely heavy
April 22, 2025
Um where do I start? Or maybe what dimension do I start in? Because Paradise Logic didn’t just take me out of this world, it blasted me across other universes, heaven, hell, and a few fever dream suburbs in between. This is hands down one of the most bizarre and kookiest books I’ve ever read.
At the very start, it was chaotic, kind of made me feel nervous. What am I doing here? Where is this going to take me? But then it hit me: it was Aquarius season, baby. And this book? Pure Aquarius energy.
We follow 23 year old Reality Kahn on a quest to become the greatest girlfriend of all time. She would be a zine maker, an aspiring notary, the greatest waterslide commercial actress on the Eastern Seaboard. Oh and she gets life advice from an ancient, otherworldly ladies’ magazine called Girlfriend Weekly.. ooookay!
I know that this book isn’t going to be for everyone but it is for me. Open your mind, man. This book is what I imagine K3t@m!n3 feels like. Freaky, hilarious, insightful, and dreamy in a good(?) nightmare kind of way. I have no clue what was real and what wasn’t but I do know I’m a different person after reading it.
Many thanks to Simon & Schuster for my review copy!
At the very start, it was chaotic, kind of made me feel nervous. What am I doing here? Where is this going to take me? But then it hit me: it was Aquarius season, baby. And this book? Pure Aquarius energy.
We follow 23 year old Reality Kahn on a quest to become the greatest girlfriend of all time. She would be a zine maker, an aspiring notary, the greatest waterslide commercial actress on the Eastern Seaboard. Oh and she gets life advice from an ancient, otherworldly ladies’ magazine called Girlfriend Weekly.. ooookay!
I know that this book isn’t going to be for everyone but it is for me. Open your mind, man. This book is what I imagine K3t@m!n3 feels like. Freaky, hilarious, insightful, and dreamy in a good(?) nightmare kind of way. I have no clue what was real and what wasn’t but I do know I’m a different person after reading it.
Many thanks to Simon & Schuster for my review copy!
July 2, 2025
This is a book about a 23-year-old woman trying to be successful in a way that the patriarchy approves of, and Kemp's debut is so wonderfully strange and unhinged and imaginative and funny and sad, I just loved its peculiar tone and surreal atmosphere. Protagonist Reality Kahn (actual name: Valerie Estelle Kahn) is informed by her fuck buddy, drug dealer Emil, that she should get a boyfriend as a hobby, but soon, Reality starts to perceive this as a chance to find purpose in life, to attain a fixed identity, so she goes on a quest to become the greatest girlfriend of all time: She starts dating 27-year-old crack-smoking doctoral candidate Ariel, religiously follows the advice in her new favorite magazine "Girlfriend Weekly" and even goes on a clinical trial taking experimental drugs supposed to enhance her girlfriend capabilities.
Before her quest, Reality was a punk rock chic, her passion is making zines: Her real purpose is not being a girlfriend, she is an artist. Reality worked as a cashier and a water slide model, she has a degree in theater and French from Oberlin and lives with her friends Soo-Jin and Lord Byron. Her unusual way to see and describe the world as well as her great openness and vulnerability, frequently mistaken as silly naivety, allow her to create from a unique perspective, but the idea of girlfriendhood that she adopts means that she actively starts to fight her eccentricity, instead trying to submit perfectly to a man: The vignettes Kemp presents range from funny screwball comedy to rape, rising alcohol and drug levels let the text, which is surreal from the start, spiral further.
Ariel, who specializes in the Assyrian Empire at uni, lives in "Paradise", a DIY venue named in reference to Milton (whose epic poem is of course named Paradise Lost, go figure). While he and his roommates create, Reality strives to become a vessel for him: She flatters him, gets the energy drinks and learns "lessons" from Ariel, meaning that she endures sex she doesn't want. The whole thing is particularly dire because she works so hard, and Ariel does not even pretend to love her - Reality is chasing a chimera: "Life can be very beautiful when you squint hard from the shit seats, in that place called Paradise."
Reality is born in 1996, like the author who also features in the text as, well, the author. There are many layers and references to find in here, but the most intriguing factor from an aesthetic point of view is the narrative voice that has an intentional clumsiness and a way to describe the world that constantly re-arranges perspectives. The added titles, images and descriptions relate to zine culture, and the whole novel just comes together nicely as an outrageous narrative experiment and as a page-turner: Until the very end, I wondered what would happen to Reality.
A very impressive debut and a treat for all readers who enjoy unusual narrative voices and unhinged female protagonists.
Before her quest, Reality was a punk rock chic, her passion is making zines: Her real purpose is not being a girlfriend, she is an artist. Reality worked as a cashier and a water slide model, she has a degree in theater and French from Oberlin and lives with her friends Soo-Jin and Lord Byron. Her unusual way to see and describe the world as well as her great openness and vulnerability, frequently mistaken as silly naivety, allow her to create from a unique perspective, but the idea of girlfriendhood that she adopts means that she actively starts to fight her eccentricity, instead trying to submit perfectly to a man: The vignettes Kemp presents range from funny screwball comedy to rape, rising alcohol and drug levels let the text, which is surreal from the start, spiral further.
Ariel, who specializes in the Assyrian Empire at uni, lives in "Paradise", a DIY venue named in reference to Milton (whose epic poem is of course named Paradise Lost, go figure). While he and his roommates create, Reality strives to become a vessel for him: She flatters him, gets the energy drinks and learns "lessons" from Ariel, meaning that she endures sex she doesn't want. The whole thing is particularly dire because she works so hard, and Ariel does not even pretend to love her - Reality is chasing a chimera: "Life can be very beautiful when you squint hard from the shit seats, in that place called Paradise."
Reality is born in 1996, like the author who also features in the text as, well, the author. There are many layers and references to find in here, but the most intriguing factor from an aesthetic point of view is the narrative voice that has an intentional clumsiness and a way to describe the world that constantly re-arranges perspectives. The added titles, images and descriptions relate to zine culture, and the whole novel just comes together nicely as an outrageous narrative experiment and as a page-turner: Until the very end, I wondered what would happen to Reality.
A very impressive debut and a treat for all readers who enjoy unusual narrative voices and unhinged female protagonists.
May 13, 2025
banger
March 27, 2025
this book was as much of a masterpiece as its cover indicates. it was kinda like if chuck palahniuk wrote an amelia bedelia book and the whole thing makes you feel like you’re on an acid trip
When I looked down at Emil’s cell phone I would always see a message that said: LOL JUST RIPPED A FAT 1. And then Emil would respond by saying: “Mashallah, my brother,” even though Sikh is not the same as Muslim and also Emil was a Filipino atheist.
needless to say this is only gonna work for a specific audience but that specific audience is me. reality kahn was a fascinatingly insane narrator and i just wanna know what other bonkers ideas occupy the mind of sophie kemp. the fever dreamiest type of weird ass fiction and i gobbled it up
When I looked down at Emil’s cell phone I would always see a message that said: LOL JUST RIPPED A FAT 1. And then Emil would respond by saying: “Mashallah, my brother,” even though Sikh is not the same as Muslim and also Emil was a Filipino atheist.
needless to say this is only gonna work for a specific audience but that specific audience is me. reality kahn was a fascinatingly insane narrator and i just wanna know what other bonkers ideas occupy the mind of sophie kemp. the fever dreamiest type of weird ass fiction and i gobbled it up
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February 10, 2025Girl…. It’s so confusing to be a GIRL(friend)
May 12, 2025
(I know you're looking at that cover and thinking: girl, what the fuck are you reading? but please, stay with me 😭)
Now, what the hell was this? ... 4 stars 😁!! You see, I loveeee weird books, weird lit fic is one of my favorite things ever. If you were to tell me I'm only allowed to read three types of books for the rest of my life, I'd be happy with: (1) adult romances, (2) weird lit fic, and (3) body horror ―that's my holy trinity. So when I saw a girl (Uzma, thank you diva 🙇♀️) recommend this on TikTok by showing its cover and saying it's about a girl on a quest to become the world's greatest girlfriend, I was sold. And man, this won't be for everyone, but it was for me (and if you think it could be for you too, just keep in mind some huge trigger warnings for rape and suicidal ideation).
When I was a kid, I used to ask my parents for teen magazines so I could stick the posters to my walls, check out celebrity gossip, and do the little personality quizzes they had there. But there's something else always present in these magazines, regardless of their focus: tips on boys. Yes, there were tips on being and finding yourself, but the ones that stole the attention were relationship-related. What to do on dates or if your boyfriend wants to break up with you, or how to flirt or feel confident around boys or deal with jealousy or dress up for him, or simply how to get a boyfriend. So, uhm, yeah, no wonder our FMC here called Reality (yes, Reality) gets influenced by this one magazine Girlfriend Weekly and its very bizarre tips on how to be the greatest girlfriend ever after being told constantly she "wouldn't understand" (understand "what"? who knows?) until she had a boyfriend.
Sometimes I come across people whose brains work in fascinating ways. The way they jump from one thought to another makes me want to get inside their head and see it all work in real time, and that's how I felt about Reality. Like I needed to immerse myself so deeply into her ramblings that I had to hold my breath and only release it when I finished a paragraph. She had me laughing with her thought process and the connections she made to explain her feelings. Uzma also mentioned in one of her tiktoks that the way Reality speaks feels almost like she studied humans interacting with each other and is now trying to replicate them. There's no better way to describe her dialogue. Absolutely no filters ―some insanely ridiculous things come out of her mouth― but the more I read, even though some of it was still funny, the sadder I got because I started seeing things for what they truly were. Reality had gone through some serious shit in the past over and over again, so the way she acted didn't come only from the magazine or the messed up people she surrounded herself with, but also as a consequence of all her past experiences.
It's a bit surreal to be older than all the characters in young and new adult books, and sometimes I flinch when they mention their ages and I realize I'm older, but here's the thing: I turned 23 last week and this is the youngest I've ever felt. I feel like a baby, like I have such a long way to go (because I do). And coincidentally reading a book with a FMC my age and one going through all this mental and physical mess, was a great experience. There were so many amazing quotes in this book about being this age and opening yourself to love and heartbreak, that I'm once again feeling my youngest and ready to discover what I want and explore whatever comes my way (... just not to Reality's extent because that was really fucking crazy).
I mean, you'll find in this book: lots of drug usage, drinking, smoking, terribly bizarre advice on how to be the best girlfriend ever, a snake that enunciates its S's, a cult(?), terrible terrible men, also a terrible terrible girl friend group, rambling to the point of distraction but that'll let your imagination wonder, and "YOLO" as the last word. But you'll also find: what it feels like to be ready to enter your first relationship, the expectations on women when they're part of these, insanely relatable passages (and yes, I'm using "insanely" literally because they way they're worded, it feels crazy to relate to them), and a protagonist you can't help but want the best for even though she makes the worst decisions ever. And yeah, the cover perfectly matches the story. That's exactly how it felt to read it, and I can't believe I'm saying that.
(I feel so eloquent and well-read when I write my lit fic reviews, they boost up my morale 🤪)
Now, what the hell was this? ... 4 stars 😁!! You see, I loveeee weird books, weird lit fic is one of my favorite things ever. If you were to tell me I'm only allowed to read three types of books for the rest of my life, I'd be happy with: (1) adult romances, (2) weird lit fic, and (3) body horror ―that's my holy trinity. So when I saw a girl (Uzma, thank you diva 🙇♀️) recommend this on TikTok by showing its cover and saying it's about a girl on a quest to become the world's greatest girlfriend, I was sold. And man, this won't be for everyone, but it was for me (and if you think it could be for you too, just keep in mind some huge trigger warnings for rape and suicidal ideation).
“You’re making a commitment. A boyfriend I have heard is a lifelong commitment. Once you have one you’re never the same. You become a girlfriend. This is a fixed identity. I didn’t have one of those yet.”
When I was a kid, I used to ask my parents for teen magazines so I could stick the posters to my walls, check out celebrity gossip, and do the little personality quizzes they had there. But there's something else always present in these magazines, regardless of their focus: tips on boys. Yes, there were tips on being and finding yourself, but the ones that stole the attention were relationship-related. What to do on dates or if your boyfriend wants to break up with you, or how to flirt or feel confident around boys or deal with jealousy or dress up for him, or simply how to get a boyfriend. So, uhm, yeah, no wonder our FMC here called Reality (yes, Reality) gets influenced by this one magazine Girlfriend Weekly and its very bizarre tips on how to be the greatest girlfriend ever after being told constantly she "wouldn't understand" (understand "what"? who knows?) until she had a boyfriend.
“There was my twin bed, which had a quilt I took from a homeless guy who didn't need it anymore because he was going to die tomorrow. There was my lovely little lamp. (...) My diploma from Orbelin College in Theatre and the French Language with High Honors. A painting of a beautiful dog. A pile of my weapons: my seventeen knives and seven sticks I had sharpened with my knives.”
Sometimes I come across people whose brains work in fascinating ways. The way they jump from one thought to another makes me want to get inside their head and see it all work in real time, and that's how I felt about Reality. Like I needed to immerse myself so deeply into her ramblings that I had to hold my breath and only release it when I finished a paragraph. She had me laughing with her thought process and the connections she made to explain her feelings. Uzma also mentioned in one of her tiktoks that the way Reality speaks feels almost like she studied humans interacting with each other and is now trying to replicate them. There's no better way to describe her dialogue. Absolutely no filters ―some insanely ridiculous things come out of her mouth― but the more I read, even though some of it was still funny, the sadder I got because I started seeing things for what they truly were. Reality had gone through some serious shit in the past over and over again, so the way she acted didn't come only from the magazine or the messed up people she surrounded herself with, but also as a consequence of all her past experiences.
“She was young here once. Younger than age twenty-three, which some say is the youngest age a person can be.”
It's a bit surreal to be older than all the characters in young and new adult books, and sometimes I flinch when they mention their ages and I realize I'm older, but here's the thing: I turned 23 last week and this is the youngest I've ever felt. I feel like a baby, like I have such a long way to go (because I do). And coincidentally reading a book with a FMC my age and one going through all this mental and physical mess, was a great experience. There were so many amazing quotes in this book about being this age and opening yourself to love and heartbreak, that I'm once again feeling my youngest and ready to discover what I want and explore whatever comes my way (... just not to Reality's extent because that was really fucking crazy).
“and according to lizards in the desert, existence was meaningless and random but that did not mean that it could not also be beautiful, stunning to be alive, alive (alive, alive, alive).”
I mean, you'll find in this book: lots of drug usage, drinking, smoking, terribly bizarre advice on how to be the best girlfriend ever, a snake that enunciates its S's, a cult(?), terrible terrible men, also a terrible terrible girl friend group, rambling to the point of distraction but that'll let your imagination wonder, and "YOLO" as the last word. But you'll also find: what it feels like to be ready to enter your first relationship, the expectations on women when they're part of these, insanely relatable passages (and yes, I'm using "insanely" literally because they way they're worded, it feels crazy to relate to them), and a protagonist you can't help but want the best for even though she makes the worst decisions ever. And yeah, the cover perfectly matches the story. That's exactly how it felt to read it, and I can't believe I'm saying that.
(I feel so eloquent and well-read when I write my lit fic reviews, they boost up my morale 🤪)
April 25, 2025
Ummm anyone else getting the vibe that existence is meaningless and random? 🤔🤨☝🏼🙂↕️
May 22, 2025
Deeply deeply strange and weird
September 3, 2025
extremely impressed by this book and prepared to defend it to the death—Sophie Kemp is such a singular voice! and she has a real talent for writing a nearly-intolerably-terminally-online interior monologue that is actually expertly pitched, at all times
the story shifts fluidly between a voluble omniscient narrator setting up a mythic story (young naive woman seeks love/self-actualization) and the young woman’s fascinating and chaotic first-person monologue, as she tries/succeeds/maybe? to find a boyfriend…the whole story is funny and weird and genuinely very touching (and the internet-y voice doesn't distance you from the story in a posture of irony, but rather makes everything more intensely felt…
to conclude this run-on sentence posing as a review: this was great (but don’t read if you’re a prude; the sexual content isn’t much more explicit than a standard Sheila Heti novel, though!)
the story shifts fluidly between a voluble omniscient narrator setting up a mythic story (young naive woman seeks love/self-actualization) and the young woman’s fascinating and chaotic first-person monologue, as she tries/succeeds/maybe? to find a boyfriend…the whole story is funny and weird and genuinely very touching (and the internet-y voice doesn't distance you from the story in a posture of irony, but rather makes everything more intensely felt…
to conclude this run-on sentence posing as a review: this was great (but don’t read if you’re a prude; the sexual content isn’t much more explicit than a standard Sheila Heti novel, though!)
dnf
April 9, 202545% in and I realize that I'm officially too old. Going urn shopping tomorrow
October 20, 2025
Reality Khan, a woman in her early twenties, has decided she needs a boyfriend. So when she meets Ariel, a thoroughly mediocre grad student, she figures he must be the one. She sets out to be the greatest girlfriend ever…without considering how little Ariel brings to the table.
I don’t even know how to describe this book beyond telling you to please read it. This is weird-girl lit at its absolute finest. It’s a sharp critique of the expectations the patriarchy puts on women in relationships, told from the perspective of a uniquely quirky and naive woman. This book is darker than it first seems, with deeply moving moments, while also being one of the funniest books I’ve read in years. This is so unlike anything else I’ve read, and I mean that as a compliment!
I don’t even know how to describe this book beyond telling you to please read it. This is weird-girl lit at its absolute finest. It’s a sharp critique of the expectations the patriarchy puts on women in relationships, told from the perspective of a uniquely quirky and naive woman. This book is darker than it first seems, with deeply moving moments, while also being one of the funniest books I’ve read in years. This is so unlike anything else I’ve read, and I mean that as a compliment!
April 13, 2025
With a cover art like this, how could I not read it!?
After finishing this one, I’m struggling to put into words my thoughts and feelings on this one. If you've read it, i’m sure you can relate.
I did enjoy Paradise Logic a great deal. The book made me die in uproarious laughter, cringe in the extreme, and made me think. Even in its absurdity, Paradise Logic is philosophical at times.
While reading Paradise Logic, sometimes I felt as if I was having a drug-induced fever dream and at other times I felt as if I were trapped in a surrealist painting
With non-linear timelines and abstract writing, Paradise Logic will not be for everyone. However, if you are looking for a good laugh and a book that's completely original, you will love this one. Also, weird girl fiction fans, this one is for you!
Paradise Logic by Sophie Kemp was published on March 25 so it's available now. Many thanks to Simon Books for the gifted copy!
After finishing this one, I’m struggling to put into words my thoughts and feelings on this one. If you've read it, i’m sure you can relate.
I did enjoy Paradise Logic a great deal. The book made me die in uproarious laughter, cringe in the extreme, and made me think. Even in its absurdity, Paradise Logic is philosophical at times.
While reading Paradise Logic, sometimes I felt as if I was having a drug-induced fever dream and at other times I felt as if I were trapped in a surrealist painting
With non-linear timelines and abstract writing, Paradise Logic will not be for everyone. However, if you are looking for a good laugh and a book that's completely original, you will love this one. Also, weird girl fiction fans, this one is for you!
Paradise Logic by Sophie Kemp was published on March 25 so it's available now. Many thanks to Simon Books for the gifted copy!
January 7, 2025
Not my bag
March 1, 2025
an orgasm is described as, and i quote, "then he immediately became Mr. Firehose about the whole thing."
May 5, 2025
this was real weird and I don't know what it says about me that I completely and utterly understood it, it spoke to me, I probably need therapy, well, MORE therapy, love this authors brain
August 16, 2025
“You’re making a commitment. A boyfriend I have heard is a lifelong commitment. Once you have one you’re never the same. You become a girlfriend. This is a fixed identity. I didn’t have one of those yet.”
Reading Paradise Logic is like waking up hungover in someone else’s dream—nothing feels quite real, but everything hits a nerve.
There’s nothing gentle about this novel. It barrels forward on a current of absurdity and emotional whiplash, dragging you through the fluorescent wasteland of modern womanhood with the steady confidence of someone who’s been clinically detached for years. Set in a reality that feels like it’s been micro-dosed and destabilized just slightly, Kemp’s world is familiar but off—Brooklyn becomes a stage for pharmaceutical trials, bad sex, existential rot, and corporate-funded delusions dressed up as wellness.
Reality, the protagonist, isn’t a mess in the cute, marketable way. She’s chemically altered, emotionally adrift, and barely trying to pretend otherwise. Kemp writes her not as a symbol or a moral arc but as a raw nerve—flickering between insight and apathy, clarity and absurd self-sabotage. The voice is sharp, deeply funny, and edged with something hollow, as if the humour is the only thing keeping her from slipping into complete silence.
There’s no traditional plot here, and Kemp doesn’t pretend otherwise. Paradise Logic moves in spirals—one absurd encounter bleeding into the next—like déjà vu that’s been medicated into compliance. Men appear as vague threats or walking punchlines; relationships are data points in a study that no one’s really running. The surreal elements don’t feel ornamental—they’re structural, embedded into the logic of a world that’s been quietly gutted by pharmaceuticals, internet culture, and a constant low-level dread.
What makes it all work is the precision. Kemp’s prose is deceptively light, clipped, and quick, but layered with quiet violence. She doesn’t waste time trying to explain the absurd—she just lets it settle. A wellness retreat turns into a fevered blur. A talking dog appears and no one blinks. Trauma isn’t narrated, it’s metabolized and released into the air like secondhand smoke. The novel understands that in this kind of world, satire and sincerity aren’t opposites—they’re symptoms of the same underlying condition.
For all its detachment and strangeness, Paradise Logic still lands with emotional weight. Not in any clean, redemptive way, but in flashes—moments where the numbness cracks and something raw slips through. It’s not catharsis Kemp is after, and certainly not healing. What she offers instead is recognition: the surreal honesty of what it feels like to live inside a system designed to make you feel both watched and invisible.
Paradise Logic is disorienting, brutal, and sharply funny—the kind of book that doesn’t try to charm you, but ends up doing it anyway by refusing to pretend. It’s not for everyone, and that’s exactly the point.
Reading Paradise Logic is like waking up hungover in someone else’s dream—nothing feels quite real, but everything hits a nerve.
There’s nothing gentle about this novel. It barrels forward on a current of absurdity and emotional whiplash, dragging you through the fluorescent wasteland of modern womanhood with the steady confidence of someone who’s been clinically detached for years. Set in a reality that feels like it’s been micro-dosed and destabilized just slightly, Kemp’s world is familiar but off—Brooklyn becomes a stage for pharmaceutical trials, bad sex, existential rot, and corporate-funded delusions dressed up as wellness.
Reality, the protagonist, isn’t a mess in the cute, marketable way. She’s chemically altered, emotionally adrift, and barely trying to pretend otherwise. Kemp writes her not as a symbol or a moral arc but as a raw nerve—flickering between insight and apathy, clarity and absurd self-sabotage. The voice is sharp, deeply funny, and edged with something hollow, as if the humour is the only thing keeping her from slipping into complete silence.
There’s no traditional plot here, and Kemp doesn’t pretend otherwise. Paradise Logic moves in spirals—one absurd encounter bleeding into the next—like déjà vu that’s been medicated into compliance. Men appear as vague threats or walking punchlines; relationships are data points in a study that no one’s really running. The surreal elements don’t feel ornamental—they’re structural, embedded into the logic of a world that’s been quietly gutted by pharmaceuticals, internet culture, and a constant low-level dread.
What makes it all work is the precision. Kemp’s prose is deceptively light, clipped, and quick, but layered with quiet violence. She doesn’t waste time trying to explain the absurd—she just lets it settle. A wellness retreat turns into a fevered blur. A talking dog appears and no one blinks. Trauma isn’t narrated, it’s metabolized and released into the air like secondhand smoke. The novel understands that in this kind of world, satire and sincerity aren’t opposites—they’re symptoms of the same underlying condition.
For all its detachment and strangeness, Paradise Logic still lands with emotional weight. Not in any clean, redemptive way, but in flashes—moments where the numbness cracks and something raw slips through. It’s not catharsis Kemp is after, and certainly not healing. What she offers instead is recognition: the surreal honesty of what it feels like to live inside a system designed to make you feel both watched and invisible.
Paradise Logic is disorienting, brutal, and sharply funny—the kind of book that doesn’t try to charm you, but ends up doing it anyway by refusing to pretend. It’s not for everyone, and that’s exactly the point.
March 22, 2025
“Because when you are twenty-three you can fall in love with anyone and this is a terrifying and true thing.”
i think this was THE trippiest book i have ever read. “paradise logic” follows the life of Reality Kahn, who is on a quest to become the perfect girlfriend, whatever the cost. Reality may just be the most unhinged protagonist i’ve ever read about, and it’s not even for the sake of being unhinged necessarily, she just literally has no social or even cognitive awareness. she lives in a world that blurs the lines between the real, the physical, the tangible, and her imagination, her memories, and who she dreams of becoming—and that leaves the reader in the same situation, almost as if the narrative is in a haze, though Reality herself doesn’t question the realness of any of it.
this was so quick to read. i kept picking it back up because it was easy to fall back into, and i just wanted to keep seeing the madness continue. and it was HYSTERICAL. i don’t find too many books laugh-out-loud funny, but this would be one of them. both in the sense of genuinely funny lines/quotes but also in how completely unreal the plot became and how unaware Reality was. a compelling, satirical analysis of relationships and love, and what lengths people are willing to go in order to preserve that status and those emotions, with some allusions to adam and eve.
i feel conflicted because i wish this was a bit more grounded in reality (no pun intended) but at the same time i feel like that would detract from its charm (?) so confusing, i know. but some parts/sequences i felt went over my head because of how nonlinear and surreal the plot was.
i did love the overall message. i even felt personally addressed at times.
“Because when you are twenty-three you will slum it for love. You will sit in the back row on purpose. You will live in a dumpster and sleep on top of newspaper and fall in love with a boy who is named Ariel. You will meet him at a punk venue and he will take you on a first date where you play pinball and do kissing. You will say: I know this is bad. And yet. And yet. Life can be very beautiful when you squint hard from the shit seats, in that place called Paradise. Especially when you are age twenty-three and every terrible thing you do feels remarkable. Every terrible thing you do puts you one inch closer to the gods.”
overall, very mixed feelings. the execution was so unique and bizarre that i find it simultaneously added to and detracted from the beauty of it.
3.5 stars. thank you SO much to simon and schuster for sending me an advanced copy of this for my honest review.
i think this was THE trippiest book i have ever read. “paradise logic” follows the life of Reality Kahn, who is on a quest to become the perfect girlfriend, whatever the cost. Reality may just be the most unhinged protagonist i’ve ever read about, and it’s not even for the sake of being unhinged necessarily, she just literally has no social or even cognitive awareness. she lives in a world that blurs the lines between the real, the physical, the tangible, and her imagination, her memories, and who she dreams of becoming—and that leaves the reader in the same situation, almost as if the narrative is in a haze, though Reality herself doesn’t question the realness of any of it.
this was so quick to read. i kept picking it back up because it was easy to fall back into, and i just wanted to keep seeing the madness continue. and it was HYSTERICAL. i don’t find too many books laugh-out-loud funny, but this would be one of them. both in the sense of genuinely funny lines/quotes but also in how completely unreal the plot became and how unaware Reality was. a compelling, satirical analysis of relationships and love, and what lengths people are willing to go in order to preserve that status and those emotions, with some allusions to adam and eve.
i feel conflicted because i wish this was a bit more grounded in reality (no pun intended) but at the same time i feel like that would detract from its charm (?) so confusing, i know. but some parts/sequences i felt went over my head because of how nonlinear and surreal the plot was.
i did love the overall message. i even felt personally addressed at times.
“Because when you are twenty-three you will slum it for love. You will sit in the back row on purpose. You will live in a dumpster and sleep on top of newspaper and fall in love with a boy who is named Ariel. You will meet him at a punk venue and he will take you on a first date where you play pinball and do kissing. You will say: I know this is bad. And yet. And yet. Life can be very beautiful when you squint hard from the shit seats, in that place called Paradise. Especially when you are age twenty-three and every terrible thing you do feels remarkable. Every terrible thing you do puts you one inch closer to the gods.”
overall, very mixed feelings. the execution was so unique and bizarre that i find it simultaneously added to and detracted from the beauty of it.
3.5 stars. thank you SO much to simon and schuster for sending me an advanced copy of this for my honest review.
Read
June 4, 2025ty s&s
weird litfic when actual Weird litfic come at them but not even in a good way?
more articulated review to come, maybe, but such a let down from such an anticipated read and a great premise.
“A girl on a quest to be the perfect girlfriend that examines modern dating etc etc” you think based on the synopsis you’re gonna witness a literary masterpiece and it’s anything but.
My issue with paradise logic is its writing, in its incredibly hard quest of being absurd-in-its-seriousness it comes off pitifully juvenile. It’s not even the repeated use of exclamation marks, or emoticons, or the sentence capitalisations i thought they were quirky! Cute even!However everything else was a sloppy mess.
Sloppy a word that Reality uses to describe her true love for blow jobs, which brings me to my second point. The author repeatedly included sexual scenes and languages for such a cheap shot at something (complexity i guess?) but it comes out like a baby’s first use of cuss word. To a point it borders on erotica but at least in erotica the sex scenes are better written.
By the 50% mark i thought this needed a much harsher editing and by the end i thought this cant be more than a first draft.
The thing is with absurd structure-less books that they need to have something good to compensate you for the ride, with paradise logic i didnt want to be compensated i just needed my ride to be over.
Whenever the author was so close to actually making something good sticks, it swerves out immediately back to its nonsensical slop.
Not going to mention any particular awful lines (the whole thing is) because i want people to read this and experience the horrifying state of published literature right now first hand.
Would love to critique this some more, on its meek writing, on its awful execution, on a million and one lines that i read and thought this cant be actually getting published, on how Reality could’ve been a much more engaging intriguing narrator, on the missed opportunity to flush out something actually substantial that criticised true love and modern dating and all the things mentioned in the synopsis. But i just want to forget i ever read such a disappointment to be honest. Maybe it will appeal to a certain demographic although i cant say i see how.
weird litfic when actual Weird litfic come at them but not even in a good way?
more articulated review to come, maybe, but such a let down from such an anticipated read and a great premise.
“A girl on a quest to be the perfect girlfriend that examines modern dating etc etc” you think based on the synopsis you’re gonna witness a literary masterpiece and it’s anything but.
My issue with paradise logic is its writing, in its incredibly hard quest of being absurd-in-its-seriousness it comes off pitifully juvenile. It’s not even the repeated use of exclamation marks, or emoticons, or the sentence capitalisations i thought they were quirky! Cute even!However everything else was a sloppy mess.
Sloppy a word that Reality uses to describe her true love for blow jobs, which brings me to my second point. The author repeatedly included sexual scenes and languages for such a cheap shot at something (complexity i guess?) but it comes out like a baby’s first use of cuss word. To a point it borders on erotica but at least in erotica the sex scenes are better written.
By the 50% mark i thought this needed a much harsher editing and by the end i thought this cant be more than a first draft.
The thing is with absurd structure-less books that they need to have something good to compensate you for the ride, with paradise logic i didnt want to be compensated i just needed my ride to be over.
Whenever the author was so close to actually making something good sticks, it swerves out immediately back to its nonsensical slop.
Not going to mention any particular awful lines (the whole thing is) because i want people to read this and experience the horrifying state of published literature right now first hand.
Would love to critique this some more, on its meek writing, on its awful execution, on a million and one lines that i read and thought this cant be actually getting published, on how Reality could’ve been a much more engaging intriguing narrator, on the missed opportunity to flush out something actually substantial that criticised true love and modern dating and all the things mentioned in the synopsis. But i just want to forget i ever read such a disappointment to be honest. Maybe it will appeal to a certain demographic although i cant say i see how.
Read
December 19, 2024Straight ppl can be gay
April 6, 2025
My bookclub picked this book as a joke. Funny cover, funny premise, funny book. I did not expect it to be actually good.
The beginning really hooked me because this is my exact type of humor. I have never laughed more at a book and I was really enjoying it for that reason.
What I did next expect was for this funny little book to be one of the best written descents into madness I’ve read. I couldn’t help thinking that this is what I wished Bunny by Mona Awad had been. You know that saying about the frog in the pot of boiling water. That’s how I felt. At some point this funny book stewed into something that made me incredibly sad and had me so deep in thought about womanhood and how society expects women to behave and preform solely for men.
This book was actually so fabulous and amazingly written. I cannot wait to read it again. I almost want to just start from page one right now to try to dissect more of the insanity now that I know what to expect, but I have too many other things to read.
I don’t know if I can recommend this to most people because I know for sure it is not everyone’s taste but man this was a shockingly good book.
The beginning really hooked me because this is my exact type of humor. I have never laughed more at a book and I was really enjoying it for that reason.
What I did next expect was for this funny little book to be one of the best written descents into madness I’ve read. I couldn’t help thinking that this is what I wished Bunny by Mona Awad had been. You know that saying about the frog in the pot of boiling water. That’s how I felt. At some point this funny book stewed into something that made me incredibly sad and had me so deep in thought about womanhood and how society expects women to behave and preform solely for men.
This book was actually so fabulous and amazingly written. I cannot wait to read it again. I almost want to just start from page one right now to try to dissect more of the insanity now that I know what to expect, but I have too many other things to read.
I don’t know if I can recommend this to most people because I know for sure it is not everyone’s taste but man this was a shockingly good book.
March 25, 2025
SHOWSTOPPING. Guys I loved this book so much Simon & Schuster asked to turn my tiktok about it into an ad LIKE. My honest thoughts into an ad. Can you even believe it. I'm gonna let that video speak for itself because it has all my thoughts packaged in a neat little box. I want all of you to experience this absurd journey of a girl on a quest to become the world's greatest girlfriend!
October 23, 2025
The strays I was catching while reading this were insane (I’m 23)
Also I weirdly love Reality so much, minus the whole being male centered thing. She has some crazy one liners and I love how her brain works
Also I weirdly love Reality so much, minus the whole being male centered thing. She has some crazy one liners and I love how her brain works
August 31, 2025
me when i’m just saying stuff
February 4, 2025
Wow. I felt like I was having a stroke while reading this. It was a fever dream. A trip. I loved it. I don't know why I loved it, because it made little sense and the characters were weird and the whole thing was unhinged. But I deeply enjoyed it. I really liked our odd MC. The cover is wild. Life is meaningless and random. YOLO.
Thank you to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for the ARC.
Thank you to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for the ARC.
April 18, 2025
such a brain rot take on modern relationships and girlhood and it was done so good
March 20, 2025
*3.5 rounded up
Major thanks to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for offering me an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest thoughts:
"..𝘩𝘶𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘵𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧 𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘢𝘤𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘢 𝘱𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘯 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘦𝘯𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘱𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘯 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘣𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘦𝘯𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘪𝘵 𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬. 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘺 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘢𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨: 𝘵𝘰 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘭𝘺.”
The story of Adam and Eve simplified to just Eve within our modern times by way of Disney’s Enchanted. Fun and frivolous with a snake that enunciates its S’s. Lots of drinking. Sex. It’s the hot girl book prepped hot and ready for hot girl summer (yes, still a thing!) Homegirl just wants a boyfriend, not a man, not a hero, just someone simple. And why is wanting something simple so difficult?
Major thanks to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for offering me an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest thoughts:
"..𝘩𝘶𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘵𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧 𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘢𝘤𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘢 𝘱𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘯 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘦𝘯𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘱𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘯 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘣𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘦𝘯𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘪𝘵 𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬. 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘺 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘢𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨: 𝘵𝘰 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘭𝘺.”
The story of Adam and Eve simplified to just Eve within our modern times by way of Disney’s Enchanted. Fun and frivolous with a snake that enunciates its S’s. Lots of drinking. Sex. It’s the hot girl book prepped hot and ready for hot girl summer (yes, still a thing!) Homegirl just wants a boyfriend, not a man, not a hero, just someone simple. And why is wanting something simple so difficult?
May 12, 2025
One of my first long form reviews! Here goes:
I was looking at the new release hardcovers at my local bookstore a couple weeks ago, and saw the most unhinged and wild book cover I’ve ever seen. I was so confused. I was also so intrigued. I spent almost $30 of my hard earned money to read it.
The book follows a 23 year old college grad and waterpark model named Reality (insane name choice, by the way) who embarks on a journey to become the world’s best girlfriend. In order to do this, she *obviously* has to find a boyfriend. Becoming preoccupied with a magazine series that gives her a strange medication to make her the “perfect girlfriend”, paired with the “You need a hobby, or a boyfriend, or something” conversations with her friends and roommates, she finally sets eyes on who she thinks she can win over: a 26 year old grad student, Ariel. However, she quickly learns that spending every second with him and being obsessed with him doesn’t mean they’re dating, and it’s impossible to force someone to love you. It’s situationship hell. This book is funny, it’s weird, and it’s surprisingly soft when you see how Reality’s life and relationships have all changed by the end of the book.
The whole premise sounded insane to me from the start, and it just got wilder as the story went on. It felt like an absolute fever dream, where I was questioning which parts of the story actually happened and which parts were pure delusion on Reality’s part. For a plot as strange and bizarre as this, it was executed incredibly well, in my opinion.
But what I find shocking, was I actually *loved* Sophie Kemp’s unconventional writing style. She makes up her own words, uses 10 exclamation points at a time, and even throws in the occasional heart emoji. Is this a perfect work of literature? Absolutely not. However, the flow and the chaos of her writing style matched the crazy premise of the story perfectly, and that’s something I don’t think many modern “weird literary fiction” authors pull off as well as Sophie Kemp did.
This is by far the strangest, weirdest, most chaotic book I’ve ever read. It was also absolutely hilarious for most of it. Watching how Reality’s life changed, both inside and outside, as the story went on was very surprising - it’s not often that I find a book that depicts changes in relationships where it is so clear who is at fault, their obliviousness, their ignorance. Reminder: You cannot make someone love you if they don’t want to love you.
This book left me staring at a wall. I almost cried when I finished it. I’m changing my rating from 4.5 stars, to 5 stars.
I was looking at the new release hardcovers at my local bookstore a couple weeks ago, and saw the most unhinged and wild book cover I’ve ever seen. I was so confused. I was also so intrigued. I spent almost $30 of my hard earned money to read it.
The book follows a 23 year old college grad and waterpark model named Reality (insane name choice, by the way) who embarks on a journey to become the world’s best girlfriend. In order to do this, she *obviously* has to find a boyfriend. Becoming preoccupied with a magazine series that gives her a strange medication to make her the “perfect girlfriend”, paired with the “You need a hobby, or a boyfriend, or something” conversations with her friends and roommates, she finally sets eyes on who she thinks she can win over: a 26 year old grad student, Ariel. However, she quickly learns that spending every second with him and being obsessed with him doesn’t mean they’re dating, and it’s impossible to force someone to love you. It’s situationship hell. This book is funny, it’s weird, and it’s surprisingly soft when you see how Reality’s life and relationships have all changed by the end of the book.
The whole premise sounded insane to me from the start, and it just got wilder as the story went on. It felt like an absolute fever dream, where I was questioning which parts of the story actually happened and which parts were pure delusion on Reality’s part. For a plot as strange and bizarre as this, it was executed incredibly well, in my opinion.
But what I find shocking, was I actually *loved* Sophie Kemp’s unconventional writing style. She makes up her own words, uses 10 exclamation points at a time, and even throws in the occasional heart emoji. Is this a perfect work of literature? Absolutely not. However, the flow and the chaos of her writing style matched the crazy premise of the story perfectly, and that’s something I don’t think many modern “weird literary fiction” authors pull off as well as Sophie Kemp did.
This is by far the strangest, weirdest, most chaotic book I’ve ever read. It was also absolutely hilarious for most of it. Watching how Reality’s life changed, both inside and outside, as the story went on was very surprising - it’s not often that I find a book that depicts changes in relationships where it is so clear who is at fault, their obliviousness, their ignorance. Reminder: You cannot make someone love you if they don’t want to love you.
This book left me staring at a wall. I almost cried when I finished it. I’m changing my rating from 4.5 stars, to 5 stars.
Want to read
July 28, 2025this book will either be a 5 star read or a 1 star for me and i really don't know where i'll land
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