Paradise Pawn: A Novel

by Meg Richardson

A dazzling debut novel about best friends, adolescent longing, and the Florida pawn shop that promises to make their dreams come true—if it doesn’t break them apart first.

Teenage best friends Jackie and Kayla can sell anything. Alongside their fathers, they work at a pawn shop in Cherry Beach, Florida, handling everything from luxury jewelry to chainsaws and more. When the girls learn that Kayla’s family can’t afford a private school opportunity that Jackie’s can, Jackie becomes distraught about losing her best friend. With their sharp minds but youthful lack of foresight, they scheme a way to embezzle money from the pawn shop. As the hot Florida summer unfolds, the girls steal thousands of dollars from the shop. But when their heist is discovered, Jackie is faced with a situation that no amount of negotiating or charisma can fix.

With incredible heart and wit, and based on Richardson’s own experience working behind the counter of a pawn shop, Paradise Pawn navigates current-day themes of trust, familial love, female friendship, and class differences, and asks us how far we would go to protect the ones we love most.

Kindle Edition

Expected publication July 14, 2026

Reviews

[Molly]

Ha ha ha why am I crying so hard???? I loved it.

[Megan Magee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Paradise Pawn covers puberty at its finest: friendship, family jobs, Florida sunshine, and way too many laughs to even ponder putting this one down right from the start. We follow Jackie and her friend Kayla, who she considers the hotter and more extroverted version of herself she has known since age three. The two meet after their dads work at a pawn shop together, employed under a ruthless quack named Rob. Paradise Pawn displays its chapters at first into pieces you can buy at the best pawn shops around, and then diverges into two besties trying to figure out teenaged life and going to different schools after spending their lifetimes together. There is just enough glimpse of the parents and families to get a good look at how quirky our imperfect characters are. Despite some obvious holes in the pacing, I thought this one was a hoot and really enjoyed it if you're into coming of age novels. Thank you to Netgalley and Zando/ Tin House for the advanced eARC. All opinions are entirely my own.

[Ellen Ross · Rating 5 out of 5]

I fell in love with this book and the characters. A coming of age tale on friendship and class and everything that comes with teenage girlhood. This was such a realistic and relatable look at what we do for those we love even if it’s wrong. I absolutely loved Jackie and her innocence but also her wisdom. I loved how easy of a read this was and I truly loved the ending. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.