In a world of abundance romance novels, Goodbye Paradise by Sarina Bowen stands out among the rest with a storyline worth dedicating a day to.

Related: Sarina Bowen talks co-writing, diverse characters, and her upcoming projects

About ‘Goodbye Paradise’:

In Paradise, there is no television. No fast food. Just long hours of farm work and prayer on a dusty Wyoming ranch, and nights in a crowded bunkhouse. The boys of the Compound are kept far from the sinners’ world.

But Joshua doesn’t need temptation to sin. His whole life, he’s wanted his best friend, Caleb. By day they work side by side. Only when Josh closes his eyes at night can they be together the way he craves.

It can never be. And his survival depends on keeping his terrible desires secret.

Caleb has always protected Josh against the worst of the bullying at the Compound. But he has secrets of his own, and a plan to get away — until it all backfires.

Josh finds himself homeless in a world that doesn’t want him. Can Caleb find him in time? And will they find a place of safety, where he can admit to Josh how he really feels?

‘Goodbye Paradise’ review:

It’s only been a couple of months since I discovered author Sarina Bowen, but since then I have devoured all of her novels and Goodbye Paradise was no exception. From the minute I started reading the story was very hard to put down. I didn’t time myself but I started reading it sometime in the middle of the day and was done before bedtime.

Joshua and Caleb’s story is nothing short of enthralling. It’s not just a romance novel, it’s also packed with adventure, and it feels like the reader is watching two young men allowed to grow for the first time. There’s no mistaking that they’re already physically grown, and have the sexual appetites to prove it, however they’re almost completely new to world outside of their cult and have much to learn. Such as, proper google etiquette.

It’s also completely heart warming, these two go from having virtually no one really caring about them except each other to having a whole group of people behind them. That group eventually becomes more of a family to them and it melts your heart to see how kind Joshua and Caleb remain despite all the odds against them. It’s hard not to fall in love with these two as they try to find their place in the world.

For those who are familiar with Sarina Bowen already, the book really felt like an extension of the True North series. It talks a bit about Zachariah from Keepsake who escaped from the same cult. Goodbye Paradise also mostly takes place on a farm and so it has the same vibes from the True North series. The only exception is that we learn much more about the cult from Joshua and Caleb than we did from Zachariah.

As soon as I finished Goodbye Paradise I wanted more! The good news is that there is a second book in the series, but it’s not with the same characters. There may be a third in the series so here’s hoping that there will be an update on the characters from Goodbye Paradise!

I have yet to come across a Sarina Bowen novel that I didn’t love, so even if Goodbye Paradise doesn’t sound like your type of book I suggest checking out her other works. Seriously talented writer here that everyone should be reading.

Goodbye Paradise is available now wherever ebooks are sold! Get your hands on a copy today at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or iBooks.