This wasn’t what I thought it would be. I thought it would be an entirely fun and simple read; random family secrets were not figured into my equation. Nevertheless, it was not a bad book. This book depends on coincidence and suspension of disbelief. It does try to highlight family and the challenges that can come with it. Also, there are a couple of funny moments.

It definitely dragged on, and many scenes did not contribute to or move the overall plot. The scenes that should have been featured took place off screen.

Characters would start to reveal a secret and then the chapter would end before the words even left their mouth. The next chapter would start sometime after the reveal, and pages later the audience would finally find out what was revealed. It was frustrating because that happened a lot.

Also, there was a lot of telling instead of showing. For example, the book started at an awkward place. The main character was getting ready to leave for her job. It would have been more interesting to have seen her acquire that job instead of telling her friend how she got it. The dialogue felt unnatural and too much at times.

Characters

Overall, the characters were likeable and decent. There was minimum backstory for Lia. I would have liked to get to know her more. For example, why is she working at a model agency? What about her art?

Because the Morgan family are portrayed as this wealthy and high class family, Lia was supposed to sort of be relatable to the common people. At certain points in the book she was relatable, but at other places she was not.

Out of all the characters, Kevin might have been the most developed. In addition to getting a prominent backstory, he felt the most real.

I was scared that this book was going to have a love triangle. It doesn’t and I’m extremely thankful for it. Paid Companion is only around 200 pages and the main romance lacked important development. If there was a love triangle, it would have felt rushed and unnecessary.

Like mentioned earlier, the main romance is a little under developed at this point in the story. The couple is cute together, and do have the potential to be great, however, with the material given there needs to be a little more development.

They got together within 5 days of knowing one another. It’s a good start to their relationship; but I would have liked to have seen more emotional conversations and them spending time (together) alone and actually bonding. The fact that important conversations between the romantic leads took place off screen was a disadvantage to this couple.

Final Analysis

Paid Companion is a relatively short book that does manage to drag on. It is not completely dissatisfying. There are some funny moments, and it does have a romance that has the potential to be great.