I find Stellaris 100% easier to grasp than any other Paradox game. I think it's due to a fact in other Paradox games you essentially start in a middle of someone else's save. In Stellaris, for the most part, everyone starts at the same time.

Just start as a fanatic militarist monarch, and you're playing a nearly regular strategy at this point.

I would say CK3 have much better new player introduction (I also bounced of CK2), but if you bounced off Stellaris, which is the easiest of Paradox titles to get into, you'd probably have same problem. But you can always wait for free week I guess