I was a bit slow reading this ARC, so I had the benefit of scanning numerous reviews which tempered my expectations. I knew it was a slow build, totally fine with me.

This book is more like domestic suspense or women's literature, IT IS NOT A THRILLER, which works perfectly well for me as I am a fan of those genres. The book centers around Livia and Adam who are married with 2 adult children, Josh and Marnie. Josh was a result of a teen pregnancy but the marriage of Liv and Adam stood the test of time.

You know there is a secret about Marnie that Liv plans to share with Adam after her 40th birthday party. I guessed it right from the beginning, but of course, no I didn't.

Adam also has a secret about Marnie, which takes up a lot of the story. It was so sad and made me so emotional. I could feel Adam's gut wrenching with the information, as he kept inside waiting for the party to end.

I really enjoyed the story. It covered the strain of the relationship between Adam and Josh. It also highlighed the strong connections between the rest of the family members and their friends. Most of the story takes place hour by hour on the day of the party, alternating between Adam and Livia, with numerous flashbacks woven in.

I thought the author wrote a great story and I enjoyed getting to know the characters and their complicated history. I felt their pain and couldn't get them out of my mind between reading sessions.

Thank you St Martin's Press and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

So first let me say that this is not like any other B.A. Paris book I’ve read. I didn’t know that going in, so I was prepared for a dark twisty story, and that is not this book.
This book was more a portrait of a family. A husband and wife who may have had kids too young. A father who resented his son for being born, but doted on his daughter. A wife who still feels a little betrayed, and all of them with secrets. I enjoyed the story, it kept my attention, but the fact that a lot of issues could have been solved with a conversation left me a little irritated.
If you are looking for a typical B.A. Paris story, you should probably skip this one.

An excellent page turner! I really enjoyed this book and the format in which it was written. There are some surprises as Livia's 40th birthday party comes to fruition. I really felt Adam's "Dilemma" and then the "Dilemma" Livia and Adam face together about confronting their friend Jess. I would recommend this book. Thank you

Adam and Livia are married with 2 grown children. Livia is looking forward to her 40th birthday party. The story Takes place in a day and is told from the viewpoints of Adam and Livia. Both are keeping secrets that could destroy their relationship and family. The story is an emotional story about friendship, family and loss. Thank you to net galley for a copy.

I’ve gotta be honest here I didn’t even read the synopsis before requesting this book. It’s BA Paris which means it’s basically gold. I have read all her books she is a brilliant writer. She has the ability to suck you in and her stories are quick fast paced and super dramatic.

This book just didn’t do it for me. It was more of a family story and not what I’ve come to expect from this author. Reminder: “behind closed doors” which was my favorite book the year it came out. I thought this would be a thriller and it was far from it.

Good writing, I’ll read her next book but probably not before reading the synopsis.

I received this book for free in exchange for my honest review.

I think I would have enjoyed this book more if the entire premise wasn't based on the flimsy concept of a couple not talking or communicating with each other. If they had just talked more and whole book would have fallen apart.. It took place in a very condensed timeline (a single day, I think!) but it seemed, much much longer. I appreciated the effort but it really felt forced.

A few things about this bothered me to the point of distraction. It was a quick read, not my favorite by this author. Free copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

The Dilemma is my third novel by B. A. Paris and it is by far the most unique. It is not at all a thriller, which is the genre I have to come to expect to be associated with her name. This one is a domestic drama about one 24 -30 hour time span in the life of a married couple. I found it totally engaging and read the entire thing in one day...staying up way too late to finish it. Livia and Adam are a married couple with two younger adult children. They had gotten pregnant when Livia was just 17, and her family disowned her over this event tarnishing their name. Adam had a difficult time adjusting to the responsibilities of being a husband and father at such a young age, and thus has a fraught relationship with their oldest child, a son named Josh. The couple's second child is the apple of Daddy's eye,: 19-yr-old Marnie. Through the years, Adam and Livia have overcome the odds and are a loving couple devoted to each other and their family.

The story takes place on the day of Livia's 40th birthday party. She has been looking forward to this party for nearly twenty years. She has saved up her money so she can throw a lavish shindig. Her aspiration is for this birthday party to make up for the loss of the big wedding she had dreamed of growing up, but never achieved after her parents disowned her over her pregnancy with Josh. Adam is the cheerleader every woman would want when doing something a bit frivolous for herself. Another thing this couple has going for them is a close group of friends they have known for most of their marriage. They are a tight-knit trio of couples who have been with each other through all life's milestones. Josh is there at the party. All Livia's coworkers will be there. The only one missing, Livia believes, is her daughter, Marnie.

Secretly, Marnie and Adam have hatched a surprise for Livia and Marnie is going to show up at the event. Adam learns something about Marnie just before the party begins that threatens to unhinge him. Meanwhile Livia had learned another secret about Marnie weeks before that is eating her up.

What neither of the couple knows is the secret the other is holding regarding Marnie that will test their relationship to its brink in one, single night.

This book is close to 5 stars for me, maybe 4.6. I think it handled a familial event in a very believable way. I found myself thinking how amazing it was that the premise for the drama in this book had never been done before, but yet was something that was SO easy to imagine happening in real life. The characters were flawed, but not over the top in any way. The one problem I had with the book was perhaps Livia's obsession with this event then her response to her husband later on in the novel. Although, I had to think that honestly, the most selfless people occasionally have selfish obsessions and also the most loving people can have unloving reactions to pain. I also really loved how realistic the whole story about Marnie was. She was their daughter and they both had their own imaginings of who she was, but no parent is immune from being wrong in his/her visions of their children. And no child is ever the perfect person her parents may expect her to be.

It was a hopeful book. It was a lovely, intimate look at a realistic marriage and friendships and family. I was surprised at some of the lower reader ratings, but I do understand that if someone picks up The Dilemma expecting it to maintain the adrenaline rush and pace of her three prior novels, this one may seem disappointing. Thankfully, I love a book that can take some of life's problems and tragedy and still reflect the hopefulness that long marriages can inspire.

This definitely wasn't what I was expecting from B.A. Paris. Having loved her other books, and having the description sound pretty intriguing, I was definitely disappointed by this book. This really should have been a short story. It was SO dragged out and SO predictable! I really didn't relate to any of the characters because there really wasn't much development at all and it was not a page-turner/suspenseful read like I am used to from this author. That being said, it did make me cry at times. I'm looking forward to B.A. Paris' next book and hoping it will be more like her other previous books!

I have really enjoyed this author’s previous books (in particular, (“behind closed doors”). Unfortunate, this one wasn’t enjoyable for me. It was very drawn-out and boring; what could have been revealed in a few chapters took the entire book. There wasn’t any character development or anything else that could make up for the slow plot. I hope the next novel by this author is more enjoyable!

Olivia, Adam, and their two children live a good life, in a nice house, with nice friends. For 20 years, Olivia (Livia) has planned for her 40th birthday party - a party to make up for the wedding she never had. The day is upon her and it is slightly colored by a secret she knows and must tell her husband, but has chosen to wait until after the party. Their daughter, Marnie, who is in Hong Kong, is coming home for the party, and she too carries a secret. Adam also has a secret - that Marnie is flying home to surprise her mom at the party. It is all set, with a bog box under one of the party tables that Marnie is going to jump out of. Plans are in motion, the party is being set up and Adam goes into town to pick up Livia's gift when he gets some news that might devastate everything. Everyone has decisions to make about their secrets and how things will go on the day of this party and beyond.

B.A. Paris tells this story going back between Adam and Livia's view point. Almost all of the book occurs on the day of the party in hour by hour increments. You might think this would make for a slow novel, but the entire book went by very quickly, as there were so many moving parts to this drama. At times, I found Livia's character to be annoying. I can understand her desire to have a party, but the emphasis on this 40th birthday party is over the top. The party needs to be so important that no one would want to upset it.... but this premise was a bit hard to swallow. She jumped to all sorts of conclusions throughout the book that I wanted to scream at her - as she just couldn't get it. Adam also had a few moments where I wanted to shake him, too. I could understand where he stood as well, but his behavior seemed atypical for someone in the situation he finds himself in. Despite these annoyances, it was a good book, and I needed to see it through as I had to know how things would turn out. The author did a fine job of bringing things together in the conclusion and I wanted away from the story mostly satisfied at the end.

I appreciate Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for giving me the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

A woman’s 40th birthday celebration takes center stage. Lies and deceit revolve around it. Husband and wife harbor secrets which could bring devastation to their lives. Is a party a good enough reason to keep these secrets until after the celebration? The Dilemma is fast paced and engaging.

During the times I wasn’t reading, I still kept waiting for Marnie to come in the door.

Wow. I love B.A. Paris’ books, but this one outshines them all. This story felt so real. The tension, anxiety and job bubbled up inside as I walked through keeping secrets with Livia and Adam. I could relate to their choices, whether I would have made the same ones or not. Too often, when characters keep a secret, the reader cannot understand why or think it’s stupid that the person is not sharing. In The Dilemma, the thought process is so clear and so natural that the secrets are hidden just as they should be.

The suspense builds as the knowledge of each dilemma is sealed. Without spoiling anything, suffice to say that while the secret is being verified and the layers of them coming to light, the reasons for the dilemmas are exposed. The story is such an emotional ride. I found myself reacting to interruptions as if I was in the house or at the party myself.

I treasured every moment of this read. I laughed, cried, worried, was anxious and was mad. The emotions of this fantastic book transposed themselves on my heart. I called my kids to tell them that I will always love them under any circumstanced following the last page.



I received an ARC from St. Martin Press through NetGalley. This in no way affects my opinion or rating of this book. I am voluntarily submitting this review and am under no obligation to do so.

Oh, man. Just an all around, No. The Dilemma...to give bad news (really bad news) or to party? This is "The Dilemma". The husband has a dilemma and the wife has a dilemma. The entire time you're thinking...just freaking tell the other person. The story line just wasn't for me. The characters were well written. The side stories were great. It was the overall story.
This book wasn't for me.

Having been a huge fan of B. A. Paris I couldn’t wait to read this book. It was not what I was expecting, hoping for. More of a family drama than suspense./ thriller. I read through to the end hoping for it to pick up. This one just wasn’t my favorite. Thanks to NetGalley for the privilege to read and review this book.

Plot wise, this was very different from the other book I've read by B.A. Paris (Behind Closed Doors). Behind Closed Doors was a suspense/thriller and this book is a domestic/drama story. It centers around a family with secrets. The mother, Livia is gearing up for a much anticipated 40th birthday celebration and during the course of the day of the party, many things are revealed to the reader and a huge dilemma is presented to one of the characters.

I love B.A. Paris's writing style and will continue to pick up anything that she writes but this particular book was not one that I enjoyed (because of the basis of the plot). Without spoiling anything, I will say that the things that occurred in the story caused me a lot of anxiety and preyed on my deepest fears. I did appreciate how everything unfolded and the mystery surrounding it but once things were revealed, it was hard to finish.

This was just a tough one for me...had I known the actual twist of the book, I never would have read it.

I’m happy to finally be able to share a great summer read by one of my fave authors: B.A. Paris’ The Dilemma. I received this book months ago from St. Martin’s Press via Net Galley. (thank you!!).

In this novel, two people are keeping secrets in order to keep others blindly happy, but their worlds are about to come tumbling down. Don’t want to say more and give anything away!

This story was a bit different from B.A. Paris’ last ones. I loved the suspense of her earlier works and the intensity. This is more a story with psychological suspense, but it’s heart-breaking, and it touches on the base elements of family life and relationships. I really liked it and read it in one evening because I couldn’t put it down.

I have to admit this book made me extremely anxious. I loved every minute of it but could not stop the feeling of wanting to go staright to the end and know what would happen in the last pages. I did not... I kept my resolve to keep the suprise but it was very hard. This is a book about a family that are about to celebrate the bitrhtday of liv, the mother. A wonderful surprise suddenly turns into a nightmare and the psychological dilemma around it is just simply too muc to bare. I kept putting myself in the position of Adam, Liv's husband and kept reading to see how it would turn up. Reading this book was amazing. I would highly recommend it

This is my first book by B.A. Paris and it won't be my last. The Dilemma is a thoroughly enjoyable page-turning story!
The story takes place over 24 hours and is being told in the alternating points of view of Livia and her husband, Adam. For years Livia has been planning a huge party for her 40th birthday, to make up for the wedding she never had.
Both Livia and Adam face a dilemma. They each know a secret and choose to withhold it from the other until after the party. At what cost? Will their revealed secrets tear them apart or bring them closer together?
A gripping family drama that had me hooked from the beginning!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an arc of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

At first I thought this was more of a thriller book, but it is more of a drama type. A good drama book. Both Livia and Adam have kept secrets from each other for, in their view, good reasons, but now the party that Livia has dreamed of for years is set to happen and all the secrets are going to come out. Will it ruin the day? Can they keep the secrets for just a few hours more until the party is over? Should they?

I liked the book and the story line, although it bothered me a bit that a grown woman felt the need to have this big party just for her. A little odd. But it provided the background for the story that needed to happen.I enjoyed the characters and the overall love story of Livia and Adam. I also liked the strong group of friends that extended into their children's lives.

I have read all of B.A. Paris's books and I would sat overall, this is my favorite one.