This was a book I had sort of a love/hate relationship with, both emotions I think are a testament of how great a writer Paris is.
The two main characters, married couple Livia and Adam, were infuriating and difficult to relate to because of how flawed they both were. You see them literally forget about their son so often I almost wonder why he was even in the book at all.
The purpose of this book was stated to be delving into how people approach telling their spouse something life-changing, and it definitely did that! I read it in two sittings because I was so curious about what would happen, but found myself disappointed in the ending and looking up after wondering what exactly I just read. Like I said, love/hate.

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin Press for this advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.
I have read all of B.A. Paris books and am a fan, and I have to say this book is very different from her others and yet I feel like its her best.
The Delimma is a story about a family of 4 who all have secrets. Secrets that each are afraid to share with each other in fear of how they might feel. Mother is having a long awaited and planned on 40th birthday party. This is the time unfortunately that secrets will be revealed. Will they survive this as a family?

This successful domestic thriller author lives in the UK. Her previous novels are 'Behind Closed Doors', 'The Breakdown' and Bring Me Back'. This book features Livia and her husband Adam. Livia never had a 'wedding' and so has dreamed of a huge 40th birthday party for herself for years and it is now happening. Everyone she cares about will be there with the exception of her grown daughter Marnie who is Hong Kong. Livia is secretly glad Marnie cannot make it and she has kept her reasons from her husband. Adam wants the evening to be perfect for his wife, but at some point he must decide whether to spoil it all. This book is less of a thriller than normal for this author and more about family dynamics. I found it entertaining, but like cotton candy - there was not a lot there. Having said that it is a decent read for someone looking for something quick and easy.

I went into this book with the idea of it being a thriller. I kept waiting for the thriller to emerge, but really, this is a domestic fiction story about a married couple that can't communicate. I liked the dilemma, but I did find the wife to be extremely annoying. She's so superficial and I struggled with her character. I liked the husband, but felt that the whole situation could have been solved if they had just spoken to each other.

Overall, this is a good book for someone that enjoys domestic fiction and the struggles of a marriage.

I was provided an advanced reader's copy of this book for free. I am leaving my review voluntarily.

At 12pm on Friday afternoon, Adam's world came crashing down around him. At 6am on Sunday morning, so did Livia's. The Dilemma takes us through the time inbetween while some secrets are created, some are discovered and others continue to be kept. Both Livia and Adam are hiding something from the other out of kindness but did they make the right choice or should they have been honest from the very beginning?

I devoured this book in one sitting. Why? Because it gripped me from the beginning. The plot unfolded in a realistic and heartbreaking way, nothing felt too far fetched and as I read more and more, I became more invested in the characters, their decisions and the things that led them to that fateful day.

This is a tragic piece of fiction that leaves no character untouched and even now, hours after finishing it, I'm still feeling the effects.

Thank you @netgalley for this arc.

I enjoyed this! There was one little situation at the end that I didn’t agree with, just a decision that was made by the wrong person in my opinion, but other than that this was interesting. I like the way things unfolded and why things happened. I’m pleasantly surprised.

After reading, Behind Closed Doors I had high hopes for another B.A. Paris novel. I went into this book thinking it would be a thriller or domestic psychological book, but it really wasn’t. This was disappointing. I would probably have liked the story more if it was a thriller or if the synopsis had described it as more dramatic.

Also the way the story is told gets very repetitive. Each chapter gives one hour time period, told by either Adam or Livia. As such, many scenes are told twice with very little differences between the retellings. I kept wanting more nuggets being dropped with each retelling, however it didn’t end up that way.

The story is tragic, and you come away with it very much wondering, as the main characters do, if anything could have been done to stop what happened if the truth had been told.

You can see my video review here:
https://youtu.be/il_RxBvkJY4

I had such a hard time getting and staying in this book. For whatever reason, I wasn’t fond of the use of a present tense narrator. I didn’t love the characters and I thought it was a story about really unhealthy people. It was a no for me.

I was a huge fan of Behind Closed Doors and The Breakdown, so I was excited when I saw another BA Paris novel. I knew vaguely what it was about, but didn't really read too many reviews / the whole summary, so I was sort of surprised to find out it was more of a family drama than a thriller. It left me feeling pretty unsatisfied. I will say that the characters were very relatable and my alliance swayed between them and understanding both Livia's and Adam's motivations for keeping the secrets they did. I don't want to say much more about how I feel because I worry it will give the ending away, but just meh about this one.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press for the ARC of The Dilemma! This is my second B. A. Paris book (loved Behind Closed Doors), and I am now on a mission to read the rest of her books!

The Dilemma tells the age old story of what happens between family members when you try and keep secrets. We meet Livia on her 40th birthday -- her loving husband is throwing her the party of a lifetime. On what should be a happy day, Livia has uncovered a secret about their daughter Marnie. Rather than tell Adam then, she decides to wait until the party is over to have one last happy day. Little does Livia know, Adam has also learned some terrible news, and he too faces the dilemma of whether to tell his wife or protect her.
B. A. Paris did a fantastic job of developing her characters and narrative. I could truly feel Livia and Adam's emotions seep through the pages of the book -- the sure sign of a great writer! This was a great read for 2020!

B.A. Paris delivers yet another bestseller. The Dilemma is about Livia who is turning 40 and is organising a big party to celebrate this milestone. Marnie, her daughter, is studying abroad and was not supposed to be able to attend the party. At the last minute, Marnie finds an affordable flight, with two transfers, to get back to England and surprise her mother. Only Adam, her dad, knows she is coming. The morning of the party, Adam finds out that one of the flights Marnie is supposed to be on has crashed. He is not sure if she was on the flight and desperately hopes that she missed it. He has a dilemma to tell Livia what has happened and ruin her party or keep quiet to let her enjoy one more moment of happiness. On the other hand, Livia has discovered that Marnie is having an affair with a married man they both know well. She has a dilemma to tell Adam about it and decides to do it after her party so as not to ruin it for him.

The story is written in the voices of Livia and Adam. Both are hiding something about Marnie, and both will have conflicting feelings about telling the other. Beautifully written, this book will take you on a rollercoaster of emotions and tension. This is a must-read.

Full disclosure, I did not read the synopsis so I was not aware this was not the typical psychological thriller. I had read the previous author's books and signed up based on the author's name. That said, it turned out to be an interesting concept. I liked how both main characters had a secret they were keeping from each other. Once I realized the premise I was very concerned how it was going to end and the suspense was killing me.

Where do I begin? I am so disappointed in this book. B.A. Paris has become one of my favorite authors and this book, in my opinion does not even measure up to the other books I have read and reviewed by Paris. The story actually went no where. It was merely a thin plot that was repeated over and over during a 24 hour period. There was virtually no mystery or intrigue as Paris' books usually have. It was a quick read and I usually like Paris' style of writing. I did enjoy the story telling but the actual story was completely lacking for me.

I appreciate NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for giving me the opportunity to read an advanced copy of The Dilemma by B.A. Paris. I've enoyed this author's other books and expected nothing less surprises and suspense from this one. Livia has been planning a huge party for her 40th birthday for as long as she can remember. She wants it to be the wedding she never had. She's learned some shocking news about one of their children a short while before the party. Her husband, Adam, has learned something tragic about their other child just hours before the party. Do they tell their spouse what they know, or keep quiet a few hours longer. Each spouse is trying to protect the other, but will this tear their marriage appart?

3.5⭐

I really liked this book!! I started it 9pm and by 2am I was 85% finished. You have Adam and Livia. Married with two college age kids. Livia is turning 40 and planning a party to celebrate. Their daughter Marnie is at college in Hong Kong, and unbeknownst to Livia, is planning on coming home to surprise her mom. Adam and Livia have had issues their entire marriage and have kept secrets from one another. Livia is also estranged from her parents because she had a child out of wedlock and have not spoken to them since she had her first born child, Josh.

There is a lot of backstory in this book, but that is what makes it interesting. Solid writing, great plot and interesting characters. I could picture my self in Adam and Livia, making the same decisions and mistakes they made. The author surprised me, I truly thought the story would take that predictable turn and it didn't and that is what made this book real to me!

A huge thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This is the third B.A. Paris book I've read. While I generally enjoy domestic suspense books, this was not as gripping as her other books. The plot was good, but the unfolding of the story really seemed to drag on. The character development was good, but as far as the writing of the story events themselves, they really could have been written in about how the size of the book. Overall, I liked the story itself, but was getting annoyed by how slowly the book moved through key events.

I just finished this book and am left scratching my head. Behind Closed Doors is one of my favorite books. I did my best to try not to compare The Dilemma to BCD while I was reading it; as I completely realize that authors do branch out and try different writing styles.
So I will start with the good...I thought the title was appropriate. What would you do if the most horrible thing happened while something that had been planned for so long and brought so much joy was happening at exactly the same time? Some smallest, teeniest, part of me can bring myself to understanding why Adam doesn't say anything to Livia. And in the end does it really make a difference (obviously in the book only!)?
However, I just felt that the tone of this book was very juvenile and lacked any type of real depth. What I found most disappointing was the lack of tension and anticipation in the midst of such a dilemma.
I found myself skimming through entire pages because of the repetition and slow pace just to see if there would be any kind of "WHOA!" moment. Sadly, this book did not live up to my excited anticipation of what I love about Paris' previous books.

This author has been a huge hit with me, I've read all of her books. In my opinion, this one is NOT with keeping to her style of writing that I have come to expect. This was not a thriller, but more of a relationship drama.

The novel centers around a one day time period and a family unit that has more than one dilemma to process. The story revolves around the wife Livia's 40th Birthday bash. She has been planning this day for her entire adult
life. Her daughter Marnie won't be attending, as she is away at university. Her husband Adam, who has not always been the best husband, and their son Josh who struggling to find any relationship with his dad. I was extremely frustrated with all of them to the point of wanting to scream at them. Livia was unbelievably obsessed with this party and the rest of the family played into it. All mothers make sacrifices for their families, but she felt entitled to have this day, like it would make up for the past 20 something years of not having what she wanted.

I was getting frustrated and at the same time wanting to know where the missing daughter was and why these two parents weren't sharing what they knew! They just continued their "partying". Both in a dilemme, but not having good communication with each other. .

I did enjoy it, would recommend to my friends who also LOVE BA Paris Books. I felt like this was perhaps a novella originally and would have made a perfect shorter work. I was compelled to keep reading and find out the answers to my questions... Where was Marnie? What is going to happen? Is she going to show up at this party?

I won't spoil the ending, but I will say, it wasn't the end I expected. I felt like it was not clear between the last few scenes. Perhaps that is the ARC version that I read and will be interested in the final edition.



Thanks to NG and the publisher for my review copy. OUT in June 2020

Loved it! While The "Dilemma" is quite different from Paris' other novels, I still thought there was a great amount of suspense and anxiety in the plot. The slow-build of the events throughout the evening and the tensions from waiting for the characters to finally reveal their secrets was great! This is a good break from the typical suspense fare that is out there.

Having read a book from B.A. Paris before I was excited about this book and looking forward to it. However this one did not captivate me as the author has done in the past. I tried repeatedly but I was bored as I read each chapter and had to just set it aside.