Each time B. A. Paris releases another book, I can't wait to read it. The Dilemma did not disappoint. As a mother, I found myself wondering how I would react in the same situation. By the time I finished the book, I felt like I truly knew the main characters. That's how you know it was a good book--fiction blended with reality!

Seriously sayin'..........

I am a big fan of the talented B.A. Paris. I have read all her books. From all indications, The Dilemma certainly was just that. A fork in the road in which one must decide whether or not to proceed. It felt like this one was from the early years of trial and error and put awayin a drawer. Certainly not from the pen of B.A. Paris.

We find ourselves in the presence of Livia who is soaking in a luxurious bath along with her adult dream of conducting a lavish 40th birthday party in her backyard garden. Livia has been obsessed with the idea since she was married so young at eighteen and never had a formal wedding. She envisions herself in a cream colored gown with a bouquet of roses. She's saved for this event over the years. This is all that Livia can think of and she wants you to do the same as well.

Not to be outdone, husband Adam regrets never becoming a civil engineer because of his early marriage to Livia who was pregnant with son Josh. He mopes about his shed bogged down by the shoulda, coulda, woulda plague for twenty years now. But he's indulged himself in a splendid motor bike to take the edge off. Let Livia have her little celebration.

On the sidelines are the two children of theirs: Josh age 22 who feels his father's anguish on a daily basis and Marnie who is the apple of her father's eye at age 19 and living in Hong Kong. Josh has been offered an internship in New York City and Marnie will be traveling throughout Asia.

I sit here perplexed as to what is about to unravel from this ball of yarn. Characters make or break a story, simply said. I have never come across such self-indulged people within one family. They took all the oxygen page after page. There's nothing like leaning on the reader with episode after episode of how these characters were cheated in life by their own chosen decisions. The Blame Game is played with gigantic plastic pieces on a wide board that covers just about everything.

But added into this mix is a Greek tragedy played non-stop by one of these characters. We are expected to applaud this fine example of "self-sacrifice" which isn't even that. Faulty decisions and faulty full-on actions. Let the music play on. Some may get caught up in the tension of "the secret". Lesson learned: You'll miss out on a whole lotta life by only looking within. A sack of sad characters. I'm going to be on the lookout for my B.A. Paris in the next one. I miss her.

I received a copy of The Dilemma through NetGalley for an honest review. My thanks to St. Martin's Press and to B.A. Paris for the opportunity.

I am a fan of this author. I have read all of her books. I have enjoyed them all, some more than others. This one was frustrating. It had me wanting to bang my head against a wall.

First, let me say, this is NOT a thriller. I repeat. This is not a thriller. This author is known for her suspenseful, twisty thrillers. This is not one of them. If you're looking for that, you won't find it here. This is more of a family drama book. I mean, it centers around a family. And it's chock full of annoying drama.

One way to kill a plot in a book is to have completely unlikable characters. And this one, unfortunately, is full of unlikable characters. There isn't one character I liked. They are self-centered to the point of me wanting to slap them. I just couldn't stand them. For a married couple, they sure were not in sync with one another. They have poor communication. And they are more concerned with how things will effect them but use the other as an excuse for self deprecation.

This book is repetitive. You get the husband and wife's point of view. They fixate on the same self loathing "dilemmas" over and over and over again. I almost gave up on this one.

I think the one saving grace, so to speak, was the ending. Once the secrets are out, they find a way to reconnect and be the person for each other they should have been all along. The picking up of the pieces was written much better than the rest of the book. I'm glad I didn't give up and saw the book all the way to the end.

This book was just ok. I leaned between giving it 2 or 3 stars. I was bored at time, then there were times I was fine with it. At times I felt the writing was a little cheesy. Some of the conversations were had to read because I felt like, who really talks like that to each other. Adam irritated me. Why can't couples just communicate?

This was an interesting one, and the rare "did not love" from me. Livia has been saving money her whole life to throw herself a lavish 40th birthday party. Adam tries to surprise her with a visit from their daughter who is overseas. I won't go into what happens, just that Adam has a tough choice to make about what and when to divulge information at the risk of ruining the party.
I found both Livia and Adam extremely selfish, and not likable. They didn't have a healthy communicative relationship, and it reflected on their children as well. In fact, it also trickled out to their friends who also didn't have the healthiest of relations. I think if I could have empathized with either of the main characters, it would have helped this go down better, but that was not' to be. I made it to the end, and was left feeling meh. Thank you for the ARC.

You know what? I had no idea what I was getting into when I started this book. I didn’t even read the description. It’s B. A. Paris novel for goodness sake... who cares what it’s about? It’s going to be awesome!

And OH. MY. GOD. It was soooooo not what I was expecting from a B. A. Paris novel. Folks, this is not a thriller. This is a family drama. And it is absolutely HEARTBREAKING! 😭

I have no idea how I made it through this book without breaking down. I was shedding enough tears to soak my pillow. It’s soooo sad. So incredibly sad.

But here’s the thing. As I said, this isn’t a thriller. And yet, Paris shows that she is the freaking queen of suspense once again. A suspenseful family drama! And with a family that is so normal, with normal issues and normal interactions.

My heart plummeted from the first page, and I already knew it was going to break my heart within the first 10 pages. I just didn’t know... HOW! Every single thought I had kept being dismissed. I swear, it was like she read my mind as I read the book!

This is a book I will never forget.

Though not what you'd expect from a thriller, I literally couldn't put it down. Unique and heartbreaking, "The Dilemma" kept me on the edge of my seat and clinging to my hope until the end.

Livia has been planning her lavish fortieth birthday party for literally twenty years - having gotten pregnant as a teenager, Livia was disowned by her parents and refused the wedding she'd always dreamed of. Now with two adult children, Josh and Marnie, and still married to Adam, Livia is finally going to have her splendid party in their backyard. The only person who can't make it is Marnie who is studying away in Hong Kong. The problem is, Livia and Adam each have a devastating secret involving Marnie which they can't reveal until the party is over.... Except Adam's decision may turn out to be unforgivable.

Now, with this synopsis, you would think there is some horrible crime involved in this story. However, it's not the case, which is why this book was a big surprise to me. Given its categorization as a domestic thriller, I had some kind of expectations about what it would be, but they were completely shattered as the plot unfolded a poignant psychological fiction novel. With the vivid, realistic plot and her impeccable writing style, B.A. Paris managed to transport me straight to the garden party, feeling every emotion with the characters.

*Thank you to the Publisher for a free advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC of The Dilemma by B.A.Paris. I have read all of her books and am a huge fan, so I couldn’t wait to read her latest one.

Told in alternating perspectives, Livia has been planning her 40th birthday party for twenty years. Ever since she married her husband, Adam, when she found out she was pregnant, she has wanted to throw herself a big party to make up for the shotgun wedding. They have two grown kids now, Josh and Marnie, who are their pride and joy. However, Marnie has a secret that could ruin the family dynamics forever. Livia thinks she knows the secret and is hiding it from Adam. When Marnie fails to show up for Livia’s party to surprise her, Adam has his own secret to hide. Will the truth be revealed? Will the party go off without a hitch?

I am so disappointed, as this book was incredibly boring. Not only do we hear what happened in length from Livia, but we have to relive the same period of time through Adam. I kept thinking, this is going to get better...it’s a B.A. Paris book! But no, this preposterous story just kept going and going. The reveal fell flat at the end and I didn’t really care at that point, as I wasn’t invested in any of the characters. The main problem was that there was a lot of telling rather than showing. Characters talk about past events at length as well as debating what they will do instead of speaking with each other. I will continue to read B.A. Paris’s books because I’m still a fan, but this one just didn’t work for me.

2/5 stars

People in relationships keep secrets from each other, right? That’s exactly what BA Paris’s book centers around. It follows a husband and wife over a 24 hour period during the wife’s birthday party. This was a good read, but slightly drawn out. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC.

What if you had a horrible secret? A terrible dilemma that you weren’t sure was even true? Could you keep it from your loved ones, just for the sake of one nights happiness? <i>The Dilemma</i> is a duel perspective novel, of husband and wife, through the course of one day. The dilemma that husband Adam is facing is horrible and excruciating; the one that his one Livia is facing could rip apart their entire network of friends with just a few words. Neither one knows what the other is facing.

<i>The Dilemma</i> is occasionally slow moving but is an interesting story, akin to most of Paris’ other novels. Thought-provoking and heartbreaking at the same time.

Livia has been planning and saving for this day for years, and tonight she is having a party for the 40th birthday. As happy as she is, there is one thing that will be missing, her daughter Marnie. Livia does not realize that Adam has a special surprise for her, though. Marnie and Adam have planned a trip home for Marnie so that she will be there for her mother’s special day.
What if one of the best days of your life turns into one of the worst days of your life? So much sadness overlaid with happiness. So many secrets. Livia is keeping secrets from Adam. Adam is keeping secrets from Livia. What happens at the end of the night when the truth finally comes out? What does this do to the family and their friends?
I loved this book! I felt for both Adam and Livia, as well as the other characters. There was so much unknown by so many characters as they tried to carry on and make Livia’s party the event of the year. This book is suspenseful and heart-breaking. It will keep you on edge as you wait, page after page, for the story to unfold. B.A. Paris, you rock! Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publisher for the opportunity to review this book!

I love this author, but I didn’t enjoy this one. In all honesty, I found it rather boring. It took place all in one evening, which I thought was going to make for such an interesting premise! It fell flat for me, and felt like it lasted much longer. Thank you Netgalley for my advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!

I found the style in which this book was written to be interesting. Chapters contained what occurred between certain hours...but then also between the main characters...husband and wife Adam and Livia. You knew just from the beginning that this day was an important one...in more ways than one.... as we find out as the story progresses. We also see very quickly that what appears to be a solid and loving family is not necessarily what it seems to be. The timeline and characters bring it all together as they live in the present....and relive the past. The question is...how do you deal with what you are afraid is happening....but don't know the whole story? Is love about protecting and sheltering those you love? Its a dilemma. While I enjoyed the story and know that many others will love it, I had trouble becoming invested in the characters themselves...and I really wanted to like them more than I did! Perhaps it was the frenzy of having so much happening so quickly, (and I admit I did not want to put the book down) that had me feeling that way. Nonetheless....B.A.Paris has another hit on her hands with this book...her fans (of which I am one) will love it!! I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and St. Martin's Press in return for an honest review, which this has been. #NetGalley #TheDilemma

With the help of family and friends Livia is throwing herself a party for her 40th birthday to replace the formal wedding she never had. It's been in works for 20 years and the day has arrived. Everyone is coming.

Her dilemma.... does she tell her husband Adam something that will change his life forever? Or wait until until after the party.

Adam so wants Livia to have the perfect birthday. He even arranges for their daughter to fly in for the party as a surprise. But what does he do when the surprise turns into a possible nightmare? His dilemma...... does he tell her what he suspects knowing her life will be changed forever? Or does he wait until after the party, giving her a last night of joy.

This was an amazing book that I couldn't put down once I started.

3.5 stars. This wasn't what I was expecting at all but sometimes that's good, right? The story centers around Livia's 4oth birthday party but, more importantly, her daughter Marnie. I've read Paris' other books and I liked this one much better than her previous book. Well worth the read!

First, let me just say that I really enjoyed Behind Closed Doors, so I was incredibly excited to read The Dilemma. B.A. Paris really outdid herself with this one, and I completed this book in one single sitting! The book is told from alternating points of view, husband and wife, Adam and Livia. As they prepare for Livia's 40th birthday party, both Adam and Livia are keeping secrets from each other. One specific secret which threatens to ruin the two's marriage and possibly their entire family.

I was kept in suspense the whole time, and COULD NOT PUT THIS BOOK DOWN. When it was over, I felt like I had just gotten off a roller coaster. I don't want to give anything away, but just know that this is one thriller that you do not want to miss!

4 out of 5 stars for The Dilemma by B.A. Paris. A HUGE thank you to the author, St. Martin's Press, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this wonderful book. All opinions are wholly my own.

This was a hard-to-put-down, nerve-wracking story that kept me on the edge of my seat! It wasn't what I expected, having read Paris's other books and I found it to be more of a family drama than a mystery/thriller. The secrets Adam and Livia kept from each other also felt pretty unbelievable. Nonetheless, it captivated my interest and kept me reading!

Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A perfect summer thriller! I can’t rave about it enough, I lover her books! I love when thrillers are based around family drama. It makes it feel even more real.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for a free copy of this book.
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This book will frustrate people at times due to the fact that a married couple should have conversations. However, I found Adam's dilemma to be just awful. His wife, who for some reason has been planning a birthday party for 20 years, had way less of a dilemma.
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But I did enjoy this book overall. When Paris drops all the emotional baggage on the table it was a huge sucker punch. The emotion of the characters could be felt through the pages and I thought it was so well written.

This was a really interesting read. On one hand, I couldn't put it down because I was dying to know a few certain details and how they would play out. But, on the other hand, I found "the dilemma" (or dilemmas, really) to be completely absurd. I was frustrated with the characters and their choices and thought process most of the time. And the story was a bit repetitive, probably could have been a lot shorter and still gotten all the points across. With that said, it did keep me engaged and the end 60 pages was quite emotional. Overall, a good, albeit frustrating, read.