So many varied dilemmas in this novel. Each family secret intensifies the burden on the secret keeper. Surprising that there was such an emphasis on a birthday party then everything unravels for the extended family.

Adam has a huge dilemma. Should he tell his wife something right before her 40th birthday party? This is a party that she has planned for years! He can't bring himself to tell her, but agonizes over the decision during the entire party. Livia, Adam's wife, also has a secret she needs to tell Adam. Will they reveal the secret to each other during the party? Will they be able to survive the fact that they are keeping secrets? A wonderful read that I didn't want to put down!!!

Livia has been planning and waiting for her blowout of a fortieth birthday party for quite some time. Although her and her husband, Adam,. both have big secrets that need to come out, all they both want right now is for her party to be a success. This being the whole premise of the book, makes it a slow-burn..

I am a huge B.A. Paris fan, but this one was not my favorite. But, as I continued to read, I realized I went into it with the totally wrong mindset. If you go into this book knowing it's a family drama/general fiction read, not a psychological thriller that you're used to, you will be better off. I think my thinking that I would be out of my pants with suspense may have ruined my thoughts of the book and I aimlessly continued to read. I still had to continue though to see what happened to this family and their huge circle of friends that are well-included in the drama.

Thank you to #NetGalley, B.A. Paris and St. Martin's for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

While I personally did not care for the hour by hour one day format of the book, it ended up being a very quick and gratifying read. I enjoyed how the realities of marriage and friendship were portrayed Only thing I didn’t like is the lack of communication between the husband and wife. It was frustrating to read their thought processes. I found myself skimming quite a bit. The ending was just what I expected, but all in all, it was a good plot and I loved all the author's previous works so I am glad to have read this one.

Livia has been waiting to host her own fortieth birthday party for the last twenty years. For her, it's comparable to the wedding celebration she never had because she was pregnant and got married at a young age. The only problem is that her daughter Marnie won't be able to be at the party. Livia has a huge secret that she is determined to keep from her husband, Adam until the party is over.
Adam, has a fabulous surprise for Livia's birthday. Things are going perfectly throughout the day of the party. As he goes into town, he learns some unbelievable news that will make him face an unbearable decision.
This is a fabulous book, but it is not a thriller, suspense type book as is normal from BA Paris.

This is a difficult book to review. On one hand the delicious anticipation of what may or may not be happening, kept me turning the pages. On the other hand, going over the same two storylines drove me nearly bonkers with boredom.
I liked the two different narratives, but felt that some of the chapters were unnecessary....especially the ones from the party.
the buildup was going good and then the party scene happened and everything slowed WAYdown.
Overall, a good premise for questioning your own what would you do in a similar situation but lack the full development of the romance of the daughter and the mystery man.

Thanks Netgalley and the publisher for the advance ecopy. B.A. Paris is an amazing writer. I love all her books. This was a great read. It was a bit different than her usual books more drama than psychological thriller but still great! The story is based on a 24 hour period. Livia and Adam are getting ready for her 40th Birthday party. Livia is happy that her daughter Marnie will not be there. She needs to tell Adam something about her after the party. Adam manages to arrange for Marnie to come home as a surprise but soon learns that there is news that will ruin the day.

Oh B. A. Paris, I am having such a hard time with this review. Behind Closed Doors will always be on my top favorite thriller lists. The Breakdown was just as good. However, I did not like Bring Me Back and sadly, this one wasn’t for me either.

This didn’t read like a thriller. More like a domestic suspense. I couldn’t relate to the characters and felt they were just awful. I didn’t understand why they kept the secrets they did and for Adam to not tell his wife, the ONE BIG SECRET, I just couldn’t imagine. It was a very slow moving novel and about 2/3 of it could have been taken out. I’m not sure if I will read another B.A. Paris novel, but I’m really hoping for redemption in the next one.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an early reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review.

Ethical and moral issues are at the forefront of The Dilemma and, initially at least, some of the characters come across as fearful, selfish, angry and self-absorbed and not able to reconcile their motives for what appear to be simple decisions.

Everyone seems to be guarding a secret known only to them and the reader is often frustrated by the actions, or lack thereof, of several of the characters.

Others may find this an enlightening and revealing piece about family, love and communication but for this reader it brought a mental state vacillating between disappointment, discomfiture and annoyance……..and perhaps, the ability to generate those kinds of emotions in the reader is, after-all, the mark of a truly gifted writer.

Having read and enjoyed BA Paris's two previous books, Behind Closed Doors and Bring Me Back (except for that ridiculous conclusion), I was really looking forward to The Dilemma, but sadly this one didn't work for me.

First, the positives. The cover is gorgeous and relevant to the story. The chapters are short and the writing is compulsively readable in signature BA Paris's style but only up until the halfway mark, after which it drags too much.

Now, for all that didn't work. I went into it looking for a thriller, but it turned out to be a character oriented family drama. From the blurb it seemed like there would be plenty of secrets and mysteries in the story, but there was neither. It was also a 100 pages too long and I was seriously wishing for it to just finish. The characterization wasn't as in depth as one would expect in a character oriented story, and I had a hard time believing how the characters behaved half the time. And finally, the so called "dilemma" didn't even feel like one, it was more like a colossal lack of communication.

So, yeah this was sadly a disappointment and I wouldn't recommend. I hope the author goes back to writing thrillers because she does them so much better.

BA Paris does it again! Another on the edge of your seat novel. This whole book takes place around 1 birthday party and a whole bunch of secrets. Loved it so much!

I received an advanced copy from the publisher via Netgalley for an honest review.

Every time I read another one of B.A. Paris' novel I am just in awe. While reading this novel there were absolutely parts that my jaw uncontrollably dropped and the last few chapters I could not control the full emotional response as I felt all the emotions the characters were feeling. This was a truly powerful and spectacular novel. I greatly enjoyed this novel and cannot wait to see what is next!

This novel takes place over really one weekend with lots of wonderful flashbacks to various times and instances in the past. We are falling both Livia, who's terribly excited and having a blow out of a 40th birthday since she never got her dream wedding; and, Adam, Livia's husband who is happy to spoil her for this day. I did really like that with Adam we got the time of when he's story was taking place and then we went to Livia's point of view during the same time frame. I loved their relationship together and their individual relationships with their children as well. This novel definitely goes to show you that even the closest of families has all sorts of secrets...

I was looking forward to reading this book for a while now after reading Bring Me Back by the same author last year. While this book had some merits, the previous was far superior.

The Dilemma is written proof of the utmost importance of communication in a relationship. I flipped through the book in a day, because I was curious as to where the characters would end up, but that doesn't mean I liked the characters themselves. The writing is excellent and the plot has some merits, but the book was just a little too long for me and many parts felt unnecessary and avoidable.

I did like the conclusion of the book and the complexity of the characters, which is why I have chosen to give it 3 stars.

I received an ARC copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for my honest opinion of it. I absolutely loved this book and I cannot understand the bad reviews in it. If an author can write a book and the storyline takes place in a 24 hour period and it keeps me interested than you are an amazing and talented author. I could not put it down. Yes, it is nothing like her other books but that's okay. I totally recommend it!

I really enjoyed this book, the characters were well developed. It had an interesting plot. I would be interested in reading more

Livia has been waiting to have her 40th birthday party since he wedding. Unfortunately her daughter Marnie won’t be able to make it, but everyone else she loves will be there. As it turns out, everyone in this family is hiding a secret, something they are afraid to tell the others. Once the party is over though, all the secrets can finally be set free, but will will it be too late?

So going into this book I saw a lot of reviews that said this book is not like B.A. Paris’s previous works, and some weren’t a fan because of that. I have to say I had the exact opposite experience. I thought this book was excellent. It really explored the things we will do to protect the ones we love, and how much pain and anguish we will put ourselves through to do so. In thought the characters were delightful and so well done. Each one reminded me of someone I know, and it helped draw me into the story. This one comes out June 30th and you do not want to miss it!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the free review copy!

2 Stars. Unfortunately, this title didn't land for me. I was expecting this to be a thriller like Paris's other books, however, I found it to be more of a domestic fiction novel. The book lacked any mystery and I found it a bit tedious and repetitive overall. The two dilemmas felt largely disproportionate and forced. The plot centers around a husband and wife keeping secrets from one another, which could have amounted to an interesting reveal in the end. However, in this case, the secrets were predictable and just sad.

B.A. Paris is one of my favorite authors and I was so excited for this book! It wasn’t a complete let down but definitely not the thriller I was anticipating. The story itself was good, a little drawn out, but good. I feel like the ending was kind of obvious but overall still decent! Thanks @netgalley and @stmartinspress for this ARC! Available June 30th 2020!

The Dilemma by B.A. Paris

Thanks to St. Martin’s Press and Net Galley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review. This book’s pub date is June 30th.

Livia’s 40th Birthday and her husband Adam is throwing an extravagant party that she’s been saving for. This party is the party of a lifetime to makeup for the wedding they never had. Livia has recently uncovered a secret about their daughter, which if revealed, will shake the foundation of the family to its core. How far would you go to give someone you love a last few hours of happiness?

Told in multiple perspectives, this thriller meets the expectations of a solid book. The dialogue is good, but feels like there isn’t enough of a relationship built. I never really loved the characters- but does anyone ever really love the characters in a thriller?

This was in intriguing, but just didn’t cut it for me. I think it’s going to be hit or miss-more family drama than thriller and unlikable characters. For me, pacing wasn’t there. It was way too much happening that I lost sight.

I am a big fan of B.A. Paris, having read all three our her previous novels and finding them quite enjoyable. The Dilemma, however, is a bit of a departure from her usual formula, and I would not really call it a "thriller" - it's more of a "family drama" - an intimate look into a marriage and family unraveling during a big event. (A 40th birthday party) We meet Adam & Livia, each of whom are holding a "secret" from each other, and that is the dilemma - and there is tension drawn out over these secrets throughout the novel, but the question remains "will that hold the reader's attention?" For me, it was a resounding "YES", as the author does such a great job with dialogue and pacing. I enjoyed how the family pulled together, and found it emotionally satisfying. Overall, I do recommend this book. I received a free e-copy from Net-galley and the publisher in exchange for my honest opinion.