A long awaited for 40th Birthday party that Livia has been planning for many years holds secrets between herself and her husband Adam. The chapters flick between the two characters, giving an insight into some of the past issues between them. The book centered on their daughter Marnie and you wonder throughout whether she is going to actually make it to her Mum's party. Throughout the book you will be urging the couple to speak to each other and the ending is totally unexpected. An enjoyable read. Thank you for the opportunity of reading this.

It’s Livia’s 40th birthday, and her husband Adam is throwing her the party of a lifetime to make up for the wedding they never had. Everyone she loves will be there, except her daughter Marnie, who’s studying abroad.

But what Livia doesnt know is that Marnie is flying in to surprise her......and the one who arranged it was Adam....but then Adam hears about a plane crash and tries to find out if Marnie was on that plane at the same time not wanting to spoil his wife's party.

The anguish and feelings that go with this story hits you in the gut. I actually had tears in my eyes over certain parts of the book. Love how this author placed a family together to get through the trials of being a family. There is love and compassion in every page.

Being released June 30, 2020 - put it on your TBR list. #NetGalley #four stars

Thank you for the opportunity to read this book and I really enjoyed it and I hope everyone else does too, it had me hooked from the first chapter and I was gripped and couldn't put it down I just had to keep reading, you won't be disappointed at all

Such a great story! Absolutely loved the tense feeling of wondering when the secrets would all be revealed. Could not put the book down for anything = had to find out what would happen to them all in the end. Loved, loved, loved!!

How do secrets change our lives and our relationships? This question is front and center in The Dilemma. Adam and Livia lead a comfortable happy life with their children Josh and Marnie. They have a wide circle of friends who care for one another. Livia has been planning and saving for a big celebration on her fortieth birthday. Adam is also planning to surprise Livia with a special gift. What starts out as a happy occasion ends up as something far different for their family.

As I was reading I thought about how skilled the author is to build the suspense without revealing the turning point to the reader. This is a well written story with characters I cared about early in the story.

I received an Advanced Reader's Copy from St Martin's Press through NetGalley.The opinions expressed are entirely my own.
#The Dilemma #NetGalley

This review comes from an advanced copy courtesy of Netgalley.

The storyline is about a woman celebrating her 40 year old birthday and has a big celebration. Unbeknownst to her, her spouse has planned a surprise to have their daughter fly across the country to be their that day only to have the plane crash and she doesn’t come. What is the dad to do? Does he tell his wife?
Huge disappointment as I didn’t understand what the huge dilemma was. These are adults acting as if they are 20. Characters are unrelatable and immature. How do they not know how to communicate about such news?

This felt more of a story on grief and the parents acting stupid and selfish, not dealing with it. I cannot understand how adults, much less as parents behave as they do. The story dragged and as the reader I kept thinking maybe the daughter is supposed to be alive and show up. There has to be more than this, only not to find it. Hugely disappointed.

This story is a lesson to all people who love someone they don't want to disappoint or hurt. Leave things unsaid for too long, and deal with the consequences.

The Dilemma by B.A. Paris was a different read for me, compared to what I’d read by her before. It wasn’t a mystery or thriller, well, maybe you could count it as a thriller in its own special way. To me, it was more like a family drama and such a drama I was reading. It started off really good but it was too slow for my taste, toward the ending it dragged a lot and around 80% I just wanted to finish it, so I skipped some parts. I liked both Adam and Livia but I felt for Adam because of what he was bearing, what was weighing on his shoulders and the decision he had to make. Told in dual POV, 1st person, it’s a standalone novel. it contains flash-backs and short chapters, it’s slow-paced with well-developed characters. For me, these types of books aren’t an easy read and I hope you enjoy it!

I went into The Dilemma cautiously optimistic. The Breakdown and Behind Closed Doors are two of my favorite thrillers, but I thought Bring Me Back was pretty terrible. The Dilemma follows married couple Livia and Adam and their two children. It somewhat of a departure from the usual thriller format. This isn't so much a thriller as a character study. Livia and Adam both have secrets, and they both decide not to tell each other until after Livia's birthday party. The Dilemma examines how the secrets and an untimely tragedy affect the family. There aren't really any twists, and all of the secrets are revealed to the reader about midway through the novel. It's definitely suspenseful, but also a little frustrating... there would be no book if these people would just be honest with each other and have a conversation. It works because BA Paris does a great job of explaining each character's motivation for hiding the truth. Definitely recommend.

I was a big fan of Behind Closed Doors so I jumped at the chance to Read B.A. Paris' The Dilemma. I downloaded this book on Sunday morning and finished it before I went to bed that night! I would have finished it in one sitting but wanted and needed to spend some time with my family as well.
While I wouldn't say I loved this book, I really liked it. It was almost impossible to put down because I just had to know what would happen next. There was just enough suspense to keep you hooked and I found myself thinking about the characters and plot during the short time I was able to put the book down. B.A. Paris has definitely made it onto my list of favorite authors!
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I have enjoyed most of B.A. Paris's books, especially Behind Closed Doors, but this one did not live up to that. It was very repetitive and really could've accomplished the same thing in half the amount of pages. Very underwhelming.

I received a free e-copy of The Dilemma by B.A. Paris from NetGalley for my honest review.

I normally love B.A. Paris' books but I struggled staying connected with this one. I would rate this one a 2.5.

Livia and Adam have been married for over 20 years and have two children, Josh and Marnie. Livia has been planning her 40th birthday party for a long time, as in half her life. Why, you ask would someone be planning a party for so long? You will soon find out why this party means so much to her.

Adam loves his wife and knows how important this party is to her. But then he finds out something on the day of the party which will soon devastate everyone. So many family secrets.

This book was so high on my to read list, I love this author and I couldn’t wait to dive into it. This was definitely my least favorite book. No way should it be marketed as a mystery or thriller. The whole thing was repetitive and just drama. I found myself skimming the end just to get it over with and I didn’t miss one important thing. Thank you netgalley for an ARC of The Dilemma by B.A. Paris

I received an advanced reader's copy in exchange for an honest review

Not my favorite from this author- definitely not her best. Hope the next one is up to snuff

Wow, just..wow. I don't want to give anything away about the plot but it kept me interested and wanting to read more. Hopeful...but cautious. I love this author, never fails to impress with me an original storyline.

This wasn't as fast-paced or deliciously twisted as Behind Closed Doors, but I really enjoyed it. I desperately wanted to know what secrets they were all hiding. However, I was so so sad at the end... really sad and of course I wanted more answers to questions we could no longer find out the answers too. But overall very good book.

Does the reason we keep something from those we love matter if the truth will cause them pain? That is the question both Livia and Adam struggle with throughout B.A. Paris’s The Dilemma. Livia and Adam both have life changing news about their daughter that they are putting off sharing with the other. When the secrets are shared, will the damage be too great to overcome?

It is rare that a story makes me feel truly connected to the characters and leaves a lasting impression after I have closed the book. In The Dilemma, Paris has created a world that was difficult to leave behind and left me feeling as if I were hiding something from my own spouse. The struggle faced by both of the main characters is easy to understand and empathize with, creating a compelling tale that was hard to put down. I have read Paris’s work in the past but The Dilemma has ensured that I will make reading new books a priority.

I'm between a 3.5 star and a 4 star for this book, so I'm rounding up.

I really, really enjoyed this book. Even though it was one of those that is based upon one story line and basically one night, it was very suspenseful for me. The only thing I didn't love was the fact that this entire plot revolved around one small decision that could have kept the suspense away. (Mini spoiler: just make the call to see!!)

I loved the mystery behind the night, I don't want to spoil too much because it really did impact the story greatly, mainly because I went from is she, to isn't she many, many times.

This was shorter than most books and while it did fly by, I wondered how we could cram one night into a story like this. But BA Paris did it well and I have always loved her books. While I think her others are rated higher from me, I wouldn't NOT recommend this book to friends. It's an easy read that really does have a lot of twists and turns. I think she does well setting up the story to make the reader believe it will go one way, but it goes another. That was great. The obvious wasn't actually obvious at all.

Livia has been planning her 40th birthday party for 20 years! She wants it to be perfect and make up for the wedding she never had when her parents disowned her for getting pregnant and married so young.

But life has been good to Livia and Adam. Their two children Marnie,19 and Josh, 22 are both good kids. Until Livia finds out one of them is not making such good decisions and she knows if she tells Adam he will go ballistic. So she keeps her secret until after her party and hopes Marnie doesn't show up and blow things up.

Adam is determined to have Marnie come home for the party and surprise her mother. And now Adam has a secret. One that will tear the family apart and he can't say a word. Nothing happens until Livia has had her day. But suddenly something happens that puts Adam in an awful position and wishing he had never asked Marnie to come.

Suspenseful and twisty, I wasn't sure until the last minute if any of it was true. This was a wicked good domestic suspense. 

Highly Recommend a read!

NetGalley/ June 30th, 2020 by St. Martin's Press

I really liked this book even though it was very different from the other two novels I've read by B. A. Paris, The Breakdown and Behind Closed Doors. The previous two were psychological thrillers with a clear villain and clear victim. This was a domestic drama with a moral dilemma.

I love how the whole book takes place on one day, the day of Livia's much-anticipated 40th birthday party. She says she has been planning this day for years (!) as a sort of payback to herself for the wedding she never had. Her parents basically disowned her when she became pregnant at 17, but she married Adam anyway, and they went on to have a rocky but ultimately happy marriage. As they prepare for the big party, we learn that Adam and Livia are both keeping a secret about their teenage daughter, who is out of the country studying. Their older son is helping prepare for the party, but Adam and Livia are the main characters as the story alternates between their points of view.

I thought the author did a great job of revealing details of the respective secrets gradually throughout the book and heightened the tension as the party time approached. I felt so in tune with Adam and Livia, I swear my muscles were tightening as the story got closer to the end.

The main characters were well-developed, and there were a lot of supporting characters whose backstories were also explained very well so that the events made sense. The writing was strong in this one, just as it was in the other two books I have read by this author.

I do wish that we had gotten to know Marnie better. I think if part of the story had been told from her POV, especially near the end, it would have provided a better resolution. We were left wondering about her motivations, since the daughter they described didn't fit with some of her actions.

Readers who appreciate emotional family dramas will love this one, but readers who are expecting this to be like the author's other books may be somewhat disappointed.

Thanks to the publisher, St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for digital access to an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.