Livia is turning 40 and she is throwing an elaborate party to celebrate. She has dreamed of this day for years. The food, the decorations, her dress, her friends having an amazing time, and of course, her husband Adam and their two children, Marnie and Josh will be there. Livia was young and pregnant when she and Adam got married. This party will be in place of the wedding she always wanted.

Adam knows how much this day means to Livia. He wants her to feel like she has finally had one perfect, special day, all to herself. The problem is that Adam has a dilemma. The surprise he planned has gone all wrong and he doesn't know what to do. Let Livia have her perfect day, or expose his secret, knowing that she might never have another?

I always enjoy books by B.A. Paris and this book is no different. I read it in one sitting.

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for an advances copy in exchange for my honest review.

I chose this one because I really liked the cover. I didn't even read what it was about. I liked the title and the cover and went from there. I have not yet read anything by this author but I am sure I will from now on. As I haven't had any experience with her, I didn't know that she normally writes psychological thrillers...and apparently the fact that this one was different didn't sit well with fan of that genre. I guess I was lucky...I went into it wide open and I really liked it. Essentially, the entire book takes place in about 24 hours and it centers on Livia's 40th birthday party, which she has been planning forever. Much like young girls grow up planning their wedding day, actually. Since she missed the grand wedding party most women get because of a rift with her parents, she was going to make sure THIS day was what that one should have been. Who doesn't love a great party? Throw in some family history, an affair that would shock everybody and a child she doesn't even know is missing? Boom, you have the makings of a great family drama. There was just so much that happened in these 24 hours(and so many emotions) that I didn't even realize all of it until I am sitting here writing the review. Although I will admit I wish things might have been different.

This was a fascinating look at the pernicious nature of secrets and the lengths one will go to in order to "protect" the people one loves... The story is a series of tragic unfortunate events. No one is entirely who they seem - although, is anyone ever? The writing was engaging and the revelations managed well. I couldn't put it down until everything d resolved, even as I read with my eyes squinted half shut to try and keep the parade of horribles at bay. It was a moving and horrifying tale that was presented with perfect pacing and the tension levels were just the right amount of harrowing. A great - albeit dreadfully tragic - read.

When you do a book like Behind Closed Doors, it's always going to be hard to top it. I was really disappointed with the Dilemma. I just wanted much more than we were given as readers and I felt there was so many places the author could have went to strengthen the story. For example, it would have been great to read from Marnie's POV, (even in the later half of the book) especially as she's such an integral character to the plot. I felt this would have added depth to the story which really felt missing for me. I also grew tired of the 'the party' and the setting of the book, I really struggled to understand Livia's obsession, even when the author provided backstory, it still didn't seem to make a huge amount of sense in my opinion. And don't get me started on how unrealistic the Adam storyline was. It just simply wouldn't happen, even as much as he tried to justify himself back and forth, back a forth. Overall a very frustrating, disappointing read from start to finish with pretty dull characters.

I am a fan of all B. A. Paris books but I have to say that this one fell a little bit short for me. Her normal books are intense and leave reads on the edge of their seat. I felt as though there were only a few moments of suspense that were quickly resolved. I was hoping for a more dramatic ending. The plot in general has so much potential but the follow through wasn’t quite enough for me.

Paris' latest will appeal to her masses of fans and anyone interested in domestic suspense. A good purchase for collections where her previous titles were popular.

This author has been a little hit and miss with me, I've read all of her books. In my opinion, this one is NOT a thriller, but more of a family/relationship drama.

The entire novel centers around a twenty-four hour period and a married couple- Livia and Adam. The story revolves around Livia's 40th Birthday bash. Her daughter Marnie won't be attending. I was extremely frustrated at both of them to the point of wanting to scream at them. Livia was unbelievably obsessed with this party and Adam, well, he drove me insane with his actions.

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".

I did enjoy it, but there is quite a bit of repetition with the same events being repeated over and over caused much skimming because I was tiring of the party shenanigans, but I also really wanted to know about Marnie.

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'm sure Paris fans will enjoy this one, but for me it was a bit lacking in the execution and left me feeling a little bewildered. Really.



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

Thank you Netgalley for the advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I gave this book 3 stars. I though that this book was going to be a psychological thriller but I was mistaken. It was a story about a family on the edge of a tragedy. I found the characters to be a bit self absorbed. Each dealing with their own stress and problems. There was such a build up to the party and was looking for more of the aftermath. compared to B A Paris’s other books I was just expecting a bigger twist in the end.

How far would you be willing to go to spare the person you love from unimaginable hurt? Livia has been looking forward to celebrating her 40th birthday with a party, since she was unable to have her dream wedding to Adam. She has saved and planned for this one special day to celebrate with friends and family and wants everything perfect.

As a fan of B.A. Paris' Behind Closed Doors, I was looking forward to this book. The Dilemma is listed as a Mystery/Thriller and while there were some of those elements in the book, I don't feel it really fell into what I would consider those genres. I don't want to say I didn't enjoy the book because there were parts that really drew me in and I found myself liking it. If I could have skipped over the first half and went from there, I would have liked it better. I am giving The Dilemma a two star rating.

.Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Publishing Group for sharing this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I got this book on Netgalley, because I adore all of BA Paris’s previous books. If you are like me, be forewarned: this is not a thriller. I thought it was when I chose it, but instead it is a heartbreaking family drama.
This novel is all about the secrets within one family (and there are a lot of secrets!). But the last 30ish % of the book, where the secrets are mostly out, is devastating and gut wrenching.
I did love this book, but only rated it 4 stars because there was too much time spent on characters agonizing over whether or not they should confide in someone. It got monotonous, although I can empathize with second guessing one’s choices.

So what would it be like to have some bad news that you did not want to share because you wanted the recipient to enjoy their planned celebratory event first - only to have that person have news they were putting off sharing with you as well. What would that do to the relationship when it all came out?

That's the dilemma that Livia and Adam face in this new work by BA Paris that comes out in June.

The work alters perspectives between Adam and Livia - husband and wife in the midst of looking forward to a 40th birthday party celebration - allowing the reader to become part of the inner thoughts of both participants in the dilemma.

The whole work builds as the party approaches and the questions haunt. It becomes a page turner by the end and may not end as you hope or expect - and ultimately leaves the reader with the same looming question of what would you do?

I requested and received a temporary digital Advance Reader Copy of this book from #NetGalley, the publisher and the author in exchange for an honest review.

https://donharlan.blogspot.com/2020/02/the-dilemma.html?_sm_au_=iVVRRFNVQ75TRtrqN2GcjKQscJsqM

I've really enjoyed B.A. Paris' books.. they are twisty. My one complaint about them is they are VERY dark. This one wasn't as dark.. it read more like a Lianne Moriarty or Ruth Ware. More of a cozy, domestic thriller. However, once the premise was revealed, it really stressed me out. I didn't enjoy the whole secret keeping aspect of the novel. The stakes didn't seem that high... maybe if it had been a wedding instead of a birthday party it would have made more sense. Also, the book just got more sad as the novel unfolded. I wanted to finish it because it was making me so sad. Anyway, a very quick read, alternating narrators, complex characters.. but not my favorite.

The Dilemma was a total departure for BA Paris from her usual thriller style works of fiction. I enjoyed it, but I this I personally prefer her usual genre. While I was somewhat engaged for the most part and eager to learn how the tale would unfold, I found it somewhat unbelievable in parts and found it difficult at times to become fully invested in the characters. Why the hell did it take Adam so long to make that call? That just infuriated me. And I felt Livia behaved in such a child like, immature way. It was readable, enjoyable if you are looking for an easy read. but it was too long for the amount of story it contained and could easily have been shortened by one third.

Livia is having an extravagant fortieth birthday party, a party she has been planning her whole adult life. Adam, Livia’s husband has some very distressing news but doesn’t want to ruin her big day. I felt like I was running in place while reading this book. It was using so many words and going nowhere. I really wanted to like this book and it was written well enough but really wasn’t going anywhere.

This book was so nerve wracking! On the upside, I couldn't put it down once I started it, but on the down side the characters made me want to scream! Livia and Adam are a happy couple with 2 college age kids. Livia has spent the last 20 years planning and saving for a dream party for her fortieth birthday specifically because she did not have a big wedding when she got married as a pregnant teen. She has something to tell Adam about their 19 year old daughter, a secret that has been festering for quite some time but she can't bring herself to do it. On the flip side, Adam find out something terrible on the day of the party but keeps putting off telling his wife because he doesn't want to ruin her perfect birthday. He spends the entire day and night debating what he should do when he should have done it immediately. This is not something anyone should wait on regardless of what is going on. As a parent, I was appalled at his actions. At least Livia's secret was a little less alarming but still pretty bad in the long run. The book was well written and suspenseful but harrowing to read because of the main two characters failure to act like adults which is so drawn out that it was downright frustrating! Thanks to NG for the ARC!!!

3 1/2 stars

I want to start off by saying that I am a fan of B.A. Paris, in particular her first novel Behind Closed Doors. I read it last year and it was by far my favorite book I read. In fact, it is still sitting on my bookshelf because I can't put it away just yet, it was that good. I have yet to read any other book by Paris so when I saw she had a new one coming out, I was excited.

Paris is a talented writer and the way she writes characters are truly interesting. Her books are a character study for lack of a better term. For some people that might be a turn off, but for me, I love it. I enjoy getting into the minds of characters and I also don't mind reading about ones that aren't particularly likable. However, there was a disconnect with this book. I am not sure if it was because I loved Behind Closed Doors so much, but for some reason I just couldn't fully get into this read. That is not to say that it is a bad book by any means, its the opposite in fact. After reading so many books, I have been able to separate a well written good book from a book that isn't my favorite. So with this, it is a good book but sadly for me it fell flat. I guess it was because I set my expectations so high which I am aware I shouldn't do.

So what I did like about the book aside from the characterization was the look into what couples go through. I think the characters go through real issues and the book explored the things that go on in a marriage, friendship, and parenthood. It's emotional and even heartbreaking at times so be prepared. I would recommend this book but I wouldn't read it if you are going to compare it to her previous novels. This one is totally different and is good in its own right.

Huge thank you to the Netgalley team at St. Martin's press for letting me this book. While different from the author's previous work, this book is a good read about people dealing with real issues.

This is a tough one... I both really enjoyed this book and hated it. It was well-written in a way that I could barely put it down, and it oh so accurately described the feelings caused by keeping secrets and by loss. However how long those secrets were kept drove me CRAZY and made it a very stressful read! So while I'm mixed, I really appreciate the opportunity to have read it - it is definitely one that will stick with me.
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I love, love, loved BA Paris' book "Behind Closed Doors." It was haunting, scary, fascinating, and completely enthralling. I keep reading her books hoping that the next one will also send shivers down my spine or tears come to my eyes in fear, but this is not that book.

Livia and Adam are married and she's throwing herself a massive 40th birthday party because she feels like she deserves one because she didn't get the wedding of her dreams. So she's a little self-centered, and it's a fairly irritating trait throughout the book. She knows something about their absent daughter and is keeping it from Adam until after the party, and holy surprise! He finds out something about their absent daughter and decides to keep it from Livia until after the party.

I found this book really frustrating. JUST TALK TO EACH OTHER I thought-yelled with some frequency. But I guess that was the point of the book: secrets cause stress in marriages, in families, and when do you tell your spouse something that will destroy their life as they know it? It kept you guessing as to how things would turn out, but it wasn't as good as "Behind Closed Doors." I hope Paris's next one will be.

THE DILEMMA is the second novel of B.A. Paris' that I've read. I previously read and enjoyed BRING ME BACK, which is more of a traditional suspense novel. Put simply, I'm not sure what to make of THE DILEMMA. The entire story revolves around a 40th birthday party and the various secrets the family members are keeping from each other - some more serious than others. Although suspenseful, the story is too drawn out and could've used some good editing to knock off some repetitive sections. The reader is beaten over the head with certain thoughts and ideas from the characters' perspectives. Seriously, we get it already. Also, the story is frustrating and maddening in terms of the characters not talking with one another and delaying finding out critical info. It felt like the author wanted to stretch a novella or short story into what honestly turned out to be an overly long book. I'm sorry I'm not able to rate this one higher.

I couldn't put this book down! It grabs you right from the start. It lost a star because it was a little predictable. Overall it was a great read!