I received a free ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was a quick read. I thought that the story was very relatable, I could picture myself as one of the characters in the story. It was interesting the way that they characters all had a secret and how that secret shaped their actions.

To be honest, I thought this was going to be a thriller like the author's previous works, but I wouldn't label it as such. It was more fiction, or women's fiction, or family drama. All in all, I thought the book was okay but not nearly as good as previous works.

Was mildly disappointed with this one because I have loved all of her previous books in the past but this one didn't live up to par for me. I discussed this a lot more in my reading vlog on my YT channel: https://youtu.be/MFVr_LO6o5I

If you love family dramas this one’s for you. It has complex lovable characters, multiple POV’s, and a short timeline. It grabs your attention and will have you rushing to the end!

Thank you to the Publisher and Netgalley for the advanced e-reader copy. All opinions expressed are my own.

I love B.A. Harris books and this one included. I was completely hooked from the first page all the way until the last. This is an author that I will continue to put on my list to look our for future books.

Welp, I feel bad. I love B. A. Paris....except for this one. (Face plant) I was not able to finish this book. I did not connect at all. To me it felt like a completely different writer.

I will absolutely read B. A. Paris again....this particular title was not a good choice for me.

This one missed the mark for me. I felt it could have been much (MUCH) shorter. I had high hopes as I have enjoyed Paris' other books, but I had a really hard time making my way through this.

I will definitely continue to root for Paris, but I'm ready for the next one!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. Honestly, I was torn on this rating. I went back and forth between 3 and 4 stars for this one. While I found myself somewhat on the edge of my seat wondering what would happen next and how the events of the story would play out, I mostly found myself annoyed with the development between Livia and Adam. This story took place over a short period of time and it focuses on them not talking to each other. That was super annoying to me. This caused confusion and misunderstandings when something terrible had happened in their lives. Ultimately, I just didn't love it as much as I wanted to.

On the eve of his wife Livia's 40th birthday celebration, Adam receives devastating news and struggles with the dilemma of how and when to tell his family. But he is not the only one keeping a secret, one of which threatens to destroy his family forever.

Written more as a family drama, then the psychological thriller the author is known for, I struggled to finish this book. I just found it absolutely absurd, and totally unrealistic that couples like this actually exist. Couples who claim to love each other SO much but don't actually talk to each other; couples that don't want to talk to each other and tell each other things. Unfortunately, the whole premise of the story rests on this fact. Utterly disappointing.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing a digital copy in return for an honest review.

I will be honest I'm not sure why I got an ARC of this. The summary sounded boring to me and that didn't really change as I started reading this. I just don't think I am a fan of B.A. Paris' writing.

I received an ARC of this via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Livia has been planning her 40th birthday for years. Really, ever since she was forced to give up the wedding of her dreams. Now the day is here, the day that she has been planning for so long, but she is not as excited as she thought she would be. In fact, she is relieved that her daughter won't be able to attend. Livia has been keeping a secret about their daughter from her husband, Adam. She has a dilemma, she knows that she has to tell Adam her secret, but can't she wait until after her birthday?

Adam has a big surprise for Livia. He knows how important it is for his wife to have both of their children home for her 40th birthday. So he has arranged for their daughter, Marnie, to fly home for Livia's birthday. But then he hears tragic news that he knows will destroy Livia. His dilemma is does he tell her before the party or let her enjoy the birthday she has been planning for years? And what will happen to their marriage when Livia does find out?

The Dilemma was the first book by B.A Paris that wasn't a complete thriller. Instead the author explores the moral ambiguity of secrets in a marriage. The story is told in alternating chapters with both Livia and Adam narrating. Both Livia and Adam were being torn up by their secrets. They both wanted to protect each other from the devastation the secret would bring the other, but at what cost? Adam's secret was much more devastating, but I could understand why he did it. It was out of love for his wife. He wanted to give her the last bit of happiness she would have for quite some time. But I also understand how a secret of that magnitude could destroy a marriage. - CLICK HERE FOR SPOILERS There was no happy ending to this book, there was only survival.

Bottom Line - While The Dilemma wasn't exactly the kind of book I have come to expect from B.A. Paris, it was still very good and worth the read.

Details:
The Dilemma by B.A. Paris
On Facebook
Pages: 352
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Publication Date: 6/30/2020
Buy it Here!
Thank you to NetGalley for the free book in exchange for an honest review.

Definitely lost sleep over this book. I could not put it down! I'm a huge fan of B. A. Paris, and this book was just as captivating as I expected it would be! Highly recommend!!

I did not enjoy this one sadly. It did not hold my attention. I may just not have been in the right place at the time to properly read and enjoy this book.

In The Dilemma by B.A. Paris, Livia is keeping a terrible secret from her husband Adam about their nineteen-year-old daughter Marnie. She wants to tell him, but the timing has never seemed right. Now it is the day of Livia's extravagant fortieth birthday party that has been in the works for the past two decades. Once it is over, then she really will tell him. Unfortunately, Adam has a secret of his own and keeping it to himself to prevent ruining Livia's big day just may kill him.

This book had plenty of suspense and it kept me turning the pages, but at some point near the end, it became too much for me. The author may have wanted to keep the reader hooked a little longer, but it nearly made me stop reading. Spit it out already! Once she did, it was emotional, but I've never liked the trope in which someone needs to tell someone else something important, but doesn't, causing all kinds of conflict and confusion. It annoys me.

If you are better at sitting on the edge of your seat than I am, you'll probably really like this book. Families are messy and when children become adults, parents have to accept that their children may make decisions they wish they didn't. Those make for very interesting themes and for that I enjoyed reading this book.

I sometimes feel like I'm in the minority when it comes to B.A. Paris. While their work is not ground breaking and earth shattering, the narratives are solid, the people feel exceptionally real, and the entertainment value is very present.

Unlike the other works I've read by them, this is not really a thriller. This is actually a genre I don't normally enjoy, domestic drama. But the style FEELS like a thriller.

Adam and Livia are a married couple, about to celebrate Livia's birthday with a big party. A big pretty, pretty princess party to make up for her not getting a real wedding. Sadly, their daughter Maddie is not able to come to the birthday party because she's studying abroad.

This fact leads to both Adam and Livia each having a Big Secret they're keeping from each other. And unfortunately, Adam's secret grows even bigger than expected, and The Dilemma is, when does he tell his wife a secret that could not only ruin her pretty princess party, but also change their lives forever?

I read this in one day, during a two day power outage from a hurricane. And it was an incredibly fast and easy read that made me intensely uncomfortable because of the secret keeping. It really is a case of JUST TELL HER but also OKAY MAYBE DON'T TELL HER YET. NO WAIT, DEFINITELY TELL HER. WHAT THE FUCK.

There were some really dumb points, including the nonstarter drama between Adam and his stepson Josh, as well as a storyline involving Livia's parents. But frankly, those can easily be ignored and moved past quickly.

This isn't great literature, but it's fast, and easy. If you're looking for a genuine thriller, I'd move right past it and get to something else. But if you like a "domestic thriller", this might be perfect for you.

In her latest book, B. A. Paris shows how a small group of friends, has all the secrets of a small town:

Today is Livia's 40th birthday and she has been planning her party for 20 years, it is to make up for the wedding that she never had. All she wants to do is be the center of attention, bask in it and enjoy the night. But Livia has a secret one that will change everything not only in her family but for those who are attending the party as well. She is determined to tell Adam, her husband, about it after the party is over, she just wants one more night of normalcy. What she does not realize is that Adam is keeping a secret from Livia too, one that also has the ability to change everything, but he just want Livia to have one more night, have the party she deserves and the decisions they both make this night, will change everything.

This one is a hard one for me to review as there are quite a few aspects that I really enjoyed in this book but there was one main character that I could not get behind their thought process so when reading from his point of view I found it pretty infuriating.

I think the aspect that I liked the most, was that this one party was like a small town in itself, all the secrets and lies that each person is keeping from the others for one reason or another. Some secrets are to protect others, others have the ability to destroy lives and relationships. I also enjoyed that this book is basically told within one day and that Paris did not draw it out over several days, due to the plot of this book, this timeline makes sense and I think with the flashback thoughts that the two main characters have, the reader get enough information in order to understand the history and relationship between the characters. I also like that Paris kept the secrets that Livia was keeping were not given away right away, this caused me to have several, albeit wrong, guesses as to what she is hiding from her family and friends. I also understand Livia's reasons for not telling Adam the secrets that she is keeping from him, but Adam is a completely different story.

This book really fell for me each time there was a point of view from Adam. I just could not fathom why he chose to keep the secret that he had from Liv. I mean if I found out what he did I would say Fuck the party, Fuck everything, I need to find out the truth now. I feel like that is how most people would react to this situation, and not want to have one last party for their wife. I don't care that she has been planning it for 20 years, there are just some things that take priority over others.

I am a fan of Paris, but this book is far from my favourite. I think that the general idea for the book is a great one and I enjoyed the small town feel at one party, but I just could not get past Adam's thought process and since he is one of the two main characters, you get a lot of his points of views. I will say that all of the books that Paris has released are all different from each other, so I am looking forward to what she comes out with next.

Cheers!!!

This is a very good book. To me, the dilemma is whether to keep something a secret to protect someone you love or to share the truth and let what happens happen and happen now. I completely understand wanting to spare someone by keeping a difficult secret at least for awhile, but you never know how someone will react or how things will unfold. Excellent story and great characters. I thank the publisher for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.
I posted a review on Goodreads, but I couldn’t get the link to add here.

I usually love B.A. Paris' books, but I had a tough time getting into this one - I didn't feel anything for either of the main characters (Adam and Livia) but I thought the twists and turns were pretty good!

A tense and addictive family drama. Lydia has been eagerly awaiting her big birthday party and it is finally the big day! BUT this may be the last day as life as she knows it, she’s been keeping a secret that could change everything. however, Lydia‘s husband Adam has a secret of his own that could shake the entire family‘s foundation, making Lydia‘s secret seem like a simple hiccup. boy oh boy what a page turner this book had me on the edge. I would absolutely not want to be in either of these characters shoes and I was so invested in how it was all going to play out. Life is messy; and as the night of the party goes on you realize how messy this family‘s life has got. The characters were relatable, the story was emotional. Do not start this book before you go to bed, because you will want to know how it ends before you go to sleep.

not what i expect from this author. this was certainly different than what this author typically writes. This whole book was just a huge misunderstanding when all they had to do was communicate. it was a struggle to finish this book.

I got through this book rather quickly but i found it frustrating at times. As soon as you thought there was a resolution to the crisis of what has happened to the daughter, nope. It seemed to go back and forth on that too much that it seemed to drag on a bit. It didn’t seem much of a thriller. More just a when will they tell each other the secrets we already know? There wasn’t much to ponder about or hold you in suspense because the secrets are revealed. And the ending was just a bit sad. I didn’t understand the whole point of the secrecy. I mean i understand... but i wasn’t expecting it to end that way and i didn’t want it to. It just felt kind of like a let down. I just wanted more suspense. More mystery. More excitement. Something more climactic. It was a sad story. I enjoyed the characters. I felt for them. But it was also kind of sad. I guess this is a good portrayal of what real life can be like.