I’m a big B A Paris fan. This book keeps you reading. I finished it in a day. Husband makes a tough decision. Wife has a tough family story. Life is not always what it seems.

I enjoyed both Bring Me Back and Behind Closed Doors by B.A. Paris, so I am grateful to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for an advance copy of her latest book, The Dilemma, in return for my honest review.

I read this one yesterday, and I keep thinking about it, which ought to be worth at least one star…and the suspense is good—add another star. A third one for the fact that the story made me question what my own decision would be if I were faced with a similar dilemma, and another one for the fact that the characters were drawn well enough that I had some feelings for them (not always positive ones, however). So it should be a solid four star review, yes?

I think possibly I was expecting more of a psychological thriller, based on the description, but I realize it is more of a domestic drama. Perhaps I just prefer the woman-in-danger genre more, so that is why I keep thinking maybe I hated this? Or was it that the whole idea of one’s life and thoughts revolving around THE PARTY just is so foreign to me???

Then I realized that I just kept wanting to yell at Livia…and occasionally her husband, Adam. They were married when she was a (pregnant) teenager, a quickie wedding that prevented her having the storybook wedding she and her mother had planned together. Plus, her parents basically disowned her for her sins and have not seen her or spoken to her since, despite living fairly nearby and Livia sending them cards, invitations, etc.

Josh and Marnie, Adam and Livia’s two now young adult children, have never met their maternal grandparents, but the family of four is have a good life, and seem happy…except Livia, who is turning forty. She has been planning her 40th birthday party for OVER TWENTY YEARS, which I found really annoying. She may be more of her mother’s daughter than she realizes: “I think everything my mother has done has been out of duty. I don’t think there’s ever been any real joy in her life.” It’s not clear how she knows this since she hasn’t been in touch with her for over two decades, but anyway, this apparently narcissistic, spoiled woman…no, wait, she did most of the parenting while Adam frequently disappeared for days at a time, so he isn’t so likeable either.

The story is told is alternating points of view on the day of THE PARTY. Adam has planned to surprise Livia by having Marnie fly home to the U.K. from Hong Kong for the event, but during the day he gets some horrible news and doesn’t want to ruin the biggest day of Livia’s life (with THE PARTY taking the place of the wedding she never had – gag—sorry). Meanwhile, we find out that Livia has been thinking she is relieved that Marnie won’t be there, at THE PARTY, because she has learned a secret about Marnie that will tear the family apart. See what I mean? Domestic drama!

Adam’s got a big dilemma – to share his news and ruin THE PARTY or not? Livia has a similar dilemma…and we can see the collision coming hour by hour throughout the day of…THE PARTY.

Well written, as I expected from this author. And the fact that I kept reading far into the night to find out WTH happened to these people indicates it was a good book. But wow did I want to yell at both the parents and found them so unlikeable that it kept me from really liking it as I had hoped I would. I am tempted to go with three stars, but since I counted up four stars’ worth of “stuff” about it, I’m going with four. And I will look for her next book and hope not to see Livia and Adam again!

This book is aptly titled, the family is on the horns of some challenging dilemmas. All the buildup, foreshadowing and references to the stuff we don't know yet is a bit irritating however once we do know what's up, it is a nail biter.
I often race through some of these mysteries to find out what happens without caring too much about how they happen. WIth this story, I did read the entire book to see if the payoff was worth the build up. I must say it does.

Holding big secrets that will materially and forever affect those around you is painful - in this care very very painful. The resolution is pretty appropriate and felt as those the ends were tied up.

As I sit here with tears streaming down my face reflecting on this book, I am thinking of what would I have done in Livia and Adam's shoes. Would I have been able to go through a party knowing the secret that I must tell my spouse when the party is done. I just don't know. Livia has been saving for twenty years for her fortieth birthday bash, but she has a secret. Her husband, Adam, wants her to have this day before he tells her his secret. Told in their alternating voices this book will grab you from the first page and not let go till the heart wrenching ending. You will know these characters on an intimate level. You will feel their happiness and sorrow. Should they have handled things how they did? I don't know. This book is incredibly well written and the tension mounts in each chapter. All I know is that this is a book worth reading.

I was first introduced to B.A. Paris when I read her novel Behind Closed Doors and devoured it within hours. I just finished reading her latest work, The Dilemma, this morning. It is being marketed as suspense and women's fiction, which is very accurate, but I can honestly say I was not emotionally prepared for this novel.

Despite the odds, Livia and her husband Adam have survived the trials life throws at young couples and seemingly have made it out the other side without too many scars to show for it. A teenage pregnancy out of wedlock stole the chance for Livia to have her dream wedding, so to make up for this, she has spent almost half her life saving for an extravagant 40th birthday party. The novel takes place mostly on the day of the party, alternating the narration between Livia and Adam every hour or so. We are immediately made aware that Livia feels some guilt over a secret she's keeping from Adam involving their daughter, Marnie. She loves her daughter, but is relieved that she won't be able to make it to her party because she wants to enjoy her night before the secret changes their entire lives.

Meanwhile, Adam and Marnie have a secret of their own. Marnie is in another country studying abroad and is planning on traveling home to surprise Livia during her birthday party. Unexpected complications arise and Adam is forced to decide whether or not to keep a monumental secret of his own. There's not really a correct answer to his particular dilemma, but he self-consciously analyzes all his options until he's sure he's doing the right thing. Wracked with guilt and fear for the future, Adam does his best to make it through the party which seems to last a lifetime. He knows nothing will be the same once it's all over and he no longer has the party as an excuse for keeping the awful truth from his wife.

I was actually surprised at how suspenseful this domestic drama turned out to be. For me, if there isn't a blade-wielding psychopath chasing someone down, it usually tends to drag on, but I could not stop reading. Paris did a great job at making the party c-r-a-w-l by at the pace of a tortoise on sedatives. It was frustrating at times how slowly the night was moving, but it seems obvious to me that the novel was written this way intentionally as a way of letting the reader feel the hell Adam was experiencing as each second slowly ticked by. The party itself serves as this larger-than-life character all on its own. On one hand, it celebrates the loyalty and resiliency this couple has demonstrated over the last few decades. But on the flip side, it is also this ominous bomb that is set to explode when its time is up, potentially shattering the lives of this family.

I didn't anticipate really feeling much for the two protagonists, so I was in disbelief when I realized I was crying while reading the final chapters in the novel. That just never happens for me. I think maybe three books have made me cry in my entire life and they almost all had to do with animals. Paris knows how to paint a picture of grief in such a way that will have readers revisiting past heartaches as if they happened yesterday. I feel emotionally raw after reading this book and I think there's something to be said about writing that can do that.

Ever since I read The Couple Next Door 2 years ago, I've been a huge B.A. Paris fan. I've read each of her other books as they've been released, quickly devouring both The Breakdown and Bring Me Back. So when I heard she had another book coming, I was thrilled. This page turner held my interest from the first page through the last - finishing it in just 4.5 hours.

The Dilemma had me feeling a range of emotions throughout the story, which takes place over the course of just one night in the life of married couple Livia and Adam.

It's the day of Livia's 40th birthday - a day she's been planning for 20 years. She and Adam married young, in a quick courthouse wedding after they found out she was pregnant at 17. Her parents disowned her and she never got the big wedding she'd dreamed of her whole life, so she planned a big, splashy 40th birthday party to make up for that loss.

Despite the odds of marrying and becoming parents so young, Adam is completely devoted to Livia and wants nothing more than for her to have the best time at her party.

Both Livia and Adam are keeping secrets from each other : Livia, a secret about a betrayal by their daughter, Marnie - a secret she's been keeping for several weeks. Adam, a surprise for Livia for her birthday - a visit from their daughter, who has been studying abroad in Hong Kong.

As Livia spends her morning being treated to a spa day by her best friends, Adam is preparing for her surprise and running some errands in town. That's when he gets the news that a plane has crashed - a plane that their daughter might be on.

Adam struggles with the dilemma of whether or not to tell Livia before or after her party that their daughter may have been on that plane - while Livia struggles with the dilemma of whether or not to tell him her secret before or after her party.

The events of the day/evening are told in chapters alternating between the POV of Livia and Adam, jumping between their secrets fluidly and holding your interest through the very end.

**I am so very grateful to St. Marten't Press and Net Galley for the ARC of this book. I was given this book in exchange for an honest review, and all opinions posted are my own.**

This is a different kind of novel than the traditional B.A Paris ones you may have read before. This was not your usual psychological thriller and more of an emotional domestic fiction. However, I must say that didn't negatively impact the experience for me. The plot was fast paced and fantastic , spread across the course of a single day. How could so many emotions, events and reveals occur in one day !
I found this book to be realistic and struck a nerve with me. I shed tears and felt it in my gut.
The end of the book was satisfactory for me and I felt that there was a resolution and emotional closure

My favorite from BA Paris yet! I’ve looked forward to new titles from her since I read Behind Closed Doors years ago, and this doesn’t disappoint.

See goodreads for my review of this book. Thank you for the opportunity to preview the galley and provide feedback.

Amazing - secrets, secrets and more secrets and when is the right time to disclose those secrets and how will lives and the lives around them fracture once secrets have been revealed - so many what ifs in this book. The end was just heart wrenching and I felt for the characters who were wracked with their own guilt and the guilt from the secrets they have held - so wonderfully written and I love the point of views from characters

B.A. Paris seriously does not disappoint with any of her novels. I AM OBSESSED with each and every one of her books!!! I literally was so excited that I was able to read this one, I gobbled it up in a day! I am in love. The suspense, drama, thrill and characters were everything. Y'all need to read this ASAP. I mean honestly I am already waiting for her next novel to come out because I just love all of them so much. You will not be disappointed.

I have read each of B A Paris's books to date. She is a very creative writer and this book is written in her normal back and forth story telling between different people. What is different about this book is that is not a psychological thriller like the other three are. There are no roller coasters, no huge OMG moment. But the book is still a wonderful read.

The story is told from Adam and Livia's view points all within a window of one day. Although they do flash back to things that are significant that occurred in the past. The story is told on the day of Livia's 40th birthday in which she is having a huge blow out party - one she has been planning for 20 years. Everything about the day is perfect expect that her daughter is studying aboard and cannot be with her. While she is disappointed not to celebrate with her daughter at the party, she learned something about her that secretly she is happy she did not come home. The secret about her daughter is weighing on her and she wonders if she should have told her husband Adam, but she knew telling him would ruin a lot of lives and she wanted this one day to be perfect.

Then there is Adam, he has a secret too, but should he tell Livia now or wait until she has her perfect party. The pain of holding a secret is killing him, but he loves Livia and knows she has been waiting a long time for this.

When they both finally reveal their secrets is their love strong enough to hold them together, what will the secrets do to their family?

The only reason I am not giving this a 5 star review is because I was disappointed that it was not the true B A Paris psychological thriller that keeps me at the edge of my seat questioning every page I turn.

The dilemma for me was why Livia was having such a ridiculous party for her fortieth birthday and why her husband Adam was so hesitant in sharing the truth about their daughter. Adam and Livia certainly had their challenges as a married couple and never really dealt with them . Issues that people living together need to face and deal with were left unresolved. This book has a cast of people who never confront problems head on but leave them to fester . No one likes to hear terrible or unsettling news but unfortunately that is life . This whole book was about putting off telling tragic news for a few hours but it read like years. Lots of weak and shallow characters . Most of the story took place in a house that was bought twenty five years ago because the backyard was perfect for this party that was predetermined that long ago. A tad bizarre.

A really interesting novel about communication, lies, omissions, and love. Definitely thought provoking.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41150465

Wow B.A. Paris had done it again with The Dilemma! What a page turner I ended up devouring this one in less then 24 hours! Such an intense read that gave me so many different emotions. Love, longing, friendship, horrible tragedy and devastation. Paris is such a phenomenal writer that it felt like I was right there with the family as they went through everything. This is definitely a must read for 2020.

Have you ever longed and planned for something for the majority of your life? While f that's what Livia did. After she became pregnant at 17 and had a quick wedding, she imagined a huge 40th birthday party to replace the wedding she never got. For 23 years she planned, she envisioned both her children, her husband all her friends and even a hopeful reunion with her parents. Well the day has finally come and Livia still isn't sure if her parents will turn up and her daughter Marnie wasn't able to attend because she's away in Hong Kong. Well at least that's what Livia thinks, but her amazing Husband, Adam, and her daughter have planned a huge surprise for her to turn up and have the 40th birthday party she's always planned. Things don't always go as planned and now secrets are being kept, will the birthday party go off successfully without tragedy? Will everyone's lives ever be the same?

An intensely emotional rollercoaster of a read. The highs the lows, the happiness the sadness, a familys hopes and dreams. Friendships, secrets ands lies.

Will post to other social media closer to release date

Thank you, NetGalley for an advanced copy of this novel. This was a different story for the author. Not necessarily a thriller, but certainly a family drama. Livia has been planning her 40th birthday bash for years, and when the night finally comes, her husband Adam cannot imagine ruining her night by telling her the tragic news of their daughter. Livia too is holding on to some secrets, and the novel unfolds, explaining how holding on to secrets can almost destroy a family.

*Thanks to NetGalley + St. Martin's Press for the ARC!*

I loved this book because honestly, who doesn't love a good, engaging, fast read? This book had a compelling plot that I don't feel like I've seen over and over again, and I read it pretty much straight through, because I wanted to know what was going on that badly.

I see in other reviews that people are talking about tropes often used (ie: a situation going on forrreeeevvvveeeerrrr because people just don't talk about it), but honestly, I'm reading for fun and to be engaged, and this book more than did that. My criteria for reviewing is typically was I engaged in the book, how quickly did I read it, and how often did I opt for another form of entertainment (like TV or reddit) instead of a book. If all of those conditions are met, it's a go from me.

I'll be recommending this one!

When I started this book, I initially really disliked the two main characters. They both seemed immature and selfish!, completely unlikeable! But as I progressed through their story, I began to see their humanness. Many of the choices they both made through their lives together were dicey, at best. I’m so glad I kept reading! This story is heart wrenching, yet hopeful.Grab a hanky! #uglycrying

A 40th birthday party is set to take the place of a wedding reception that never happened since the marriage started with a short dating life and a quick conception. What could possibly go wrong? B.A. Paris’ answer is … everything. A series of second-guessing, miscommunication is what drives the story but there’s enough that will have the reader scratching their heads wondering what they would have done in this instance or the next. Right and wrong isn’t easily decided here and that makes for an awesome read. This is different from B.A.’s previous work and is all the more enjoyable.

The Dilemma is a well-written, heartbreaking family thriller/drama. I was sucked into this story and couldn't stop reading until the end. I am a big fan of B.A. Paris and was thrilled to have the opportunity to read and review her newest. This wasn't the usual type of thriller that I normally read, but it really has a way of grabbing a hold of you and not letting go.

Livia has waited almost 20 years to have this day. She has planned her 40th birthday to make up for the wedding she never had with Adam. She is filled with joy that everyone she loves will be here except her daughter Marnie, who is studying abroad. As much as Livia loves Marnie, she knows Marnie's deepest and dark secret. Livia is guiltily glad her daughter won't be there for her birthday.

Adam, Livia's loving husband, has a surprise for Livia. Adam and Marnie have been working together to really surprise her. Marnie is going to be flying in to surprise Livia for her birthday. On the day of the party, Adam learns horrific news and is stuck wondering what to do. Should he tell Livia, or should he let her have these last few hours of happiness?

Livia on the other hand is facing her own Dilemma; how much does she want to tell Adam about Marnie? This is a huge secret and one that will tear many people apart. How could this happen?

Great suspense and the twist was shattering! The Dilemma will stick with you for a while after reading.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for this ARC.