The Dilemma
By Julia Roberts

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the advanced copy of this audiobook I turn for my honest review.

Parents will do anything to protect and save their children, even if it means tearing a friends world apart.

Charlotte recently broke up with her long time boyfriend after dining out he had a vasectomy and didn’t tell her even after years of negative pregnancy tests.

Charlottes good friend talks her I to a vacation where she meets Justin, a good looking man who seems to get her. One thing leads to another and she ends up spending the night with him. In the morning she noticed his wedding ring in the bathroom so she leaves and never sees him again…until she does. Now knowing she is pregnant with his child she decides not to tell him for fear of ruining his life he has with one of her dearest friends. Until her child needs a life saving surgery. Will JJ aka Justin do the right thing & try to save his sons life?

I enjoyed this story, I enjoyed the narrator, and I thank you for the opportunity to listen to it.

This was a really touching story and I could easiily imagine the dilemma Charlotte was faced with. Helping her son would potentially destroy her friend's family, but it could save his life so it was worth it, right?

As a mother this story really touched me and I could only imagine what Charlotte was going through when she finally got the long wished for child, but not as she had expected and then she was forced to come clean about some stuff. I really enjoyed how the story was told from two different POV in first person and the super strong bond between Charlotte and her friends. Annabell was an amazing friend, there for Charlotte through everything.

Although the story deals with some really tough subjects, like cheating, lying and illness, none of the characters were portrayed as monsters, they all came across as real, flawed humans, loveable despite the mistakes they have made. I really liked that. It's not all black or white, there are many gray shades in between. I would highly recommend this story and I am keen to see what else Julia has written.

The Dilemma was full of so much drama, but also of a mother's fierce love. It was definitely a page turner. I thought the main character was hard to sympathize with at some points, but I also understand the dilemma she was faced with, and her choices were all to protect other people. Her heart was in the right place. I definitely recommend this book if you like contemporary fiction.

This story took a while to find its feet, and then became something entirely different from what I was expecting. A seemingly happy relationship turns sour after a realization that pregnancy was not an issue and then a vacation with a friend and a one-night stand turns into a life changing event. What happens next is the real crux of the story as honesty takes a front seat to the futures of a lot of people. This story kept me entertained even though I didn’t connect to the characters or their circumstances.

Being childless, I just couldn’t connect with Charlotte.  I have no feeling that my life is incomplete without a child, but don’t discount her feelings.  That being said, I think this could be a terrific book club choice with all the different avenues or dilemmas and choices in the novel.  What is an allowable secret from a significant other?  There are many of these in the novel and as I thought about each one, I thought a lot of them were too much for a healthy relationship.

With a few twists along the way, we follow Charlotte and her friends through some difficult choices.  I was interested in how the situations would be resolved.  Some of the book seemed a little unbelievable but I was always wanting to know what would happen next.

I switched back and forth from the print to the audio and thought Daphne Kouma did a great job narrating the book and drawing you into the story.

Again a great book club choice and also good for anyone like women’s fiction with meaty choices.

Charlotte has been in a relationship for 10 years. After trying and trying unsuccessfully to become pregnant for many of those years, she finds out her partner has been keeping a secret. This ruins everything for Charlotte and she soon finds herself single. While on a vacation with her best friend, she meets a man, has a fling and returns home pregnant.

This book has some pretty heavy storylines. While the writing was very good and quite engaging, the terrible behavior of some of the characters did not sit well with me. Or maybe it was how all awful things were so easily forgiven. Real life is definitely messy and real people are quite imperfect, however, I just couldn’t wrap my head around the neatness to which this story ended. Overall a good read though.
**** Huge thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

The Dilemma was a page turning emotional read. It’s filled with secrets and lies and I absolutely loved it. This book will have you hooked from the very beginning and you will honestly just want to keep reading until the final chapter. There is so much emotion in this book that will tug at the hardest of hearts. This is the first book I’ve read by this author and based on what I’ve just read I will certainly be reading more..

The Dilemma by Julia Roberts REVIEW

How forgiving can you be? Would you lie to protect the ones you love? How far would you be willing to go to save the life of your child?

I found the story to be slow paced but it kept my attention. I needed to know what was going to happen. There is definitely more than one "dilemma" in this book and I do not know that I could be so forgiving if they had happened to me.

I look forward to reading another book by this author.

Thank you to Bookouture Audio and NetGalley for an audio ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Dilemma explores how one poor decision can lead to a cascade of consequences, not just for the decision-maker, but for those around them as well.

Charlotte has always wanted to be a mother and discovers that someone she trusted explicitly has been lying to her for years. She takes a vacation with a friend to process what's happened and ends up sleeping with a stranger, thinking it was a way to blow off steam.

Little does she anticipate the consequences of that act or the upheaval that will affect those she loves.

I did enjoy the honesty with which she viewed her own actions and the maturity of certain people in how they viewed their relationships. At the same time... The ending was wrapped up much too quickly. With all the build-up of the story, to conclude everyone's stories in less than two minutes was disappointing. It almost felt like the author gave up on the story or didn't know how to get things where she wanted them, so she just wrote the ending she wanted and left the reader to fill in the blanks.

Thank you to Julia Roberts, Bookouture Audio, and NetGalley for an advance review copy.

I want to thank Net Galley for this advanced copy listen. I was not influenced or reimburst for this honest review.


The start of this book was quite slow, having to read through the traumatizing experience Charlotte feels not being able to become a mother. She discovers the why behind her difficulty (no spoiler here!) and treats herself to a girls vacation with her friend, Annabelle.
On vacation she has a one night stand with the handsome "Justin" who joins her for dinner. Well, she ends up pregnant, she is trying to sort out how to contact "Justin" but it just so happens that "Justin" is someone in her circle of friends.
Shocked, hurt and unsure what to do next, Charlotte has the baby, and next thing you know, the baby has a serious kidney condition that will require a kidney donation--thus Charlotte needs to confront the biological father and his family.....

So even in my description you can see how there is a lot of build up to the climax of the novel. I think that is why I dropped it a star for the drawn outness of the situation and the "irrationality" of the main characters behavior. All of her "secrets" she tried to keep from being revealed were rather selfish , like not telling the wife of Justin he was sleeping around on work vacations? Really? Charlotte's over obsession with becomin g a mother causing her to act irrationally, and her boyfriend who ultimately lied to her for ten years, suddenly is all forgiven?
I think this book would have worked better if the baby required a more immediate type of donation (like bone marrow) because from what I know, an adult's kidneys are not going to be able to be transplanted into a baby.....

It was a decent read. The ending was a little too "pretty" if you ask me.
I will read more by this author for sure. I can see she has a great way of creating stories and is good with words. I think this one was just a little off

I really enjoyed The Dilemma, I'm sure this story could ring true with many a person. The characters are strongly written and I had a huge affinity with charlotte who finds herself in an awkward position that was created by a one night stand with a slightly dishonest man.
The plot flows superbly well and you get to the end of all the drama feeling that it actually came to good rounded finish without loose ends.
Julia Roberts is a creative writer who manages to bring her characters to life exceptionally well and they are completely believable. I went through many emotions whilst reading and really felt for Charlotte and her friends who all get brought into the saga unfolding before them. They all have something to offer and are not there as a little extra to fluff out the story. A great read that is worth investing a little reading time.

Absolutely loved this audio book. Well written, heart breaking yet heart warming just beautiful. I would recommend this to anyone.

Loved this one! I listened to the audio version and the narrator is fantastic! The storyline was both entertaining and had a realism to it that you don’t find in a lot of books. I had never read a book by this author and was impressed by her writing style, I will definitely read more by her in the future.

Thank you a Bookouture, Net Galley, and Julia Roberts for this audio in exchange for an honest review. I loved the narration and the plot of the story. The secrets and the love that overcomes the betrayal. I loved the characters, especially Charlotte, Annabelle and Tiff. A heart warming book that I would recommend to everyone. A fast read most definitely. 🌟🌟🌟🌟1/2 star rating from me!

I was swept away on a tide of emotion reading this story. It is such a moving but ultimately uplifting book that looks at the consequences of the choices we make and the ripple effect they can have on the people around us, especially the ones we love. There are secrets, some long buried, but with each one revealed it was clear that they had been kept with the best intentions. The characters are forced to make difficult decisions and sacrifices and the author has done an excellent job in making you question what you would do in their situation. The Dilemma is the perfect title! This is a really enjoyable drama; fast paced with some tough topics. I listened to the book on audio and the narrator was excellent at bringing the characters to life. This was my first by this author but definitely will not be my last!

I enjoyed this women's fiction book, which is about a woman called Charlotte who is on a quest to have a baby. At first, she is trying to have a baby with her boyfriend of ten years, but they split up, and she meets another man, who she finally has a baby with. But all is not what it seems, as she soon gets a big shock when she finds out exactly who this man is. Later in the book, once her baby is born, she has to make some difficult decisions regarding his health, and her friendships.

I found this story very interesting, although there were a few times when I thought that some of the situations seemed a bit unbelievable. However, it was still a good book, and I really enjoyed listening to it. The audiobook narrator was great, and she did a good job. Highly recommended!

Many thanks to the author, narrator, publisher and NetGalley for a copy of this book.

The Dilemma by Julia Roberts was an emotionally gripping book. I did occasionally feel for Charlotte, it was just hard at times given that, as a wife and mother, I would have made different decisions than she did. Because of this, I rate it 3.5 stars, rounded up to 4.

Daphne Kouma was a good narrator. Her voices for the characters didn't have much range, but it was easy enough to decipher who was speaking as Julia used the characters names quite frequently.

Thank you to Bookouture Audio for providing me with an ALC.

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture Audio for accepting my request to audibly read and review The Dilemma.

Author: Julia Roberts
Published: 10/26/22
Narrator:
Genre: General Fiction (Adult) -- Romance -- Women's Fiction

The line was cast, I was hooked until the story sank at roughly 75%.

I read (my usual) minimally the blurb. From page one I was taken. The narrator has a soft and compassionate voice truly working with this story. Basically, the book tackles the life of a woman in a long-term relationship wanting a baby. She believes her partner is hoping for a pregnancy as well. Turns out, he has two children from another relationship and does not want anymore. There is a breakup, a one night stand and the dilemma begins.

The author brings up a lot of points while minimally touching on issues. Is it okay to be a single parent? Do you need an extended family to be a parent? Is there a girl code? I liked how Roberts was not preachy in her writing. Every person chooses their path and must live with the choices they make. But, what if ... What if .... I'm not spoiling, however, the author is losing me.

There was one encounter, two men, and the track she wrote I wasn't buying. The topic was too heavy to have a Hallmark ending. In addition, Roberts started with profanity near the end. It was absolutely not necessary.

I'm giving this 3 stars. If the ending had been realistic I would have given 4. Furthermore, a realistic ending and no profanity would have garnered 5 stars the beginning writing is beautiful.

I am sorry to say I absolutely hated this book. I felt the characters were bland and colourless, with no depth to them at all. The storyline is ridiculous in places. The entire story is centred around Charlotte not knowing what JJ looks like! Utterly unbelievable in these days of internet and social media! Her friend has been married for years and yet Charlotte hasn't met her husband. Even if we accept they haven't met in over 10 years, we then have to believe Charlotte has never seen even one photograph of JJ and likewise, JJ has never seen any photos of Charlotte, particularly when the girls were models together. I personally also had difficulties with the medical content of this book, as this is my own profession and things happened in the story that simply would never occur in medicine/obstetrics. From the GP at the beginning of the story, the medical content made no sense. I'm sorry to say I would not want to read anything else by this author, nor would I recommend to friends. I really struggled with this review because so many others have been very positive, but ultimately nothing in this book was believable and there were no unexpected plot twists or drama. However, my sincere thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advance copy in exchange for an honest unbiased review.

The Dilemma by Julia Roberts on audiobook, kept me listening. The story is of three friends who have know each other for 20 years, Charlotte, Annabell and Tilly. Charlotte becomes pregnant unexpectedly and the repercusions affect the three.

I listened to this whilst doing some cross stitch and embroidery and it was the perfect accompaniment. Highly recommended.