I really liked the author's book Behind Closed Doors. So, I was excited to get a copy of The Dilemma to read. The book Behind Closed Doors was great! This book....not so great.

The book starts off the day of Livia's 40th birthday party. Livia has been saving up for twenty years to celebrate her 40th birthday. She has invited 100 guests. Including her estranged parents, she hasn't seen in over twenty years. We immediately find out Livia has been carrying a secret about their daughter Marnie from her husband Adam. One that she feels will change their lives forever. Adam has a secret of his own about Marnie. Throughout the day both Livia and Adam go back and forth wondering if keeping their secret is for the best until after the party. At least Adam is, Livia is selfish. Nothing is going to stand in the way of her party. Josh their son, also has a secret of his own. This family loves to keep secrets or “surprises” from each other.

80% of the book is a span of a single day. Livia going back and forth about her secret, not wanting to ruin her party or Adam's life. And Adam going back and forth with his secret, wondering if he is doing the right thing withholding information from Livia so she can enjoy her last day of happiness.

I kept asking myself, while reading, who acts like this? And it came to me. Soap Operas from the 90's. This reads like a script from a soap opera. The writers of Soap Operas tend to draw out the inevitable. You can stop watching a soap opera for days, at times even a week, and come back to it and the actors/actresses will be in the same living room talking about the same thing or thinking about the same thing. Like really, its so drawn out. The only difference is, after the buildup, you are shocked at the outcome.

This book had no “OMG!” moment. Even what I found out exactly what secrets they were, I was like Seriously? Was that it?? I was thoroughly disappointed. The beginning had build up, you get drawn into the storyline and then you get stalled out. Even the revelations and conclusion was lackluster at best.

Overall I give the book 3 stars.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for my advanced digital copy. The opinions expressed are truly my own.

An Angel walking to the Devil's beat. - Marnie

B.A. Paris is a genius ! Master at her craft. I have loved every book that she has written and this one is no different. In one instant an apparent perfect marriage life and family are shattered Secrets are reveled. Pasts are faced. I could not put this down. This book has it all, love, friendship. betrayal, illness, death, grief and hope. Excellent from start to finish

The Dilemma by BA Paris

What I Loved: I am not sure what it is about Paris’ writing, but everything I read by her completely sucks me in and has me on the edge of my seat from page one. In this latest domestic thriller, the reader watches and as a husband and wife, who should have the communication thing down after decades of marriage, just stopped talking to each other. There is also the tension surrounding what it actually going on vs what the characters think is happening and it is simultaneously deliciouly suspenseful and unnervingly human.

The characters on the whole are likeable. Paris does a fantastic job helping you to see and empathize with Adam and Livia’s actions and motivations.

What I Didn’t Love: While I adored this novel, it won’t be for everyone, as Goodresds reviews will attest. The pacing is a little slower but I personally thought the slightly slower pace (most of the book takes place across one day) only augmented the growing sense of unease. Similarly, this book would have never happened if two married characters hadn’t just sat down and had a serious heart to heart about what was going on. I could definitely see people getting frustrated. So if your prime to random angry outburst directed towards characters being ridiculous, maybe don’t read this one in a public, or strictly quiet, place.

Livia grew up in London with rather distant parents, but has good memories of the hours she and her mother spent perusing bridal magazines. Livia and her mother would look at the dresses and cakes and flower arrangements, and mom would talk about the wonderful wedding she and her husband would make Livia one day. Livia dreamed about this wedding all through adolescence, making plans for the wonderful celebration.

Then Livia got pregnant at seventeen, and not only was there no big wedding, but Livia's parents cut her off completely. Instead of a lavish affair, Livia and her boyfriend Adam had a 15-minute ceremony in the local registry office.

Livia felt cheated out of her extravagant shindig, and by the time she was twenty, started making plans for a big bash on her fortieth birthday. Livia saved up money, little by little, and - over the years - made plans for the festivities: food, drinks, decorations, clothing, guests, and so on.

Now Livia's fortieth birthday has arrived, and the party is a go.

In their private lives Livia and her husband Adam are happily married after a rough start. They have two grown children: 22-year-old Josh, who's in digital marketing, and 19-year-old Marnie, who's studying in Hong Kong. Unfortunately Marnie has finals and can't get back for her mom's party, but promises to visit when the semester ends.

Adam - who feels guilty about his immature behavior early in the marriage - is totally on board with his wife's celebration. Adam helps with the preparations, buys Livia a lovely gift, and even plans a HUGE surprise for the evening of the wingding.

As things turn out, both Adam and Livia are harboring BIG secrets on the day of the party, secrets that might derail the festivities. Thus, the spouses are determined to stay mum until the celebration ends. Adam wants Livia to have the party of her dreams, and Livia wants to enjoy this last blowout with her best friends....one of whom has multiple sclerosis.

The narrative unfolds in one-hour-increments on the day of the party, in the alternating voices of Livia and Adam. Livia spends the afternoon at a spa with her friends, then tries to enjoy the evening. And Adam frets all through the day and night.

The premise of the book is intriguing, but I have several problems with the plot.

⦿ Outside of a novel, I don't think people would behave like Livia and Adam. In real life, people would spill the beans pretty quickly.

⦿ Whenever Adam or Livia is about to disclose something important, they're distracted by someone or something. This seems like the dramatic version of a comedy farce.

⦿ The details about the protagonists' minute to minute activities gets a bit tedious.

That said, I'm in the minority, and many people loved this book. So you might want to give it a try if the premise interests you.

Thanks to Netgalley, the author (B.A. Paris), and the publisher (St. Martin's Press) for a copy of the book.

This was a well written story about a sad family dilemma clearly showing the perspective of all of the those involved. Difficult decisions were well reasoned and put the reader in the position of wondering what would I do in that situation? Another great book by BA Paris and one to recommend to others!

This story wasn't quite what I was expecting, but dramatic family fiction was exactly what I wanted unknowingly. B.A. Paris is an excellent crafter of stories.

Another great thriller from the author. This may be my favorite yet. I am already recommending it to my book club full of teachers. Edge of your seat excitement.

I'm a huge fan of B.A. Paris and have all of her books thus far! This one felt a bit different to me. There was the usual, and loved, detail in the characters, though this one felt like a bit too much for me? The lies began to pile on and it became too much? I feel like about 3/4 of the book are family drama with the thriller aspect finally creeping in near the end.

I'm sad to say this was not my favorite of her books and I found myself really annoyed with the lack of communication between characters.

My rating for this book is 3.5 stars, but I did go into this one expecting it be a thriller. As far as family dramas go this is packed with it.

The dilemma is an aptly named novel although ambigious. There is a dilemma, in fact there are multiple. Husband and wife are both harboring secrets and they arent the only ones. Maybe not a thriller but definitely an emotional tear-jerker

I recieved a digital copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I was so looking forward to this book as I loved the last one I read by the author, but this was just awful. It seemed like a VERY long drawn out short story with a ludicrous plot and unlikeable characters.
The main character, Livia, spends the entire book obsessing about her 40th birthday that has been in the works for, no joke, 20 years! The book begins on this long awaited day and the continuing obsession about it being perfect. In the meantime her daughter plans on flying in from Hong Kong to surprise her mother but unfortunately dies in a plane crash. The husband/father Adam instead of immediately telling the family, harbors this terrible news for the entire party so his silly wife won't have this long awaited event ruined. Ridiculous plot! There is more about this that is annoying but I shall stop there. Disappointing.

This title was so different than what I've come to expect from B.A. Paris! The Dilemma challenges the reader to think about how they would react in challenging situations to protect those they love the most. I felt myself struggling to decide what I would do if I were in the role of the lead character. Over the course of a single day we learn of secrets and consider the potential impacts they will have once revealed. Overall, a really quick and enjoyable read!

I have been a fan of B.A. Paris but this missed the mark for me, I wasn't able to connect to the characters and the plot was a little bland. We follow the day of Livia's fortieth birthday party, everything is going as planned - except for the fact that her daughter Marnie can't make it. Deep down, Livia is happy as she's found out a secret about her daughter. This part of the plot made me upset - Livia doesn't want her daughter there just because she's found out a secret about her daughter. It doesn't end there, she keeps this secret from her husband Adam for a while and doesn't want to admit it until after the party.

This book is told via multiple perspectives, the other being Adam (Livia's husband) who also seems to be keeping a secret about Marnie. Adam also doesn't want to reveal his secret because he wants to give his wife a party she'll never forget. I just couldn't get over how selfish the characters were.

The book has a few twists, that I didn't see coming - that being said they're twists that I'm seen done in other books. If you're looking for a book with a lot of family secrets/drama - I would suggest this one for you! Again, just because I don't like the book doesn't mean that others will feel the same. I just wasn't okay with some of the plot points in this book and felt that the characters had clouded judgment.
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I would like to thank NetGalley and Publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own!

It’s been ages since I’ve read any fiction, so I requested an advance review copy of this Netgalley. I went into it knowing basically nothing about the plot. I’ve previously read Behind Closed Doors and Bring Me Back by this author, and I recall them being interesting but frustrating. The story is told in chapters that alternate between husband and wife, and the timeline jumps around a bit. After reading a couple of chapters, I had a feeling I wasn’t going to be that into it. At around the 20% mark I felt like things were moving WAY too slowly, so I basically skimmed through until I found the answer to the big question that had been raised. Once I saw that, I didn’t really care to read any more. I had expected it to be a psychological thriller like the author’s other books, but nope. I read a Goodreads review that called it a short story stretched out into novel length, and that feels pretty on the nose. It’s really rare that I don’t finish a book, but this was a no for me.

The Dilemma by B.A. Paris is a standalone novel focusing on a family preparing for a special birthday celebration and the ensuing complications. Having read a previous thriller by Paris, I was surprised at this different genre, but it did turn out to be a great story that was very well written. The Dilemma revolves around Livia and Adam, a married couple with two children (Josh & Marnie), with each having their own POV. The story starts out with Livia planning her 40th birthday party, which she has saved and planned for many years, having all her family and friends attend. When Livia and Adam got married, they were very young and did not have enough money for a big wedding; this party has been her dream, and she is going all out, with Adam determined to help her enjoy her day. With everyone planning to attend, Livia understands that her daughter Marnie, who is overseas at school in Hong Kong, and cannot attend the party. But Marnie plans a surprise, as she tells Adam that she was able to switch planes and be able to attend the party, and to keep it a secret.
Livia has been carrying a secret of her own that she needs to tell Adam about, but decides to wait until after the party. The secret, which she accidently discovered to her dismay, involves Marni, and Livia knows it will destroy Adam, so she is content that Marni cannot come home. Though she hides this from all of the family, Livia knows the family dynamics will change drastically if her secret is revealed. Hence, she will wait for after the party to tell Adam, and decisions can be made.

Adam also has his own secret, and is having a hard time not telling anyone why he seems very upset. Before people arrived at the party, Adam learns that there was a crash on a plane that Marni was planning to travel on, but he was sure she had changed planes. In order not to worry Livia, he keeps it to himself and continues to try to leave messages for Marni on her phone.

What follows is a heart wrenching story about family, friendships and secrets that were meant to wait for the right time to reveal them; but when revelations are made, all hell breaks loose. Will Livia and Adam be able to come to terms with each of them hiding their terrible secrets?

The Dilemma by B.A. Paris was a wonderful story line that continually pulled on our emotions, especially this mostly covering a 24-hour period. I do not want to tell too much more, as you really need to read this book. If you enjoy a dramatic family dynamics and relationships, you should read The Dilemma, written so well by B.A. Paris.

Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley for the chance to read this book early.

I’ve read all of B.A. Paris’s books from the beginning of her career. I’ve adored her suspenseful writing, though I think each subsequent book after Behind Closed Doors has been slightly less climactic than it’s prior release. Going into The Dilemma, I expected a suspenseful and thrilling story as per usual. Unfortunately, this story was short on suspense and completely lacking in thrills. Instead, this novel should have been more aptly labeled as a domestic drama.

Since this novel was misgenred, I was constantly waiting for a twist or an exciting moment to jump off the pages. Instead, I had to settle for poor communication between the main characters, the same conversations repeated over and over, and unlikable and selfish main characters. Somehow, this story wasn’t overtly bad, however – I was interested enough to read to the end without feeling the need to DNF. I wanted to know the mystery surrounding Marnie because B.A. Paris is certainly a capable writer. Unfortunately, the ending of this novel made the book as a whole seem pointless. Everything the characters went through could have been summed up in a few sentences. The entire story was pretty cut and dry, with no twists or unexpected turns. I honestly believed this book was published for the sake of needing another book by the author and not because the story was worth reading.

I certainly hope for better in the future from B.A. Paris!

While this book was different from B.A. Paris's other novels, it was great nonetheless. Emotionally, I couldn't imagine being in Adam's shoes trying to protect the feelings of his family, and then going through the struggle and ramifications of not telling the truth immediately. The Dilemma had a lot of dynamics and drama, but it was a story woven from well built characters. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I was expecting suspense that kept me on the edge of my seat. I didn’t get it. While there were some twists and turns and scandal, this book was not really suspenseful. I found Livia to be one of the most selfish characters I’ve ever encountered in a novel. None of the characters were particularly likable, and the story dragged on longer than it should have.

The Dilemma was not the kind of book I had in mind when I started to read a B.A. Paris novel. This is rather a family drama than a psychological thriller.
Basically it is about a woman, Livia, who is looking forward to her 40th birthday party which she has been planning since long. This party should make out for the big wedding she never had. Her husban Adam and her son Josh help her to set up the perfect party. They will not be joined by the daughter Marnie who is studying overseas and can't get back for it. Livia has a big secret that she wants to share with Adam after the party. But Adam is also hiding a secret from Livia. So the dilemma happens.

I really enjoyed the alternating chapters from the couples points of view but I really could not understand all this fuss about the party.

Thank you #St.Martin's Press #netgalley for this reading copy

B.A. Paris has become another author that I am always excited to read whenever a new book is going to be released. This time around with The Dilemma I had the feeling that this one is more of a domestic suspence with a lot of the story reading more contemporary but with an ominous undertone.

Adam and Livia have had a long and happy marriage despite a rocky beginning as teenagers in love who became outcasts with an expected pregnancy. The two young lovers were determined they were going to make it and never ever regretted their decision to have their baby going on to have two beautiful children.

Livia’s one regret in her life became not having a big wedding and that special day with family when she was young since her parents refused to attend. Now at forty Livia has been saving and planning for years to throw a huge birthday party for herself to have that special day with family she missed. However, when the day arrives Adam and Livia both have news they hide from one another.

I have to admit that even though this felt more contemporary than the author’s previous books for me the pages still flew by as I was still in complete suspense as to the outcome. From one moment to the next a reader doesn’t know whether to hope for the best or give into a heartbreaking tale so I was still totally engaged in the outcome as much as any thriller novel.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

My biggest complaint would be the pacing of the story, at times the smallest of details seeming so irrelevant. But the way it comes together was highly satisfactory.