I thoroughly enjoy BA Paris’s writing style and plot pacing. This particular one fell flat to me. It read less like a psychological thriller and more like domestic fiction. I couldn’t relate to the MC at all. Having recently turned 40 myself, the obsession with the perfect birthday party that Livia has been planning for 20 years read as a really sad and selfish version of ‘My Super Sweet Sixteen’. I am sure other readers will be able to relate better; this one was just not for me.

An interesting premise that provokes a lot of "what would you do" scenarios. Not so much a mystery as straightforward story telling. This is the third book by this author that I have read and the books are consistently solid.

Copy provided by the Publisher and NetGalley

This book is incredibly sad! I never cry when reading and this book brought me to tears. This is such a heart wrenching story. My heart just broke. I love when I finish a book and it leaves me pondering everything I’ve read. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. I received a copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Man... B.A. Paris really knows how to reel a reader in. Paris will reel you in with multiple characters that you will fall in love with, and instantly relate with. This particular story is told via 2 different point of views, and it is interesting to see the story unfold though the eyes on 2 very different characters. The title "The Dilemma" makes the reader think there will be 1 choice the characters make, but in the end if really seems that each an every character has something they are struggling with.

I fully loved this book, but I am having a hard time writing a review because I do not want to spoil anything for the reader. I stayed up way too late reading, but I did not want to put this book down. You will relate to the various dilemmas in the book, and you will find yourself asking "what would I do?" "how would I react if I were in that situation".

I must admit... I kept rooting for Marnie (and when you read the book) you will discover why...

I wouldn't call this mystery/thriller but more of a domestic drama. This was the first book in the thriller genre to actually make me feel quite sad, but really connected to the story. I enjoyed the format of short chapters separated by each hour, and it felt like every new chapter unwrapped a new aspect to the story. It was really hard to put this book down - I've only read one other book by B.A. Paris but this is my new favorite of hers.

I really enjoyed this book, it was easy to read. The characters were relatable. It had a “real” feel to it.

Easy 4.5 stars from me. This book navigates difficult issues as well as complicated family/friend life. I was instantly sucked into the lives of the characters and couldn't wait to see how it ended. I will definitely be recommending this one to my family and friends.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I found this one to fall rather flat. I enjoyed the “suspense” for maybe 5 chapters and after that the only thing I did was scream at Adam and Livia in my head. This novel could have been a 5 paragraph essay if the husband and wife could pull their heads out of their butt and just talk to each other. I found the book to be frustrating and annoying, not in a good way. I struggled to finish. Compared to this authors other books, this one was extremely dull.

The Dilemma by B.A. Paris a suspenseful story that takes place over 24 hours. Adam and Livia are hosting a party for Livia's long planned 40th birthday. It is supposed to be like the wedding Livia never had, and she is hoping it is absolutely perfect. Adam is busy trying to make sure that everything is in place; the caterers, decorations, gift, and the surprise of their daughter, Marnie, coming in from Asia to surprise her mother. No one knows about Marnie's surprise except her father. As the day unfolds, the reader gets a glimpse into Livia's mind, as she grapples about having to tell Adam a secret that will shatter his world, but decides to wait until after the party. Adam is waiting to hear from Marnie about which flight she ends up making, and is panic stricken when there is a plane crash leaving from her connecting airport. As the party draws closer, Adam and Livia become increasingly anxious as they try to keep the other calm.

This book was not a thriller like I was expecting, but it is a raw look into one couple's relationship. Adam and Livia's relationship has been tested over the years, and this party comes at a time when they are truly happy. Neither wants to break that. I am giving 4 stars only because this book built up the suspense quite high, but it didn't really have the climax it should have. Otherwise, this book is genuine and well written. Thank you the NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the advanced copy!

The Dilemma is an amazing domestic drama by B.A. Paris. It deals with hot topics such as marital affairs, pregnancy loss, infertility and the death of a loved one. In short, it has it ALL.

if you like detail in writing this is for you. Me? I prefer getting to the point at least a little more quickly than Th Dilemma. The book slowly smoulders on and on, until final the story breaks.

The narrative flips between the two main characters: Livia and Adam, who are married so that you see the their lives through two sets of eyes. Now here is the part I don’t get but I’m not one who’d ever want a big party or wedding.

Livia has been waiting for, and organizing her own party for as long as she can remember. She even chose their home based the garden where the party would one day take place. Now the pressure is on her husband, Adam, to make sure that it’s perfect for her.

Adam and Livia seem to have it all: they have a beautiful home and a boy and girl child, Marnie and Josh, and a host of extended family and friends. But wait not all is perfect, Livia was disowned at 18 when she became pregnant out of wedlock with Josh. Later Marnie is born into wedlock and maybe that’s kinda okay with Livia’ s dad, but after 20 years there has been no contact.

Now for for Livia’s perfect and extravagant fortieth year old birthday party! Livia is planning the celebration of the century, but it’s more than just a party to her it’s is her one opportunity to be self-indulgent; to make up for the wedding her parents never provided her. Rather she and Adam were married in a fifteen minute ceremony at the courthouse. I am struck by the love between Adam and Livia after marrying so young and under not so wonderful circumstances. Can this love endure the worst event to ever happen in the life of parents?

The party comes and eventually goes with Adam harbouring the most devastating news. Why does Adam wait til after the party to share? Does he really want to spare his wife’s grief until after her gala or is he just afraid to confront it! This is the point this reader became frustrated as The Dilemma drug on and on and on. I guess the author wanted to impose on the reader the difficulty of such a dire decision.

The plot is not a complex one, yet engaging as you desperately hope that things will work out as the party, parties on. Even though the book unfolded slowly and in great detail, I was hooked by the decisions that had to be made hoping that relationships can be salvaged and lives will not be destroyed. But that’s not true life.

I recieved this book from netgalley and St. Martin's press in exchange for an honest review. I absolutely love B.A Paris and have read every single one of her books. The Dilemma is a switch up from the psychological thrillers I'm used of hers. This is more of a domestic drama with a hint of thriller. While it was totally different than I thought it would be, I throughly enjoyed and loved the story told from 2 different point of views between Livia and Adam. The layers of this story are so emotional and heart wrenching at times. I felt for both Adam and Livia as well as their entire group of family and friends!! 5 stars for me!

BA PARIS HAS A NEW BOOK. I have always loved B A Paris. Her books always twist and turn and the ending is What I didn’t see that coming. The dilemma is such a great disappointment. It is a vanilla book. With vanilla characters. It comes out in June so a good beach book. To waste time while you work on your tan

Livia never got to have the dream wedding that she and her mother always wanted because she got pregnant at seventeen and her parents disowned her and refused to pay for a wedding. Ever since, Livia had been tucking away money and planning for the day that she turned forty so she could throw a lavish party that would compensate for never having a wedding. Now she was turning forty and it was finally time. Preparations were made for an extravagant celebration and all of Livia’s family, friends, and co-workers were invited to the bash. Her husband Adam planned a big surprise for the celebration with their daughter Marnie’s help, and their son Josh had a few surprises up his sleeve as well. It seemed that the party would go off without a hitch, but then things began to unravel. There were several bombshells that threatened to ruin the day and as the party continued, the secrets started to drop in rapid succession. Like a game of dominoes, as each secret fell, it seemed to impact the next. Before the party was over, no one would be the same. This highly emotional novel demonstrates the secrets that families keep protecting those they love, and the repercussions that can result. Readers should be ready for a nail-bitingly tense read.

This was one book i could NOT put down. It pulls you in from page one and keeps you wondering on the edge of you seat.

My favorite book from this author! Totally not what I expected...the author kept me guessing the whole time.

This book left me overwhelmed with emotions. It should probably come with a trigger warning with regards to its subject, but then that will probably be a bit of spoiler. I have enjoyed the previous books written by BA Paris and this was no exception. This is by no means a thriller or mystery. it did not come with a blurb of it's own so I had no idea what to expect. It is more emotional and dramatic in a way. As you read this book you can feel a myriad of emotions. You can feel Livia's burden, confusion, anger, grief through each phase. You can feel Adam's burden due to his duty-bound behavior, the dilemma he faced in deciding what to do, his despair and grief too. The book is aptly named since!
As a mother, one can't imagine how torn Livia must have been between protecting her daughter and sharing her daughter's secret wit her husband. At one point I could not believe how a married couple had such important things that they kept from each other, and how it caused confusion when they assumed they knew what secrets the other was keeping. But it is not all that unbelievable. It happens, you want to protect the ones you love, you want "fix" things and so you give yourself more and more time before sharing things and life happens. It is not that hard to digest. I had my moments of frustration with the way Adam reacted, or did not do something as simple as making that phone call right away, but then again, each person processes facts differently and needs their own time to deal with emotions and logical, practical actions.
I have seen movies that made my heart wring and my head hurt, but the last 20% of this book made me spill actual tears, maybe because I could relate to the sadness this couple shared on a deep and personal level.
One lesson i learn though is that for any relationship to work, the lesser secrets you have the better, in the end the key to an easier relationship is to communicate, communicate and communicate!

Thanks NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me with the ARC for my unbiased review.

I loved Bring Me Back. Paris' writing style is effortless and engrossing, so I was thrilled to receive an eARC of The Dilemma from St. Martin's Press and NetGalley in exchange for review consideration.

I was no less disappointed by the writing in The Dilemma. Livia, a loving mother and devoted wife, is in the final stretches of planning a lavish fortieth birthday party for herself. Years of saving and months of prepping, hard work, and dedication lead to the ultimate dream party she's always wanted, and her husband, Adam, is determined to make it perfect.

Whatever it takes.

It sounds ominous when I type it, and that's exactly what I expected: ominous. Something disastrous, yet fantastical. A serial killer. A stalker. A long-lost sibling hell-bent on destruction.

What I got, however, was much more terrifying: wanting to be there for her mother, Marnie, decides to fly home from where she's studying in Hong Kong for the party, organizing the surprise with her father with the expectation of arriving at the party.

Only Adam knows she's coming, and when he sees that the plane Marnie was supposed to be on has crashed, he's the only one who knows of the potential devastation.

What ensues is a heart-wrenching look at what happens when the past and the present collide, when people show their true selves in the midst of tragedy, and how people deal with catastrophe and all the different layers. For this, I loved The Dilemma. Airing more on the side of suspense rather than thriller, I found this to be an emotional journey into depression and guilt. "Secrets," in this genre, have become synonymous with crime, murder, and obsession. The unreliable narrator instills this distrust where we think something horrible is going to happen because of an outside force or an intention to do harm.

Here, the villain isn't a manipulative stalker or a premeditated murder serving as a means to and end.
Here, the villain is guilt and how people cope with mistakes they make when they're younger. It's wanting so much to atone for the hurt you caused before you're unable to see the potential hurt you're causing.

The road to hell is paved with good intentions, and BA Paris has shown this proverb to be never more true than this story.

In spite of the beautiful sadness Paris creates, I had a really hard time getting over the lack of common sense. Adam draws out the purgatorial sense of doom for no reason. He ignores common sense. He creates drama for no reason. Nothing irritates me more than when characters choose to do something so easily solvable and pretend like it's not an option.
*spoilers*
Adam could've called the airline. The emergency number. He would've known right away whether or not Marnie was on that plane instead of hemming and hawing. I just couldn't understand why he wouldn't find out before he went to Marnie. Why he would've gone the most round-about way to finding out the information--even when someone tells him that's exactly what to do. Countless excuses of illness and lies when the answer was so simple. I wanted it to either be a more concrete reason to not touch base with the airline or to have him attain this information and hold on to it alone, struggling with the cold-hard fact that his daughter was dead and whether he should tell Livia before or after the party.

Overall, The Dilemma was a wonderful read. Well-paced, taut with suspense, and emotionally conflicted, add The Dilemma to your 2020 TBR if you love suspense that focuses on complex family relations, bloodless thrills, and hypothetical situations that leave you questioning your own choices.

I was so intrigued by this story, and yet completely disgusted with these characters at times. I had to keep reading though to find out what would happen with them. That is pretty much how I felt the entire read. It definitely held me captive, though it was a little drug out at times. It was such an unexpected story and I definitely look forward to more from this author.

I love BA Paris! This book was not at all what I expected. The characters were so relatable and could not figure out how to deal with the dilema they were both in. I did not expect what happened in the book at all. It was such a good read, and I totally devoured it in a day.