Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an ARC in exchange for my honest review. This book will be published June 30, 2020.

I am so grateful to receive this early copy since B. A. Paris is one of my newly discovered favorite authors. This is her fourth book and the fourth one I’ve read.

The book centers around Livia’s 40th birthday party and takes place over 24 hours, being told in alternating points of view from the husband and wife. Each knows a secret and the chooses to withhold it from the other, but at what cost?

Review posted on GoodReads.

A decision that will change everything.
Knowing the truth will destroy her.
Keeping it secret will destroy him.

I've read several novels by B.A. Paris, but The Dilemma takes a very different turn from her previous work. The story itself is simple. A married couple, Adam and Livia, is celebrating Livia's 40th birthday, with their friends and family, in style...with a huge, high end party in their garden. The problem? They're both keeping life-altering secrets, and each is facing a dilemma as to when to break their news to the other.

While this plot doesn't seem particularly riveting, I nevertheless found myself glued to my Kindle, unable to look away from this train wreck-in-the-making. I found myself desperately, fervently hoping things would work out as the conclusion loomed closer and closer.

It's hard to overlook our protagonists' vexing decisions, and there were times I was muttering to myself, "Come ON." Yet, inexplicably, I quite enjoyed this book. Livia's party was a veritable boiling pot of emotion, and I simply couldn't look away. While I couldn't understand their choices, somehow, Liv and Adam were still deeply relatable.

The Dilemma is very slow burning, but it's also compulsively readable.

Feeling intrigued? If so, you can purchase your own copy of The Dilemma on June 30, 2020. I suggest you do. 3.5 stars rounded up.

**Many thanks to the publisher for my review copy.

Wow! This story pulled me in from the start. Tons of ups and downs and you are never 100% sure how to feel while reading this book. Great story with a decent ending!

I received this ARC from the publisher through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

B.A. Paris has written four other mysteries/thrillers that I've read, so I wasn't surprised to see The Dilemma show up in this category. Having read it, however, it seems miscategorized. I didn't love this one and felt that it sort of went nowhere. Each of the main characters are in the midst of two different dilemmas centering around their daughter. Neither is quite ready to tell the other, but as a reader, there's really no mystery. I can't see myself recommending this to many readers.

***4.5 Stars***
The Dilemma is a spectacular emotional display of love and deceit in a marriage. Coming off the heals of the Break Down and Behind Closed Doors, The Dilemma is perhaps is B.A. Paris's best novel written to date.

Livia has been holding on to a devastating secret about her daughter Marnie. Not knowing when or how to tell her husband Adam, she tries to push it deep inside. After all, Marnie is his comeback as a father since he was absent for a large part of his older son's life. But everything is about to unravel during Livia's epic 40th birthday party when Adam's surprise present becomes a dark nightmare. Livia and Adam try to keep it together to enjoy perhaps a final moment before each other's secret is unveiled.

The Dilemma is a narrative that takes place over a day. Written in alternating perspectives, Livia and Adam, each chapter takes off where one leaves creating a seamless timeline. Livia's character is consumed with creating a life that she never had. Her mother and father, overbearing and stern, denied the young couple a true wedding. Adam is spending a lifetime trying to be a good father to Marnie, and a better one for Josh. He made selfish choices as a young father but his love for his children and wife is palpable. The majority of the novel reads like a stream of consciousness and the tension feels very real. I found myself consumed by the characters' choices, praying that the couple would survive each other. However, there were times I wished the Livia and Adam would wrap up their messy thoughts (a slow burn) and just talk to each other. But that is just how I handle my Dilemmas: HEAD ON! Overall a fantastic read. I look forward to Paris's next novel!

Thank you Netgalley, Martin's press, and the author for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

The Dilemma tells the story of the family drama that unfolds during Livia’s fortieth birthday that she’s been planning for years with the help of her husband, Adam. The whole book spans over the course of one day, a day that Livia has been obsessing over since she never got the perfect wedding she once wished for. If you can get over the fact that a forty year old woman is throwing such a fuss over her own birthday, it’s quite the fast paced read. As quick as it went, I connected with zero of its self absorbed characters, agreed with zero of their decisions, and cringed at the ending. I normally love anything B.A. Paris, but this is nothing like her other suspenseful thrillers.

Some thrillers choose to bring down the safe world you build around yourself. This is one of them. The storyline is intriguing, emotional and will keep you guessing. You might even find yourself questioning what you would do in the protangonists’ situations. A fun read that will keep you thinking about it for a while. A must-read for 2020.

The Dilemma is more of a family drama than the usual mystery/thriller that B. A. Paris writes. This book alternated between the husband's and wife's narrations of her 40th birthday party. I found the characters in this story to seemingly be incapable of making good decisions, which made The Dilemma hard to read at times. This book kept me entertained, but I'm not sure that I would recommend it since it was rather repetitive and slow-going. Thanks to NetGalley for the advance copy.

The Dilemma is a story about a husband and wife who have a wonderful marriage and couldn't really ask for more.....other then a 40th birthday bash to make up for not having a big wedding.

This book isn't one that you have to really think where it is going. You can figure out most if not all of the "who done its" but at the same time it does not take away from the emotion or shock of it all.

By the end of this book I was in tears.....because I am a mom of two and I know what it means to be a mom and love my kids unconditionally.

The relationship between husband and wife is not perfect but it feels pretty darn close.

B.A. Paris delivers another great read

I must be in the minority here, bit I couldn’t get past a 40 year old planning her dream birthday party, and add to that, she’s been saving for it for years!? Because she didn’t have the wedding she wanted? Grow up lady. What!? Ridiculous premise,backdrop, whatever, couldn’t take this seriously at ALL. Gave up about a third of the way in.

Livia has saved for years to make her 40th birthday party a huge event. She was denied a huge wedding and nothing will stop her from this party! Adam wants nothing more than Livia to be happy. He’s planned a special surprise for her, one that will alter all their lives. Lots of secrets being kept between Livia and Adam which when revealed could potentially destroy their marriage.


This is a hard review for me to write as B.A. Paris is one of my favorite authors. I didn’t like any of the characters.
They were all self absorbed and never took anyone else feelings to consideration. At the half point of the book I found myself thinking oh gosh, enough already and skipped thru quite a few pages. I felt there was no real plot or an intriguing story line. This is more of a family drama book than a Thriller.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martins Press for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The first part of this book was very compelling - what were the secrets that Livia and Adam were hiding? What was there dilemma? The secrets were revealed pretty early in the book, and at that point and after that it just got a little harder to get through. It was a quick read - the writing was good and the characters were developed, but the alternating viewpoints of Livia and Adam made it somewhat repetitive. Throughout the last half of the book, I just kept wondering why Livia and Adam didn't just talk to each other. Also, part of the reason for keeping a secret was to not spoil a party - I don't get the idea that someone would obsess about and save money for 20 years to throw themselves a big party on their 40th birthday, so the premise of keeping a secret was on shaky ground for me.

Would I recommend this book to others? I don't know - it would be quick and easy read for someone who enjoyed domestic drama.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3053292985

I must start this review by saying that B.A. Paris is one of my favorite authors!!! However, this was my least favorite book of hers..

I had initially heard that this book would be quite different than a typical B.A. Paris book and the rumors were true.

It was still a very gripping read, however it wasn’t your typical psychological thriller. I would categorize more as general fiction to be honest which I don’t particular love.

The premise was more about a family keeping secrets from each other and how that unfolds.

I also had a hard time liking the characters and/or having sympathy for them. I just wanted to scream TELL THEM THE SECRETS AND LET’S MOVE ON. At 50% I really kind of had enough of the back and forth and just wanted to be done with the book.

There was still a small element of mystery, as we had to uncover what the numerous secrets were, and that’s why it’s a 4 star for me. Overall, if you like general fiction you will most likely love this book. If you are an avid fan of mystery and thrillers, you might not enjoy this one as much as the previous novels.

I want to start by thanking NetGalley, the publishing house, and the author for allowing me an electronic copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Probably closer to 4.5!
I typical B.A. Paris fashion she knows how to create some crazy tension!! I was hooked after I read "Behind Closed Doors". This novel is different in that its not so much a psychological thriller as it is domestic suspense and an almost palpable tension.
The one thing that strikes me about this novel is that I did not care for the main character! I found the wife to be very selfish and spoiled. That being said, I still cared about how "The Dilemma" was going to turn out. I enjoyed her family and friends. I like the side-drama involving the daughter and her personal life. It made the novel more believable and "real" so to speak. Since we all know in life, real people can do some real stupid things!
Can't wait for her next novel. And this one isn't even released yet!
#thestruggleisreal #thedilemma

I loved B.A Paris’ book “Behind Closed Doors” so I was excited to read The Dilemma. Just like Behind Closed Doors, The Dilemma deals with family, secrets, & love. I was absolutely blown away! I loved the main characters, the suspenseful plot, and the surprises throughout the book that I didn’t see coming. I highly recommend this book and would be shocked if it doesn’t end up being on the best sellers list!

Today I am existing on caffeine, because I was up all night reading this book. I couldn't stop reading the story as it alternates between a husband and wife and the day of her birthday party. Both are hiding a secret that will change the family dynamics forever. I identified with the husband more, as I found the wife's obsession with her birthday party a bit over the top. I feel like someone in her life would've told her to settle down. That said, every other aspect of this plot was so well done. I could feel the angst as the timeline of the day progressed. This is a suspenseful plot that will leave you needing to turn just one more page...and then another...Thank you to St. Martin's Press and Net Galley for an e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

First, let me begin by saying that I really enjoyed all of the author’s previous books. So needless to say, I was super excited when I was approved to read an ARC of her newest book, The Dilemma. I was expecting another fast paced thriller with lots of twists and turns and a surprise ending. That wasn’t the case.....

I’m struggling a little bit with how to review this one. I totally think that it was mislabeled in terms of genre. So if you are expecting a typical thriller, you will probably be pretty disappointed. Instead, I would label this as a general fiction/family drama novel. If you consider it that genre instead and pretend like you haven’t read the author’s previous books, you may like this one.

What I liked: This was a pretty clean read in terms of language. Typical thrillers tend to have a fair amount of foul language and I really can’t remember much (if any) foul language in the entire book. I also liked that the author made you think that you knew Livia’s secret, and then gradually showed you that you were wrong before revealing the actual secret. I was also wrong about why Livia was angry and distant with Max (who was her son’s best friend). So in that sense there were several plot lines that did have small surprises.

What I didn’t like: This is harder without giving away spoilers. I will say that I kept waiting and waiting for a surprise twist or for the ending to be wrong somehow. Neither thing happened. There was no surprise twist and the ending was really the ending and it was just downright devastating. At the same time, I feel like we didn’t get invested enough in each of the characters due to the fact that the entire story took place over three days. There was some backstory for sure, but not enough in my opinion. And I really don’t understand why the main character spent half of her life dreaming of an elaborate birthday party that ended up being a tent and a caterer and some music. It seemed so silly and also incredibly sad at the same time. I get that she was making up for the wedding she never had, but it seemed like EVERY decision she made from age 17-39 revolved around her 40th birthday party.

At the end, I was left questioning the author. What was the point of this book? Why did the things that happened happen? But if I reflect on the story overall and try to put a positive spin on it, I would say it’s a reminder of how short life can be, and how important communication is in any relationship. And also about how keeping secrets can lead to very negative consequences. So if this one makes you self reflect and possibly change the way you communicate with those you are closest to, than maybe it’s worth the read. It’s definitely a short read and pretty clean for a thriller. Just know that it won’t be anything like the previous novels by B.A. Paris.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for a free ARC of this book!

Let me start by saying that I am a fan of B.A. Paris, I have loved every book by her, this book to me seems different than the others. I still loved the book and read it within 2 days. The book moved along quickly, switching back and forth between perspectives and although there was a little intrigue this wasn't as suspensefull as her past books, which still worked well due to the speed the story moved at.

Livia has been planning her 40th birthday party for what feels like her whole life. This was her big day and time to shine. Her husband, Adam, is in on some surprises to make Livia's day extra special. However both have big secrets and are not sure how or when to reveal them.
The story alternates between Adam's voice and Livia's voice. The chapters cover a specific hour of the day. As I read, the suspense built for me and I had to finish the book before I went to bed so that I could see how the secrets were revealed and what happened next.

I really really liked B.A. Paris's first book, 'Behind Closed Doors'. It was a great thriller with lots of twists which had me hooked me from page 1.

After that her other books haven't really done the same trick.
This one also did not really work for me. I think the pitch of the novel is incorrect as this is not a thriller at all.
This should have been a novella. It does not have enough meat to be stretched out into a full fledged novel and that shows.
The one theme which the entire novel is based on is repeated over and over again. This was a family drama and not a thriller. And for me the basic theme and the actions derived from that did not work at all.

The characters seemed shallow and not well thought out and somehow their actions , thoughts and behaviour just did not seem to hold any weightage.

My rating is 2.5 which I'm bumping to 3.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for sending me a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.