This is a very good book. To me, the dilemma is whether to keep something a secret to protect someone you love or to share the truth and let what happens happen and happen now. I completely understand wanting to spare someone by keeping a difficult secret at least for awhile, but you never know how someone will react or how things will unfold. Excellent story and great characters. I thank the publisher for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.
I posted a review on Goodreads, but I couldn’t get the link to add here.

I usually love B.A. Paris' books, but I had a tough time getting into this one - I didn't feel anything for either of the main characters (Adam and Livia) but I thought the twists and turns were pretty good!

A tense and addictive family drama. Lydia has been eagerly awaiting her big birthday party and it is finally the big day! BUT this may be the last day as life as she knows it, she’s been keeping a secret that could change everything. however, Lydia‘s husband Adam has a secret of his own that could shake the entire family‘s foundation, making Lydia‘s secret seem like a simple hiccup. boy oh boy what a page turner this book had me on the edge. I would absolutely not want to be in either of these characters shoes and I was so invested in how it was all going to play out. Life is messy; and as the night of the party goes on you realize how messy this family‘s life has got. The characters were relatable, the story was emotional. Do not start this book before you go to bed, because you will want to know how it ends before you go to sleep.

not what i expect from this author. this was certainly different than what this author typically writes. This whole book was just a huge misunderstanding when all they had to do was communicate. it was a struggle to finish this book.

I got through this book rather quickly but i found it frustrating at times. As soon as you thought there was a resolution to the crisis of what has happened to the daughter, nope. It seemed to go back and forth on that too much that it seemed to drag on a bit. It didn’t seem much of a thriller. More just a when will they tell each other the secrets we already know? There wasn’t much to ponder about or hold you in suspense because the secrets are revealed. And the ending was just a bit sad. I didn’t understand the whole point of the secrecy. I mean i understand... but i wasn’t expecting it to end that way and i didn’t want it to. It just felt kind of like a let down. I just wanted more suspense. More mystery. More excitement. Something more climactic. It was a sad story. I enjoyed the characters. I felt for them. But it was also kind of sad. I guess this is a good portrayal of what real life can be like.

Boring. I was really expecting more and was sorry that this didn’t live up to the other things I have read.

I'm ashamed to say this is my first book by this author. But this will certainly not be the last. I expected this to be a mystery but it was more a family drama. That said, I loved it. Absolutely loved it. I can see now why this author is so popular. She can really bring a character to life.

A jaw dropping read! Both have their secrets and their reasons for doing things the way they did. Secrets can bring families closer, secrets can tear families apart!

Livia's 40th birthday is approaching. She has invested the last year planning her big birthday bash. She also harbors a secret but chooses to wait until after her party to reveal all to her husband, Adam. Adam also has a life changing secret. He too chooses to wait until after the party to reveal his secret. The longer they hold onto their secrets the harder it is to divulge what they are holding onto! Will their secrets bring them closer together or tear them apart?

B.A Paris phenomenal! Her books are near impossible to put down as you can't wait for the end! She has a way of holding onto her audience with each turn of the page!

This is a tough review to write. If you are expecting a thriller when you pick this book up, you will be very disappointed. This is a family drama. It is taut and suspenseful, but it is not a thriller. I read all genres and even though I was disappointed that it was not what I expected, it was still a well written story. We all have to make decisions every day. Some will affect others in profound ways and therein lies "The Dilemma". The story takes place over 24 hours. It is Livia's 40th birthday and she wants to have a blowout party. You see, she never had a wedding celebration, so for years they talked about making this "the party". Adam and his son have planned a wonderful event, Marnie, Dan's and Livia's daughter is in the far east and can not make it home, or can she?

This is a story about a close knit family that has some issues. Both Adam and Livia have something to tell the other, but when is the right time? There are some secrets that may or may not need to be shared. There are flaws in this family, flaws that could tear them apart. I liked the characters, they were realistic and human. I would not have wanted to be in their places though. This was a tense story, an emotional story and a well-written story. I recommend it, but warn you again, this is not a thriller.

A family drama, not a thriller. The story draws you in well leaving you wondering how it will end. It was a bit sad but I appreciated the ending. Thank you for the free review copy.

Wow, the buildup and suspense throughout The Dilemma was overwhelming. The entire novel covers only a 24-hour period in the life of Livia and Adam, two high school sweethearts, as they both deal with hiding secrets from one another. I can't even tell you how many times I wanted to throw my iPad across the room or scream "just tell her" to Adam. It's crazy to think that this book could have been summed up in a short chapter if only the two main characters were more open and communicated their greatest concerns and secrets. With that said, it did feel a little drawn out but I wouldn't change anything about it. It was that struggle within each character that made it feel more realistic and suspenseful.

I hesitate to say I "enjoyed" this book, because so much of it was terribly sad, but it was certainly beautifully done and held my attention. The characters were written in a way where you are simultaneously very sympathetic to their situation and unable to understand their ways of dealing with them.

While I found this to be a lot more serious than this author's previous books, it was some really well crafted and I couldn’t put it down. I definitely recommend it! Great for fans of Jodi Picoult!

5.0 out of 5 stars Very good family drama!
Reviewed in the United States on November 5, 2020
I liked the changing perspectives in telling the story. I thought it portrayed the struggle of giving one’s spouse a night to remember for happiness vs letting them know a secret and possible sadness to be riveting. I received an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher and this is my honest opinion

The moment I saw that B.A. Paris had a new book coming out, I knew I had to try to request it. So I was very excited when I got accepted for this e-arc. However I feel I was a bit discouraged from picking this up it was falsely advertised as a thriller. I know that is what B.A. Paris is known for but this was more a family drama. I wish it was advertised as such because I do like reading family dramas. I still would have picked this one up. I thankfully have a friend who is also a B.A. Paris fan and she read this before me. She ended up letting know that it wasn't a thriller. So I did go into this knowing that. However I just didn't really end up enjoying this one as much as I use to. I did feel pretty bored majority of the story. Sure there was some information the characters were vague about and are trying to piece what exactly happened. I did find myself guessing as I read but nothing ever felt like a shock. Sure there were things I didn't see coming. I just didn't feel like I cared or was shocked enough when finding out. I did see someone say this would have worked as a novella and I agree. I just felt like there were so much repetitive information it could have been shorten.

Even though I didn't love this book, I still plan to pick up whatever B.A. Paris writes next. I do hope that whenever that is that it is correctly advertised. I am a fan of B.A. Paris so I always pick up her books. I just would have been a lot sadder if I didn't already know this wasn't a thriller.

I am a huge fan of B.A. Paris' first 2 novels, but the last two have just been ugh for me. I thought she was the author for me, but I am not so sure anymore. I just could not relate to this book at all. Who choses to live in a smaller house for years just so they can have a fancy birthday party? Totally unbelievable. Also, every problem in this book could have been handled quickly if people would have just spoken to one another. I mean, honestly, you fear your daughter is dead but you can pretend like nothing is happening and you don't tell your wife so she can enjoy her party??? I just didn't buy an of it. Sorry, I will try another novel by this author but maybe I need to move on.

I was so excited to read this book! I absolutely love this author and Behind Closed Doors, but this one fell short for me. Some of the characters were just so irritating I didn’t want to read! That happens to me sometimes. I really loved the beginning and it had a lot of potential, but it did fall flat for me. I didn’t like that they were talking about this huge secret the whole time...it didn’t impress me much.

Love all of B.A. Paris’s book and this one is no exception. Keeps you guessing as to what the secrets are and what will happen when they come out. It was a hard one to put down.
Thank you to St Martins Press for this arc.
#thedilemma #netgalley #indigo employee

This married couple needs to learn how to communicate. Left me very frustrated but maybe that's what the author wants.. interesting characters but frustrating topic.

Thank you for the opportunity to read and review this title.
Having loved the other books I’ve read by B A Paris i was disappointed that this on didn’t work for me. I was quickly skimming along just to get the end. Even so, i will definitely continue to look for new books by PAris.

In general, I have really enjoyed Paris's books in the past. This one, unfortunately, did not do it for me. It's not really a thriller as with her previous books, it is more like a domestic drama.
The main problem is that I did not like ANY of the characters. They were awful from the first page, I could not get past Livia's obsession with having a party where everything was centered on her. So much that she basically revolved her entire life and savings for YEARS to make it happen. Ick. And Adam isn't any better. The secret he's keeping from Livia is far and away more devastating and worse than the one she is keeping from him. The fact that he puts on a fake face throughout the entire party is unconscionable.
There is seriously not much plot here. I plowed through the book in a very short while because there was really literally nothing to it. Like other reviewers have mentioned, this would have been a halfway decent novella or short story, but there's nothing here to warrant a 342 page book. The synopsis literally tells the entire plot. Except for the secrets they are keeping, but you find those out pretty quickly and then it's just minutiae for pages and pages. The only reason I gave this two stars instead of one is that the ending confrontation between the couple was pretty good. It just seems like it takes forever to get there.

I'll give this author another try, hopefully this book was a one-off clinker.