A woman’s birthday party takes a dark turn in a poignant, heart-stopping new novel from the reigning queen of suspense, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of Behind Closed Doors, The Breakdown, and Bring Me Back. “A heartbreaking page-turner that will have you up at night reading just one more chapter.” –Catherine Steadman, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Something in the … Steadman, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Something in the Water
“The phenomenal B.A. Paris has done it again! I devoured The Dilemma in one sitting–it grabbed me from the very first page and wouldn’t let go until I’d finished. Secrets, guilt, shame and heartbreak–this story has it all in spades.”–Sandie Jones, New York Times bestselling author of The Other Woman
Knowing the truth will destroy her. Keeping it secret will destroy him.
It’s Livia’s 40th birthday, and her husband Adam is throwing her the party of a lifetime to make up for the wedding they never had. Everyone she loves will be there, except her daughter Marnie, who’s studying abroad. But Livia is secretly glad Marnie won’t be there.
Livia has recently uncovered a secret about their daughter which, if revealed, will shake the foundation of their family to its core. She needs to tell Adam, but she’s waiting until the party is over so they can have this last happy time together.
Adam, meanwhile, has his own surprise for Livia: he’s arranged for Marnie to secretly fly back for the party. But before Marnie arrives, Adam hears some terrible news. Now he too is faced with a dilemma: Does he share what he’s learned with his wife? Is hiding the truth the same as telling a lie? And how far are Adam and Livia willing to go to protect the ones they love–and give each other a last few hours of happiness?
more
#NetGalley #The Dilemma #St. Martin’s Press
The story is told in the alternating voices of husband, Adam and wife, Livia. Years ago Livia’s parents refused to give her a big wedding because she was pregnant out of wedlock. They haven’t spoken to Livia in years and have never met their two grandchildren. Livia upset over not having her big wedding has saved money for years with the plan being to have a huge birthday party when she turned forty. It is now the day of the big party and both Adam and Livia are keeping a huge secret from each other, enter the dilemma. Both are trying to wait until after the party to spill their secrets, each not wanting to ruin the party for the other. The entire story takes place in the space of one day and night. This was a good story, it held my attention but it did seem to be a bit slow in parts.
BA Paris has done it again! This story follows an interesting situation a family finds themselves in while planning for a birthday party. BA’s ideas are so unique and delivered with great writing and storytelling.
This is the story of a family. A family that appears to be normal on the outside to others, but inside, each person has their own agendas. A truly messed up family to say the least!!! Father and son who were never close, a mother jealous of her own daughter’s relationship with her father. Then a tragic thing happens on Liv’s (the mother) big 40th birthday. Things will never be the same and there are lives to be considered in The Dilemma. I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book from Net Galley.
It is gripping and exciting, you never know what will happen next!
I think what’s interesting about this story is I wasn’t sure what to expect really. Throughout there were feelings that something bad had happened, or was going to happen. I think I almost expected something a bit sinister. What happened instead was a slow unravelling of a couple big secrets, and a slower dawning of a much bigger and painful revelation.
There was a little less actual action than I was hoping for, and it’s hard to fill a whole book with something that lasts such a short period of time, but it was emotional and interesting.
As I sit here with tears streaming down my face reflecting on this book, I am thinking of what would I have done in Livia and Adam’s shoes. Would I have been able to go through a party knowing the secret that I must tell my spouse when the party is done. I just don’t know. Livia has been saving for twenty years for her fortieth birthday bash, but she has a secret. Her husband, Adam, wants her to have this day before he tells her his secret. Told in their alternating voices this book will grab you from the first page and not let go till the heart wrenching ending. You will know these characters on an intimate level. You will feel their happiness and sorrow. Should they have handled things how they did? I don’t know. This book is incredibly well written and the tension mounts in each chapter. All I know is that this is a book worth reading.
A quick, riveting story told along the same fast-paced lines as past novels, by this thought stimulating author. Readers are introduced to Livia and Adam as they prepare for a day of celebrating, surrounded by friends and family. Immediately, we feel the suspense as we know something is not going right and this day may be far from perfect. But who is hiding the biggest secret and will these secrets destroy friendships, family, and ultimately a day of celebrating that has been a dream of Livia’s since she can remember?
While this novel doesn’t have the storyline readers are used to from this author, they will feel just as thrilled and will find themselves turning pages faster with each new revelation.
Families can be difficult and family dynamics can a hard thing to maneuver through. This book will provide many good talking points for book clubs and make readers think about how they may or may not have handled the same types of situations.
This is a suspense novel that had me racing to get to the finish!
It is a slow and dramatic climb as the uncertainty accelerates through each chapter!
I needed to know what happens- NOW!
Livia is planning her own fortieth birthday party and has an awful secret that she will attempt to deal with after her celebration!
She is happy that her daughter Marnie is unable to come home from Hong Kong.
It means less to hide until she can attempt to comprehend this confidential matter and share with her husband, Adam.
Adam is so happy for Livia and this party she has always strived for, but he too, has a gut-wrenching nightmare he needs to face and share with Livia!
Can he survive the party for a night before the world changes for his family?
This suspense drama is so different than the other B.A. Paris novels, but wait! It is definitely a great read!
Loved it!
Just Wow! I had to remind myself to breathe through most of this book! I guess I would describe it as a tense read. I don’t want to give any spoilers because I don’t like having a brilliant book given away for me. I’ll just say that I felt every emotion that the characters felt through the entire book. The last few chapters I had to stop and wipe my eyes because I couldn’t see the words! With every book by this author I come away feeling that each one was the best, and I loved the paragraph in the acknowledgements that shows her whimsical personality. If you read the book you’ll see what I mean! Well done Ms. Park! Brilliant book! I’ll definitely have a book hangover for a while from this bestseller! 5
The Dilemma by B.A. Paris is a powerful contemporary novel that will tear your emotions to pieces. It is a departure from B.A. Paris’ usual genre of psychological thrillers but the tension still grips the reader. I think it is her best novel to date, and I have loved all her books.
The novel begins near the end of the action before stepping backwards in time by twenty four hours and then moving forwards hour by hour. This device means the reader is immediately questioning from the start. We want to know what has happened, why and how?
The focus of the novel is a family. The action is told from two alternating points of view of the parents and in the first person. We become intimately acquainted with them both. Surprisingly, as I am female, I resonated more with the father in the story as I ‘shared’ his dilemma.
The novel is about love. It is a love that radiates from the novel. It is a love that desires to protect. And it is a love that will be tested to the limits.
Secrets are a huge burden. Sooner or later they will come out and the consequences must be faced.
The Dilemma was such a powerful read. I read it with heart racing and heightened emotions. It consumed my every waking thought… so much so that I found myself thinking of the events as ‘real’ to me! The novel has ended but the love and the pain live on within my heart, as the characters became my ‘friends.’ It was a superb read.
I received this book for free. A favourable review was not required and all views expressed are my own.
I was hooked on this book right from the start, a real tear jerker though, so I spent much of the last 20% in tears! A very powerful story and some great writing…
Let me start by saying, I’ve loved every book I’ve read by BA Paris. Until The Dilemma that is. I’m not sure if I had trouble with this one because it is not her usual twisted Psychological Thriller because I still did read it rather quickly, as with all her other books. I feel like this whole book could have been a short story. There was alot of repetition and filler material to turn this into a novel. Also, I absolutely detest the Miscommunication trope which is what the entire plot of this books was – a husband and wife refusing to share important information with each other.
I didn’t hate the book but I also didn’t love it. I’d recommend this one for people who don’t mind the miscommunication trope and those who enjoy family sagas (more than psychological thrillers).
I’ll continue to read more by this author but hope she sticks with the twisted and dark psychological thrillers.
This is the first book I have read by BA Paris, it is a doozy. A long married couple with secrets, long held grudges, and insecurities that fester and roil until they burst on the night of the wife’s long anticipated 40th birthday party. Though the premise is good, there was far too much internal dialogue to suit me. Overall it is a tense, tragic read of what happens when a couple is not honest with each other.
I absolutely could not put it down!
I love this author. Her mysteries are always page turners.
While it kept me hoping for a different ending, this book drove me nuts. Set over less than 24 hours with flash-backs and a future epilogue, I feel like they cram too much in and just a crappy premise of each parent having an issue about their daughter but neither confiding in the other. I wish the “dilemmas” were different. Overall it kept me entertained but didn’t make me want to read another, which bothers me cause I love B.A. Paris books.
Oh my goodness! Could 24 hours last any longer? It was painful reading through without feeling like I was going anywhere. While touted as a thriller, it’s really more of a family drama.
While many B. A. Paris fans will probably enjoy this book, it did not appeal to me.
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for my advanced review copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own.
Oh, man. Just an all around, No. The Dilemma…to give bad news (really bad news) or to party? This is “The Dilemma”. The husband has a dilemma and the wife has a dilemma. The entire time you’re thinking…just freaking tell the other person. The story line just wasn’t for me. The characters were well written. The side stories were great. It was the overall story.
This book wasn’t for me.
B.A. Paris once again proves why she is a literary force to be reckoned with.
While THE DILEMMA is certainly a departure from her previous psychological thrillers, the strong writing and the study of the two main characters makes this a powerful page turner no less.
THE DILEMMA follows Livia and her husband Adam, who are preparing for Livia’s 40th birthday party; a party that has been in the works for nearly 20 years. Because Livia and Adam had to marry at a young age (it is inferred that she got pregnant while she was still a teenager) her parents were too ashamed to give her the “dream” wedding she wanted. Since she never got her ‘perfect’ day she made the decision to have her 40th birthday be the big bash she’s always wanted.
The only thing that would ruin her day would be an appearance by her 19 year old daughter Marnie who is a college student. She recently learned a devastating secret about Marnie; a secret that threatens to destroy the very fabric of their family. Livia’s husband, Adam, has a secret of his own. His secret will also tear the family apart. If the couple can get through Livia’s well planned birthday party they can each attempt to unpack the disaster that will change their lives forever.
4.5 stars!
So, The Dilemma. I think this is going to be one of those love it or hate it books, and unfortunately, I find myself firmly in the latter category. Part of that may be due to the fact that I was looking for one thing and found another. All the hype would lead one to believe that this is a thriller, psychological women’s fiction, domestic thriller… I’m sure you can see where I’m going. The problem is I didn’t find anything even remotely thriller-like in this book. Domestic drama would be more like it, but it’s not a particularly good one. Honestly, I was bored more often than not, and when I wasn’t bored, I wanted to shake the daylights out of Livia and Adam both. I don’t know if that was the author’s intention or not, but these characters seriously drove me nuts. The story is very repetitive, and the whole thing relies on a lack of communication. And I’m just gonna say it – if a 40-year old woman is so wrapped up in herself that all she cares about is having a fabulous birthday party, she deserves nothing less than to have it a little spoiled. Maybe that’s harsh, but really, grow up already. I did push through to the end, hoping for something to warrant all the hype, something to justify the time spent reading this book. Nope, it just wasn’t happening. This ended up being a thoroughly disappointing book made even more so with its ending. I’ve heard great things about this author, but this book is totally underwhelming.