This is the third book I have read by this author now, and the second that I have loved. It is very different from her previous books though, which is something you should keep in mind before picking this book up. This is not a typical thriller, but instead more of a suspenseful family drama, which will keep you wanting to turn the pages, but has no major big twists.

The chapters alternate perspectives between a husband and wife, and the reader gets to see into their heads and see the full picture from both of their perspectives. This is especially entertaining and engaging as the book goes on and you start seeing more into the secrets that they are keeping from each other. The suspense is also built up beautifully by using this technique effectively.

The characters are engaging, they feel real and their actions throughout the turmoil within this book are relatable and realistic to the situations. The family dynamics are a strong feature, and the strengths and weaknesses within the family are excellent as a plot device. Other wonderful aspects of this book are the difficult subjects that it covers, which can't be mentioned due to spoilers, I loved how they were all handled though. The friendships are strong, and I love how people help each other through this book in various different ways.

I really can't say anything more about this book without spoiling anything, this is the sort of book you should go into knowing as little as possible.

It seems as though I am starting of 2020 already a little broken but in awe of this beautifully told story.  The only problem I have is that the more I tell you about the actual plot, the less you'll have left to discover by yourself and that is a huge party of the beauty of this book.

Livia and Adam are a married couple with young adult children, Marnie and Josh.  What I love the most about the way their characters and their relationship is just so close to real-life that I immediately fell in love with them both.  The narrative alternates between the characters which is so insightful and as a reader it's so powerful to get a glimpse of similar events through both characters' eyes.  I was torn between whizzing through each short chapter to return to the previous narrator or reading slowly and letting each precious word truly sink in.  I have to admit for once I did the latter and completely indulged.   

Despite being set mainly around the day of Livia's 40th birthday party, there are flashbacks and references to their relationship earlier on.  These snippets capture perfectly how a relationship can grow and two people can become so close and secure. 

The basis of the plot itself is that both Livia and Adam have a secret.  A secret that they feel will destroy the other.  The dilemma....How long do they keep it for before knowingly destroying the love of their life?  I'm telling you nothing else!        

This is a novel that is written with elegance and sensitivity and you will need tissues.  I cannot recommend it enough.

The Dilemma is simply a corker of a book and without hesitation I recommend this book going to the top of your ‘to be read’ pile!!
Unsurprisingly , I quickly became addicted to the storyline and immersed in the lives of Adam and Livia. Told from the alternative viewpoint of husband and wife,this novel takes place over the course of one day as the family prepare for Livia’s 40th birthday garden party. She’s been planning it forever since she married Adam very young, pregnant with Josh and therefore missed out on her fairytale wedding. Now with Josh and daughter Marnie grown up and embarking on their adult lives, this is one party Livia is destined never to forget. The only thing to mar this special occasion is the absence of Marnie, currently studying in Hong Kong, except unbeknown to Livia, Adam has arranged a surprise visit from their beloved daughter. What could possibly go wrong???
Proving that lives can change in a split second, we soon learn from Adam that all is not going to plan and so begins his dilemma. Decisions he makes to protect his wife and family and friends are perfectly logical and made with the best intentions but are they right?? How far should we go to protect our nearest and dearest from the truth?? These are just some of the questions raised in this rollercoaster of a read, with the tension palpable throughout. My heart was completely with Adam as he battles his inner conscience, wishing for all the world he could divulge his secret instead of feeling burdened and all alone. This novel is about secrets kept in the belief that you can preserve the status quo and had me literally screaming at both Adam and Livia to communicate with each other rather than continually make assumptions about why they were both acting out of character!! For it’s not only Adam that is hiding some terrible news, but Livia too. She is facing her own dilemma, unsure whether to impart her ‘secret’ to Adam for fear it will change him and his view of Marnie irrevocably.
I thought this was very cleverly written and thought provoking, posing the question of how anyone else might act in similar circumstances and would make a fantastic book club read in terms of its potential for discussion. Not content to pose the reader with a few moral dilemmas, this novel is also heartbreaking in its conclusion and brought a tear or two to my eye. These fictional characters are brought brilliantly to life by the author’s pen, with real and raw emotions and thrust into a situation that is entirely plausible so that I felt their dilemmas,heartache and pain every step of the way.
This is a novel that is stunning in its simplicity and delves deep into the human psyche to reveal our flaws as well as our motivations behind our decisions.
Easily a 5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️read for me. Thanks as always to the author and publisher and Netgalley for allowing me to read in exchange for an honest review.

I feel let down by this book. I could not understand why Adam went through with the party. He should have told Livia what was happening and cancelled the party. I am normally a fan of B A Paris’s books but I could not warm to this one at all. Sorry.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

Fantastic book and very gripping. Had you always wondering what was going to happen but also had you questioning if the characters were right or wrong and what might you do? Really enjoyable and would recommend to anyone for a fast paced thriller read.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and read it in two sittings as I really wanted to know the outcome of ‘The Dilemma’
The characters were believable and well described, switching the narrative between the two main characters Adam and Livia.. The reader could then see things from both sides and feel empathy for both. The storyline proves that communication is key in any relationship and what is it they say about good intentions...?
An addictive read.

A dilemma is quite often do we have a coffee in Costa or tea?
This novel follows a family all having to deal with a life changing dilemma
Livia is going to be 40 and as her and Adam didn't have the wedding they wanted Livia is going all out for her birthday but her daughter Marnie who lives in Hong Kong is hiding a secret one that Livia saw on a recent Skype call, Marnie had no idea that her mum had seen the man naked in the background Livia decides she can't tell Adam it will break his heart
Adam and son Josh have been arranging for Marnie to come home as a surprise for her mums birthday she has arranged flights and they have prepared a huge box she can jump out of
Perfect ?
Life is very rarely perfect is it and Adam is put into a situation that involves the biggest dilemma of all will he tell Livia ??

This was one I hated to put down and the surprises were not always what I was hoping for. Some huge plot holes that I do think could have easily been improved but even so it’s well worth a good four stars.

Livia and Adam have been happily married for twenty years and have two children in college. For months they have been planning and organizing and now the day they have been waiting for is finally here. For Livia, it is supposed to be her day, the celebration of her fortieth birthday, a big party to replace the lavish wedding she never had. The food and the music are ready, family and friends are on their way, but there are secrets that could ruin everything. Adam and Livia are both keeping a terrible secret from each other, but they both want the other to have one last happy evening before revealing the truth. As the night goes on and the party is in full swing, their secrets are a burden that it’s hard to keep hidden.

This is such a remarkable book!!! I was completely engrossed in the plot and the characters. The story is slow-paced, intense, and heart-breaking. My heart was pounding as I read and I was on the edge of my seat the whole time. I liked the short chapters that alternate between Livia and Adam’s perspectives and how the author managed to pack the story into two days that are full of emotions and suspense.

The characters feel very authentic, with all their flaws and bad choices, and I really liked the characters of Livia and Adam. At the beginning, I couldn’t see why Livia was so obsessed with the party, but the more I read the more I understood her past and why it was so important to her. It was difficult to agree with Adam’s choice to keep his secret from Livia, even for just one night, but I could understand his need to protect her.

The Dilemma is different from B A Paris’s previous novels, but I think it is also my favourite so far. It’s not only a story of secrets and lies, it’s also a story of family and love and how far would people go to protect each other. It was very difficult to put The Dilemma down and I am sure will stay with me for a while!!!

The Dilemma

Another breath taking book by B A Paris. The Dilemma is an exciting story that held my attention throughout. The chapters alternate between Adam and his wife Livia, who are both harbouring secrets and guilt. Decisions and discussions must be made but deciding on the right time proves to be a difficult dilemma for them both. Their lives and those of others are to change forever and I really felt for them all. Strong characters are plentiful in this book that was almost impossible to put down.

My thanks to Net Galley for the ARC digital copy , a worthy 5 star read.

The Dilemma - B.A Paris ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5

Today is my stop on the blog tour for this compulsive read. Thanks to @hqstories and @netgalley for sending me this proof copy. I'm a huge B.A Paris fan and have been ever since I read The Breakdown and B.A Paris is my go to author when anyone wants a recommendation so you can imagine how excited I was when I received this proof. I devoured it within 24 hours.

Meet Livia who is turning 40, a real life relatable character. Livia is planning her 40th party to make up for the wedding party she missed out on. Marnie her daughter is studying abroad so won't be there. Livia holds a secret about Marnie she needs to share with her husband Adam after the party, but Adam is also holding a secret which he needs to tell Livia.

Being such a fan I had high expectations on the twists and turns in this book and this didn't disappoint. Truly gripping. Filled with dark secrets and family strain.

"The Dilemma – how far would you go to give someone you love a last few hours of happiness?"

Thanks again to @hqstories for having me on the tour.

A story of families, love and loss which I will remember for a very long time. 💕

B. A. Paris is fast becoming one of the best-loved writers within the psychological thriller genre so I was really happy to receive a copy of her latest on NetGalley. I read her previous novel Bring Me Back two years ago and loved the unique intricate plot, so I was expecting something similar from this one.

The Dilemma centres around preparations for Livia’s 40th brithday party. Her husband Adam is desperate for everything to go perfectly because she has been planning this event for years. Everything is in place and the only thing missing will be their 19-year-old daughter Marnie who is stuck in Hong Kong. Then something disastrous happens that leaves him facing a terrible decision. But Livia has a secret of her own to reveal…

I’m going to start by saying that this book made me so so sad. I had to watch several episodes of Friends to recover from the complete devastation I felt on finishing it. This is obviously something that you should be aware of before picking it up because it will almost certainly make you feel the same way.

Livia is a very self-deprecating woman and at times, she felt a lot younger than her years. She has a vulnerability about her that made me want to reach out and let her know that she deserves nice things. As Adam’s story strand developed, it began to look like the worst had happened and that Livia’s heart was eventually going to be ripped out. The fact I couldn’t do anything to help was so frustrating!

My anxiety was through the roof for the entirety of Adam’s point of view. I walked through the whole narrative with him and went through all of the terrible emotions that he did, which is a great thing for an author to be able to do. It wasn’t an easy read and there were times where I had to stop just to get my own stress levels down.

I can’t talk too much about plot details or include too many quotes because this review would be a total spoiler minefield, if I did. However, I can say that it was paced wonderfully and that like Bring Me Back, the story is very unique. There were little bits of hope for a happy ending that I kept clinging to, which just intensified the fear.

It’s definitely more of a domestic drama than a psychological thriller, despite the anxiety it caused me. It’s not a crime novel, so there’s no real mystery in the traditonal thriller sense but there’s a major element of the story that is riddled with uncertainty for the entire narrative. It was the not knowing that really messed with me so although it wasn’t an exactly pleasant experience, I have to congratulate Paris on causing such a strong visceral reaction within me.

The Dilemma is out now in eBook and will be published in hardback by HQ on 9th January 2020.

I have absolutely loved all of B.A. Paris’s thrillers - always full of suspense and surprises. This one, however, was a very different reading experience. I still fully enjoyed the story and the way it was told, but I have to say it feels like a stretch to call this a thriller or a mystery. I was hoping there would be more for twists and turns, but it ended up being much more of a family drama. Like I said, I enjoyed it, but I’d warn readers not to expect the same experience as her prior works.

I was totally hooked from the beginning and couldn’t put it down. A domestic drama with lots of suspense and a good original storyline. My thanks to net galley, the author and the publisher for an advance copy in return for an honest review.

My thanks to HQ for an eARC via NetGalley of B.A. Paris’ ‘The Dilemma’ in exchange for an honest review.

The ebook was published on 19 December with the hardback and audiobook editions to follow on 9 January. I did purchase my own copy of the ebook edition.

This is a domestic drama that moves between the two perspectives of Olivia and Adam, a married couple, on the day of Livia’s lavish 40th birthday party. Both are holding back secrets that will devastate their lives and both struggle with the dilemma of whether to tell the other or allow the party to go ahead. The majority of the narrative is focused on the day of the party with some flashbacks to flesh out the story.

I was surprised how addictive this novel was and zoomed through it. I was also impressed with Paris’ economic style and the excellent pacing and characterisations. Although not a thriller, I would caution against reading too much about the plot in advance to allow for maximum impact as events unfold.

I had read ‘The Understudy’ last year that B.A. Paris had co-authored and had been impressed by her writing and so was pleased to have this opportunity. I am certain that I will be seeking out more of her novels in the future after this further positive experience.

Simply brilliant.

Livia and Adam were childhood sweethearts and married when they were just teenagers. Livia's parents did ot want her to marry Adam. They cut all ties with her after the wedding. Livia has always dreamed of having a big wedding but when that did ot happen, she planned for hears to have a big fortieth birthday party. Livia and Adam have two children, a sin Josh and a daughter Marnie. Marnie away studying abroad but plans to fly home to surprise her mother. That's not the only surprise lined up for the party. The family have arranged a few more. But there is also a few secrets being hidden. But the truth will come out.

This story is told through Livia and Adam's perspectives. The story is told over the events that take place over one day. But there is some flashbacks too. I quickly got caught up in the book, needing to find out what had happened and how it would e resolved. I do not know how Adam could keep a big secret like that from Livia and be a le to pretend that everything was fine in front of his guests when his heart must have been breaking. I don't want to reveal too much of the plotline here. For me, this was a page turning tense and gripping family drama. I do recommend this book.

I would like to thank NetGalley, HQ and the author B. A. Paris for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

B.A.Paris is one author that, I know, wouldn’t disappoint even if you pick her books without reading the blurb. In a letter to her readers about the book, she writes “I’ve always been fascinated about that gao in time between someone receiving bad news, and then having to tell the person they love that bad news. I wanted to take this a little further and explore just how far someone might go to give the person they love a last few moments of happiness. Can it be considered an act of love, or an act of selfishness”. And I’m here to assure you, she delivers exactly what promises!! I think the author is challenging the reader to choose whether to love or despise the characters based on their acts of impulse!

It’s a rather simple plot. Livia plans her 40th birthday with such efforts for so many years that it feels almost selfish to waste money on a party when you’ve two grown up kids! Liv has never had a proper wedding, so this party is everything she has wished throughout her life and she’s saved every single penny for it. But when she finds out a MASSIVE secret, she knew it would destroy Adam and hence destroy her much-awaited party! So she decides to keep it to herself, and then reveal to Adam, just when the right moment comes alone. Right after the party, of course!!

Husband Adam, consumed by his old guilt of not being there for Livia during their younger days, wants everything to be perfect for Livia on the day of the party. He’d do anything to see her happy. Even if it meant keeping a HUGE unavoidable secret for a few more hours, until the party gets over!

It’s only after reading the book that I realised the entire plot was an elaborate description of the happenings of a single day, more precisely the day of Livia’s grand party. The book is brilliantly structured by the very talented B.A. Paris and narrated from the POVs of Adam and Livia. There is a timeline that takes us from the start till the moments leading up to the party and end of the day it feels like reading a pacy psychological thriller, not a domestic drama! There is no putting down once you’ve started reading the book, I promise you that.

The Dilemma is a story with a LOT of secrets (pfff obviously!!!), denial, betrayal, rejection that happens within a family and the love and compassion that still keeps them together through thick and thin. Completely absorbing read recommended highly, if you’re looking for a pacy domestic thriller.

Thanks to HQ for an advance copy of this one!

Full Blog-Tour Review: http://www.readingruby.co.uk/2020/01/the-dilemma/

*3.5*

“It reminds me of the haunted look I see in my own eyes. Suddenly I’m struck by the possibility that maybe he knows what I know and he has been looking for a way to tell me”

Having never read a B A Paris before, I didn’t know what to expect going into ‘The Dilemma’ However, it turns out that I really enjoyed it. A true domestic novel, full of suspense.

‘The Dilemma’ follows the Harman family, Livia, Adam and their children, Josh and Marnie. Told through dual narrative, switching between Livia and Adam, it follows the events of the day of Livia’s fortieth birthday party. Throughout the novel, we learn more about their family dynamics and the problems and secrets they are struggling to hide.

This was the perfect domestic suspense novel. It was perfectly slow, with each chapter building on the suspense and allowing the reader to get truly twisted into the plot and the characters. The plot, although predictable, was intriguing and suspenseful and kept me reading to find out what was going to happen and how the family was going to evolve and survive the events of this night.

B A Paris has such a knack for writing a twisted plot with character development throughout and in-depth inner workings of the family dynamics here. The little details about the past of Livia and Adam’s relationship and Adam’s relationship with Josh allowed these relationships to be fleshed out and meaningful. This made it all the more interesting to read about, as you could feel why this dilemma was so problematic for the characters to navigate through.

I think it is important to note here that I wouldn’t categorise this as a thriller. There was no real mystery or thrilling plot. It was more of a story, navigating family dynamics and characters’ psyches. There were psychological elements to this one, especially the idea of denial. This was definitely a domestic suspense, but not really a thriller for me.

You will be screaming ‘COMMUNICATE’ throughout this one. That trope is very prevalent here, and therefore if that is likely to annoy you, I’d maybe avoid this one. It was aggravating to read through when every character refuses to simply communicate.

Overall, I really enjoyed this one. It was a superb domestic suspense novel, with excellent character dynamics and a really interesting plot. The writing was excellent, and I look forward to reading more from B A Paris in the future.

Livia has been saving up for her 40th Birthday party for 20 years, she never got the big wedding after she fell pregnant at 17 and her parents disowned her. She went on to marry Adam, father of Josh who was born and grew up never knowing his grandparents. His sister Marnie joined the family and they thrived and Livia went on to become a solicitor and despite Adam, never making it to university to study engineering, hes become an accomplished carpenter with many clients. Manie is studying in Hong Kong and Josh is just about to head off to New York to do his internship there. Life is good.

But as the day of the party nears, it seems they all have other things on their minds.

Adam has secrectly arranged for Marnie to fly home for the party, but then theres a problem with her flights and he has to tell Livia, but when should he break the news – before the party and risk it being ruined, after would be better, right? when shes had a great time, had the party she always dreamed of, a couple more hours won’t hurt. Will it?

Marnie has secrets she’s keeping from everyone, but Livia knows and doesn’t want to tell Adam, or it will spoil their relationship and the special bond they have.

Livia knows what Marnie is doing, and knows she needs to tell Adam, but doesn’t know how to tell him, he idolises his daughter and needs to hold onto that secret for the sake of their friends, Jess and Rob too.

Josh also has an announcement, he doesn’t want to go to New York, but his Dad sorted it all out for him and he doesn’t want to let him down, him and Livia are so proud of both Josh and Marnie and want the best chances their children can get, but at whose expense.

The twists in The Dilemma are sure to keep you reading late into the night, it’s a great read that will leave you reeling with decisions that they all have to make – are they doing the right thing, it’s hard to know, but all these doubts and worries come out and will be dealt with, one by one.

It’s the day of Livia’s much anticipated 40th birthday party but amongst the excitement of the day is a fear of what she has to tell her husband Adam about their daughter Marnie after the party. Meanwhile Adam has a secret of his own about Marnie, it was supposed to be a happy surprise but it’s turned into a nightmare that tears him apart your by hour. This is an absolute roller coaster of emotions, and is very perceptively told from both Liv and Adam’s viewpoints and to say it’s set in a period of around 24 hours it is very pacy and keeps you drawn in, you want to know the secrets then you want to support them while they battle with them and then the fallout is heartbreaking. What a fantastic read this was, I devoured it in no time and enjoyed every page.