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.

This is the first book by B.A. Paris that I've read but, wow, am I impressed? I was totally gripped from page one  all the way through to the end. I resented every minute I wasn't reading the book although it didn't take me long as I read long into the night and picked it up on waking as I was so desperate to know the outcome of the 'Dilemma'. Although the story is centered around one single day in the lives of parents Livia, Adam and their children Marnie and Josh, it packs so much into those 24 hours. It really is a dilemma and throughout it all I was questioning myself as to what I might do in the circumstances that Livia and Adam find themselves in. The answer is that I really don't know. If you hold a terrible secret and the person you love most in life is about to celebrate a very special birthday or occasion do you wait until after the party in order to let the other person enjoy one last evening of happiness before their world falls apart or do you reveal something that might not only destroy their future happiness but will rob them of something in the here and now that they have looked forward to for so long?  The book held me in its thrall as I pondered what Adam and Livia would do and what I would do in their situation and always there was the hope that what they presumed to be the awful truth might prove to be unfounded in any case. The whole uncertainty of the 'Dilemma' kept me reading, hoping and feeling completely on edge as the story neared its conclusion. Absolutely Brilliant.  My thanks to Netgalley and HQ for an ARC of this book.

I only started this book last night and I simply could not put it down! 

Adam and Liv met and married young, with two children Josh and Marnie, the story is one of drama that’s will have you wanting to know what happens next.

Liv has been planning her 40th birthday party for over 20 years, secretly saving for the extravagant occasion to make up for the small wedding she had as a young bride.  All of Liv and Adams friends are coming to the party except Marnie, she is currently in Hong Kong studying. Secretly relieved Marnie won’t be at the party, Liv gets on with her organising, knowing that at some stage she has something to tell Adam about Marnie and it isn’t going to be easy.

Adam has his own dilemma, one which could ruin all of their lives forever, all he needs to do is tell Liv, then Josh and then somehow everyone else... but not able to find the right time could make matters even worse than they already are - if that is possible! 

I won’t ruin what the dilemmas within this book are but if you are a BA Paris fan, you will love this, if you’ve not read anything by BA Paris - this is one to grab!

This book had me hooked from the beginning, I didn’t put it down until I reached the end! Fantastic! Definitely worth reading.

I was so excited to get chance to be on this tour having read all the previous B A Paris books and been hooked, this was just such an amazing oppurtunity. 



The Dilemma follows Livia and Adam. Its Livias 40th brthday and she is finally get the party she has always dreamt of as she didnt get her dream wedding day. It all has to be perfect. Adam is going to make sure of it, there is only one member of the family missing and that is the couples daughter Marnie. Livia has a big secret to tell Adam about Marnie and Adam is keeping his own.



But it all boils down too the couple wanting to have one lat happy family moment. What would you do?



This was such a gripping read, it really posed such moral questions that as a reader you spend the time questioning what you would do? The characters had their flaws, and personalities that made them feel so real and i enjoyed that greatly.


The chapters were short enough that you flew through them quickly but long enough that you got plenty from each one, i also really liked the way we followed the evening from both points of view as it all unfolded before us, the reader.



It was a thrilling read but felt so much deeper than that, its up there as one of my favourites by the author and it was a truely great way to kick off the year and i really suggest this is one to add to your TBR

The book centres around Livs 40th birthday party something she's been planning for over 20 years.   Liv knows something about Marnie (the daughter) which she has kept from her husband Joe but has decided to wait until after her party to tell him .  Joe also knows something about Marnie which he plans to divulge as soon as they are alone after the party.
Not a book of suspense more a family saga with all it's ups and downs some deep, deep downs....
Not my favourite B A Paris novel but still worth a read.

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and the publisher HQ for the opportunity to read this advance copy.

The Dilemma has a very different feel to the authors other books and is much more of a domestic drama than a psychological thriller so that may be worth bearing in mind before you decide to read it. So although it wasn’t quite what I was expecting, it did work well for me and I really enjoyed it. This was mainly due because of her great use of character development but also her ability to create situations that generated not just a wide range of emotions but also a thought provoking dilemma of your own. What would you have done if you had been Liv or Adam?

Now I mention character development because I have to start by saying that this married couple did actually annoy the hell out of me!! I’m not one to judge how others live their lives behind closed doors but really?!?! A happily married couple keeping such huge secrets from each other and why? Because of a birthday party!! I couldn’t believe how big a deal this party was to Liv and how she acted like a rather spoilt child at times because of it. I know it was her 40th but she had chosen her HOUSE 20 years ago mainly because it had a better garden to hold this party!! That’s not to say I didn’t understand why or feel sympathy towards the family problems that lay behind her obsession but to be honest I kept wondering, if it was due to not having the wedding of her dreams, then why didn’t they just have a beautiful party for them both in that carefully chosen garden and renew their marriage vows?! But that small niggle aside, this book was like being a fly on your neighbours wall-especially if those neighbours aren’t quite the perfect, happy family that you thought they were. I love a dysfunctional family and here we meet one who don’t seem to realise just how lucky they are! Yes, Liv and Adam make mistakes and will have you shouting “For Gods sake COMMUNICATE!!” at them but ultimately this heartbreaking and gripping book will play with your emotions as you follow them during one day that will change their lives forever.

An addictive read that will really make you think long after you’ve read the final page.

Livia didn't have the fantastic wedding she always wanted - she was accidentally pregnant far too young, so she has been saving for years to make her 40th birthday party a magical evening to replace the kind of wedding she always wanted. Her husband Adam is determined to make sure she has that amazing evening come what may.

Unfortunately both Livia and Adam are keeping a major secret from eachother with the potential to ruin not only Livia's magical evening, but the rest of their lives.

Can they get through the evening together and have one last perfect evening, or will it all explode?

This is a real page turner. I didn't want to put it down. Well written with extremely believable characters you feel very invested in. I loved Livia and Adam's story and was praying love would see them through.

Livia has been planning a party of a lifetime to celebrate her 40th birthday and nothing has been left to chance. Everything is organised to the nth degree and Adam, Livia's husband, is happy to go along with Livia's plans as he feels that she needs this special celebration in order to come to terms with her past disappointments. And all would be perfect if not for the fact that Marnie, the couple's daughter is currently studying overseas and won't be able to make it to her mother's special party.

What then follows is an emotional and rather deep story about the minutiae of family life and of the hurts, disappointments and secrets which threaten to engulf the most stable of relationships. Both Livia and Adam have secrets which they are struggling with and, for one of them in particular, the hurt is absolutely bone deep which, when revealed, will alter their family life forever. As always this talented author draws you into a story which is filled with an abundance of difficult scenarios, some of which make a real tug on your heart, and, as the secrets in this family start to be revealed, so the heartbreak of love and loss start to be revealed.

I devoured this book in one sitting as I really couldn't put it down, as the difficult dilemma that features so prominently throughout the story is the stuff of every person's worst nightmare. I think that the author has captured the atmosphere perfectly, true, there's some superficiality around the planning of the party, and I'm not sure that I liked Livia very much at the beginning, but when all is combined with a devastating family situation the story allows an emotional glimpse into the terror of loss and the abiding sadness of grief.

This really was an emotional ride that by the finish had the tears pouring down my face.
This really needs to just be picked up and read with no prior expectations.
Its essentially at heart a family drama that focuses heavily on the family dynamic and what makes people tick.
A dilemma of ultimate truth told from both Husband and wife Livia and Adam who are both holding their cards close to there chest, temporally withholding certain facts they believe will protect and shield there loved ones.
The events unfolding here play out over a very brief window of time which expertly manages to increase the intensity and increasing sense of horror, disbelief, betrayal and despair all depending on whose head we are in at that moment in time.
But I also equally felt such a sense of connection to this family and I could definitely feel there love and commitment for each other despite and also because of the obstacles they have managed to overcome.
So despite my Sadness here I was also left with an emerging sense of hope and also growth.
That this family have managed to pull together in such a make or break scenario and even eventually emerge intact as a unit.
This was such a heartening thing, so yes I did enjoy this it's excellently written and managed to get me feeling all sorts of mixed-up emotions.
My rating reflects also on the toll this took on me personally, my enjoyment of this was also mixed with a profound sense of loss and I was left feeling wrung out and put through an emotional wringer.
Also, this was quite slow in regards to plot direction as I said it focuses more on feelings so at times I did find myself skimming slightly, In conclusion, this was a solid emotional read that I would recommend just keep the tissues handy.
I voluntary reviewed a copy of The Dilemma.

Once started I found it very difficult to put down - the tension just built up and the characters very believable.
Livia is celebrating her 40th birthday with a party she has been planning since she had a small wedding as a teenager.
She has a secret she will share with her husband Adam after the party.
Adam has an even bigger secret to tell...but should he wait until after the party, or spoil the celebrations?
A difficult storyline well executed.  Read carefully as clues and red herrings are dotted through out..