I enjoyed reading the books but only because I hadn’t read any reviews or blurbs. This is not a thriller, its just a story about a couple who have secrets that they need to share but are not able to find the right time to do it. During the story there were many times when I was thinking - Now, tell her now! I found the narration repetitive at times but I still did enjoy the storyline.

Another unsettling and brilliantly absorbing novel from B A Paris, I couldn't put it down and read it in 2 days.

A great portrayal of a difficult situation with believable well drawn characters. A very well crafted book, an emotional rollercoaster of a read.

The Dilemma is another page-Turner from B.A. Paris and one that, if you are anything like me, will have you back and forth wondering what you would do in the characters’ shoes. Adam and Livia both have things they need to tell each other about their daughter Marnie but as it’s the day of the long time in the planning 40th birthday party for Livia, should they tell or not. The narrative switches between Adam and Livia’s points of view and that worked really well here. I think my favourite character here is Nelson as it feels like he wouldn’t.fail to enhance your life. As for the dilemma, I’m pretty sure I know what I should do but in real life would I? Please read the book and decide for yourself.

Very well written ,great characters. Both main characters face the dilemma of ,do we tell each other and if so when. Some great sadness and some happy memories mixed in.

I have read previous books by B.A Paris, which I would class as psychological thrillers, so I was pleasantly surprised to find The Dilemma a departure from her usual genre. The Dilemma is a powerful, emotive family drama that packs a hell of a punch. The story is told from the dual perspectives of Adam and Livia, a married couple with two teenage children Marnie and Josh. Livia has been meticulously planning her ‘perfect’ 40th birthday party for years, and finally the day has arrived.

It will come as no surprise considering the title of the book that both main characters are faced with dilemma’s, not the “what dress will I wear to my party?” kind, but the earth shattering ones. Livia has a secret but doesn’t know how to tell her husband, and Adam has shocking news, but cannot find the right moment to tell his wife. Both are aware that once they share their news with each other, their life will never be the same.

As each character struggles to find that right moment to share their closely guarded news the tension builds, like the characters you are constantly waiting for the ‘right moment’ when all will be revealed. B. A. Paris describes both character's emotions with such clarity, you can feel their anguish, fear, and despair as the moment of truth grows closer. I’m not sure I would have made the same decisions, although I do understand the reasoning behind Adam’s choice, it’s one of those ‘what if books’ that make you ponder what you would do faced with a similar situation?


What an emotional rollercoaster this book turned out to be, and it’s all thanks to the authors ability to get inside the heads of her characters, you can’t help but become invested in Livia and Adam heartbreaking story.The Dilemma explores familiar themes of loss, love, resentment, families and friendships, but B.A Paris provides the reader with an original read, that’s poignant, and thought provoking read. This would make a brilliant book club read, as there’s so much to discuss and debate. Highly recommended to those who enjoy a compelling family drama.

This review maybe altered slightly and edited prior to publication on my blog

Thanks to Netgalley and HQ for providing this Arc in exchange for an honest review.

Livia is preparing for her 40th birthday party that is supposed to take the place of the big wedding that she was never able to have. She knows something that she needs to tell her husband but decides to wait until after the party. Meanwhile, Livia’s husband learns some devastating news that struggles to keep secret during the party, not wanting to ruin the party for his wife.

This book was mostly boring for me. It felt like a domestic drama with almost no twists and turns. It felt very repetitive with both Livia and her husband struggling with the secrets they knew over and over. Neither secret was overly interesting from a thriller point of view. The only reason I am giving this a 3 star is that before the secret that Livia knew was revealed, I did find myself turning pages wanting to know what it was. Once we found out around 50% the whole thing got overly repetitive and I ended up skimming the last 20% just to be done.

Wow... just wow!

You know when you've read all of an authors back catalogue and with each one you worry 'is this going to be the rubbish one?' ... well I had those worries!

BUT this has got to be The Best One Yet.

B.A.Paris has this remarkable knack of being able to touch your soul! She writes in such a way that not only can you clearly picture the characters and the locations but you can actually feel their emotions.

This novel had me in its grasp from the prologue and I wasnt able to put it down until the last page was turned.

A truly emotionally raw read that is deeply engrossing in every way.

Cleverly written, it is narrated from the POV of the husband and wife/mother & father and is mainly set on the day of Livia's 40th birthday celebrations. A well thought out & scripted setting, covering family secrets, guilt, friendship, grief, tragedy and undying love.

Behind Closed Doors has always been my no*1 read since it was published but I've got to admit this has hit the same heights.

Bernadette you are just amazing. Thank you for once again touching my soul.

The biggest of thanks to netgalley and HQ for the ARC.

This is an emotionally raw read from the get go. Both Livia and Adam have a secret involving their beloved daughter- different secrets that they are terrified of sharing due to the consequences.
The bulk of the book takes place on one day- Livias 40th birthday, at the party she has been planning for 20 years.
I found myself deeply engrossed in the lives of Livia and her family and friends. All of the characters were refreshingly and grittily real- no fancy happy ever afters or perfect romances, jsut normal people dealing with difficult situations.
There is clever tension throughout with the main voices taking it in turns to narrate the day from their own perspective with their own secret and their own fears of that secret getting out.
Ultimately all truths will out but getting there is a great read!

I got caught up in this story right from the very beginning and read it in less than 2 days. The only thing that put me off was from other reviewers stating about the 'omg twist'. I was waiting for it to happen but it already had! Not the authors fault, but other reviewers. A great book which I recommend

Wow I couldn't put this book down and read it in big greedy gulps when I was supposed to be Christmas shopping and other tedious seasonal chores. It's rare that a novel about a family and its secrets, that tugs at your heartstrings, keeps you gripped like the best thriller - but BA Paris has nailed it with the dilemma.

Livia has been planning her 40th birthday party for the best part of two decades. Hours away from the big event, with everyone she loves attending, why is she so glad her daughter Marnie isn't coming - and what secret is she protecting her husband Adam from? On the flipside, Adam has secretly arranged for Marnie to come back as a surprise. But then something happens that no one could have predicted.

Told from alternating view points, hour by hour over 24 hours, I was utterly gripped as the story and secrets unfolded.

One to curl up with in the long dark days of January for sure!

I received an advanced reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.

What an emotionally traumatic book this is.
It will grip you from the first chapter and pull you into its devastating story.
This book made me reflect on what I would do in this situation and I hoped for a different outcome for the characters so much throughout the whole story.
This was a slightly different type of book than I was expecting but I really enjoyed every page of it.

B A Paris delivers again with a book that is just so hard to put down! I read this book in one sitting and really felt a rollercoaster of emotions, it was defiantly more upsetting then i was expecting. I did however find it hard to connect with the two main Characters Livia and Adam, I really could not get my head around what they did and how they act and at times felt like shouting at my book in frustration!
B A Paris's books never fail to get me thinking and wanting to discuss with people and this one is just the same!

I’d like to thank HQ and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘The Dilemma’ by BA Paris in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

For as long as she can remember Livia has been planning her 40th birthday party to make up for the wedding reception she and Adam never had. Everyone will be there, her friends and family, although daughter Marnie is away studying at university in Hong Kong. Unknown to Livia, Adam and Marnie have arranged for her to return by plane via Cairo and Amsterdam as a surprise on her birthday but during the day Adam hears some terrible news. Does he tell Livia and spoil the day she’s been looking forward to for so long or wait till the end of the party? That’s a dilemma only Adam can resolve!

‘The Dilemma’ is a heartbreakingly tragic account of a family living through their grief, narrated alternately by Adam and Livia who both hold secrets they are loathe to tell the other for fear of repercussions that could destroy their close group of friends. From the very first page it had me in its grasp and I was unable to stop reading while there was still a chance of a happy ending. It’s a superbly written tear-jerking novel that I became so emotionally involved in that as I was reading I had tears streaming down my face. BA Paris has written a story that will be hard to forget and that I can unreservedly recommend.

What a fantastic book, just my 'cup of tea' and I couldn't stop reading it, a brilliant page turner with such well developed characters, all interesting in their own way.

I tend to agree with another reviewer that this is not a psychological thriller but a brilliant family drama which I will be recommending to my Facebook Book Groups.

Thank you to Netgalley and HQ Digital Publishers for allowing me to read this brilliantly addictive book.

This story follows the story of Livia and Adam as they prepare for Lucia’s 40th birthday party. Told from the point of view of both.
I really enjoyed reading this. It’s not as fast paced as I expected and I found the ending too neatly tied together but overall it kept me guessing throughout and I was intrigued to know what was going to happen next. I would have liked more from marnies story.

🌼 December book seven 🌼

I received an e-arc of The Dilemma by B A Paris through @netgalley .

The Dilemma will be published in hardback on 9th January 2020 by @hqstories and the kindle version is available today!

This is the first B A Paris book I’ve read, and as such I had no expectation apart from 1) nice cover and 2) the description didn’t grab me. I procrastinated reading it for about a month, and I wish I’d started reading it sooner because it was such a gripping, moving story which exceeded the expectations I had.
I’ve seen this described as a psychological thriller which I would say isn’t true at all - to me, this is contemporary fiction, a family drama. It is an emotional story of family ties, secrets and grief.

The story plays out over one day, Livia’s 49th birthday, and the chapters alternate between Livia’s point of view, and her husband, Adam’s. I’ve read a few books recently told from multiple points of view, and I’m quickly realising it’s a great trope that pulls me into a novel much quicker than when there is only one narrator. In the instance of The Dilemma, having both view points leaves the reader stuck in the middle of the married couple, not sure whose side to be on, feeling a lot like a child stuck in the mix.

There is a lot of empathy in B A Paris’ writing and although the core of the novel is set in something distressing, there is still a sense of the characters trying to pull together through the confusion.
I found myself holding my breath as I read, as the hours moved along in the story, I felt like I was experiencing the events in real time with the characters.

Livia has a secret and she doesn’t know how to tell her husband. Adam has shocking news and he doesn’t know when to break it to his wife. As her birthday party unfolds, the tension builds.
As the description states, ‘The Dilemma – how far would you go to give someone you love a last few hours of happiness?’

It’s the day of Livia’s fortieth birthday- something she has been looking forward to for many years. She is estranged from her parents who turned her away when she got pregnant. Twenty two years later she still sends cards but received nothing from them at all. She and her husband Adam have two grown up children. Marnie is secretly flying back from Hong Kong to surprise her mother at the party however Livia is quite pleased that Marnie wo’;t be there as there is something she needs to tell Adam about Marnie, something she knows will devastate him. Adam has never been close to his son and is doing his best to make up for lost time. When the children were little Adam desperately wanted to go to university and felt this had been stolen from him. He is close to Marnie but Josh needs more work. At the beginning, Adam is on his motorbike and is stopped by the police for speeding. when he stops he says “Marnie, my daughter Marnie” and then we are taken back to before the party. Ooh! This is one of B.A Paris’s classic I - can’t-put-it-down reads. The secrecy and then tension are there from the get go with that air of mystery. I smiled, I cried, and every emotion in between. Wow! A book to make you think about the fragility of life and how sometimes life can turn on the very smallest thing. Treasure your loved ones, life life to the full. A treasure of a read and one I will remember for a very long time. Stunning doesn’t do it justice.
For more reviews please see my blog http://nickibookblog.blogspot.co.uk/
or follow me on Twitter@nickisbookblog
((amazon done- misfits farm)

A good read, and gripping from the start. You can't help but be hooked on the family drama. I did find that I was waiting for a big twist that never came, which was a shame as it would've really added to the story I think.

What a powerful emotional book. A family drama portraying the complication of communications within the family. The characters are so well described that they came alive as I read and I felt the complications that they faced. Lisa and Mark were the main characters both holding information that they want to share but are waiting for the right moment. I like B. A. Paris and this book continues her excellence as a writer.
I look forward to the next novel.

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.