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3.26 AVERAGE
3.26 AVERAGE
Listened to the audio version. Very different from her previous books that I loved, but still kept me intrigued throughout, with several surprises and emotional roller coasters throughout. I have been waiting for this book since I saw it advertised several months ago and it was worth the wait!
medium-paced
3.5 stars. Loved the beginning. Looved the ending. The middle almost lost me but so glad I kept going!
What would you do if you knew some devastating news but wanted to protect your loved ones? How do you know when it is the right time to divulge knowledge that you know will be the beginning of Before and After? Is it right to keep people ignorant when they are busy getting ready for a party that is the culmination of a long held dream?
Livia married Adam young and was pregnant with their son so had to forgo any big and fancy celebrations. Instead she has waited until her 40th birthday before getting everybody together for a well planned and prepared for garden party with family and friends.
The only sad part is that Adam and Olivia's daughter Marnie is studying in Hong Kong and can't get back.
Adam however keeps it a secret that he has paid for Marnie to travel back home as he wants his wife to be surprised and delighted.
Perfectly reasonable and well intentioned. Trouble is no-one could have predicted what might happen next.
The novel is set over just one evening and alternates between Adam and Livia's point of view. Neither are communicating very well with one another because of all the hustle and bustle of the party, but it isn't just Adam who is holding something back, Livia is too.
I was on the edge of my seat reading this novel, wondering how and when the two people who loved one another would eventually break and understand the enormity of what each of them knows.
This book had my emotions all over the place. I felt desperate, uncertain, scared, heartbroken, and frustrated, all in one paragraph!
An excellently written, nail biting book that also makes you think what would you do in the same situation , morally what is the right thing to do and how can we ever know?
A MUST read!
Livia married Adam young and was pregnant with their son so had to forgo any big and fancy celebrations. Instead she has waited until her 40th birthday before getting everybody together for a well planned and prepared for garden party with family and friends.
The only sad part is that Adam and Olivia's daughter Marnie is studying in Hong Kong and can't get back.
Adam however keeps it a secret that he has paid for Marnie to travel back home as he wants his wife to be surprised and delighted.
Perfectly reasonable and well intentioned. Trouble is no-one could have predicted what might happen next.
The novel is set over just one evening and alternates between Adam and Livia's point of view. Neither are communicating very well with one another because of all the hustle and bustle of the party, but it isn't just Adam who is holding something back, Livia is too.
I was on the edge of my seat reading this novel, wondering how and when the two people who loved one another would eventually break and understand the enormity of what each of them knows.
This book had my emotions all over the place. I felt desperate, uncertain, scared, heartbroken, and frustrated, all in one paragraph!
An excellently written, nail biting book that also makes you think what would you do in the same situation , morally what is the right thing to do and how can we ever know?
A MUST read!
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Expected release date for The Dilemma is 9 January, 2020.
It's the morning of Livia's long awaited 40th birthday party. On the surface, this perhaps doesn't sound like too monumental an occasion, except perhaps for the 'Oh no, I'm FORTY' wobbles, but this is different. Over 20 years ago, when Livia met her now-husband, Adam and fell pregnant, her parents did not approve and refused to have any part in their relationship, meaning Livia never got the big, white wedding she'd longed for since she was a little girl. So, ever since, she's planned this party. And it has to be perfect. Everyone she loves is going to be there, except her daughter Marnie, who is studying in Hong Kong. Livia is sad that Marnie won't be there as they have a very strong bond, but she's also relieved because she recently found something out about her daughter that threatens to blow their relationship, and potentially their family, apart.
Adam, on the other hand, is busily arranging for Marnie to arrive in secret and appear as a 'SURPRISE' for Livia. When he's out and about getting the last bits ready for Livia's big day, he learns something that could potentially devastate all of their lives forever. Sick with the knowledge, he has to tell Livia what he knows because it affects her directly too - but he doesn't know for certain if it's true. Should he tell her now or wait until the party is over? He knows how long she's been waiting for this day, and if the worst does happen, her life will never been the same again. Does he let her have this one night of happiness before tragedy strikes her?
This book seriously got inside my head. I know you often hear 'I couldn't put it down', and every now and again I say it, but honestly - I couldn't put it down. I had to go and do some errands one day while reading it and I genuinely could not stop thinking about it while I was out and about. It's beautifully drawn out, the characters are likeable and you understand why they do the things they do, even when they know it's not the right thing to do. You get it. The threads that run through the story intertwine beautifully and lead to a moment of utterly tragic confusion as they finally come together, leaving our protagonists utterly devastated and bewildered.
I can't say any more without giving away at least one of the major plot points, so I won't. Suffice to say that I enjoyed this book immensely - it's breathtaking, it's heartbreaking, it's exquisitely clever and it's gone straight into my upcoming 'favourite reads of 2019' blog post.
So no surprises, I'm giving it a big fat FIVE STAR review.
It's the morning of Livia's long awaited 40th birthday party. On the surface, this perhaps doesn't sound like too monumental an occasion, except perhaps for the 'Oh no, I'm FORTY' wobbles, but this is different. Over 20 years ago, when Livia met her now-husband, Adam and fell pregnant, her parents did not approve and refused to have any part in their relationship, meaning Livia never got the big, white wedding she'd longed for since she was a little girl. So, ever since, she's planned this party. And it has to be perfect. Everyone she loves is going to be there, except her daughter Marnie, who is studying in Hong Kong. Livia is sad that Marnie won't be there as they have a very strong bond, but she's also relieved because she recently found something out about her daughter that threatens to blow their relationship, and potentially their family, apart.
Adam, on the other hand, is busily arranging for Marnie to arrive in secret and appear as a 'SURPRISE' for Livia. When he's out and about getting the last bits ready for Livia's big day, he learns something that could potentially devastate all of their lives forever. Sick with the knowledge, he has to tell Livia what he knows because it affects her directly too - but he doesn't know for certain if it's true. Should he tell her now or wait until the party is over? He knows how long she's been waiting for this day, and if the worst does happen, her life will never been the same again. Does he let her have this one night of happiness before tragedy strikes her?
This book seriously got inside my head. I know you often hear 'I couldn't put it down', and every now and again I say it, but honestly - I couldn't put it down. I had to go and do some errands one day while reading it and I genuinely could not stop thinking about it while I was out and about. It's beautifully drawn out, the characters are likeable and you understand why they do the things they do, even when they know it's not the right thing to do. You get it. The threads that run through the story intertwine beautifully and lead to a moment of utterly tragic confusion as they finally come together, leaving our protagonists utterly devastated and bewildered.
I can't say any more without giving away at least one of the major plot points, so I won't. Suffice to say that I enjoyed this book immensely - it's breathtaking, it's heartbreaking, it's exquisitely clever and it's gone straight into my upcoming 'favourite reads of 2019' blog post.
So no surprises, I'm giving it a big fat FIVE STAR review.
adventurous
emotional
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The Dilemma was a book that I had to wait a few days before I tried to review it. I didn’t find it an easy book to get into, partly because I didn’t care for either of the characters at first but also because you find out very early what Adam is concerned about and you know that he is in for a very long night. I felt very tense at times, wondering how he would tell Livia and Josh about his fears. But the way it started to develop was mesmerising and Adam was a character who I quickly changed my mind about.
One of the strongest points of this novel were the differences between the characters. Some smarmy, most loyal, but there was an overwhelming feeling of true friendship from most. The relationship especially between Adam and his son Josh was one that showed a closeness that had been worked at over the years, rather than one that was instantaneous.
It was a novel where I couldn’t judge either for their actions. What would you do? If you faced with a similar dilemma to Livia and Adam. I honestly don’t know.
One of the strongest points of this novel were the differences between the characters. Some smarmy, most loyal, but there was an overwhelming feeling of true friendship from most. The relationship especially between Adam and his son Josh was one that showed a closeness that had been worked at over the years, rather than one that was instantaneous.
It was a novel where I couldn’t judge either for their actions. What would you do? If you faced with a similar dilemma to Livia and Adam. I honestly don’t know.
This book was great, devastating, riveting. It’s a total departure from the others by this author. Told in alternating voices, both Livia and Adam are keeping a secret from the other on the biggest night of the year. The anxiety from both of them, the internal struggle between sharing or continuing to conceal their knowledge drives the story. Read it.
Excellent hour-by-hour look at a relationship (and individuals) in crisis. Hard to put down.
I listened to the audiobook and the voice actors were excellent.
I listened to the audiobook and the voice actors were excellent.