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3.26 AVERAGE
3.26 AVERAGE
I received this book through Goodreads Giveaways as an ARC book. It starts off well enough, but then became predictable about 1/4 of the way in. It’s your run of the mill psychological thriller. Maybe I’ve just read too many of these and have become jaded. Just okay for me.
DNF. The Dilemma was whether I could keep going with this. I did previously say I was done with her books but ended up being a hypocrite.
Well...this is not my usual type of read, but on other occasions when I have strayed from horror I have been able to count on a good twisty family drama from B. A. Paris. I have enjoyed her previous 3 novels more than this one. The story takes place over preparations for 40th birthday party, the party itself, and it's aftermath. It seemed maddeningly slow paced, and although I did enjoy probably the first third of the book I begin to wish they would just get on with it. It seemed to drag on for too long. A slow drawn out reveal can sometimes increase the suspense but when drawn out too long can just lead to boredom. It seemed to drag even after the climax instead of just coming to an end.
I received an advance copy for review.
I received an advance copy for review.
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I was first introduced to B.A. Paris when I read her novel Behind Closed Doors and devoured it within hours. I just finished reading her latest work, The Dilemma, this morning. It is being marketed as suspense and women's fiction, which is very accurate, but I can honestly say I was not emotionally prepared for this novel.
Despite the odds, Livia and her husband Adam have survived the trials life throws at young couples and seemingly have made it out the other side without too many scars to show for it. A teenage pregnancy out of wedlock stole the chance for Livia to have her dream wedding, so to make up for this, she has spent almost half her life saving for an extravagant 40th birthday party. The novel takes place mostly on the day of the party, alternating the narration between Livia and Adam every hour or so. We are immediately made aware that Livia feels some guilt over a secret she's keeping from Adam involving their daughter, Marnie. She loves her daughter, but is relieved that she won't be able to make it to her party because she wants to enjoy her night before the secret changes their entire lives.
Meanwhile, Adam and Marnie have a secret of their own. Marnie is in another country studying abroad and is planning on traveling home to surprise Livia during her birthday party. Unexpected complications arise and Adam is forced to decide whether or not to keep a monumental secret of his own. There's not really a correct answer to his particular dilemma, but he self-consciously analyzes all his options until he's sure he's doing the right thing. Wracked with guilt and fear for the future, Adam does his best to make it through the party which seems to last a lifetime. He knows nothing will be the same once it's all over and he no longer has the party as an excuse for keeping the awful truth from his wife.
I was actually surprised at how suspenseful this domestic drama turned out to be. For me, if there isn't a blade-wielding psychopath chasing someone down, it usually tends to drag on, but I could not stop reading. Paris did a great job at making the party c-r-a-w-l by at the pace of a tortoise on sedatives. It was frustrating at times how slowly the night was moving, but it seems obvious to me that the novel was written this way intentionally as a way of letting the reader feel the hell Adam was experiencing as each second slowly ticked by. The party itself serves as this larger-than-life character all on its own. On one hand, it celebrates the loyalty and resiliency this couple has demonstrated over the last few decades. But on the flip side, it is also this ominous bomb that is set to explode when its time is up, potentially shattering the lives of this family.
I didn't anticipate really feeling much for the two protagonists, so I was in disbelief when I realized I was crying while reading the final chapters in the novel. That just never happens for me. I think maybe three books have made me cry in my entire life and they almost all had to do with animals. Paris knows how to paint a picture of grief in such a way that will have readers revisiting past heartaches as if they happened yesterday. I feel emotionally raw after reading this book and I think there's something to be said about writing that can do that.
Despite the odds, Livia and her husband Adam have survived the trials life throws at young couples and seemingly have made it out the other side without too many scars to show for it. A teenage pregnancy out of wedlock stole the chance for Livia to have her dream wedding, so to make up for this, she has spent almost half her life saving for an extravagant 40th birthday party. The novel takes place mostly on the day of the party, alternating the narration between Livia and Adam every hour or so. We are immediately made aware that Livia feels some guilt over a secret she's keeping from Adam involving their daughter, Marnie. She loves her daughter, but is relieved that she won't be able to make it to her party because she wants to enjoy her night before the secret changes their entire lives.
Meanwhile, Adam and Marnie have a secret of their own. Marnie is in another country studying abroad and is planning on traveling home to surprise Livia during her birthday party. Unexpected complications arise and Adam is forced to decide whether or not to keep a monumental secret of his own. There's not really a correct answer to his particular dilemma, but he self-consciously analyzes all his options until he's sure he's doing the right thing. Wracked with guilt and fear for the future, Adam does his best to make it through the party which seems to last a lifetime. He knows nothing will be the same once it's all over and he no longer has the party as an excuse for keeping the awful truth from his wife.
I was actually surprised at how suspenseful this domestic drama turned out to be. For me, if there isn't a blade-wielding psychopath chasing someone down, it usually tends to drag on, but I could not stop reading. Paris did a great job at making the party c-r-a-w-l by at the pace of a tortoise on sedatives. It was frustrating at times how slowly the night was moving, but it seems obvious to me that the novel was written this way intentionally as a way of letting the reader feel the hell Adam was experiencing as each second slowly ticked by. The party itself serves as this larger-than-life character all on its own. On one hand, it celebrates the loyalty and resiliency this couple has demonstrated over the last few decades. But on the flip side, it is also this ominous bomb that is set to explode when its time is up, potentially shattering the lives of this family.
I didn't anticipate really feeling much for the two protagonists, so I was in disbelief when I realized I was crying while reading the final chapters in the novel. That just never happens for me. I think maybe three books have made me cry in my entire life and they almost all had to do with animals. Paris knows how to paint a picture of grief in such a way that will have readers revisiting past heartaches as if they happened yesterday. I feel emotionally raw after reading this book and I think there's something to be said about writing that can do that.
THE DILEMMA is a rare instance of very good execution of a fundamentally mundane (sorry!) product.
I was on the edge of my seat, though I didn't care much for the characters (whom I found a bit bland) or the plot that became increasingly repetitive.
The plot is one of those that could have been resolved with a single conversation. The reason why the conversation never took place was plausible at first, but stretched as the plot went on.
This is, essentially, high stakes family drama. Still, I didn't know family drama could be so suspenful.
I think the simple, straight-forward plot would have made for a good miniseries.
I was on the edge of my seat, though I didn't care much for the characters (whom I found a bit bland) or the plot that became increasingly repetitive.
The plot is one of those that could have been resolved with a single conversation. The reason why the conversation never took place was plausible at first, but stretched as the plot went on.
This is, essentially, high stakes family drama. Still, I didn't know family drama could be so suspenful.
I think the simple, straight-forward plot would have made for a good miniseries.
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Not at all what I’ve come to expect from this author. This one is about as far from being a “thriller” as you can get. I can’t believe she stretched this out into so many pages. The further I read, the angrier I got that Adam wouldn’t just make the damn phone call. This has to be my least favorite of her books. Can’t say I’d recommend this one, as much as I was eagerly looking forward to it.
Solid 3.5 stars. This is not quite what I expected. Having read other books by the author, I was ready for some serious mind games and a true psychological thriller. While this is not what I got, I still enjoyed the book very much.
This story, told in Liv and Adam’s alternating voices, over roughly a day or so, with each chapter representing an hour’s time, is quite suspenseful and all about secrets. Quite a few of the characters, in addition to the narrator’s have secrets that affect the others and can be life changing.
What starts out as a 40th birthday party that Liv has been planning for ages, because she didn’t have a proper wedding, evolves into glimpse into the past, memories, and observations, that bring us to the dangers of keeping secrets in our present situation.
While this book isn’t written with the same psychological twists as the author’s previous works, it is still quite suspenseful because we are continually trying to figure out who has a secret and what it actually is.
Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and Edelweiss + for an advanced copy of this book in exchanged for my unbiased opinion and review.
This story, told in Liv and Adam’s alternating voices, over roughly a day or so, with each chapter representing an hour’s time, is quite suspenseful and all about secrets. Quite a few of the characters, in addition to the narrator’s have secrets that affect the others and can be life changing.
What starts out as a 40th birthday party that Liv has been planning for ages, because she didn’t have a proper wedding, evolves into glimpse into the past, memories, and observations, that bring us to the dangers of keeping secrets in our present situation.
While this book isn’t written with the same psychological twists as the author’s previous works, it is still quite suspenseful because we are continually trying to figure out who has a secret and what it actually is.
Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and Edelweiss + for an advanced copy of this book in exchanged for my unbiased opinion and review.
I was honestly really disappointed. I’ve loved every B A Paris book I’ve read or listened too. This one was disappointing.