You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.26 AVERAGE
3.26 AVERAGE
I am facing a huge dilemma (see what I did there?)
I want you to know exactly why The Dilemma broke me. I want you to understand why I adored it. I want you to follow my train of thoughts, walk the path I strode on with the characters. I want to discuss at length the symphony of emotions that the author triggered with her impeccable and flawless prose.
But.
I want you to meet Livia and Adam on your own. I want your mind to be open. I want the thrill of discovering B.A. Paris’ latest book to make you shiver with trepidation. I want you to wonder where you’ve landed. I want you to be knee-deep into this family’s secrets.
So how do I review The Dilemma?
Livia is reaching 40. To celebrate, she is having the party of a lifetime. Everything is planned.
Adam wants her wife to have the perfect birthday. He knows how important this day is for her.
Everything looks lovely but the reality is much more complicated than that.
B.A. Paris took me by surprise. Never had I read a character’s thoughts and realized how much I related to them. I took an instant like to Livia, for whom the big day had finally come. Her mixed feelings reached my heart right from the beginning. Of course, I was intrigued. The opening of this novel sets the tone. You can’t escape it. I had a foreboding sense of impending doom.
Like shadows tracking the characters, secrets wrap them in a fog that is first as thin as paper, only to turn into a dangerous blizzard that prevents Livia and Adam from reaching each other. Why is Livia happy that her daughter Marnie can’t make it to the party? What is bothering Adam?
My attention never failed me – the author’s stunning narration allows the reader to get to know each family member chapter after chapter. Like a scavenger hunt, you have to pick up the hints, let the emotions come to you. As I turned the pages, I felt closer and closer to Livia and Adam, and yet they were growing apart, tormented by too much love. Too much love? Yes, you’ve read this right. The Dilemma deals with good intentions gone bad. The will to protect those you love against… well, against whatever would hurt them. Because that’s what you do when you love, isn’t it?
But when secrets grow bigger and threaten to destroy your family, how long can you keep it to yourself? The psychology behind The Dilemma is stunningly accurate, frighteningly relatable, and absolutely heart-breaking. This novel opens doors to small lies born out of love and escalates towards one of my favourite endings.
Do you want to know how much damage can lies do? Get your copy, and brace yourself because you could be any of the characters in the novel. This book is pure escapism through a reality that is so close to us that the cathartic impact it holds is multiplied by a hundred. Parents, daughter, brother, friends, we all are flawed, we deal with life the best we can, or at least, most of us try to, and yet… Yet we can’t protect each other from fate. Emotional tension is trapped in the pages of the storm that is this book.
Selfless love is at the heart of this novel. So is family. That's why it hurts. But it also gives hope. At least, this is what I take with me after having read and reviewed this magnificent and heart-stopping book which gives the most outstanding insight into the human mind and heart.
Definitely recommended! A new favourite of mine!
I read it all in one day, so it has that going for it.
B A Paris's books never fail to get me thinking and wanting to discuss with people and this one is just the same!
This book is told in two different perspective. One is the perspective of husband Adam and the other one of Wife Livia. Livia is excited about her 40th birthday party and Adam is excited to be surprising his wife by flying their daughter home early. This book is filled with secrets and lies. It was a quick read with a lots of different emotions.
Summary: Liv planned her 40th birthday for years leading up to this night. However Marnie, her daughter, won’t be in attendance. Unbeknownst to her husband, Liv knows a secret about Marnie that leaves her happy that she won’t be in attendance. Liv plans to share Marnie’s secret with Adam after her party. Adam vows that Liv’s party will be perfect no matter what. Before the party, Adam faces a difficult choice that will upend their lives.
Thoughts: I loved the premise of this book! However, I wanted more details. Paris alluded to the early days of Liv and Adam’s marriage many times, but neglected to explain how they got from then to now. I appreciated Paris’ examination of the couple’s inner thoughts, but felt some of that space could’ve been used in other ways. I did like Paris’ writing style and dramatization of family dynamics. I flew through the book quickly, but ultimately couldn’t look past the plot holes and predictability of the book. If you’re looking for a quick family drama with minimal twists and heavy on emotion, this one's for you!
When things go wrong, how do you hold the rest of the pieces?
A novel told over a twenty four hour time line, so well written that each person's story manages to seamlessly weave together. Culminating in a story that is powerful, emotional and ultimately heart-breaking.
If you are yet to pick up a book this year then I highly recommend that The Dilemma be your first!
BA Paris is one of my favorite authors. Her writing is typically phenomenal but the plot of this book was lackluster for me. From the beginning, I could basically decipher what would happen, so I wasn’t necessarily fully involved. I did find the characters to be pretty well developed and could relate to their feelings throughout. Livia and Adam have their own different dilemmas they hid from one another, but one was certainly more frustrating for me as the reader to get through. I found myself so annoyed at the ignorance and wanted to slap the character and tell them to get the answer they need. Because the plot was straightforward, the ending was no shock, if not mildly frustrating. I just wanted more from BA Paris because her other books have always left me shell shocked and have stuck with me. This one is forgettable, but a quick read if you need something mindless after a heavy read.
I received an ARC of this via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.