You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
powerlibrarian 's review for:
The Dilemma
by B.A. Paris
I want to preface this review by saying that I'm a big fan of B. A. Paris' previous works. Behind Closed Doors and Bring Me Back were gripping thrillers from cover to cover (Unfortunately, I haven't had the chance to check out The Breakdown yet). But I think that categorizing this particular book as a "thriller" or "mystery" does it a great disservice. This is not a thriller. The Dilemma is a suspenseful family drama. If you go into this book expecting twists and turns in the plot as you often see in mysteries, you're going to be very disappointed. It is suspenseful, but it is not a thriller.
There are two twists in the novel, and the first is given away by the prologue. I've whined in the past about how every author these days seems to think that their novels have to have a prologue. The prologue in The Dilemma gave away the major plot development of the book, and really provided nothing of value to the story itself.
That said, this novel is incredibly suspenseful. It's clear that Livia's big birthday bash is not going to be the idyllic event that she's planned, and the stress that the main characters are enduring seems to ooze off the pages. I was sweating buckets while reading, genuinely worried about how it would all go down. The Dilemma made me incredibly uncomfortable, yet I could not seem to put it down.
The depth of the characters is definitely the strength of this novel. They are so detailed, with such rich backgrounds, that it feels like they could leap off the page. I felt like I understood Livia and her motivations more than I understand my own mother (Sorry, Mom!).
BA Paris has such a phenomenal writing style that she could write about going to the bathroom and I’d hang on to her every word. I would have liked to have known that this isn't a true thriller when I started reading, since it would have completely changed my expectations.
I recommend this book to those who enjoy a suspenseful family drama filled with secrets, lies, and uncomfortable birthday parties.
* Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the arc to review! *
This review appeared first on https://powerlibrarian.wordpress.com/
Instagram | Blog | Website | Twitter
My 2020 Reading Challenge
There are two twists in the novel, and the first is given away by the prologue. I've whined in the past about how every author these days seems to think that their novels have to have a prologue. The prologue in The Dilemma gave away the major plot development of the book, and really provided nothing of value to the story itself.
That said, this novel is incredibly suspenseful. It's clear that Livia's big birthday bash is not going to be the idyllic event that she's planned, and the stress that the main characters are enduring seems to ooze off the pages. I was sweating buckets while reading, genuinely worried about how it would all go down. The Dilemma made me incredibly uncomfortable, yet I could not seem to put it down.
The depth of the characters is definitely the strength of this novel. They are so detailed, with such rich backgrounds, that it feels like they could leap off the page. I felt like I understood Livia and her motivations more than I understand my own mother (Sorry, Mom!).
BA Paris has such a phenomenal writing style that she could write about going to the bathroom and I’d hang on to her every word. I would have liked to have known that this isn't a true thriller when I started reading, since it would have completely changed my expectations.
I recommend this book to those who enjoy a suspenseful family drama filled with secrets, lies, and uncomfortable birthday parties.
* Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the arc to review! *
This review appeared first on https://powerlibrarian.wordpress.com/
Instagram | Blog | Website | Twitter
My 2020 Reading Challenge