The Dilemma
by B. A. Paris
A woman's birthday party takes a dark turn in a poignant, heart-stopping new novel from the reigning queen of suspense, NYT and USA Today bestselling author of Behind Closed Doors, The Breakdown, and Bring Me Back.
“A heartbreaking page-turner that will have you up at night reading just one more chapter.” —Catherine Steadman, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Something in the Water
“The phenomenal B. A. Paris has done it again! I devoured The Dilemma in one sitting—it grabbed me from the very first page and wouldn’t let go until I’d finished. Secrets, guilt, shame and heartbreak—this story has it all in spades.”—Sandie Jones, New York Times bestselling author of The Other Woman
Knowing the truth will destroy her. Keeping it secret will destroy him.
It’s Livia’s 40th birthday, and her husband Adam is throwing her the party of a lifetime to make up for the wedding they never had. Everyone she loves will be there, except her daughter Marnie, who’s studying abroad. But Livia is secretly glad Marnie won’t be there.
Livia has recently uncovered a secret about their daughter which, if revealed, will shake the foundation of their family to its core. She needs to tell Adam, but she’s waiting until the party is over so they can have this last happy time together.
Adam, meanwhile, has his own surprise for Livia: he’s arranged for Marnie to secretly fly back for the party. But before Marnie arrives, Adam hears some terrible news. Now he too is faced with a dilemma: Does he share what he's learned with his wife? Is hiding the truth the same as telling a lie? And how far are Adam and Livia willing to go to protect the ones they love—and give each other a last few hours of happiness?
“A heartbreaking page-turner that will have you up at night reading just one more chapter.” —Catherine Steadman, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Something in the Water
“The phenomenal B. A. Paris has done it again! I devoured The Dilemma in one sitting—it grabbed me from the very first page and wouldn’t let go until I’d finished. Secrets, guilt, shame and heartbreak—this story has it all in spades.”—Sandie Jones, New York Times bestselling author of The Other Woman
Knowing the truth will destroy her. Keeping it secret will destroy him.
It’s Livia’s 40th birthday, and her husband Adam is throwing her the party of a lifetime to make up for the wedding they never had. Everyone she loves will be there, except her daughter Marnie, who’s studying abroad. But Livia is secretly glad Marnie won’t be there.
Livia has recently uncovered a secret about their daughter which, if revealed, will shake the foundation of their family to its core. She needs to tell Adam, but she’s waiting until the party is over so they can have this last happy time together.
Adam, meanwhile, has his own surprise for Livia: he’s arranged for Marnie to secretly fly back for the party. But before Marnie arrives, Adam hears some terrible news. Now he too is faced with a dilemma: Does he share what he's learned with his wife? Is hiding the truth the same as telling a lie? And how far are Adam and Livia willing to go to protect the ones they love—and give each other a last few hours of happiness?
Momma Says: 1 star ⭐
So, The Dilemma. I think this is going to be one of those love it or hate it books, and unfortunately, I find myself firmly in the latter category. Part of that may be due to the fact that I was looking for one thing and found another. All the hype would lead one to believe that this is a thriller, psychological women's fiction, domestic thriller... I'm sure you can see where I'm going. The problem is I didn't find anything even remotely thriller-like in this book. Domestic drama would be more like it, but it's not a particularly good one. Honestly, I was bored more often than not, and when I wasn't bored, I wanted to shake the daylights out of Livia and Adam both. I don't know if that was the author's intention or not, but these characters seriously drove me nuts. The story is very repetitive, and the whole thing relies on a lack of communication. And I'm just gonna say it - if a 40-year old woman is so wrapped up in herself that all she cares about is having a fabulous birthday party, she deserves nothing less than to have it a little spoiled. Maybe that's harsh, but really, grow up already. I did push through to the end, hoping for something to warrant all the hype, something to justify the time spent reading this book. Nope, it just wasn't happening. This ended up being a thoroughly disappointing book made even more so with its ending. I've heard great things about this author, but this book is totally underwhelming.
❃❃ARC provided by NetGalley and St. Martin's Press
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