The Dilemma, by BA Paris {Book Review}

I have been reading up a storm lately, and I’m not sorry about it! At this rate, I’ll be doing multiple book review posts per week, so I hope that you’re ready for it 😉 I’ve started 2020 not having read one thriller yet! How crazy is that?? My first 3 books of the year have been just a bit different to what I usually read, and so far I’ve enjoyed them all. Today’s book is aptly titled, The Dilemma….and what a dilemma!

What is The Dilemma about?

It’s Livia’s fortieth birthday and tonight she’s having a party, a party she’s been planning for a long time. The only person missing will be her daughter, Marnie.

But Livia has a secret, a secret she’s been keeping from Adam, her husband, until the party is over. Because how can she tell him that although she loves Marnie, she’s glad their daughter won’t be there to celebrate with her?

Adam is determined everything will be just right for Livia and the party is going to be perfect… until he learns something that will leave him facing an unbearable decision.

My Review

The Characters and storyline

The book centers around married couple, Livia and Adam. They’ve been married for 20 plus years and tonight is Livia’s huge 40th birthday party. A party that she’s been planning for almost 20 years! Livia is also keeping a secret from Adam, but she thinks she wants to just enjoy her party…..and then tell Adam the secret afterwards. A secret she is sure will crush him. Unbeknownst to Livia, Adam is keeping a secret of his own….and he too thinks he’ll wait until after the party to tell Livia what it is. Also a secret with the ability to destroy their lives.

Adam and Livia also have 2 kids, Josh and Marnie and each parent has their own relationship with the kids. Some more loving and warm than others. Adam was a bit of a douche bag husband when they were in the early stages of marriage, but present day Adam, is a pretty decent husband. Livia is also dealing with a lot. I’ve seen a lot of criticism for her character, but I think she’s also really going through the motions. I can also relate to the idea of this party and why she so badly wants it to go ahead and have this moment.

My thoughts

The whole book takes place over the course of 24hrs….each chapter an hour segment of that day. During each hour segment, there is a section narrated by Livia, and a section narrated by Adam. The storyline to me, was pretty intriguing. From the first page I was wondering what the diggins all these secrets were. All my guesses though, were wrong!

I read this book in less than a day and eventually I decided to only go to bed once I finished it. It was a quick and easy read. This isn’t a page turning, heart stopping thriller. It is a page turning family drama though….with some shocking moments.

This book left me thinking, if in the same situation of either parent, what would I have done? My husband and I both felt that Adam’s secret was a no-brainer…he needed to spill his guts immediately. I finished The Dilemma a few days ago, and I’m still thinking about it. Still thinking about this family. These dilemmas. How things could have been different.

There is a fair amount of repetitiveness, with each parent going over the same information over and over…… that would probably be my only critique.

My rating

The Dilemma has a Goodreads rating of 3.97 out of 5 stars which is a very good rating. I really enjoyed this book, so it’s a solid 3.8 stars for me.

The Dilemma retails for around R305 and will be available soon at all leading book retailers!

Have you ever read any of the books I’ve reviewed? I’d love to know if you agreed with my review afterwards or not…let me know in the comments! Also, does this sound like something you want to read?

Disclaimer: This book was sent to me by Jonathan Ball Publishers in exchange for an honest review.