The Dilemma by BA Paris
Published by HQ
Publication Date: 9th January 2020
General Fiction
Book Description:
It’s Livia’s 40th birthday and she’s having the party of a lifetime to make up for the wedding she never had. Everyone she loves will be there except her daughter Marnie, who’s studying abroad. But although Livia loves Marnie, she’s secretly glad she won’t be at the party. She needs to tell Adam something about their daughter but she’s waiting until the party is over so they can have this last happy time together.
Adam wants everything to be perfect for Livia so he’s secretly arranged for Marnie to come home and surprise her on her birthday. During the day, he hears some terrible news. He needs to tell Livia, because how can the party go on? But she’s so happy, so excited – and the guests are about to arrive.
The Dilemma – how far would you go to give someone you love a last few hours of happiness?
My Thoughts:
I was delighted to be approved by the publisher to read The Dilemma ahead of publication via Netgalley. One of my favourite books of recent years was Behind Closed Doors by the same author, so I was excited to read where she would take us in this next novel.
The subject of the book is Livia's 40th birthday party. She has been planning it for years, a kind of replacement for the big wedding she never had. Livia and Adam married young due to a shock pregnancy which saw Livia's parents disown her and Adam is happy to indulge her in her dream. But events on the night before the party put Adam into the worst position of his entire life, yet nobody can help him decide what to do or how much to say to Livia because nobody else knows.
While all this is going on, we hear from Livia's point of view. She too has her own secret which she is holding back from telling Adam, also wondering when and how she is going to break her news. She knows what she has to tell him will have repercussions and she doesn't want to spoil the party as it won't just affect her husband.
For a section of the book I did become a little frustrated by the amount of procrastinating Adam was doing but this was overshadowed by how strongly I felt sorry for him for what he had to tell his wife. Something nobody ever wants to be doing. The secret Adam was holding actually helped him deal with other issues in his life which he could have handled badly if he wasn't overwhelmed by the task in hand, which I felt strengthened the relationship he had with his son Josh after the event. My heart broke for him and I admit to having shed a good few tears as the book came to a climax.
Once again BA Paris has created a cracking good read which I am sure will be one of this year's top selling novels.
About the Author:
B A Paris is the internationally bestselling author of Behind Closed Doors, The Breakdown and Bring Me Back. Having sold over one million copies in the UK alone, she is a New York Times bestseller as well as a number one bestseller on Amazon and iBooks. Her books have sold in 38 territories around the world. Having lived in France for many years, she husband recently moved back to the UK. She has five daughters.
Social Media:
Twitter: @BAParisAuthor
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