52 Books Challenge: The Dilemma by B.A Paris

As many of you will know, I love to read. It’s probably the one thing that I do purely for myself, a means of escape and relaxation, and something I really haven’t done enough of over the last few years. So this year I set myself a challenge to read 52 books in 52 weeks and, with a very lazy start to the year, I am already way ahead of schedule!

The first book I read this year was The Dilemma by B.A Paris and I read the entire book in one sitting. The Dilemma centres around Livia and Adam and their two children Marnie and Josh and the majority of the narrative takes place at the biggest event of the year – Livia’s 40th birthday party.

Livia has been planning her 40th birthday party for as long as she can remember, still feeling cheated of her dream wedding, still struggling with the sacrifices she made for her children, still desperate for the spotlight of attention to be on her, even if just for one night. And Adam, still beating himself up for not giving Livia everything she deserved in their early married life, is desperate to make sure that not only does Livia’s party go to plan, but that there are a few surprises thrown in there too.

The narrative switches between both Livia and Adam, giving us a real insight into their marriage both now and in the past. We learn that Livia’s pregnancy with Josh was quite a surprise, that her parents disowned her as a result, and that her early life with Adam was incredibly difficult at times. And although the story very much revolves around Adam and Livia’s marriage, the relationships between Adam and his children are of equal interest. Adam and Josh have a very difficult relationship, spanning back to events in Josh’s childhood, where as Adam and Marnie’s relationship is very different and although we only read about this from Adam and Livia, there is blatant favouritism for his daughter.

On the day of the party Adam is on edge hoping that his big surprise goes to plan, oblivious to the fact that Livia is equally nervous hoping she can keep a huge secret from Adam for just one more night. The theme of secrets and lies runs seamlessly through The Dilemma, surrounding not just Adam and Livia but both their children and their friends also. Just when I thought I’d figured out one secret, I’d realise I was completely off track.

As much as I devoured The Dilemma in one go, and as enjoyable as I found it, at several points during the book I found myself disliking both Adam and Livia. At times Livia comes across as incredibly selfish and self-indulgent, whilst as a parent I found it impossible to relate to Adam’s uncomfortable relationship with Josh, his favouritism of Marnie, and I felt increasingly outraged at his reactions and decisions. It’s not often a book can leave me feeling so irritated but completely engrossed, nor so outraged but still so full of sympathy.

B.A Paris has a talent for writing that really hooks you from the outset, so much so that I was willing to overlook the discrepancies in the character’s actions and the flaws in their stories to just thoroughly enjoy the rollercoaster of emotions, suspicion, shock and suspense, and turn the pages as fast as I possibly could! I definitely recommend The Dilemma but be warned, clear a few hours in your diary because once you pick it up, you won’t be able to put it down!

You can find it on Amazon here.