As all the pieces fall into place in the wee hours of the morning after the party, there are several misunderstandings, things that were not said and a chance for redemption and healing as a family. Some use the lame excuse saying they drank too much and did not realise what they were doing. Sorry, but you are an adult and you should know better. If you cannot hold your liquor, drink water or stop before the alcohol takes over. Really, Liv, you missed out on your dream wedding and instead of having a huge party to renew your wedding vows or something "wedding-like" you make it all about you? Your husband is afraid to tell you something very, very important because of how much you have made this birthday party your life goal. What are you going to do after it's all over, will there be anything to live for? This is a suspenseful read, with a few twists thrown in, but at the heart of it is the dilemma. There are many decisions to be made in this book, with different characters needing to put things on the line, and unveiling their secrets. There are SO many secrets here.

At one time I thought it was a bit drawn out that’s why it has 4* from me. But don’t be misled because I absolutely was invested in this book 100% and more. Charlotte and her BFF Annabelle go on a premium vacation to get away...to Mauritius. (Hello, I'd love to go there someday before I'm too old to enjoy it - lol!!) That said, I'm in the minority, and many people loved this book. So you might want to give it a try if the premise interests you. This book will stay a long time in my heart, makes me realise you shouldn’t take life for granted!! But when I became pregnant, not long after my seventeenth birthday, they refused to have anything more to do with me. And the lavish wedding became a hurried fifteen-minute ceremony, with only Adam’s family and our best friends, Jess and Nelson, as guests.This is when Zac decides to reveal he can’t have any more children and she’s been wasting her time. Unlike most book women, she leaves his butt. 👋🏼 He comes home to find he’s all by his lonesome. This novel made me think about secrets. Little White Lies and those Big Old Whoppers. We’ve all told ‘em. Now I wonder if they were worth it.

Whenever Adam or Livia is about to disclose something important, they're distracted by someone or something. This seems like the dramatic version of a comedy farce. A husband and wife with secrets. Livia and Adam are protecting their secret from each other. One believes his/her secret is damaging. The other knows his/her secret is heartbreaking. Both are keeping his/her secret from the other as it is the day of Livia’s 40th Birthday party. A party she has been waiting to have for a long, long, time. Both intend to tell the other his/her secret after the party. But how? How does one keep it together? Who does one keep on a happy face when his/her world has been devastated forever? Genres covered in this book include Women's Literary Fiction, Romance Literary Fiction, Literary Fiction, amongst others. This was very original and unexpected, but a pleasant surprise! This is my first book by this author and I’ll be keeping an eye out for her now. I was interested when I saw the book but I just had to get it when I saw the audio was available and I’m so glad I did because the narration was wonderful. I must start off my saying that I am not usually an emotional person. But, this book caught me and pulled on my heart strings on more than one occasion.When did you first start to suspect that Marnie wouldn’t make it to Livia’s party? When did you first guess why not? The author brings up a lot of points while minimally touching on issues. Is it okay to be a single parent? Do you need an extended family to be a parent? Is there a girl code? I liked how Roberts was not preachy in her writing. Every person chooses their path and must live with the choices they make. But, what if ... What if .... I'm not spoiling, however, the author is losing me. The Dilemma follows Charlotte, desperate to be a mother and is always disappointed and a little broken by the negative pregnancy test results. But not as much as she was when she found out why it had not happened to her. Adam just wanted to do something special for Livia on her birthday. He never imagined the horror his surprise would inflict on his entire family.. now he can’t fathom telling them the truth.

Congratulations Julia on writing a gorgeous story while raising awareness of Meconium Aspiration Syndrome. I always think that any book, whether fiction or non fiction, that raises awareness of any illness, disease or subjects such as domestic violence deserve an award as it could save at least one life by making people aware of these topics. Livia and Adam were so young when they put their rings on and took their first steps to the parenthood when they were also young adults. Livia is shunned by her family emotionally and financially. And Adam had real hard time to adapt his new life. He acted like spoiled brat/ baby boy who wanted to hang out and play with other boys, riding bikes, rejecting responsibility and put entire parenthood burden on his wife’s shoulders. He made so many mistakes and now he was adamant to pay his dues and atone his past marriage sins. I want to start with highlighting this amazing new-ish author, Julia Roberts, who is not OUR actor Julia, but a really amazing talent in her own right.

Games

This book is beautifully written with vivid descriptions that really put you in the storyline and feeling the pain and joy of the characters. The cover and synopsis suit the storyline perfectly. I have to admit, I didn’t expect a dramatic family fiction when I started reading this book. When I saw B. A. Paris’ name, I thought I was about to devour a nail biter, eyes wider, grey cell crusher thriller story. So I may have given two stars after the disappointment but... I couldn’t because this is really good written fiction. Friends Rob and Jess are also part of one of the dilemmas, Rob did something unthinkable and Jess is recently diagnosed with MS. Nelson is Rob's brother and the best friend of Adam; Nelson is also married to Kirin. I have mixed feelings about Zak (if you read it, it's obvious why) but I loved the others and the different POVs Roberts gives her readers really adds to the story as more information comes to light. The audio was brilliant, and although it took me a while to adjust to the narrator’s accent, I enjoyed her voice modulation and varied pitches. Great narration!

In Adam’s chapter that runs from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m., he is preparing to tell Livia what has happened to Marnie when he thinks instead, “these might be her last few moments of happiness.” Ultimately, do you think the choice Adam made to keep this secret was brave or selfish? This entire book takes place within 24 hours and covers the events of preparation, celebration, and aftermath of Livia’s extravagant 40th birthday party.

When Ronny follows Geneva to Zip's house, he photographs the two of them together, but he is trapped on the patio by a group of skateboarders and is unable to escape. Once Geneva leaves, Ronny is caught by Zip and the two engage in a physical confrontation. In spite of this, Ronny eventually makes it to Beth's parents' 40th wedding anniversary party. Her previous novels certainly covered larger geographical areas, as well as longer spans of time, making the stories seem more complex. I think this book would have worked better if the baby required a more immediate type of donation (like bone marrow) because from what I know, an adult's kidneys are not going to be able to be transplanted into a baby..... Fritz, Ben (January 13, 2011). "Movie projector: 'Green Hornet' has plenty of buzz, 'The Dilemma' may have a problem". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved January 14, 2011. Wow - this isn’t AT ALL what I anticipated. This book had me bawling like a baby! I have read all of this authors work and this is completely different than her usual psychological thriller vibe. This was an intense, suspenseful family drama.