Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for the early chance to read and review “The Fiancé Dilemma.”
Tropes: small town, fake engagement, slow burn

Overall, this was a solid read, vert reminiscent of “The Runaway Bride” rom com starring Julia Roberts. I enjoyed the characters - Josie and Matthew obviously genuinely cared for each other. I think the motivation for the fake engagement was a little confusing but I just kind of rolled with it. It also could have been a lot shorter (contemporary romance novels really do not need to be 400+ pages long!) and I think that would have tightened up the story a little bit. Josie’s waffling got to be a lot there towards the end. 4 stars and I would recommend, especially if you enjoyed “The Long Game.”

Wow, wow, wow! Elena Armas has made me fall in love with another couple, and they are just the sweetest and most thoughtful characters! The Fiancé Dilemma is a story of Josie, who had some trouble with fiancés in the past, and runs into a PR nightmare due to family history, and Matthew who she knows through her sister, and enters the picture, which somehow leads to a fake engagement. There is so much heart and thoughtfulness in these characters, with patience and growth on both sides. The story takes place in the small town of Green Oak with some familiar characters from The Long Game, which just adds so much love for this story. I highly recommend this book to all romance readers, especially those who love a fake engagement trope, friendship and family with small town vibes, and adorable baby animals with some farm life scattered in! This is honestly one of my favorite books ever! I definitely recommend reading The Long Game before this one as it ties in so much with supporting characters.
Thank you so much to Elena Armas, NetGalley, and Atria Books for sharing this ARC with me! All opinions are my own.

This book was amazing I fell in love with the characters. After reading this I went back to reading Elena’s other books. This one is my favorite so far.

I loved this, omg. I loved Josie and Matthew and getting to see Adalyn and Cam again. Getting to know Josie more and the ending. I just loved it so much. I need more of them all. I need to see how Josie and Matt live life together.

Small town girl Josie’s estranged father and his reputation are in jeopardy . He hires a PR and somehow Josie is faking an engagement with her sisters best friend, Matthew.

The Fiance Dilema by Elena Armas was a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ read. I love each of her books and this one was another great that filled my heart with giddy joy. The story was funny, cute and a bit steamy.

This one had everything I loved from the Long Game, small town, quirky characters, farm animal side kicks plus a fake engagement! I loved Josie and Matthew. A few things felt off for me, the pacing and some of the plot points I thought could have been better but overall a very enjoyable read with a sweet HEA.

Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for giving me early access to this book! All opinions are my own.

I have been a fan of Elena Armas since I first read The Spanish Love Deception, and this book just further cements her as an auto-buy author for me. I love the interactions between Matthew and Josie, and the growth we get to see from Josie after The Long Game. The Fiancé Dilemma turns the typical “fake relationship” on its head, and was such a lovely way of approaching the story. Definitely a must read!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Elena's books are always so charming! Her personality shines through in every single one and they are always so fun to read.

I love this author. Her books are easy to read and very entertaining. This one was a little rough at the beginning because the premise was a little weird. Even after reading it, I don’t know why she said she was engaged…not really sure how it was going to fix things. That being said, one I accepted the engagement, I went with it and it was fun to read. I like how it took almost the whole book for them to figure things out because it caused some fun tension and stress!

The Fiance Dilemma follows Josie who has recently found out her father (who has been out of the picture) is a famous celebrity & is currently in a PR nightmare due to her previous 4 failed engagements that ended at the altar. Her sister's best friend, Matthew, happens to be walking by her house with this PR situation unfolds and he ends up agreeing to be her fake fiance.

I absolutely loved the banter between Josie and Matthew in this book, and the tension is incredible. I am such a huge fan of fake dating, and this is one of the best examples of that. Matthew is literally a golden retriever inside and out and I loved his character the most. The only thing I wish I had in this book was his POV, because I was DYING to know what was going on inside his head the entire time.

Thank you to Atria Books & NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Elena armas will never fail me. Her work to me is phenomenal and now that I got to read Matthew and Josie’s story I’m convinced I will never get married knowing Matthew Flanagan does not freakn exist. Like what am I supposed to do with my life now???
This story was hilarious, angsty, raw, and powerful. So heartfelt and will hit you in all the right places. I’m not getting over this anytime soon at all.

Rating: ★★★★
I have been a long-time fan of Elena Armas, and The Fiancé Dilemma is by far my favorite of her books! I loved it so much I cannot wait for all of you to read it. Elena once again brings us lovable main characters that you will immediately fall for, and luckily, we already know them!

We meet Josie, the mayor of Green Oaks, all around sunshine, and sister to Adalyn. When a recent article about their father put Josie’s four previous engagements in the spotlight, she was stuck in the middle of a PR nightmare. In walks Matthew, Adalyn’s best friend, who was recently fired from his job and moved to Green Oaks to hide out, with his sexy glasses, preppy looks, and charming personality. When, by mistake, Josie introduces Matthew as her fiancé, she finds herself engaged for a fifth time, and Matthew does not seem to mind playing along. Between planning sessions, long conversations, safe words, and tender moments, maybe fifth time is the charm for Josie?

One of my favorite things about this book was the tenderness and sweetness between Josie and Matthew. It felt like they found each other at the time they most needed each other and even though their relationship started as an accident, it never felt forced or fake. I really enjoyed getting to know them individually and together, which made me cheer for them even more!

The Fiance Dilemma is a follow on to the long game and is my absolute favorite Elena Armas book yet. This book features Josie and Matthew. Josie has recently found out she is Adalyns sister, and Matt is Adalyns best friend, who finds himself looking for a new start. He accidently ends up on Josie’s front step and before they know it has agreed to be Josie’s fake fiance.

I loved the character development of both characters and the ties to the long game! Highly recommend for anyone looking for a swoon worthy rom com.

Josie is minding her own business at home when she's bombarded by a PR nightmare. Her recently discovered and previously absent father turns out to be a business world celebrity, and her past four failed engagements don't look good. As luck would have it, her sister's best friend, Matthew, just happens to be waltzing up her driveway and somehow agrees to be her fake fiance in an attempt to make this go away. Well... It doesn't go away, and when gossip podcasts and paparazzi start to turn up, things get messy. Oh - and that fake relationship? It starts to feel pretty real...

💭 The cover? Adorable. The town? Super cute. The characters? Relatable. I love a good fake dating trope, and this did not disappoint. Josie has had some past struggles that have shaped who she is. She's not proud of her for failed engagements, but she's also a little afraid to fall in love. Enter matthew. Little does she know that he was destined to be the one, and he takes the time to show her that she's valuable. Did they take the PR stunt too far? Absolutely. Matthew's public declaration?? Swoon

Elena’s latest novel, The Fiance Dilemma, is the perfect feel-good love story we all need. The chemistry between Josie and Matthew is off the charts good. I loved that this was a follow-up to The Long Game, and we got to visit again with Adalyn and Cameron.

And really, our lead Matthew? Swoon worthy, perfect man material. Everything he says, everything he does. Protect him at all costs because that man will go to battle for you, wipe your tears away, and cause you to melt into the floor.

The feelings and emotions in this story were so relatable, and I’m so glad I got an early preview to indulge in. Love!!

Thank you to Netgalley and Atria Books for the ARC; all opinions are my own.

This is my second book by Elena Armas and it was fun, quirky, chaotic, and cute. Josie the fmc has been engaged 4 times always has a lot going on and drama follows her everywhere. Matthew the mmc is the FMC's sister's best friend and he runs into Josie and finds himself in a fake engagement. The fake engagement aspect was so quirky because of the fmc and sometimes I was like how far are they going to go in the wedding planning before they come clean about it lol. The romance was a slow-burn and the steamy scenes were done quite well. I wish there had been more with the character development, especially in the beginning. I think the mmc wasn't as developed as I would have liked. There were also pacing issues, especially in the first half but overall this is a pretty quick and decent romcom. Thank you Atria for the arc.

Read if you like:
- Fake engagement
- Small-town romance
- Rom-com's
- Slow burn

Thank you to Atria Books & NetGalley for the ARC. I have read all of Elena Armas’ books and I have a bit of a hard time with them. I keep chasing the love I had for the Spanish Love Deception but nothing she writes ever gets close for me. After reading the Long Game I really liked Matthew’s character but when I started this book I feel like we lost him and he was replaced with another character named Matthew. I feel that because Josie is a character that incessantly talked & is so quirky that Addison’s quick & witty best friend got overshadowed. I feel that her editors should have pushed for a dual POV because he shows up at her door and all of a sudden you are second guessing his motives. I think knowing about Matthew’s text thread with Addison about Josie and him completely and utterly in love from the jump WHILE Josie was needing him, and unsure about him would have been ten times more romantic to know his real intentions and feelings. Also, I get Addison has other things happening in her life but to have the dual POV of Matthew & Josie where Addison is within those POV’s communicating with both Josie & Matthew about the situation and if she would have been in on the scheme as a go between, knowing Matthew is completely in love, would have added some depth to the story. Anyway, as a positive her spicy scenes are good. I will give her that. Also I really did love Matthew’s character and just wish I could have heard from him. Josie was sweet but lord does she need A LOT of therapy. Even just agreeing to a fake engagement for a father she doesn’t know and having 4 broken engagements is wild. The girl needs help, I will keep reading her books though to hopefully get another Spanish Love Deception so the jokes on me.

Oh boy not only is Elena Armas a must read author for me but boy it boy does she knock it out the park every time I read one of her books. I absolutely adored this book and the follow up with the characters from The Long Game.Josie is the small town mayor of Green Oak, NC with four past fiancés behind her when Matthew (Josie’s sister best friend) moves to town after he get fired from his job in Chicago. This is a small town, fake engagement, he falls first romance that gives you all the warm fuzzies and leave you laughing along the way. I’m so beyond grateful for this ARC and devoured this book in one day.

I haven’t read Elena before and let me tell you she has a new fan! I loved everything about this! It has been a while since I’ve had a 5 star read! Thank you for letting me be part of the story!

This book was a fun read with some emotional moments. Runaway bride mixed with a fake fiancé.

Josie has just met her long lost father. Fast forward one year and she has only met him through video chat. Josie also has a history of being a runaway bride leaving a trail of broken hearts. Four to be exact. So when her father’s PR manager shows up on her doorstep while she is trying to remove one of her old engagement rings what is a girl to do but invent a fake fiancé. Who better to play the role? None other than her new sister’s best friend Matthew.

This story is told from Josie’s point of view. Matthew is a great character and is great at protecting Josie. He is patient with her and balances out her quirkiness.

I was frustrated at times when Josie would let everyone steamroll her. I really wanted her to act like an adult and stand up for herself.

Overall I thought this was a cute story. It had a lot of similarities to the runaway bride movie and there were chapters that i felt like ended abruptly. It almost felt like whiplash, something would happen and then you would end up two days later without actually knowing what the resolution was.

I also recommend reading the first story. I felt like I was missing pieces to the story.

Thank you Simon & Schuster LLC for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.