This book is a must-read for fans of small-town romance looking for a heartwarming story. Also, as someone whose childhood favorite was the movie “Runaway Bride,” reading this book was like coming back to that feeling of butterflies from my childhood.

I love how Elena Armas writes, very smoothly, consistently, and you just know that you won’t be disappointed. You don’t need to be nervous about finding unnecessary drama because it simply won’t be found.

We have everything in perfect proportions:
- He falls first
- Soulmates
- No third-act breakup
- Found family
- Sisters bond

Josie (FMC) is the sweetest girl in the world who has been wronged too many times by men, including her father. Matthew (MMC) is a direct blondie with hot looks who found himself in this new town to understand what life can give him.

They have their ups and downs throughout the book. Josie is learning that she can lean on him, and that he won’t leave her. Sometimes the trauma of the main heroes is hitting a little too close to home. I understood Josie so well and was immensely happy when she found peace and allowed Matthew to become a part of her life.

Overall, this book is a perfect mix of romance, community, self-discovery, sexual tension, and spice, making it a good small-town romance. Don’t forget about the precious comebacks of Adalyn alongside Cameron and I was so happy to know what awaits this couple in the near future.

I absolutely adore Elena Armas' writing style, her charming book covers, and especially her captivating characters! It was a delight to delve back into the Long Game universe where supporting characters like Josie - Adalyn's stepsister - and Matthew - Adalyn's writer bestie - got their own story. This is where we get to explore the romance between Josie and Matthew in more depth.

While this sequel may not be flawless, we are left wanting more insight into the reasons behind Josie's behavior, such as her issues with her father, trust, and abandonment that led her to become a Runaway Bride after four failed engagements. Additionally, I wished we had the chance to read Matthew's point of view earlier in the book, as he was a lovable character in Long Game. His supportive nature, rationality, and endearing friendship with a star crush on Cameron (reminiscent of a grumpy Roy Kent) made him a great book boyfriend. I would have liked to learn more about his thoughts and the qualities that made him so enchanting to his partner. Nevertheless, he remained caring, lovable, and charming throughout, never failing to impress the readers.

On the other hand, Josie, the sweet, girl-next-door with small-town charm, had already captured our hearts with her kindness, selflessness, and a blend of innocence and intelligence that made her a fighter. Both main characters were endearing, and the appearances of Grandpa Mo/Maurice in the chapters added a touch of humor and warmth to the story.

One of the highlights for me was the sizzling chemistry between Josie and Matthew, which added a fiery intensity to each chapter, making it a steamy and captivating read. Matthew Flanagan truly shines as a swoon-worthy character, and Elena Armas delivered a delightful story.

While this may not be a formal review, I felt compelled to share my thoughts. It's important to remember that reading preferences are subjective. Personally, I enjoy Elena Armas' works for their humor, charm, and a hint of cheesiness - exactly what I look for in a romcom!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the arc!

I didn’t love this book. The story felt too formulaic and the characters didn’t have much about them that I hadn’t seen in any other characters. There was nothing that made me really want to read more and follow their story to their happy ending.

4.5 stars

What can I say other than that I love Matthew?? He is one of the sweetest, most caring mmc’s I’ve read. He was so down bad for Josie and I loved all their interactions (Josie was also absolutely down bad for him). They were so clearly in love but kept trying to pretend it was all fake.
They had phenomenal chemistry and communication and I fell in love them more and more throughout the book.
The only reason this wasn’t a 5 star book for me was because there were a lot of time jumps where something that seemed important would happen at the end of the chapter but then the next one would pick up days later and not acknowledge it.
I also am personally not a huge mixed-media fan and a lot of this story was told through a transcript of a podcast which I didn’t love. But even if that’s also not your vibe don’t let this stop you from reading the book because the rest of it is just so sweet and fun.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria for the ARC!!

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria books for the ARC of this one. All opinions in my review are my own!

I've read all of Elena Armas' books so I was very excited to get a copy of this one. It was delightful from cover to cover. The book reminded me a lot of the Julia Roberts movie, Runaway Bride which was super fun from a nostalgic point of view. The main character, Josie had been engaged to be married 4 times and had never actually gone through with a wedding. She is the child of a single mom who passed away when she was a teenager and never knew her dad until he blew into her life as an adult bringing along a sister she never knew about. Her dad is a high powered and public name in Miami and when details of her multiple engagements get leaked to the press, she decides to think on her feet and pretend to be engaged to her sister's best friend. Matthew is just out of a job and crashing at his friend's house when he shows up in town to the chaos that is Josie's life. He agrees to team up with her and pretend to be engaged and in the process they start a very real relationship.

The banter is super fun and the characters are all so likeable. You'll love this one of you love authors like Emily Henry, Abby Jimenez and similar.

I would like to thank Atria Books eGalley and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!!

Oh wow I was so honoured to have received an ARC of this book I literally squealed🤭 this book was all kinds of adorable and heartfelt in all the right places🥺 Matthew was the sweetest man ever in this book and never EVER gave up on Josie no matter how hard she tried to push him away. I loved how he kept just being there.. and when she got a panic attack and all she asked for was him? He did not even hesitate to leave where he was to run to her to be there for her and hug and comfort her.. what started off as a fake engagement turned out to be something so beautiful for the both of them and I love LOVED reading this🥺 I enjoyed “The Long Game” so i knew this was also gonna be a good one🫶🏻

4/5 stars

i am speechless. i laughed, screamed, and couldn’t stop grinning through this whole book.

tropes:
- fake engagement
- small town romance
- witty banter
- no third act breakup (matthew’s a persistent one)
- wild child fmc (she’s so goofy)
- sisters best friend
- interconnect series

i can’t imagine a more perfect person for josie than matthew; he’s patient, deals with her crazy, is witty (and handsy), and just overall loving. i cannot articulate my feelings for this book, all i can say is you’ll love it. do not miss out on this book, it was unique and captivating.

between the funny side character’s, and the general chaos josie brings to the table, ‘The Fiance Dilemma’ is a witty small-town romance, that keeps readers captivated from page one.

josie is a bit of a train-wreck, she is funny, bubbly, and endlessly kind. matthew, is the right man at the right time, he is easy going, effortlessly funny, and pretty much here for the ride. from the beginning matthew seems infatuated with josie, and it’s clear he can’t seem to stay away from the girl covered in jam running down the driveway pretending they’re in love.

thank you Elena Armas and Atria Books for this ARC copy of ‘The Fiancé Dilemma’ in exchange for an honest review. I read this in two days, and could not put it down!

I loved "The Spanish Love Deception" and didn't love the last two novels that came after so I was about to give up on this author... however, I read this one and made a deal that if I didn't love this one, I was done with this author. Luckily, I can say, I really enjoyed this and absolutely love the color! So, I am 2/4 with this author.

I love a good fake dating trope and I absolutely adored the romance between Josie and Matthew. Matthew was a really good book boyfriend who was swoon-worthy obsessed with Josie.

YAY!! MORE ELENA ARMAS! While it took me some time to really get in to Armas' books, I was sold after reading an early copy of her last novel ("The Long Game"). I'm so excited to dive into this next novel and am confident I will love it just as much as I have its predecessors!

Ok Elena with the blonde male lead!! Blonde boys need love too 🫶🏻

Huge fan of Elena Armas, and I have enjoyed the heck out of everything she’s written so far. This book was no different, although the vibes were very different than all her other books so far for me. Think 90’s Runaway Bride, small town with a lot of heart aesthetic.

Our main FMC, Josie, has been engaged 4 (yes 4!) times throughout her life, and her recent connection to her uber rich and previously unknown father has become what her father’s publicist views as a “PR problem”. So how else to fix this problem, but of course to get engaged again! Sweet Josie panics and announces she’s engaged to none other than her sister’s best friend, Matthew.

Enter the best part of this book for me. Matthew was adorably protective and head over heels obsessed with Josie. And don’t we all love a man obsessed?? Also, the glasses 💯🫠 Would have loved more from Matthew’s perspective, as he was my favorite part of this book.

Fans of Elena Armas will definitely love this one!
Thanks to NetGalley and Atria for the ARC!

Within The Fiancé Dilemma author Elena Armas has written a town that is charming, characters that are intriguing, swoon-worthy and full of personality, and a storyline that is simply enjoyable. The Fiancé Dilemma will have you feeling a range of emotions and is a delightfully fun read for anyone who loves fake dating/engagement and an ol’ public relations cover up.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for an advanced copy of The Fiancé Dilemma in exchange for my honest review.

4 Stars With Elena Armas's newest novel, The Fiancé Dilemma, she cements her place as one of the queens of slow burn! I was seriously questioning when the spice would pick up and it felt like the author was edging the audience just for that first kiss lol

With four failed engagements behind her, Josie Moore's love life is a PR issue for her absentee father, who recently announced his retirement and revealed her existence to the world. As Josie's frantically searching for an answer to this issue, Matthew Flanagan, her sister Adalyn's best friend, comes walking up her driveway. Matthew is stuck--somewhat literally--and looking for a new start in life after losing his job and his car's tires getting trapped in the mud while entering the small town of Green Oak, North Carolina. Matthew had just grabbed his duffle bag and began wandering to find a place to stay when he comes across his best friend's sister, Josie, introducing him as her fiancé. After pleading her case, Josie and Matthew agree to an arrangement, where he'll play her doting fiancé. While the town of Greek Oak and the whole world are watching and believing that the fifth time's the charm, Josie cannot help but want this temporary arrangement to be real, just like her feelings for Matthew.

Josie was a great FMC and I felt like I could relate to her despite never having been in her situation before. She's a sweet, girl-next-door type, while also being incredible awkward and anxious at times (the latter of which I definitely relate to). She starts off a bit naïve, though well-meaning, and throughout the book, we really see her confidence in herself grow and she fights her own battles. I wish we had seen more of Matthew's POV before the last chapter. It was so obvious that he was head over heels in love with Josie from the start and would do anything to help her. I would've loved to have heard more about how he fell in love with her or his inner thoughts when Josie would allude to them pretending to be in love. Overall, I liked Josie and Matthew's story more than Adalyn and Cameron's in The Long Game and I'd love to get some more stories from this small town!

Thank you to Elena Armas, Atria Books, and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

I really enjoy Elena Armas's books (ahem Spanish Love Deception) and I squealed when I was granted this ARC. Josie is our female protagonist who just lost her mom and recently got in contact with her long-lost dad, who turns out to be a huge public figure in Miami. Unfortunately, Josie's romance history somehow places her dad in a bad light, and she starts a fake relationship with Matthew to fix her and her dad's images. Matthew is a sweetie who just goes along with Josie's plan.

Tropes:
Fake Relationship/Relationship of Convenience
Sibling's Best Friend

The beginning of the book definitely moves fast. I was expecting some background/context on Matthew, but he literally appears out of nowhere and I found it weird that Josie didn't ask any questions about his sudden presence before the concept of a fake engagement is brought up. But THE TENSION between them! I was yelling at them to kiss for real already. I really liked Matthew's character, especially during the wedding dress scene. There's a lot of yearning involved, which I love. I think Matthew and Josie work so well together and Matthew does a good job of being there for Josie when she's feeling overwhelmed and putting her first in his life. They also had a lot of great steamy scenes.

Feat. a lot of appearances of Adalyn and Cam as part of The Long Game universe. Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

“𝘼𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩’𝙨 𝙗𝙚𝙘𝙖𝙪𝙨𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪’𝙧𝙚 𝙞𝙣 𝙞𝙩. 𝙏𝙝𝙖𝙩’𝙨 𝙗𝙚𝙘𝙖𝙪𝙨𝙚 𝙞𝙩’𝙨 𝙮𝙤𝙪. 𝙊𝙣𝙡𝙮 𝙮𝙤𝙪. 𝙄 𝙙𝙤𝙣’𝙩 𝙘𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙖𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙨𝙩𝙨 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙄 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪.”

Josie lives her whole life in Green Oaks. Sure, she is the mayor of the small town and the proud coffee shop owner of Josie’s, she’d never thought that her dad is THE Andrew Underwood, until now. With the news outbreak, Josie’s life is turned upside down, with gossips sites digging into her past. From an accidental encounter to a fake engagement, Josie and Matthew acted like they’re in love to fix her public image. How bad could it possibly be? There’s no feeling involved anyway.

💜accidental fake dating / engagement
💜rich daddy finally wakes up
💜grumpy yet sweet and blonde MMC (Blondie hero yes ma’am)
💜likeable and sweet FMC with troubled past
💜grumpy grandpa
💜sister’s best friend ＆ best friend’s sister

“𝙄 . . . 𝙄 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙙 𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙤𝙛 𝙝𝙞𝙢. 𝙄’𝙙 𝙛𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙣 𝙞𝙣 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙈𝙖𝙩𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙬. 𝘼𝙣𝙙 𝙄 𝙙𝙞𝙙𝙣’𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙠 𝙞𝙩 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙣𝙚𝙬, 𝙗𝙤𝙧𝙣 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙢𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩. 𝙄 𝙠𝙣𝙚𝙬 𝙄 𝙖𝙡𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙮 𝙝𝙖𝙙 𝙗𝙚𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙝𝙞𝙢 𝙪𝙥𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙞𝙧𝙨.”

My love for Elena and everything she wrote is eternal. She is my favourite author since I read The American Roommate Experiment last year. Her book has a sense of humour and trigger lots of emotions inside me.

This book made me scream and cry and smile and I never wanted it to end cuz it’s just perfect 💜😭 Mathew is my new fave book bf and nobody’s gonna change my mind abt it

Thank you Elena, Atria, and NetGalley for the e-arc

Extra Extra thanks and love to Elena for this book and hearing me screaming and crying about this book. I love you so damn much 🥺🥺

Small town girl Josie has been engaged four times - to a famous athlete, a barista, a politician, and a yogi. Her estranged father is a wealthy man who doesn’t want the negative press Josie’s multiple broken off engagements may bring. So naturally Josie decides to get fake engaged to the first man she sees while talking to her new PR specialist. Luckily for Josie, that man is her half-sister’s best friend, Matthew. Matthew reluctantly agrees to this fake engagement and they manage to convince everyone they know that they have been secretly dating and are in love.

While I love reading romance novels, I did not enjoy reading this. The premise is a lot to take in and run with (though an outlandish premise is delightful when handled well) and the characters have no depth. The conversations have a rapid-fire/chaotic/nonsensical energy and there is a lot of frantic inner monologue. It tries very hard to be cute and whimsical but I found it to be too forced and also unrealistic (and not in a fun way).

While it was not my cup of tea I'm sure many others will have fun reading this, especially if they adore the author's previous works.

I appreciate the opportunity to read a copy - thank you Atria and NetGalley.

i don’t think i have access to enough words in the english language to describe how i feel about this book.. but lets see if i can try

so much about this book had me intrigued, and i had always heard the most wonderful things about elena armas so when i got the netgalley email with this arc i SQUEALED at it.

matthew and josie’s story was chaos from the start but for two chaotic people, it made SO much sense. between their set rules, the trust between the two, and the feelings woven so deeply it was the MOST fun watching them figure their story out.

and now i know everyone loves a man written by a woman but when i tell you matthew flanagan is THE man.. i mean it wholeheartedly. it’s something so important to have a story where the characters feel so relatable and Real and both matthew and josie were that.

i can’t wait for this one to be out in the world so i can get my hands on the physical copy and for everyone to love josie and matthew as much as i did!!!!

thank you to netgalley and atria for this arc!!!

As soon as I saw the plot for this book I thought it would be like Runaway Bride so immediately had extremely high expectations, and it did not disappoint! This was such a cute and fun read that read just like a 90s/2000s Rom-Com! You almost instantly root for Matt and Josie as the plot takes off quickly from the first chapter. I couldn't put this book down and will definitely be rereading it.

First of all, I love Elena Armas’ writing style, her adorable book covers, and mostly her engaging characters! I also enjoyed revisiting the Long Game universe where supporting characters Josie—Adalyn’s stepsister—and Matthew—Adalyn’s writer bestie—earned their own book. That’s where we find ourselves taking a closer look at the romance story of Josie and Matthew.

I know this sequel is not perfect. We don’t learn much about the reasons that only explained as ghosting dad, trust, and abandonment issues turned Josie into a Julia Roberts-style Runaway Bride after four broken engagements. I also wanted to read the POV of Matthew, which we didn’t have a chance to until the last chapter. I liked him in Long Game: he’s supportive, reasonable, and a goofy best friend with his star crush on Cameron (a kind of grumpy Roy Kent), and I wish I learned more about his thoughts, what qualities turned him into a great book boyfriend who creates magic to enchant his lover. But I can honestly say he’s caring, so much lovable, charming as hell from the beginning, never disappointing the readers.

And sweet, girl-next-door, small-town beauty Josie already stole our hearts with her kindness, putting other people first, a little naive but also smart enough to fight her own battles.

I loved both main characters. I also guffawed each time Grandpa Mo/Maurice appeared in chapters, who was so far one of the greatest supporting characters in the romance world.

The other thing I enjoyed is the spice level of the novel. Josie and Matthew’s chemistry hits the roof, putting each chapter into flames, pant-melting, intense, hyperventilating, and extremely hot as hell.

As you remember from the first book, Josie Moore gets shocked after finding out the identity of her father Andrew, who is a sports mogul owning a Miami football team, who is also secretly funding their small town in NC for years. In the opening of the book, poor Josie decides to try on her old engagement ring and cannot take it out, putting strawberry jam to lubricate it, cutting her hand, and at this humiliating moment, her house door keeps banging by Bobbi Shark, the vicious PR woman who wants to save the face of her famous father, criticizing her four broken engagements as a PR crisis! Another person appears out of nowhere in the garden, Matthew Flanagan, who is covered in mud, leaving his car in a hole that is stuck. He doesn’t even recognize the woman in a bathrobe, covered in strawberry jam running toward his way to welcome her fifth fiancé! Yes, Josie only met Matthew from Zoom calls and WhatsApp group messages who planned to move to their town till he gathers himself to look for jobs, taking a break from Chicago life as a freelance writer. When Bobbi sees her stuck ring and assumes she’s engaged again, seeing this as a solution for the PR crisis, Josie acts like Matthew is her new fiancé and poor guy is too nice to play along, still in shock from his car incident, having no idea what he’s getting involved.

But when Bobbi starts acting like a wedding planner to push them to marry in two months and the entire town roots for the fifth time as a charm, Josie and Matthew are forced to pretend as a couple who want to get happily married.

Two famous podcasters’ nonstop gossiping and digging into her past relationships of Josie and her father Andrew’s decision to not only cover the entire wedding expenses but also surprise visiting alongside a Time Reporter who mentioned Josie as “Andrew’s misstep” make things more complicated.

In the heat of commotion, Josie and Matthew get a little closer with their palpable chemistry that grows each day and the line between pretending and reality getting closer. Josie realizes she has feelings for this man but what if her feelings are unrequited, what if his deadline to leave the town gets closer? And what if he feels the same but she’s too afraid of walking that aisle and runs away for the fifth time?

Well, I’m rounding up 4.5 stars to 5 even though I still needed the POV of Matthew. I loved the main characters and the amazing chemistry which pushed me to grade this book higher, and of course, I’m a big fan of the author. I loved Josie and Matthew’s dynamics more than Adalyn and Cameron.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for sharing this one of the most anticipated romance novel’s digital reviewer copy with me that I highly appreciate.

Elena Armas, I love you.

I've been a fan of Elena Armas since she first released 'The Spanish Love Deception.' I even have the indie copy of 'TSLD,' that's how long I've been a fan. This is important to note because I've been here throughout her entire journey with published novels, which means I can see how much she's grown at a writer and can still gush about how her books keep getting better and better.

'The Fiance Dilemma' is the second book in a duopoly with the first being 'The Long Game,' which I have also reviewed. Josie is Adalyn's half-sister and Matthew is Adalyn's best friend. While the two never met in person in 'TLG,' they were introduced over the phone. Y'all are not ready for all the tension that pops up.

One thing I loved about this book is how fast paced it is. Chapter 1 starts off strong and leads us right into the drama. It was so fun, and I was instantly hooked.

The characters are once again absolutely amazing. We get cameos from Adalyn and Cameron (swoon) along with some of the other side characters from 'TLG.' Josie and Matthew really stole the show. They had amazing chemistry and constantly made me giggle into my pillow. I loved watching their relationship develop, but even more I appreciated how the characters worked through their respective baggage together. They were always there for each other (I have not been able to stop thinking about a certain SOS message) which made their relationship all the more convincing, even when they were 'faking' it.

The plot was well paced and fun. We jump right into the action and stay there until the very end. If I hadn't started this book so late at night I could've read it in one sitting. (I did attempt to read it all in one sitting anyway but the human body is too weak). There was a good balance between the romance and the subplots, which is something I always appreciate. While I've never watched the movie the plot of 'TFD' is reminiscent of 'Runaway Bride,' aka the 90s movie with Julia Roberts.

In short, this is another stunning release from Elena Armas. She constantly raises the bar for her writing and shows improvement with every chapter. Her characters jump off the page, and the plot drags you in. I will be thinking about Matthew for the next 3-5 business days.

I recommend this book to fans of 90s rom coms, people looking for deep emotional connections in their romance novels, and anyone who finds men in glasses attractive. Also everyone else but this is a good list to get started.

Thank you to the publisher for the e-copy. I am already (impatiently) waiting for her next release.

I’m not a huge fan of her writing style. The first chapter felt like she’d matured, but we slipped back in two and three, so I stopped reading (10%). While it’s not personally for me, I can see this being an easy 3 to 4 stars for her fans, 5 stars for the right readers.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria for the ARC.