This was giving 2024 small town, meets social media, meets runaway bride.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Ohhhh Matthew 🫠🥵 I’ve added a new book boyfriends (and he is blonde!!! 😱) The slow burn for this was deliciously torturous 🔥 The wine tasting, the butcher shop, the real first kiss 🤯

If you love:
🌸Fake Engagement
🌸Second chance
🌸SLOWWW burn
🌸Sisters best friend
🌸Small town
🌸Newfound family

Give this one a try!

This was a full cast of lovable (and not so lovable characters.) I envision her estranged father (who has now popped back into her life) to look like Chuck Bass’s dad.

A classic Romcom that just hit the spot 🌸

#fiancedilemma #elenaarmas #romcom #romcombooks #bookreview #arcreview #arcreviewer #booklover #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #booksta #bookish #atriabooks #simonandschuster #netgalley

This was so good.

The side characters. The setting. Everything about this was so enjoyable.

Can we talk about Matthew? I am a sucker for a MMC that wears glasses 😂 and one that has a dirty mouth is 🔥

His and Josie’s chemistry was so electric. I loved how he helped her grow and see her worth. And she was just flat out funny. I loved how awkward she was.

Another hit from Elena Armas (even though slightly too long)

thank you Atria, Goodreads, and NetGalley for the digital and paperback ARC's.

I like how close Adalyn and Josie were the entire time, and how much they cared about each other's feelings. I'm obsessed with how Josie and Matt's story progressed, and the way that they eventually caved and professed their love towards each other. It took me a long time to finish this book because I genuinely didn't want it to end, I'm sad that it's over now. I hope book five is in the works, I need more of Elena's writing in my life.

I’m so glad I read this even though the author’s past releases haven’t been the best for me since The Spanish Love Deception. However, this book brought back all the feelings I felt during her debut. The Fiancé Dilemma is wildly different, of course aside from the fake dating, but I was so enjoyable. I was just what I needed during a book slump.

The characters are so fun to read about, and honestly the whole romance was top tier. I had a hard time figuring out why I was having such a hard time getting into romances recently, but now that I read this, I know I needed some lighthearted fun with characters I could relate to and swoon over.

The pacing was wonderful and but the third act, I knew that this was five stars.

Welcome back to Green Oak! I knew for a minute they popped up in The Long Gam that Matthew and Josie would be the main couple in the next book. As always Elena Armas writes delightful banter between our couples. That’s what keeps me coming back to her books. Quick summary – Josie, who’s been previously engaged four times is now pretending to be engaged to Matthew in her attempt to reconcile with her long lost father. I have to say the only thing I didn’t like about this book was the emphasis on Josie‘s father, considering he was an absolute jerk to her her whole life. He didn’t deserve any of her care. But I did like how the shenanigans brought Josie and Matthew together!

Thank you #netgalley and Atria for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Absolutely loved it! Such a cute story! I was giggling so much! The story was very interesting and I loved the characters. I could hardly put it down

I love love loved this book it was such a great read I thoroughly enjoyed it very much!! such an awesome read!!

Thank you so much for this wonderful book! I loved Josie and Matthew story!! The book was so good I couldn’t put it down! I enjoyed every chapter, the characters were amazing and very transparent. They felt so real. Josie and Matthew truly have my heart! I have to confess I have read TSLD and TARE but I haven’t read The long game so all the characters were new for me. But I have to say that I ended up loving Cam and Adalyn too. This whole town was so cozy and peaceful, I could live there, I really would laugh at every gossip in town.
Josie and Matthew are beautiful together I love them so much! I knew it from the beginning that they would have a beautiful love story. I am so excited for Elena’s next book! I’m already excited cause I love her books and her beautiful characters <3 this book was truly amazing. So thank you again for providing it for me!!!

The Fiancé Dilemma (Book #2 The Long Game)

By Elena Armas-an auto-buy author for me

📅Publication 7-30-24, Read 7-29-24

📄E-book 428 pgs.

🙏🏾Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for this ARC💛 ! I voluntarily give an honest review and all opinions expressed are my own.

Genre: Contemporary Romance, Rom-Com, Adult/Women's Fic

Tropes: fake engagement, small town, slow burn, sister's BFF, found family

🌎Setting: Green Oak, NC

Summary: Josephine "Josie" Moore is the voluntarily mayor of Green Oak, NC, but she's most known for her four failed engagements. Her estranged father Andrew Underwood, a multimillionaire business mogul, announces his retirement via a magazine piece about his family, His PR strategist Bobbi Shark comes to visit Josie to clean up her romantic failures, but she mistakes Matthew Flanagan as Josie's fiancé 5#.

Matthew Flanagan is Josie's sister Adalyn BFF. He has just been fired from his job and wrecks his car in Green Oak, North Carolina. Looking for a place to stay, he's drawn into Josie's drama.

A misunderstanding turned into an arrangement, Matthew agrees to be Josie's temporary fiancé , but as they grow closer will they be able to break things off so easily?

🤔My Thoughts: I loved the interactions between Josie, Matthew, and Bobbi-the no nonsense executive hired by Andrew to manage Josie's wedding. Josie told Matthew about the other grooms-to-be and what went wrong, while Matthew kept his job a secret. Josie had daddy issues, but she just wanted someone to care about her. Her mother died when she was 17 and she was raised by Grandpa Moe-not her real grandfather-but close enough. After about 200 pages things go on a weird tangent with a rooster named Sebastian Stan, a Josie/Matthew deli hook-up, and advice from 11-year-old Maria -a random guest at her rehearsal dinner. The story really lost me there because things could have been resolved around the 200-250 page mark. I didn't see why Josie was so worried about embarrassing her father who hasn't reached out to her. His involvement with her was only to keep his reputation intact.

Rating: 3.5/5 ⭐⭐⭐

3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

I don’t remember being a Josie fan in The Long Game but I can say for sure I was not a Josie fan at the beginning of The Fiancé Dilemma. I know she is supposed to be charming in a messy way but I’m just not a fan. Andrew is completely awful but there wouldn’t be a story without him so he’s a necessary evil.

Matthew really confused me for most of the book. He was very (reasonably) reluctant to go with Josie’s crazy scheme but somewhere along the way he’s all in. This arc was redeemed by the end but it left me skeptical most the journey. I know this is typical of the genre to stretch realism which is why I tried not to be overly skeptical.

This is a pretty good take on a runaway bride story. Some of it is over the top but there’s plenty of warm and fuzziness to make up for it.

💍 The Fiancé Dilemma 💍

What a delightful fake engagement adventure!

Josie finds herself the target of reality podcasts for being her famous father’s “misstep” - the “small town heiress” who has been engaged four times but never made it down the aisle. When her dad’s PR manager shows up to do damage control, Josie ends up accidentally engaged to her sister’s best friend, Matthew.. Matthew agrees to the charade, which is only fake for so long.

I absolutely adore fake dating! This one was no exception. A follow up to Adalyn and Cam’s story in The Long Game, this one could be read as a standalone but I recommend reading The Long Game first! While The Long Game was a slower burn, this one definitely heats up faster.

Check this one out for:
💍 Fake engagement
💍 Small town romance
💍 Siblings best friend
💍 Social media fame
💍 Hilarious Grandpa antics

Thank you to Atria books for the ARC! My opinions are my own.

the fiancé dilemma was a cute book by a great author! matthew and josie were great for each other and i'm glad i had the chance to read their story and how they grew together.

*thank you Netgalley and Atria Books for the ARC which i honestly reviewed

I was lucky enough to win an ARC of this baby and I am so thankful because this was amazing! As I knew it would be, it is Elena Armas after all.
 
Elena is one of the best romance authors out there. I have thoroughly adored all of her books, but this one was my favorite!
 
In The Long Game, I absolutely loved Josie, and when I found out she was getting a book, I was ecstatic! And the best thing is that it was so much more than I hoped for.
 
Josie and Matthew’s connection was so beautiful and pure to experience. Elena has done it yet again! I love this story endlessly. Now, I’m not really into slow burns, but this was an exception. Seeing the romance blossom between these two was so fun and had me giddy the whole time! The way Matthew just gets Josie on a deep level made this romance all the more special. And the tension!!! Don’t get me started.
 
I enjoyed every bit of this book, but the townsfolk especially! The community was entirely hilarious, and I just ate up every scene they were in.
 
I can’t wait to see what Elena has in store for us next!
 
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC! I am beyond grateful.

Goodies:
* Best friends sister
* Gossipy townsfolk
* Small town
* Engagement of convenience
* Sunshine FMC
* Laugh-out-loud funny
* Slow burn

I loved Josie and Mathew’s love story. I’m a big fan of the man falls first. Mathew helps her with her abandonment issues . A modern day runaway bride , Josie crates a fake engagement that Mathew goes along with. Having had known each other through group texts there was already a familiarity there. I really enjoyed this story and I’m going to read their backstory in the Long Game, Adelyn and Cam’s story! Thank you to NetGalley for this free advanced copy. I’m leaving this review voluntarily

Thank you Netgalley and Simon & Schuster for the ARC of The fiancé dilemma, by Elena Armas.
So, this was for me the case of "it´s not you, it´s me"...At firts, I couldn´t connect with Josie, I´ve find other characters a little bit of enoying.
Still, I´ve keep reading it at a very low pace and I´ve started to like it. Sadly, it´s a little bit to late, cause, tomorrow it´s PUB day.
I´m gonna give it another try and write a review on Goodreads, I don´t want this book on my DNF list of the year.
I´m very sorry, it just wasn´t a good timing for now.

This is the second book in this small town series, with The Long Game as the first. While you don't need to read the first in order to enjoy the second, it is fun to know who the side characters are as they pop up.

Josie finds out the identity of her father, a famous sports team owner, which causes a social media swarm. A PR agent comes to her small town and questions Josie about her life and the fact that she has been engaged four times in the past. Matthew gets caught up in it and Josie and him end up with a fake engagement on their hands. We spend the majority of the book with talks of Josie's past, wedding planning, and the building relationship between Josie and Matthew in this picturesque small town.

Elena Armas always has the cutest characters (and side animal characters Pedro Pigscal and goat yoga) Her books always have a SLOW burn, so keep that in mind! Her writing style flows easily. What didn't work for me as much was the dual sunshine personalities and the fact that Josie let the PR agent and her father walk all over her. I also wished for Matthew's POV, I think it would have added more to building their relationship! Check this out if you're an Elena Armas fan looking for your next summer romance.

Thank you NetGalley, Atria Books, and the author for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review

Thank you @atriabooks for the digital advanced copy!

This was my first book by Elena Armas but it won’t be my last, especially since characters from The Long Game are mentioned, which made me want to read their story, too!

It took me a few chapters to get into this book; at first it felt a bit rushed, and the “PR nightmare” that leads to a fake engagement didn’t feel like that big of a deal. I was like… “this is a lot of uproar over nothing.” But then again, I’m not an influential billionaire with a reputation to uphold.

But that aside, before long I found myself really enjoying Josie and Matthew’s story and the rest of Green Oak’s residents (especially Grandpa Moe! I love a curmudgeon). And yay for a blond MMC! — towheads deserve love too 😊.

The way Matthew looks after, and becomes protective of Josie is heart-melting. He knows how to turn up the heat, but he’s also sweet. I loved his search for the perfect pet-name, as well as his gestures — like baking her an apple pie (What can I say? Food is a love language).

“But no one never bakes for me.”
“I do.”

Josie’s character is somewhat chaotic in a good way, and although I felt like there were instances where she was a bit *too* flighty — on par for someone who ended four engagements though — I found her funny and likable.

ahhhhhh i’m obsessed with them!!!!!!!!!

this is the best book elena armas has written. i am in love with this world and these characters and everything. i love a marriage of convince and she did it sooo well.

i will continue to read and buy everything armas writes, especially if any of it even remotely compares to this.

thank you netgalley and atria for the advanced copy of this book!

This book is funny, sexy, and has great banter. It also tackles some serious subjects while remaining light hearted. It was a bit too long, otherwise I was charmed.

Highly recommend and can't wait for more from this author.

Josie Moore’s five failed engagements, including her absentee father, complicate her love life. When her dad's retirement becomes a public affair, she’s forced into a fake engagement with Matthew Flanagan, her sister’s best friend. Stranded in Green Oak, he becomes her temporary fiancé, turning her romantic history into a small-town spectacle.

I went into this sqeaking about the plot. I mean, a naturally sweet-natured glasses wearing man forced to wed the perky small town mayor? Let the giggling and feet kicking begin. But this one didn’t quite capture my attention the way I hoped.

☺️What I adored:
-his sexy glasses
-he knows how to make a girl feel special + protected
-no third act breakup
-podcast that I swear is literally @thetoast

🫤What I scrunched my nose at:
-the slowest of burns that somehow made their romantic tension feel like it came out of nowhere
-Matthew felt fake (I know, I know, all book boyfriends are fake. But I felt the exaggeration while reading)
-daddy issues drama (I wish it had come from the small town shenanigans of her being a mayor)

I really enjoyed The Spanish Love Deception, but her writing since then has felt flat. If you’re looking for a lengthy romcom filled with lighthearted cliches and a golden retriever man who knows what she wants to hear, you’ll enjoy this spin on fake-dating.

Thank you @atriabooks @netgalley for the eARC 💖#netgalley

Perfect for you if you like:
Soft male leads that are ruggedly protective
Family drama
Perky, small town settings
He falls first and HARDER

Similar to:
Love You, Mean It by Jilly Gagnon
Lovelight Farms by B.K. Borison
The Game Changer by Lana Ferguson

⛔️chapters 14, 20, 23 & 25 contain explicit romance scenes (open door)
⚠️explicit language, father abandonment, ending of previous engagements