This swoony fake engagement, dual POV Runaway Bride reimagined romance grew on me as I got to know Josie and Matthew better. Josie was scared to take the plunge and has left four other fiances at the alter and then her absentee father reaches out through his PR person who mistakenly assumes she's engaged again.

Enter Matthew, the hapless man who gets roped into playing Josie's fake fiance but ends up falling hard for her and helping her see that she deserves to be loved for who she is. Matthew was TOP NOTCH book boyfriend material and I ADORED him!!

This was also excellent on audio narrated by one of my very favs, Brittany Pressley and Zachary Webber. It also featured great cameos featuring Josie's pregnant half sister and her new husband who starred in The long shot and has a heartwarming father-daughter reconciliation moment.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy and Simon.Audio for a complimentary ALC in exchange for my honest review! I really enjoyed this latest from Elena Armas and highly recommend the audiobook experience!

Steam level: open door

I absolutely loved the first book in the series, The Long Game was very excited for this book about some of the same characters! The story follows Josie as she gets wrapped up Into a situation with her dad, a big deal in Miami. A PR rep comes out for damage control, all the while she begins to fall in love with her sister's friend Matthew she has lied about being engaged to. There were "Hallmark" style moments, and moments that held you on the edge of your seat. It really was a perfect summer read. getting you wrapped in quickly and needing to know how it all turns out. I highly recommend it!

I am a fan of Elana Armas's books. She does romance well - and it is always a slow burn. I found myself absorbed in the story, the characters, and the writing. I was fully invested in the love story, the family drama, the small town warmth and the personal story. I enjoyed the serial engagement breaker ends up in a fake engagement - that turns into a very slow burn story. I loved the shy guy and the social butterfly female characters - their dynamic was hot and the chemistry was clear from day 1. I liked how podcasts and social media were tied into the story - that those connected to the rich and famous can't really hide. I found this to be a really well done, cute read. My only complaint is that it was very long and could have probably been about 50ish pages shorter.

Thank you Netgalley for my advanced reader copy.

I've read every Elena Armas book that has been published, so I was excited to get this ARC. However, I could only make it through 15% of the book. I was intrigued by the plot, but the plot was too slow for me- it took me like 3 months to get through what I read, and I just couldn't get into it. It could have been better if it was more fast-paced at the beginning, because it lost me and unfortunately could not keep reading.

This book totally gave me New Girl/90s/2000s romcom vibes! Josie is super quirky and just simply adorable, and Matthew is just the sweetest guy.

📖 The Fiancé Dilemma
📝 Elena Armas
🗓️ 07/30/2024
💜 contemporary romance
📱 read on kindle (arc)
📚 book 2 • The Long Game series

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨
🌶️🌶️

💭 overall thoughts:
This was adorable! It took me some time to get into at first, I had to adjust to the way Josie thinks 😅 she’s hilarious and her thoughts are so charmingly odd.

I would have LOVED Matthew’s pov, though it wasn’t too difficult to be able to tell what he was thinking… I just would have enjoyed reading more of his thoughts, especially on Josie, in each moment.

This book is totally a slow burn with LOTS of foreplay, there was so much tension between Josie & Matthew, though she was delightfully oblivious for a lot of it 🙃

tropes + topics:
💍 fake fiancé
💙 he falls first
🔗 forced proximity
💖 sister’s best friend
🌳 small town
☀️ sunshine x sunshine
💞 soulmate
🐢 slow burn
🙅🏻‍♀️ no 3rd act breakup
💜 single 1st person pov

Thank you to Atria Books & NetGalley for an advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

First thank you to Atria books and NetGalley for an advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review.

Synopsis: Josie has had her share of engagements in the past but never made it to the alter. When her father announced his retirement, she realizes that she is a pr issue for her father. When matthew comes to town to visit his best friend, he finds out that he is the fiancée of his best friends sister. Will the fifth time be the charm?

What I liked: when I read the long game, I really like Josie and she was my favorite character. She was a free spirit but own her own business and provided sound advice. She was quirky but fun. I felt like I didn’t really recognize Josie in this book. I miss her quirks and strong independent streak. I felt like the miscommunications and parody of the small town didn’t work this time. It was more annoying this time. I felt like the chemistry between Matthew and Josie wasn’t there and was never fully invested in their story.

I just think this author is not for me.

Was looking for a light read. This was definitely that, the plot was meh. There was not a lot of substance.

Thank you to Netgalley and Atria Books for the ARC.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4/5 stars

The next book set in Green Oak, North Carolina is just as adorable as The Long Game. This story follows Josie and Matthew who find themselves fake engaged after Josie learns that her romantic history isn’t great PR for her no-longer-absentee father. Will the two fall in love for real?

Absolutely adorable and excellent on audio. I loved Josie and Matthew’s chemistry and the setting of Green Oaks. I would take all the books set in this town.

ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

SO GOOD. I am always in to read about desperate pining and intense emotions and people who have more self-control than I do, and that's exactly Josie and Matthew. The only downside of this book is that it's only Josie's perspective and I would do really bad things to read more of Matthew's, but even that wasn't enough for me to give this anything less than five stars.

Matthew arrives at just the right time to be Josie's fake fiance - her newfound father Andrew has sent a PR monster (literally named Shark) to clean up Josie's history and put spin on the building of their relationship. He's by her side - both as her sister's best friend and also because is SO OBVIOUSLY INTO HER and she takes SO LONG to see it. Matthew has such spine and is not afraid to stand up and it's one of the things that I really loved about it. Josie is kind but gets some more steel as she starts to set boundaries for her own life and needs.

I laughed out loud, I teared up, and this was not a predictable book which is always impressive in the romance genre (much as I also adore the predictable moments and dynamics) - this was so much fun, and I want more stories from Green Oak!

Elena also gets points in my book for the Boston accent attention. It's sexy. I will accept no disagreement.

Also, oddly, I would read Bobbi Shark's romance too.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the eARC.

Meh. Maybe I've done too many romances lately but this just... wasn't for me. I struggled to finish it.

I was not a huge fan of this story. It was hard to follow at times. I had to really fight and push to finish this book.

Solid 4 ⭐️

I was a little skeptical going into this book because even though I liked Armas' last few books they didn't have the same spark that The Spanish Love Deception had. I was pleasantly surprised with this book and really enjoyed it! I loved the dynamic between Matthew and Josie, they were my favorite characters from The Long Game, (even more so than the MCs) so I'm glad their personalities shined through in this book. Josie is a ball of sunshine and that made this much more enjoyable to read as this is story is predominantly in her POV.

This Fiancé Dilemma has many of my favorite tropes:
💍 Fake Dating
💍 Sister's best friend
💍 Small town
💍 Forced proximity
💍 Slow burn...I mean it, SLOW burn
💍 No third act break-up! I repeat NO THIRD ACT BREAKUP! 💕

Even though while reading this I could predict which way things were going to go, I really enjoyed this read. Sometimes you just want a sweet romance without too much angst and this one hit just right for me. There's nothing ground breaking here, and even though TSLD is still my favorite from Armas, I can definitely recommend this book for anyone looking to read a sweet, small town romance with an FMC you can actually get behind and enjoy spending a whole book in their head.

2/5 🌶️ , 2-3 open door scenes

Thank you to Elena Armas, Net Galley, and Atria books for this early eARC copy for review in exchange for an honest review.

Well, well well... Can Matthew be my new book boyfriend? This was a perfect summer read with great characters, lots of laughable and sweet moments, and a few blushable ones too! 😊 I adored Josie with all her quirkiness, and rooted for her the whole way! I may not have read the long game yet (the first book in this series) but it's definitely going on my list!

Thank you to Netgalley and Atria Books for the eARC of this book.

4.5 ⭐️

- fake dating (engagement)
- found family
- sister's best friend
- small town
- anxiety rep
- no third act breakup
- 🌶: 3


First, I need it to be known that I squealed when I was approved for this arc!!! I loved The Long Game (4.5 ⭐️) and was SO excited to read Josie's story. I enjoyed this book just as much, maybe even a little more. This was a cute, emotional, hot, and heartfelt story. I heavily related to Josie, her anxiety, and how her brain spiraled (and focusing on helping others out over herself). Seeing how Matthew helped navigate that was like my dreams on paper tbh. I ATE MATTHEW UPPP!!!!!!!! THIS MAN! The way I was having real reactions to the things coming out of his mouth. Truly a fictional man written by a woman. Matthew Flanagan > Aaron Blackford-just saying. The deli scene.....yeah.

I will say that sometimes there were weird time jumps. A chapter would end in what felt like the middle or beginning of one scene and the next chapter starts in a totally different one. It would interrupt the flow for me from time to time. I also LOVED Grandpa Moe, but I feel like I wanted him to have a little *moment* at the end that never came. I'm forever wishing this was dual pov.....because if you haven't figured it out by now, I am obsessed with Matthew.

Thank You NetGalley for the ARC 💓

Once again, the fake dating trope gets me again Matthew and Josie might be one of my favorite couples yet. The way Matthew shows Josie how much he loves and supports her is just perfection. I love that he is willing to let her take the reins in all aspects of their relationship and always gives her an out if she needs it. I hated Andrew and the role he played in this book. But I guess without him, this book wouldn’t have existed. I really enjoyed this much more than The Long Game as well.


Thank you to NetGalley and Atria books for this eARC

Holy bananas! The chemistry between the MCs in this book is delicious! I adore Matthew so hard. Ugh. Josie is the idea you have for a best friend. A very sweet, thoughtful, problem solving overachiever. I loved them together.

We get to see Addalyn and Cameron again, which was so fun. Josie and Addalyn's father, Andrew, joins the group in a new way. I think Grandpa Moe is the best side character I've read in a while. He's hilarious.

The book was a fast-paced, easy read. There was a very slow burn that had a few moments of what we needed only to keep slow burning. Lol I enjoyed the story. The small town atmosphere and the tropes were some of my favorites. I highly recommend this feel-good romance!

I requested this book while reading The Long Game. This would be my 2nd book by the author, and had hopes that I would enjoy more, based on the fact that I do love a good fake dating / fake engagement trope.

I was left wanting more from each character / plot in general. Specially from Josie, which to me, there should be more to her than just her engagements. I had a hard time connecting with the characters and the plot, and unfortunately had to stop reading for a while and going back to it after a few days. The ending was a bit underwhelming. I wanted to give this author another shot, I’m sad to say, I don’t think it’s quite the one for me.

Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

If you’re a fan of Elena, you already met Josie and Matthew in The Long Game. For those of you who are new to the scene, Green Oak is a Hallmark-movie lover’s dream. It has grumpy old men bickering, nosy neighbours, gorgeous forest, a rooster named Sebastian Stan (I approve!), Pedro Pigscal, and a smattering of magic. It’s practically perfect in every way.

Josephine Moore has lived in Green Oak her whole life and wears many hats: mayor, café owner and operator, town event planner, and most recently secret love child of millionaire Andrew Underwood and half sister to Adalyn. Josie also has a history of running from wedding to wedding. All of them hers. And by running, I really mean running away. Engaged four times. Married none.

Matthew Flanagan is Adalyn’s best friend, recently unemployed and currently homeless when he stumbles into town hoping to stay at Adalyn’s lodge in Green Oak. He runs into some car trouble and ends up at Josie’s house. Through a series of missteps, the two of them end up in a fake engagement, but the attraction between them is startlingly real. Can they turn their backwards love story right? Will Josie ever be able to run towards a wedding instead of away?

I really enjoyed this book. Slow burns always take a while to get into, but Elena does a fantastic job of building up the tension between the two characters gradually. Matthew is so full of green flags too. He’s the least problematic hero I’ve read in ages and ages. He is honest. He waits until asked. He respects boundaries. He’s highly protective without being overbearing. And then there is his mouth. He’s the perfect mix of sweet and filthy without going overboard.

Pick up this book if you love:
- Slow burn love stories
- Family drama
- Found family (Grandpa Moe!!!!)
- Women supporting women (Adalyn and Josie are so good for each other)
- A sweet and upstanding MMC with a penchant for dirty talk
- Spicy spice! (In public and private locations)
- Sequels!!!!

Thank you so much to Atria Books and NetGalley for the free e-arc in exchange for my honest opinions.

This book is not for me, so unfortunately it's a DNF.

The Fiance Dilemma by Elena Armas revolves around a fake engagement trope between a small-town mayor and her sister's best friend. Unfortunately, despite getting over 30% of the way through, I just don't feel invested in any of the characters or in how the story will turn out. The characters seem very one-dimensional, as if they exist solely for one purpose (to be the fake fiance, to be the stereotypical best friend, etc.).

The plot also requires quite a bit of suspense in belief. Understandably, rom-coms are meant to be a little unbelievable, but it's still very hard to believe why the fake engagement had to happen in the first place, and how the MC manages to continue it despite all reason.

With that being said, for those who are in search of a lighthearted low-commitment rom-com, this book could be for you.

Special thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for sharing this digital ARC with me in exchange for my honest thoughts.

The Fiance Dilemma will be available everywhere July 30, 2024.

This is my first Elena Armas book and I thought it was really enjoyable. Josie and Matthew are great together. They evened each other out in a good way and I really enjoyed their love story. I didn’t really like Josie on her own. She felt a little too immature when you read just her inter monologue and at times I got a little annoyed with her. Matthew was a pretty good love interest but he was almost too perfect in how he fit with Josie. There were a few situations that I wished he would have reacted more realistically than he did. He was definitely written to be this even keel, it’s always been you, I’m yours type of character. But because of that, he definitely catered to almost all of Josie’s flaws instead of pushing her to grow from them.

The book was super slow in the beginning but picked up in the middle for me. I found the dad storyline to be weird and would have been just as interesting if the story just focused on Josie’s romantic past. Overall, this was a good story that takes a bit to grab your interest but does get better towards the middle and end.