DNF @ 22%. 100 pages in and nothing has happening and I couldn't get into it at all. Thanks to NetGalley & the publisher for an advance copy. May try this on audio in the future as I typically love Armas' books

Thank you to Atria Book and NetGalley for the advanced reader copy and to Simon Audio for the complimentary audiobook. These opinions are my own.

The Fiancé Dilemma is the sequel to The Long Game, and we met both of the main characters in the earlier book. This one can stand alone, but there are some aspects that are much more fun if you remember the previous book.

Josie is the mayor of Green Oak. Matthew visits the town to see Adalyn, his best friend and Josie's sister. And so he happens to be walking by just as she needs a fake fiancé.

I found this novel eminently readable. I could not put it down. It was great to be back in the small town with all the fun animals we first met in The Long Game. I wanted a bit more growth and depth in Josie and Matthew's relationship, but I loved the plot and journey. I especially wanted to know more about Matthew, as he almost seemed too good to be true. This is one instance where I am not sure that a primarily first person POV for Josie only was as effective as a dual POV or third person narrator might have been.

Brittany Presley narrated most of the book from Josie's first person POV. Zachary Webber was also credited. Both are favorites of mine and did their roles spectacularly.

4.25 stars

I received a DIGITAL Advance Reader Copy of this book from #NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Overall, I enjoyed this book. But I have some kind of issue with this authors books (I've now read all of her books) they all feel like they move at a snail's pace. For the first half of this book it was very very slow going and I felt the urge to put the book down after every chapter. But once we got to the second half it picked up speed a little bit and it was more enjoyable.

I also felt like there were a good amount of scenes that were skipped that I would have loved to see. But I did really love how this book ended. It was a truly fantastic end that I won't spoil at all.

3.5 stars rounded up

✅ Josie, small town mayor, & Matthew, recently laid off and Josie’s sister’s best friend
✅ Josie has been engaged 4 times. Her 5th engagement, to Matthew, is fake
✅ romcom
✅ single POV (hers)
✅ runaway bride retelling
🌶️: my god the burn is SO SLOW! After a while it just got annoying. It takes them until over 70% to just kiss.

Definitely not for me here. The intro says this can be read standalone but it reads like someone talking about a ton of people you’ve never met. A weird intimacy that doesn’t work if you didn’t read the other book. Gets off on the wrong (uncomfortable) foot for the reader and never recovers. Josie was exasperating. And the nosy neighbors were not charming at all.

🦋Small Town
🩵Engagement of Convenience
🦋Sister’s Best Friend
🩵He Falls First
🦋Slow Burn
🩵Single POV

I’m a RomCom movie girlie, especially 90’s and early 00’s ones. The Fiancé Dilemma has ‘The Runaway Bride’ vibes! Josie has been engaged 4 times and it is a PR nightmare for her recently discovered father. Josie’s daddy and abandonment issues coupled with her people pleasing nature causes her to desperately and rashly say she’s engaged again, and she declares lucky number 5 is her sister’s best friend, Matthew, because he happens by at the same moment. I laughed every time Matthew flirts with Josie because she would get so flustered and be absolutely hilarious! I am going to tell you not to hate on a blond MMC, especially Matthew because he is hot, super sweet and protective, loves to call Josie his fiancée, wants her backed goods, has a little bit of a filthy mouth, and he wears glasses! I would have loved his POV because seeing him through Josie’s perspective was making me awww and ahhh but to know his thoughts and feelings throughout the book would have been perfection. While this was a slow burn to the spicy content, there was plenty of chemistry, tension, horny thoughts and steam in the build up. Overall, I enjoyed it.

This was very entertaining and I really enjoyed it. A solid rom com that had me laughing, sighing, and sobbing. I will definitely be recommending this one! Gotta love a fake engagement and he falls first and falls hard. And he’s actually always loved her!!!

Josie and Matthew are so stinking precious. I love the way Matt shows Josie all the ways she is perfect and how to have self confidence. And the way they go from friends to lovers is everything. It had me crying! The fact that the “rules” of their engagement just kept changing shows how they just couldn’t not give in. Also he’s a giant golden retriever but has a bit of dominance in him.

Josie has been through 4 previous engagements and weddings. She is working through her trauma and is trying to heal. The way that she cares too much about Matt and doesn’t want to hurt him had me sighing. Her glasses kink (only for Matthew) was pretty funny as well.

Overall this was a pretty spectacular read and I can’t wait for more! I will for sure be recommending this book to everyone.

2.5/5

I feel kind of bad about this and I don’t want to be too mean, but I was not a fan of this book.

The premise was strange and not believable. Josie’s father is having a book written about his accomplishments and life and the writer called out the fact that Andrew basically abandoned Josie after she was born. It also looks bad that Josie has been a runaway bride 4x in the past so the writer insinuates she has “daddy issues. In order to rectify the public opinion Andrew hires a PR agent to manage Josie’s life. The PR agent’s (Bobbi Shark) answer to this is to have Josie get married?

Josie then ropes Matthew into playing fiancés (even though they literally JUST MET) and they are steamrolled by Bobbi and Andrew into a whirlwind wedding that Andrew will pay for and will culminate in him walking her down the aisle.

Josie comes off as insane for the first 25% of this book. She clearly doesn’t want to do it, but she keeps making excuses and doing it anyway. Matthew, on the other hand, comes off as aloof and angry. It is very unclear why he is going along with it all. I really missed Matthew’s POV, particularly in the beginning. I felt like I didn’t get to know him or his motivations. It was odd the entire book was in Josie’s POV, especially since the first book was dual POV with Cam and Adalyn.

Things do perk up after Andrew rolls into town. Matthew becomes quite protective of Josie and it becomes clear he is attracted to her. They slowly start becoming physical with each other as a “distraction”. The actual wedding planning and events surrounding it had some funny moments and I liked seeing Adalyn and Cameron again. The sister bonding moments were some of my favorite.

There is also a side plot of a podcast that is concurrently dishing about the entire ordeal, because it’s apparently national news. Josie and co. are having to deal with paparazzi, gossip sites, and the whole nine yards. This was an issue for me in the first book as well. The situations did not feel like they warranted national tabloid fodder. It felt like a crutch for the weak plot to have stakes.

It all culminates in a big dramatic way that was actually somewhat satisfying. However, I was highly upset that Josie did not give Andrew a piece of her mind at any point during the book. Even when he half-asses an apology she just accepts it and says she doesn’t want or need him in her life.

Overall, it had some sweet and funny moments and the spice was decent, but the plot wasn’t there for me. I’m not sure I’d recommend this series to anyone.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was a great one with slow burn that paid off with some serious spice in the end!

Josie & Matthew were adorable, and a fake relationship gets me every time. This was spicy and romantic, but also laugh out loud funny! I loved the banter and how invested I got in the final outcome of the book. Don’t miss this one!

This is my fourth Elena Armas book and as always it was a cute, quick read. The Fiance Dilemma focuses on Josie and Matthew, two side-characters in The Long Game, Elena’s last book. While technically it can be read as a stand-alone I feel like I appreciated this book more because I read The Long Game and had already been introduced to these characters.

Josie has been engaged four times, and each time there was no wedding. This causes a PR nightmare for her absentee, yet suddenly back in her life, father. Not wanting to make waves for anyone, Jose announces that she’s engaged again…and to her sister’s best friend, Matthew. She just has to convince Matthew to play along for a little while.

This story, and the characters were definitely quirky. I found myself laughing out loud at some of the situations Josie and Matthew got into. When reading I found myself wondering just how far they were going to go before they were found out. I feel like I could picture the characters so well, and the descriptions were spot on. While my love for Matthew started slow in this book, he became my absolute favorite character by the end.

If you like cute and quirky books with some spice and fake dating, definitely pick this one up!

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

Sisters best friend
•Small town
•Fake engagement
•No third act break up (!!!!)
•Slowburn

I have been in a huge reading slump lately and this book managed to get me out of it! I loved every aspect of this book, especially the discussion of some heavier topics. I loved the relationship between Matthew and Josie, it was so sweet. This is a classic he falls first and harder situation where he is so in love with her and she doesn’t even notice. Matthew has to be one of my new favorite book boyfriends, he’s such a sweet guy but would kill someone if they touched Josie.
I loved how realistic their relationship felt with the slowburn. They weren’t immediately in love with each other at the beginning of the book. I also loved that Elena Armas was able to write such an engaging book with a great plot without a third act breakup!
There is honestly nothing I can say I didn’t like about this book it was overall amazing and definitely a 5 star read!

This one was a miss for me, and DNF'd at only the 15% mark (it also somehow felt like I was reading this forever???)

I was excited to read this one because I really enjoyed The Spanish Love Deception, The American Roommate Experiment and the Long Game (to a lesser extent, but I still liked it), but this one wasn't hitting the mark for me. It kind of felt all over the place to me and I struggled with wanting to pick this one up.

I will still want to read whatever Elena Armas has next though.

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for the chance to read this e-ARC.

This was a fun one! Josie & Matthew were so cute together, and the fake relationship/engagement trope will get me every time. I loved watching their relationship unfold and blossom. This was steamy and romantic, but also laugh out loud funny! I loved the banter and wit between the characters. Pick this up for a fun and adorable read.

I unfortunately did not finish reading The Fiancé Dilemma. I just could not get into it. I loved The Spanish Love Deception and enjoyed her other two books but this one was falling flat for me. Normally I find a fake engagement storyline to be cute and fun but this was so forced it was uncomfortable. Matthew clearly wasn’t comfortable agreeing to it but Josie kept pushing him. It gave me the “ick.” I tried to read more but after about 50 or so pages I gave up. I need a book to really grasp me in the beginning and this one didn’t do it for me. I do appreciate the opportunity to receive this arc and I just wish I was more into the book.

While I found aspects of this book enjoyable, I couldn't shake the feeling that I missed something crucial to the plot. Matthew and Josie's characters and their development were highlights for me, though their relationship felt a bit awkward and forced at times, lacking complete believability. The fake relationship plot was exceedingly far-fetched and overly prolonged, yet surprisingly, I found myself still engaged with the story. Some of the secondary characters grated on my nerves, but i think that was the point. Overall, while I didn't fall in love with it, I liked the book enough to eagerly anticipate future works by this author.

Thanks to Netgalley and Atria Books for allowing me the opportunity to review this E-ARC.

3.5 Stars
Tropes:
- Engagement of Convenience
- Fake Dating
- Small Town
- Sister's best friend

"And you're my fiancé,"
"You say that like nothing."
"No, I say this like it's a reason to do with you whatever I want."

This book was cute and fun but lacked a hook that I need for fake dating tropes. I'm still not entirely sure when Matthew started to fall, and I think it would have gone over better as a dual POV. Either that, or the conversation about the text messages came sooner, so we knew about Matthew thinking she was his soulmate.

When I got the crumbs of Matthew having feelings, I ate them right up. This man watched Bridgerton for goodness sake. Once I knew he was all in for her, I was all in on him. He had me kicking my feet and smiling like an excited teenager. HE WOULD LOVE HER IF SHE WAS A WORM.

"Only a fool would wait when there's something so precious to be claimed."

Overall, I enjoyed this book, I enjoyed the towns characters and I enjoyed the chemistry we eventually got from Josie and Matthew, but I feel like I still needed just a little bit more out of it. If you are already a fan of Elena and you've read The Long Game and enjoyed it, pick this up.

Thank you the author and publisher for the eARC of this title.

This is my first book by Elena Armas. I didn't realize it was a sequel. I didn't feel too lost, but would have enjoyed it more of I had realized that the characters had been introduced prior.

This book was sweet and humorous, and i enjoyed it. I'll definitely need to look up the other books by Elena Armas.

3.5 stars!

This author has been pretty hit or miss for me in the past, but this one was a HIT! I really enjoyed the premise and the relationship building. The connection between the main characters was palpable and heartwarming. I did wish we had a little more backstory on the characters and who they were apart from the dilemma they had found themselves in, but overall I really enjoyed it!

I adored this book!
From the opening scene, I was compelled to find out how this story would end for Josie and Matthew. Green Oaks is a quaint small town, filled with delightful characters who look out for each other and spread gossip like wildfire.
Josie is a character that you have to love. She has the biggest heart and takes care of her people, but she’s also a mess! Matthew is a bit of a mystery, but he quietly teaches Josie that it’s okay to choose herself.
This book made me laugh, so much, but it also made me tear up a little and when it ended I had a major book hangover.
This story is connected to the author’s previous book,The Long Game, and this one can be read as a standalone-but it will be even better if you read The Long Game first!
Thank you to Atria Books for the opportunity to read an early copy via NetGalley, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Since release day is in less than a week, it's finally time to share my thoughts, and there's a LOT of them. I'm literally so excited to post my review on my instagram too, because this book was just CHEF'S KISS.

ELENA-- Ma'am. I read The Spanish Love Deception, and because I can't stick to a TBR to save my life, I didn't get around to reading the Long Game or The American Roommate Experiment; However I seen a posting for this on NetGalley and I couldn't turn my eye. IT DID NOT DISAPPOINT.

Even the dedication had me hooked:
"Your expectations are not impossibly high. Never let anyone make you believe you're asking for too much."

JOSIE AND MATTHEW JOSIE AND MATTHEW JOSIE AND MATTHEW.

These two, UGHHHHHHH!!!

SO let me relax, synopsis of the book, Josie is our girl who has had badd luck with love. (Can anyone else relate? I know I can) Four previously failed engagements, and all of it comes to light when her absent father-- who is a billionaire with a whole different family and life-- decides to announce that he is retiring, and does a magazine piece on it that talks about him being a family guy. Only then does Josie realize what's going on when PR shark Bobbi shows up and tells Josie all about how she's now involved in her life. Our girl Josie, too stunned to form a sentence is brought back to reality when Bobbi notices her engagement ring on her finger, and panics.
In pops lover boy Matthew down the driveway minding his own business, but not for long until Josie runs with it, and screams "Matthew?" He turns, and little does he know it, the minute he turned was going to be the start of a (Fake) engagement; But how fake is it when real feelings get involved? And what if feelings were always involved?

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This book had me absolutely swooning. It is definitely a slower start to the book, but once it picked up toward the middle with the fake engagement and all the wedding tasks, and Matthew and Josie needing each other as much as one another, you get to watch their relationship unfold and find out that Matthew doesn't mind being one more number on the list of "Grooms-that-never-were". Josie is so annoying at times but so relatable because she is just a girl figuring life out as she goes and she's picked quite a few toads to get to her Prince Charming, but once Matthew's there he's there for the good, the bad, the ugly, the real, and the fake. Exhibit Matthew: "You're not running, Josie. I'm not them, I'm not anyone. I'm not fucking letting you go."

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I would give this book a bajillion stars if I could. I give five stars veryyy easy I will admit so take my review with a grain of salt if you must, but if I enjoyed it it gets 5 stars. This book had me kicking my feet, giggling and screaming. Bobbi also turned out to be one of my favorite side characters because she really brings Matthew and Josie together IMO. Also, the podcasters? Such a fun addition even though sometimes I loved them sometimes I wanted them to leave poor Josie alone. The spice was spicing, Matthew has a MOUTH on him. Up there with Aaron Blackford. Overall Super cute book, will definitely read again.

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Favorite quotes/highlights: (Limiting myself to 2/3 for the sake of this review and I can't give away all the swoon worthy moments!)

* "You handsome smile." // "Enough to make you proud? Enough to make you want to show me off?"

* Something goes down and Josie sends him an SOS, it's not a super emergency but she didn't think it'd matter that he would call back when he got the chance. Mid workout, Matthew drops everything to run to Josie. "You're mad?" / "You sent me an SOS, You can't text me an SOS when there's no real emergency. Do you have any idea how-- I RAN down here. From the lodge. I thought something was wrong, you wrote 'I need you.'" / skip a few sentences for length clarity.. "You can't send me an SOS, then, Josie. An SOS means I fucking run." / "You're being very rigid about this, it was just a text" / "I am rigid when it comes to important things." OK SWOONING

* "I don't know Matthew. Are you the jealous, possessive type?" / "Yes. I can be. But I'm easily swayed to be nice and proper. Do you have me wrapped around your pinky Josie?"

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TROPES

* Fake Engagement
* It was always you
* Small Town
* Slow burn
* Sisters best friend
* He falls first AND harder
* no third act breakup
* "Where's my fiancé?"