“I fell in the love the minute I saw you… “

Josie is your favorite small town girl. Lovable, runs a coffee shop, and also happens to be the town Mayor. But she’s got a reputation…. For always being the bride.

Josie has been engaged not once, not twice, but FOUR times. Each time ending in a happily never-after… until Matthew.

Now wrapped in a PR stunt and a fake engagement, Josie must tackle not only her newly discovered daddy issues, but also her commitment issues as well.

Will she or will she not marry fiancé number five??

Review - I thoroughly loved this book! The back and forth of “will she marry him or not?”, kept you hooked! The development of Josie and Matthew’s relationship was done so well and kept you reading and wanting more. And the smut!!! Definitely worth a read and if it’s not on your TBR list, it is now!

In Book 2 of The Long Game series, Josie fakes an engagement to her sister’s best friend to avoid PR issues with her father who has recently come into her life. Josie is great at engagements…in fact she’s had 4 previous engagements which when uncovered on a podcast, becomes a new PR nightmare for all involved.

Characters are funny and like-able, especially Grandpa Mo (Maurice) but I think my new favorite rom-com leading man might just be Mathew Flanagan. He was so intuitive to Josie’s needs, said the right things, and of course had the sexy glasses vibe going on.

There were some emotional scenes that had me teary and the intimate scenes were pretty darn hot!

Looking forward to book #3. Will Robbie Vasquez find true love or maybe Grandpa Mo…Golden Bachelor season!

I got the ARC and couldn’t be more thrilled because this is one of my fave authors. I love her FMC’s, always, and this is no exception. While you can technically read as a standalone I’d highly recommend reading The Long Game first. Josie is too lovable a character to not have all that back story. The MMC is the epitome of “if he wanted to, he would”. If I had a complaint it would be that I wanted more. More love scenes and an epilogue

Elena Armas, the Queen of Slow Burn, has done it again! Matthew Flanagan is the ULTIMATE golden retriever book boyfriend. Returning to Green Oak was an absolute blast and I fell in love with Josie and Matthew. I was laughing out loud at the precarious situations they often found themselves. I was SWOONING many many many times over the things coming out of Matthew's mouth. The only thing I wanted, was more! More Matthew!!! The nods to Tangled, the subtle Taylor Swift references, and Josie's people pleasing tendencies made me think Elena used a crystal ball to look into my childhood and turn those things into a romcom!

I thought Josie & Matthew's story was predictable but SO cute! I enjoyed the backstory of her estranged father, her hilarious grandpa, and the podcast/radio show element. I enjoyed the author's writing, and this is the 2nd book I have read of hers. I also really loved the MCs connection and the spicy scenes. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

I am getting this book 4 ⭐️’s I really thought that it would be a five star read, but unfortunately the third act brake up in the second to last chapter was not it for me. All and all aside from that I really enjoyed the book. I would like to thank atria paperback and ELENA ARMAS for giving me the opportunity to review this book.

Let’s just get this out of the way: the premise is terribly unrealistic. All fake relationship tropes are. It is in the title of the book, so like, you can’t complain about that if it bothers you.

Now…let’s chat. I am new to the Elena Armas group. In the first book I read, my complaint was about the FMC and how she wasn’t super likeable. This book does not have that issue. Josie is adorable. She is hardworking, funny, embarassable, and so loving. I really enjoyed reading her story. She had a wild life even before the start of this book, and it was just really heartbreaking and entertaining and relatable. She is the uncringey definition of quirky, and I was here for it. And Matthew?!? Woah. I cannot appropriately convey how much I enjoyed reading a character like this. First of all, his love of food is so cute. I cannot get over him eating everything in her pantry and being jealous of some guy for getting muffins. Characters who like food seem 100x more real. Secondly, he is a goof in a good way. Seriously…twerking while setting up an event, having a man crush on his best friend’s man? Perfection. Thirdly, dude is sexy AF. Glasses and buff? Stahp. Fourthly, confident and open?!? Someone get me a fainting couch because I cannot trust my knees.
This story was so enjoyable and the ending?!? Ooof. It is without fail that there is a miscommunication or misunderstanding or failure to express feelings in books like these. It is the three-quarters break up or some rom com formula thing. This book?!?!? The three-quarters moment was FLAWLESS. I am in love with how that scene was written. I will think about it forever.

Anyway, I highly recommend. OBVIOUSLY.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for letting me have an electronic advanced reader copy of this book. I am forever grateful.

Josie, having just learned her father’s identity, is now subject to a PR nightmare. Her love life has been rather “robust” - four engagements and no marriages. Now, with her new found father’s publicist on damage control. Josie claims a fake engagement to the nearest man - Matthew (the best friend of her newly found sister). Can Josie manage to put her past behind her and end this fake engagement without causing more damage?
I absolutely love “marriage of convenience” so I was excited to pick this up. Overall this was an enjoyable quick read. Josie’s character was a delight. However the pacing felt off to me for this one. Additionally, while Matthew is “attractive,” I felt there was missing character development. I wish this has been dual POV.

Absolutely adored this book! The character of Matthew was perfection and I loved his and Josie’s relationship.

This was pretty cute. I really liked Matthew and I wish we could have gotten more from him. Josie was ok but she seemed a little underwritten. I deeply hate surprise pregnancies in romance novels and I saw that plot point coming from a mile away but I'm just glad it was not the main point of the books. All in all, a fun read.

Synopsis 📚
When her long lost father contacts her for the first time ever, Josie Moore isn’t quite sure how to feel. She’s gone from small town mayor to the daughter of a millionaire in a matter of days. To make matters worse, the press and people on social media have started digging into Josie’s personal life. Soon enough, the whole country knows about Josie’s disastrous romantic history, her four failed engagements, and how she left each of her ex-fiancés at the altar. Safe to say that this newfound discovery is not doing wonders for Josie’s reputation or her father’s and things are going downhill… fast.

Which is why when Josie sees her sister’s best friend Matthew Flannagan standing in her front yard, her mouth works faster than her brain and Josie finds herself calling him her fiancé. Of course, Josie is mortified and is about to admit that she lied when she learns that this could be great for PR for her family. And it’s too late to back out of this lie so Josie and Matthew pretend to be engaged. They act like a love-struck couple for the cameras, participating in romantic photoshoots and interviews, and they play the role of a loving couple well. Perhaps a little too well… because Josie and Matthew step into the role even when they’re not on camera. As the days tick down to the wedding date, Josie and Matthew find themselves getting closer and closer… and maybe even falling in love?

Personal Thoughts 💭
This book was a literal gem. Comedy, romance, annoying reporters, it had it all! Matthew is probably my favorite character. He’s so iconic and hilarious. He’s a literal and figurative golden retriever and I loved his character immediately. He’s so supportive of Josie which I absolutely L.O.V.E! I will have to say though… it felt like the buildup to the romance was slow and then it went from 0 to 100 very quickly. It was a slow burn but a very enjoyable read. Would definitely recommend to any romance lover and anyone who loves the fake dating (in this case fake engaged) trope!!

I thought this read was a good romance! I think the characters were at times a little hard for me to be really interested in but I did enjoy the read.

This was a sweet single POV contemporary romance. There were times at the start it was a little slow, but it picked up well. I would've liked a bit more groveling from Andrew because he never suffered enough in either book, but that may just be that I'm out for revenge for Adalyn and Josie. Matthew was so sweet and I loved Grandpa Moe.

Oh my god Matthew Flanagan is LIFE. This is my new favorite book from Elena. I love a chaotic FMC with a golden retriever MMC to keep her grounded.

Thank you to Atria books for sending me this ARC in exchange for an honest review! I have loved Elena’s previous books but this one is my new favorite. She’s the queen of a classic slow burn. Matthew and Josie’s story did not disappoint and is a true fake dating/engagement trope.
All this to say, Matthew Flanagan is goals and we love a man in glasses!

“And they nicknamed her "The Bolter"” 🎶

Elena Armas didn’t just write a novel about two unsuspecting individuals falling in love in the most unconventional of ways. She included humor, humility, and heart, going so far as to make Josie and Matthew as relatable as possible. She also did a great job of edging the living daylights out of you, like some evil villain, allowing the sexual tension to build so much I felt like i was going to scream. It only took about 72% of the way to get to the best bit, and that’s not including the bathtub scene (ifkyk). Forgiving the slowest of burns though, this was wildly entertaining and included just the right amount of fluff.
If you enjoy:
✨ Fake engagements
✨ Close Proximity
✨ He Falls First (and hard)
✨ Slow Burns
This is for you.
Plus, how can you not feel all flustered when you read this:

"You're going to be a good girl and let me work for those moans." - Matthew

Was it cheesy? yes. But it was a cheese that will leave you kicking your feet like a love-sick fool.

I enjoyed this book. I gave the first one 3 stars, and this one is no different. While I did enjoy reading this book, the burn was slowwww. I got bored in some parts. I wish the romance was a bit more fast paced.

I enjoyed the romance central to this book, and devoured it in a day. So in all, I liked it. It was funny, sweet, charming. Small-town, which I love.

However, the context and lead-in to the central premise was awkward (first chapter seemed out of place - needed at all? - but also the whole dad relationship was undeveloped, even after the end of the book. And it felt very awkward that this guy happened to be standing there at just the right moment, who doesn't live there, but happens to be best friends with her sister). It needed more run-up, more scene setting, and more charismatic scene-setting.

I also have no idea what the main character looks like, which bothers me in a romantic book. I wondered if this was intentional, but even if it was, it left the reader feeling unconnected.

I didn’t read the first book , but this can be read in as a stand alone. I would say that if someone read the first one it would be more fun and probably make easier/ more connections between the two!

I LOVE the he falls first trope and that’s all in this book. Loved that about the MMC and it made me want to root for him/ support him throughout this story.

This is definitely making me want to read the Spanish love deception/ this author's work even more than I already did (yes it was on my TBR!)

Matthew is such a sweet guy and definitely a green flag on my list.

This story in itself is a bit unrealistic with the fake dating drama BUT I ate it up. I loved how the drama and romance fit together in this contemporary setting. I’m someone who enjoys stepping away out of my own life and reliving another and this brought me into that moment.

I can also greatly appreciate the no third act breakup. Breakups for drama can work, usually it does nothing but add length to a novel, and I can truly appreciate when a work doesn’t include a third act breakup because the other plots in the book can support itself and make it interesting.


Overall a nice story and read. I would recommend this to others and it’s made me want to read more by this author.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.25

Release Date: July 30th

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for gifting me an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I am a sucker for a he-falls-first, fake dating trope story where the FMC is dealing with family trauma and the MMC is waiting for her to realize their relationship is not so fake. Needless to say, this book was a hit for me. 💕

Matthew Flanagan is a HOT leading character - from his glasses to his confidence to the way that he aims to make life easier for Josie. Elena Arias is great at writing a man who yearns and I am here for it. 🥵

I loved Josie’s character in The Long Game, so I was really excited to get to explore her (and her mysterious four ended engagements) in more depth. Her character was complex and flawed in a way that felt very real to me, and I loved how she learned to stand up for herself throughout the course of the book. 😊

Bobbi’s character was over-the-top and frustrating in a way that nicely balanced out the down-to-earth cast of characters, from the Vasquez family to Moe to Pedro Pigscal. I was hoping to get more Adalyn and Cam in this book, but I liked the scenes that they were present for. Andrew Underwood continued to be the worst dad around, but in a way that felt in line with his character from TLG. ❤️

The slow burn in this had me yearning as badly as Matthew. From the many near kisses to the bathtub and deli scenes to the more full-out sex scenes, the slow burn was exquisite. 🔥