I really wanted to love this book because I really enjoyed The Long Game, but it just didn't work for me. I enjoyed Josie as a side character in Adalyn's story, so I was looking forward to reading her book, but I didn't love her as the main character. She felt really immature for her age and the quirkiness was a little forced. And Matthew was just *too* perfect and didn't feel like a real person, so the love story wasn't very compelling. I did enjoy seeing more of the small town community that was introduced in The Long Game and honestly, I would've preferred to read more of that than the family and wedding drama. And there were some funny moments as well, but overall, I wasn't a big fan of this one.

Okay to start I need to get this off my chest: Maybe it was intentionally cringey but I died a little more inside everytime a character said “it’s giving ________.” Books need to stay away from trendy slang, it dated this book before it even came out.

Okay on to the main positive: I would die for Matthew. I thought he was a total sweetheart and pretty much everything I’m looking for in a MMC. He was charming, attentive, funny, and soo unbelievably sweet and understanding. To the point that I almost didn’t get what he saw in Josie. Don’t get me wrong, I really liked Josie as a character but some parts of her were confusing and annoying. She’s supposed to be this super empath people pleaser and yet she can’t bother to ask Matthew about his family and how he’s doing with the situation, she doesn’t check in with her sister or Cameron about why they’re so stressed and doesn’t check in with her sister after she has to miss an event because she’s sick. You know who did do all those things? Matthew. I fully get what she sees in him but I didn’t always buy his complete devotion to her, especially early on.

Overall, I really liked this book as a standalone entity but its connection to the long game felt nonexistent. Josie feels like an entirely different person. I love an extended universe for the chance to dive further into characters we met in the first book and see characters we loved again. This book didn’t really deliver on either. Josie feels like an entirely different person. In the first book she came across as witty and confident, and while I think it’s natural to see more flaws and insecurities in a book dedicated to her, she felt barely recognizable to me. Even her interactions with Adalyn didn’t feel familiar at all. And speaking of Adalyn, I felt like she was barely present. I was really hoping to see more of the friendship between Adalyn and Matthew. I barely felt it in the first book and this book didn’t really give me the more I was desperate for. Similarly, after the big reveal that Josie and Adalyn are sisters, I was looking forward to seeing them develop their relationship and I didn’t get that. I would have even taken seeing more of the girls from the soccer team. It’s a compliment that Elena made me fall in love with her characters in the first book so much that I was disappointed I didn’t get to see them again.

First off I wanna thank net galley and atria for allowing me to read this beautiful book in exchange for an honest review. I have just finished this book and I just want to say that Elena never misses for me and I’m convinced that she could never write a bad book. I have loved all her characters so much and I love Josie and Matthew with my whole heart. Everything about this book was chefs kiss. The way that the actual fake engagement was done was great. It was a slow burn but I am one for a slow burn and especially in this context it just makes sense. I cannot stress how much I loved this book. I’m so happy I got to read it.

The Fiancé Dilemma by Elena Armas is a captivating romance novel that explores the complexities of love, family, and self-discovery. Protagonist Josie Moore has had her fair share of failed engagements, and when her absentee father's retirement announcement threatens to tarnish the family's image, she concocts a plan to salvage their reputation. Enter Matthew Flanagan, Josie's best friend's brother, who finds himself in a sticky situation after losing his job and getting stranded in Green Oak, North Carolina. Mistaken for Josie's fiancé, Matthew reluctantly agrees to play along, setting off a chain of events that neither of them could have anticipated.

Armas masterfully crafts a story filled with humor, heart, and palpable chemistry between Josie and Matthew. As their fake engagement takes on a life of its own, the lines between reality and pretense blur, leading to moments of genuine connection and introspection. The dynamic between the characters is richly developed, with Josie's reluctance to commit contrasting with Matthew's easygoing charm. Their journey from reluctant partners to genuine friends is both heartwarming and believable, making their eventual romantic entanglement all the more satisfying.

What sets The Fiancé Dilemma apart is its exploration of identity and authenticity amidst societal expectations. Josie grapples with her family's image and her own desire for independence, while Matthew navigates his own insecurities and aspirations. The small-town setting adds depth to the narrative, with the tight-knit community serving as both a backdrop and catalyst for the protagonists' growth. Fans of the romance genre will be drawn to the novel's engaging plot, well-developed characters, and emotionally resonant themes. Armas delivers a delightful tale of love, self-discovery, and second chances that will leave readers eagerly turning the pages until the very end.

4.5 stars!!!

elena seriously has a skill at making the most “normal/mundane” scenes HOT & packing tension into every single interaction !!!! i mean WOW! this book is funny, sweet and so entertaining. if you enjoyed the long game & fake dating, you’ll definitely enjoy this.

i really enjoyed this book! both josie & matthew are so outgoing and funny in the long game, i just knew they would be SO FUN together. i was giggling so much in this book!! but also we got some really sweet and serious moments. loved the whole premise — four previous fiancé’s, a fake fiancé & a PR scandal…what could go wrong?? i thought elena did a great job at keeping things entertaining while also bringing the two main characters together in an authentic way. also! she writes characters SO WELL! you love them. you relate to them. you maybe hate them too….

matthew: WHAT A MAN!!!! that's honestly all i have to say…. well… and the way he supports and cares for josie is actually incredible. the way he stands by her side and encourages her to go after what she wants! loooove it!
josie: actually a sweetheart & she deserves the BIGGEST hug!!
grandpa moe: I love him! he's hilarious, supportive & sweet!
bobbi: I have a love-hate relationship with her. there were moments i wanted to fight her & moments i was genuinely impressed by her….

Freaking Matthew making me WEEP over here.

Lord, give me a man with this level of attention. A man who NOTICES. And understands. And believes in magic and true love like that.

This might be my favorite Elena Armas book by a mile. And I loved the others.

The Fiancé Dilemma is honestly the most fun twist on the Runaway Bride trope I’ve ever come across and I absolutely ADORED it.

He falls first, both fall HARD, and the absolute chaos of a fake engagement make this book an absolute delight.

100% recommend for my romance fan friends! (Though I do recommend reading The Long Game first).

I received an advance copy from the publisher, all opinions are my own, and a review was not required.

Elena Armas knocks it out of the park again, ensuring that she will be a name to remember in the contemporary romance field. If you love fake engagements, learning to be vulnerable, and sweet romances, this will be your jam. Loved the small town vibes, the side cast of characters, and seeing some familiar faces pop back up. Recommend!

WOW. This was my first Elena Armas read and it did NOT disappoint. The build up between Matthew and Josie was the perfect amount of slow burn, and all of the little hints dropped through the story about Matthew’s real feelings towards Josie are so perfect when you finally reach the end and get to see them all piece together like a perfect puzzle. I have never loved a fake fiancé story as much as this one! I HIGHLY recommend this and will be running to Amazon to buy all of Armas’ other books ASAP!

I got this as an Arc from NetGalley.

Sweet nibblets. I did not want this book to end. I loved every bit of it. I loved the main characters. I love a good fake engagement trope. From the drop it was so obvious that Matthew loved her and I was so obsessed with it. I’m talking smiling, giggling, kicking my feet. I want my own Matthew. Everyone should read this book. I can’t wait to get a physical copy.

omg omg omg!!!!!! I love the marriage of convenience trope BADDDDD. first of all, mr. matthew flanagan is HIM. he's blonde but it's fine you can just ignore that LOL. he's the most perf ever. josie, the fmc, is so real i can't even handle it!!! it's like Elena Armas reached inside my brain and made josie, my rambling fear-of-commitment queen. ALSO LET ME JUST SAY!!!! NO THIRD ACT BREAKUP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WE WON SO HARD. this was perfect in every sense of the word!!!!!!!!!!! thank you netgalley and elena armas's team for allowing me the privilege of reading this early :) this is my first review on here so I apologize if its not as thorough as it should be lol!!!!

Oooo Elena dear, you do the fake dating/fiance trope so well - I just know I am going to eat it up every. single. time. Let it be known that I did not read the first book of this series - I went into this only having read The Spanish Love Deception and it is possible that may have altered my perception of this novel. However, it's still really cute (and MMC Matthew is a top notch book bf😍).

For fans of: fake engagement, Runaway Bride & 27 Dresses, slowwww burn, small town romance, he falls 1st.

Pros:
+the CHEMISTRY
+Matthew (swoon)
+the sweet sweet ending scenes
+the possibility of this being a CUTE rom com film

Cons:
-needed more POV from Matthew!! (sorry Josie, he was just more likeable)
-depth: I needed a few parts/characters fleshed out a bit more

Big thanks to Elena Armas & NetGalley for letting me read this one early - it was one of the ARCs I have been most excited to be approved for!! x

Cute rom-com premise with a cute cover: Josie Moore, small-town N.C. mayor with four broken engagements, is forced into a faux engagement in order to minimize embarrassment to her mega-wealthy father.

I really tried to love this story, but I just could not get into it. Too many far-fetched twists for my liking.

The subtitle, The Long Game #2 is an indication that you should definitely read the first one first!

This would be a a good beach read for a younger audience.

Thank you @atriabooks, @netgalley and @thebibliotheque for an e-ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

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This book involves Josie, our sweet and loveable small-town mayor who has become newly infamous for being the estranged daughter of a mult-millionaire as well as having had four engagements that ended in disaster, never ending in a marriage or her at the alter.

Andrew Underwood (her father) sends Bobbi to help with all the PR going on, except that this happens at a very unfortunate time and Josie decides to make stories up regarding her relationship status (she had a previous wedding ring on). Que Matthew (our muscle toting blonde MMC and best friend to Josie's half-sister) coming in Josie's home with impeccable timing, thus their fake engagement begins!

I really enjoyed this book, it was a lot slower at times and did take me longer than usual to finish but I am glad I finished! It had me giggling at times and swooning at others! I wouldn't have expected our blonde, glasses wearing MMC to have such a filthy mouth!

Also, Matthew always put Josie first and I can absolutely admire a man without a filter when it comes to standing up for his woman.
Spice is 3/5 🌶

I also freaking adore Grandpa Moe and Predro Pigscal. ❤️

Tropes:
▪️Fake-engagement
▪️Sister's best friend
▪️He falls first
▪️Slow burn
▪️Small town

This book is written in a single POV and first person.

Solid 4 star book. I really enjoyed the chemistry between Josie and Matthew. It fell flat in a few places and really hit it out of the park in a few others.

Where it fell flat for me:
Having read The Long Game, I was really disappointed that there was only one POV from Matthew. I really, really wanted Matthew's POV. He was such a great character and I would have loved to see the boy obsessed POV.
Given how long the book was, we never got interaction from Matthew's family or an epilogue wrapping everything up. I would have loved some interaction with the Flanagan family. Maybe I'm comparing to The Long Game too much, but we had Adalyn's mom very involved in the story and I wish Matthew's family had been just slightly involved in this one.
Adalyn's storyline and why she couldn't be more involved. I think Josie was above that and wouldn't have cared. Seemed like a touch of a cop out.

What I loved:
The chemistry was so good. I loved Matthew's take charge attitude. Biggest green flag. Anytime Matthew took the stress from Josie, I was swooning.
I loved how much I hated Andrew and The Shark. Great writing to make me dislike them so very much.
I was so pleased with the ending of the book. Without creating any spoilers, it was exactly how it should have ended. (Though an epilogue a few years down the road would have been nice.)
The slow burn even though we could tell from the word Go how much Josie and Matthew both cared for each other.
That first text reference from Adalyn was gold. I loved it.

I hope Elena Armas comes out with another book in this small NC town so I can see glimpses of Matthew and Josie happily ever after.

Ok, I really liked the characters. Matthew is everything. And he was perfect for Josie.
However, some plot points were off and/or unclear. I’m really hoping that those awkward points were straightened out by editors before the book was finalized. (I got a late Arc and no grammatical errors were taken into account.)
I love Elena Armas and can’t wait to read the final version!!

⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️🌶️ open door with a little heat
The pacing on the spice felt weird.

4⭐️

This might be my favorite Elena Armas book so far. It’s a first person POV from the female lead, Josie. This book is marketed as a standalone and can be read that way but I did appreciate having read The Long Game first because I felt having the background of the town and characters from that added value to this book.

The first part of the book was slow and I didn’t find myself captured into the story until about one-third of the way in. But once I hit that point, the story had my full attention. The pacing was odd for me though. It felt like certain parts were dragged out and others were rushed. But overall I really enjoyed it and loved both the leads in this. Matthew felt like a very silly, yet serious, golden retriever.

Current Elena Armas book ranking:
1. The Fiancé Dilemma
2. The American Roommate Experiment
3. The Spanish Love Deception
4. The Long Game

Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for an arc of this book!

I grabbed The Fiance Dilemma without knowing what it was about, so imagine how excited I was when I found a fake relationship story aka my favorite trope 😍

Josie has four failed engagements in her past, a fact that the media finds all too interesting once it leaks that her famous father has a daughter who just can’t seem to make it down the aisle. When a PR guru named Bobbi shows up at her house, Josie instinctively tells her that actually she is engaged right now, and her sister’s best friend gets roped in as her fiancée. Matthew seems reluctant initially, but he plays along with the story, even as Bobbi decides on a wedding just weeks away.

I adored Josie’s zany character. On the one hand, she is incredibly resourceful and organized, as the mayor of her town and the owner of a coffee shop. But in her personal relationships, she is a bit of a hot mess with traumatic family situations in her past and a fear of falling too deeply in love. She goes all in on her crazy stories and pulls others along with her, and she was incredibly entertaining. Matthew was a good love interest, but it almost felt like the author wanted him to be absolutely all of the possible personalities in one man, as his personality wavered in a dime all throughout the book. One minute he’s a grump, then he is cheerful, then crazy protective, then full of dirty talk, then unable to discuss any real feelings. It was a whirlwind with his character.

My fave character had to be Bobbi though, whose acerbic personality and wit stole every scene she was in. I never knew what she would say next and she made me laugh multiple times. The situations all these characters found themselves in definitely kept me engaged in the read, full of small town hijinks, humor, and heart.


Thank you to NetGalley and Atria for the ARC.

The Fiancé Dilemma by Elena Armas is a fun, quirky, fast-paced, and entertaining rom-com. Making it the perfect addition to your summer reading list! We follow Josie and Mathew as they navigate a fake engagement in an attempt to neutralize the storm of media attention surrounding the recent announcement that revealed the identity of Josie's famous father. The plan, formed in a moment of panic, backfires as it's revealed that this is Josie's FIFTH engagement! Between the media, meeting her father for the first time, and still running her café, Josie and Mathew get to know each other and soon realize there is nothing fake about their feelings for each other.

Thank you, NetGalley and Atria Books, for early access to read The Fiancé Dilemma in exchange for an honest review. It's an enjoyable read, and I love how quirky and random Josie is!

While The Fiancé Dilemma was a solid read, it wasn’t as good as my past two reads by Elena Armas. This book did a decent job keeping my attention, but it just didn’t match the steamy chemistry between the characters in The Spanish Love Deception and The American Roommate Experiment. I struggled to pick this book up and there wasn’t that attention grabbing need to pick this book up and rush to see what happened in the end. With that being said, there weren’t bad parts and the plot tied together, but in my opinion this isn’t a have-to-read for my fellow Rom-Com lovers. This is a solid meh in my book, however, I will keep following Elena as an author and see if the zest comes through in other books. <I received this book to review on behalf of NetGalley.>

5⭐️I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

When the world discovers Josie Moore is the daughter of millionaire Andrew Underwood, her past failed engagements become a PR issue. Her absentee father sends his associate to help deal with the fall out but things get misconstrued and Josie is believed to be engaged. She is so overwhelmed, unable to dispute the assumption, so when Matthew Flanagan appears on her property she pretends he is her fiancé. She hopes her half sister’s best friend will play along with the ruse. Before she knows it, the whole town thinks she’s engaged and she convinces Matthew to play along. But when real feelings start bubbling to the surface it’s hard to tell what’s fake and what isn’t.

I think Elena Arms excels when writing the fake romance trope. I absolutely loved this book! I thoroughly enjoyed how as the book progressed we found out little tidbits of information that showed Matthew’s interest in Josie long before the fake engagement. These two were so cute together. Josie had some baggage that she was still actively working through and the press coverage of it only made it worse. Matthew was so patient with her and showed her what she deserves. He was there for her and fought for her. And she helped him discover his path. This was such an enjoyable read! It made me laugh and cry which is what a good book will do!