I’ll start with the things I did like about “The Fiancé Dilemma: Matthew’s character was not what I expected after reading about him in “The Long Game”, the first book in this series. Honestly, I thought he might be gay. Spoiler alert: HE’S NOT! He’s nerdy and sweet…but also spicy!!!

I also liked that this romance was predictable in ways, but not necessarily in a cheesy way!

Now, the thing I didn’t like: After reading both books in this series, I am realizing that the author’s style of writing might not be my favorite. She writes in sort of a stream-of-consciousness style…which is relatable to real life for sure, but can also make the book a little hard to follow sometimes. Or maybe that’s just me?

Despite some mixed feelings about this book, I liked it overall…actually better than “The Long Game” which isn’t often the case in sequels!

(Thanks Net Galley and publishers for the advanced copy of this book!)

Ugh this was such a fun and romantic read!! It was giving 27 Dresses meets Runaway Bride and as a true romcom lover I was totally here for it.

Josie and Matthew had my heart from the very first chapter. If you haven’t already, please read the Long Game because that’s where I started to fall in love with Josie. She is such a relatable character and I wanted to be her bff by the end of this book. And Matthew?! He might just be everyone’s new book boyfriend because OMG!! From the glasses, to his protectiveness of Josie, to his demeanor the man was just a walking green flag and I’m in love with him!! My only complaint is that we didn’t get to read his POV.

If you love small town romances with quirky characters, fake engagements, slow burns, or the he falls first trope then do yourself a favor and run to get this book!

I’m hoping and praying Elena continues writing interconnected stand-alones set in Green Oak because I just love the town and these characters so so much!

Thank you so so much to Elena Armas, Atria Books and NetGalley for this E-ARC in exchange for my honest review!

3.5 ⭐️📖 This was probably my least favorite Armas book to date. I enjoyed reading the story, but the plot was so incredibly far-fetched for me that it did take away some of the fun of reading it.

In no way, shape or form do I feel like Josie would’ve realistically made up a fake fiance scenario in order to help her “dad” save face; a man she has zero relationship with.

Also, I couldn’t reconcile that a social media site was all over her about 4 failed engagements so she entered into another engagement (albeit under false pretenses) knowing it’d never pan out…?

Regardless, I did like to Josie and Matthew and I enjoyed the Green Oak setting once again. Reader beware: there is SERIOUS spice!!

While this wasn’t my favorite book, I will read anything Elena Armas puts out. She’s still an auto-read author for me!

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for this ARC in exchange for an honest review

When a fake engagement becomes a long love story that truly will swoon you and melt you away, wanting more of Matthew Flanagan...

How do I start this review? By saying how OBSSESED I am with Matthew Flanagan? And by ending it by saying that I am ADDICTED with Matthew Flanagan? Yup! That's what's going to happen. Because this man... **sighs** he knows. HE KNOWS how to make a girl feel special. He knows how to love, how to adore, how to protect, and most of all; how to be present for Josie. Matthew is the epitome of the perfect man that will emotionally understand you and know when you are needed, even when you think you don't need him. Which is why his persona is such a beautiful balance to Josie's chaotic, yet minimal life.

The sweet next door, small town girl that is a coffee shop owner, and the town mayor comes to life in this sequel. She was already a staple in The Long Game, but as the main character of her own book, she knows how to shine. Even when she doesn't think she is the main character and deserves all that the world can give her, Matthew comes along and makes her flutter and fly;
"Beautiful things shouldn't be boxed. It eventually dims their light..."

Matthew comes along like a force to be reckoned with to save the day for Josie when she is in a time of need and desperation. And what a swoon way does he swoop in. With all his charm and... **glasses** and his smirks, and his **glasses**... OH! And how can I forget his lovable presence, and his **glasses**. Have I gotten by point across? If not then just know that as much as Josie literally becomes speechless at the presence of Mathew wearing his glasses, my eyes spark heart emojis at his fictional presence. Matthew has known from the very first knowledge of Josie, that there was something about her that was going to end him;
"Josie had always been technicolor in my head. Not white..."

Elena has written some incredible, drool worthy romances that's for sure. But this story... it hits it you right in the feels. It punches right in the gut. It knocks you right in the head. All body parts are far gone with how much magic and true love there is between Josie & Matthew. And the more beautiful part about this angst of a novel, is how breath taking each and every interaction Josie has with Matthew, how she is vulnerable about many things but at the same time is head strong and determined to fix things for other people and their reputations with no repercussion as to how it might affect her heart. And after having four engagements that truly, both on paper and off paper did not suit her, this fake engagement with Matthew draws a fine line of what is real and what is not. But no matter what happens, Josie learns that her emotions are true about Mathew;
"I knew in that moment. I simply knew. I'd never wanted a smile—a man— more than I did him. I'd never loved like I did him..."

My new found love for Matthew is one that will forever be engraved into my heart. He is the type of character that truly knows how to make a reader's heart flutter. And Elena has truly done the reader's justice because Matthew and Josie have this palpable chemistry that makes the heat curl from your toes to your head. With every scorching glance and minimal touch, with every smile and every heated commotion; Josie & Matthew are the it couple that truly defines the real meaning of "romance".

Elena, you already know that I am proud of you, my darling. Y ese orgullo nunca se disminuirá. Your writing will forever embark into being part of my life as much as our friendship. And I am not going anymore young lady, so be ready to be stuck with me for a long time. And be prepared to keep writing these fantastic and magical stories of yours that will never stop shining through every word and every page ♡

Josie already had four weddings before she met Matthew. Well, sort of. Every time Josie gets close to walking down the aisle, she bolts. And when her long-lost father suddenly faces a PR firestorm, Josie needs a way out and quickly. Enter Matthew (literally) who gets roped up in pretending to be Josie’s fiance. But as the wedding day approaches, feelings start to get a little too real.

Nobody does fake dating quite as well as Elena Armas. From the banter to the situations to the side characters, everything is done to perfection. I loved the hilarious situations Matthew and Josie managed to find themselves in and how the rest of the town reacted to them. Matthew and Josie have incredible chemistry and consent was always clear. Matthew understood Josie in a way no one else seemed to, and I adored watching their connection blossom.

The major issue with this novel is the lack of real conflict. Josie has to reason to help her father since he’s never interacted with her. Matthew doesn’t have a reason to agree to be Josie’s fake fiance. They had no reason to lie to Cam and Adalyn. The whole story could’ve been solved in the first ten pages if Josie simply told her father no, though I am rather glad that she didn’t since I thoroughly enjoyed the rest of the novel.

What the story lacked in conflict, it made up for in heart. Like every Elena Armas book, <i>The Fiance Dilemma</i> will have you squealing and turning red within the span of a few pages. I laughed constantly, cried a little, and fell in love with the characters each time I picked up the novel. Armas captures the perfect combination of swoon-worthy and serious, creating romances that feel grounded in the real world and yet effortlessly dreamy. Matthew and Josie have sizzling chemistry that is sure to draw readers in until the very last page.

Josie has recently discovered she is the daughter of an american soccer mogul, and like all of us, she has her past. She has been engaged 4 times - and ran from the altar every time. When the press finds out about her very public engagements, it becomes a PR crisis to be dealt with by her father’s team. The solution? Enters sweet dreamy steamy Matthew. On a roundabout way, she pretends to be engaged to her sister’s best friend to make the crisis go away.

Now onto my opinions on yet another Armas soon-to-be favorite: The Fiancé Dilemma is on the same universe as Armas’ last novel, The Long Game. Though I loved the characters on this new universe (Josie, Grampa Moe and Matthew are the sweetest!), I’m not sure it was the version I got, but from mid-end the development of the story and relationship felt a bit rushed. I don’t love this new universe as much as I loved TSLD and TARE, her previous characters. The steam in this second “series” is not for me. Overall liked it very much - it is still Elena de Armas and very worth the end of summer read - I’d give this one a 4/5 stars. If you’re a fan, definitely pick it up!

This friends-to-lovers, fake-engagement novel will likely delight fans of Armas’ other novels, especially The Long Game, but ultimately missed the mark for me. While overall it felt a bit kitschy and Josie’s personality was too chaotic for me, there were moments of true romance, pure sweetness, and serious spice that did help to redeem the story.

Matthewwwww omg. 😫🥹 What a perfect man. I cannot even count how many times I found myself saying to anyone and everyone around me, “omgggg this man!” “Omggggg stoppppp”. At one point I put down my kindle and explained the whole story and how much I love a good fake fiancé trope, to my nine year old. She looked at me like I was nuts, but one day she will understand… 😆 He was such a cinnamon roll but in such “take charge” manly kind of way. Swooooooon 🥰

The book was charming and cute and definitely gave 90’s rom-com vibes, but in the best possible way. However, believe me when I say, this is the slowest of slowwwwww burns. I was dyingggg to get to the… good stuff, if ya know what I mean. 😉 As much as I was “oooo-ing” and “awww-ing” I was also yelling “Just kiss her, already!!!!!” …. That’s right my friends, kiss her! I was at about 60%+ before even a KISS! I was starting to worry, but eventually there was spice. 😮‍💨

Overall ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
Romance 🩷🩷🩷
Spice 🌶️.5

Another fun read from Elena Armas. While you don't have to read the Long Game (first book in this series) to understand whats going on, I did appreciate knowing who these characters are and the history behind them. Armas builds character dynamics so well, she really pulls you in and wanting more. The chemistry between the main characters as great, and I always love when one of the main characters is so awkward, but you cannot picture them any other way. Even with the far fetched scenarios, I enjoyed the book very much. While we see so much of Josie's perspective in this book, it would have been interesting to see what Matthew would have "said" or "viewed" the situation - I feel like this would have made for an interesting dual POV. Great beach read.
Thanks to NetGalley, Elena Armas for the arc! (4.5 stars)

I really enjoyed this book. I loved the premise and was immediately hooked within a few pages. The cuteness was too good not to like. This was a fun, easy read, that catches you by the feels. I’ve already recommended this to half of my coworkers. I look forward to reading more titles by this author!

I'd like to start off by saying this is my first read from Elena Armas. I didn't read the first book in the Long Game series, but I don't think it's absolutely necessary for this story to make sense.

From the very first chapter, it's pure chaos, and it's seems to follow that theme throughout the book. When a pushy new PR rep shows up, Josie starts off the story with a HUGE lie about her "new engagement" to her sister's best friend, Matthew. This news also throws Matthew completely off-guard during his first ever meeting with Josie. As I said before - pure chaos.

From a fake engagement to daddy issues, there's all kinds of drama going on in Josie's life. All eyes are on her as she navigates a new relationship with her dad while also jugging the public's opinion regarding her "new engagement" after 4 previously failed engagements. All I have to say is that I LOVE MATTHEW! He is an absolutely dream and so patient with Josie's ever growing scheme. Grandpa Moe also adds some excellent humor and fun to this story.

While I did very much love Elena's writing style, I don't think this book is perfect. There are a lot of far fetched scenarios, which I normally wouldn't mind, but it just seemed that Josie was digging her hole deeper and deeper without an actual resolution in sight. Everything she did only contributed more to the problem she was trying to get out of. While I did enjoy the end of the story, the middle seemed to be quite repetitive and lacked substance. However, I do think it was a fun read and I'd definitely pick up another book by this author in the future!

Overall, I really enjoyed the book, but it didn’t seem to drag out. The story was cute and the characters were enjoyable and connectable, but felt the story dragged out and I found myself skimming some of the pages.

I am hereby declaring Elena Armas to be my favorite romance author! As with all of her other novels, I devoured The Fiance Dilemma. I was so happy to be back in the world of The Long Game - I want to be part of this friend/family group (we all need a Grandpa Mo in our lives!). I loved the main characters and their chemistry - Elena Armas is a master of funny dialog and relationship building. I think readers are going to fall in love with Matthew; he is completely charming and lovable. Josie is goofy and awkward, and I love that in an FMC. Their relationship is a very slow burn, but it's definitely worth the wait.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

I was so excited to read Josie and Matthew's love story! I knew from reading "The Long Game" that they would make the perfect couple, but I didn't expect the "fake relationship" trope to be the mechanism for their falling in love.

They became fake fiances then real friends before eventually settling for their happy ever after as a couple. I love that their foundation was built on trust and wanting the best for each other.

I also appreciated the *tiny* redemption arc for Andrew. I still don't like him by any means, but I appreciate that it was shown that he is at least trying to mend his relationship with his daughters.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

cute, light beach read
another one of Armas (the other being the first in this romance series) that I felt the relationship was rushed with not enough build-up.
I also would have appreciated Matthew's PoV.

✨ARC Review✨
There is so much I want to say about this book. First off, I had a really shitty few days and The Fiancé Dilemma was the first book I picked up afterward. It was exactly what I needed to laugh and swoon and forget my troubles for a few hours.

Josie is sweet and a people-pleaser x 1000. Honestly, that made me a little nuts. Like, just say no! But I get it- some people aren’t like me and the “no”s are harder to come by. Also, if she had the ability to say no from the get-go, we wouldn’t have this book which I mostly adored.

Matthew is…he’s actually perfect, I think. He’s hot af, smart, kind, and a mix of a dirty-talking cinnamon roll/golden retriever/kinda possessive type. It all worked really well.

Look, I’ll be honest- there’s not much Elena Armas writes that I don’t love. The extra people-pleaser in Josie is one of those things, but I think that’s a “me” issue. This book ultimately made me so happy during one of the bleakest times in my life and for that, I am eternally grateful.

#romance #contemporaryromance #smalltownromance #friendstolovers #cinnamonrolls #josieandmatthew #elenaarmas #thefiancedilemma #netgalley #atriabooks #arc

I literally read this book in the span of 24 hours because it was THAT GOOD!!

Elena Aramas has done it again.

I am actually obsessed with Matthew Flanagan. I don’t usually laugh out loud at books but between him and Grandpa Moe I was actually cackling at certain points. Not to mention he’s just swoon-worthy? And….👓

Josie is such a relatable character (at least to me) and I really connected with her. She moves through life with the best of intentions even though it backfires regularly and all she wants is to make everyone around her as happy as possible. Watching her growth throughout the book was really incredible and I love her dynamic with Matthew sooooo much. Also the spice was a 9/10.

Loved it. Loved them. Loved Pedro Pigscal. Loved it.

Thanks to Atria Books for giving me the chance to read this ARC!

Wholesome. Read this book with a smile on my face for 90% of it. A great romance, feel good book. Another home run for Elena!

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria for the ARC!

I enjoyed this sequel to the Long Game. I might even like it more than the first. You can read it without having read the first book, but the context in the family dynamics would definitely help navigate this one.

It has the slow burn and fake dating shenanigans you can expect from Elena Armas but I enjoyed the PR dating twist. The ending was unexpected but really sweet. And Matthew was so endearing and I appreciated how steadfast he was throughout!

I have a few questions left over particularly around Josie’s relationship with her dad but maybe they’ll be answered later? Or maybe it’s supposed to be open ended?

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Oh my god. I was not ready for Matthew and Josie. We met them in Armas' last book but I still was not ready for their story. I have SO many highlighted passages. When I wasn't smiling I was just thinking "oh my god" (seriously, my first thought when writing this was to just write "oh my god" and leave it at that because I was at a loss about how to put how much I loved it into words). 

Josie and Matthew are both unapologetically themselves so it makes sense that their story would be chaos in the best way possible. In an attempt to solve a PR problem for her dad, Josie ropes Matthew (her newfound sister's best friend) into being her fake fiance (her 5th fiance if you want to get into the details). Things quickly get messy as they tend to do when it comes to fake dating. 

Matthew is sort of the ideal book boyfriend. He embraces Josie for who she is. He's sweet but can be spicy. He's protective without being too smothering. I don't want to spoil anything but he’s pretty great.

I really love Armas's writing style and now I'm stuck trying to figure out if this is now my favorite book of hers (or The Spanish Love Deception).

Bonuses: Adalyn and Cam make an appearance! Plus, there's a mini pig named Pedro Pigscal!