Okay Elena Armas, a redemption from the snooze fest that was the Long Game.

Josie and Matthew find themselves in a predicament - pretend to be engaged until the press dies down on their interest of Josie’s father and their family. But their fake engagement only gathers more interest, especially on one of America’s most famous gossip podcasts (It is Josie’s 5th “engagement” after all.

This book does a lot better showing the chemistry between the two love interests. Their sexual tension was *chefs kiss* and It did a better job showing the evolution of their relationship, i could watch them fall in love. I just wish she did better banter and better development and interactions with side characters.

I’m also not sure if it’s just the ARC so i won’t take points off, but i got kind of confused following the story towards the middle? My ARC was only 305 pages and goodreads says it’s 432 pages so I’m not sure if i was missing some, but there are some points i was really confused by the jump in time or what happened. With that being said, It had me wishing the chapters at minimum had the date so i could tell if the chapter was the same day or not. The flow between chapters was a little off.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of this book! Overall i really enjoyed It and recommend and these opinions are entirely my own.

3.5 ⭐️
1.5 🌶️

Wow, this was cute!!!! To be honest, I actually DNF’ed the first book but was so pleasantly surprised by this book! The story hooked me immediately and the characters, including the side ones, made me laugh out loud. And the chemistry was 🤪😍

Josie was lovable if not a bit cringe at times. And Matthew seemed smitten from the beginning but I actually hated his excessive use of “Sweetheart” as a term of endearment. It seemed condescending when he first used it at the beginning and I know he for SURE was not meaning it by the end, I just couldn’t unsee it in that way.

Otherwise, I feel like this is one of Elana Armas’ best books!!!!

Thanks NetGalley and Atria Books for an ARC!!

5/5 stars! I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. The Fiance Dilemma is book 2 in The Long Game series. Personally I enjoyed book 1 more but I really liked book 2. This book is released July 30, 2024. Thank you to Atria Books, Elena Armas and Netgalley.

WOW! So grateful to NetGalley for the ARC for an honest opinion on this book. I really LOVED this book..even more than the first one. Josie and Matthew are incredibly loveable characters that I couldn’t get enough of throughout the story. The storyline is engaging and kept me reading. There is a lot of real life “stuff” (family, work, social media and more) in the book that makes it more realistic but Elena does a great job in balancing it all out with the will they or won’t they love story.

I’ll start this review by saying Elena Armas is one of my favorite authors. She’s INCREDIBLE, and The Long Game is one of my favorite novels EVER. Literally, no exaggeration. I was beyond excited to learn it was getting a companion novel! The Fiancé Dilemma is funny, steamy, and builds upon the world of Green Oak that devoted readers know and love.

I enjoyed The Fiancé Dilemma! It was funny, a bit quirky, and super sweet. I caught myself smiling multiple times! Did I love it as much as TLG? No. Did I still like it? Yeah, I did. There are a few reasons why it isn’t my FAVORITE, though:

1. No Matthew POV
2. It moved too fast (and was over too soon)
3. No Matthew POV :(

The Matthew point is in there twice for a reason. I’ll break it down.

1. No Matthew POV: We wanted it, man. Elena is SO FREAKING GOOD at crafting unforgettable male characters. I mean, Cameron? Adore him. Lucas? There is still one particular scene from The American Roommate Experiment, from his POV, that lives in my head whenever I think of the book. I believe there is something special about hearing the story told from a dual perspective. After briefly meeting Matthew in TLG, I was so excited to experience him firsthand in TFD. I was disappointed we didn’t get that moment.

2. I feel the novel moved a bit too fast, and we didn’t linger on specific plot points as long as we could have. For example, in the beginning, I did not fully understand why Josie was so quick to want to protect her father’s image, a father she just learned about, who hadn’t even made an effort to be in her life until recently. In TLG, Josie was confident and comfortable calling the shots. Once Bobbi arrived and literally called her a “misstep” and said she was threatening her father’s legacy, she just caved. I get that she was uncomfortable with the media talking about her and her called-off engagements, but the bulk of Bobbi’s criticisms of her were in relation to her father. Bobbi honestly didn’t give a crap about HER or what SHE wanted. (Side note: I didn’t “like” Bobbi, but her characterization was very well done). Also, I would have loved to linger on a few plot points for a bit longer. Chapter 20?!? I’m trying not to do spoilers, but holy crap. I really wanted to find out what happened and maybe have a scene later that night. But instead, we move days ahead. Again, I LIKED the book; I just wanted more!

3. No Matthew POV part 2: I wanted to dive deeper into his character. I wanted to learn more about his family and the sports career dreams he had. What else has he been up to while in Green Oak? He’s Adelyn’s best friend, yet we rarely got any time with just the two of them to build on that friendship. We did hear about a few man-crush moments between him and Cam, so that’s nice. I love Matthew’s character and essentially just, again, wanted a deeper dive into him.

Okay, so while I just listed the things I wish were in the book, truthfully, it’s because I love Elena Armas and her storytelling so much. I adore her worlds and characters. I didn’t want the story to end and wanted to be more immersed in it. I could’ve read another 50-100 pages of TFD and been super content and not bored. I’m still absolutely going to reread it AND buy the audiobook on release day.

I’m so grateful to have the opportunity to read this ARC and leave a review. Thank you, Net Galley and Atria Books!

Make sure to check out The Fiancé Dilemma when it releases on July 21st! Even though it left me wanting more, more, more, you’re still in for a good time and a good read!

A fun and quirky fake engagement coupled with a FMC that has deep rooted insecurities and a MMC that loves her for real, despite those insecurities. Yes, Elena Armas has written yet another hit! It was so easy to follow the story and uncover all the layers to the main characters. I laughed, I raged, I blushed (🌶️🌶️🌶️ ) and I commiserated. All the stars for this book!
Thank you Netgalley and Atria Books for the opportunity to read and review this masterpiece!!

There is something funny and lovely about this book. A true slow burn, with a “he fell first” theme. I love how silly the characters are, it makes them real. I think some of the dialog is cringy, but that’s really subjective 🤷‍♀️

I enjoy fake dating (engagement) stories. They are usually ridiculous and require some suspension of reality, both of which I’m down for. The characters and writing do not make up for the ridiculous aspects of this story. I wanted to like Josie and her small town but she was too quirky for me. And Matthew seemed promising but ultimately did not deliver much that was swoon worthy. Together their relationship seemed based in misunderstanding and miscommunications and that’s one trope I’m not into. Lots of “I’ll just ignore that” or “I’m not gonna touch that statement” from Josie and a lot of interruptions when Matthew’s about to say something. I get the building up to something but it just feels lazy. And don’t even get me started on her ‘father’…

I absolutely love Elena Armas so I couldn’t wait to read this book. It had everything I was hoping for, fake dating and him falling first. I absolutely loved Josie and Matthew was an almost perfect book boyfriend. The only downside was that it wasn’t the first book in the duology so we don’t get more of them in Cam and Adalyn’s book.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

2.5⭐️

This was an ok book. The characters felt like they were trying a bit too hard especially the main female character. The guy didn't care what was going on really and came off as very non chalant but then all of a sudden gets super possessive, like come on man, where was all this for the entire book.

I have read all of Elenas books and honestly hav't loved one since the Spanish Love Deception. I want her to go back to that type of writing

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing the arc

Fiancé dilemma

💍 interconnected stand-alone following The Long Game
💍 Small town setting
💍 Engagement of convenience

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Josie is the kindhearted and beautiful mayor of small town Green Oak. She is the daughter of the powerful and wealthy Andrew Underwood who is constantly in the eye of the media. Things are also complicated in the sense that she just discovered who her dad was after she’d been on her own for so many years following her mothers death.

Vicious and ambitious PR agent, Bobbi Shark shows up at her door with the hope to clean up her image following four failed engagements as this is essential to her fathers own image. Josie happens to be wearing a former engagement ring just for kicks. Put on the spot, Josie declares that this ring is because she is engaged to the very confused and very handsome Matthew Flanagan (who just happened to show up). Matthew goes along with Josie’s faux engagement story and it thrusts them into a disaster of wedding plans and a media circus as well as being the topic of a tabloid podcast.

I really enjoyed this ARC offered to me by Atria books in exchange for my honest review. This is such a sweet story that is the perfect lake or beach read!
In my opinion, the ending of this book was not predictable. I was constantly flipping those pages to see what came next. I had so many emotions and reactions just running through me as I neared the end. I absolutely need a copy of it for my shelf. I am so mad I waited to read Elena Armas because I am such a fan now ! 🙌🏼 GO PREORDER IT NOW! 😍💍✨💐

It was an engaging read that captivated me from the very beginning. The plot's initial setup is intriguing, drawing readers into a world filled with romantic tension and well-crafted settings. The character development and witty dialogue are standout elements that make the narrative enjoyable throughout. Elena Armas has delivered a romance that is both charming and memorable. Five stars!
Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for the arc!

This has become my favorite book yet by Elena Armas.
I thought Cam would stay my favorite but step aside because Matthew Flanagan has reached my heart. ❤️ The way he just cared about Josie and just knew exactly how she was feeling just by looking at her was beautiful. I would recommend this book to anyone and everyone.

NetGalley ARC -
Fun fake fiance trope, liked the tie in with the characters from the last book. Overall some cute banter, fairly predictable.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC!!

I wanted to love this book, I really did.
The MMC, Matthew is sweet, kind and wholesome. if not, a little boring.
My main issue is with the FMC, Josie. Shes extremely quirky, girl next door vibes. but there was hints of a little back bone in there that I wanted to see more. However, the fact that she’s changing her entire life and bending over backwards for a father she’s never met.. weird. And letting a PR lady boss her around with no issues. It just felt silly and not cohesive to how she is with everyone else.

Absolutely loved this book! It may rank right up there with The Spanish Love Deception. I loved Josie and Matthew’s story and couldn’t put it down. From the first meeting, you’ll be hooked. It was such a great read. Matthew is something - he was such an amazing MC. Josie is adorable and I loved her. I’d be her friend.

Elena Armas does it again! I can’t wait to read it again.

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and author for an ARC in exchange for my honest review!

I think this might very well be my new favorite from Elena Armas!!! Matthew Flanagan WHEW what a man.

This was everything I love about fake dating/PR relationship mixed in with the perfect amount of Hero Falls First and it made me want to giggle and kick my feet in the air. For a character who claims to be "unserious" about most matters, Matthew takes everything about Josie as seriously as a heart attack. And he's the first person in a long time to do so--making their connection instantly strong and trusting. He'll never hurt her, always believe her, and never leave her. What more could a gal want? It doesn't hurt that he's pretty easy on the eyes.

I liked the bits of Adalyn/Cam that were peppered in as Josie navigates having a sister! Cam is so funny, especially when Matthew fangirls. The Andrew plot felt like it got resolved really nicely by the end, and I no longer hate him with the power of a thousand suns. Progress!

Overall this was bone-crushingly sweet, earnest, but SO HOT TOO!! Josie and Matthew are soulmates and you can't change my mind.

Big thank you NetGalley and to the publisher for the chance to review this book pre-release. I must say, think this book was leaps and bounds better than Ms. Arma's previous books. I enjoyed them all, but this one I felt like I connected with the characters the most. I legitimately read the entirety in a little under 5 hours, and had FUN. I loved the romance, it felt natural and effortless to follow along, and I felt more emotionally invested in the characters. A more formal review will be available on my IG/TikTok and Goodreads.

Overall rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice level: 🌶🌶🌶

I was lucky enough to get an eARC of this book from @netgalley and was soooo excited to read another Elena Armas book. If you haven't read The American Roommate Experiment or The Spanish Love Deception, you need to get on that, especially if you love the fake dating trope because clearly it's Elena's fave.

This book had quippy, personality filled exposition. Josie feels like your sarcastic, snarky bestie is filling you in. However, it got old for a while there, just because it just went on too long. Later on, it came back around and was mostly endearing.

Followed up with previous characters from The Long Game, which I loved.

Kind of wish it was dual perspective - Josie felt like an unreliable narrator. We get one small section in Matthew's POV and I loved it but also Josie's perspective let you linger in the "does he doesn't he" realm longer which was important to her character development.

This novel delivers a charming blend of romance and family drama, with Josie and Matthew's dynamic stealing the show. While the beginning felt a tad rushed, the story eventually finds its stride, delving into Josie's complexities and her evolving feelings for Matthew. Though I wished for more insight into Matthew's perspective, his endearing qualities shine through, making him a delightful love interest. Despite some pacing issues, the ending subverts expectations in a satisfying way. Overall, a recommended read, especially for fans of Elena Armas. Thank you to NetGalley, Atria Books, and Elena Armas for the ARC!