3/5
It was a good rom-com book, but not one of Elena Armas's best. I'm a little disappointed because I was so looking forward to hearing Josie's story. But I feel like things were rushed. I feel like you don't really know what kind of person Matthew is until like halfway through the book. I honestly still feel like I don't know much about him, unlike Cam from The Long Game. I feel like the premise was good, but it just needed to be fleshed out more.

Josie Moore has given love—plenty of chances. Four if you count all her failed engagements, and five if you include her absentee father who kept her existence a secret until recently. So when her father decides to announce his retirement with a splashy magazine piece about the family, Josie realizes her romantic history is a complicated PR issue. Matthew Flanagan is in the mud, literally. Not only has he been fired from his job, but also the tires of his car are stuck after taking a wrong turn as he enters Green Oak, North Carolina. So he goes in search of a place to crash and he finds his best friend’s sister, Josie, greeting him as her fiancé. What starts as a big messy misunderstanding quickly turns into an arrangement with Matthew playing her doting fiancé. A fifth engagement—and a stunt, at that—makes Josie’s stomach turn, but Matthew doesn’t seem to mind becoming one more number in a colorful list of grooms-that-never-were. Despite the ring on her finger, Josie knows this is only temporary, even if the rest of the small town believes that the fifth time’s the charm.

Matthew falls first, and I love him. I liked him in The Long Game and I like him here. Unfortunately, and it pains me to say this because I really did like her in The Long Game, I didn't really care about Josie here. I felt like her failed love life was her main personality trait....which is a shame because she's the literal mayor of her town. I needed more from her and I wanted more for her. I'm just not sure I feel like her payoff is enough or her arc is complete. I still love the small-town vibes and the relationship progression, but I'm just sad that it wasn't as good as it could've been. I give it 3.5 stars.

**I want to say thank you to Net Galley and Atria Publishers for giving me an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

The long game was by far my favourite Elena Armas book. I absolutely adore Cam and Adalyn. So when I found out the next one would be about Josie and Matthew I was ecstatic. This book had me giggling and laughing quite a bit, Matthew and Josie are just so adorable and quirky- I caught myself smiling so many times. I’m definitely loved this book for the characters, the plot felt a touch rushed at times, but the banter and Matthew Flanagan more than made up for that. I would have liked to have learned more about Josie and her runaway bride tendencies, I feel like we talked about them, but perhaps not in the detail they deserved. If you’re looking for something more light hearted you’re in luck- this is the perfect summer romcom and come on, who doesn’t love a fake fiancee.

Matthew carried this book! It was so nice to return to Elena Armas' writing after so long and see that her male romantic leads are as amazing as ever. The Fiance Dilemma serves slow burn, entertainment, and juicy drama. It was cute to see the progression between Josie and Matthew as they evolved from "fake" to something more.

With that being said, there were some aspects of the book that were much too corny for me. SPOILERS AHEAD! And the book violated two of my hard no's for romance books: publicly revealing the fake dating scheme and no epilogue. For that, The Fiance Dilemma lands at a 3-star.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publishing company for this arc!

4,5 stars! A little slow to get into but such a cute romance read! loved the fake engagement and ended perfectly! super cute and a fast read!

I love them!!!! This was such a delight. There’s nothing I love more than a boy obsessed. Except maybe when a boy is obsessed and also has a v filthy mouth. Their chemistry really exploded off the page and had me kicking my feet. Reading this made me happy and there’s really not much else you can ask for. I’m kind of hoping for a Bobbi and Robbie love story next???

I really enjoyed this story. I love a fake dating trope, and this one did not disappoint! My only critique is that the book was a little longer than I would have liked. I enjoyed the characters. They were all very engaging and well thought out. There were some really laugh out loud funny moments in this book and other moments that were heartwarming and had me tearing up. This was a book that I enjoyed and would love to recommend.

This was a fun and easy read, that starts with an abrupt “fake” engagement that stems into an unbreakable bond between the two characters. Slightly predictable—but in a good way.

Thank you to Atria Books for this Advance Readers Copy of The Fiance Dilemma! Elena Armas' books are always fun. I loved Josie and Matthew's story. Josie has broken off 4 engagements, and is pressured by her small town and others to move forward with a successful engagement. Matthew is in the right place at the right time, though they soon discover that they are both interested in more than just a fake engagement. There is a colorful cast of minor characters that are hilarious, both from Josie's small town and her Dad's publicist Bobbi. As the wedding day approaches, the pressure is on. Armas ties up the story neatly with Josie's happily ever after. Lots of steam reminiscent of Tessa Bailey. This book was funny and sweet, and I couldn't put it down, wanting to find out how Josie would get herself out of her latest engagement. All's well that ends well. This book is a treat!

This book was refreshing and got me out of my reading slump. I enjoyed the development of the main character and was pleasantly surprised with the outcome of the plot. This isn’t the first story I’ve read by this author and it won’t be the last. 5 stars given to Elena Armas.

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the ARC of “The Fiancé Dilemma by Elena Armas in exchange for my honest review. The story follows the lives of Matthew and Josie. Josie has a complicated history with love and has been a runaway bride multiple times. She’s dealing with navigating her relationship with her newly discovered father while dealing with a PR nightmare. Matthew is the best friend of Josie’s newly discovered sister. Josie easily convinces Matthew to become her fake fiancé.

I’m a fan of Elena Armas and have throughly enjoyed all her other books. I found this one to be a bit slow and choppy from chapter to chapter. I wasn’t hooked to the story until I reached 85% completion. Overall, it was a good read and I’d recommend if you’re into Fake Fiancé/Fake Dating, Small Town Romances, Single POV and Slow Burn Romance. I’m rating this one at 3.5 stars rounded to 4.

Well I DEVOURED this book in 2 days and I absolutely LOVED it! I’ve read all of Elena’s books but this is my fave and I can’t wait to buy a physical copy for my shelf.
I loved the humor throughout the book, especially the banter between Josie and Matthew. And Matthew is my new favorite book boyfriend- a cinnamon roll with a dirty mouth?? Sign me up!

Thanks for the ARC!

The Fiance Dilemma by Elena Armas
Overall: 4
Spice: 3

Another enjoyably painful slow burn from Elena Armas.

Josie Moore, the adorable coffee shop owner/mayor from The Long Game, is back and coming to terms with the newfound knowledge that Adalyn is her ½ sister and her dad is business mogul Andrew Underwood. Finding herself and her past thrust into the spotlight as Andrew’s long lost daughter is a bit painful thanks to her FOUR prior engagements that were broken off just before the wedding (or on her way down the aisle). Andrew sends Bobbi Shark, PR Shark, to Green Oak to fix the problem of Josie’s romantic past. Also arriving in Green Oak is Adalyn’s best friend Matthew. He stumbles upon Josie and finds her introducing him to Bobbi as her fiancé. As fake fiances, Josie and Matthew navigate Bobbi and Andrew’s plans, support from the locals of Green Oak, and a grumpy Granpa Moe. Will Josie finally make it down the aisle?

After greatly enjoying The Long Game, I was very excited for the chance to read this ARC thanks to NetGalley. The two books do have a similar formula, but its all enjoyable. I love how her books somehow combine the kookiest characters and situations and the hottest, steamiest slow burn romances. There are some obvious similarities to Runaway Bride here, but the book references the movie itself. I liked the blend of narrative mixed with scripts from a pop culture podcast that’s on the hunt for the juicy story of Josie’s four prior relationships. Recommended for fans of funny, romantic romps.

I liked the plot of the fiance dilemma. I did find it hard at times to follow the story. The pace of the book was a litle at times.

Another hit from Elena Armas!!! I swear I become a bigger fan with each book I read. This one was the sequel to the Long Game, which I read fairly recently so I was glad I got to continue on with the series. I love led the characters and getting to see so much of the ones from the prior book. 10/10 would recommend

Elena Armas is one of my favorite authors so when I was chosen for this arc read, I may have squealed with delight!
The Fiancé Dilemma is the second book in The Long Game series. The first book is all about Adalyn and Cameron. This second book follows Adalyn’s sister, Josie, and her fake engagement to Adalyn’s best friend Matthew.
The beginning of this book felt very forced and rushed. A fake engagement troupe is always a tough one for me especially if the relationship doesn’t have angst. Which this one lacked… at first.
I promise, keep reading. Because once it was there and we got an introduction to the filthy mouth on Matthew, holy crap 😅 the book for sure turned around for me around the 40% mark. It turned into a beautiful, loving story of someone who really loved someone for exactly who they are. So please if you are struggling at first, keep reading! You will not be disappointed!

I want to thank Elena, Atria Books and NetGalley for allowing me to review this arc!

If you are a fan of Elena Armas you will not be disappointed in her newest book. It comes after The Long Game however you don't need to read the Long Game to understand or enjoy The Fiance Dilemma. These characters are my favorite and they had such great chemistry. Josie is everyone's goofy best friend that you want to find happiness. Elena Armas has once again delivered a captivating and swoon-worthy romance that will leave you wanting more. I highly recommend picking up a copy of The Fiance Dilemma – you won't regret it!

Received an eArc from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Fiancée Dilemma is a sequel to The Long Game, following Josie, the mayor of Green Oak and recently discovered half sister of Adalyn, and Matthew, Adalyn’s best friend. When a PR fixer comes to try to fix Josie and Adalyn’s father’s reputation after his parentage of Josie is revealed, Josie accidentally tells a lie, claiming that Matthew, a man she had one texted but that has recently come to Green Oak and walks by her house at the right time, is her fiancée. Thus starts the fake fiancée dilemma.

Elena Armas wrote another fun book. If you don’t like her other books, you are not likely to like this one as it has many of the same bits: guy who falls first and hard, big protector energy, dominant guy in the bedroom, etc. I have grown to accept this is just how Elena Armas writes her heroes, so it doesn’t faze me. Fake marriage/fake dating is not my favorite trope, but this book was still very enjoyable. Josie and Matthew were both fun to follow. The lack of Adalyn and Cameron at the beginning felt odd, but the glimpses of them were fun. I am rooting for Maria’s dad to have the next book in the series (if there even is one).

I liked The Long Game so I expected to like this as well. I love that it’s mainly Josie and Matthew. I love how Matthew was with Adalyn so I couldn’t have imagined how great he was being a partner. Love the relationship between him and Josie and this was a feel good book.

I loved every Elena Armas’ books and this one is no exception. Relating Josie and Matthew’s story, the book revolves around a fake engagement leading to a real relationship. As always, I liked the characters, the setting and the romance, and would recommend this book as a nice summer read.

Thanks to NetGalley for an arc of this book.