Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for this arc in exchange for my honest review!

This was a 3-star read for me. I really enjoyed Matthew and Josie’s slow-build romance. They modeled a supportive relationship filled with respect, humor, banter and lots of chemistry! Matthew is a great book boyfriend too. Unfortunately, these aspects couldn’t carry this fake engagement story.

The part that fell flat for me was her relationship (or lack thereof) with her father, Andrew. He swooped in and took over the wedding planning and insisted on making his daughter’s wedding all about him and how it could positively affect his political career. Josie is portrayed as an independent and strong-willed woman so I don’t understand why she didn’t stand up to her absent father. The book also was slow going around the two-third’s mark. Then it felt rushed at the end.

I’ve enjoyed the author’s previous novels a lot so I hope to read Armas's future novels. However, this story was only 3-stars for me.

Let me start off by saying that I LOVEDDD The Spanish Love Deception, like I absolutely devoured that book.

That being said, I had to drag myself through this book which was a little disappointing. I think the characters could’ve used some more depth, and maybe a little more inconvenience. The 2 stars are honestly just for Matthew and the cute quotes.

While I did like the MMC’s attentiveness and protectiveness, I would’ve loved to see Josie in therapy maybe???🤔

Thank you to Atria books and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion!!

After a chaotic chance encounter and miscommunication, Matthew becomes Josie’s (reluctant) fake fiancé.

Josie is approached by her father’s PR person and gets manipulated into helping fix the man’s image. With an old engagement ring stuck on her finger, she gets caught in a lie and needs to convince Matthew (her sister's bestie) to pretend to be her fiancé. Meanwhile, the town is talking and a gossip magazine’s podcast is running a series about Josie's four "failed" engagements past.

It has a fake engagement, small town, and is single POV. Overall, it was cute and fun! I loved Matthew.

An unfortunate detail is that the MMC is blonde. *But* the author makes fun of this fact often, so it kind of balances out.

What surprised me the most going into this was that, for being a business owner and the town mayor, I was expecting Josie to be a badass. She’s passive though, and more of a never swears, “aww shucks” “dang it” character. This makes her seem a little infantilized.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for my advanced digital copy!

Elena Armas has done it again, I really enjoyed this story about Josie and Matthew. It is a slow burn but an all around heartwarming story. I enjoyed all of the quirky characters, even Bobbi. Her writing kept me captivated and I absolutely loved the ending. However, I wish we had more of a glimpse into Matthew’s mind. The last chapter written in his POV was fantastic but I would have enjoyed a few more scattered throughout the book. I felt this book hit all the right spots, it had small town charm, humour and depth. It was a fun easy summer read. I’d love to read more about Josie, Adalyn, Cameron and Matthew as they journey into new stages in life like parenthood. Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the ARC,

i love elena armas but the fiance dilemma was not for me.

overall, the characters were okay? while the initial encounter between our two mcs (josephine “josie” & matthew) is understandably awkward, the rest of their following encounters felt exactly the same. one-dimensional. maybe i would’ve loved this if their relationship was developed better; i know it’s difficult with the fake engagement and time crunch but i’ll accept anything besides the insta-love trope. honestly, josie stressed me out with the way she handled her problems: valuing miscommunication and repeated lies over the truth.

i am however still excited to read whatever elena writes next!

many thanks to atria books & netgalley for the arc.

The excitement I felt when I got approved of this one was so real! I loved The Long Game last year and was so ready to dive into Josie's story.

Tropes included--
-engagement of convenience
-forced proximity
-small town
-pining

Matthew was amazing and you could tell how gone he was for Josie, but as usual I would've liked to see inside his head and saw some mutual pining. Here I am always advocating for dual narration!

I loved seeing Cam and Adalyn from Long Game. I think that one is still my fav Armas book, but this one was a sweet second. All her books are so swoony and I'll always look for her new books.

2.5 ⭐️

I wasn’t a huge fan of Armas’ “The Long Game”, but I decided to give this one a shot anyway. Overall, I think her writing style just isn’t for me.

Summary: Due to flimsy extenuating circumstances, Josie enters into a fake engagement with Matthew, her half-sister’s best friend.

The character development was so-so, but the real problem with the book is that after the relationship takes off, I felt like Josie’s responsibilities as mayor and a small business owner practically disappeared. The entire focus of the book shifts to family drama and the fake wedding and I felt like Josie’s entire small town world vanished.

Also, the repetition of phrases that Matthew said to Josie was SO annoying, especially since it seemed to happen almost once or twice a chapter. Too much of what he said was emphasized and I felt it was completely unnecessary.

🛑🛑 slight spoiler ahead 🛑🛑

There was one sentence in the book about a pregnancy being labeled “no risk” by a doctor that I just couldn’t stop thinking about. I’m pretty sure the pregnancy was still in the early stages, but even if it was not, is any pregnancy ever labeled as no risk? The more I think about this throwaway sentence, the angrier I get. I think it is not needed and could easily be removed. I also felt like the pregnancy reveal would be a surprise to absolutely no one because hints were so obvious and frequent that it was almost a distraction from the real purpose of the book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for an advanced copy of this book.

Obsessed is an understatement. I love Josie and Matthew and their whole beautiful story. I just want Elena Armas to keep writing forever so I can live in these stories 💕

This book was a decent read. I really love rom-com style romance books but have noticed in recent years they've started to seem more and more formulaic. That is the case with this book as well. That doesn't mean it's bad, it's just a little hard for me to read it and it threw me out of the story a good number of times.
The spice was pretty good as well, if that's what you're looking for!
The main character was.... soooooo cringe it was hard to read. Like, I get that she's qUiRkY but like... it was bad y'all. Like one of those TT girlies that make fun of us millennials.
The slow-burn was way too slow-burny for me for this book. It just felt like it dragged on for too long.

Overall this was a decent read - not one I will be recommending to my bookclub but I enjoyed it for what it was. If you're looking for an easy read this summer, give it a try!

**Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC**

So, here's the thing - I loved Matthew, and I loved Josie in The Long Game, and I was so ready to love them in this book. It was just that the book fell a little flat. The concept is the typical fake dating/fake engagement but the spin on the book in the sense that the engagement was very much heading full speed towards permanent wedding was what set the book apart. The issue was that the actual character development wasn't really there and there was too much of the book focusing on really nothing of value. I feel that if Elena focused on Josie's trauma and issues, along with Matthew's issues through Josie's POV (since we don't get a POV from Matthew till the last chapter, and I can see why but I don't love that either), then it would've been a much more fulfilling book to read. It was also kind of hard to get into the book and keep up with it at times because Josie's inner thoughts would be a single paragraph that would take up a page. I need spaces between paragraphs...or you know, actually different paragraphs.

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.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of this book! I’ve read all of Elena’s other books and was so excited to read this one. (Favorite was The Spanish Love Deception!!)

If you have enjoyed Elena’s other books (especially The Long Game) you will love this too!!

I was so sad when I didn’t connect with the FMC because I loved her in The Long Game. I think this was much more of a me problem than the book. I know so many other readers will connect and adore this book. It just wasn’t my cup of tea. I had trouble connecting with the couple from the start but did grow to enjoy their story 💙 I would give it 2.5 if half stars were an option.

Matthew Flannagan, the man that you are!

Gotta give credit where credit is due, Elena Armas cooked when writing Matthew's character. He is THE MAN.

He is def a good mmc, he has all the amazing qualities. Not only is he charming and sweet but he is also supportive and understanding. A rare species of a man if you ask me!

(If you like a smooth talker, who wears glasses, and has excellent taste... You need to read this book!)

This book was very early 2000's romcom vibes (27 dresses to be exact). I enjoy my fairshare of romantic cheesy comedy's. This book will make you giggle, swoon, and cheer for the main characters!

There were a couples things I wish were a little different in the book itself, like I really NEEDED this to be a dual-pov. I feel like I would have fallen even more deeply in love with Matthew if he would've gotten his own individual chapters.

I also feel given the slow burn that this book is, it would've been perfect to see when they both start falling for each other.

I liked Josie's character, I could relate to her on some aspects, being the flighty and commitment issues gals that we are. Although, I do understand how other readers could have a complex relationship with her given her character can come off as "too quirky."

I do have to admit that I was bummed we didn't get a scene with all of the exes, I thought given the cover we would see them all at some point in the book. That unfortunately does not occur, instead we only actually ever meet one of them.

I did end up enjoying the book, I think I might have enjoyed it even more than The Long Game itself!

Super excited for anyone interested in reading this book! I hope you all fall in love with Matthew in the way that I have because he is simply AMAZINGGGG.

Special thanks to Atria books and Netgalley for the E-ARC, so incredibly thankful!

I’ll admit the first few chapters were rocky. I think the premise of the fake engagement wasn’t as solid as I would’ve liked but Elena does not let me down when it comes to fake dating. Once the ball gets rolling this book takes off and every look, sigh and missed opportunity where you just KNOW there’s more between them makes the beginning all that much more worth it to get through.
MATTHEW MATTHEW MATTHEW!! I have never mourned that a fictional man isn’t real quite like Mathew. Truly I hate it so much.
Overall a big step up from The Long Game in my opinion.

Thanks to NetGalley I received an advanced electronic copy of the book to read and provide a review.

I so badly wanted to love this! I’ve enjoyed Elena’s other books but this fell flat. I couldn’t get on board with the whole premise and am still not entirely clear why we care about Andrew and his reputation. It’s the perfect example of “that’s a you problem.”

In this case, it’s likely me, not you, Elena. <3

Another fantastic read from Elena Armas! Loved the dynamic between the two main characters and how the reader pretty much got to watch them fall in love and go from fake engagement to something more. Definitely will recommend!

So I have read the spanish love deception and the american roommate experiment. I didnt read the first book in this series but I saw that it could be read as an interconnected standalone so I did that. Let me tell you I loved josie I wanted her to succeed in love and just find her person and i mean no spoilers so yeah woot woot i was rooting for her. I love a fake romance as well. basically i loved this book and i really hope it becomes a movie.

“Beautiful things shouldn’t be boxed. It eventually dims their light.”


The Fiancé Dilemma is the second book in the Long Game series and it follows the story of Josie Moore. In the last year, she got to meet her long lost billionaire father and found out she has a sister. She also has been engaged four times and left the grooms at the altar. Now she needs to find a fake fiancé in order to convince her father’s PR that her romantic life is not an issue. Her sister’s best friend, Matthew, accidentally stumbles at her house while she’s talking to the PR and Josie introduces him as her fiancé. Matthew decides to help Josie with the fake engagement and they have to plan their wedding in two months🤭🤭

I freaking love Josie because she’s so funny and very awkward at the same time. She’s the mayor of the city and also owns a small coffee shop. If anyone needs help in the town she’s the person to go to. Matthew is the opposite of Josie, he’s quiet, handsome, had a dirty mouth but at the same time very funny and wears glasses. He’s constantly helping Josie out when she keeps getting herself in funny and awkward situations. Matthew finally gets to know the real Josie and the small pieces that she hides from everyone else. Also, I kept giggling at all of his nicknames for her, and he finally chose the best one for Josie, Baby Blue, because of her eyes.

The beginning of the book was a little slow for me and it took me a little longer to read but then it got so good 🤭🤭 I highly recommend reading this book.

Thank you Net Galley and Elena Armas for providing me with an ARC.

[4/5 ★★★★☆]<b><i>“Roots grow anywhere there’s ground. Commitment and love are shown with actions. And I plan on doing that every fucking day of my life as long as I have her.”</i></b>

MY GOD, I was fascinated with this book, it was just the romance novel I needed. It's been so long since I've read Elena de Armas, but this book is making me reconsider things.

The story is your typical fake relationship trope, but what really hooked me were the characters and how all the situations they were involved in unfolded. Josie and Matthew have an excellent dynamic, it's a very entertaining back and forth, and the sexual tension IS THERE. Besides, they're super funny, I had a great time reading about them.

𓍢ִ໋ ˖ <i><b> Josie</b></i>, I have to say that at first I didn't quite like her, but as I kept reading and getting to know her better, she grew on me. There are certain things that didn't quite clear up with her though.

𓍢ִ໋ ˖ <i><b> Matthew</b></i>, I'm crazy about him, he's too perfect for me;), everything he did for Josie without questioning anything, the way he exudes charisma, he's super funny and HOT. I love him, I'm already smitten.

𓍢ִ໋ ˖ <i><b> Adalyn + Cam</b></i>, I guess it's because I haven't read their book, but the truth is, I wasn't very interested in them and I feel like they didn't contribute much to this story. What they reveal in the end was too obvious from the start and I feel like it dragged on so much that it became tiresome

In summary, an excellent read, charismatic characters, and a super cute and entertaining love story. Many thanks to NetGalley and AtriaBooks for the opportunity to read this book 💌

I received a copy of this for my honest review

Our FMC is a small town mayor and owner of a coffee shop. She also just recently found out who her father is and that she has a sister. But because her father is a well known business man, a daughter who has been engaged 4 times, but no marriages isn't the best PR look. So when he sends a PR to her to fix the problem, she panics and says that she is engaged again - to the man waking by her house. Our MMC is moving to this small town after losing his job, but knows.avout it because his best friend is our FMCs sister. He agrees to be her fake fiancee if she thinks it will help, but as they spend time together helps to build her confidence to say what she really wants and be happy with her life. They work to withstand the social media and podcasts that dissect her life for entertainment, and truly embrace each other.

Elena Armas knows how to write an absolutely perfect man and a story that will get you hooked from page one. She has never let me down, and I sincerely doubt that she ever will. I LOVE YOU MATTHEW!!!!!!!