If you love the fake dating (fake fiance) trope - you'll love it! It gives major Runaway Bride vibes as well.

Other tropes:
- Found family
- Small town
- He falls first
- Slow burn

This is book 2 and follows the Long Game - we get to see Cameron and Adalyn again and learn more about Josephine "Josie" - the mayor, coffee shop owner in Green Oak, North Carolina. Elena Armas knows how to make a hot book boyfriend. This book we get glasses wearing blondie, Matthew. He's a cinnamon roll but spicey.

I enjoyed the tension and spice - the only reason this wasn't a total 5 star for me is that I wasn't super in love with the fake fiance trop in this case - the PR issue and gossipy podcast annoyed me a bit. It works overall but I just didn't love it. Also, the ending (while good) - I kinda wish it played out slightly different.

I like Elena Armas' books and will always read her stuff! Overall: 4 out of 5 stars. 3.5 out of 5 spice.

WOW!!! Incredible. I easily finished this in a couple days because I was so caught up in the story. Elena really hit it out of the park with this one thats all I can say. This is also easily her spiciest book she's written and I loved every moment of it. No third act break up thank god. Honestly this whole book was a 5/5 stars and I cant wait for it to come out so I can make all my friends read it.

Just let me live in the town of Green Oak forever.

I loved this spin-off of The Long Game, and getting to revisit this small town and it's quirky residents. (And yes - we get some Cam & Adalyn appearances!) Josie and Matthew were so sweet together, and I'm just a sucker for a mmc who is protective and emotionally mature. (Shoutout to men who have been to therapy!) However there were times where I wanted to shake Josie, and suggest she find a therapist herself.

Grandpa Moe was my low key MVP - any scene he was in made me smile! Overall, it was a sweet fake engagement with a touch of he falls first - a magical combination. As long as Elena keeps writing, I'll keep reading her work!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this eARC in exchange for my honest review!

I really enjoyed the Long Game and so I was excited to return to Green Oak and get to know Josie and Matthew more. However, I felt like something was missing from this one.

While I enjoy most romance tropes, the reason for doing the fake engagement didn't sit right with me or make a whole lot of sense. I understood that the whole PR thing and subsequently the engagement is (probably) supposed to be a part of Josie's growth, but I just didn't love it. Maybe the execution could have been better.

Ultimately, what I really didn't like was this feeling of missing so many important scenes between characters. A piece of information is dropped/ given or a moment that feels BIG happens but then the chapter ends, and the next chapter we're suddenly forward in time. I felt like there some of the smaller but still important moments were skipped over. This could contribute to Josie and Matthew feeling slightly unfinished.

I liked the idea of this plot and our two MCs but I think the execution didn't quite do it justice. I still enjoyed Armas' writing and I still look forward to what she'll write next.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for an eARC.

3.5 stars! I liked a lot about this book. The fake engagement, the cameos from past characters and the MC. Mathew was perfect! Josie had some good moments but I didn't love how she treated Adalyn (Adalyn will always be my favorite) and constantly made excuses for Andrew. I do think she made up for it in the end. The ending was my favorite part and I genuinely rooted for both Mathew and Josie! Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for the arc in exchange for an honest review!

I am a huge fan of Elena Armas and was so excited to read this book. It starts a lot slower than her previous books. However, about 1/3 of the way in it picked up and I loved the way it ended. Some twist and a very sweet way to tie up the story. Fans of Elena's books won't want to miss this story either.

Elena Armas is one of my favorite new authors. This is her 4th book, and it’s related to The Long Game, and it’s just as amazing. I was so happy reading about Josie and learning more about her. Matthew is magnificent and holy moly, this was the best slow burn ever. I was also smiling the whole time. This book just made me happy in so many ways.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books. ~I was given this book and made no commitments to leave my opinions, favorable or otherwise~

I’d anticipated this book since the second I finished The Long Game. The Fiancé Dilemma was genuine, funny, and a beautiful story. Thank you so much Net Galley for letting me read a copy early!!

So many thanks to Atria Books and NetGalley for an advance reader copy of The Fiancé Dilemma by Elena Armas!

Josie has been engaged four times and when a misunderstanding leads her father’s PR rep to believe she’s engaged again, Josie ends up entering into a fake engagement with her sister’s best friend, Matthew. I always love how Elena Armas drops us right into the action of her stories. She has such a talent for establishing her setup for each book immediately.

Josie and Matthew are officially one of my favorite pairings from Elena Armas!! The book is from Josie’s perspective but as a reader you can see so clearly the ways that Matthew learns and knows her so well. I thought the roughly last third of the book had multiple moments that are going to stick with me. There’s certainly Runaway Bride vibes but the journey and ending of this book make this story stand on its own.

I loved revisiting and getting updates on friends from The Long Game. Of course Cam and Adalyn I loved getting to see again. I loved the sister moments between Josie and Adalyn and then of course Matthew and Cam ❤️!

Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for the early chance to read and review “The Fiancé Dilemma.”
Tropes: small town, fake engagement, slow burn

Overall, this was a solid read, vert reminiscent of “The Runaway Bride” rom com starring Julia Roberts. I enjoyed the characters - Josie and Matthew obviously genuinely cared for each other. I think the motivation for the fake engagement was a little confusing but I just kind of rolled with it. It also could have been a lot shorter (contemporary romance novels really do not need to be 400+ pages long!) and I think that would have tightened up the story a little bit. Josie’s waffling got to be a lot there towards the end. 4 stars and I would recommend, especially if you enjoyed “The Long Game.”

Wow, wow, wow! Elena Armas has made me fall in love with another couple, and they are just the sweetest and most thoughtful characters! The Fiancé Dilemma is a story of Josie, who had some trouble with fiancés in the past, and runs into a PR nightmare due to family history, and Matthew who she knows through her sister, and enters the picture, which somehow leads to a fake engagement. There is so much heart and thoughtfulness in these characters, with patience and growth on both sides. The story takes place in the small town of Green Oak with some familiar characters from The Long Game, which just adds so much love for this story. I highly recommend this book to all romance readers, especially those who love a fake engagement trope, friendship and family with small town vibes, and adorable baby animals with some farm life scattered in! This is honestly one of my favorite books ever! I definitely recommend reading The Long Game before this one as it ties in so much with supporting characters.
Thank you so much to Elena Armas, NetGalley, and Atria Books for sharing this ARC with me! All opinions are my own.

This book was amazing I fell in love with the characters. After reading this I went back to reading Elena’s other books. This one is my favorite so far.

I loved this, omg. I loved Josie and Matthew and getting to see Adalyn and Cam again. Getting to know Josie more and the ending. I just loved it so much. I need more of them all. I need to see how Josie and Matt live life together.

Small town girl Josie’s estranged father and his reputation are in jeopardy . He hires a PR and somehow Josie is faking an engagement with her sisters best friend, Matthew.

The Fiance Dilema by Elena Armas was a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ read. I love each of her books and this one was another great that filled my heart with giddy joy. The story was funny, cute and a bit steamy.

This one had everything I loved from the Long Game, small town, quirky characters, farm animal side kicks plus a fake engagement! I loved Josie and Matthew. A few things felt off for me, the pacing and some of the plot points I thought could have been better but overall a very enjoyable read with a sweet HEA.

Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for giving me early access to this book! All opinions are my own.

I have been a fan of Elena Armas since I first read The Spanish Love Deception, and this book just further cements her as an auto-buy author for me. I love the interactions between Matthew and Josie, and the growth we get to see from Josie after The Long Game. The Fiancé Dilemma turns the typical “fake relationship” on its head, and was such a lovely way of approaching the story. Definitely a must read!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Elena's books are always so charming! Her personality shines through in every single one and they are always so fun to read.

I love this author. Her books are easy to read and very entertaining. This one was a little rough at the beginning because the premise was a little weird. Even after reading it, I don’t know why she said she was engaged…not really sure how it was going to fix things. That being said, one I accepted the engagement, I went with it and it was fun to read. I like how it took almost the whole book for them to figure things out because it caused some fun tension and stress!

The Fiance Dilemma follows Josie who has recently found out her father (who has been out of the picture) is a famous celebrity & is currently in a PR nightmare due to her previous 4 failed engagements that ended at the altar. Her sister's best friend, Matthew, happens to be walking by her house with this PR situation unfolds and he ends up agreeing to be her fake fiance.

I absolutely loved the banter between Josie and Matthew in this book, and the tension is incredible. I am such a huge fan of fake dating, and this is one of the best examples of that. Matthew is literally a golden retriever inside and out and I loved his character the most. The only thing I wish I had in this book was his POV, because I was DYING to know what was going on inside his head the entire time.

Thank you to Atria Books & NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Elena armas will never fail me. Her work to me is phenomenal and now that I got to read Matthew and Josie’s story I’m convinced I will never get married knowing Matthew Flanagan does not freakn exist. Like what am I supposed to do with my life now???
This story was hilarious, angsty, raw, and powerful. So heartfelt and will hit you in all the right places. I’m not getting over this anytime soon at all.