If you’re a fan of fake engagement, forced proximity, small town romance, slow burn, sisters best friend, this is for YOU! Matthew is easy up there with my book boyfriends, as he is what makes this book steamy!! This was such a fun read, and I was excited about what would happen at each page turn.

Unfortunately this book was a DNF for me. I like following Armas’s literary journey. She definitely hooked me with her debut novel, Spanish Love Deception, but unfortunately hasn’t captivated me since. I loved SPD so much that I am definitely open to giving this one another chance despite not necessarily liking the last two.

This was a cute rom-com with some of my favorite tropes. Fake dating? Fake engagement? Small town vibe? Yes, yes, and yes, and I’m here for all of it.

It took me a bit to get into the story, but once I did, I was intrigued. The burn was S L O W and required lots of patience to get to the payoff. My favorite parts of the book were getting to revisit Adalyn and Cameron from The Long Game. I wish I could have gotten equally invested in Josie and Matthew’s story.

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for the advance copy in exchange for my unbiased review.

When a fake engagement becomes a long love story!!! This story made me giggle and squeal, this was such a fun and cute read! Matthew Flanagan - the man that you are!!! He fell first and fell so hard. I ate this up!

The Fiancé Dilemma
Elena Armas

🤪 the situation is so silly and I love it
📖 fake dating/engagement trope
🌳 so fun being back in green oaks, esp now with Josie as the main character!!
❤️‍🔥 spicy and steamy at times, Matthew is such a lovable MMC!!

Elena Armas writes stories that are so easy to slip into and it always feels like a breeze to zip through! this was lighthearted with low stakes for the reader

3.5stars

Thank you Netgalley & Elena for allowing me to read "The Fiance Dilemma".

First, I have loved previous books by Elena and was so excited to get chosen for a copy from Netgalley. Elena writes some of my favorite contemporary romance and the Fiance Dilemma was another great romance read by her. It gave me more of a cozy contemporary vibe and took me a bit to get through since it was more of a slow burn. I enjoyed Josie's and Matthew's story, Josie was a great choice for an FMC. She radiated this beautiful strength when going through so many heartwrenching moments through the story and losses. My heart really went out to her and all that she endured. Matthew was an interesting MMC for me. There were so many facets to him that made him truly stand out. You see his protective side and then a more romantic side, then a really hot dirty side lol. I was very intrigued with him and what he brought to the storyline. The spice was good and I really liked the storyline in general. Overall, a great slow burn if you love that specific troupe in your romance contemporary reads! :)

This book was such a feel-good book! I love the author's writing style and the characters, and I laughed and cried along with them. One of my favorites this year!!

4.5 rounded to 5
I'm not gonna lie, during the first bit of this book I didn't know if I was going to make it through. My girl Josie has some serious word diarrhea that is awkward and painful AF to watch. The secondhand embarrassment is REAL. Honestly, there's always a little bit of that in all Elena Armas books, but this was the most I've felt for sure. I cringed so hard for Josie on like, every page.

I'm glad I pushed through though. Elena Armas writes a good turn around. And it felt so authentic watching Josie grow and start to trust Matthew. Blondie. I mean, I don't blame her. A blonde MMC? Come on. I can't take you seriously. Saying that as a blonde myself. But Matthew rocks. He's just unserious enough to let Josie relax and lean into their fake relationship and develop real feelings. It was beautiful and it was spicy and I was kicking my feet for them. This one surprised me in the very best way, and I loved it.

5 Stars

STOP. THIS WAS TOO GOOD.

I don't even know what type of book boyfriend we have in Matthew, but my god is he perfection!!! I cannot express how well written his character is and how much Josie deserves his love and affection.

The whole premise of a fake engagement to help boost her absent father's PR moment, and the cast of small town characters was such a winning combination. This is the second time I've skipped straight to the second book in a series of Elena Armas, but it honestly hasn't failed me yet. This absolutely can be read as a stand alone and I highly recommend it!!

I love anything and everything that Elena Armas writes and this one was no different. Josie and Matthew were absolute perfection.

I love love love this book. It was so entertaining as well as it had the best tropes. The humor in the book is spot on, and I love a fake engagement. Elena Armas is an amazing author who captivates me every single time she puts out a new book.

3.5
I’m such a sucker for the fake-dating and fake-engagement trope, so it was a no-brainer that I was going to read this book. This is my first book by this author, and I really enjoyed her charming characters and the hilarious moments throughout the story. Reading about Matthew and Josie as they navigate their fake engagement was a delightful journey. I found myself swooning and kicking my feet during some of their sweet moments, and fanning myself during their heated exchanges. However, I must admit that it took me quite a while to finish this book, as I struggled with the slow-burn writing. While I appreciated the tension and build-up between the main characters, some parts of the story felt like they dragged on longer than necessary. I believe this book would have impressed me even more if it had been faster-paced, especially since I really liked the author’s writing style. If you’re a fan of slow-burn romances featuring the fake-relationship trope, this book is definitely for you!

3 years ago, I read Elena Armas’s debut The Spanish Love Deception and didn't love it, but I wanted to give her books another shot and I'm glad I did! I still had the same issue of The Fiancé Dilemma being a bit too long for my liking/the storyline but not as much and I had a ton of fun with the fake dating storyline. This is book 2 of the Green Oak series, but I haven’t read book 1 yet and I didn’t feel like I was missing anything. Josie and Matthew’s connection was both fiery and sweet, and I spent my time rooting for them to end up together in the end.

The audiobook is narrated by Brittany Pressley & Zachary Webber, and while Pressley’s narration was top notch as usual, I did not enjoy Webber’s at all. I usually love his narration, but he was incredibly monotone for this one and I was not impressed. Pressley stole the show for me here, and I adored her narration of Josie. Wish she could have been the narrator for both! At the end of the day, I enjoyed a lot of aspects of The Fiancé Dilemma and I will definitely be reading more from Armas.

Thankful for the early copy but unfortunately this book was not for me. I loved the Spanish Love Deception but since then I haven't had the best luck with Elena Armas's books. I couldn't connect to the main character and I felt the romance lacked chemistry. As a result, I struggled to feel connected to the story.

This book had me cracking up! I love Elena's writing style and have been looking forward to this book. I love a fake engagement - add in some famous people to make it even more ridiculous. And then have the main character have multiple engagements in her past... plus a small town... honestly could not ask for more.

I really really love this small town and how up in everyone's business they all are... it is just fun. Makes me feel like I am right in that town.

Another win from Elena Armas, queen of young adult romance. THE FIANCÉ DILEMMA is witty, sizzling, and full of angst. Loved it.

I didn’t love this book unfortunately. I had read the previous book, The Long Game, but did not find myself invested in these characters. I thought the book had amazing potential but the storyline dragged a bit. I still can’t wait to read future books by this author despite this one not being my favorite!

Elena got some of her mojo back in this one. I didn’t enjoy her previous book as much and was hoping for some Spanish Love Deception magic again. I enjoyed Josie and thought Matthew was magic (she writes men well) and I always tend to be harsher on women characters. I am glad she is rebuilding her relationship with her dad and loved her sister. Matthew understood her completely and never pushed her but showed how committed to her he was. ❤️

The story portrays small-town life with quirky characters and a delightful romance. Matthew's transition to a supportive fiancé is heartwarming, highlighting personal growth amidst misunderstandings.

Once again Elena Armas delivers a beautiful, heartwarming, slow burn romance. She creates characters (both main and side) that you love to love. She is the only author that can give me a slow burn romance that doesn't make me want to scream "get on with it already!!". I enjoy every second of these character's journey. I want every ounce of banter and longing glances. This was an immediate and no brainer 5 stars for me and I cannot wait to see whose story we get next.