I really enjoyed this book. It is the sequel to The Long Game and while you could follow along, I would highly recommend reading The Long Game first. My favorite thing about this was the character development of the FMC. I loved how she found herself and stood up for herself in the story. I look forward to more of the author’s books.

Elena Armas never disappoints.
The story got me hooked from the beginning starting with that Star Wars reference. It started so crazy right off the bat, just like good romcom used to back in the day. Matthew fainting for the blood and the whole confusion was hilarious, along side the way Josie can't really function under pressure, it is very relatable and you could feel how overwhelmed she was while reading the book.
The banter and jokes between Matthew and Josie was so cute and heartwarming, also with how effortlessly he fell in the nickname calling, mainly with sweetheart and sweet cheeks, so freaking cute. He was clearly obsessed with her since the beginning and when he gave her that ring? my heart gave out for a second. Matthew is the perfect man for the girlies who like golden retrievers, horny golden retrievers, that are pretty much a goofball but protective at the same time.
The scene where he starts humming and then singing the song and they dance, it made me so giddy. This whole book made me giddy and blush as if I was in the story.
My favorite quote that I really hope stays for the release edition is "What if I can't give you any fucking first, so I want to make sure I get a chance at being your last?"
That quote destroyed me emotionally.
Now I need some justice for Robby !!!!!!!!!!!!

I love Elena's writing style, and this book was no exception. I laughed, teared up, and felt all the feels through Josie and Matthew's adventure.

*Spoilers from here on*

Matthew was easy to love and reminded me of a more fun version of Aaron from The Spanish Love Deception in the way they approach their love interest - that quiet, 'I won't outright say that I am interested in you but expect you to figure it out yourself even though it's taking forever' kind of way. The slow burn was too slow for me, but it was sweet and had me hooked even if I was getting frustrated. I don't know how two single adults who are so interested in and falling in love with each other could have so many near-kiss moments without taking the leap. I would have lost my mind.

Josie I had a much more difficult time connecting with. She's unlike anyone I've known in person so I found her to be a lot, but in a mostly endearing way. I like that Matthew's personality is practical to her impulsive and he balanced her out in a way that didn't change or manipulate, but worked alongside to support her.

The way the situation got started seemed entirely unplausable - her throwing out a fake engagement to cover for a father she didn't know the minute her past was brought up as a problem while dragging in a man she hadn't officially met. Who actually went along with it... it didn't make sense to me at all, but then Josie's character didn't either so maybe it's something I'm missing. - so the thoughts on magic and fate bringing people together later in the book helped an unbelievable chain of events make a bit more sense.

I also have to say that I love the he falls first (and hard) trope combined with a lack of third act breakup. I think it's my new favourite combination. The romance is sweet, the spice is perfect, and the banter is everything. I would recommend this book and will be waiting for Elena's next! Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this digital ARC.

Unfortunately this one didn’t do it for me.

I’m a big Elena Armas fan and was very excited when I got this arc, but I quickly (like first chapter quickly) found I didn’t mesh with the book.

The main issue that’s introduced early in the book, simply put, frustrated me. Immediately I thought “this isn’t her problem”. Who are they to come in and tell her she’s an embarrassment and should live a certain way? I felt because this issue could be easily resolved by just saying “I don’t know you and this is my life, bye!” it wasn’t a very strong plot device. However it does push the story forward as Josie goes along with it and finds herself with a fake fiancé. Which brings me to the characters. I personally found them to be not very realistic and sort of flat. They are quirky but didn’t have a lot of deeper substance to fill them out. Overall I really had to push myself through this one. It just felt flimsy and surface level and lacked the usual 5 star writing found in Elena’s books.

The Fiancé Dilemma by Elena Armas is a delightful read perfect for fans of romcoms. This is about second chances, family drama, and the power of love to bring people together, making it a great fit for anyone seeking a feel-good, uplifting tale with a touch of wit and whimsy.. 4.25/5⭐️

If anyone ever asks you for a slow burn romance recommendation you better tell them they need to read an Elena Armas book. She found the right recipe with writing a slow burn romance book cause man it’s tough waiting for the main characters to finally kiss but the way her stories play out you don’t realize that the book is almost over!

Josie and Matthew knew about it each but had never actually met in person until Matthew walked up onto her porch in the middle of the night soaking wet and pretended to be Josie’s fiancé because she panicked. Josie recently learned who her father was and discovered she has a sister in Adalyn (from The Long Game) so when a publicist working for her father tells her her past romantic history is a liability she panics and says that she’s engaged and it’s to Matthew, her sister’s best friend.

Matthew is so so so good for Josie! He truly saw Josie and understood what she needed and really listened to her which was something none of Josie’s ex-fiancés ever did. Josie found confidence being in a relationship by being in a relationship with Matthew because it was Matthew and nothing else and even though it took her a bit longer to realize what she was feeling their relationship was never fake.



Thank you @atriabooks @thebibliotheque and @netgalley for this eARC in exchange for my honest feedback.

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