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.

The Fiancé Dilemma by Elena Armas
Book 2 of The Long Game series
I liked the first book, but I enjoyed this one even more! The Fiancé Dilemma is funny, sweet, and features a fake relationship in a small town where everyone knows each other.
Josie was such a fun character, and the way the town adored her made her even more likable. Matthew was a total sweetheart—passionate and genuinely caring toward others.
The plot kept me interested, and I loved the podcast episodes between chapters—even if they were just gossip, they added an extra layer of charm! And that ending? 🫶🏻 Absolutely swoon-worthy!
Overall, The Fiancé Dilemma left me with a smile on my face—a sweet, feel-good read.
Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and author for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest and fair review.

Elena Armas knocked it out of the park with this one! The Finance Dilemma was a whirlwind of romance and amazing plot. the engagement of convenience trope was so delicious, as was the best friend's sister/brother's best friend and there was no third act breakup which I greatly appreciate! I loved Josie's ray-of-sunshine personality and Matthew had a hidden depth to him that I loved watching unfold.

This was a fun, cute, rom com. I love the small town feel and the interesting characters in this book.

I’ve loved Elena’s beautiful writing ever since her self published book, The Spanish Love Deception. I got the honor of seeing Elena for the second time this year and I asked her what her favorite book she’s written is. And she said it was The Fiancé Dilemma. And you can absolutely tell by how amazing this book is.

You can feel her love for these characters and this story throughout the entire book. I lovedddddddd the fake engagement trope in this. Elena wrote it so well and made it insanely fun to read. Matthew was a national treasure and I absolutely adored Josie!!! Reading about them navigating their fake engagement just made me smile and giggle like an idiot basically the entire time.

Overall, this is another Elena Armas book that I love and adore and I already can’t wait until her next book comes out!

*Thank you Atria and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.*

I’ve loved Elena’s beautiful writing ever since her self published book, The Spanish Love Deception. I got the honor of seeing Elena for the second time this year and I asked her what her favorite book she’s written is. And she said it was The Fiancé Dilemma. And you can absolutely tell by how amazing this book is.

You can feel her love for these characters and this story throughout the entire book. I lovedddddddd the fake engagement trope in this. Elena wrote it so well and made it insanely fun to read. Matthew was a national treasure and I absolutely adored Josie!!! Reading about them navigating their fake engagement just made me smile and giggle like an idiot basically the entire time.

Overall, this is another Elena Armas book that I love and adore and I already can’t wait until her next book comes out!

*Thank you Atria and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.*

That said, while it's a fun, quick read with some sweet moments, it doesn’t offer anything too groundbreaking. If you're looking for a lighthearted romance, this one will definitely scratch the itch, but it’s not one for high expectations. Perfect for those cozy evenings when you need something cute and simple. 💖
Matthew and Josie were absolutely adorable together! If you're into charming male leads and the fake dating/fiancé trope, this one is a solid pick. Matthew's playful confidence and Josie’s relatable charm really made their chemistry pop!
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

I really enjoyed the first book in this series (The Long Game) as well as this one.
I do feel that this book can be read as a stand-alone... BUT I highly recommend that you read the 1st book first and then this one because it will feel better to read and you will not lose any of the info from the first book. But this is just my opinion.
This book was enjoyable to read, well written, with great characters and a fun fast read. Didnt want to put this book down. Loved it!!!
Josie and Matthew (main characters in this book) -we got a preview of them in the 1st book and set things up a bit. These 2 have so much chemistry and are so fun together, perfect.
I loved the Runaway Bride vibes from this story and Josie def fit the Julia Roberts character perfectly.
The book was from her POV mainly, we only get 1 chapter from Matthew. Which was good but if I had to make any changes to this book it would be to see a few parts (chapters) from his point of view because he was such a great character that you kinda fall in love with also.
And an award for the Best Supporting Character for sure goes to Grandpa Mo (Maurice) he was the best. He is sweet but grumpy, hard but soft and loveable and you will love his character as well. He is fantastic and an amazing part of this story. There are quite a few other background characters that are important and add a bunch to this book but Grandpa Mo was the biggest and best.
Back to Josie and Matthew, now these 2 had sooo much chemistry, which made you want to read and read and read not wanting to put the book down (even though I had to a few times because darn adulting life lol). The plot was fantastic, old engagement ring stuck, door bell rings (an important person from her dad's side of life, PR department), a PR crisis and a few fibs; perfect timing for Matthew to join into Josie's life. Nice guy Matthew steps in to help a woman in crisis (not even recognizing Josie but to his benefit he only met her on Zoom Calls and the WhatsUp App chats).
There is also a ton of drama with some famous podcasters; who are digging into her past relationships and that's all they talk about on the podcast.
Can a fake engagement become real love? Matthew is def a book boyfriend that you will become obsessed with. He is amazing, the perfect guy.
Like I said the the start of this review this is part of a series and it's book #2, which you can read all by itself but I really really feel you will get more out of the characters if you read the #1 book first and then this one. You will not regret it!!!
Must read!

Well... I was able to finish the book so that's the only reason why it's 2 stars instead of 1. I'm really disappointed. This book honestly didn't start off bad, but insta love is a trope I will always hate. There was no development of their relationship and I really don't even know why ended up together. There was no connection whatsoever. I loved The Spanish Love Deception but every book after that has just been bad. I need to just give up trying to read this author.

As much as the premise of Fiancé Dilemma is intriguing, it falls into a pattern that feels increasingly familiar. The storyline, though engaging in parts, seems to echo the plots of numerous other books in the romance genre, making it less refreshing.
There’s no doubt that the author is talented, with moments of sharp writing and compelling dialogue. However, the overall structure and narrative voices—perhaps unintentionally—mirror previous works too closely. It feels like yet another story of The Dating Plan by Sara Desai or The Wedding Date by Jasmine Guillory with “an unlikely romance blooming under familiar circumstances". After a while, it becomes exhausting to witness how many authors seem to regurgitate these storylines.
What made this book a disappointment wasn’t the lack of originality in the core idea, but the failure to innovate or elevate it beyond its predecessors. A little more character complexity, or a twist on familiar elements could have brought a fresh perspective, but instead, the book stays within the bounds of what’s been done before.
For readers new to the genre, this could be an enjoyable read, but for those who read a lot, the feeling of déjà vu is likely to overshadow its”positive qualities. Ultimately, while Fiance Dilemma has its merits, it doesn’t quite stand out in a sea of similar stories and felt the storyline dragged on.

I do love a good fake dating trope. Add in small town and sister’s best friend, and I’m a goner. I wasn’t a huge fan of the last book, but this one felt very similar to TSLD, which I ADORED. Really cute premise with a good plot and the excellent writing style and pacing I’ve come to expect from Elena.

Okay Grandpa Moe is a whole vibe! I can relate to that grumpy old man 100%! I love fake dating so fake fiancé is right up my alley. I thought this book was so well written and once I finally picked it up I didn’t want to put it down. This is actually my first book by Elena Armas but I am now inspired to go back and read about Josie’s sister in the previous book!!

I had such a good time with this story. I thought Josie was so funny and how anxious she was the entire time I felt so deeply. Matthew also had me laughing out loud at parts. I loved that there was no crazy miscommunication in this book. The way these two characters fell for each other melted my heart. I love Elena’s writing style and her stories always flow easily. Such a fun read !

this book was very funny! this is my first read by elena armas and it definitely showed me her humorous side. the premise of Josie being engaged 4x in her life is goofy (in a good way), and so it only makes sense that she gets fake engaged to her sister's bestfriend. the book really does throw you into the storyline, which i didnt mind. i enjoyed seeing Josie and Matthew's relationship go from fake to real, but in the same breath i dont truly understand why Matthew went along with it. bigger picture, they were of course meant for each other and ended up together but i think that was a missing piece in this story.

(3/5 stars) I wanted to like this book, I really did! Elena Armas is one of my favorite romance authors and I have multiple books on my shelves. While I liked the book overall, I must say that the twist (with former characters) was VERY predictable (maybe this is because I am currently pregnant but) and I wish there had been more exploration of the growth of feelings for each other. It felt like it immediately went from zero to "I'm in love with you" without the explanation behind it for WHY or HOW. Not a bad romance novel, but not my favorite of Armas'.

If Goodreads would allow it, this book would be a 4.5 star read for me. As far as romantic comedies go, this one had so many of the things I love including a golden-retriever MMC, small town vibes, he falls first, sister's best friend, decent spice, and fake dating. I ate this up.
The Fiance Dilemma is the second novel in the The Long Game series and it is an interconnected standalone. I quickly read The Long Game before starting on this book and although it was fun, it wasn't essential to enjoying The Fiance Dilemma. I also enjoyed this story and this couple more than the first in the series.
In The Fiance Dilemma we meet Josie, the beloved mayor of a small town and a 'runaway' bride, having left 4 fiances prior to walking down the aisle. In an adorable meetcute, Josie meets Matthew (her sister's bestfriend) and for reasons I'll leave you to find out, they end up in a fake dating/fake engagement situation. Though the meetcute reads as slightly far fetched, I was able to get over this with how much I fell in love with the characters. The chemistry between Josie and Matthew is evident as they slowly begin to get to know each other and eventually become an integral part of one another's lives. The side characters (Grandpa Moe - shout out) are equally as lovable.
I have yet to read an Elena Armas book that I didn't enjoy and this one continues to follow that pattern. I dare say that this may be my new favourite couple from her books so far.
4.5 stars. Highly recommend for heartwarming romcom story with a well done HEA.
Many thanks to @atriabooks via @Netgalley and the author who provided this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I had a hard time reading The Long Game and was worried about whether I would have the same issues with this book, but I was pleasantly surprised! This novel kept me engaged in the storyline and made me root for Josie and Matt’s love story!

I really enjoyed this book! It was so lovely going back to the world and characters that Elena Armas has previously created. As I was already introduced to the main characters in the first book of this series, it was quite easy to get into the beginning of this book. I also enjoyed checking in on my favorite characters from the previous book and seeing what silliness they were up to. The whole premise of this book was a bit bonkers but it somehow worked wonderfully. Getting to explore Josie and Matthew's characters both individually and together was really special. I also found this to be a really refreshing take on fake engagement!

I was grateful to fall head over heels in love with this story, because, if I'm being honest, I didn't love the last one. And while they're connected, this one was worlds better.

Maybe it's the fake dating.
Maybe it's the chemistry between the characters.
Maybe it's the fact that while she kept trying to fix her mess, she kept making it worse...which was amusing and endearing at the same time. Especially when he kept wanting to help her.

I loved these two and despite it being quite a slowwwww burn, I couldn't put it down.