- Small town romance
- Fake dating/engagement
- Family drama

Josie is the Mayor of the adorable little town of Grren Oak and she’s almost made it down the aisle 4 times. When her past love life becomes a PR problem for her famous millionaire father she’s never met, she fakes a relationship with the first guy that passes by. She immediately realizes she accidentally roped her sister’s best friend into her problem, enter Matthew. With nothing but time since he was fired from his journalism job Matthew agrees. But things soon spin out of control and Josie can’t sift through her fake feelings and her real ones.

This book is essentially Runaway Bride meets What A Girl Wants! Such a fun and cute read!

I rarely like the second book of a series more than the first, but I guess there is always an exception. I enjoyed Matthew and Josie's fake fiance storyline more than Adalyn and Cam's story. I love that the characters, setting, and stories intertwine, and I do think reading book one makes this one that much more enjoyable. Elena Armas is the goddess of flirty, slow burn tropes. It's that butterflies in my stomach, early love feeling that gets me every time! It has just the right amount of spice. Not too naughty, not too nice. For me, this is a close second to the Spanish Love Deception.
Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and Elena Armas for this fabulous read.

I’ve read all of Elena Armas’ books and somehow always find myself loving some parts and not enjoying others. Unfortunately, this one was the same for me. In this case, the premise of this book was very hard to get past, especially this idea that Josie would fake a wedding for a father she had no relationship with. It was really hard for me to get past this and the idea that Josie would just compulsively say she’d get married was just a little too ridiculous for me.

"The Fiancé Dilemma" by Elena Armas throws Josie, a woman with a string of failed engagements, and Matthew, a down-on-his-luck guy, into a hilarious (at least, for the town) fake engagement. While the story is a fun take on the classic trope, it suffers from a rushed start and a sense of "been-there-read-that" for fans of Armas' previous work.

There are cute moments, and Armas' signature humor shines through. But for those familiar with her writing, the plot might feel predictable. Still, if you're looking for a light, breezy read with a dash of mistaken identity, "The Fiancé Dilemma" might be your cup of tea. Just don't expect a groundbreaking romance.

I am obsessed with The Fiance Dilemma!!!

Thank you so much Atria for the arc.

Fake dating, in this case fake engagement, is my face trope. So I was so excited when I saw that Elena was using this trope.

Matthew is the perfect book boyfriend.

I can't wait to get my finished copy! I know I will definitely be rereading.

The Fiancé Dilemma is a “Runaway Bride”-esque romcom about Josie, the four - now five - times engaged mayor of her small town, and Matthew, a writer who’s just been laid off and finds himself seeking a refuge of sorts in Josie’s town. The two are connected through Adalyn, Josie’s half-sister and Matthew’s best friend, and after being cornered by a PR specialist, Josie ropes Matthew into a fake engagement. The two become fast friends and grow even closer as they plan their wedding.

I greatly enjoyed The Fiancé Dilemma, even more so than The Long Game. I love a fake dating plot, add in “rules” to their arrangement that inevitably must be broken/changed, and I’m in. The portrayal of Josie and her anxiety over the pressure she feels about her past relationships was very well done. While I wish she had a bit more growth/development as a character across the book to accept herself and her past, it does feel like she makes a bit of progress in that regard by understanding that Matthew accepts her. Matthew is utterly swoony. I wish we had gotten his POV throughout the book (though it was pretty obvious what was going on in his head a lot of the time between his interactions with Josie and how communicative he is).

If you enjoyed movies like Runaway Bride, 27 Dresses, or To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, you’re sure to love The Fiancé Dilemma.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the ARC!

I don't even know where to begin with this one.

Josie has issues, like major issues. Matthew lacked development. The plot was so confusing. And it was just WAY too long of a story.

I generally enjoy Elena's books, but this was so so bad. I found myself wanting to DNF it so many times and it felt like it was never going to end.

Thank you so much to netgalley and atria books for the arc, I truly appreciate it!

Overall, I really enjoyed "The Fiance Dilemma" by Elena Armas. While the FMC didn't totally win me over - she was a bit too over-the-top and clumsy for my liking - it didn't ruin the book for me. On the flip side, the MMC was spot-on and added a lot to the story.

What I liked best was how the relationship between the characters developed naturally, without any of those cliché third-act breakups. And again, the MMC was so perfect that it really made the book all the more enjoyable!

So, despite some minor gripes, I had a good time reading "The Fiance Dilemma". Big thanks to NetGalley and Atria for the ARC, and I'm definitely interested in checking out more of Armas' work in the future.

Such a cute read! I loved the characters and the overall storyline, but the writing just didn’t click for me. I felt as though there wasn’t enough detail when describing feelings/emotions so it made it a bit hard to connect to at some points for me. I would recommend though and had a good time reading!

Matthew and Josie are now my favorite of Elena Armas’ couples! This was a delightful read!

I like that it didn’t have the usual cheesy ruts in a fake fiancé story that make me roll my eyes, and that was purely the brilliance of the MMC. Armas wrote him perfectly to be a perfect counterpoint to the FMC. It left me wanting more, and that’s always the mark of a great book! I think there’s a bit of Josie in all of us, just ultimately wanting to be enough and needing to realize we already are.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this!

I had a very hard time with this book. I'm usually a big fan of the fake relationship trope, but in this case it didn't hit the mark for me.

All of it felt really forced. I didn't at all enjoy the way Josie guilted Matthew into the situation. It made the story feel unnatural and like he was just along for the ride without much thought to how he felt about it. I didn't really think they had much chemistry and there was virtually no character development the entire book. So much of it was focused on the wedding plans that there really wasn't much room for anything else to develop. I also really struggled with the rest of the characters. There wasn't a single one with any actual substance and even the cameos of Cam and Adalyn fell flat for me.

Overall, this really just wasn't for me. I wanted to like it but there were just too many parts that didn't work in my opinion.

Thank you for the opportunity to read!

thank you so much Atria for this arc of one of my most anticipated reads of this year!!!! once again, Elena Armas does not disappoint! the characters, the plot, the humor, the love— everything was so incredibly perfect from start to finish 😭🙌

Josie & Matthew are so freaking cute with one another, I loved how they always showed the most kindness, patience, and love to each other while being a fake engaged couple…and all the spicy fun that brought🤭 Matthew especially maybe is my favorite hero Armas has ever written. he’s so unendingly kind, loving, and patient in being a friend, fiance, and eventual partner to Josie. and Josie is my little baby angel, I wanted her to have her happy ending sooo badly! she deserves all the love in every single way and she gets it not only from Matthew but her friends and found family as well. just the most beautiful thing ever to read 🥹🫶

overall, my Elena Armas fangirl status is alive & well!!! I can’t wait to hype this book in every way I possibly can. thank you so much for the arc :) 💜

Josie for Mayor of everything, please! Especially if Matthew is a package deal!

Man, I loved this! I have loved everyone one of Elena’s books but I think Josie and Matthew are my favorite. I loved Josie the most in the Long Game so I was overjoyed knowing we were getting a whole book for her! She is so quirky and 100% herself. Even the “bad” parts, always. I loved her little side thoughts and how silly she is. But the best part was how freely she gives her heart to everyone. Even if they don’t deserve it. She loves so fully and easily, with no expectations of something in return. Seeing her get her happily ever after was 🥹😭🫶🏻

And Matthew…. 🫠 Full Swoon. The whole time. The confidence, the goofiness, the GLASSES. Ugh I loved him. And how fully he gave himself to the “engagement” and stood up for Josie while also giving her the space to stand up for herself. I want more!

Maybe an unpopular opinion, but I’m also here for Bobbi 😅 Give us more Shark!

MATTHEW 🥵🔥 I was so glad to come back to Green Oaks for this new book. I laughed and cried throughout this book. Absolutely loved the chemistry between Josie and Matthew. Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Publishers for allowing me to read this ARC.

This book. I don’t think I could live two characters or story more. This book has everything: love, comedy, steamy scenes, great banter, and memorable characters. Do yourself a favor. Read. This. Book.

I have been a big fan of Elena Armas' previous books. The Spanish Love Deception is one of my favorite romances. However, this one just didn't do it for me. I feel like I was missing the sweetness in the romance. I felt nothing for Matthew as a character, and I didn't feel like I was rooting for Josie and Matthew to be together. Can't love 'em all!

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

3.75 stars

I enjoyed this one overall, but I had a real problem with the beginning.

The inciting incident for this whole story really didn't sit well with me. There's no reason Josie should feel any sort of pressure to become a pawn to fix her father's (using that term loosely) PR issues. She has had almost 0 contact with him and doesn't really have any big feelings on him one way or another so why jump through all these hoops for a man you haven't even met in person?

And then Bobbi was an uber bitch. Josie was by no means a push over so I don't know why she didn't tell her to politely fuck off almost immediately. She didn't have a problem doing that with anyone else.

But if I could remove the beginning and just get the parts with Josie and Matthew navigating a fake engagement, I would have been much happier. I really liked both of them, though Josie's quirkiness took a little getting used to. And Matthew was 😍😍

Also loved the ending and how everything resolved. So I would still recommend but wish some parts would have been put together better.

I thought this one was cute but it was just like every other book I’ve read and nothing new. I liked the main character a lot and felt like there could have been so much more. I didn’t feel a connection at all with the male MMC. He was so bland and basic and had no backstory. I can’t keep reading about men who are sexy and perfect and have nothing wrong with them. It’s so annoying!

Firstly, the cover of this novel is truly captivating and sets a high standard for what lies within. From the outset, I was compelled to savor every moment of this literary journey. As my introduction to this author's work, I was pleasantly surprised by the depth of my enjoyment. The seamless interplay of banter, romance, and humor throughout the narrative was truly remarkable. In its entirety, this book is a testament to the beauty of storytelling. My sincere gratitude extends to NetGalley as well as Armas and her team for providing me with an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Another amazing rom-com from Elena Armas! This book takes place in the same universe as The Long Game, this time featuring Adalyn’s sister, Josie. Josie’s history as a literal runaway bride proves to be a PR nightmare for her estranged father so she and the MMC, Matthew, enter into a fake engagement in an attempt to ease the public’s perception. This story solidifies my opinion that Armas writes the BEST MMCs and is the master of the fake dating trope. The burn was a little too slow and the nicknames were on the cringy side, but overall this was a funny and sweet read!

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for this excellent ARC in exchange for an honest review.