This was super cute! I was curious about Josie's story after reading The Long Game, and this didn't disappoint. I love fake dating/fake engagement/marriage of convenience tropes, so this was right down my alley. Not to mention, Elena Armas always writes good spice!

Having heard so much about Elena Armas’ work and how amazing it is, I decided to request an ARC and dive right in. This is marketed as a stand alone, however after reading this and then its predecessor, I do feel like you’ll get a little more backstory that makes things clearer!
Onto the book itself though. Small town, engagement of convenience, with an heavy dash of the 90’s Runaway Bride vibes. All things I adore!
Elena’s MC’s Josie and Matthew are engaging and interesting to read and I loved their banter. It was nice to read Josie’s character arc, as I really felt she was really guided along by Matthew and turned former insecurities into confidence.
Matthew was just *chef’s kiss*. Sexy, incredibly sweet and supportive. Everything that you’d want in a book boyfriend!
The only thing I wished for was Matthew’s POV as I felt that could have really solidified and given more context to how and why this great guy was going along with the engagement. Still a great read and one I’d recommend.
Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for the ARC!

Thank you Atria Books and NetGalley for this ARC!

Smitten with Josie and Matthew! Elena Armas takes us back to Green Oak in this novel, focusing on a fake engagement between the town mayor, Josie, and her sister’s best friend, Matthew. Josie has been engaged four times, a real PR disaster now that her once absentee (and influential) father has decided to show up in her life again. Wanting to rid herself of the drama and hoping to put to rest the speculation on her previous failed engagements, Josie ropes Matthew into pretending to be her fiancé. Matthew and Josie’s chemistry begins to swell, and the two quickly blur the lines between real and fake in this chaotic, whirlwind of a story!

I really enjoyed this one! Josie and Matthew were extremely likable, both of them coming through the page as kind and dedicated people. I loved Josie’s personal journey revisiting her past engagements and reframing her narrative around it. Although the story relied on her father’s fame as a catalyst for the fake engagement, I felt we did not get to see a lot of development or interaction between Josie and her father. I think more scenes with Josie and her father could have deepened that plotline, however; I took the lack of interaction as a show of their strained (and barely there) relationship.

If you like fake dating, a cheeky male main character, and some seriously nosy townspeople, you will probably enjoy this book! I loved that there was no third act breakup, only a dedicated man who knows what he wants! Matthew Flanagan, I love you!

Thanks, again, Atria Books and NetGalley for this ARC!

SWOON! That is the best word to describe how I felt this ENTIRE book. Elena Armas knows how to write the most swoon-worthy of men!
I loved the emotional journey Josie and Matthew went through and it made everything so much more impactful. Not to mention the amount of times I giggled out loud while reading.
The care Matthew shows Josie from beginning to end is just *chefs kiss!*
CANNOT recommend this book more. It is for sure a contender for one of my top reads of the year! 🫶🏼

I liked this book better than the Long Game. It can be read without reading the Long Game, but you understand more of the back story having read the first book. The characters had me hooked. I wish we knew more about her abandoning father, but other than that I enjoyed the Runaway bride book.

3.75 Stars 🌟 initally but really in hindsight a 4 star read! Let me explain!!

But First, thank you to Elena Armas, Atria Books and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this Arc.

First I will start off by saying, it is my own fault that I have knocked this down from a 4 star read was because I myself when I began this book did not realize that this was seemingly an interconnected series. If I had read “The Long Game” prior to reading “The Fiancé Dilemma” I would have totally had a different experience reading this book than I did especially when the couple / character from the first book enter this book.

BUT that being said I throughly enjoyed “The Fiancé Dilemma”, I thought it was a great spring / summer read that I finished in like 3 days. I loved all the characters, Josie and Matthew were some of the most fun characters to see their POVs from. Having the premise surround the fact that they were fake engaged after Josie’s already been engaged 4 times to then end up in a 5th engagment that was fake in the beginning was so funny. The banter between Josie and Matthew was so giggle worthy at points, especially when they realized they were actually falling in love with each other was one of the sweetest parts. The spice I would say is like a solid 2 🌶️, like there isn’t a ton of spice as it’s a slow-burn but when it happens it’s there!!

The Fiancé Dilemma drew me back into Armas’ fan club. Armas won me over with her first book, disappointed me with her second book, but started to pick up favor again with her third. This fourth book is worth recommending.

The Fiancé Dilemma captured and kept my interest from the first page. The character development is a little light for the main characters and the extended cast of characters isn’t as deep as in the first in this series, The Long Game, but some are present at the periphery here and there.

The main characters’ connection begins to sizzle and more about their backgrounds emerges about halfway through the story and I would have introduced both much earlier, which would have allowed for more character development, because in the beginning, the premise lacks believability.

Overall, this is a strong runner-up to the talent Armas showed in her debut novel. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This was cute but it just didn’t stand out. Josie has been engaged 4 times!! Her father (whom she doesn’t know) declares it a PR problem. How they fix the problem is deciding she needs to get engaged again!

3.5 stars

Fake engagement
4 fiancés
Sloooooow burn
He falls first and hard
Soulmates
Baby pigs

This book was as slow burn as slow burn can be. I kept checking to see how far I was into it because I was rooting for Matthew and Josie to be real engaged. This book was cute. I wish there was more of Cam and Adalyn and also María but I loved been back in this small town.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the arc

I just can't get enough Elena Armas. After reading The Long Game I was desperately waiting for this book! So lucky to have gotten an advanced copy and I devoured it in record time.
Hilarious.
Steamy.
Romantic.
Fun.
I already adored these main characters but they were both beautifully written and the story was so much better than I predicted.
I'm going back to read TLG and then will read this one again. I do think this book is a stand alone however.

The Finance Dilemma is Elena Armas' best book yet!

There's something amazing about Elena's brain that makes her books alter your brain chemistry, swoon, blush and wish that the fictional men writes are real and Matthew Flanagan is officially my absolute favorite book boyfriend from the Elena Armas-multiverse.

After finishing the long game and finding out that Josie and Matthew would be the next book with a fake dating trope, I knew that this book would be an instant hit and I was correct. This book was the easiest 5 stars and one of my absolute favorite books this year. There's something about a blonde man with glasses thats a little bit nerdy, can banter, witty and he's down so bad-boy obsessed with his love interest that made Matthew the perfect man. One thing I loved is that with every book by Elena we always get some hilarity and light hearted moments that just snowball and turn into something fun. Josie is such a fun and quintessential Elena Armas female main character. She's a bit silly, awkward and funny but she has such a big heart and I loved how complex Josie is. Behind the easy going facade is a girl that will do everything to help someone but who helps her? I loved how Matthew advocates for her, to voice her needs and protective of her. Matthew is just so perfect. The way you can see gone is for her, protective, caring, sweet but this man had me blushing, sliding down a wall. He is the definition of cinnamon roll with a filthy mouth. I loved that we see Josie and Adalyn develop a sister relationship and lean on each other, become each others family and how funny the small town is and every character being such a key part of the story. The Finance Dilemma is a swoon romantic comedy that is a bit emotional, angsty, tackles on topics that are a bit serious but Elena Armas will always deliver. If you love fun and swoony romance and two dorks falling in love, This book is a must read! I promise that this book will have you in love!

This was my second book by Elena Armas and I think she just became an auto-buy author for me. I'm obsessed with Matthew and Josie; these characters are going to stick with me for a long time. There are a few scenes that were off page that I would love to have read, but overall, I had so much fun reading The Fiancé Delimma. This book takes fake dating to the next level without making miscommunication the plot driver (hooray!). I will definitely be recommending this one!!

I am so in love with this book and this author!! I have been hooked from The Spanish Love Deception, still one of my most favorite books! Josie and Matthew just melted my heart. There was no part of this book not to fall deeply in love with. Read in less than a day and wish I could unread to do it again. Will add this one to the others to revisit often.

I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book provided by NetGalley

Elena Armas hit it out of the park with this book!

The Fiancé Dilemma follows the story of Josie and Matthew and their interesting predicament that they find themselves in. Josie, a serial runner after fleeing from four prior engagements, invents a lie on the fly that she and Matthew are engaged in order to keep the press from releasing any further bad PR about both herself and her absentee father. The events that follow are nothing what Josie and Matthew could have expected but ultimately are life changing for both.

Elena told such an amazing story of a small town that makes you want to visit Josie’s coffee shop, the farm with the adorable animals (including a teacup Pig) and watch some programs with Grandpa Moe.

I absolutely loved this book! I enjoyed how well Josie and Matthew balanced each other, the hilarious side characters, the overall unique story and the beautiful message behind it all. Also, I will never hear the word ‘bootylicious’ again and not think of this story.

The ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. 

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the opportunity to read this book!

The main characters it follows is Josie and Matthew. The story starts out with Josie in the kitchen trying to use strawberry jam to get her ex’s engament ring off her hand. As she’s covered in head to toe in strawberry jam her doorbell rings she reluctantly goes and answers it. Standing on her doorstep is a woman name Bobbi shark that works for her father Andrew wood, who by the way was basically a dead beat dad, he is a wealthy business man and word got out he had a daughter he dipped out on and is now trying to save his reputation and do damage control over the situation. As Bobbi is talking to Josie she notices an engament ring on her hand and assumes Josie is engaged again! Btw she’s been engaged four times and left each man at the alter. Bobbi decides this is the perfect thing Andrew can help with to save his reputation for abandoning his daughter and starts asking Josie a ton of questions about this faince who doesn’t exist. Out of panic when Josie sees her sisters best friend walking down the road and pretends he is her fiancé and Matthew plays along with it. The book develops into watching them plan their fake wedding they are going to call off but end up slowly starting to fall in love. The ending was nothing I was expecting and absolutely loved it. The book was beautifully written and perfectly executed in my opinion. This book was a 5 star read for me I can’t wait to read more books by this author!

Josie is having a rough day when her estranged father’s publicist hounds her about her past relationships and failed engagements. A misunderstanding and Matthew appearing at just the wrong time results in a fake engagement. Josie and Matthew barely know each other, but that changes quickly when they must pretend to be engaged to save Josie from a PR nightmare.

I am a huge fan of Elena Armas, and I was honored to receive an early copy of this book! It is now my new favorite from her. I loved the runaway bride storyline and the soulmates/love at first sight type of romance is just perfection for a romantic like me. Josie is the sweetest character and Matthew is funny and kind toward Josie but protective of her outwardly. I found myself just smiling at how sweet of a couple they made, the chemistry and spice was perfect, and I couldn’t get enough! Do yourself a favor and grab this one as soon as you can.

Thank you to Elena Armas, Atria books, and Netgalley for the arc and opportunity to be an early reader and reviewer.

Elena Armas has done it again! I am completely in love with all of her books, I'm convinced she could write a 100 page book about a trash can and I would still rate it 5 stars. I love Elena Armas works because they are funny, cute, and cliche and it bit cheesy. Theyre proper romcoms and I love it!
Having met Matthew and Josie in "The Long Game", I was very excited to read their story! Considering how big a fan I am of Elena Armas' works, I had high expectations for this one, and let me tell you, it did not disappoint!

really fun and romantic book.

The setting and the plot in whole was interesting and developed greatly. At the same time, i wish book was shorter. some chapters were not necessarily.

i loved Matthew, he is such a good male character. nicknames, behavior, personality and how he talked to Josie…soo cute

why 3.5 stars? again, the length. it was long and i skipped a few pages, i wasn’t really into Josie, i don’t really understand her behavior in some moments. in general, good romance for easy and fun read! definitely will recommend to new readers

Thank you so much NetGallely and Atria Books for approving my request

I enjoyed the long game so I when I saw there was a sequel I couldn't wait to read it. This one is the story of Josie. She was shell shocked at the end of last book to learn Andrew was her father. Now, the media is having a field day digging into her past with four failed engagements and it is proving to be a public relations nightmare for her father.

Josie lies and says she is engaged to Mathew. He willingly plays along. Mathew is adorable with how he places her first and reassures her and calms her down when her anxiety spikes. It is beautiful to watch the relationship grow from fake to real.

I like how Adalyn and Cameron were also in this book. This book makes you laugh and also has some good advice for staying true to yourself.

Fake Dating, Forced Proximity, Family Drama, Small Town Romance this book checked all the boxes.

Elena Armas has done IT again! I could NOT put The Fiancé Dilemma down. It was the most perfect rom-com I've read in a long time. Everything played like a movie in my head. I love the fake relationship trope and this definitely lived up to the hype. This is going to be the book of Summer 2024. The perfect read for the beach, a boat, the plane, wherever you may go. I was lucky enough to receive a free ARC of this, but all opinions are my own.