I really enjoyed The Long Game and liked Josie and Matthew in that story. Unfortunately, I struggled to get through this one. I’m not sure why, but Josie seemed clueless in this book, making poor decisions to keep everyone else happy. Matthew was fine, I didn’t get the same joy from this book as I did the first one as I was too distracted by my annoyance with Josie caring about a PR nightmare for a man she barely knows.

Thank you to NetGalley, Atria Books, and Elena Armas for the eARC.

Elena Armas is the queen of slow burn and she's doing it again with Josie and Matthew's love story!

In a very soap-opera style, Josie gets Matthew to agree to her crazy plan to pretend they're engaged for PR purposes. The plan is quite simple: they don't get married but stay friends.

Well, it'd be simple, if falling for each other wasn't inevitable.

Elena's signature style is woven in this novel, and you can expect lots of banter, sex tension, and hilarious moments, that will have you turning the pages so fast you'll get to the end of the book without even realizing it!

Josie might be a little neurotic but I absolutely love it. One mishap after another this book is cute and funny! Our FMC Josie, finds her self in a pickle only to bale save by Mathew. As their fake relationship progresses, real feelings begin to grow. This book has LOL moments all throughout and is the type of messy we love! I had a great time reading this story

Rating: 3.5/5

- small town
- fake engagement
- best friend's half-sister
- single pov
- narrated by Brittany Pressley

Premise: A PR person comes knocking on your door to handle the PR crisis that is your existence as your famous father's "love child." The fact you've run away from four weddings doesn't help matters, but do you know what does? Saying you're engaged to the first man that appears – your half-sister's best friend.

I've got to admit, I think Elena peaked with TSLD 🫣. This was very cute... but also not super memorable. You have over-the-top, bubbly Josie, the perfect golden retriever book boyfriend in Matthew, a dash of spicy spice, and all the quintessential small-town shenanigans.

I will say Brittany nailed the audiobook, but what I wouldn't have given for more than one chapter from Matthew's POV narrated by Zachary Webber! He was the book's shining star, the way he loved and accepted Josie.

I have not read an Elena Armas book that I haven’t loved. I adored The Long Game so much so I knew I needed to read Josie’s story too.

This book does not disappoint. I adored Matthew and his glasses. Iykyk. I’ll be the first to admit I love books with some romance and spice but the storyline always ends up being the part that keeps me invested. I was so invested in this book. When it got to the spice I was so far gone for Josie and Matthew together. I’d say this is a slow burn but not TOO slow.

Once again I’m giving Elena Armas 4.5 stars - my only complaint is that some parts seemed unnecessarily long with no real purpose to their overall character growth. And I disliked one character so much I tried to rush through scenes with that person in them.

Unfortunately, I just don’t think this book was for me. This book follows Josie who’s recently discovered her father is a famous businessman. The world has also discovered she is the daughter he never acknowledged and has created a PR frenzy. He sends his publicist to meet Josie who accidentally thinks she’s engaged and starts planning her wedding.

I understand that romance novels often have slightly far fetched plots but this one was a stretch even for the genre. The main character came off as very immature and lacking life experience (even though this was supposed to be her 5th engagement). I enjoy the fake dating trope in general but this just didn’t do it for me. The writing was a little flat and the plot became boring. A couple of the spicy scenes were at least well done though.

A huge HUGE thank you to Atria books and NetGalley for this e-ARC! I really REALLY enjoyed this book! Josie and Matthew's relationship was very sweet and the second half of the book just flew on by! It was sexy and swoon-worthy... and did I mention an MMC in GLASSES????? oh yes. I also really appreciate a book that doesn't fall into the "third act breakup" category and does it WELL. To see a couple work through a third act "conflict" together, rather than some miscommunication trope is SO refreshing. I also really appreciated Josie's disposition and her humor. There were only two critical points I have with this book- I feel that the Matthew that I came to "know" in The Long Game was a different Matthew that we met at the top of this book. I feel like he was missing some of the bluntness, and the self deprecating humor and forwardness from the last book. Don't get me wrong, still loved him in the end-but it took me a step back at the beginning. I also must be honest and say I enjoyed this book much more than THE LONG GAME.

Honestly not my favorite of her books. I’m not sure why I dint not enjoy or could barely get through it.

This story ripped my heart out of my chest and put it back together. This might be my favorite book by this author. The market has been saturated with fake dating stories lately but this one took it and made it so special. The setting is incredible, the band of supporting characters bring so much laughter and joy, and the two main characters make you want to believe in a love that makes your soul sing. I loved Josie and Matthew so much. Wow.

while this is definitely not my favorite book of elena’s, matthew and josie were absolutely adorable 🥹

i wasnt the biggest fan of the plot as i felt really shitty for josie the entire time but everything else was great, i loved all the cameos of people from the first book. i like that andrew finally pulled his head out of his ass(!!!!!). it felt impossible not to love matthew and josie separately and together

i am pretty bummed in the sense i ended up doing the audio for this one thinking we’d see plenty of zachary webber as matthew and unfortunately it was only the very last chapter lol so im going to remain salty ab that one

I enjoyed this book more than I expected to! I love fake dating tropes and I found the banter to be fun and fresh! It is a bit of a slow burn but Matthew makes it worth it!

I loved this book so much! I’m a sucker for the fake dating romance trope and this one had it! This was my first read from this author and I definitely plan to read her other books. This one had me so invested in the story and the relationship development. It was also pretty spicy and I couldn’t get enough!

This book was enjoyable, but didn’t grip me as I hoped it would! I really liked Josie’s character, i thought she was strong, relatable, and well written! I believed Matthew’s personality balanced hers so well and I admired their love story. Unfortunately, for me, the book itself was lacking something strong enough to make me absolutely fall in love! Thank you for the opportunity to read this one!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Read if you like:
💍 single POV
💍 fake engagement
💍 sister’s best friend
💍 HEA
💍 small town setting
💍 a lilllll (LOT) of spice 🌶️🌶️🌶️
💍 laugh-out-loud dialogue 🩷🩷

Elena Armas is the queen of creating characters that everyone is in love with, and this book was no different. I really liked both of the main characters and to see the blossoming romance between them; I was rooting so hard for them to get together! Josie and Matthew are for sure going to be one of those couples that people are always talking about 🤪
I was not aware before reading this one that it is the second in a series, but I don’t think I missed anything by not reading the first one; I feel like they are totally standalones.
I really liked all of the characters in this book, especially Grandpa Moe 💕
I loved the first 2 novels I read by Armas and I was so excited to see that she had written a new book for me to read and love! You know with Elena Armas you are definitely going to get some SPICE 🌶️ and this book was no different 🤪 I really do enjoy how there is a real story here and the spice is just extra, because I do not enjoy books where the spice is the main focus 🤪 I am not a huuuge fan of spice, and this was the perfect mixture in a romance novel for me 👍🏻
I really love the fake dating (engagement) trope! It’s just so silly and fun and I don’t really feel like this ever happens in real life 🤪 I love seeing the characters go from “fake” dating to actually realizing they do like each other, and they’re usually already in love by this point 🩷
‘The day you pick up the phone and a complete stranger says, I’m your father, you know your life is about to change.’ What an opening line!!! I was obviously hooked right away 🤪
I usually like a dual point-of-view rom-com but this one was kinda fun only knowing one side! We had no idea what the male main character was ever thinking or feeling about the female main character.
I always enjoy when books have multiple formats included, and I really enjoyed the added podcast transcript parts! I also really enjoyed the text messages between the 2 main characters… since we didn’t have Matthew’s POV in the book it was nice to at least see his side through his text messages.
NO THIRD ACT BREAKUP!!!! Thank The Lord!!!!!
I love when books make me laugh!! I laughed-out-loud multiple times while reading through this story, and I really really enjoy that. I really enjoy this author’s writing style, it makes for a very humorous, enjoyable ride. I can’t wait to read the next Elena Armas!!

𝕋𝕙𝕖 𝔾𝕚𝕤𝕥:
Josie Moore, with four failed engagements and a complicated romantic history, faces a PR issue when her father announces his retirement in a splashy magazine piece. Meanwhile, Matthew Flanagan, after being fired and stuck in the mud, stumbles into Green Oak, North Carolina, and finds himself mistaken for Josie's fiancé.

What begins as a misunderstanding turns into an arrangement with Matthew playing the role of her doting fiancé. Despite her unease at a fifth engagement, Josie goes along with the charade, knowing it's temporary—even if the rest of the town believes the fifth time's the charm.

𝕋𝕙𝕖𝕞𝕖𝕤 𝕒𝕟𝕕 𝕋𝕣𝕠𝕡𝕖𝕤:
💍 Fake fiancé
🏘️ Small town
🔥 Slow burn
🦮 Golden retriever MMC
👏🏼 No third act breakup

𝕊𝕚𝕞𝕚𝕝𝕒𝕣 𝕍𝕚𝕓𝕖𝕤:
📚 𝗦𝗮𝘃𝗼𝗿 𝗜𝘁 𝗯𝘆 𝗧𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗵 𝗗𝗲𝗪𝗶𝘁𝘁
📚 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀 𝗧𝗿𝘂𝗹𝘆 𝗯𝘆 𝗔𝗯𝗯𝘆 𝗝𝗶𝗺𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘇

𝕄𝕪 𝕋𝕙𝕠𝕦𝕘𝕙𝕥𝕤:
This book was such a delight. It was an excellent follow up to 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗟𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝗚𝗮𝗺𝗲. You don’t have to read that one first in order to read 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗙𝗶𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗗𝗶𝗹𝗲𝗺𝗺𝗮, but it will definitely help you connect to the characters even more if you do!

I found myself giggling and kicking my feet as I read this. Matthew and Josie had so much chemistry from the first time they met. Matthew definitely fell first and harder- he was a man obsessed and that suited him just fine. I loved how patient and understanding he was, and how he helped Josie come out of her shell.

I adored the small town vibes. All of the quirky residents and farm animals brought so much humor and light to the story. At times, I felt the pacing dragged a bit and I would get a little bored, but overall I really enjoyed this one!

𝗧𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗸 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗡𝗲𝘁𝗚𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝘆, 𝗘𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗮 𝗔𝗿𝗺𝗮𝘀, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗔𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗮 𝗣𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝗲𝗔𝗥𝗖 𝗶𝗻 𝗲𝘅𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗺𝘆 𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄.


𝕄𝕪 ℝ𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕟𝕘:
⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 (𝟯.𝟱/𝟱)

𝕊𝕡𝕚𝕔𝕖 ℝ𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕟𝕘:
🌶️ 🌶️ (𝟮/𝟱)

Elena Armas is the queen of steamy tension. I was drawn to this book because I loved her previous book, The Spanish Love Deception. I loved the slow burn between the couple and of course, the fake dating was entertaining.

"There was never a choice. I don't give a shit how corny or cliché this sounds, but I knew when I saw her, and I know now more than ever before. I don't need her to walk down an aisle, wear my ring, or sign her name on a dotted line. she's my happy. the rest is only important when you need it and everyone should fucking know that."

I went into this thinking it was a standalone, but it so heavily features the characters and history from The Long Game that I spent way too much time feeling like I was missing something. It might have been a DNF, but luckily my library had The Long Game available, so I took a break to read that first.

After reading The Long Game, The Fiance Dilemma was SO much more enjoyable! Josie is such a fun disaster of a character, and the mess that she gets everyone into is such a delight to read.

I loved Elena Armas' other books, and this one did not dissapoint! Josie and Matthew were the most adorable characters and the plot was easy enough to follow. 5th time is the charm when it comes to Josie! I thought the setup was hilarious and the execution of the story was playful and cute. Matthew is also the perfect book boyfriend! I loved the little details - like the pig named "Pedro Pigscal". It was a perfect balance of sweet and spicy and without spoiling anything, everything all came together for the best ending. Loved it!!!

Thank you to NetGalley & Atria Books for providing an advanced digital copy for review. All thoughts & opinions expressed are my own.

Absolutely delightful! I loved the characters, I loved the plot, and I loved the romance of it all. Fake relationships are my favorite trope and I knew from book 1 that I was going to love Matthew - boy was I correct. He was absolutely hilarious and the dynamic with Josie was tooth rotting sweet.

I cannot wait to see more from Green Oak and all of its wonderful residents

Elena Armas has MY WHOLE HEART. If she writes it, I WILL BINGE READ IT AND THEN BE A MESS ON THE FLOOR BECAUSE IT'S OVER.

If you are looking for:

• small town romance
• slow burn
• faking dating
• sister's best friend

Then, look no further because The Fiance Dilemma is the perfect book for you to settle into, falling in love slowly just like Josie x Matthew. This will have you laughing out loud, swooning, and believing in the inevitable magnetic pull of soulmates.