"𝘈 𝘨𝘪𝘳𝘭 𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘰𝘢𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘢 𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘰𝘰 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩. 𝘠𝘰𝘨𝘢, 𝘮𝘶𝘧𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘴, 𝘣𝘢𝘣𝘺 𝘨𝘰𝘢𝘵𝘴."


Ugh. I loved this book so much.

I have been waiting for Matthew and Josie's story since I read "The Long Game" last year.

And it was just perfect.

Matthew is the epitome of a book boyfriend, and I just love them so so much.

Thank you to @atriabooks and @netgalley for the advanced copy in exchange for this review ❤️
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#bookstagram #booksta #books #booksbooksbooks #avidreader #ilovereading #thetwistedlibrarian #professionalbookworm #thefiancedilemma #elenaarmas #whatsnikkireading #book66of2024 #soulmates #fakeengagement #smalltownromance #runawaybride #atriabooks #netgalley

I'm a big fan of Elena Armas, I've read all of her books so far. The Fiance Dilemma was good, just not my favorite book of hers. I liked the characters but this book seemed to have a lot going on and I felt like it kind of distracted from the overall story.

Got about 2/3 through liking this book just enough before I forgot about it and eventually decided it wasn't for me. It's harmless and would work well if you don't know what book to read next and need something of a palate cleanser. It just missed the mark for me.

I really enjoyed this one! Matthew was my favorite of the whole book by far. He is so sweet, such a gentleman and so caring. I really liked the aspect of fake marriage and how it brought them closer together. I do feel like we don’t get much closure or dive deep into the problems such as her four first engagements so I would love liked to see more of that play out. Some parts were a bit slower and I felt less interested with the podcast aspect of this book. Josie and Matthew really were fun to read about. The tension and friendship between them hooked me and I loved every second. Overall, I definitely recommend.

I enjoyed this book and the characters. I loved the main female character from the previous book and I’m glad she got her story. It was a lot of fun.

Gah what a cute book! This is actually my first Elena Armas book and I loved it! Marriage of convenience is one of my favorite tropes! Josephine was so funny! Matthew was too but his was more sarcastic humor which I love! Josephine is the mayor of her small town and has had 4 previous engagements! To try to appease her dad and his PR agent, she pretends to be engaged for a 5th time to Matthew! And I think you know where this is going! 3.5 stars! Quick read!

Elena Armas did it again! Matthew and Josie are so sweet together. If I could actually marry a book boyfriend, it would be Matthew! When Josie's life starts to run away from her, Matthew steps in to help her knowing that by doing so he's sacrificing what he actually wants from Josie. With each new obstacle thrown their way, Matthew and Josie grow closer together and stronger in their love.

[Regardless of how the story lines concluded, I still can't stand Andrew or Bobbi.]

Tropes:
slow burn (slooooow)
fake engagement
small town romance
golden retriever MMC
no third act breakup
fun nicknames

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria for the advanced copy of The Fiance Dilemma.

Thanks to Atria and Netgalley for this advanced copy!

I have been a fan of Elena Armas's other books, but this one just seemed off to me. With the single POV with Josie, I felt at times like I couldn't figure out her chemistry with Matthew. Matthew is ALL IN during this novel and I don't know if I forgot their origin story or what from the first book in the series but I was glad to get some of the information towards the end of the book. For most of the book I kept thinking, why is she not realizing how committed he already is? Why isn't she questioning why? Does she just love him already? It felt imbalanced and confusing. And Cam and Adyln staying far away was ok in the sense that it focused the book but if my sister was all of a sudden engaged to my best friend I would do more to say "uh, what? Tell me more".

So it was fine! There were some good moments! The podcast stuff felt like a tack on when I think it was supposed to be a thread. I had hoped for a little more.

This book took me a bit to get into, and it was my first Elena Armas book. There were aspects I really liked (fake dating, small town vibes,) but over all I just wasn’t super invested in the characters. I’d be willing to give another book of hers a try at some point.

Thank you so much for allowing me to read this book. It is recommended to have read the long game to have an accurate understanding, but it can be read as a stand-alone.
Our FMC is allowing turning her life from 0 to 100 and fall in love in the process.
The story is so good; I'm so happy to have given Elena another try.

i’ve been going back and forth ALL over the ratings board from 2-4 stars, so i think landing solidly in the middle is fair. this book was close to being a SLOG to get through. josie is such a tough character to be in the head of. every time she got herself into wacky situations, without thinking anything through, had me wanting to pull out my head. i mean, truly, i was close to calling it a quits early on with just her narration style.

i switched over to audio about a quarter of the way through, not because of the writing per se (rather because i was on a road trip and needed to listen something. so two birds, one stone). but man did that make so much of the difference. the ditziness definitely became a bit easier to stomach. i mean i was still like “girl what the actual fuck are you doing!” but those moments were definitely fewer than in the front end.

i also think as their plot progresses and as matt and josie’s relationship develops, him being around more also helped the case. matthew was truly the saving grace of this book. the way he went with all of josie’s dumb decisions,,, he really is what made this book worth continuing on. and now, while i really didn’t find myself loving josie (and i’m still irked we still never really get any clarification into WHY she was engaged 4 times, or what happened so that they’d all still be friendly with her) their relationship was still lovely to see develop.

It was through sheer will that I finished this. It did not feel swoony or romantic. It felt really awkward and the main characters had no chemistry whatsoever. The MMC just went along with eveyrthing because he had already been in love with this oblivious, shallow woman who kept making the same mistakes instead of going to some therapy and working through any of her issues in a healthy way. The premise is ridiculous and I just kept thinking... if this is the expectation for people to call romance in their lives, I'm not sure I want any part of it. The characters really had no chemistry, no banter that was cute, it was just this woman trauma dumping on a guy who sat passively and took it - maybe that's the dream now? Not working through your issues, not growing as a person, just being a gremlin and a man being absolutely smitten for it.

Elena Armas’s The Fiancé Dilemma is a charming yet somewhat uneven romantic comedy that explores the intricacies of love, family, and the complexities of personal growth. Following the success of her previous works, Armas delivers a story filled with wit and warmth, but it doesn't quite hit the mark as perfectly as some of her earlier novels.

The novel follows Josie Moore, who, facing a PR nightmare due to her series of failed engagements, recruits an unexpected ally to help salvage her family’s reputation. Enter Matthew Flanagan, who, after a series of unfortunate events, finds himself accidentally engaged to Josie in a bid to clean up his own mess.

The premise is undeniably engaging: Josie, desperate to repair her public image, and Matthew, who’s stuck in a rut, find themselves in a fake engagement that quickly spirals out of control. The initial misunderstanding between the characters provides a strong foundation for both comedic moments and romantic tension, and Armas’s writing shines in these early interactions. The chemistry between Josie and Matthew is palpable, and their witty exchanges are a highlight of the novel.

However, while the setup is promising, the execution falls somewhat short. The plot occasionally feels predictable, as the fake engagement trope is familiar territory for romance readers. Despite Armas’s efforts to inject fresh twists into the narrative, the storyline sometimes settles into expected patterns, making some of the plot developments feel a bit formulaic.

I love a good fake dating trope, so a fake engagement seemed like a good time. I was very disappointed. There are very obvious signs that point to this being a take on Runaway Bride, like a scene in which Matthew, the fake Fiance, tells Josie that she doesn't have an aesthetic of her own, she just co-ops the aesthetic of whatever man she's with at the time. This should be a moment in which Josie either opens up to him or gets mad and refuses to admit that he's right, but instead she just gets confused and changes the subject. Which felt a little flat.
But that's fair because the author seems a little confused about what direction she wants the book to take. Is Josie running away from love runaway bride style because she never really opens up to her men, or is she being constantly rejected for failing to meet some absurd standard her previous men have set for her.
The bad PR implies that Josie is the one at fault, but Josie herself goes around through the whole book acting insecure and unable to believe that Matthew is falling for her. Which I could get behind if she'd been engaged and then dumped 4 times, but she repeatedly says that her breakups were amicable and she's still friends with all her ex-fiances. AND everyone in this book, which the exception of the PR chick and Josie's father, is obsessed with this girl. Everyone in her town loves her and fawns over her and wants to know every intimate detail about her life and is convinced that she can do no wrong. You don't become an insecure, scared of love girl by being openly and lavishly loved and accepted for your entire life. So Josie's insecurity thing that kept her from believing Matthew actually liked her and had feelings for her was just annoying and felt gimmicky.
I liked the concept of this one, and the first chapter was wild and unhinged fun. But the rest of the book was a complete let down.

Dnf at 65%
I requested this arc because I really enjoyed The Spanish Love Deception and wanted to try more by this author! I didn’t realize that it was a sequel to one of her other books, The Long Game. She does have a note at before the book begins explaining this but that these were just interconnected and could be read as a standalone, but I really don’t think that’s the case. There were tons of references to the characters in the previous books so I was left very confused. That part’s on me, however this book was still a little dull and difficult to follow along with. The entire plot was just so absurd the romance was dead. I mean who leave FIVE men at the altar???

Thanks to the author and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

At some point I should accept that Elena Armas is not the author for me, her plots always sound so fun and quirky and laugh out loud and like something I would enjoy and I always keep getting disappointed within the first few pages.
Her dialogues and internal monologues are always so cringey and like a third-rate romcom with zero character chemistry. I truly don’t get the hype.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this book a lot. It was wonderful!

The Fiance Dilemma by Elena Armas is another fantastic romance, set in the same world as The Long Game. Josie and Matthew find themselves fake-engaged because of a series of unfortunate events involving a stuck ring, a jar of jam, ignored emails, and an uninvited guest. But their fake engagement suddenly feels very real when they begin planning an actual wedding--what?! Their chemistry is super hot, and I love how naturally they transitioned from acquaintances to friends to lovers...their whole vibe gave me so many warm fuzzies. If you loved Armas' other romances, you'll definitely enjoy this one too. So many characters from The Long Game make appearances in this one, and it was great being back in Green Oak, North Carolina. Thanks, Atria Books, for my advance review copy.

The fiancée dilemma was equal parts funny and heartfelt. I loved reading Josie and Matthew’s story. My only issue was that the slow burning nature of their relationship felt too slow in quite a few parts.

I loved Green Oak and its cast of colorful characters so much in Armas' "The Long Game" that I leapt at the chance to follow up with Josie, Matthew, and the rest of Green Oak in "The Fiance Dilemma." Quite frankly, it was everything I'd hoped it would be, with the same incisively-witty banter and the same heart of gold. I'm especially thrilled that Josie gets a chance to shine on her own, because she was one of my favorite characters from "The Long Game," and she and Matthew are just so stinking cute together that I might have actually pulled a muscle in my face from smiling so hard. MVP though - despite tough competition - is no doubt Grandpa Moe, who is a glorious curmudgeonly marshmallow who must be protected at all costs.