Elena Armas and fake relationship will always be the best combo
This was such a fun and lovely small town romance read. The characters were delighftul and easy to root for. The chemistry between our main characters was off the charts and really everything was great.

Another ARC thanks to @atriabooks !!!
Elena Armas is an author that l've read since getting back into reading & her stories always leave you invested in the characters and the real life predicaments they find themselves in. I LOVED The Long Game when I read is last year and was so excited to be able to read The Fiance Dilemma ahead of its release!
Returning to the small town of Green Oak and seeing what went on in the fake engagement of Matthew & Josie was definitely a fun read. With Sebastian Stan the rooster & Pedro Pigscal (a little piglet), we get to explore more of the town and its characters as well as see exactly how far a PR nightmare will go.
Release date: July 30, 2024
Rating: 3.5/5

I would first like to thank Atria Books and Elena Armas for this ARC.

I really enjoyed this book! I think Elena Armas is great at writing a slow burn. Her books really allow for the characters to develop their relationship and it makes me very invested in the couple by the end of the book. I was sad to leave them. I would definitely recommend this book.

This is a perfect romantic comedy book for the summer. At some moments it did feel like it dragged on a bit. After you get through that then it started getting a little more fast paced! Overall it is a good read!

Thank you to Atria Books, as this ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review of The Fiance Dilemma. As much as I’ve loved Armas’s previous books, this one felt less heart-hitting. A new take on the fake engagement, yet it lacked the plot to really excel. Some plot points I wished we saw more of and felt like some scenes got cut too soon. I liked Josie and Matthew together, but it was a little hard to follow their relationship between all the confusion of real or not real, timelines, and everything else. The smut was enjoyable, however.

I really truly wanted to love this one (as much as I loved all her other books) but this one just could not hold my attention. I found the characters hard to enjoy, and while I loved Josie in the long game - her and Matthew were insufferable in this one and Matthew lacked serious substance.

Thank you to atria books and Netgalley for the chance to read this one early in exchange for an honest review.

I wasn't a huge fan of this. It definitely wasn't as good as the first book. Josie was very annoying and Matthew was fine. I thought Matthew was Adalyn's gay best friend in the first book so i was a tad confused at first lol. I tried to read this arc but kept quitting half way through a page because it didn't hold my attention. I ended up listening to it when it was released and it was still fine. I really only enjoyed near the end where their relationship finally turned into a real relationship. I also loved Matthew's pov at the last chapter. I wish there was more of his pov because Josie was a hot mess all the time. I wish there was more of Adalyn and Cam since they're sisters/best friends and live by each other. Not very good world building there.

This was my first book by Elena Armas, I didn’t realize this one was part of a series when I requested it! However, I was able to read as a standalone and don’t feel like I missed out on anything! After being immersed into the world of small town Green Oaks, I need to read the first book soon! I loved the fake-dating plot line, and while you know what is going to happen from the beginning, it is still refreshing and enjoyable. Thank you so much to NetGalley and publisher for this ARC!

For me Elena Armas is hit and miss, and this was a hit for me. I felt connected to the characters and OMG Matthew… whata man! Slow burn and smut scenes were chefs kiss! I also enjoyed the plot and podcast scenes. Overall his was a solid romance done by Ms. Armas. Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I'm sorry, i couldn't get past the 20%.
It wasn't for me. In my opinion, every character has the same tone as The long game's characters. Especially Josie, who is exactly as Adalyn was.
Also, the whole situation didn't feel right to me. They make it look like it was Josie's fault being engaged 4th times. I mean, i know she left her fiancés at the altar for no reason (apparently), but that doesn't mean is like some kind of crime or she is the worst person in the entire world.

I really appreciate the opportunity Netgalley and the publisher gave me so i could access to this ARC. Thank you so much!

DANG IT I’m swooning over a fictional man that doesn’t exist…again.😅

I smiled and kicked my feet through every last second of this delightful book, and let me just say that it was SO. MUCH. FUN. This was my first Elena Armas book, and I loved the heck out of it.

Josie was just the most precious, relatable, and fun protagonist. She was someone that I could see so much of myself in (and not just because I'm a barista...), and I really appreciated her humor and compassion as she encountered the world. And then there was Matthew... I was giving alllll the heart eyes for this man. He was strong and kind and funny and dreamy and protective and basically everything I want in a swoon worthy book boyfriend! He had a warmth and lovingness to him that just resonated with me beyond the pages.

The setting of this book was also such a highlight for me. I really appreciated and enjoyed the town of Green Oak and how it really was a character of its own. It was the perfect amount of silly without being ridiculous, and it added levity and heart to the story, while also giving Josie and Matthew the perfect playground on which to play and fall in love. There was so much joy to be found in the details and nuances of this setting and story, and every last character was so beyond lovable.

Speaking of love, this book was just chock full of it, as was so much joy and heart. It found me at the perfect time, and I cannot wait for the entire world to fall in love with it as well.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Elena Armas for the opportunity to read and love this book!

Thank you to NetGalley, Atria, and Elena Armas for an advanced copy of this book.

3.25 ⭐️

I enjoyed the MMC in this book far more than I enjoyed Cameron in the first book, Josie annoyed me at times. I also was kinda upset that we weren’t given dual POVs like we were given in the first book, I would have loved to have heard Matthew’s inner thoughts and feelings towards Josie. I feel like the reason for this “fake engagement” was so ridiculous and unbelievable that it didn’t really make any sense but whatever I rolled with it. The book was so slow for so long and then at the end it picks up so fast. I feel like the pacing needed to be better. I did enjoy this one much more than the first. We got more tension and romance between these two early on. The Spanish Love Deception stills reigns as my favorite by Elena, but I’m looking forward to reading more by her!

I have come to the conclusion that this author’s writing is not for me. I thought the first book in this series was OK but wasn’t too sure about it, and decided to give the second one a chance. It definitely could not hold my attention, and that was a bit of a struggle with the first book as I continuously put it down only to try to revisit. Nothing about the characters made me excited. The romance was a slow burn, which is ok if it’s executed well, but I just feel like it was a miss here.

Another fun read by Elena Armas! It was the second book in a row of hers that I read, as I had just finished The Long Game. I can see how this is a stand-alone book, but I felt like it was much better having previously read The Long Game to get a little more back story on Josie before we focus on her in this book. The fake engagement is such a charming trope and Elena does a careful job with Josie and Matthew - neither are completely helpless individuals but both of them offer the other some help that is needed to get them to be more in tune with themselves and to really open themselves up for love. I would recommend this book and was happy to get a chance to read it so quickly!

Thank you NetGalley and Atria for this ARC! When I got accepted for this one, it was my first book of this authors and it was recommended to read the book before this, which I’m glad I did !! I did a read/listen to the audio when the audio became available and the audio helped me push through. I became a little bored in parts, super predictable but overall hand a good time!

What to expect:
🤍fake engagement
🖤small town
🤍runaway bride
🖤sister's best friend
🤍slow burn

I enjoyed this book, but it felt so messy. Yes, it has some sweet and funny scenes, which I loved. But besides that? it was disappointing given the incredible tropes this book has and the potential to be so much better.
I really hated how the fmc allowed her father and his PR agent to "dictate" her life so easily and quickly. This girl barely knows her father, and that man has done absolutely nothing for her, not even to get to know her better. She let his PR mess take control over her. She didn't want to be a burden or a bigger problem for him and his PR mess/reputation, given her reputation of getting engaged and leaving her fiancés at the altar. So, what does she decide to do to improve the situation? duh- getting engaged again knowing she wasn't going to make it to the wedding. Did she really think this would calm the situation? The joke tells itself.
Also, she kept the rings and wedding dresses from ner previous engagements. That was so weird fe | don't want to judge, but it really seemed like she was collecting fiancés Imao. And there was never any deep reason why she left them. She had daddy issues, she was scared, and... what else? There was no further explanation. Maybe that is the author's goal? That some fears don't need to have some deep meaning? I honestly don't know, but it felt messy and confusing in this book. I understand that the book needed a plot, but... the plot wasn't plotting. It was lacking and needed more depth and development of everything, including the main characters and the romance. The chemistry and the whole falling in love felt so rushed.
This was a slow burn that somehow took them about two months to realize they were each other soulmates.
Huh? No further comments.

4.25⭐️

We love a fake dating / fake fiance romance. This one is a slow burn, like Elena Armas' other romances. It was cute, had good banter and better spice!

This book played in my head like a cozy Hallmark movie 💕

Josie is in a pickle. She is, once again, in the small-town spotlight. When she sees an opportunity, she jumps (literally) onto it... er, him?

Josie, engaged four times and married none, is the local mayor/welcome wagon who can't seem to run from publicity. It doesn't help when she (and everybody else) discovers that she is the secret daughter of Andrew Underwood - THE Andrew Underwood - multimillionaire, soccer team owner.

Matthew is a man looking for a break - from work and from life. He wants to hide out in the middle of nowhere to sort things out. Thankfully, his best friend, Adalyn, and her soccer star husband have an off the grid place for him to land. Little does he know that his every move will be gossip fodder for all of the well-meaning and very nosy town folks!

*runaway bride
*fake dating
*small town rom-com
* slow burn

Elena Armas’ “The Fiancé Dilemma,” the second novel in “The Long Game” duology, is a slow-burn romance where the first kiss occurs around the 83% mark. Set in the quaint, Hallmark-like town of Green Oak, North Carolina, where everyone knows everyone and every location is within walking distance, the novel follows the life of twenty-nine-year-old Josephine “Josie” Moore. Josie is the town’s mayor and the owner of the local coffee shop. Her four failed engagements have become the town's running joke, adding to her personal and public humiliation.

The plot thickens when Josie’s absentee father, Andrew Underwood, announces his retirement from MLS soccer amid a PR scandal. This revelation drags Josie’s troubled past and Andrew’s “misstep” into the spotlight, fueling local gossip.

Matthew Flanagan, Adalyn Underwood’s best friend and recently fired from his job, visits Green Oak for a break before planning his next steps. When Matthew meets Josie, she is frantic because Bobbi Shark, Andrew’s assistant, has shown up at her doorstep to complain about her failed engagements. In a desperate attempt to deflect Bobbi’s criticism, Josie claims that Matthew is her current fiancé, making him her fifth.
Matthew agrees to the pretense and plays along as the devoted fiancé, even putting his grandmother’s Claddagh ring on Josie’s finger. Josie establishes a list of rules to maintain clear boundaries:
1. Don’t get married but stay friends.
2. Kiss if necessary.
3. Physical touch is allowed, except for inappropriate groping.
The podcast “Page Nine’s Reali-Tea” picks up on the news of Josie’s new engagement and delves into her past relationships, highlighting issues with each of her former fiancés:
1. Shawn, the coffee barista.
2. Greg.
3. Ricky.
4. Duncan Aguirre, the politician
As Josie and Matthew’s fake engagement progresses, they begin to develop genuine feelings for each other. Josie’s rules start to blur, and their emotional boundaries become increasingly difficult to maintain. With their December 1st wedding approaching, Josie and Matthew must confront their true feelings and decide whether to commit to marriage or go their separate ways.

Armas’ characteristic style results in a notably lengthy novel, making the slow-burn romance feel tedious at times. Josie’s character is depicted in a simplistic and stereotypical manner, typical of small-town romance tropes. The romantic tension is prolonged, with moments of intimacy often delayed or avoided, leaving the characters' emotions and development underexplored until well into the narrative. Josie transitions abruptly from prudishness to engaging in sexual activities in public, a shift that feels jarring.

Moreover, the subplot involving Josie’s father and her half-sister adds little to the main narrative and seems like an attempt to connect this novel with its predecessor in the series. The book would have benefitted from being about a hundred pages shorter and could have been more effective as a standalone novel.

This delightful and refreshing romance had me hooked from start to finish—I absolutely loved it! It was highly entertaining and kept me fully engaged. I especially enjoyed seeing Josie's growth throughout the story. Although I'm still new to the contemporary romance genre, I can confidently say I’ll be reading more from Elena Armas!