I loved the main characters and their excellent chemistry. I enjoyed the overall fake dating vibe and how it developed. I found it nice to read about how they bonded so well that even in their lowest points, they relied on one another for support.

Thank you NetGalley, Elena Armas, and the publisher for this e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Did I enjoy the book - yes, I really did. However, I was hoping for more.. I don't know if that's because of the build up around the book, but I was left with that "huh, that's it" feeling. Am I disappointed that I read it, absolutely not, I love Elena Armas and will read whatever she releases. Will I recommend this book to my friends? Yes, I just wouldn't hype it up as much as it was hyped up to me. Had I not been so excited for this book because of the promo, I would have probably given it a higher star rating, but because I was let down, I can't give it 5 stars.

I wanted to love this, when I started it I thought I would. But it just wasn’t it. Bobbi was involved for way too long, I hated her and hated her walking all over Josie. It was exhausting and towards the end i lost interest. I loved Matthew, I wish there was more fork his POV.

This was so stinking fun and cute! Leave it to Elena to always come through with the rom-com feels! I truly adored being back in this town again and the different take on fake engagement!

4.5/5 stars
Elena Armas is back with a fake dating romance book. This book follows Josie who had some failed engagements and because of a PR issue, she ends up being engaged to Matthew. This was a great read and I devoured the story of this book. I loved this book so much more than The Spanish Love Deception. The story takes place in a small town and I loved following the characaters there. The story was fun but I do have to say that by the cover and the sounds of it, I was expecting all 4 of the ex-fiances to show up but they never did. This book is told from Josie’s pov but I would have done anything to be in Matthew’s head.

Josie if the FMC of the story who doesn’t want to be enagaged but has to for this PR issue. I loved her bubbly self and seeing her develop throughout the book. She cares so much for her people but I loved seeing her love for Matthew grow. Matthew is the main side character who stubbles into the mess but would do anything for Josie. I do have to say that it was strange how he just appeared but I think I should have read book 1 to know more. I loved his character as he’s such a sweeatheart. There are many side characters in this book and I loved a majority of them. Josie’s grandpa is such a sweet grump. The romance is fake dating and slow burn which was so well done.

The ending of this story was well done and I was so happy to read Matthew’s pov. The story was greatly and amazingly done. Also the color of the cover is so pretty. I recommend checking this book which you don’t want to miss out.

*this arc was sent to me by the publisher to give an honest review in return*

I haven't read the first book in this series, so maybe something was a little lost on me. I certainly was a bit confused by all the characters in the book. But, I found the second half of this book to be much stronger than the first half. Once the slow burn romance picks up a bit (and boy, does it pick up....), the story moved a lot faster and I didn't want it to end!

I received a copy of this book free from NetGalley in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion.

Thank you NetGalley, Elena Armas, and the publisher for this e-ARC in exchange for my honest opinion and review.

This follow up to The Long Game felt exactly that... long - but we love a good slow burn. I am a huge fan of this author, and have absolutely devoured her other works, but this one... just fell short after the masterpiece that The Long Game was.

***Must read The Long Game before reading this one, or you will be lost.***

Read if you love:
-Fake Dating/Engagements
-Slow Burn (and I mean SLOW... but when it picks up it does get pretty spicy!)
-He Falls First
-Small Towns
-Runaway Bride vibes
-Sibling's Best Friend romances
-Laugh out loud moments

The overall story was actually very cute. Chock full of angst. laugh out loud moments and the delicious fake engagement debacle - Elena Armas fans will generally enjoy this one. However, our FMC - Josie seemed to lack a certain depth that I was craving as a reader on the character development front. This one definitely wasn't my personal favorite from this author, and other readers may find themselves a bit underwhelmed by this one... but I will definitely be looking to have this in a physical copy for the shelves!

sabe aquele filme “quatro casamentos um funeral”? é essa vibe aqui, mas o certo seria: quase quatro casamento e uma demissão!

eu gostei do livro, ganhou o bronze dos livros da elena. consigo ver a evolução da escrita da elena e como ela ter perdido alguns vícios. isso deixa a leitura ainda mais fluída.

enfim, nao tem muito oq considerar…

Josie, the secret sister of Adalyn from the first book, is the daughter of Andrew Underwood, the multimillionaire owner of the Miami Heat soccer team. A small-town girl unaware of her wealthy lineage, Josie suddenly finds her life under public scrutiny when the media and social media expose her secrets, including her history of being engaged four times. Dubbed "the runner" for leaving each fiancé before the wedding, Josie fabricates a new engagement to redeem her reputation—this time with Matthew, Adalyn’s best friend. With the lie spiraling out of control, Matthew reluctantly agrees to go along with the fake engagement. I enjoyed this one, it kept me interested throughout!

3.5 stars (⭐️⭐️⭐️✨)

Oh how I had higher hopes for Josie and Matthew’s story after reading “The Long Game” – which I do recommend you read first, otherwise you might be a little lost in the story with The Fiance Dilemma. The Fiance Dilemma by Elena Armas is fun and a suuppppper slow burn with all the wonderful witty banter I’ve come to expect from her as an author. Josie lives in a small, rural town in North Carolina, is the self-appointed “mayor”, owns a coffee shop, and pretty much does it all for the town. Until recently, she didn’t know who her father was and found out she has a sister all in one fell swoop and gets into a PR nightmare. Josie has a bit of a past with broken engagements – 4 to be exact and when Matthew comes stumbling into town she ropes him into her fake engagement scheme. Uggghhhhh I really wanted to like this one way more — I feel like it would have worked better had it been dual POV — it felt very rushed/you didn’t really get a good sense of what Matthew was thinking or how they truly fell in love. I think we were in Josie’s head a little bit too much and bless her she just was a bit of a mess who I didn’t see much personal growth from. I do love that there was no 3rd act break-up or miscommunication trope!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book provided to me through NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to Elena Armas and Atria Books for giving me the opportunity to read this book!

3.5 stars! This was a really cute story. The main reason I’m not rating this higher is because I wanted more for the female main character in terms of personal growth. I think she grew, but a lot of her issues seemed to magically disappear and I wanted them to be wrapped up with her doing a little more for herself instead of it just being about her relationship. That being said, Matthew was such a sweetheart and I really loved his character. In general this was a really cute fake engagement with real feelings. I also liked the aspect of found family that exists in this book as that is always one of my favorite micro tropes

Romance

This was not a favorite.

Technically, it's not a sequel, but if the reader hasn't first read The Long Game, they will be completely lost. I, read it, and still felt like I was missing part of the story. Josie has a history of leaving her grooms at the altar. She has recently found out that her father is famous, and it has shown a spotlight on her life. Faced with a PR nightmare, she claims that she and her sister's best friend Matthew are engaged, and things go awry from there. This book definitely reminds me of the movie with Julia Roberts - quaint town, goofy events with colorful locals - all the things.

Josie is an interesting main character. Her story just didn't come together. I think in large part due to the lack of development of Matthew's character. We really don't get to understand/know him until the very end of the novel.

Just not a fan of this one.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my ARC of this novel.

Josie is the mayor of small-town Green Oaks, North Carolina. And also owns a coffee shop, and chairs every committee, and teaches goat yoga, and basically everything. She was the boss-of-all-trades in "The Long Game" and now our girl gets a backstory! Josie has been engaged 4 times before, and in order to avoid.a PR disaster (that really wasn't her problem to begin with if you ask me), she fakes Engagement #5 - to Matthew, Adalyn's best friend (also previously met in "The Long Game"). This book is advertised as a standalone, but I really recommend reading "The Long Game" first. The whole small town comes together to put together a wedding and bring her estranged father back into the fold, and we meet some new characters along the way (the best one being Pedro Pig-scal, a teacup pig). I loved Matthew as our MMC - he was so swoon-worthy, that it sometimes seemed unrealistic, but I'm here for it. If you like fake-dating and loathe a third act breakup, this one's for you.

This book offers a delightful mix of fun and romance. While a few chapters felt a bit redundant and seemed unnecessary, the overall experience was enjoyable.

Matthew, the male main character, really shines. His charm and playful nature make him incredibly swoon-worthy and engaging.

On the other hand, Josie, the female lead, didn't quite win me over. At times, her behavior was a bit off-putting, and I felt Matthew deserved someone a bit more suited to him.

Despite my mixed feelings about Josie, I had a great time reading this book and enjoyed the romance and fun it delivered.

"What if I can't give you any f-cking firsts, so I want to make sure I get a chance at being your last?"

MATTHEW FLANAGAN—THE MAN YOU ARE!!! 🥰

I have a personal vendetta against blonde men but Matthew might be the one to make me get over that. He's a golden retriever MMC with a dirty mouth (🥵) and a heart of gold. He was painfully sweet and kind; I just loved how hard and fast he fell and how protective and possessive he was of Josie. Honestly, he might have elbowed Aaron Blackford out of the way to be my favorite Elena Armas boyfriend.
I know Josie is a little quirky (and polarizing, apparently) but I feel like she was so relatable. She's hilarious, has some daddy issues, and such a big heart; ultimately, she just wants to be loved and I find that so realistic.

I'm a sucker for fake-dating so a fake engagement was right up my alley! I adored Josie's journey in her relationships with Matthew and her dad, I loved how we saw her get stronger and stand up for herself to Bobby, and I LOVED how we saw her and Adalyn's relationship grow as sisters. I'm also just a really big fan of books where we get to see characters from the novel before and really get to know them!
It was fun and heartfelt and the spice was so spicy! Overall, I just really enjoyed the story and can't wait for what comes next from Elena!

Thank you to Atria Books, Elena Armas, and NetGalley for this eARC in exchange for my review! ♥️

Fun slow burn in the Elena Armas style that is banter-y, hot, sweet and with the best MCs. Josie and Matthew were SO good - the PR angle, the ex fiancés, the mundane day to day that Elena does SO well. I ate this up - my new favorite of hers.

Main Tropes:
-Fake Dating
-Small Town
-Sister's Best Friend

This book was absolutely amazing! Although it felt a bit slow at first, I became completely absorbed once I got into it. I loved the tropes and appreciated the book’s originality, as well as the way the author crafted this masterpiece. The story, reminiscent of *Runaway Bride*, featured fantastic banter and chemistry without being overly cheesy. It tackled heavier topics while still maintaining a lighthearted tone. Having loved the first book in the series, I was ecstatic to receive this digital ARC. Thank you, Atria Books and Elena Armas, for providing this copy in exchange for a review.

<i>Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review!</i>

Going in to this book, I was so giddy because I really enjoyed The Long Game. This second book in the series did not disappoint!! It follows Josie, the town mayor, who is a fierce, determined and hardworking woman who just so happens to have had four prior failed engagements. She convinces Matthew, her sister’s best friend, to pretend they are engaged so she does not disappoint her father and the town with a PR drama.

This fake engagement rom-com was filled with humor, love, and a great showcase of friendship and loyalty. I loved the way Matthew treated Josie, as though she wasn’t damaged or anything but just as she should be. He showed her his care with acts of service and words of affirmation which I loved!! They started out as friends and developed a sweet, sweet romance.

The Adalyn and Cam crumbs were soooo cute!! I loved seeing the cameos of the previous characters as well, with Maria, her dad, and the animals on the farm.

Hope there’s another one! I kind of got some hint of a romance with another two characters but I’m not sure…..hmm…

Side characters make or break a book for me. I loveeeeee when a book has spinoffs about the wonderful side characters. Elena Armas’s books fit that bill perfectly for me.

The Fiance Dilemma is filled with a quirky, lovable cast of small town dwelling characters who all manage to worm their way into your heart by the end. I loved seeing the reappearance of some of my favs from The Long Game!

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for the eARC!

Okay maybe I lied a little. I think Matthew may be my favorite. I was lucky enough to get an arc of this and I'm so beyond grateful. Matthew is a golden retriever and I absolutely loved every second of it. He from the start stayed with Josie and never left even when she tried to push him away and that was my favorite thing about him. He always said the funniest things and didn't care which made me love him more. Seeing Josie truly fall in love I think was another favorite part of mine. She didn't want to admit it but seeing her actions change to more loving was everything. Hopefully we get more of them in the future because I adore them. Thank you again to NetGalley for this arc.