Fake relationship and.m second chance romance?! Sign me up! There was no way I wasn’t going to love this book!

This book actively annoyed me.

After four failed engagements, Josie Moore has given up on marriage. (Un?)Fortunately for her, her famous and wealthy father decides to visit after being MIA her entire life. Since being single would be a PR scandal(?), she quickly recruits friend-of-a-friend, Matthew Flanagan, to be her new (fake) fiancé while her father is in town. One thing leads to another and I think you can guess the rest.

I'm not categorically opposed to fake dating/fake engagement, but there were so many things about this that didn't work. The biggest issue is that this is a 432-page book and it is in no way a slow burn. There is no tension and its exhausting to read. Josie acts like a child—annoying, irresponsible, obtuse. On the surface, Matthew is devoted, kind, etc., but he's so weirdly possessive/defensive of her it's practically a red flag. They start fake dating the second they see each other for the very first time. But apparently Matthew has been considering her his future wife since he saw her picture? That's not cute—it's stalker behavior. Not to mention the amount of PUBLIC indecency enacted by this couple. The whole town needs to file a class action suit for compensation.

There's really nothing I can recommend about this book.

In The Fiancé Dilemma by Elena Armas, Josie Moore’s had a rough track record with love—four failed engagements and a complicated family history. When her influential father’s PR team decides her messy love life needs a fix, Josie’s thrown into a fake engagement with her sister’s best friend, Matthew, who just happens to show up at the perfect moment. As they play the part of the perfect couple in her small town, sparks start to fly, and they’re left wondering if this staged romance could actually be the real deal.

I’d give this one a solid 3.5 stars. It’s a fun, lighthearted take on the fake engagement trope with a good mix of humor and romance, even if a bit predictable at times. Josie’s journey to find her footing is relatable, and Matthew is definitely swoon-worthy with his loyal, sweet personality. They have cute chemistry, though I found myself wanting more depth in their connection and a bit more of Matthew’s perspective to balance out Josie’s narrative. While it may not be groundbreaking, it’s an easy read that fans of small-town, fake-dating romance will likely enjoy.

😭😭😭😭
AMAZING
HEARTWARMING & HEART-WRENCHING!
Elena always pulls the most unique and fun storylines, and then breaks my heart and puts it back together!
I love Josie!
I feel for Josie's character development and everything she's about, I understand why she is the way that she is!
Then there's Matthew who makes everything AMAZING. Every scene he makes an entrance, every scene I fall more in love with him! He is perfect for her!
Ugh. Absolutely loved this book! Mad it took me so long to finish it, but so worth the loooong read! 😅
Absolutely love a good FAKE ENGAGEMENT & SECOND CHANCE, and this book BLEW those tropes out of the water!
Big thanks to NetGalley and S&S for this e-arc opportunity! 🫶🏼

Love love love this book. I couldn’t get enough. I finished and had to restart it over again. It was so easy to get swept away with these characters & their story.

I highly recommend.

I voluntarily reviewed this book.

Fake dating - would have loved the male main characters POV to help balance out the story that was a little confusing at times

I absolutely loved Elena Adams book, The Spanish Deception and she did it again with The Fiancé Dilemma. I love a fake dating trope so much! The Fiancé Dilemma is about Josie, the book version of Runaway Bride. Josie has tried time and time again to get married and every time she calls it off for some reason. Now she is taking care of an elderly family member and living in a small town. Josie recently found out that she has a sister and her biological father has kept her existence quiet for her entire life. Her father is a big wig and Josie’s failure to commit by cancelling multiple weddings has come to the light, causing big problems for her father's PR team. Her Dads PR shows up and under the microscope she says a random (not so random) person that is passing by is her new fiancé (Matthew). Matthew plays along and gets thrown into the insane story, having to commit to his role and do all the wedding planning things. Josie and Matthew start to actually catch feelings, but will Josie actually tie the knot? What is actually making her pull a runaway bride over and over? This book was adorable, the relationship between Josie and Matthew was great, watching his stick up for her, and them learn about each other. I highly recommend reading, Elena Adams never fails!

Although this authors books have been hit or miss for me in the last, I feel confident saying I enjoyed this one. When I found out Josie from The Long Game was going to be the main character, I was so excited!! Josie was definitely my favorite part! I loved her journey to finding her voice. I also really liked her relationship with Adalyn. I love interconnected standalones and hope the author will continue writing them!!! You almost feel invested in the books even before you open them!

This was a fun romantic comedy with a fake engagement! Josie has been engaged 4 times and she did not expect her 5th to be one that was staged! But in order to save her and her father’s reputation, she asks her sister’s best friend Matthew to pretend to be her fiancee.

We all know how this turns out, but what I will say is that Matthew has got a dirty mouth on him and I do not have any complaints. So far this is my favourite book in this series!

Thanks so much to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the gifted ARC.

3.75 ⭐️

Elena Armas never misses with her cute love stories and fun characters! Josie and Matthew are no exception. Overall I was super entertained by this story and there was just so much going on that had me invested. I feel like we definitely get to go a little deeper on both of their characters, but I would have loved to see a bit more. I liked how we got to explore Josie's family dynamics, especially in relation to her father. And I truly did like the way her love life was approached, in the end particularly. Matthew was such a sweet, golden retriever mmc that always made me smile. Were there some cringe moments? Yes. Was I a bit confused by Adalyn and Josie's dynamics in this book? Also yes. But nevertheless, I still enjoyed reading this book and to those who are fans of Elena Armas and the types of stories she writes, I absolutely recommend giving this one (and the first book) a try!

Thank you to netgalley & atria books for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review!!

Settling on a 4 star rating for this fake engagement, small town romance with funny side characters and the king that is Matthew 💖 I really enjoyed his character and how he treats Josie. Josie wasn’t my favorite character but I get how she acts because of her trauma with losing her mom and then having a very absent famous father and being exploited by him and his publicists.

I think this book of course was a little unbelievable in how fast they fall in love & how easy it was for them to be together but honestly isn’t that why we read romance books sometimes? 🫶🏻

I will read anything Elena Armas writes. The Fiance Dilemma was no exception. I loved this book so much. Once I read this, I ordered the copy right away. I can always count on her to appeal to all of my emotions.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria for the advanced copy. All the above opinions are my own.

I loved The Long Game so much, so I was so excited to get an ARC of Josie's story, The Fiance Dilemma. It did not disappoint!!! Fake dating, slow burn, spice all entangled in Josie's heart wrenching story. Matthew was a complete gem of a man too. I look forward to Elena Armas next book and anything she writes to be honest!

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

The Fiance Dilemma is out now.

If you’re a fan of fake engagement, forced proximity, small town romance, slow burn, sisters best friend, this is for YOU! Matthew is easy up there with my book boyfriends, as he is what makes this book steamy!! This was such a fun read, and I was excited about what would happen at each page turn.

Unfortunately this book was a DNF for me. I like following Armas’s literary journey. She definitely hooked me with her debut novel, Spanish Love Deception, but unfortunately hasn’t captivated me since. I loved SPD so much that I am definitely open to giving this one another chance despite not necessarily liking the last two.

This was a cute rom-com with some of my favorite tropes. Fake dating? Fake engagement? Small town vibe? Yes, yes, and yes, and I’m here for all of it.

It took me a bit to get into the story, but once I did, I was intrigued. The burn was S L O W and required lots of patience to get to the payoff. My favorite parts of the book were getting to revisit Adalyn and Cameron from The Long Game. I wish I could have gotten equally invested in Josie and Matthew’s story.

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for the advance copy in exchange for my unbiased review.

When a fake engagement becomes a long love story!!! This story made me giggle and squeal, this was such a fun and cute read! Matthew Flanagan - the man that you are!!! He fell first and fell so hard. I ate this up!

The Fiancé Dilemma
Elena Armas

🤪 the situation is so silly and I love it
📖 fake dating/engagement trope
🌳 so fun being back in green oaks, esp now with Josie as the main character!!
❤️‍🔥 spicy and steamy at times, Matthew is such a lovable MMC!!

Elena Armas writes stories that are so easy to slip into and it always feels like a breeze to zip through! this was lighthearted with low stakes for the reader

3.5stars

Thank you Netgalley & Elena for allowing me to read "The Fiance Dilemma".

First, I have loved previous books by Elena and was so excited to get chosen for a copy from Netgalley. Elena writes some of my favorite contemporary romance and the Fiance Dilemma was another great romance read by her. It gave me more of a cozy contemporary vibe and took me a bit to get through since it was more of a slow burn. I enjoyed Josie's and Matthew's story, Josie was a great choice for an FMC. She radiated this beautiful strength when going through so many heartwrenching moments through the story and losses. My heart really went out to her and all that she endured. Matthew was an interesting MMC for me. There were so many facets to him that made him truly stand out. You see his protective side and then a more romantic side, then a really hot dirty side lol. I was very intrigued with him and what he brought to the storyline. The spice was good and I really liked the storyline in general. Overall, a great slow burn if you love that specific troupe in your romance contemporary reads! :)

This book was such a feel-good book! I love the author's writing style and the characters, and I laughed and cried along with them. One of my favorites this year!!