Thank you to Simon and Schuster audio and @Librofm for the ALC! Thank you to @Atria and @Netgalley for the eARC!

I love Elena Armas’ romances and this may be my absolute favorite by her. Matthew is SUCH a great MMC and he and Josie make such an adorable match. I love that this featured the couple from The Long Game too and we got more of that small town vibe. This book had me swooning, smiling, and laughing out loud at times. I’ll read anything Elena Armas writes.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for providing the ARC.

The Long Game was one of my favorite reads last year, so I was crazy excited about this Runaway Bride-esque sequel. Matthew was absolute perfection in this book, from the beginning right to the very end. There wasn't much lead up to Josie ending up in her predicament, but Matthew very much came to her rescue immediately. And stayed there.

Josie was a hard read for me. She obviously has a lot of unprocessed emotions from her past breakups and from her parental abandonment. The fact that her whole relationship with Matthew was connected with a PR nightmare about to explode only exacerbated her issues. The PR manager and her dad randomly showing up made it all that much worse. So it was no wonder she was skittish around Matthew and unable to fully trust what he was telling her.

This book has everything you'd expect from an Elena Armas novel and I ate it up. If you enjoyed her other books, this one will not disappoint you.

Fake dating is one of my favorite tropes. And I love a good slow burn when done right, this slow burn was BURNING. Worth it, though. Matthew and Josie had so much tension between them, I mean, can you say engagement shoot at the fence? 😮‍💨 For someone who was pulled into this relationship on a whim, Matthew had very little reservations about it. I found that pretty interesting, I’d probably have fought the idea a little more, but I guess that might be hard when your name is out in the media so fast (thanks Bobbi 🦈). One thing I enjoyed in their relationship was how they formed a friendship, a true bond as they continued their fake engagement.

Overall, very enjoyable! Thanks for the ARC Atria Books 🫶🏽

𝚁𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐: 4.5⭐️
𝙶𝚎𝚗𝚛𝚎: contemporary romance📚

𝙼𝚢 𝚃𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚜:
Okay but Matthew is the sweetest most supportive book boyfriend and I love him

𝚁𝚎𝚊𝚍 𝚒𝚏 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎:
Engagement of convenience
Family drama
Sister’s best friend
Slow burn
Podcast scenes
Small town
Romantic comedies
He falls first

𝚃𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜 𝙸 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎𝚍:
No third act break up

𝚃𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜 𝙸 𝚍𝚒𝚍𝚗’𝚝 𝚌𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚏𝚘𝚛:
I wanted to more of Matthew’s family
I wish it was a little more fast paced

𝙵𝚊𝚟𝚘𝚛𝚒𝚝𝚎 𝚀𝚞𝚘𝚝𝚎𝚜:
★ “Sweetheart. It wasn't the word that bothered me. It was the way he said it. Like someone who wanted to protect me. To spare me the heartbreak.”
★ “Only a fool would wait when there’s something so precious to be claimed.”
★ “Beautiful things shouldn't be boxed. It eventually dims their light."

This was quite the sweet story. I am a sucker for fake engagements. However, Josie was almost a bit too quirky to be enjoyable and some of the crazy shenanigans seemed too over the top. I really liked Matthew but wish the stereotypes and quirkiness would have been toned down a bit. Also I would have loved to see more cameos of previous characters.

This book was quite the slow burn. The female main character had me feeling all kinds of ways. She’s got a lot of emotional baggage, which makes her interesting but also frustrating. Leaving someone at the altar? Come on, that got old pretty fast.

But the fake dating in a small town? That was pure gold. Watching them pretend to be in love while their real feelings slowly came to the surface was super entertaining. The small-town setting was charming, and the quirky townspeople added some great laughs and warmth.

Now, the male lead—wow. He was almost too perfect. Kind, patient, and just flawed enough to be relatable. I found myself cheering for him the whole time. Seriously, are all fictional guys this great, or am I missing out in real life?

This book was a mix of humor, fake dating, and the charm of a small town, making it a fun read. If you’re into modern romances that make you laugh and feel, give this one a try.

Thank you so much to the publishers for this read. I truly enjoyed it. EA is a great author and creates amazing characters and scenes on a page. I didn’t necessarily connect well with these characters sadly and am giving it 3 stars. Would definitely recommend others to read it though!

I loved this one. I found myself reading slowly so it wouldn't end. Matthew was just so down bad and I love that. He had me swooning a few times. It was quite spicy, not necessarily my speed but I know people will love it.

There is just something about a slow burn, fake engagement that is just *chef's kiss*.

Josie was one of my favourite side characters from The Long Game, to see her get her own story of love and individuality was amazing. The struggles that she overcomes and the steps of courage she takes are beautiful.

Matthew very quickly took my heart out. The way he would joke and be such a ray of sunshine, then how quickly he could shift into protector and fighter on behalf of Josie was everything.

The love story these two characters embodied is completely their own. The unexpectedness of the ending was exactly what Matthew and Josie deserved. The only downfall is the chapters can be on the longer side.

A quick light hearted read.
Matthew is every man every girls dreamed of, he says all the right things and it nothing but supportive and distracting. Josie is one of the most relatable female characters I’ve read in a long time. Together, they are perfect but do they realize it ?

I wished they had dual points of view so we could hear more of Matthew’s feelings but overall, the book started quickly and continued to progress at the same speed making it an easy read !

The book starts off with one of my least favorite tropes, miscommunication. I had a hard time staying invested so I think this wasn't the book for me at this time.

Elena Armas never disappoints me with her addictive writing. Her stories are always full of humor and swoon moments. The Fiancée Dilemma was a fast paced read and I really enjoyed the concept of fake engagement. I have to say Matthew will forever have my heart because he was so adorable. I really enjoyed the romance between Matthew and Josie but it did take a while to get there. Thank you to NetGalley and Atria books for letting me read this ARC in exchange for my honest review! I can wait to get a physical copy.

DNF @15% I couldn’t keep reading this. I don’t like to dnf this early in a book just to see if I can give it another chance but I don’t want to waste my time with this one.

The writing style is terrible (for my preference) the fmc act and think like a child, it’s just Josie pov so I feel like I’m never going to understand Matthew.

It’s just messy in all senses, I’m sorry, I’m sure that there’s going to be a lot of people loving this book but it just wasn’t for me.

I have never read any book by Elena and it’s going to stay that way.

Thank you netgalley for the arc

3.5 ⭐️

This was a super cute fake dating/engagement story. I overall enjoyed the story, but thought some parts weren’t explained enough.

I think anyone who loves a small town setting and this trope would enjoy this.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this title in exchange for an honest review.

These books just keep getting better & better!!

This love story is so sweet, and so pure. I'm usually an enemies to lovers girlie but this friends to lovers relationship stole my whole heart.

As a pathological people pleaser (iykyk) I heavily related to Josie's character and struggles. I loved reading her thoughts and growth as she learned to choose herself first.

Matthew. Mattsie-Boo. I don't even have enough silly goofy lovey words to describe this man. Absolute perfection

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU to @netgalley for this
ARC. The scream I scrumpt when I got this email!!! I will forever be a @thebibliotheque stan!!

Josie is a small town mayor who has recently discovered the identity of her long lost father. He's a big deal, and despite not having had a relationship, she decides to stage a fake engagement with Matthew to help her father's PR campaign. Unfortunately, she has a terrible track record when it comes to engagements, breaking off four in the style of Julia Roberts' character in "Runaway Bride"! Matthew is a sweetie, though, and wants to help her. Their friendship quickly escalates into scorching chemistry. But what can they do about it, when it all has an expiration date?

So, I ADORED Elena Armas' The Spanish Love Deception series. This particular book, The Fiance Dilemma, is the second in The Long Game series. The Long Game was half fantastic, half a bit flat in my opinion. This book performs in much the same way for me. I had a difficult time liking many of the characters, and I didn't find the fake engagement storyline to be super compelling.

Their chemistry was great. Any scenes where Matthew and Josie got to explore their feelings were super fun. And I was glad that Josie got to have her happily ever after!

Bottom Line: If you enjoyed the movie "Runaway Bride" and like a small town romance with plenty of steam, then this book should deliver!

I'd like to thank Atria Books and Netgalley for the eARC of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

The amount of sexual tension in this book... my god! It's amazing. I loved reading every second of this book. I loved the banter between Matthew and Josie. I love a good marriage of convenience and watching a man fall first. air was everything I wanted in a book. I don't know if I've ever been so close to combusting from a book before. I did not read The Long Game before reading this so it can be read as a standalone, however I will be picking it up as well as the rest of Elena's work because Damn! Also Matthew is a national treasure.

Thank you to @atriabooks and @netgalley for the arc.

i enjoyed the spanish love deception, but i DNFed the long game. i was hopeful i would like this one more, and while i did enjoy it more than the long game, i did find the plot a little lacking. it was a fun romance read and i’m glad i read it, but i would recommend the spanish love deception over this one

A cute, fun romance with a fake engagement. I loved Josie’s quirky personality. I do feel like it was a little hard to get to know Matthew (the MMC). This one really pulled together in the end and made me really enjoy it!

I loved this one more than The Long Game, so it’s absolutely worth reading if you’re a fan of this author’s first 2 books but didn’t love The Long Game.

Thanks NetGalley and Atria Books for a copy of this book!

The vibes were VIBING - 5 stars.
The plot was not plotting - 3 stars.
So, drumroll...4 stars!

I've loved Elena Armas' stories and characters since one of the bookstagram bloggers I followed (hint: Elena Armas) first started posting snippets of a little story called the Spanish Love Deception. Fast forward, and I believe in Josie and Matthew's story she has showcased how truly talented she is at writing incredible relationships filled with chemistry. I believe she has only continued to grow and I am so excited to see what comes next.

My only issue with this one was the plot. It seemed choppy, and was sometimes hard to follow what was going to happen when, what was driving it forward, etc. But the chemistry between Josie and Matthew was so strong, and each character in general so captivating, that I couldn't help but be drawn in regardless.

I can't wait to hold a physical copy in my hands next week!

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria books for letting me read this ARC in exchange for my honest review!