This one was a rollercoaster for me, and I wasn’t quite sure how to feel about it. I always enjoy this author’s work, but this book felt a bit chaotic and droning/overly long at times. To be honest, it just didn’t flow like her other books have. I found myself cringing more than I would’ve liked. However, I did warm up to Josie and Matthew together as the book went on and loved to see Matthew’s protective side. The fake relationship was cute, and I really like that trope! I struggled on whether to make this a three or four star review, but I do like Josie’s earnestness and enthusiasm and felt that the book improved drastically toward the end.

My ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This was a slow build but the good once you get there. A different spin on the Fake Dating trope that I didn’t see coming, which was endearing.

I’ve read other books by Elena Armas and have throughly enjoyed them; however, this one wasn’t for me.
While I did like how everything wrapped up and the chemistry and communication between Matthew and Josie, I couldn’t get over the fact that she was faking an engagement to please her father, with whom she doesn’t have a relationship nor did it seem like he wants one.

Grandpa Moe may be my favorite character but Matthew is phenomenal and close to perfect. He is a top tier golden retriever that knows how to communicate his feelings and push others around him to grow. Plus…the glasses, I will always be a big fan.

Out On: July 30, 2024

When I saw that I was approved to read this book early I was ecstatic! I absolutely loved The Long Game and was so excited to read more from this little world that Elena Armas has created. However, this book was not like anything I expected it to be and I've got to say that I am severely disappointed...

The plot itself never seemed to make sense from start to finish. While there were some fantastic tropes tossed into this book, they just were not done the justice they rightfully deserved. I loved the idea of a fake engagement and the small town setting, but they did kind of just fall flat for me.

The story seemed to have the strangest pacing I have ever read in a book before. Everything kind of went from 0 to 100 and there was never any explanation for anything. I was so hoping we'd get to know why Josie had been engaged four different times, but we never got any resolution to that which felt super weird, especially when you find out she's kept all her rings and wedding dresses...

Matthew was an okay character, until the weird possessiveness came out to play. It didn't seem to fit his personality at all and left me with a whole whack load of whiplash to say the least.

The whole PR piece of the plot made me fume. I couldn't get over the fact that Josie just allowed this strange woman (and her father as a byproduct) to completely steamroll her into faking an engagement and planning a wedding so that she would "be accepted." Made me absolutely sick to my stomach.

I've enjoyed some of Elena Armas' other books, but this one unfortunately was a miss for me.

If you don't like to read spicy scenes in books (like myself) then I recommend you skip/skim the following chapters:

🌶️ Closed Door Modifications: Chapters 14, 20, 23 & 25

Thank you so much to Atria Books for this advanced copy on NetGalley! 🤍

Unfortunately this one really wasn’t for me. I struggled to connect to the characters and found the pacing to be really choppy and inconsistent. I wanted to love it because fake dating/fake engagement is a trope I love but sadly I just didn’t.

I was so excited to get an arc for this book!! I loved Josie’s character in The Long Game but it was so great seeing her character develop more and see what is going through her head in this book. This book is so wholesome, the small town vibes are my favorite. I loved seeing grandpa Moe more. Now Mathew, if phenomenal. The way he was instantly there for Josie and we found out later that he was obsessed with her before even meeting her in person. I love a book that doesn’t have a third act break up and the couple actually COMMUNICATES 🤩 amazing work!!

3.5 stars!

Super grateful to have been given an arc of this book to review. I really enjoyed all books I’ve read from Elena Armas so I was excited to read the newest one.

The Fiancé Dilemma was just a slower start for me, once I got into it, I just wanted to know what was next! Was excited to dive back into Green Oak and see Adalyn and Cameron as well!

Will definitely recommend for those in need of a small town sweet read :)

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria books for this earc

Okay. I was trying to figure out how to explain what went wrong in this book and this is the way that made sense to me.

Imagine this book in three parts. First and third were great. Middle? Was a complete and total mess.

This book could have had it all. Small town? Sister’s best friend? Engagement of convenience? It was supposed to sooo cute.

And it was. In the beginning. But somehow, half way through the story, it lost its way.
I’m a huge fan of slow burns, especially when the engaged couple just met. And we get some of that in beginning, but then we kind of just to the smut scenes and those just felt soooo out of place, I have no words.
I was even okay with the drama but I felt like the plot just didn’t feel complete. Like, did Matthew get a job? Or he’ll just live with Josie? Idk. Once I lost interest in the story nothing helped me got back into it.

Synopsis: Josie, a small town girl who recently found out her father is a famous millionaire, has a string of failed engagements in her past. This turns out to be a PR issue for her father, so she *accidentally* falls into a fake engagement with her sister’s best friend, Matthew.

Thoughts: Honest thoughts incoming: this was not my favorite. The tropes were so promising - I love fake dating and small town. Unfortunately, the delivery fell a bit flat for me. I genuinely liked the main characters, and their chemistry was good (although that burn was slowwwwww). There were several funny and sweet moments that I enjoyed as well. I did not, however, enjoy the family drama. Josie allowed her father WHO SHE JUST MET to dictate her entire life so immediately. It felt a bit too unrealistic and forced for sake of moving the plot forward. That being said, the audio was fantastic. Narrated by one of my absolute favorites, Brittany Pressley, it did not disappoint!

Read this if you like:
💍 fake dating/marriage of convenience
💍 family drama
💍 sibling’s best friend
💍 small town

2.75-3 / 5
I almost DNF this after the first 25% since the premise is so outlandish - I think I’m just not a fan of the fake fiancé to marriage trope. Twenty something Josie Moore is a runaway bride four times over. Her absent father comes back into her life, plot twist, he’s a real estate mogul and is writing a book about his life, thus causing some PR issues which loosely involve Josie - his daughter he is estranged from after he had a one night stand with her mother and was not involved in her life.

His PR partner ambushes Josie at her house while she’s trying on an old engagement ring and makes the assumption she’s engaged again, 5th times the charm! In walks her newly found sister’s best friend Matthew when they meet in person for the first time, and he plays along with the whole story. Even more unrealistic is at her young age, she is also mayor to her small NC town and local coffee shop owner and barista. It’s just a little over time top with the trope #fakefiance that it seems completely unrelatable and Josie seems like a hot mess with her unpacked trauma dealing with daddy/abandonment issues and her immaturity with prior relationships and Matthew. Girl needs to go to therapy.

I’m somewhat happy I continued reading because Matthew is the real gem. Prior to the whole fake fiancé scheme, he was already invested in Josie after his best friend/her sister said she had “met his soul mate” and #instalove on his end, so it was less crazy on his end to go along with the whole story.

I’ve enjoyed other books by Elena Armas, I think my dislike for the trope of fake fiancé to marriage contributed to my lukewarm view of the book

I loved this one almost as much as Elena’s The Spanish Love Deception! I am a sucker for a small town fake dating trope. Matthew was a golden retriever of a man, and Josie was a ray of sunshine even given all the heartbreak and challenges she faced. Would highly recommend!

Thank you netgalley for this Arc in exchange for an honest review

I absolutely loved this authors debut but was sadly disappointed with her follow-ups. HOWEVER. with The Fiancé Dilemma, Elena Armas is back!! I loved this one and it gave me warm fuzzies. There were moments that required suspension of disbelief but they were very easy to look past because of the tension between the main characters. Makes me want to read The Spanish Love Deception again. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you netgalley and Atria books for the arc!

This was my first by this author. I have heard mixed things about all her other books but I was really hoping to love this one. The concept of a fake fiance and fake dating. But this one was just kind of sad why these two had to do it.

Josie is a strong character who knows what she wants but she has to face her inner demons and negative people in her life to get there. Matthew is the perfect match for Josie. He protects her and stands up for her. And that’s what anyone could want in a relationship. I loved the format of the texts and the podcast parts of this book. When those are in books it makes it so much more fun to read.


I wanted to love this more, but it but it had long chapters and the two characters were already attracted and in love by 40% through. But this book is probably loved by so many and I definitely recommend anyone who wants to read this to try it out!

3.5/5⭐️

It was fun to rejoin the citizens of Green Oak again for the telling of Matt and Josie's story. I enjoyed The Long Game and was hoping to love this even more after getting to know Josie in the first book, but unfortunately it fell a little flat for me.

Some things I liked:
1. The spice - Armas knows how to write good spice. Nice guys with filthy mouths seems to be her cup of tea and she does it well.
2. The side characters - the town is quirky and very gossipy, which is exactly what it feels like to live in a small town from my experience. Some of the small town occurrences throughout both books are things I could definitely see happening in real life, which makes them even funnier in my opinion.
3. Grandpa Moe - I just loved him and loved that he took care of Josie and now she's helping take care of him too.

Some things I didn't like:
1. It felt like Josie reverted in development from the first book to the beginning of this one. She was SUCH a pushover through the whole book, it started to become frustrating. In The Long Game, Josie (being the mayor and a well-established business owner) was someone who was bubbly, but wasn't going to be easily swayed. In this book she was manipulated so easily, and hardly stood up for herself where her dad was concerned. I understand there could be some trauma involved due to the nature of the relationship, but it felt more like a backtrack to progress the desired storyline.
2. VERY LITTLE backstory on the "why" behind Josie leaving her fiancees at the altar. We know the waterfall was one, and the politician technically left her, but otherwise we didn't get much of a deep dive into the past romances and why she couldn't go through with it. I do believe Matthew is better for her, I'm not saying she should be with the others, but if this is a main trope throughout the book I feel there needs to be more build up of this backstory or just leave it out entirely. It made her seem a little selfish to continually put men in this position by saying "Yes" when she wasn't actually ready.
3. Matthew - ok Matthew was swoon-y and had a filthy mouth behind closed doors (which we all love), but I didn't feel his character development stood on it's own at all without Josie. We only know him in the context of his relationship with her, and though we got to know his family, it was really only in relation to their knowledge of the relationship. He was hot, he was nice, he clearly liked Josie, he was dirty in the bedroom, he liked sports and quit his job so he didn't have to hurt his friends. Otherwise - not much to him, which is a bummer in my opinion.
4. That being said, this felt a little insta-lovey to me, which is my absolute least favorite trope. I know some love it, but I want only a liiiiiitle time between meeting and being head over heels, just to make it somewhat realistic. I know romance novels aren't reality, but still lol. The lack of development of the characters in relation to anything other than their arrangement made their feelings feel dull and lackluster-y (I know that's not a valid adjective, just let me be).
5. Josie's quirkiness got to be a little too much for me. The random phrases she would shout in replacement of a well placed curse made me want to throw my kindle across the room. Maybe stick with one, if you must. It made her feel like a walking trope, trying too hard to be ~quirky~.

I know I went a little rant-esque with what I didn't like, but I'm still giving this book 3 stars. I both read and listened to it, back and forth as I was able, and it was enjoyable to both read and listen to even with all the issues I had. I just don't think it's developed enough in my opinion. There were lots of plot holes, it just felt a bit messy, and there were lots of grammar errors that stunted the flow of the book. I know most of the grammar will likely be ironed out before release, but it was enough that I feel the need to make note of it.

Thank you to Atria Books and Elena Armas for an advanced copy of this title via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I went into this book with moderate expectations because I didn’t enjoy The Spanish Love Deception- but I found The Fiancé Dilemma delightful! Matthew and Josie were fun without being over the top unbelievable, and the small town setting was a bonus. The circumstances of their engagement were definitely not a realistic scenario but I think if you can ignore that and play along, this was a fun, worthwhile read.

*Thank you to Atria and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review and to Simon Audio for the gifted ALC*

I really enjoyed The Long Game, but this one was just kinda meh. And I was honestly confused because it has a bunch of tropes that I normally enjoy. Small town, fake engagement, uh yeah! But I think it was ultimately too long and not tight enough in the action. I never got a good idea as to why Josie kept leaving men at the altar or why Matthew would even say yes to the engagement in the first place. But they're hot and we get a mutual masturbation scene, so I'm not complaining too much.

The Fiance Dilemma is a super romantic and fun story about a fake engagement to quell a PR nightmare.

Josie has been called a "runner" - she has broken off 4 engagements, several of them at the altar. When the news was released that she was the daughter of Andrew Underwood, MLS team owner and real estate mogul, the fact that the she broke off so many engagements became internet tabloid fodder. When her sister's best friend, Matthew arrives in town, she convinces him to pretend to be her fake fiancé. After all, they kinda sorta know each other from being and Adalyn and Cam's lives for the past few years, even if they have never met in person before. To Josie's surprise, Matthew agrees, and after establishing some ground rules, the pair try to put on an act that will not only convince all of Green Oaks that they are madly in love, but also Andrew and his PR representative Bobbi Shark. Not to mention convincing the internet podcasters that are determined to spill all the tea on Josie's romantic history. But when Matthew and Josie seem to be compatible in more ways than one, will they be able to continue faking the engagement, or will this fake love story turn out to be more real than either anticipated?

This was a super cute story. I love when rom-coms feature characters from other books I've loved, and seeing Josie and Matthew get their own book after loving them as side characters in the Long Game was a fun treat. It was great to return to Green Oaks and revisit some familiar characters. I love the fake engagement trope, and I really enjoyed how Armas wrote this story, with the PR focus, and the interspersed podcast episodes. The only thing I wished I could have had more of was Matthew's background and side of the story. This was told from Josie's perspective, so we only get her view of the events and feelings. But I absolutely ate up the bits and pieces of Matthew's background and how he showed his true feelings for Josie. But overall this was a romantic, funny, and spicy read and I thoroughly enjoyed it!

Thank you so much to Atria Books for the advanced copy of this fun and romantic story. All opinions are my own.

Would you give “love” a shot again after four failed engagements? If it’s to solve a PR problem, you most definitely will.

Josie has fallen into a PR nightmare and now must become “engaged” for the fifth time. Matthew walks into this engagement to Josie and they navigate dealing with the press and Josie’s PR team to save face for the family. As the wedding gets closer and closer, Josie and Matthew navigate their feeling for one another. Are their feelings more than just a friendship, will their engagement end, or will they actually make it down the alter and defy the PR stunt altogether.

Thank you Net Galley for the arc!

This is actually the first book I have read from Elena Armas and I really loved the humor and writing style of the whole book. I was told that I could read this without reading the book before in the Long Game series, but I feel like reading this book made me want to read the first one to see more about the other characters storyline since it was barely explained in this one. It was hard to understand some of the information in the story since it was probably explained in the other book. Overall, I would definitely recommend this story to anyone that likes a comedy romance and a fake engagement story. I do love Matthew and I feel like he is one of the top book boyfriends for me!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️

Josie Moore is a small town girl who has been engaged four times and still hasn't made it to the altar. Josie has an absent father who is retiring and decides to do an article about the family. Matthew Flanagan, Josie's sister's best friend who was fired from her job and decides to go to North Carolina where he has a mud accident and decides to walk until he gets help. There he meets Josie who greets him as her engagement and everything flies out of his hands.

The way the book started I thought I wasn't going to like it but without realizing it I had already finished it. I laughed a lot with the characters and I got very angry with Bobbie. I really liked the development that Matthew and Josie had, how they supported each other and how they grew. I would have liked it more if it wasn't just Josie's POV and to know what Matthew thought.
I was nervous to finish it in case the ending wasn't fair but the ending they have is the one they deserved and I was waiting.


👉🏻The Fiancé Dilemma is a spin-off book in The Long Game universe that can be read individually. 👈🏻