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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. 👈🏻

I’ve been meaning to check out Elena Armas books for awhile and I started with The Long Game because I’m a big soccer fan and love the idea of small town romances. I would recommend reading it first, as you will get to experience Josie and Matthew as the amazing, lovable supporting characters that really make the first book in the series so great. I was very excited to find out that they got their own book, The Finance Dilemma, and I have to say I liked it more than the first book in the series. I really enjoyed revisiting the entertaining town of Green Oak and getting to know grumpy Grandpa Mo. It is light and funny read perfect for the summer.

A big thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for allowing me access to an advanced digital copy of this book. I will be now go and check out her first book, The Spanish Love Deception.

4.35!

"There was never a choice. I don’t give a shit how corny or cliché this sounds, but I knew when I saw her, and I know now more than ever before. I don’t need her to walk down an aisle, wear my ring, or sign her name on a dotted line. she’s my happy. the rest is only important when you need it and everyone should fucking know that.”

A book is bound to be good when its not a victim of the third act break up or miscommunication.
I honestly do not remember what I rated the long game but I don't remember loving it as much as I did because here you get a glimpse of the Elena who wrote 'The Spanish Love' because I read it on a smooth flow like I did the TSLD and I also was able to connect with the characters almost as much as I did with the characters TSLD. I feel like the way everything was written aligned with what Elena wanted to write and that was a thing that I felt missing in her previous two books but SHE IS BACK! I also liked how the tropes complemented each other so well.

The tropes in question:
. Small town
. Slow burn
. Sisters best friend
. Fake dating

Matthew has to be at the top behind Aaron Blackford because he was the perfect embodiment of a shy guy who would kill you if you touched his girl and who also had a dirty mouth. I loved him so much because the way he was the reason for the book being this enjoyable?? I love male leads who are considerate and passionate and actually care, the scene where he tried different nicknames for her to find the perfect one was so funny, he was unnecessarily funny too and I love how he stood up for Josie in front of her dad and Bobby (pr manager). Josie, I am conflicted about her because on one side she makes the books very bright and fun to read but on the other hand her inner monologue gets very annoying and thats the thing with quirky characters who try to be funny.....sometimes they just try too hard but I did like her character, its just that her actions got vexing at times.

The romance was so well done! I think Elena does slow burn such justice and the angst she creates midway with tension and forced proximity is just *chefs kiss* I loved the whole fake dating vibe and the way it progressed. I loved how they both formed a bond so deep that in their darkest moments they held onto each other for support and I loved how refreshing it was to read. The smut wasn't the best but it was hot at times and the pay-off to the slow burn did pay off well. The mouth on that man tho- Armas definitely did not disappoint with the romance part of this book.

The plot was intriguing as well tbh!! I loved the podcast scenes, they were full of juicy drama and bitchy narrators, I loved how the end scene in that room. I also loved how Fake dating played such an important part in this book and it just hit in the right places!! Josie's 4 failed engagement's constantly being brought up gave me the second hand embarrassment tbh lol.

Overall, a very enjoyable read!!
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OMG! OMG! OMGOMGOMG!!! I GOT THE ARC?? I GOT THE FUCKING ARC!! LETS GOOOOO!

*Thank you to Atria books for giving me an arc of this book*

I can’t decide between 3.5 or 4 stars, so I’m rounding up.

This books includes characters from the Long Game, though I hadn’t read that book in a while and I felt like it wasn’t 100% necessary to read it first (though obviously recommended).

Josie has been engaged a bunch of times, and it’s blown up a bit given the events of the first book. And *events* lead to Matthew becoming her fake fiancé (to be honest, this didn’t feel entirely believable but for the sake of the book it was easy to let go).

I really enjoyed the book, Josie and Matthew had great chemistry, good banter and I loved that it was only Josie’s POV. I liked not entirely know what Matthew was thinking (otherwise I felt like it would have been too insta-love) It was a bit ridiculous at times plot wise but I had a lot of fun with the characters and the town. It’s a fast and easy read. Perfect for the summer and the pool.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book was so joyful and quirky. Josie is a hoot, but way too concerned about what everybody in her small town thinks of her (relatable). The way Matthew pined for this girl had me blushing and kicking my feet in the best way possible. So many adorable scenes and the tension was magnificent. The way they grew to need each other was beautiful.

The reason behind Josie needing a fake fiancée was a bit much, along with some of the antics but it made for a good book. The gazebo? The bathtub?!! Chefs kiss.

Also, I LOVED the “glasses on a man make him hotter” aspect because SAME. And I feel like nobody writes about it!

DNF. Unfortunately, I'm just not connecting with this author's writing style. But, I know there are so many people who will enjoy this story!

i wanted to like this so bad. but 20 days have gone by, and i am not having fun reading this. i don't know it armas suffers from the second book effect, but every second book by her, i'm not a fan of.

josie comes off very naive, easily swayed, a huge people pleaser. i enjoyed her character in the long game, but this plot doesn't fit her character? would you get married for a dad you never knew and doesn't talk to you? and matthew is conveniently there???

the plot, the pacing, the characters... felt off and i had no connection. throwing in the towel at 42 percent.

3⭐️I really wanted to love this one but I for some reason just couldn’t get into it. I feel like you have to read the long game to really like the main characters and to me they still weren’t that lovable. The story line was very predictable and just okay.

This was an advanced read copy I received through Netgalley so it’s not going to be officially published until July 30, 2024! But this is my honest review!

Add this book to your to read list, I promise you won’t regret it! & then let me know what you thought!

#books #bookstagram #booktok #bookrating #library #bookreview #bookrecommendations #bookrecs#bookcommunity #booklovers #booksofinstagram #bookish #fivestarbooks #romancebook #kindlebooks
#kindleunlimited

Thank you NetGalley, Atria Books and Elena Armas for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Characters from The Long Game appear in this book but it’s not absolutely necessary to read that first although it was a great book.

Josie and Matthew are just so adorable I loved it. Major Josie won my heart in the last book and every mention of Matthew peaked my interest so I loved more of them in this book. They had me smiling during the entire book and squirming

The premise of the book is wild but with all the social media aspect and PR focus it probably isn’t far off from someone’s reality!

This is a major slow burn which drives me nuts and I absolutely love at the same time.

Unfortunately this book was not for me, I did DNF it. I’m a big fan of the fake dating trope, but I felt like this plot was too quirky and messy for me. It jumps right into the drama at the beginning with barely any backstory to the characters. The book felt rushed from the beginning and I was just not connecting with the characters or the plot and I was not feeling any connections/tension between the main characters while they started up a fake engagement.

I loved The Spanish Love Deception and The American Roommate Experiment when I read them in 2022. I’ve read a LOT of books since then. The Long Game was very meh for me. Now I’m wondering if I actually liked her first two books, or if I was just very new to the romance book world. 

The plot was far-fetched and kind of absurd. Why would Josie say she was engaged to a man she barely knew instead of just telling the PR person no? And Matthew didn’t even want to do it.

Technically, it was her father’s problem. Why did she need to do all of this to help fix his public persona? She barely knew her dad! 

It was trying so hard to be quirky and cute that it was major overkill. It felt chaotic to read. It lacked depth and character development. 

I hate giving low ratings, but this was not for me. I would have DNF if this wasn’t an arc, maybe I should have anyway. 

Reminding myself that not every book is for every person.

I am so incredibly sad this one fell flat for me. I love Elena Armas and her writing is amazing but I fear this book didn't do it for me pacing wise. It felt either too slow or too rushed, the MC and the FMC didnt make me believe they were falling in love and the MC himself was weirding me out with how accepting of everything he was.

*Rating : 3.75, Spice : 1.5*
Having read all of Elena Armas' books, I had high expectations in this book and I'm very happy to say it did not disappoint. Fiance Dilemma is a fake engagement/bestfriend's sister/small town romance/runaway bride tropes. The book is about Matthew and Josie who found themselves in a stickry situation where they had to fake their engagement. I love reading Josie's POVs. I think she is an extremely relatable FMC, she's cute but brave and strong at the same time. Matthew is a walking green flag of a MMC. I love reading his POV (wish there was more) and his love declaration is the best part of this book in my opinion. The book though is such a slow burn so the beginning kind of dragged on. It wasnt until halfway through that I felt the story picked up. I would say the slow burn is worth the wait and the pay off is definitely satisfying. I didnt particularly care about Andrew (Josie's dad) or even Bobbi (the PR person) but love Grandpa Moe and of course, Adalyn and Cameron (from the Long Game).

Overall, I think the Fiance Dilemma is a great book of love, self discovery and family.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy in exchange for this honest review.

While I absolutely loved TSLD and TARE, I struggled a bit with The Long Game and wanted to give this one a chance. Unfortunately I found the plot to be inconsistent and choppy -- glossing over ideas and scenes that could have been more fleshed out. A chapter would end in the middle of a scene and then we would resume a few days later on the next page. The humor throughout didn't mesh well with what could have been a potentially deep and endearing story about Josie and her relationships. I really considered dnf-ing, but once I hit the 80% mark, some of those issues subsided, I was more invested in the couple and the addition of a chapter from Matthew's POV was great. Matthew was a down bad loverboy and I wish there were more of his POV throughout the book because reading Josie's POV became a little tedious.

Overall, I think I simply no longer mesh well with this author's style, but definitely think it will find its target audience.

Thanks to Netgalley and Atria Books for sharing this digital reviewer copy with me!

I was so excited to read Josie and Matthew's story! I loved that both of these characters were introduced in 'The Long Game.' I would definitely recommend reading 'The Long Game' before reading this book. I read it when it first came out, but I went back to reread it before reading this book. It gave a lot of background on the town and the connection between Josie and Adalyn. At the end of that book, Josie discovers that she is Adalyn's sister, and she finds out the identity of her biological father. This is very important to the plot, and it sets up the entire foundation of 'The Fiance Dilemma.'

Josie is such a fun character, and she is someone who always wants to help other people. Josie has been unlucky in love, and she has been engaged 4 times previously. She has all of her dresses and rings, but she has never walked down the aisle.

The premise of this story is that Josie has to pretend to be engaged, and she convinces Matthew to help her. Matthew is the best friend of her sister, Adalyn. He agrees to go along with the fake engagement and fake wedding.

Their dynamic is a lot of fun, and I liked the slow burn of their relationship. They took things slow, and then, it got super spicy.

I liked seeing updates of Adalyn and Cameron from the first book too.

Thanks to the publisher, Atria, and NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

Small town, sisters best friend, fake dating/fiancé tropes where one of my new all time favorite book boyfriends, Matthew falls first.

Josie has been engaged several times but never fully made it down the aisle for a variety of reasons, she ends up in a situation where she needs to acquire a fake fiancé to appease someone else’s narrative. When I tell you I was silently screaming, kicking my feet and maniacally giggling at how cute and overwhelmed this book made me in the best ways I am not being dramatic. This was such a fun read. I am now in love with Matthew as well. And I had such a great time reading this.

This Armas title wasn’t for me (which is totally fine!) mainly due to a slightly more comedic/unserious tone than I was expecting. It was difficult to feel any depth to the characters/subplots due to overly “silly” language that didn’t allow for substantial enough development needed to keep me locked in.

I’d still recommend this book to those first getting into reading/the romance genre and are just looking for a fun time!

Thank you for the opportunity to read an early copy!

I couldn't put this book down! I devoured it in one sitting because I just had to know what would happen next. If you love a slow burn, this book is perfect for you.

The banter in this book is excellent. While some of it is a bit cheesy and cliché, it's honestly so cute and provides plenty of butterfly moments.

I loved the dynamic between Josie and Matthew. Matthew’s nicknames for Josie were adorable, especially "baby blue." The small town setting, where everyone is in your business, added a charming touch. It was fun to see Josie develop and realize what she truly wants by the end. Also the interruptions every time things were heating up between Matthew and Josie… frustrating… but I loved it.

I did wish we could have seen Matthew's feelings evolve more gradually. His love seemed to come on too quickly, and I wanted to see it develop over time. Josie's quick acceptance of the PR stunt felt a bit off to me; I wished she had resisted it more. While it was nice to see Adalyn and Cam again, their involvement overall felt somewhat unnecessary, as if they were added just to fill space.

Overall, it was a cute read that I really enjoyed. Elena Armas wrote the perfect banter. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who loves a good slow burn and the fake dating/fiancé trope.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this SO much!! Everything about Matthew and Josie’s story is absolutely perfect! I was immediately hooked within the first couple of chapters! I loved their chemistry and the way they openly communicated. I also loved that Matthew wasn’t afraid to show Josie how he felt.

If you loved The Spanish Love Deception, you are going to love this!!

What to expect:
- Small Town Romance
- Fake Relationship
- Engagement of Convenience
- Slow Burn
- Spicy
- No 3rd Act Breakup
- He Falls First

Thank you to Elena Armas and Atria Books for the advanced readers copy in exchange for my honest review.

Well this is one not to miss (not that I’d ever recommend skipping a romance novel by Elena Armas!)! I absolutely loved Josie and Matthew’s story from the front-porch fake engagement (plus there’s a pig involved) to all the shenanigans, from 100% clean to downright spicy, Armas has pulled out another zinger here. She certainly does fake dating (or engagement) absolutely right - and I LOVED the ending - it wasn’t what I had expected at all. I also may be slightly biased as a longtime fan of Runaway Bride, I couldn’t help but notice the similarities. This novel pokes at a lot of big themes and hard stuff, and Armas handles it all with tack and of course, spice!