Elena Armas has done it again! This has to be my favorite of hers so far. I absolutely loved this story, the plot, the characters and everything about it. We meet Josie who’s had a troublesome relationship with her very well known father, when she’s faced with a complicated situation she decides to lie and say that she’s getting married to Matthew (her sisters best friend) this unfolds “the fiancé dilemma” where they have to lie to everyone about their relationship. When I tell you this man had me screaming, giggling and kicking my feet im not even kidding, I love how protective he was of her and how he knew when she was feeling anxious of overthinking anything, I devoured this book in a couple of hours and I loved every minute of it, if you like the fake dating trope you are going to LOVE this!! Biggest thanks to netgalley and to the publisher for sending this my way!

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Thank you to Elena Armas, Atria Books, and NetGalley for providing me with a digital ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review!

After reading The Long Game, I wanted more from the small town of Green Oak. The newest novel from Elena Armas takes readers back to North Carolina and focuses on Josie Moore, Adalyn’s sister. Josie is the mayor of Green Oak, she runs a coffee shop, and has been engaged four times. She has never made it down the aisle though.

Her wealthy, well-connected father, Andrew Underwood, makes a comment about Josie in a Time magazine article that opens up questions about his daughter. The media digs into Josie’s past and puts attention on everything she's done. When Adalyn’s best friend Matthew Flannagan arrives in town at the same time as the PR strategist, Josie tells the PR lady that she and Matthew are engaged!

The story is another slooooow burn romance, and it’s something that Armas is good at writing. I love the banter between Josie and Matthew. He keeps trying to find the right pet name for her, and when he succeeds, it opens Josie up and we see a little more vulnerability in her character. I wanted to see Josie finally make it down the aisle to Matthew, but the ending makes sense. It’s an appropriate happy ending.

I have a mixed feelings about this book. I normally love anything Elena Armas writes, but something felt off in this one for me. But!!! I loved getting to go back to the world of Green Oak and see all of the characters that make that such a cozy town. And who could forget all the farm animals??

I will start off with what I loved, which was the characters. I already loved Josie from The Long Game, so I was really excited to have her own story here!! And Matthew became a favorite as well, I may like him more than Cameron?? But anyways, I felt as if they were developed well as characters, and I just wanted to see them thrive!!

As for the plot, there were moments that felt a bit rushed to me. Certain scenes felt as if they ended before they were ready to be done. One plot point in particular that I thought could be explored more is the relationship between Josie and her dad. That was a major part of this novel, but we only get one real conversation between them, and Andrew does most of the talking. I wanted to see that played out more.


Also, I found the circumstances for the fake fiance trope a bit too unbelievable, but that may have been because it came so early on in the book, and it was instantly when Josie and Matthew met in person for the first time.

But just to reiterate how much I loved Matthew as a character, like he had the best lines, was so protective of Josie, he baked her a pie??? I mean how can it get better than that? He was just so thoughtful and complemented Josie well, so I think Elena Armas did a great job with that!!

Overall, I did enjoy this book and I will always buy Elena Armas’ work without hesitation!

Thanks to Atria Books and Netgalley for this ARC!

When The Long Game was released, I snapped it up immediately, only to be disappointed by Adalyn & Cam, their "romance," and just a really boring book. Adalyn was especially irritating as she was insufferable. Her sister, Josie, is a little better, but only a little. Like her sister, she's self-involved but not quite as clueless. Her story, fortunately, is more interesting though the story is fully developed. This book is a decent read, but you won't find the magic of Armas' earlier books.

3 stars with 3/5 spicy level

Tropes:
Fake dating
Found family (?)
Small town
Slowburn
Sister's best friend

It is no surprise that Elena Armas is the QUEEN of the fake dating tropes, as she did in Spanish Love Deception, but I fear that I have not felt in love with another of her books like I did then. This book follows Josie, the FMC and the long lost sister of Adalyn (btw I did not read the Long Game and I might've liked this more if I did) who comes from a family of fancy rich people, and due to her failed engagements, she is (strongly) encouraged to repair her image. In comes Matthew, Adalyn's bestie, who poses as her fake fiance to save face.

Matthew Flanagan truly stole this show. He was certifiably a good-hearted man with a secret spicy side and he ensured that Josie was able to fulfill her familial duties with her family. Josie, on the otherhand, was a bit difficult to get behind. It was hard to connect with her because while Matthew was kind enough to help her, she seemed to demand it. She seemed entitled, which is such a shame because Matthew was such a great book bf. In addition, when I said slowburn in the tropes, I really do mean SLOW. I don't think I liked the pacing too much and the plot seemed to be in disarray at times.

All in all, I do love Elena Armas but while I continue to try attempting her books because I will die for Spanish Love Deception, this might be the last for me.

Thank you Netgalley and Atria books for allowing me to review this book early in exchange for an honest review!!!

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria books for the eARC.
I was so excited to get this ARC and it did NOT disappoint!
I loved this! Matthew > Cameron. I absolutely adored Matthew. This book was so funny, so flirty, so cute. I really like the fake dating trope, because even if it’s a slow burn, you still get the effect of the characters together, without them actually being together and I love it. The spicy scenes in this one were amazing. I liked this one better than I liked the Long Game. Josie and Matthew had intense chemistry, and I absolutely adored them together. I also loved seeing Andrew kind of step it up and be a dad and make an effort to have a relationship with Josie.

A great summer rom-com! I love the fake dating trope, and this seems to be Armas’ bread and butter. The story was definitely a slow burn but so worth it. Thanks to NetGalley for this advanced copy!

Unfortunately, I could not find the strength to finish this book. Despite loving previous books by this author, I could not connect with these characters. I read about 25% of the book and I could not be excited to finish it. Josie was a likeable character but the fact that she felt the need to go through a "fake engagement and wedding" to appease a father figure that is described as selfish and uncaring for her seemed out of character from what the author was describing Josie to be. Matthew did not call my attention as a hero,, his character seemed underdeveloped and a bit unremarkable. The other thing that I could not get behind was some of the phrases used in the book, such as things you would hear on tik tok or read on twitter that are used by a younger audience, I am afraid that when authors used that time of language, it can make the book less relatable or appealing in the future because of it.

This was my first book by Elena Armas, and it was so good! I loved the banter between the main characters, it was sweet and very funny. I can’t wait to read her other books!

Unfortunately while I did enjoy this book and loved the main male character I couldn’t fully connect to the story . I felt it was slow and I did not fully vibe with the main female character . It may be a case of wrong book wrong time but unfortunately this is a 3.25 ⭐️

I have recently become a sucker for romance and this hit the nail on the head. If you’re looking for forced proximity, fake dating and daddy issues this is a great read for you. I laughed out loud so many times at the dynamic of this small town story. The main character Josie is so relatable and at times I felt like I was reading about myself. Josie is the mayor of a small town and does anything and everything to help others. Her dating history isn’t the greatest. She’s been engaged four times but it’s never truly been the one. She doesn’t think about her dad that she’s never met until one day he calls out of the blue. Her father is big in the business world and is trying to cover up his “secret love child”. When Josie finds herself in an awkward position with her father’s PR rep, she’s desperate to recover. Suddenly she’s engaged again to another man… yet he never technically proposed. Matthew and Josie must navigate the public eye and pretend they’re engaged for just a little while…

Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

Fake dating is my favorite troupe out there and you can’t convince me otherwise. While this book really hits the mark for me on chemistry and the development of the relationship for me, it misses the mark on the plot and storyline development. For fake dating to be successful, the reason really has to make sense and this really did not make sense to me. Like why wouldn’t she just say something from the start? How is being engaged again a solution? But the chemistry between the characters was so good, so I could forgive it a little. Overall enjoyable read if you can suspend the disbelief at the solution to four failed engagements being a fifth engagement. But I love Matthew Flanagan

Josie Moore has been engaged four times but never been married. She has mostly made her peace with this. Except when her romantic past becomes a PR scandal her newly found famous father, Andrew Underwood. When a publicist shows up, Josie panics and introduces Matthew, her sister’s best friend, as her fiancée.

I do think this book was better than the first in the series, The Long Game. But it still wasn’t for me. I just couldn’t get invested in the characters and the plot felt very simple and predictable.

This is my first Elena Armas book, and probably my last. The first chapter starts out weird, and doesn't get any less so, nor does it get any less confusing. It's just like the author threw a whole bunch of random words onto a page and said, here you go! It was really off putting, and made it hard to get into the rest of the book. When the reader is reading something, they're supposed to understand what's going on, not be confused right alongside the main character. I didn't really care for this book, and it felt like I was slogging through it, and confused every other page as to what the hell was going on.

3.8 stars
In the Fiance Dilemma, Josie has recently learned the identity of her absent father. Andrew Underwood just so happens to be the very wealthy owner of a major soccer club. In an attempt to lessen the impact of this new discovery on his media, Andrew's PR strategist, Bobbi, visits Josie for media training. She instead is led to believe that Josie is engaged for the fifth time when she sees a ring on her left hand. Flustered at being caught trying on an old engagement ring, Josie sees Matthew, her sister's best friend. The two then go on to pretend to be engaged in order to get Bobbi and Andrew off her back. It does the opposite, however, because as the wedding planning develops, so do their feelings for each other.

I love Elena Armas!! Her books always have the most interesting plots and the characters are always so likable. Josie and Matthew were really great main characters and I loved their nuanced personalities. The side characters, such as Josie's "grandpa" and other townspeople, were really fun additions to the plot. The romance was tender and beautiful.

This was honestly my least favorite from her but I still enjoyed it. The plot felt a little clunky and not really realistic, which is fine, but it distracted me at times. The romance seemed a little rushed and some details appeared to be missing at times. Overall, it was enjoyable but I wouldn’t say it’s a favorite of mine.

This book was fun and super cute, and made me want a Matthew Flanagan of my own. Josie, the recently discovered half-sister of Adalyn, and daughter of the famous Andrew Underwood is thrown into the media world. Every one of her four broken engagements, for some reason, is the one thing the world is focusing on. She is thrown into a situation where she fakes an engagement to her sisters best friend to try repair Andrew, her father's, imagine and get the world to stop talking about her like she's a serial engagement ender.

I definitely enjoyed this book better than the other one in this series. I get being a people pleaser, so I can partially see why Josie is so desperate to try and help make the gossip of herself go away, but Matthew was SO good and exactly what she needed. One thing I've noticed Elena Armas is good at writing is a supportive man who helps the FMC in whatever way she needs. It also helped that he hates her father from previous interactions and could care less about his image.

Tropes:
He falls first
Fake engagement
Forced proximity
Sister's best friend
No third act breakup
Sunshine / sunshine
HEA


Thank you Netgalley and Atria for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

I DNF at 20%. I wasn’t invested in the story. I didn’t care what happened. Didn’t care for the plot and the FMC didn’t connect with me.

This story was everything I needed to kick off my July. It just hit the spot leaving me all warm and fuzzy. Lately, I've been enjoying MMCs more than the FMCs in romcoms but here the author does a wonderful job balancing both characters. You can't help but root for Josie (FMC) and her people pleasing ways. She's a lovable small town girl trying her best. Then Matthew, he's just the right amount of everything and ::gasp:: he's a blond MMC. Also, I need this in an audiobook so I can hear that Boston accent of his. From the fake engagement to the way Matthew just gets Josie, this is one of my favorite romantic comedy reads of the year. I will say I did struggle with how her half sister, Adalyn, didn't question that her best friend, Matthew and sister had a whole relationship that Adalyn didn't know anything about. I will definitely be reading more of Elena Armas's books. This was my first read of hers.

Quick Synopsis: Josie is the mayor of Green Oak, coffee shop owner, and she lives a happy life even if she's been engaged 4 times. Enter her newfound father and his PR strategist who need to make sure Josie doesn't ruin his image. In a moment of panic, Josie announces she is engaged and ropes her half sister's best friend, Matthew, as her future groom. And so starts their fake engagement but how much is fake and is Josie ready to walk down the aisle?

4/5⭐️

I’ve read Spanish Love Deception and American Roommate Experiment so I was really excited to read this. This book has fake dating, sister’s best friend and no third act breakup!

I didn’t read The Long Game before this unfortunately 😫 But I didn’t feel lost in this book, there are characters that come back from the The Long Game and there are some crumbs here and there referencing the previous book as well, BUT my fault for not reading it beforehand and it wasn’t a deal breaker for me while reading.

I love me a good fake dating story, and I loved the premise of this book, but there were times where I found it a little hard to believe that the mmc Matthew was in love with the fmc Josie so fast. I do wish we could’ve gotten Matthew’s perspective throughout the book, rather than just the last chapter. Although it all gets explained at the end of the book, I still think reading from his perspective would’ve helped the reader really believe that he was falling in love already. On another important note, Matthew’s dirty talk??? 100/10

Overall, I would recommend this book, it was a nice fast read, but I do think her previous books were better.

Thank you to NetGalley for this arc in exchange for my honest review!

As always Elena Armas delivering us an extraordinary romance that leaves you with a stupid smile on your face for a whole week. I knew Josie and Matthew would serve chemistry, but I didn't know they also served a safe and comfortable relationship. It was amazing to see how Matthew was ALWAYS highlighting how wonderful Josie is ❤️ The friendship, chemistry and trust between them is from another world.
I'm just delighted with this ❤️ rating-worthy book 10!