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. 👈🏻

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!!
__
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.