Well... I was able to finish the book so that's the only reason why it's 2 stars instead of 1. I'm really disappointed. This book honestly didn't start off bad, but insta love is a trope I will always hate. There was no development of their relationship and I really don't even know why ended up together. There was no connection whatsoever. I loved The Spanish Love Deception but every book after that has just been bad. I need to just give up trying to read this author.

As much as the premise of Fiancé Dilemma is intriguing, it falls into a pattern that feels increasingly familiar. The storyline, though engaging in parts, seems to echo the plots of numerous other books in the romance genre, making it less refreshing.
There’s no doubt that the author is talented, with moments of sharp writing and compelling dialogue. However, the overall structure and narrative voices—perhaps unintentionally—mirror previous works too closely. It feels like yet another story of The Dating Plan by Sara Desai or The Wedding Date by Jasmine Guillory with “an unlikely romance blooming under familiar circumstances". After a while, it becomes exhausting to witness how many authors seem to regurgitate these storylines.
What made this book a disappointment wasn’t the lack of originality in the core idea, but the failure to innovate or elevate it beyond its predecessors. A little more character complexity, or a twist on familiar elements could have brought a fresh perspective, but instead, the book stays within the bounds of what’s been done before.
For readers new to the genre, this could be an enjoyable read, but for those who read a lot, the feeling of déjà vu is likely to overshadow its”positive qualities. Ultimately, while Fiance Dilemma has its merits, it doesn’t quite stand out in a sea of similar stories and felt the storyline dragged on.

I do love a good fake dating trope. Add in small town and sister’s best friend, and I’m a goner. I wasn’t a huge fan of the last book, but this one felt very similar to TSLD, which I ADORED. Really cute premise with a good plot and the excellent writing style and pacing I’ve come to expect from Elena.

Okay Grandpa Moe is a whole vibe! I can relate to that grumpy old man 100%! I love fake dating so fake fiancé is right up my alley. I thought this book was so well written and once I finally picked it up I didn’t want to put it down. This is actually my first book by Elena Armas but I am now inspired to go back and read about Josie’s sister in the previous book!!

I had such a good time with this story. I thought Josie was so funny and how anxious she was the entire time I felt so deeply. Matthew also had me laughing out loud at parts. I loved that there was no crazy miscommunication in this book. The way these two characters fell for each other melted my heart. I love Elena’s writing style and her stories always flow easily. Such a fun read !

this book was very funny! this is my first read by elena armas and it definitely showed me her humorous side. the premise of Josie being engaged 4x in her life is goofy (in a good way), and so it only makes sense that she gets fake engaged to her sister's bestfriend. the book really does throw you into the storyline, which i didnt mind. i enjoyed seeing Josie and Matthew's relationship go from fake to real, but in the same breath i dont truly understand why Matthew went along with it. bigger picture, they were of course meant for each other and ended up together but i think that was a missing piece in this story.

(3/5 stars) I wanted to like this book, I really did! Elena Armas is one of my favorite romance authors and I have multiple books on my shelves. While I liked the book overall, I must say that the twist (with former characters) was VERY predictable (maybe this is because I am currently pregnant but) and I wish there had been more exploration of the growth of feelings for each other. It felt like it immediately went from zero to "I'm in love with you" without the explanation behind it for WHY or HOW. Not a bad romance novel, but not my favorite of Armas'.

If Goodreads would allow it, this book would be a 4.5 star read for me. As far as romantic comedies go, this one had so many of the things I love including a golden-retriever MMC, small town vibes, he falls first, sister's best friend, decent spice, and fake dating. I ate this up.
The Fiance Dilemma is the second novel in the The Long Game series and it is an interconnected standalone. I quickly read The Long Game before starting on this book and although it was fun, it wasn't essential to enjoying The Fiance Dilemma. I also enjoyed this story and this couple more than the first in the series.
In The Fiance Dilemma we meet Josie, the beloved mayor of a small town and a 'runaway' bride, having left 4 fiances prior to walking down the aisle. In an adorable meetcute, Josie meets Matthew (her sister's bestfriend) and for reasons I'll leave you to find out, they end up in a fake dating/fake engagement situation. Though the meetcute reads as slightly far fetched, I was able to get over this with how much I fell in love with the characters. The chemistry between Josie and Matthew is evident as they slowly begin to get to know each other and eventually become an integral part of one another's lives. The side characters (Grandpa Moe - shout out) are equally as lovable.
I have yet to read an Elena Armas book that I didn't enjoy and this one continues to follow that pattern. I dare say that this may be my new favourite couple from her books so far.
4.5 stars. Highly recommend for heartwarming romcom story with a well done HEA.
Many thanks to @atriabooks via @Netgalley and the author who provided this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I had a hard time reading The Long Game and was worried about whether I would have the same issues with this book, but I was pleasantly surprised! This novel kept me engaged in the storyline and made me root for Josie and Matt’s love story!

I really enjoyed this book! It was so lovely going back to the world and characters that Elena Armas has previously created. As I was already introduced to the main characters in the first book of this series, it was quite easy to get into the beginning of this book. I also enjoyed checking in on my favorite characters from the previous book and seeing what silliness they were up to. The whole premise of this book was a bit bonkers but it somehow worked wonderfully. Getting to explore Josie and Matthew's characters both individually and together was really special. I also found this to be a really refreshing take on fake engagement!

I was grateful to fall head over heels in love with this story, because, if I'm being honest, I didn't love the last one. And while they're connected, this one was worlds better.

Maybe it's the fake dating.
Maybe it's the chemistry between the characters.
Maybe it's the fact that while she kept trying to fix her mess, she kept making it worse...which was amusing and endearing at the same time. Especially when he kept wanting to help her.

I loved these two and despite it being quite a slowwwww burn, I couldn't put it down.

A new take on "The Runaway Bride." Josie has tried to get married four times. FOUR. She hasn't quite gotten through the whole wedding thing. But when her well-known father's publicist shows up unannounced at her doorstep and a sort of stranger happens by, she invents an engagement. OH MY! Turns out she does know the guy. Matthew goes along with the farce for reasons of his own. They both get caught up in the whirlwind of the planning and the faking that eventually they're not faking it anymore. This slow burn, fake relationship, sister's best friend (Sister's book is The Long Game) was a great read with a lot of laugh out loud moments. While it is book 2 in a series, it is a complete standalone. I didn't read book one, but could easily follow the story since the author gives you enough info to not be confused.

I received an advance copy of this book at my request and voluntarily left this review.

"The Fiance Dilemma" is a runaway bride romance with complicating factors, like living in a small town and having an ultra-wealthy estranged father trying to repair his image as an absentee father.

Josie has started down the aisle four times before, but never quite made it to the end to exchange her rows. But when she's confronted by her father's publicist about how poorly that reflects on him, she does the only thing she can think of. She invents Fiance #5, which just so happens to be an unwitting passerby on the street outside her house.

Thankfully, Matthew isn't a total stranger and he agrees to play along, even though he has no idea what's going on. But after that, wedding plans seem to take on a life of their own as Josie's father decides it's a perfect/ publicity opportunity. (Josie's got legitimate reasons for being flaky about saying "I do" with a father like him!)

The big question is, will Josie and Matthew manage to break up in time? Or has this train gotten away from them so completely that marriage is inevitable?

Thank you to Elena Armas, Atria Books, and NetGalley for an advance review copy.

Thank you NetGalley and publicists for an advanced copy of this book.

The premise reminded me of the movie runaway bride that I love, so I had to read this book, with funny but not perfect characters, and an ideal story for lovers of romance.
I recommend you read this book if you also love runaway bride and always wanted to read a similar book.

When Josie’s father, a well known name, comes into her life, suddenly her life is under scrutiny. Mainly, her four failed engagements. When a publicist shows up on her doorstep, she does the first thing she can think of, which is make a stranger passing by pose as fiancé number five.

I FLEW through this and was absolutely charmed by Josie and Matthew. Full of personality, love, and a little bit of secondhand embarrassment, you’ll fall in love as quickly as I did.

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for the ARC in exchange for a fair review.

Very disjointed prose & too graphic for me. The only highlight was the romantic development of the main characters, but their sexual relationship went from zero to 100 in a bad way. Don’t recommend.

Enjoyed this follow up to The Long Game. Josie and Matthew are fun and flirty and their banter is great. Love the fake dating/engagement trope and the spice level was good and on par with the author's previous novels. Josie isn't my fav FMC that Elena has written by far, I didn't love her decision making/behavior at times. Overall a fun, quick and sweet read.

Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for the arc of this book.

I loved the Fiance Dilemma. It was funny, quirky, and definitely fits the bill for those looking for a romantic comedy.

hey Google, play The Bolter by Taylor Swift.
"... Splendidly selfish, charmingly helpless
Excellent fun 'til you get to know her
Then she runs like it's a race
Behind her back, her best mates laughed
And they nicknamed her "The Bolter" ..."
That's literally describes the FMC.

Even though The Bolter is my favorite song from TS, sadly I hated this book. i have no problem with The Bolter girls, it's the plot that i have problem with.

A small-town girl named Josie was recently discovered to be a product of infidelity of her super famous father, and suddenly became a threat to that old man's reputation. because growing up without a father figure made her have a concerning relationship track records: running away from her fiance. on their supposed wedding day. not once, but 4 times. see, so far i have no problem with it.

but then bad decision after bad decision after bad decision etc happened, i don't even want to recount the events. too keep it short: the couple's initial situation doesn't make sense at all. look me straight in the eye and tell me that's actually possible. bet you can't.

this Josie gave me so much secondhand embarrassment. she reminded me of Lorelai Gilmore but worse. i couldn't feel the slightest bit of sympathy for her beside the fact that this girl who had never met this rich father should do damage control for the sake of his reputation. that annoyed me.

because of the awful start, i didn't really care about what happened to the plot afterwards. i kept reading solely because of Grandpa Moe. he's this book's MVP.

in conclusion i didn't have a great time reading this and i'll never touch Elena Armas books again.

3.75 ⭐️

This was a cute read. Josie is a 4-time runaway bride and a PR nightmare for her estranged, very rich father. To fix it, she enlists the help of Matthew to play groom number 5.

Josie got a little annoying throughout the book. She was doubting herself and her decisions way too much, ignoring all the signs that Matthew was in love with her (and vice versa), and tried too hard to be perfect. But I was glad when she finally stood up for herself.

Matthew was so sweet and honest and was the first man to get Josie out of her own head. Also, he was very growly and in control when it mattered. And I loved his big f*ck you before the HEA, it was perfect.

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.