I have read all of this authors previous work and was so excited to be able to read it! It did not disappoint. There are so many fun things that this book has going for it. We get to see Cam and Adalyn from the first boo. There is the Pedro Pigscal. The small town feels that are so great because Josie and the mayor. And, of course, Josie and Matthew!
Josie's and Matthew's growth separately and together during the story was such a good read. I can not recommend this book enough.

I loved Josie in The Long Game so I was so excited to hear more of her story! I really enjoyed seeing her and Matthew navigate their fake engagement with real big emotions, but sometimes I feel like the slow burn was a bit too slow, because once things would start to pick up there would be a shift, which made it a bit more difficult for me to fall in love with them at times. But I adore Matthew (as much as a New Yorker can adore a Boston sports fan). Elena Armas I will always love you though 💕

ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review!

This book had me blushing constantly. I love love loveeee the flirting in this book. It’s so refreshing considering a lot of romance books may throw a line or two in there and jump into the sex parts but this book really threw in some chemistry between the characters and I love that! Grandpa Moe is so damn funny! I loved his character and it added some personality to the book. I recommend this book to those who love to see good chemistry between characters and some drama with fake dating in the mix!

Overall Rating: 5/5
Spicy Rating: 3/5
Made Me Blush Rating: 4/5
Would I recommend? YES!
Version: Kindle e-book

“The Fiancé Dilemma” is the second book in “The Long Game” series. It follows Josie and Matthew, two characters we met in “The Long Game”. Initially I had tried starting this novel first since it is written as a stand alone, but I ended up back tracking and reading “The Long Game” since I felt a little lost starting this book. I would recommend reading “The Long Game” before hand. It adds depth to the characters as well as some background into the plot. One of the main plot lines of this novel is dropped at the end of book one. You will get a crash course into what is happening during the first chapter of “The Fiancé Dilemma”, but more explanation is given as well as to why things are scandalous in book one.

I give this book 3.5 stars. I liked the small town feel, some of the characters, and the pod cast excerpts. Some of the romance had too much cheese to it for me, but my favorite theme that seems to be in both books of this series is accepting someone and loving them for who they are. There’s love, spice, and laughs. If you have read and loved Elena’s other books then definitely pick this one up.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of this book!

Elena does it again. I’ve enjoyed all of her previous books. Josie was such a quirky character in “The Long Game” and I was so excited to see she was getting her own story. I’ll never look at a deli or bridal shop the same lol

I didn't realize this was the second book in a series, so after I read the first chapter or so I decided to go back and read the first one before continuing. I highly recommend that for anyone or you will be a little confused going into this one. This book follows Josephine, a small-town mayor and coffee shop owner and her sister's best friend, Matthew as they fall into a fake engagement upon their first in-person meeting. This is a cute rom-com and overall I enjoyed the story. I am only giving this three stars, however, because there were several things that took away from the story for me. I think that maybe this author's writing style isn't for me. I enjoyed The Spanish Love Deception and the slow burn of those characters, but now that I have read several of her books, they all follow the same formula. In this one, Matthew goes along with the fake engagement for no reason whatsoever. There is nothing obvious in it for him and we really never get an answer to that other than it's a he-falls-first trope too. Also, the author does this thing after a character says something worth noting, the FMC would repeat it in her inner monologue constantly to the point that it was distracting for me. Also, the first book in this series was written from both the FMC and MMC perspectives, and this book was only written from the FMC perspective. I think it would have been better and easier to understand where Matthew was coming from if she had written from both. Again, overall I liked the story and the characters and I was rooting for their happy ending. I was also totally interested in the supporting characters from the first book and was delighted to see them make an appearance in this one as well. I would recommend it if you are looking for a fluffy romance with little substance. My thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Another great book by Armas. If you enjoyed her other books, you’ll like this one too. It is interesting that she tends to write about the “perfect” man, but the woman is sometimes a bit of a mess. Yes, the man has flaws, but they’re nothing in comparison to hers. I’ll still read her books, but it’s just something I think is a common trait in her books.

3.5 stars! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for granting me an e-arc!

This is a super cute romcom (perfect for a summer read) with some charming characters and an endearing community!

Josie is mayor of her small town, living a modest life that she’s happy with.. until an unexpected guest shows up at the door with some unwelcome news. Josie has rather recently found out the identity of her father, a billionaire named Andrew who has done some questionable things. When Andrew speaks to the press about Josie for a new book, the media is eager to peg Josie as a mistake that disrupted Andrew’s life, while also showing her as a victim in a small, poor town while her millionaire father ignored her existence. To get a better spin on things publicly, Andrew sends his publicist to handle PR with Josie. Josie is supposed to be shipped off to Miami to be closer with Andrew so the two can be seen publicly bonding, but she desperately does not want to go.

Just as she’s trying to figure out a way out of it, Josie’s ring finger is noticed by all, which has an engagement ring on it. Andrew’s publicist assumes it’s a current engagement and says how great a wedding would be PR wise. Before Josie can correct her, she spots Matthew, her half sister Adalyn’s best friend. Josie decides to call out to Matthew and pretend he’s her fiance, hoping he will play along.

The news of Josie’s “engagement” spreads fast around the town and to the media. Josie is too embarrassed to speak up, as she’s already been engaged 4 times, but never made it completely down the aisle. The fake engagement makes five, and things get complicated the longer it goes on. As Josie and Matthew continue their fake engagement, they get to know each other better and real feelings quickly develop.

I thought that Josie and Matthew were cute as a couple, and all of the people in Josie’s community that supported her were so endearing. (Especially her “grandpa”) This was my first book by this author and I definitely want to read others, especially Adalyn’s story. I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys romance novels.

This book feels like Spring & sunshine & walking through a field of wildflowers. While it’s surprising to even me, The Fiancé Dilemma by Elena Armas might officially de-throne The Spanish Love Deception as my favorite of her books. (If you know me, you know this is a huge deal.) But I can’t deny just how much I loved this book & just how perfect of a book boyfriend Matthew is.

The Fiancé Dilemma serves up solid romcom feels as the plot is one of the most ridiculous fake engagement premises that I have witnessed in a long time. But you know what, it absolutely works. Josie & Matthew both need a friend to help them through a difficult time & they find the perfect partner in each other, no matter how awkward their start was (& it was super awkward). Josie is such a people-pleaser & it’s always so good to have a MMC who helps the FMC learn to put themselves first & to stand up for her (& next to her) when it seems like so many are telling her to change. I may not be a people-pleaser, but I absolutely identified with feeling “too much” & to having “oversharing” as a love language. It makes all the difference in life to be surrounded by people who finally tell you just how perfectly enough you are. This book also shows us one of the best aspects of a fake relationship/engagement premise: It allows you to lower your walls & be vulnerable because the stakes are (seemingly) much lower, if not non-existent.

Bonus points for: the pig named Pedro Pigscal, the mentions of Charlotte, NC, & the perfect balance of the Golden Retriever & “nothing else matters when she’s around” vibes that Matthew serves up.

You may be thinking: Do I need to read The Long Game before reading The Fiancé Dilemma? So, technically, no. You can definitely read this book as its own standalone story. But my personal recommendation would be to read The Long Game first because it really adds to & leads into The Fiancé Dilemma in a way that, for me, made reading this book that much more enjoyable! But I’m not here to tell you how to live your life!

Thank you to NetGalley & Atria Books for providing an advanced digital copy for review. All thoughts & opinions expressed are my own.

The Fiancé Dilemma by Elena Armas is an adult contemporary novel which follows Josie Moore, who has been engaged five times, but never made it to the altar. When Josie's estranged celebrity father announces his retirement, and pushes the family into the spotlight, Josie is expected to help exemplify the perfect family. After a misunderstanding forces Josie into a fake engagement with Matthew, her sister's best friend, Josie must keep up the act and push aside the real feelings she is developing for her fake fiancé.

I haven't had the best experiences with books by Elena Armas. While the premises of her books usually interest me, the story typically falls flat. Often, the characters and stories are very similar to each other, specially concerning the male love interests. Although I did enjoy The Fiancé Dilemma more than other books by the author, it was missing something to make it a stand-out read.

One aspect of this book which I have mixed feelings towards in the plot and the pacing. Compared to other books by Armas, I was more engaged with this story. It took me a long time to finish her other books because they seemed to drag, but I finished The Fiancé Dilemma in only a couple days. That being said, the story become extremely repetitive as the story progressed. Josie and Matthew seemed to have the same conflict and conversations over and over without something to push the story along.

Another aspect which I have mixed feelings towards are the characters. I liked Josie and Matthew separately and together. Matthew is slightly different in personality than the other love interests by the author, so it was nice to see some differentiation from her other books. However, I also feel like I didn't really know the characters by the end of the novel, especially Matthew. I wanted more about Josie, her past fiancés, and why they didn't work out. The author presented some potentially interesting backstories for the characters, but didn't really deliver or dive too deeply into their pasts. As a result, I lacked an emotional connection to the characters which would have bumped up my overall rating.

Overall, The Fiancé Dilemma was a fine book. I enjoyed it more than the author's other books, but it needed more development to stick out among similar novels. I give this book three out of five stars.

The Fiancé Dilemma by Elena Armas is one of my new favorites of 2024!

A year ago, Josie received a phone call that changed her life. Now her somewhat absentee father has announced his retirement and has made it public that Josie is his daughter. Josie hasn’t had the best luck in the romance department. She’s had four failed engagements in the past, and it wasn’t an issue until now. When a prominent magazine starts digging into her past relationships, she’s deemed a PR issue for her family. Her father’s PR agent shows up at her door planning to fix everything, but a big misunderstanding happens. Matthew is on his way to Green Oak, North Carolina after being fired from his job. His car gets stuck and he runs into Josie who is referring to him as her fiancé. Now they must keep up this fake engagement to avoid any more bad press. They put rules in place so no gets hurt. But some rules changed and new ones got added. Lines started to blur and feelings developed. Who knows maybe fifth times a charm.

Elena Armas really knows how to write a good long slow burn. I was filled with anticipation wondering when the two main characters would finally admit their feelings for each other. The tension between them was hot, especially during the engagement photoshoot. Josie was a great FMC. I loved that she was caring, fun, but was also awkward and anxious at the same time. It made her relatable. I loved Matthew. I loved how he listened to Josie, truly paid attention to her, and made sure she was comforted in high stress situations. The nicknames he came up with for her were so fun and cute. Grandpa Moe was so funny. I loved how protective he was of Josie. Overall, I really enjoyed reading Matthew and Josie’s story!

Thank you Atria Books for sending me an ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

“Only a fool would wait when there’s something so precious to claim”

I have fallen in love with another Elena book and I’m so freaking happy about it. This book made me so happy and giddy!! THANK YOU FOR THE ARC🩵

Read if you love
-fake engagement
-“it was always you”
-no third act breakup
-“Wheres my fiancé”

4 Stars With Elena Armas's newest novel, The Fiancé Dilemma, she cements her place as one of the queens of slow burn! I was seriously questioning when the spice would pick up and it felt like the author was edging the audience just for that first kiss lol

With four failed engagements behind her, Josie Moore's love life is a PR issue for her absentee father, who recently announced his retirement and revealed her existence to the world. As Josie's frantically searching for an answer to this issue, Matthew Flanagan, her sister Adalyn's best friend, comes walking up her driveway. Matthew is stuck--somewhat literally--and looking for a new start in life after losing his job and his car's tires getting trapped in the mud while entering the small town of Green Oak, North Carolina. Matthew had just grabbed his duffle bag and began wandering to find a place to stay when he comes across his best friend's sister, Josie, introducing him as her fiancé. After pleading her case, Josie and Matthew agree to an arrangement, where he'll play her doting fiancé. While the town of Greek Oak and the whole world are watching and believing that the fifth time's the charm, Josie cannot help but want this temporary arrangement to be real, just like her feelings for Matthew.

Josie was a great FMC and I felt like I could relate to her despite never having been in her situation before. She's a sweet, girl-next-door type, while also being incredible awkward and anxious at times (the latter of which I definitely relate to). She starts off a bit naïve, though well-meaning, and throughout the book, we really see her confidence in herself grow and she fights her own battles. I wish we had seen more of Matthew's POV before the last chapter. It was so obvious that he was head over heels in love with Josie from the start and would do anything to help her. I would've loved to have heard more about how he fell in love with her or his inner thoughts when Josie would allude to them pretending to be in love. Overall, I liked Josie and Matthew's story more than Adalyn and Cameron's in The Long Game and I'd love to get some more stories from this small town!

Thank you to Elena Armas, Atria Books, and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

This book is for the hopeless romantics that love a slow burn.

It’s book two in a series but since I didn’t read The Long Game I don’t think it’s necessary to read it first in order to follow along.

Josie and Matthew are the ultimate caring and understanding couple. I’ll admit that the beginning was tough to get through. The entire set-up for the fake engagement seemed so unreasonable to me that I almost didn’t want to continue. BUT once you get past that and start getting into the build up between Josie and Matthew the story becomes really enjoyable.

It’s sweet with a lot of heart and would recommend if you’re looking for something wholesome.

4 stars

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria for the eARC.

A woman discovers her voice after going through loss in personal life. He wants to support her any way he can even if it means faking an engagement.



***************I received an ARC for my honest opinion from NetGalley.***************

This book! This MAN! The Fiancé Dilemma is the perfect combination of fake dating, family drama, and sweet. sweet words. It's perfect for readers with an avoidant attachment style who want to see a happy ending up close.

💍The Fiancé Dilemma by Elena Armas💍

⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4/5

Josie was my favorite character in The Long Game so I already knew I was going to love this book!

I love how quirky, talkative, positive, and sweet Josie is! She's so funny even when she's not trying to be.

And Matthew!! He is simultaneously goofy and serious all at the same time. I don't think I've ever seen another MMC acting quite as goofy as him even if it only is to cheer up those around him. He had me laughing a lot and he will def make you swoon as well!

I love the little town of Green Oak and this one really brought all the drama to it - small town and big city drama!

This was such an entertaining read and probably my second favorite of Elena's books!

Also, I would die for Pedro Pigscal 🐷

What to expect-

⚾ Fake Engagement
☕ Small town
⚾ Small Town Girl x Big City Guy
☕ Sister's Best Friend
⚾ Slow Burn
☕ He Falls First

Thank you Netgalley and Atria for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Elena Armas did it again! I loved seeing Adalyn and Cameron again. Josie and Matthew’s story was so good. The character development was so good in this story also! A must read!

Having read one of Elena Armas books in the past, I was looking forward to this upcoming book. I feel that she is a great author who brings an interesting storyline with a good variety of character development as well as humor. I enjoyed this book and highly recommend this to readers who enjoy Emily Henry, Tessa Bailey and Abby Jimenez. It kept my interest and I was well invested in the outcomes of the characters throughout the book.

I needed this book. It was quirky, awkward, swoony, hot....I couldn't put it down!

~fake dating / fiancé
~small town
~no third act breakup
~slow burn / longing
~sister's best friend

Part of the synopsis:
What starts as a big messy misunderstanding quickly turns into an arrangement with Matthew playing a new role as doting fiancé. A fifth engagement—and a stunt, at that—makes Josie’s stomach turn, but every dilemma requires a choice between equally undesirable alternatives, and Matthew doesn’t seem to mind becoming one more number in a colorful list of grooms-that-never-were. Despite the ring on her finger, Josie knows this is only temporary, even if the rest of the small town believes that the fifth time’s the charm.

I liked Josie... with all her quirks. By the end of the book, she stood up for herself and what she wanted/needed.

Matthew... my goodness. What a man. The glasses, the muscles, the goofiness. How he'd defend her. Care for her.

Together they were the perfect couple.

ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Book releases July 30!