ARC REVIEW

★★★★★ (5/5)
🌶🌶 (2/5)

This was incredible, the improvement of elena's writing is so present and amazing.

This story was amazing, the characters were lovable, the storyline was interesting and the writing was appropriate.

I loved how original the love interest is, he domehow seemed different from all other book boyfriends and it was really refreshing he has qualities that work in perfect dynamic with the main character and i absolutely fell in love wth their relationship.

The cameos of past characters really bring together that sense of reality in the story and seals the deal.

The pace was perfect, something i think it is very hard to nail and was absolutely accomplished here, the characters feelings were clear and felt real, the plot well planned, intriguing and creative and the spice was well written. All these well crafted elements togather made what id dare to call elena arma's best book so far.

I must say i missed my epilogue. It ended too abruptly and i just wanted more time with them.

Im so excited to see what else she comes up with and will make sure to be there when she does.

Some Elena Armas I have loved…this one was just okay. The premise of the fake engagement seemed farfetched, and I love a fake dating storyline. Armas loved a slow burn or maybe just an unnecessarily long story. This could have been shortened. Overall, not great, but not bad.

Huge thanks to Netgalley and Atria books for the ARC.

I had a very strong love/hate relationship with this book!

The parts I loved, I absolutely loved, but the parts I hated, I really hated it. It was very polarizing, and it did affect my overall reading experience. At the end of the day, I did enjoy it, but at times it was a struggle.

Starting off on the positives, the romance was amazing! It was slow-burn, but still so intense! Like it was steamy without extreme amounts of spice. Also Matthew was the MVP! I was obsessed with him from the beginning, and his protective nature towards Josie was everything. I thought the pacing was good as well. But seriously if there is one reason to read this book, it's Matthew! He's literally amazing. Definitely book boyfriend material!

Now for the cons: I couldn't stand Bobbi. Like her attitude and everything just irked me. Her treatment of Josie at times was also just upsetting. The overall plot (outside of the romance) bothered me. Josie deserved so much better than Andrew.

Overall, I enjoyed it, and I think a lot of readers will enjoy this book. Like I said Matthew is the reason to read this book. He's amazing and makes this book worth it all.

Big thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the opportunity to read this e-ARC in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Rating: 4.2/5

matthew is one of my favorite heroes everrrrr. he is just so sweet and steady and PERFECT for josie. i kept thinking that if i were josie, i wouldve cried like 50x throughout the book, and when she finally did cry the scene felt so raw and real! the way her and matthew dealt with the third act conflict was so perfect for them. the only reason this book wasnt a flawless five star was because there were some parts of the writing that bugged me a bit. some of the gen z language felt cringey, and the amount of times matthew said “look at me” made it feel a little stale and like he shouldve said something else. like i wish it would have been just one or two times less. the steamy scenes were great though. probably elena armas’ best🔥🔥

This was a first of Elena Armas for me, and WOW she does not disappoint! Though you may see overlapping characters from The Long Game, The Fiance Dilemma stands alone - and you don't miss a blip!

Josie has been engaged 4 times - none of which ended in marriage. Matthew finds himself as lucky number 5 -- except it's all a stunt. The banter and spice was delightful. I could not put this down. I definitely laughed out loud at Josie's roommate... more than once!

Out on July 30, 2024, I won't be surprised to see this one on the charts for top books of the summer!

This book is everything you wanted Runaway Bride to be, lose the a-hole, add a swoon-worthy alpha-male who still helps our FMC discover herself without having to be a complete **** first, a fake engagement (with aforementioned swoon-worthy MMC), address the family trauma, and add is a TON of steamy chemistry, and a sprinkling of 🥵🥵🥵 spice.

I have a confession - I stopped reading this book around the 1/2 point so I could re-watch Runaway Bride. When I finished the movie I instantly picked up the book again. In total it took me less than 24 hours to read The Fiancé Dilemma and watch Runaway Bride.

Final verdict, Runaway Bride would have been an exponentially better movie if Elena Armas had written the script. AKA this book is sooooooo much better than the movie it draws inspiration from.

This book did SO many things right. Here is what I loved…
- FMC is totally adorable, flawed, and has depth that makes her so real and relatable
- MMC is literal perfection - Matthew is my new perfect book boyfriend
- no seriously, the mouth on that man 🥵 a supportive man that stands up for his woman and is also 🔥 behind closed doors. 🫠
- NO THIRD ACT BREAKUP!!!!!!!
- found family
- slow burn - but you get plenty of tension and chemistry to tide you over.
- daddy issues, family trauma, and it gets addressed is a satisfying way.

Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for sending this book (eARC) for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

This book!! This one has fake fiancé, sister’s best friend, and so much sexual tension 🔥🔥🔥. I adored this book and never wanted to put it down. The situation is far-fetched and somehow relatable. The characters are great. Grandpa Moe has my heart! I adored the fact that, without spoilers, the ending ties everything up. It stays true to these characters, without being the cookie cutter, predictable, happily ever after. It was perfection! Grab this one ASAP so that you can enjoy it for yourself. I think this is my favorite @thebibliotheque to date!

Thank you to the publishers for providing me with a free copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I have read many Elena Armas books and always enjoy them. This was a fun continuation of The Long Game. Those characters played a big role in The Fiancé Dilemma as Josie and Adalyn are sisters. Slow burn. Easy read. Great book for the beach.

The Fiancé Dilemma was an enjoyable, easy read. It was fun to take a trip back to Green Oak. Absolutely adored Matthew and Josie!

Was a bit hard to finish. Josie and Matthew's story drug on a but too long. Josie been to the alter 4 times, but then faking a marriage with Matthew... why? JUST for publicity stunt cause her dad is famous... Matthew was really a sweetheart to Josie.

Elena Armas fed us with this book! Josie and Matthew chef’s kiss!! I loved this book! I was weary trying this book because I didn’t particularly like The American Roommate Experiment. But this book!! You should read it if you like small town romance, quirky neighbors, and banter!! The banter is perfection! Just read and thank me later!

Thank you to Net galley for an early copy of this book!

This story had all the spice and emotion that I've come to expect from an Elena Armas book! I love the fake dating trope, especially when one of the characters clearly doesn't want it to be fake the entire time. This was a sweet and spicy story and very enjoyable!

Thank you to Atria Books and Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

This book is for the girls who have always taken care of others and sacrificed their own comfort and choices to make sure other people get what they want. And that girl finally finds someone who cares about what they want and makes it happen.

I just loved this book so much. This is a perfect fake engagement but he’s secretly in love in the entire time and falls so hard.

Love the connection of these characters! A enjoyable read! Definitely pick up more books by this author

This one wasn’t my favorite but still a fun, light read! Mainly, I struggled with the reason for the fake engagement, but once I got past the first 20-30%, I enjoyed it. Matthew Flanagan was by far the best part - I wish we would have gotten to know more about him and his backstory. Overall, it's worth giving this book a chance, especially if you love the author's other books!

The Fiance Dilemna introduces us to 29 year old bakery owner and town mayor Josie, who has a unique habit “so to say” of leaving men at the alter. After her 4th engagement and failed marriage attempt it’s kind of become a thing. The problem- she recently discovered her billionaire father, whose whole team considers her a PR nightmare, is back in her town and life. Solution- get Joise married while her father makes it all happen. Happy ending right? When Matthew arrives at her house, he’s picked as the lucky groom.

This is the first book I’ve read by Elena Armas and boy does she know how to write male leads. Matthew is a peach, with an occasional Boston accent. Josie is an ( at times) frustrating character but I definitely related to her social anxiety. This book is a slow burn, it took me a WHILE to get into it. Lots of almost maybes, I wanted to shake both characters multiple times. Once I got there though I truly enjoyed their story. It’s cute but also very spicy! I enjoyed the writing style- the including of the podcast characters was a fun side story! The ending was absolutely beautiful, I cannot stress enough how much I loved the last half of this book!

I wish I would have read Adalyn and Cams story prior but definitely will be doing so. Overall I gave this book 4 stars and look forward to more from the author!

I want to thank NetGalley, Simon & Schuster, & Elena Armas for the opportunity to read this book! All thoughts are my own!

My first Elena Armas book and I loved it. Loved the chemistry between the characters and the one liners. Overall just a fun summer romance read. Would definitely recommend if these types of books are your style.

What can I say without spoiling…

AHSKHASKHAWKRHSKENASDLD

That’s what I can say.

Okay in all seriousness this might be my favorite Elena Armas book (I will need to reread Spanish Love Deception to check)

This is not your typical fake engagement story, from the very first beginning but it was more than I could have known I could wish for.

Josie is hilarious and I cared about her from the start. I knew I liked her from The Long Game but her own book made her stand out even more.

Matthew 🥹 is there more I have to say about HIM. He’s really HIM. Might be one of my favorite MMC of all time.

This book revives contemporary romance’s understanding of soulmates and that I’m very thankful for.

P.S

The text message group with him and his sisters … I CANNOT HANDLE THOSE EMOTIONS

Elena Armas is a staple on my shelf. I’ve read every book she has had published. I absolutely adored The Long Game and was elated to be given the opportunity to check out the Fiancé Dilemma early. It certainly did not disappoint. I love living in the town of Green Oak, NC for a while longer. The characters are so lovable and Josie and Matthew were such fun main characters to get to know. I love the quiet support Matthew gives Josie to come around and grow herself to get in a place where she is open to loving him. The book took me a bit to get into but was such a perfect slow burn. The spice was amazing when we finally reached that point. Overall another grand slam from Elena Armas. I can’t wait to recommend this book to my friends and family.

The Fiance Dilemma was a fun romance filled with tension, humor and self-development. After four failed engagements, Josie finds herself engaged once again, but this time it isn't real and it's to her sister's best friend, Matthew. Josie and Matthew's chemistry was apparent from the very start but this book takes you through a very slow burn until about 75% of the way through. Matthew becomes the support that Josie has always needed and it was amazing all the different ways he lifted her up and made her feel like she was worth it.

Now, if you've read The Long Game, you already know that Josie has some daddy issues and this book dives into the relationship with her father and all the ways it has impacted her. You get to see Josie find her voice though out the book when it comes to standing up for herself and Matthew is always there to back her up.

I definitely liked this one more than The Long Game but at times it did drag. I also thought that some of the secondary characters weren't very likable which made it difficult to enjoy the book at times. However, I am looking forward to see if another story comes out of a few of the secondary characters, especially a certain single father!

Read if You Like:
- Fake Engagement
- Best Friend's Sister
- He Falls First
- Slow Burn
- Funny Pet Names