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.

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!

I received this arc back in May and I was so excited!
I loved this book!! He falls first, small town romance, no third act breakup which I LOVE!! and the slow burn SIGN ME UP!!!
Someone please give me a Matthew because OMG he is the new ultimate book boyfriend!! You will fall in love with him and everything he does for baby blue hehe my hearts melts. I loved the slow burn and the romance that builds up between the Josie and Matthew. I loved Green Oaks and everything Josie was apart of in the small town it reminded me a lot of the atmosphere of Gilmore Girls and I loved that.
"If you don't wipe that please, Matthew smile off your mouth, I swear I'm going to kiss it away myself, Josie"
This book had me giggling like a little girl and the spice did not disappoint!

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria books for letting me read this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

It’s Elena Armas #1 fangirl over here! Once again, the queen of sexy slow burns strikes again. Elena has always been my most loved author since her debut with TSLD (if you don’t know who she is, go read her books, fall in love with them and thank me later). She knows how to pour every emotion out onto the pages and write a romance that drives you to keep turning every page until you’ve hit the “About the Author” section. This book made me swoon, giggle, drop my jaw and say Oh sh!t, Matthew (iykyk). The love he has for Josie is truly heart melting and the tea is piping hot with this book!! The drama, the tension, the cute moments—I was here for all of it! I loved this book so much and I know you will too. Elena, thank you for gracing us readers with your beautiful words, I’m truly captivated every time.

Fuck me,” Matthew breathed out. Then huffed out a laugh. “Seriously.” He swallowed. “Fuck me. Please.”

This had no business being this good.

“You’re breaking my heart,” Matthew murmured, his nose almost brushing my temple. My body stilled, my mind quieting.
“Why?” I whispered.
“Because I’m trying to flirt and you’re not paying attention to me.”

How am I supposed to ever meet a man in real life when there are book men like Matthew?? I haven’t added a man to my book boyfriend list in a long time but hi, hello, Matthew. you are now on it.

“I’m coming over.” My chest filled with crazy, stupid butterflies.
“Almost everything is done.”
“Then I’ll keep you company. Bring you snacks. Don’t make me beg, Baby Blue. Because I will.”

The perfect mix of cinnamon roll, glasses toting, backwards hat and sweatpants, dirty talking man and I love him now. Seriously, the way he noticed everything, all of Josie’s issues, all of Bobbi’s manipulations, and Andrew’s lack of, well, anything, and how he protected her, stood up for her, loved her, just *perfect*

“I knew this would happen. That I’d taste an inch of you and I’d want more. Everything.”

Josie was a really lovable character too, she was strong on her own and had a good amount of past issues that made her character growth nice. Being engaged so many times and still wanting to find love was emotional lmao

“Seeing how I’ve blindfolded you in a sad excuse to spare you the sight of how I look right now.” My throat worked. Everyone’s watching us, Josie. I could indulge in that. We could.
“And how is that?”
“Like I want to throw you over my shoulder and run,” he said, voice low, just for me. He swiped at my bottom lip. “Like I want to drag my fiancée to that gazebo at the back and fuck the anxiety out of her.”

The spice was perfect and they had great chemistry!!

“You’re incredibly turned on,” he pointed out with a knowing smile. My cheeks flushed. “Do you want to grab my ass?”

NO THIRD-ACT BREAKUP YESSS

I hated the podcast so much! I hate people who make a living of the destruction of other people's lives, or these types of people who crave drama - like, fix your life and stop ruining other peoples.

“I want to watch your face when I touch you. I want you to see what it does to me.”

Thank you Simon and Schuster Canada, Atria Books, and the author for this eARC!

*********
“You sent me an SOS,” Matthew explained, his brow knotting again. That urgency with which he’d stormed in returned to his eyes. “You can’t text me an SOS when there’s no real emergency. Do you have any idea how—” He shook his head. “I ran down here. From the lodge. I thought something was wrong. You wrote I need you.” That sensation in my stomach skipped, realization rippling.
“So that’s why you’re wearing a slutty shirt and slutty sweats?” My voice turned to a whisper. “You were working out? You didn’t leave me on read?... You didn’t need to drop what you were doing and come rescue me. Next time I text an SOS just . . . maybe put on a hoodie and calmly make your way down to me instead?” His thumb moved, grazing the underside of my jaw.
“You can’t send me an SOS, then, Josie. An SOS means I fucking run.”

After finishing this book, I have some very mixed feelings. I really love both Josie and Matthew in their own ways and there is a chemistry that builds between them. The themes around the characters did repeat a lot so I also didn’t get quite as much depth that I wanted from the characters. However, while the overall plot of the book is clear the subplot(s?) are all over the place and kinda ruined the flow of the book. I liked so many of the individual pieces of the book and somehow Bobbi Shark became one of my favorite characters, But I think the best way I can describe this is being directionless. There was a bunch of checkmarks to hit and they were but they weren’t put together in an elegant way. There were so many tiny details that I wanted more from (September 15th? How all the weddings ended?) and just never got. The characters themselves are fantastic and romance is built so well. The writing is great, but overall, I just wanted a little bit more. 3.5⭐️, 2🌶

I think the Fiancé Dilemma is my favorite of Elena Armas’ books. It’s a great romantic comedy. Josie is thought to be a runaway bride. She had been engaged 4 times and never went through with the marriages. Matthew was fired from his job and comes to live with his best friend's sister who is Josie. Josie’s extremely wealthy father came into the picture and threw her and Matthew for a loop. The story looks at why Josie never got married. Josie and Matthew decided to pretend to be engaged. They went through planning the marriage and all of the family dynamics that goes along with it. In the end it was revealed that they were faking the engagement. However, Matthew admitted in a speech that the moment he saw Josie in person, that she was going to be the one he married. In the end, Matthew and Josie were really both in love with each other and chose to stay together without a formal wedding. I really enjoyed their story. Thank you to NetGalley for an e-copy of the book. HIGHLY RECOMMEND!

3.5 ⭐️
I really liked the Long Game so much and couldn’t wait for the sequel! I love fake dating, slow burn, forbidden lovers….YES YES YES. This burn was realllly slow. But I find her writing to be hilarious!

The Fiance Dilemma (3⭐️) me dejó con sentimientos encontrados 😅.

La historia sigue a Josie quien vive felizmente en un pueblo de North Carolina, hasta que se dio cuenta que es hija de un conocido multimillonario, cosa que causa que todo el mundo mediático comience a indagar sobre su vida y pasado. Josie quien ha estado comprometida 4 veces, y ha dejado a sus 4 prometidos en el altar, tiene mucha ansiedad sobre la atención que comienza a recibir, lo que la lleva a un 5to compromiso con el mejor amigo de su hermana con el objetivo de redimir su reputación.

Aprecié el desarrollo de la historia, a medida que avanzaba con el libro me fue gustando más y más, pero nunca pude superar lo poco que me gusto como empieza la “relación” de los protagonistas. Y no es tanto que “no me gustó” sino que no comparti con los personajes el razonamiento detras de porque hacer las cosas que estaban haciendo y eso me estresó 🤣

Si pudiera eliminar el comienzo y solo quedarme con las partes de josie y mathew ya juntos y navegando la situación, hubiese estado mucjo mas feliz😅 igual lo recomiendo, solo siento que algunas partes pudieron ser mejor.

El libro sale el 30 de julio por si estan interesada/os!!!

📚✨Book Review✨📚

The Fiancé Dilemma
Author: Elena Armas

Rating:⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.💫

Notes: I received a copy of this book as an advanced reader, but all thoughts and opinions are my own.

This is not part of a series BUT the characters are introduced in The Long Game, so I’d recommend reading that first. It’s ALSO a fantastic read!

What I Liked:
💍Matthew. That’s it. He’s everything! 🩷 He listens. He communicates. He loves. He savors every moment and supports his woman regardless or the situation. He’s perfectly not perfect and he’ll be tough to beat out for my book boyfriend of the month!

💍I loved seeing the evolution of Josie and Adalyn’s relationship. They are so supportive you wouldn’t know that they weren’t sisters their entire lives.

💍The slow burn was SLOW but so worth it! 🥵

What I Didn’t Like:
💍I wish we saw Matthew’s family. We hear about them, but we never get to really see them on page and I wanted to meet them!


Final Thoughts:
💍 I hope that this continues as a series. I mean I felt like Bobbi and Robbie had a spark no? And how funny would a book about Bobbi and Robbie be! 🤣

#bookreview #reviewsneedlovetoo #readforeverpub #unpopularopinion #booktok #bookstagram #bookfriend #books #bookish #booklover #instablog #romancereader #romcom #fantasybooks

Josie Moore has had four engagements--and zero marriages. Now that her estranged father has made Josie's presence known, a misunderstanding soon leads to a fake engagement troupe. Enter Matthew Flanagan. Soon, the fake engagement turns into real feelings.

I wanted to like this book! I love fake dating/fake engagement. Maybe it would help if I read the first in the series? That would have given more background on Josie's sister and Matthew, who is Josie's sisters best friend.

One of my favorite lines in the book was when Matthew referenced watching Bridgerton.

4.75 rounded up to 5!

If you love:
→ Slowwwwwww burn romance
→ Plot with a side of open door romance
→ Golden retriever MMC
→ Single POV
→ Small Town
→ Fake Dating

Then this book is for you!

I adored Josie and could relate to her colorful chaos, genuine heart, and kind nature. She’s the mayor of Green Oak, a coffee shop owner, a goat yoga lover, and so much more. Her story details the reality of love with a modern day twist.

Josie Quotes:

“And like my mom always said, normal is what you make of the cards fate hands you.”

“Overhearing was one of my love languages. It wasn’t the best love language to have, but it was the way I was wired.”

Matthew was one of those MMCs that you just couldn’t dislike. He’s sunshine and a protector all in one. I find myself often relating more to the FMC but also was able to relate to him in The Fiancé Dilemma.

Matthew Quotes:
“Beautiful things shouldn’t be boxed. It eventually dims their light”

“You don’t have a reputation. You have a heart that chose to believe in love”

Side Characters:
Almost all of the side characters in this book are lovable and most give you an excellent small town feel that supports the story well. My favorite? Pedro Pigscal, hands down! Adalyn, Cameron, & Grandpa Moe were extremely lovable. I mean especially the grumpiest of the three (I’m looking at you Grandpa Moe). I didn’t even hate the Sharky publicist Bobbi Shark who lives up to her name daily or Otto the meddling neighbor.

Overall:

I would highly recommend picking up The Fiancé Dilemma if you’re looking for a unique and quirky romance filled with the most lovable characters. This books has undertones of finding roots in who you are and family relationships without too much fluff or extreme drama. There’s no third act breakup (thank you for not making me have to be upset about that Elena). This is a beautiful, swoon worthy, and quick read.

If you made it this far, thank you for reading! If this book sounds like your cup of tea then make sure to grab it on its pub day— July 30th, 2024!

Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for providing me with an Advanced Reader Copy in exchange for my honest opinions about The Fiancé Dilemma!

Elena's work just keeps getting better! Admittedly, this one might be my favorite because it hits on some of my favorite tropes, but it was still incredibly well executed and well written. Still funny and bright (which I always come back to Elena to find) yet earnest and moving! Can't wait for what's next from her. Definitely will be recommending.

The Fiancé Dilemma tells the story of how small town mayor, Josie Moore, gets thrust into the spotlight after celebrity news outlets learn that her father is a rich business mogul. Never mind that he's been absent for most of her life. Suddenly they have loud opinions about Josie's relationship history and she enlists her sister's best friend, Matthew Flanagan, to help her squash this PR nightmare once and for all.

I'd read Elena Armas's first book of this series, The Long Game, and so I was eagerly anticipating the sequel. It was sweet to see Adalyn and Cameron make their appearances in this book and continue the story. The colorful side characters added some humor and I would've loved to see more of them. I'm hoping the next book is about the super observant and cute kid, María, and her farmer dad.

I enjoyed the chemistry and banter that Josie and Matthew had - it was a solid slow burn build-up. The spice and dirty talk were hot, but I did wish they both had more uniqueness in terms of their looks. It read like everyone agreed they were (conventionally) attractive in a way that took me out of the story a bit. I would've also liked to see more from Matthew's POV, since he came off as a bit too perfect and we only got a snippet of his other interests and struggles. That said, his love for her was fierce and such an enjoyable read.

I do think Josie could have benefitted from some *therapy* to work through her abandonment issues. However, it was great to see her come into her own and start to stand up for herself more. She was a great reminder of how we all are deserving of love and that no one's perfect. In the end, Elena Armas knows how to write a heartfelt and humorous romance, and continues to be a go-to author for me.

Rating: 4.5 stars
CW/TW: panic attacks, death of a parent, pregnancy
Spice: 🌶️🌶️
Good for readers who: wish Hallmark movies had more spice or like the movie Runaway Bride
Romance tropes: fake fiancé, slow burn, sibling's best friend, small town

*Thanks to NetGalley & Atria Books for providing this ARC! All opinions are my own.

I scooped up the Fiancé Dilemma after devouring The long Game, which I am so glad I got to read first! The second book explored the character of Josie, who readers will root for as she tried to navigate her choices that led her to announcing she has a 5th fiancé. Josie learns a lot about herself, her relationships with others, and life as she deals with the consequences of her rash decision making. She took on a problem that was not hers to own and in doing so really opened herself up. Readers also get to meet Matthew, a character who is introduced in the Long Game as he is Adalyn's best friend. His inner strength and humor while being at serious at time makes him a well-loved character. The Fiancé Dilemma is full of heart and emotion. Thanks Net Galley and Atria Books for an early copy.