The Fiancé Dilemma

Thank you NetGalley and Atria books for the advanced readers copy of The Fiancé Dilemma.
This was a different plot than I’m used to: Josie has been engaged four times and this book highlights the story of her fifth engagement. I mistakenly did not read The Long Game, which is this book’s predecessor. I assume I would have more background story if I had read it prior.

Josie and Matthew were a cute story, but not the most believable, even for a fiction novel. I enjoyed my time reading this and I suggest fans of Elena Armas add this book to their reading list!

I finished this gem a while ago and finally get to gush about it! I love Elena Armas- her writing is hilarious, fast-paced, and creative. I also love that the characters that she creates are real and experience feelings in a realistic way. The entire book I was laughing because of the crazy situation the FMC finds herself in, but what I LOVED was that the MMC gave up and just went with it! Yes, it's a slow burn, fake dating, small-town story, but it feels original because of the characters Armas developed. There's SO much chemistry throughout the entire book that I was screaming at some points for the two goofballs to finally give in, and it did not disappoint! I do love a story where the MMC falls first (and hard)! I didn't need confirmation, but yeah, I'll read anything Elena Armas writes! Highly recommend this wonderful read! Brb, about to start my reread...
Thanks, #NetGalley for my ARC of #TheFianceDilemma

loved this book! the fiance dilemma is just marriage of convenience perfection. in elena fashion, its so funny and chemistry filled.

Elena Armas at her best. Fast paced, entertaining, everything you want out of a contemporary romance. I found myself grinning at the ARC far more often than I care to admit. A perfect summer romcom.

This book was not a favorite for me and I had hoped it would be. It seemed like a light and fun read, but overall it did not hit home for me. The characters were just ok, the banter was off, and the whole thing made for an ok read. The characters were choppy, the storyline was blah, and it just made for a difficult read. I didn't connect with any of the characters and the storyline should have been easy and light, but this was hard to finish. Overall this book was not for me.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

Good book. Elena Armas has a way of writing characters that you can hate at the beginning but then love by the end. Josie was manipulative, but you understood her by the end. Matthew single-handedly saved this from being a terrible romance.

My outward facing notes are here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6552900768.

Copyedit notes:
Pg 45 2nd paragraph: "I also wish I hadn't," -- just (suggesting adding a comma for clarity). Had to reread the sentence.
Pg 111 second paragraph should read "concern surged..." -- not "concerned surged"?
Pg 260 1st paragraph last sentence "...Or when I flip you on your* belly?..." -- "your" is missing?
Pg 295 paragraph 3 last sentence, "...but my hormones are on* high alert " -- not "in high alert"?
Pg 299 paragraph 2, 4th sentence "...telling you anyone's story..." -- "anyone's" instead of "no one's"?

ELENA DID IT AGAIN! Josie and Matthew are quite possibly my favorite couple, they are so amazing. Matthew is 10/10 and possibly one of my favorite MMCs ever. I missed the cute quirky Josie I got to see in The Long Game but my love for her is still strong. Genuinely loveable characters and a great book!

"Beautiful things shouldn't be boxed. It eventually dims their light."

I am very conflicted on how I feel about this book.

What I liked:
- Matthew is 🔥🔥🔥
- the small town is a joy to be back on. I wish we got more time with the all the kids in town
- I enjoyed the parts with Josie and Shark, where she really stood up for herself.

What didn’t work for me:
- When the scenes at the end of chapters were just cut off, and the next chapter would pick up days later. It happened so many times.
-Some of the chemistry between Matthew and Josie felt lacking

3.75/5 stars: I was grateful to receive an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley. This was my first Elena Armas book. I enjoyed the romance a lot and Matthew Flanagan is the KINDEST soul. I loved that there is no third act breakup! I just found myself super confused about what any of this has to do with Josie’s dad. I HATED Bobbi the whole story. She was annoying & honestly felt unnecessary. I didn’t like the podcast & thought it was unnecessary. I wished there was more of a redemption arc with Josie & her father’s story. I enjoyed the romance, but the plot with her dad & the PR was hard to understand. Overall, I did enjoy this book.

💍 💜

4⭐️

I read The Long Game right before this, I was so excited to jump into this ARC right after! I’ve read all of Elena’s books, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed each of them. Her books always make me laugh, her MMC’s are always so swoon worthy as well 🫠

Josie finds herself in a predicament, a PR nightmare caused by her estranged father. In walks Matthew, fake fiancé extraordinaire to save the day. They come up with an agreement, however the lines get blurred. Boundaries are crossed, but hearts are healed ❤️

I absolutely adored these characters, Josie is quirky and so fun. Matt is such a sweetie, it’s hard not to fall for him. If you enjoy, fake relationships, small town rom coms, you’ll love this book!

Thank you NetGalley and Atria for the ARC, I was honored for the opportunity to early read this book.

I’ve read every Elena Armas novel and loved them all. She’s quickly becoming one of my most recommended authors. And Matthew is now a Top 5 romance hero. Swoon.

In all fairness, Josie took time to grow on me. She came off as immature and messy and the runaway bride thing… but seeing her growth and her relationship with Matthew made me love, love, love this one. (Also, always fun to see Adalyn, Cameron, and the goats!)

3.25 ⭐️
NetGalley ARC Review
Elena Armas is an automatic read author for me. I’ve enjoyed all of her books and was super excited for this one as fake dating/engagement is one of my favorite tropes. However, it fell a little flat for me at times. The overall plot was fun, but wasn’t explored to its full potential. Josie’s four failed engagements were a major plot point, yet they weren’t really fleshed out or explained to the extent I expected. I just never really felt connected or like I understood Josie. I did enjoy Matthew and would’ve loved more of him. This story was simultaneously a super slow burn while also not really having much on paper build up/development. It just didn’t feel like we really got to see their feelings/relationship develop, there was nothing and then everything all of a sudden. So while the story was fun and cute it was also lacking. So if you’re looking for a simple cute read, you will probably enjoy this book, just don’t go in expecting anything super deep.

Josie's reputation as a four-time runaway bride isn't great PR for her uber-rich and famous absentee father who has decided to make a splash of his retirement so she tries to rectify the blemish her reputation may have on her father's big news by faking an engagement to her sister's best friend, Matthew.

I really liked the premise of this book, it was something different from the usual fake-dating trope, but I had a hard time relating to Josie. I found her a bit immature and kind of annoying. But I liked Matthew and without giving any spoilers, I liked, and was surprised by, his reason for participating in Josie's scheme.

Thank you to NetGalley for the free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I unfortunately was unable to finish this book. I just really did not enjoy the female main character. I’m sure there are readers who were able to relate to her, but I just found her very I relatable and a bit too over the top.

The second installment in The Long Game romance series was a delight. It is small town. It is slow burn. You have fake dating, he falls first (and harder), and sister’s best friend tropes. THERE IS NO THIRD ACT BREAKUP! That will always be a win in my book.

Thank you, NetGalley, for the arc of this book! Elena Armas does it again!!
I am absolutely obsessed with Matthew and Josie and the romance between them.
The slow-burn build-up of this relationship was perfect! Each chapter had me wanting MORE !! The banter was top tier and I cant wait to buy the physical copy.

We had fake dating, sister's best friend, where is she, small town romance, and a slow burn.
What more could you ask for!!

Perfect For….

Fans of fake engagement and sisters best friend trope.

Quick Synopsis

Josie has a romantic history with the opposite sex, which includes four failed engagements. However, when her father decides to release a magazine piece about their family, Josie realizes her love life is not good PR and intercepts Matthew to be her stunt fiance. They make an arrangement for the public eye, but soon realize there may be more to their PR stunt.

My Review

I gave this book four stars. I really liked the tropes in the book and thought the characters were having good chemistry. Matthew said some really swoon things in this book that I really liked. I didn’t give it four stars because I felt like their non sexual romance was put off until the last minute which is not something I prefer but it doesn’t take away from the book. I would definitely recommend this book to romance readers and especially those who like the fake engagement or marriage of convenience trope and sisters/brothers best friend trope. I really like Elena Armas and her writing so I am looking forward to what she comes out with next. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

I didn't read book one but I definitely understood the romance between the two. The whole whirlwind, misunderstanding romance was really fun to read even though I've read this trope so many times.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC!
Elena Armas promised cute romance and she delivered. I was in the mood for a cute no high stakes romance and that’s what I got. I was also quite glad that no beds were broken in this novel.

Three stars. I found this book overall to have some really great tropes and generally very sweet and a little funny. If you’re a fan of Elena Armas then I would say you would enjoy the book. I personally wouldn’t reach for it again regardless of enjoying it for just a couple reasons. It felt a bit slow for me and I simply had a difficult time relating to the way the FMC acted. I didn’t find her annoying per se but I did find myself frustrated with her at times primarily with her decided to keep certain things from past relationships as well as the way she acts with her father.

Overall not bad! Worth the read especially if you like a pretty formulaic romance. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!