As a fan of Elena's previous novel, I was really excited to get into her new release, the Fiance Dilemma. However, I found I was pretty bored most of the time and, despite some cute scenes, this story was overall just unbelievable.

I wish I could have connected to the characters more, as it definitely showed promise, but unfortunately, this one just did not work for me. :(

The Fiancé Dilemma is a heartwarming and engaging novel that delves into the complexities of family, love, and self-acceptance. Josie Moore, a small-town mayor with a string of broken engagements, finds herself in a fake engagement with her sister's best friend, Matthew Flanagan. As the charade progresses, their connection deepens, leading to a delightful exploration of love and personal growth.

One of the novel's strengths lies in its well-developed characters. Josie is a relatable and endearing protagonist, grappling with the emotional baggage of an absent father and a fear of commitment. Her journey of self-discovery, as she confronts her past and embraces her vulnerabilities, is both heartwarming and inspiring. Matthew, while initially less fleshed out, emerges as a charming and supportive partner whose love for Josie is genuine and unwavering.

The supporting characters, particularly Josie's eccentric "grandfather" and the "fixer" Bobbi, add depth and humor to the story. The town of Green Oak, with its quirky residents and heartwarming community spirit, serves as a charming backdrop for Josie and Matthew's blossoming romance.

Armas' writing is witty and engaging, filled with humorous dialogue and heartfelt moments. The romance between Josie and Matthew is well-paced, balancing steamy scenes with tender moments of emotional connection. The plot, while predictable at times, is still enjoyable, thanks to the engaging characters and the author's ability to create a warm and inviting atmosphere.

However, the novel does have some shortcomings. The lack of Matthew's perspective leaves some aspects of his character and motivations unexplored. Additionally, there were missed opportunities in Matthew's relationships to deepen his connection.

Overall, The Fiancé Dilemma is a delightful read that will resonate with fans of contemporary romance and heartwarming stories of self-discovery. I loved every minute of it's charming and enjoyable experience that leaves you with a smile on your face.

Recommendation: If you're looking for a lighthearted and heartwarming romance with engaging characters and a touch of humor, The Fiancé Dilemma is a perfect choice. It's a feel-good story that celebrates love, family, and the importance of embracing one's true self.

Note: While reading the companion novel, The Long Game, is not necessary to enjoy The Fiancé Dilemma, it does provide additional context for some of the characters and their relationships.

First- yay!! I’m back to having a fave author again! I really did not enjoy the story of The Long Game #1 but I really enjoyed #2. It’s like the author was back- in a good way.

Second- there was a good storyline that held my attention- albeit an implausible storyline, but who cares? It’s entertainment and not a book about reality! I was on a nice ride that made me laugh aloud throughout the entire book. That was a nice escape from reality. It was an enjoyable read.

Thirdly- enjoy! Looking forward to the next book from Ms. Armas. This was a nice book about how love feels. True love is always worth fighting for- well it is in my book and I know I’m right! :)

I’d like to thank NetGalley, Elena Armas, Atria Books, and Simon & Schuster for providing this book without cost in exchange for an honest review. I’m entirely grateful!

The Fiancé Dilemma by Elena Armas
Book 2 in The Long Game
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4.5/5 Stars

Thank you so much Netgalley for the arc! I loved reading this book! I loved The Long Game and didn't think Elena Armas could top the romance of Adalyn and Cameron but... Matthew and Josie are absolute perfection! 😍😍😍 I adored the way Matthew protected her but never overstepped. He always let everything be her choice and let her stand up for herself, always being respectful and going at her pace, only stepping in when she asked him to. This book is so fun! The small-town setting of this series is so funny, beautiful, and immersive! The farm animals and townsfolk add so much to these books and I love each character! The grumpy, gossipy, and comical side characters make every chapter so fun to read! Josie is caught up in a PR nightmare and comes up with a scheme to have Matthew be her fake Fiancé to try and fix the issues. The slow-burn romance that starts between them is so full of sexual tension and perfectly written by Elena. Matthew is such an amazing mmc, he has so many swoon-worthy things he tells Josie. Then discovering when he fell for Josie and that he fell first made my heart melt for this couple! Then there were all the "distractions" Matthew does for Josie when she is overwhelmed. 🥵 This was such a delicious romance! Such a good read! The only reason I didn't give it 5 Stars was because I wish there was more of Matthew's POV. I 100% recommend this book!

I have genuinely never enjoyed reading a book more in my life. I laughed, I cried, i swooned. Matthew and Josie made me believe in love again and if I could even find something close to what they have, I would count myself lucky indeed.

Elena Arma sabe escribir a un buen book boyfriend! Amamos a Matthew ❤️
Me encantó como se fue desarrollando la relación de los protagonistas.
Me gustó que salieran los protagonistas del primer libro.
Lo recomiendo mucho!!

Muy linda historia! Me encantan los libros de Elena Armas.
Matthew es adorable, me encanta su paciencia y como protege Josie ❤️
Lo recomiendo mucho!

Josie has been engaged 4 times. At the start of this book, it becomes five.... To pacify the multimillionaire father who abandoned her and now wants to get involved in her life, but only thru his PR person. Matthew, the latest fiance, is willing to go along with the fake engagement even though he just met Josie that day.

Hilarious and sweet! The humor and sizzling romance in this book are second to none! Though the author covers some deeper topics, including a sense of abandonment and a serious case of cold feet (the girl has had 4 fiances), Armas still manages to write it in such a way that it is lighthearted, sweet, and funny. I laughed out loud multiple times - my husband was like, "what is it?!?" With a male main character (MMC) that is such a cinnamon roll character, and hilariously agrees to be Josie's fake fiance, this book is a MUST READ for the summer. I absolutely loved it! Read it!

As the mayor of a small town, Josie is under the watchful eye of nearly everyone. As the newly revealed daughter of a Miami hotshot, the watchful eyes now include the world. When the world gets word of her runaway bride history… or four, Josie must move fast to face the PR storm that is brewing, which may include a new marriage on the horizon. Matthew, new to town and best friend to Josie’s sister, stumbles into the scheme at just the right moment.

I loved this couple and their story. Josie and Matthew gave me all the good vibes that I like to see in the fake engagement trope.

In the beginning, I thought it strange for Josie to jump into this PR stunt after a strange and abrasive woman (Bobbie) shows up at her doorstep. Yet, it really kicked off the whole romance plot. Once the romance started building for Josie and Matthew, the story really took off. I loved the banter and budding love between the two characters. The slow burn of their relationship was simply burning throughout most of the book. Her love for a man in glasses is one that I can relate to! Matthew has the charm that made me swoon while reading.

Overall, it was an enjoyable read that fit with Elena Armas’s style, which I have come to enjoy.
Thank you to Atria Books and Netgalley for letting me read this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Star rating: 3 stars

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for this ARC!

A note to readers; this is marketed as an interconnected standalone following “The Long Game” however much of the story won’t make sense if you haven’t read the first book.

First and foremost, I enjoy Elena Armas’ writing and her books are easy to get into.

I also like the fake dating trope which Armas has pretty much mastered at this point.

Unfortunately, I didn’t feel super connected to the characters, or like there was a main conflict, more so a long conflict undertone throughout the whole book (if that makes sense) and it didn’t really work for me in this case.

I would definitely still recommend this book for readers who have loved Armas’ books in the past, and who are looking for a romcom for the summer.

The Fiancé Dilemma is a (mostly) single POV fake-dating romance. Josie is the mayor of her small town and recently found out that the wealthy Andrew Underwood is her father. Her life, including her four previous engagements, has gained media attention and become a PR nightmare. Enter Matthew, best friend to Josie’s sister Adalyn, a down-on-his-luck former journalist who is convinced to play the role of fiancé number five until the media moves on to bigger stories.

What a delightful story! I loved revisiting Green Oaks (first introduced in The Long Game) and how invested the whole town was. I loved Josie and Matthew together. I’m so glad I had a chance to read this one

Read dates: 06/21/2024 - 06/23/2024
Goodreads review: 06/23/2024
Instagram review: 06/24/2024
Blog review: 07/30/2024

💫ARC Review💫 Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for this e-ARC

Name : The Fiancé Dilemma by Elena Armas
Pub Date: Jul 30 2024

✨Josie Moore’s life has been marked by four failed engagements.Her father Andrew, an influential man announces his retirement with a splashy magazine and Josie learns her romantic history isn’t great PR for her family.So Josie finds a solution ‘Matthew’. Her sister’s best friend, who reluctantly agrees to pose as her fiancé. What starts as a desperate ploy quickly spirals into a whirlwind of fake engagement, throwing them into the spotlight of the notorious podcast Filthy Reali-Tea. They set boundaries for this fake relationship but will they follow it?

✨I liked how Josie and Matthew handle the complexities of their fabricated relationship, their messy yet endearing personalities shine through. They support each other through the chaos, blurring the lines between what’s real and what’s not. As their story unfolds, unexpected sparks fly, adding a spicy twist all of a sudden , which could have been gradual. The podcast segments add humor and depth, highlighting their journey in a unique way.

⭐️⭐️⭐️

-Fake Engagement
-Second Chances
-Single POV
-Newfound Family
-Slow burn

Josie Moore's love life has been a series of failed engagements.
Matthew Flanagan is down on his luck. After losing his job and getting his car stuck in mud he unexpectedly walks right into the mig mess Josie is in and finding himself posing as her fiancé. What starts as a misunderstanding turns into a complicated arrangement,
While this story was a bit too insta-love for me it still delivers on charm and heart.
My favorite of hers is still The Spanish Love Deception
3.5 rounded up


Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the advanced copy!

This book was a miss for me 😢.
Honestly I just found myself kind of bored. I felt like everything I wanted more of was left out of the book. I kept waiting to hear more about her ex fiancés and that never came. Every time a chapter ended on a juicy cliff hanger, the next chapter would just skip to two days later?? Um rewind and tell me what happened next!
Also some of the dialogue felt very awkward and clunky to me, the responses unnatural.
This book was the slowest of slow burns which normally doesn’t bother me much but I also felt like it wasn’t really building to anything? I wasn’t feeling any real building tension between the characters. And their reasoning for a fake engagement was just so stupid lol.
I liked Matthew enough, but Josie was so helpless. I like my female characters to be bold and outspoken and she was constantly looking to him to save the day.

Thanks to Netgalley for the free ARC. I really wanted to like it but it was not for me.

This book is a tough one. The premise seemed promising but it lacked execution.

Honestly, I haven't read any of Elena's books since her debut which I loved. But everything else I've heard was a letdown.

This book seemed to drag through a short engagement that seemed so long. I feel like I've missed something and maybe that's because I didn't read The Long Game but it also felt like I didn't need to. I think I just didn't understand Josie and why she's had 4 failed engagements.

Matthew is sweet and I liked him in the second half. Seemed swoony.

I think the switch to them loving each other seemed so sudden with everything going on that the ending felt rushed but with no conclusion.

This is probably good if you're a fan of Elena and her books but I was not a fan. It was okay and hit the mark for her books. I just want something new and surprising rather than predictable.

I absolutely DEVOURED this book!

Elena Armas has done it again with her quirky characters that leave me giggling.

Matthew was absolutely adorable and I loved how supportive he was of Josie. The way you can see him truly caring and falling for her kept me going 'awe'.

I really enjoyed this one! Matthew was my favourite of the whole book by far. He is so sweet, such a gentleman and so caring. He’s also goofy, funny, loving and very hot book boyfriend. I really liked the aspect of fake marriage and how it brought them closer together. I liked all the little scenes where we knew Matthew was just so obsessed but he was letting Josie decide her feelings at her own pace. The tension and friendship between them hooked me and I loved every second. Overall, I definitely recommend.

The Fiance Dilemma by Elena Armas is a delightful read. Josie, a business owner and the mayor of her small town, has been engaged not once, not twice, but four times. And to four different men. After her estranged (and famous) father makes his way into her life, her love life is thrown under the microscope. That is how Josie finds herself on her front porch in a robe, covered in strawberry jelly, with an old engagement ring on her finger, pretending to be engaged to her sister’s best friend. Before she could clear up the misunderstanding, the whole town knows and is excited for the upcoming wedding. Matthew agrees to play along, but the deeper they get into this lie, the more their chemistry is undeniable.

5⭐ 100% obsessed 
Matthew is a top tier book boyfriend, and you cannot convince me otherwise. I love him so much. He and Josie together are everything I could have ever wanted. The way Matthew just says the perfect things 🥺 
I despised Bobbi until probably 85%, maybe. She was doing the most, and I wanted to slap her. Andrew may have redeemed himself this book, but again not until the last few chapters. 
Loved getting to see Adelynn and Cam again. 
This is a slowwww burn, so keep that in mind.