Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for giving me an advanced reader’s copy of Elena Armas’s The Fiancé Dilemma, the second book in The Long Game series, in exchange for an honest opinion.

Who hasn’t thought about “the one” and “love at first sight”? The Fiancé Dilemma explores some of these concepts and more. Josie Moore, one of the main characters, has already run out of four of her previous weddings, leaving a trail of broken-hearted bachelors in her wake. Her long lost, high-powered father is having a book written about him and it is believed that she might become a PR nightmare.

Enter Matthew Flanagan, Josie’s new-found sister Adalyn’s best friend. He meets Josie in the strangest of instances and is instantly somehow “engaged” to her.

In a typical fake engagement to true love trope, They have some miscommunication, however Josie comes to rely on Matthew and he relies on her.

I absolutely loved this book. I loved the instant connection between Josie and Matthew as well as her instant attraction to him. He instantly was protective of her and made sure that her father and the PR person were not going to hurt her. It was great to finally meet Andrew, Adalyn and Josie’s father and it took the whole book to try to figure him out and what his deal was. Was he a good guy or a bad guy. In fact, I’m still not really sure of the answer.

Armas does a wonderful job writing humor. The podcast was hilarious and Matthew and Josie found themselves in some pretty entertaining predicaments. Can’t wait for Armas’s next book!

Spicy: 4 (R: NSFW and earbuds in!)

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

When I tell you I screamed when I got the notification that I had this at NetGalley…well I guess I just told you. I was so excited to read Josie’s story after meeting her in the Long Game. Armas’ heroines are ones I love to read: complicated women who are just trying to deal with all the sh*t in their lives. They are completely independent but that doesn't mean they don’t want a shoulder to lean on every once in a while. And since the death of her mother, Josie has felt like she needs to be strong for everyone else.

Josie Moore has had a lot going on in her life, she recently found out who her birth father is, and though it has brought her a sister she loves, it has also come with some unwanted attention on her and her lovelife. Cause Josie has FOUR broken engagements and when the hosts of a gossip podcast decide to do a deep dive into her romantic engagements at the same time her famous father is trying to announce his retirement, his PR machine kicks into action, ready to mitigate any upcoming disasters. But Josie and disaster seem to go hand and hand, and before she realizes it, she has a new, albeit fake, fiance, her sister’s best friend, Matthew Flanagan.

Matthew Flanagan,ugh maybe one of my favorite book boyfriends of late. He is just the most adorable, lovable man who gets Josie, even when she might not always get herself. Plus the dear man is from Boston and the riff on the accent had me cracking up (hello Elena Armas have you listened to Matt Nathanson’s Boston Accent??).

This book comes out next month, so if you haven’t read anything by Armas before, I’m ordering you to go get her other books and you will be so ready for Josie and Matthew’s story.

I hope there is a Shark book in the works!

I loved Elena’s first 3 books and was so excited for this one to come out. I hate to admit but I really disappointed, It was unnecessarily wordy. The book picked up towards the end but not enough to redeem itself. I was so looking forward to Josie’s story and in the end got some closure but it took a while to get there.

I was looking forward to Josie and Matthew’s story, but I’m disappointed.

I don’t get why Josie allowed Bobbie to steamroll her and push her into doing PR for her dad that she doesn’t even know like that.

Then Josie is so quirky that it teeters closer to obnoxious.
I really dislike that Josie asked Matthew to be her fake fiancé but couldn’t take a no.
Like we wouldn’t stand for that if it was a guy pressuring a girl to do something.

At just around two and a half weeks from publication, I have finally pieced together my thoughts enough to formulate a review.

Elena Armas’ writing style doesn’t work for me, and here’s why that’s okay!

Because her writing style is someone’s cup of tea, and I don’t have to be the target audience for every book. I think her concepts are absolutely phenomenal but she executes them in a way that feels YA while being adult in both setting and content.

I’ve tried a few of her books in the past with no luck getting past the 20ish percent mark, but I requested an ARC of this one because the concept was right up my alley!

I don’t think liking or disliking a book needs to be so black and white. Overall, I feel very grey about this book anyhow.

I wish I had more to say about it, other than my disinterest in it.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an early review copy!

Elenaaaaa! We need to talk because I don’t know what you put in this book that I just finished that I want to start reading again!!! 💕

If you have read The Long Game (which you should!), then you’ve already met Matthew and Josie. Now Josie’s story is unique! Engaged 4 times, married none, but friends with all her exes (?). She’s caught up in a scandal that a PR strategist wants to fix by marrying her and here comes Matthew with the perfect timing to pretend to be her fiancé 💍

Along comes this friends-to-lovers story with an engagement for convenience that will have you swooning, blushing and squealing! The story is told mainly from Josie’s POV so you get to see how human she is, her insecurities, and badassery. Matthew is just the perfect book boyfriend who will literally run to rescue you from whatever, whenever and wherever! 🥰

Matthew and Josie’s romance is one for the ages and if you’ve read TLG, let me tell you that there’s a certain text exchange that gets referenced here that will have you screaming! Elena, the power of your mind! ❣️

I liked it enough, but really it was because of who the author was that I finished it.

There was some really funny banter and great spicy scenes between Josie and Matthew, but that was really it.

The reasoning for the "fake engagement" was honestly so unbelievable that I couldn't take it seriously. It felt like a lazy attempt to just write that trope. Matthew was also just too perfect where it felt like his character had no depth. Also, not one relationship was expanded on at all. Not any friendships, family dynamics, or even the romantic relationship which I felt could have added a lot to the story.

Sadly, this book just wasn't for me.

I am SO glad I was right about this one! I read the long game back in January of this year and didn't really vibe with it. What I did like about that book were Matthew and Josie so I had high expectations for their book.
Once I really got into the story and got to know the characters a little I had the best time!! Was Josie kinda chaotic? Yeah but I adored her and her positivity. I loved Matthew as well! He was funny and protective and I know something like this would probably never happen in real life but the way he just went with it and played along warmed my heart! I think he was one of the first people who was just there for Josie without expecting something in return.
The small town vibes, the side characters (and animals) and to get a look at the other side of gossip pages and what it does to a person made me really like this book.

I'm so happy this turned out so well and I'm curious to see if maybe some other characters will get books in the future!

Big thanks to Netgalley and the publisher!!

3.75⭐️ Let me start by saying I am a huge fan of Elena Armas and have loved all of her books! Unfortunately, this one falls a little flat for me. For about three quarters of the book, I struggled with the believability of our main characters having never met in person yet are somehow embroiled in an engagement of convenience throttling swiftly toward a wedding day. As a fan of Runaway Bride, which I appreciated the acknowledgement early on, I was pretty sure how this was going to end. For the majority of the book, Matthew’s character is way underdeveloped. I really would have liked to have had some chapters with Matthew’s POV throughout. I was also really rooting for our girl Josie to resolve her issues with Andrew and explore her sibling relationship with her sister a little more. While it wasn’t my favorite, I will still read whatever Elena writes!

Thank you to Elena Armas, Atria Books, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book!

Love Elena Armas, and I am so glad that Josie got her own book! Josie is definitely a spazzy queen, but we love a supportive king, like Matthew. He is constantly soothing her anxiety, and its really healing to read about characters who can be supportive and loving to women with normal mental health problems. A man who makes a woman feel worthy and beautiful despite her inner voice, YOU GO MATTHEW!! The burn is sloooooow. And I will say, I often had to stop and take distraction breaks because slow burns tend to lose my attention quickly #adhd But Josie and Matthew kept drawing me back in, which really speaks well to the quality of the characters. I did often want to scream, KISS ALREADY!! But I can appreciate a good romantic tension tease.

This was another winner by Elena Armas. It was so enjoyable and entertaining. I just love her work. I can’t wait for the next one.

I LOVED THIS BOOK. I’ve read all of Elena’s books and this may be one of my favorite. I laughed out loud so much and smiled the whole way through. I love Josie and Matthew so much. I didn’t like long game as much so I was apprehensive at first of this one but my worries quickly went away. Recommending this book to everyone

I’ve been waiting for a new Elena book and I was so excited when I got the arc! This book is a small town/fake dating trope! Two of my favorites! Josie the main character is forced to lie about being engaged ( her 5th engagement) to her sisters best friend Mathew that just moved to town. And with news spreading fast in a small town it’s too late to set the record straight and decide to fake it until the fake feelings between them start to blur. The humor in this book is right up my alley and I love that we got to see characters from the previous long game books continue their story thru this book a little as well! Mathew and Josie’s chemistry really kept me intrigued through out the book. The tension in their evolving relationship kept me rooting for them. Was a fun easy read. Can’t wait for more Elena books in the future

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU to Elena and Atria Books for this ARC!!!

5/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I already knew I'd love Josie after reading "The Long Game"! I enjoyed getting more of her story, Grandpa Moe and the whole town!!

MATTHEW... 🩷😍 FREAKING PERFECTION!!! Low key jealous of Josie over here!

Fake dating done right! 🥹

I really hope there will be another in this series 🙏

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for providing an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book surprised me, as I didn't have high expectations due to my previous experiences with Elena Armas's stories. However, it achieved the impossible, and I can finally say I enjoyed a book by this author.

Although the book has its weak moments, such as the beginning, where the reasons used to establish the plot didn't make much sense, this didn't have a significant impact on the overall story. The relationship between Matthew and Josie was the main focus of the book, and AAAAAAA Matthew is so Emily Henry coded that I couldn't help but love him😭.

The chemistry between Matthew and Josie carried the story; the tension between them had me on the edge of my seat, which made me care less about the plot's weaker aspects.

One aspect that left me wanting more was the lack of explanation about what happened with Josie's ex-fiancés and why she left them at the altar. Despite this, I forgive these details thanks to the relationship between Josie and Matthew and the beautiful moments they shared.

I totally recommend this book if you're looking for a light romance!

Well-loved and highly respected as an author by yours truly, I will of course read anything that Elena Armas writes, even if it's a grocery list. Her new stand-alone novel is wildly more addictive and interesting and proves beyond a shadow of a doubt just how amazing and versatile of an author she is. I couldn't turn the pages quickly enough and really enjoyed the main character, an unlucky in love gal who is really quite nice! Highly recommended and can't wait to own this one in print! Thank you so much to Netgalley and the publisher. It was such a treat!

I really enjoyed reading this book, even though it's not my favorite from this author. It has a sweet and fun vibe, and I'm sure her fans will love it. If you're in the mood for a slow-burn, small town romance, this is a great option. Personally, I found the reason for the wedding a bit hard to believe. I think her true friends would have understood her situation and found a way to support her without going through all of that. Also, I wish there was more exploration of her issues with her father. He was a terrible person who didn't deserve her love or attention, and I wanted to see more of her anger towards him. However, if you're looking for a steamy romance, this book is definitely enjoyable.

Firstly, thank you to Elena and Atria Books team for an e-arc of The Fiancé Dilemma!

If you love an engagement of convenience, soul mates, and small town romance vibes then this book is for you!! The way Josie and Matthew’s chemistry jumps off the page has you wanting to read more and more!

Elena does such an amazing job with secondary characters, Bobbi Shark will forever be my new alter ego and Grandpa Moe will always have a piece of my heart!

Such an amazing read and I hope anyone who reads this finds a little piece of solace in these characters!

Thank you for the arc!

2 stars

I really liked the Spanish love deception but couldn't get into this one. The writing felt really juvenile and I struggled to finish the book and kept putting it down.

I like marriage of conveniences and fake dating but this one felt so over the top and dramatic for no reason. I don't think this book was for me and I'm starting to think maybe this author isn't for me either. I think some people will find this enjoyable though.

I was extremely lucky to get to read this through Net Galley before it comes out in July. As per usual, I ate it up. I thought the beginning was a little too quick and clunky, but once I got past the plot exposition, I was hooked and couldn't put this down! I wish the beginning was just a little more drawn out so we weren't thrown into the [SPOILER ALERT] fake fiance set up so incredibly quickly. It's a classic Elena Armas book with some beautiful romance and I loved it. Yes, there has to be some suspension of disbelief to believe that two people would let a lie go this far, but I don't mind in the least.