Love a good fake dating trope. But a fake engagement?! Even better! This book was fast paced, swoony and so cute. If you love Elena Armas and her other books then you’ll love The Fiancé Dilemma. Get ready to fall in love with Josie and Matthew.

Knocked it down a star for the number of times “sweetheart” and “silly” are in this book 🙃


Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy.

Although I really enjoyed this book, it did feel a bit too long and dragged out at certain points. Matthew was extremely swoon worthy though!!!

"Fiancé Dilemma" by Elena Armas is a delightful romantic comedy filled with humor, engaging characters, and steamy chemistry. Josie, the secret sister of Adalyn, finds herself in a hilarious predicament when she pretends to be engaged to Matthew, Adalyn's best friend, to save face amidst a PR crisis involving her father, Andrew Underwood. Despite the slow start, the story picks up as Josie and Matthew navigate their fake engagement, leading to heartfelt moments and palpable chemistry.

The dynamic between Josie and Matthew shines as they tackle the challenges of their fake relationship. Josie's quirky personality and Matthew's charm make them endearing protagonists, and their journey from pretend couple to genuine partners is both entertaining and heartwarming. Despite its flaws, "Fiancé Dilemma" is a charming romance that will leave readers swooning and laughing along the way.

Elena Armas has done it once again. The Fiance Dilemma was one of my most anticipated reads of 2024 and it did not disappoint. I have read every one of her books, each is better than last. Thank you NetGalley & Atria Books for allowing me to receive an ARC of this book. I loved reading Matthew and Josie's story, from start to finish I read this book in one sitting. I was so excited to read this book after The Long Game and it exceeded all expectations. Josie and Matthew were absolutely perfect for each other and I loved seeing the development of their relationship throughout this PR move.

I enjoyed this a little less than earlier Elena Armas books. The scenario felt too far fetched the way the fake engagement came about and was maintained.

First of all, THANK YOU to NetGalley for this Advanced Reader’s Copy in exchange for an honest review. I really, really loved The Spanish Love Deception and The American Roommate Experiment. However, after reading The Long Game and now The Fiancé Dilemma, i am beginning to wonder if the lightning in a bottle will ever be caught again.

I found this book enjoyable enough, and the tension at parts was PALPABLE. However. While I love me a slow burn, I’ve begun to find that Elena Armas’ slow burns are S-L-O-W B-U-R-N-S to the point where, as a reader, it’s almost frustrating. I think that she does a wonderful job at writing romance and writing tension, I just feel like it might be better for her to get the ball rolling a little bit faster. I will continue to read her work, always searching for the sparks from the first two books.

Thank you, AGAIN, for this ARC!

I read this as a stand alone but didn’t feel like I missed out on the plot too much. This book was well paced, and had some of my favorite rom com elements. It was very reminiscent of The Runaway Bride! This was another great read by Elena Armas.

I love fake dating tropes and was super excited for this book.
But I feel the storyline moved slow, Matthew didn't entice me and I just wasn't feeling the particular storyline.
About seventy percent through the story picked up, but maybe a bit too much of a slow burn for me!
Gave it 3 stars still since it was funny, I did like our female lead and the end was nice!

I read the prequel to this book and loved it, so I was super excited to dive in! It was fun, fast paced, and sexy!! I look forward to more from this author.

Thank you to Atria Books and Netgalley for this advanced reader's copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Josie Moore has experienced 4 failed engagements. She also has an absentee famous father who kept her existence a secret until recently. When Josie's father decides to announce his retirement in a widely read magazine, her romantic history becomes a complicated PR nightmare.

Matthew Flanagan has lost his job, and ends up in Josie's town, Green Oak, North Carolina. Josie and Matthew develop a plan to be fake engaged to offset terrible rumors. Even though the arrangement is only temporary, the town believes that this engagement will stick.

I am giving this book 3.75 stars but rounding it to a 4. I loved Elena Armas' writing and this was the third book I have read of hers. The story was so cute and I really enjoyed reading about Josie and Matthew's chemistry and growth. I loved the small town charm. This is definitely a slow burn romance, which is not what I expected, but I did enjoy it. There were points where I was yelling at my kindle wanting them to finally kiss. I wasn't sure these characters belonged together at the beginning, but by the end I was in love with their relationship. I also loved the spice scenes. Elena Armas knows how to write a good spice scene.

I recommend the Fiance Dilemma if you love the marriage of convenience trope and small town vibes, or if you are a words of affirmation type person, because Matthew has a way with words.

The Fiance Dilemma by Elena Armas comes out on July 30.

Loved this read! This is actually the first book from the author I’ve read, and I love the interaction, the relationships the last chapter. It made me want to go back and actually read her other book which I am in process of getting.

I am a Podcaster and see the below for the release date of the episode.
Review link post date: June 8th at
https://anchor.fm/jade248

I love Matthew and Josie! When I finished the Long Game, I already knew I couldn't wait for the next book. Matthew had my heart in the first book. His personality always had me laughing. Josie too.

This book follows those two characters. They finally meet but not in a typical setting. Now that Andrew's secret of Josie is out he is trying to save face and hires a PR agent to fix "the problem". The problem being Josie. When she gets, for lack of a better word, cornered Josie goes into panic mode and convinces Matthew to be her fake fiance.

I swear, this book had me laughing so much. Josie was so relatable and I could feel the passion between her and Matthew. This had to be the slowest of slow burns because I kept yelling at the book for them to just give in. We also get a few cameos of Adalyn and Cam. I loved seeing them again too.

Definitely worth the read! I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

Matthew is probably the sweetest man. His patience is unmatched, his selflessness amazed me through the whole book and the way he continuously built Josie up anytime she doubted herself made me swoon. And my GOD the romantic in him. Fake engagement, built up tension, spicy scenes, dysfunctional family, this book has it all and it’s written beautifully with good build up, plot, and honestly anytime a book has text exchanges I’m for it. Loved it, just wish we saw more of how the family heals….if you read it you’ll understand what I mean.

Okay, first things first, Josie and I have the exact same Astrology Big 3, and that makes me love her even more. Anyway, I don’t know if there’s an Elena Armas book I haven’t loved, and this one has probably shot all the way up to the top. The perfect fake dating story and the meat deli scene??? Perfection. I cried, I laughed, I felt all of the things. What can I say? I really loved being entranced into Josie & Matthew’s story.

Thank you so much for giving me an ARC in exchange for my honest feedback!

As you may or may not know, I like fake-dating or any fake trope. So my expectation for this book was so high. As I read, it became boring. Don’t get me wrong! I did enjoy reading it. It was funny and also funny that me thinking this would be REVERSE HAREM after looking at the cover! That was big let-down! But that’s fine. I’m fine with one!

Truly one of Elena Armas's best books. I was immediately hooked into the story and so ready to watch Josie and Matthew fall in love. I could see myself reading this book over and over again. It's relatable enough to be a little heartbreaking and just ridiculous enough to make you giggle and blush. Everyone deserves a partner like Matthew in their life.

Wow this book is excellent, easily my new favorite of Elena’s! I couldn’t put this book down. The energy and chemistry was flying off the page. While this may be a slow burn (I mean it is an Elena Armas book), this book is hot and horny. It also needs to be said that Matthew is hot af. The smirks! The head tilts! The soft and gentle support, giving Josie exactly what she needs! Absolute swooning! Josie and Matthew are perfect for each other they really balance out what the other needs. Josie has never been so seen. I just love that they felt like two puzzle pieces fitting together. This book does a fabulous job of balancing the fun chaos of a quickie fake engagement with a meaningful and emotional relationship that grows overtime I wish we got a little more than a snippet of Matthew’s POV at the end but I think living in Josie’s POV served the story and the plot in a way dual POV couldn’t. Overall I just adored Matthew and Josie and this book.

This was a fun read. It was so comforting to come back to Green Oak and I really loved Matthew. I wasn't sure about the pacing in the beginning and I wish we could have got a dual POV story but overall, it was a steamy slow burn and I had a great time.

First off, shout out to Elena Armas for picking us to read this one before it released to the public. My best friend has read all of Elena’s books and raves about them so I had high expectations for this one… it did not disappoint! It was a bit slow to start but really set the scene for the novel. I love love love Matthew and his genuine love for Josie. I need a matthew in my life ASAP, someone who genuinely loves and cares for you like nobody else has. Such a great friends to lovers with a decent amount of spice!

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
🌶️🌶️.75

i’ve never read an Elena Armas book but this one may have convinced me to pick up another!!

i had such a fun time reading this book! i was staring at my shelves trying to figure out what to read and had this sitting in my kindle library after being approved for the ARC, so i decided to just start it until something else jumped out at me. i’m SO happy i decided to start it!!

this is such a cute little small town romance 🥹

MATTHEW?!?!?! NOT what i expected. AT ALL 🥵 i thought we were going to get this cute lil shy guy that wears glasses and has a good sense of humor but… 😳. cute? yes. good sense of humor? yes. shy????? NOPE.

i was pleasantly surprised with how spicy this book was considering i thought it was a closed door romance hahaha… my bad.

josie was this funny, quirky and cute af fmc and i actually reallly loved her! the whole book is told through her pov and i never found myself getting annoyed at her so thank god.

the chemistry between josie and matthew was so good! they are both a lil nerdy but also hot (my fave) and just meshed super well right off the bat. he knew her so well and always showed up in the way she needed him too. his confidence was the perfect compliment to her quirky.

matthew is climbing the ranks when it comes to book boyfriends, he was PERFECT ☺️

i just wish it was dual pov because i continuously found myself wishing that i knew what was going through his head and how he saw josie. (i am grateful for the chapter we got at the end though)

also! the end?! exactly why i loved matthew.

ALSO ALSO! NO THIRD ACT BREAK UP?!?!?! ty ty ty 🙏🏻

tropes:
slow burn
fake engagement
best friends sister

thank you NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the opportunity to read and review this ARC 🫶🏼