⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

What a great small town romance 💜

Josie Moore, has four failed engagements and an absent father who has recently appeared in her life. Then father announced his retirement and that put her in the spotlight. Which is the last thing she wanted. Matthew soon finds himself involved in a misunderstanding that leads him to pose as Josie's fiancé.
What begins as a farce to keep up appearances soon turns into much more.

Josie was such a funny and quirky character and Matthew was such a sweetheart. I loved how he always put her first. Don’t let his sweetness fool you. This man can talk spicy 🥵 Overall, this was a hilarious and cute book that I couldn’t put down!

📘: The Fiancé Dilemma by Elena Armas
🗓️: July 30, 2024

Thank you to NetGalley, Elena Armas, and Atria for this ARC!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

*Reviewed on NetGalley, Amazon, and Goodreads.

Hello! :) I appreciate that Netgalley provided me with an ARC of the Fiance Dilemma. This book was super cute and sweet - I am reminded of Hallmark movies when I read this book. I think, while Josie has her own issues to overcome, it was fun watching her evolve and watching the 'fake' relationship with Matthew grow to a real romantic one. The book was written well, and the characters are well-formed. Each character had to struggle, in a way, to overcome something internal and external before they could join together in what became a real romance. Thank you! :)

I actually really liked this one. It was a common romance troupe, fake relationship, but it was really sweet. It was pretty obvious that Matthew was in it for more than pretend right away, and I think watching him be there for Josie was really kind of wonderful. He didn't push, he didn't force his hand too early, and he was just there. I really enjoyed him and watching the relationship between him and Josie grow. It also had just the right amount of steam!

A delightful contemporary romance that will warm your heart. The writing is charming and engaging filled with humor and heartfelt moments. I liked the small town setting as it added a cozy and inviting atmosphere to the story. Josie and Matthew have chemistry and their banter will leave a smile on your face.
Many thanks to Atria and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

I love Elena Armas’s other books and was looking forward to this one because it’s set in the same world as her last, but unfortunately it was a DNF for me. Something about the interior monologue of the characters just felt super cringy. I will definitely give her next book a go, though!

Elena Armas is one of my top 3 authors of all time for a reason. Holy crap I loved everything about this book and Matthew is my new favorite book boyfriend!! The slow burn is exquisite, I loved getting to see more of Adalyn and Cam and their HEA and I'm just obsessed with all the side characters including grandpa Moe and Pedro Pigscal. This was just the read I needed to pull me out of a major slump, I devoured it and felt all the feelings in the best way.

In preparating for this book, I read the first in the series. Well, I tried. I listened on audio, and about 3/4 of the way through I stopped wanting to pick it up. That said, I'm not interested in reading the next installment. I don't want to give a one-star rating to a book I did not read, but I want to remove this off my shelf. Book one does not bode well for book two. I had high hopes since Cam (I think that's his name?) gave off some serious Roy Kent vibes in the beginning.

This book was great ! Alena Armas has such a way with words. Her romance books always hit the spot. The characters are SO easy to fall in love with and to root for. I cannot wait for her next release.

I enjoyed this book. While I did enjoy reading this book, the burn was sloww and i’m not always a fan of that. I got bored in some parts. I wish the romance was a bit more fast paced.

I have read all of Elena's books and while this was my least favorite, it was fun and enjoyable read. I am always here for fake dating, but I wasn't as invested in our couple as I would have liked to be and the way I usually am with Armas' books.

I feel like this story has been written, and not in the way that I want to read more just like it but that I feel like I've read it twelve times. I wanted to give Elena Armas another chance as I did love Spanish Love Deception, but I feel like this fell flat. It's still a cute story, but the premise of 5 former fiances feels overdone and slightly exhausting.

Your female MC can only be SO different and I feel like I was reading a Delaney Rowe TikTok that became a book.

ARE YOU KIDDING ME!! ELENA THIS WAS JUST SOOOOO AHHHHHH! I wish I could spoil it but I won’t cause everyone needs to read this book lol! Elena truly knows how to captivate readers with her story telling and The Fiancé Dilemma was no exception!

Thank you Atria for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!

This book follows Josie who fakes an engagement with Matthew to help her father's image improve in the media.

There were very few things about this book that I liked. I liked the lighthearted tone of the novel and how accessible the writing is. The circumstances were a little unbelievable, but I was able to excuse that. This book did have its funny moments and its moments of secondhand embarrassment, which was good.

One thing that really hindered the book, in my opinion, was the fact that the relationship really relied on the physical attraction of the main couple. With many fake dating couples, it is really hard to build a solid, believable relationship because you have to create a foundation for the people and create some sort of connection and chemistry. The author really fell flat on that front for me. It is stated that they were friends before they were in this fake engagement, however, it felt like they were only acquainted with each other, and had no friendship really at all before this arrangement.

All in all, this was a book that I could recommend to someone that is looking to dip their toe into the romance genre.

This book was a lot of fun. I enjoyed reading it. I really loved her other books so I hoped I would enjoy this one as well. And I did!

This book was very entertaining and had some great moments of humor balanced with emotional elements. However, I don't think it ranks as one of my favorite of Armas' works. It felt a bit slower in comparison, and didn't quite grab me the way some of her other titles have. I did love the fake dating elements and the chemistry between Josie and Matthew. I also loved seeing the Cam and Adalyn cameos.

Overall, it's a lighthearted romance that's enjoyable for anyone who's a fan of the fake dating trope.

Thank you to the author, Netgalley, and Atria Books for an advanced copy.

Elena Armas has done it again! I fell in love with this author after reading THE SPANISH LOVE DECEPTION, and I'll devour anything she writes! The Fiance Dilemma was one of my favorites from her (and I love that purple cover!)

I’m conflicted on this one because I did read through it quickly and I did enjoy the ending third. I just really didn’t enjoy the podcast part and some of the side characters.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria for a copy.

An absolute pleasure to read! Elena Armas' books are always totally entertaining and full of love. Once again, I was able to bond with the characters immediately. I immediately liked them. The plot is also very entertaining. I like the light, yet very beautiful and emotional storyline. It's always nice to meet the protagonists from the other volumes again.

i don't think i liked this as much as i liked armas' previous work

the humor is still there. but I'm not as invested as i was in the characters, the pace was slow, and i honestly put this book down a lot. i think a lot of people would like this but wasn't for me.

Everyone who knows me knows I love a good fake dating plot and these 2 were so cute! Their fake dating was believable and adorable. I have enjoyed every book by Elena Armas!