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 🫶🏼

This was one of my first times reading a book written by Elena Armas, but it most certainly will not be my last time. She is an AMAZING author!
The book was a little difficult to get into at first, but once it grabbed your attention, there was no going back.
I laughed, I cried, I’m pretty sure I fell in love all over again. It was a little predictable, but sometimes that’s exactly what you need! Such a nice, light hearted, easy read. Will definitely recommend!!!

Elena has written another wonderfully swoony steamy easy romance read with amazing messages sprinkled in! Thoroughly enjoyed this more than I expected. A woman that’s been engaged four times? And the man who would only ever dream of a life with her. Fake dating to the max.

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!

This book is so good! The book has a light-hearted, romantic & warm feeling with many crazy & funny situations. The book is an easy & quick read since it is easy to become absorbed in the story.

It is amazing how Armas manages to create a stunning couple with the characters of Josie & Matthew. Matthew - he is definitely swoon worthy (especially with how sweetly he distracts Josie) - it is too bad he is not real. Josie is his complete opposite with a runaway bride history still she manages to rope Matthew into a fake engagement. Everything becomes over the top & overwhelming for Josie at every turn but Matthew keeps her centered and he is always there.

Armas also includes past character from her other books - I was excited to see Adalyn & Cameron make another appearance. I definitely know I will be reading this book again!

This book- I absolutely loved it! When a small-town girl's life is turned upside down, everything changes. She's been engaged and called it off multiple times, and now she's the daughter of one of the most powerful and wealthy men in the country. What's her next move? To find a pretend fiancee of course!

I laughed, I cried, I loved the tight small-town vibes and the real love that was shown between the two main characters. This is a hidden gem!

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I LOVED this book. Elena Armas' writing has always been one of my favorites, and this one did not disappoint. The Long Game was such a good book that I was nervous that the second in the series wouldn't be as good, but I was wrong. As much as I loved Cam, I LOVE Matthew. I loved how their relationship developed throughout the book, but you could tell there was a little something from the moment they laid eyes on each other. I need more of Matthew and Josie because I am not done loving the two of them.

Read if you like:
- Fake engagement
- He falls first and harder
- No third-act breakup
- Found family

DNF

I couldn't with this book. I got about halfway before I gave up. I've read The Spanish Love Deception (3.5 stars) and liked it okay, thought the The American Roommate Experiment was not quite as good (3 stars), and I hadn't gotten about to The Long Game yet, but I thought I'd enjoyed Armas's earlier books and figured this was worth a shot. I gathered the plot of The Long Game so I don't think not having read that book was an issue for The Fiance Dilemma, but this book read like a slapstick novel. Everyone is a caricature (Bobbi Shark? really?), including the FMC and MMC. FMC is from a small town - so small she barely knows how to use an iPad! I found a lot of the character details really hard to believe. I have so many questions -- How has the FMC been engaged so many times and she's not even 30? Why on earth would the MMC agree to a fake engagement with someone he's never met? Why are they trying to get married in 2 months? The reason they have to keep this charade going is so they don't upset the town - but they will anyway because 1) she's been engaged 5 times already and 2) they're not planning to go through with a wedding anyway - makes zero sense to me. So, for many reasons, I bowed out without finishing.

I...am....in awe. I feel like I am about to implode with all of the emotions I have swirling inside me right now. I think I will forever be a Josie enthusiast 😊and Matthew? God all I can say is 😮‍💨. That man is perfect. I was literally writing down notes about how this man is literally giving me more standards that I thought possible.

I love Elena Armas with alllll of my might so it's no surprise that this book left me speechless. Man does this woman know how to write a slow-burn and some angst. On the bright side I didn't feel as angsty as I did when reading The Spanish Love Deception (don't get me wrong I LOVE angst, but I felt like I was dying with euphoria when reading Lina and Aaron's first kiss scene). Anyways, that's not to say that Josie and Matthew's first time didn't leave my jaw on the fucking floor (it was).

This book is now going to be forever engraved in my mind and not just because it has a happy ending (which I love because I am also a hopeless romantic), but because this may be one of the first books I've read where they didn't get married or feel the need to (actually I lied the second book if I'm accurate). I loved that. It made me feel that much closer to the characters and now I'm head over heels for more fictional characters I cannot have in real life 😭.

Now if this wasn't a clue to read this book IMMEDIATELY, please go get your eyes checked and read this again.

"The Fiancé Dilemma" by Elena Armas is a captivating romance that blends tension and tenderness in perfect measure. Armas crafts a compelling narrative with well-rounded characters, especially the dynamic between Josie and Matthew, whose chemistry is palpable from their first interaction. Their witty banter and heartfelt moments add depth to their relationship. This book is a delightful escape and a must-read for romance fans (as are all of Elena Armas’s books)!

Josie was brought up by a single mother and only recently learned about her father, Andrew. Andrew is wealthy and there is interest in writing a book about him. In doing so he would be exposing Josie to the press. Josie has had 4 failed engagements. Matthew is the best friend of her sister. He shows up in town the same time as the PR strategist for Andrew is on her porch. There is a podcast crew who is following Andrew and is now interested in Josie. In hopes of taking the pressure of her failed engagements off her, she spots Matthew and introduces him as her fiancé. Matthew accepts his new role and plays a convincing boyfriend. This book is a lot of fun. I loved how Matthew knew exactly what Josie needed and was there for her. I enjoyed watching their relationship flourish. Josie had a lot of people who cared for her, and her sister and her boyfriend added a lot to the story. Great characters, lots of humor and love.

Thank you to NetGalley for this arc. I usually love a fake dating storyline but this one wasn’t for me. It made no sense to me why Matthew would go along with pretending to be engaged to Josie. They knew of each other but were basically strangers. Matthew seemed to develop strong feelings for Josie quickly which also didn’t make sense because they hardly spent time together aside from when they were doing things for the publicity stunt. I found myself bored with the story and not caring what happened.