I thoroughly enjoyed "The Fiancé Dilemma" by Elena Armas. The story jumps quickly into the plot, which initially felt rushed but ultimately worked well with the book’s premise. The main characters, Josie and Matthew, are exceptionally lovable, and their chemistry makes it hard to put the book down.

Elena Armas excels at creating endearing male characters, and Matthew is no exception. His sweet and gradually revealed affection for Josie is delightful to witness. The book’s focus on the main couple keeps the romance at the forefront, allowing for a deep connection with their story.

The slow burn romance is perfectly executed, building just the right amount of tension and anticipation. This pacing cranks up the butterflies, keeping readers invested in the unfolding romance. Elena Armas never misses with her portrayal of romantic tension, and "The Fiancé Dilemma" is no exception.

It's a book that will make you smile, swoon, and perhaps even shed a tear. If you're a fan of heartfelt romance with a touch of drama, this book has all the ingredients for a perfect love story.

I thought this was great. It had all the ingredients for a perfect romance books. The characters had a good amount of development there were so many good scenes (I especially love a “they’re the only person I need right now” vibe) and of course, a grand love confession. The premise wasn’t anything new and I do wish we had some more closure on Josie’s issues but overall it wasn’t bad. It took a long time to figure out why Matthew just agreed to it, there wasn’t really anything in it for him but throughout the book it makes more sense. This book really stayed focus on the couple and there wasn’t too too much about the side characters which was good, though I don’t mind either way. I think if you’re connected to the main characters this book definitely has 5 star potential.

Book 56 of 2024.
[RomCom/ARC]
⭐️⭐️⭐️
Read this book if Runaway Bride with Julia Roberts was it for you, if you believe in countless chances, or just need a happy ending.

I LOVED THIS! Right from that dedication, I knew that this book was gonna be special to me. Josie felt just like me and Matthew was my dream guy FR! The whole thing had a very slow burn feel that was just perfect! Elena Armas never misses, TRULY.

This is what you call a sloooow burn. It gets there eventually but there were times that I found myself reading faster to push through the slow parts. I do love Elena's writing style but this one was a tad bit slower than normal. I will say the cover is beautiful as her covers usually are.

Mathew himself caused me to add a star. I went through all the emotions while getting to know him and let me just say- yes. In every aspect, yes. He is probably my favorite 'book boyfriend' at this time. His personality and how sweet he is!

ARC kindly provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Elena Armas does an amazing job of writing men who are smitten with their women, and she has done it again with Matthew. It is so incredibly clear that he is head over heels for Josie from the very beginning, but not in a boring or predictable way. It is a delight to see him slowly revealing more and more of himself to Josie as their fake engagement progresses. I also greatly appreciated the slow burn. Sometimes a good slow burn is just what you need to crank up the butterflies in a book, and this book delivered on the butterflies!

My one complaint about the book was that I found myself getting confused with the side characters. I recognize that this might 100% be my problem rather than a writing issue.

This was a very cute and fun read! I read the long game right before it so it was fun to see all the characters again while still fresh in my mind. Felt like a continuation of the story which I enjoyed. For all of us out there with daddy issues - we’ve all been scared to love and commit so I loved seeing how Matthew continued to stick around for Josie and prove he wouldn’t leave.

Also - who doesn’t love a hot guy in glasses who binges the Bridgerton series and then says he wants to read the series?

How dare you, Elena Armas, for creating a man as amazing as Matthew Flanagan!!!

5 freaking stars⭐, and I can totally say my expectations were met. I adored this book so much 🥹, not only because of the tropes but because Josie and Matthew are the perfect duo you want to read about.

You have Josie, who has had not one but four past engagements 💍 where she always runs away. Her personality is all giddy, happy, and caring—did I mention she's also the mayor of Green Oak? Meanwhile, you have Matthew, who did a pit stop in Green Oak after being fired. On his way to his new temporary home, he bumped into Josie and ended up playing her fiancé. 👩‍❤️‍👨

Matthew Flanagan is all MAN❗. He is blunt, honest, expressive, and tells Josie how it is. I loved Elena's writing because it is told from Josie's POV, and the way her brain goes into a bit of a "spiral" is literally how my brain functions as well. Freaking loved it.

As a "fake" engaged couple, it is hilarious to see them trying to "pretend" when you can practically feel the tension and attraction between them. Also, I'm such a Josie gal and love a man with glasses—gives all those Clark Kent vibes that are NEEDED. They even create "rules," which, trust me when I say, are to swoon over 😏

I can keep on talking about them but then I'll spoil and that's not me, so please for the love of the small town book gods please add this to your tbr/read it 💜 I recommend this book to anyone who loves laughing with witty dialogue, banter, and chemistry. Let's not forget a comforting and honest man 😮‍💨🔥

Thank you, Atria Books and NetGalley, for giving me the opportunity to read this in exchange for my honest review. Also, special shout out to Elena Armas—I literally was DMing her, screaming at all the scenes she put in this book, and she answered back (sorry, ily).

Tropes: ✨
💜Engagement of Convenience
💜Small Town
💜Witty Banter
💜He Falls First-ish
💜Strangers to Lovers (they texted in a group chat but never met in person)

Elena’s books are cute and fun reads, but there is not much depth to the characters/plots. I usually prefer when there is a bit more substance but if you are looking for a light, fun, beach read definitely add this to your list.

I enjoyed the setting of this series in a small town in the US, I just wish that Matthew and Josie had a bit more depth. I also thought the dialogue was sometimes cringy.

I still did enjoy this book, but I wish it was a bit more developed. 3.5 Stars. Thank you to NetGalley and Atria for the ARC!

The Fiancé Dilemma by Elena Armas is about a small-town mayor named Josie who in order to save a PR scandal her father is going through, must fake an engagement with her sister’s best friend, Matthew.

I am a huge fan of Elena Armas and this book was no different. While the FMC got a little quirky sometimes for my liking, and I think all the children in this universe’s dialogue is a little unrealistic, I still REALLY enjoyed and loved this book.

I really liked watching Josie and Matthew’s story unfold. It seemed like such a breath of fresh air to have such an emotionally intelligent MMC, who you could truly tell just wanted the best for his FMC. The small town dynamics of Green Oak were also incredibly, and I loved the little gossip and nosy neighbors!

This one was a SLOOOOW burn and I was felt like I was being suffocated waited for these two to kiss!!!

All in all, to no surprise to me - Elena Armas wrote another INCREDIBLE book!!!

I received an ARC of this book through NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I have not a read an Elena Armas book that I have not loved. The France Dilemma is a fun and easy read. I flew through the story and loved every minute of it.

This story was set in a small town where everyone knew everyone's business, which means the tea is always piping hot.
Josie, our FMC, is a small-town girl who didn’t know she was the daughter to a well-known multimillionaire. This has led to her personal business now being discussed in a much bigger scale - a well known podcast - specifically that she has been engaged numerous times and that she has ran off each time. What is her dad's PA's solution to this? Fast track a wedding in a couple of months because she saw Josie wearing an engagement ring. Josie is quirky, loving, and loyal to those she cares about, but almost to a fault. She has a difficult time standing up for herself. This is where Matthew comes in - her half sister's best friend. I really liked Matthew. He was funny and charismatic, but also didn't take shit from anyone. I especially loved how much he stood up for Josie and helped her see that she was worth it. He also quickly meld into her world, which is a green flag.

"Beautiful things shouldn't be boxed. It eventually dims their light."
"I'm not busy," he said. "I'm never too busy for important things."

I've said this in other reviews, but I truly appreciate when a relationship is complete fleshed out and you can see that characters getting to know each other and falling in love. This story is more of a slow burn, but in the best way possible.

Meet cute that appears to be part of a series. Enjoyed the story of two people destined for each other but fumbling the arrival. The story line surrounding Andrew reclaiming his love child needs a bit more fleshing out but it’s probably in a prior novel that I might go check out. Cute. Each read with some hot and spicy scenes.

Thank you NetGalley and Elena Armas for this ARC!! This book is from the same series as the long game. I didn’t know what to expect but anytime there’s a fake dating trope or marriage of convenience chances are I’m all over it!! I enjoyed this one way more than the first. I still enjoyed the backdrop of the town and all its ancillary characters like Maria, moe, and all the farm animals. The burn was reallll slow but when it hit 😮‍💨 so good. I wish we got more on Josie being a 4x runaway bride and tidbits of why the others didn’t happen. Either way, fifth times a charm! Matthew was such a golden retriever and I love how fiercely overprotective he was of Josie. Overall super cute and I love these small town vibes.

Thank you the Net galley and the publisher for letting me read an ARC of The Fiancé Dilemma!
I flew through this book, and for the most part, had a great time reading it.
I will say, I found myself cringing at a few of Josie’s lines at times…
Another thing that I didn’t absolutely love was just the fact that some plot points seemed a bit underdeveloped. I would’ve loved to dive a bit deeper into Josie and Matthew as individuals. Also, I would’ve loved more interactions between Josie and her father. It felt a bit untouched.
I loved how Matthew and Josie had a history that Josie didn’t even know about…it’s giving invisible string!!

I will say that I find Elena’s books quite cute and fun to read, but there’s not a whole lot of depth to these novels. I prefer when there’s a bit more substance but if you’re looking for a light, fun summer read definitely add this to your list.

I really like the setting of this series in a small town in the US, and Josie was one of my favourites from The Long Game so I was happy that she got her character arc in this book. I just wish that Matthew had a bit more depth to him. I felt like, he was way too inclined to help Josie from the start with no real reason to do so. From a reality standpoint when would a guy agree to pretend to be engaged to someone that they’ve never met before?

I still did enjoy this book, but I wish it was a bit more sophisticated. Thank you to NetGalley and Atria for the ARC!

Wow. I absolutely loved this one.

“I’m not choosing her over something else. I can’t because there was never a choice. I don’t give a shit how corny or cliché this sounds, but I knew when I saw her, and I know now more than ever before. I don’t need her to walk down an aisle, wear my ring, or sign her name on a dotted line. She’s my happy. The rest is only important when you need it and everyone should fucking know that.“

Matthew is a great leading man. He’s funny, charismatic, and doesn’t take shit. I feel like she did a better job developing Josie and Matthew’s relationship than Adalyn and Cam’s. I also loved the podcast excerpts…thought that was a creative track to weave into the story. There was a little bit missing in terms of the development of Matthew’s family relationships (it was kind of like yep, we are coming to your wedding but when it came to telling them the truth about how events unfolded, how it was written was just “shrug, they were fine with it and gave them a day of space.” Other than feeling as if a couple of scenes had been left out (with his family and Adalyn’s primary mention was just of her crying,) this book was so fun. I loved their relationship and I loved Josie’s character in the first book and the bath scene, phew, that bathroom got steamy! And the tie in of Adalyn sending the soulmate text…I loved the little threads like that woven through this book. Well done, Elena!

I was given this ARC by Atria Books in exchange for an honest review!

4.5 stars! This is my favorite Elena Armas book since The Spanish Love Deception. Can we talk about how swoony Matthew is?!? He's the blueprint by which all book boyfriends should be drawn. I just wish we had more of his POV!! I don't enjoy one person POV. I want to know his thoughts about the journey these characters are on as well. This book is part of a series with The Long Game, but you don't have to read that one to understand this one. I do think it would be helpful though since it's set in the same town and many of the characters are in both. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the arc in exchange for my review.

Very rarely do I simp for a blonde man, but wow, Matthew Flanagan was sickeningly sweet and also surprisingly spicy. I love Elena Armas’ writing because it feels mature and the characters are self reflective.

WOW this was so good. Fake dating/engagement is one of my all time favorite tropes and it was done so well in this book, I was genuinely giggling and kicking my feet at the chemistry between Josie & Matthew. I never thought I'd see the day that a blonde male mc did it for me but I fear that has changed. Matthew...the man that you are...I need him in a way that's concerning. The amount of times I had to stop reading because I was blushing at the things he was saying to Josie!! He knows exactly what to say and do and how to act and protect Josie in all situations. I genuinely think this may be Elena's best book boyfriend yet (Lucas I'm sorry I still love you). While I've always loved Elena's writing style, it feels like she really knows what she was doing when writing this. I could definitely feel like chemistry and love between these characters much more than in book 1. This was so fun & sweet & easy to read & I hope this book gets the hype it so deserves!
Thank you NetGalley for blessing me with this arc, I don't know what I did to deserve it but I will forever be in your debt!

Is it just me, or did Elena Armas just plagiarize herself? I know romance and thrillers are among the most formulaic genres out there, but damn. If you loved Spanish Love Deception, you'll love The Fiance Dilemma because it's basically the main elements of what I recall from that plot of SLD, but set in the same universe as The Long Game.

Also, as bunt as this may be, if one doesn't call the "plot twist" with Adalyn from the very beginning, you obviously haven't been around enough people in the same situation. In that respect, everyone in this book was a flipping idiot for not putting it together sooner.

Thanks, NG.