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Green Oak #2
The Fiancé Dilemma
Josie Moore has given the opposite sex—and love—plenty of chances. Four exactly, if you count all her failed engagements, and five if you include the absentee father who kept her existence a secret until very recently. So when her father decides to announce his retirement with a splashy magazine piece about the family, Josie realizes her romantic history is a complicated PR issue.
Matthew Flanagan is in the mud, literally. Not only has he been fired from his job, but also the tires of his car are stuck in the muck after taking a wrong turn as he enters Green Oak, North Carolina. So, he grabs a duffel with his essentials and goes in search of a place to crash until he gets his life back on track. But instead, he finds his best friend’s sister, Josie, greeting him as her fiancé.
What starts as a big messy misunderstanding quickly turns into an arrangement with Matthew playing a new role as doting fiancé. A fifth engagement—and a stunt, at that—makes Josie’s stomach turn, but every dilemma requires a choice between equally undesirable alternatives, and Matthew doesn’t seem to mind becoming one more number in a colorful list of grooms-that-never-were. Despite the ring on her finger, Josie knows this is only temporary, even if the rest of the small town believes that the fifth time’s the charm.
Matthew Flanagan is in the mud, literally. Not only has he been fired from his job, but also the tires of his car are stuck in the muck after taking a wrong turn as he enters Green Oak, North Carolina. So, he grabs a duffel with his essentials and goes in search of a place to crash until he gets his life back on track. But instead, he finds his best friend’s sister, Josie, greeting him as her fiancé.
What starts as a big messy misunderstanding quickly turns into an arrangement with Matthew playing a new role as doting fiancé. A fifth engagement—and a stunt, at that—makes Josie’s stomach turn, but every dilemma requires a choice between equally undesirable alternatives, and Matthew doesn’t seem to mind becoming one more number in a colorful list of grooms-that-never-were. Despite the ring on her finger, Josie knows this is only temporary, even if the rest of the small town believes that the fifth time’s the charm.
428 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 30, 2024
2224 people are currently reading
55422 people want to read
About the author
Elena Armas
9 books30.5k followersElena is a Spanish writer, a self confessed hopeless romantic and a proud book hoarder. Now, she's also the author of International bestseller and soon to be adapted to film The Spanish Love Deception; and instant New York Times bestsellers The American Roommate Experiment and The Long Game. Her books are being translated to over 30 languages–which is bananas, if you ask her.
She hopes her stories make your heart skip a beat or two, your palms a little sweaty, and your cheeks flush in that rosy pink that makes other people want to peek at the page you are reading.
She hopes her stories make your heart skip a beat or two, your palms a little sweaty, and your cheeks flush in that rosy pink that makes other people want to peek at the page you are reading.
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February 21, 2024hi hello, we have a cover for Josie and Matthew's story and isn't. she. stunning?
THE FIANCÉ DILEMMA (formerly known as The Short List) is a standalone, small town, engagement of convenience romance that will release:
July 30, 2024 US/CA
Aug 6, 2024 UK/AUsNZ
PS: and yes, we're all playing reputation on repeat if that's what you're asking me
PREORDERS ARE LIVE here
The Fiancé Dilemma is a spin-off book in The Long Game universe that can be read individually (although I recommend reading The Long Game first)
THE FIANCÉ DILEMMA (formerly known as The Short List) is a standalone, small town, engagement of convenience romance that will release:
July 30, 2024 US/CA
Aug 6, 2024 UK/AUsNZ
PS: and yes, we're all playing reputation on repeat if that's what you're asking me
PREORDERS ARE LIVE here
The Fiancé Dilemma is a spin-off book in The Long Game universe that can be read individually (although I recommend reading The Long Game first)
August 1, 2024
4.35!
"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.”
A book is bound to be good when its not a victim of the third act break up or miscommunication.
I honestly do not remember what I rated the long game but I don't remember loving it as much as I did because here you get a glimpse of the Elena who wrote 'The Spanish Love' because I read it on a smooth flow like I did the TSLD and I also was able to connect with the characters almost as much as I did with the characters TSLD. I feel like the way everything was written aligned with what Elena wanted to write and that was a thing that I felt missing in her previous two books but SHE IS BACK! I also liked how the tropes complemented each other so well.
The tropes in question:
. Small town
. Slow burn
. Sisters best friend
. Fake dating
Matthew has to be at the top behind Aaron Blackford because he was the perfect embodiment of a shy guy who would kill you if you touched his girl and who also had a dirty mouth. I loved him so much because the way he was the reason for the book being this enjoyable?? I love male leads who are considerate and passionate and actually care, the scene where he tried different nicknames for her to find the perfect one was so funny, he was unnecessarily funny too and I love how he stood up for Josie in front of her dad and Bobby (pr manager). Josie, I am conflicted about her because on one side she makes the books very bright and fun to read but on the other hand her inner monologue gets very annoying and thats the thing with quirky characters who try to be funny.....sometimes they just try too hard but I did like her character, its just that her actions got vexing at times.
The romance was so well done! I think Elena does slow burn such justice and the angst she creates midway with tension and forced proximity is just *chefs kiss* I loved the whole fake dating vibe and the way it progressed. I loved how they both formed a bond so deep that in their darkest moments they held onto each other for support and I loved how refreshing it was to read. The smut wasn't the best but it was hot at times and the pay-off to the slow burn did pay off well. The mouth on that man tho- Armas definitely did not disappoint with the romance part of this book.
The plot was intriguing as well tbh!! I loved the podcast scenes, they were full of juicy drama and bitchy narrators, I loved how the end scene in that room. I also loved how Fake dating played such an important part in this book and it just hit in the right places!! Josie's 4 failed engagement's constantly being brought up gave me the second hand embarrassment tbh lol.
Overall, a very enjoyable read!
__
OMG! OMG! OMGOMGOMG!!! I GOT THE ARC?? I GOT THE FUCKING ARC!! LETS GOOOOO!!
*Thank you to Atria books for giving me an arc of this book*
"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.”
A book is bound to be good when its not a victim of the third act break up or miscommunication.
I honestly do not remember what I rated the long game but I don't remember loving it as much as I did because here you get a glimpse of the Elena who wrote 'The Spanish Love' because I read it on a smooth flow like I did the TSLD and I also was able to connect with the characters almost as much as I did with the characters TSLD. I feel like the way everything was written aligned with what Elena wanted to write and that was a thing that I felt missing in her previous two books but SHE IS BACK! I also liked how the tropes complemented each other so well.
The tropes in question:
. Small town
. Slow burn
. Sisters best friend
. Fake dating
Matthew has to be at the top behind Aaron Blackford because he was the perfect embodiment of a shy guy who would kill you if you touched his girl and who also had a dirty mouth. I loved him so much because the way he was the reason for the book being this enjoyable?? I love male leads who are considerate and passionate and actually care, the scene where he tried different nicknames for her to find the perfect one was so funny, he was unnecessarily funny too and I love how he stood up for Josie in front of her dad and Bobby (pr manager). Josie, I am conflicted about her because on one side she makes the books very bright and fun to read but on the other hand her inner monologue gets very annoying and thats the thing with quirky characters who try to be funny.....sometimes they just try too hard but I did like her character, its just that her actions got vexing at times.
The romance was so well done! I think Elena does slow burn such justice and the angst she creates midway with tension and forced proximity is just *chefs kiss* I loved the whole fake dating vibe and the way it progressed. I loved how they both formed a bond so deep that in their darkest moments they held onto each other for support and I loved how refreshing it was to read. The smut wasn't the best but it was hot at times and the pay-off to the slow burn did pay off well. The mouth on that man tho- Armas definitely did not disappoint with the romance part of this book.
The plot was intriguing as well tbh!! I loved the podcast scenes, they were full of juicy drama and bitchy narrators, I loved how the end scene in that room. I also loved how Fake dating played such an important part in this book and it just hit in the right places!! Josie's 4 failed engagement's constantly being brought up gave me the second hand embarrassment tbh lol.
Overall, a very enjoyable read!
__
OMG! OMG! OMGOMGOMG!!! I GOT THE ARC?? I GOT THE FUCKING ARC!! LETS GOOOOO!!
*Thank you to Atria books for giving me an arc of this book*
May 12, 2024
elena darling, it’s not me it’s you.
i just dont think she’s had a hit since the spanish love deception, and even that was…mid. something about this story was just too convenient? i wanna say? there’s something to be said about romances being formulaic but reading this i could SEE the outline and that took me right tf out.
the fmc (i dont even remember her name) was soooo quirky. oh my lord. like that one millennial tiktok girl to the MAX. i dont like to hate on female characters but honey 😭 what in tarnation
i fear elena’s just done everything by this point, and not very well. but i got the arc and had to give it a shot! that was entirely my mistake 😳
i just dont think she’s had a hit since the spanish love deception, and even that was…mid. something about this story was just too convenient? i wanna say? there’s something to be said about romances being formulaic but reading this i could SEE the outline and that took me right tf out.
the fmc (i dont even remember her name) was soooo quirky. oh my lord. like that one millennial tiktok girl to the MAX. i dont like to hate on female characters but honey 😭 what in tarnation
i fear elena’s just done everything by this point, and not very well. but i got the arc and had to give it a shot! that was entirely my mistake 😳
June 27, 2024
2 stars ★
I enjoyed this book, but it felt so messy. Yes, it has some sweet and funny scenes, which I loved. But besides that? it was disappointing given the incredible tropes this book has and the potential to be so much better.
I really hated how the fmc allowed her father and his PR agent to “dictate” her life so easily and quickly. This girl barely knows her father, and that man has done absolutely nothing for her, not even to get to know her better. She let his PR mess take control over her. She didn’t want to be a burden or a bigger problem for him and his PR mess/reputation, given her reputation of getting engaged and leaving her fiancés at the altar. So, what does she decide to do to improve the situation? duh- getting engaged again knowing she wasn’t going to make it to the wedding. Did she really think this would calm the situation? The joke tells itself.
Also, she kept the rings and wedding dresses from her previous engagements. That was so weird😭 I don't want to judge, but it really seemed like she was collecting fiancés lmao. And there was never any deep reason why she left them. She had daddy issues, she was scared, and… what else? There was no further explanation. Maybe that is the author’s goal? That some fears don’t need to have some deep meaning? I honestly don’t know, but it felt messy and confusing in this book. I understand that the book needed a plot, but… the plot wasn’t plotting. It was lacking and needed more depth and development of everything, including the main characters and the romance. The chemistry and the whole falling in love felt so rushed. This was a slow burn that somehow took them about two months to realize they were each other soulmates. Huh? No further comments.
────── ⋆⋅💐⋅⋆ ──────
Anyways💜🦋 thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for providing me with an arc in exchange for an honest review! <3
────── ⋆⋅💐⋅⋆ ──────
˚˖𓍢ִ໋💐 ·˚ pre-read ˚ · small town and fake engagement? I'm so ready for it✨
❥𝓜𝔂 𝓽𝓱𝓸𝓾𝓰𝓱𝓽𝓼💭 ˖⁺. ༶ ⋆˙⊹
I enjoyed this book, but it felt so messy. Yes, it has some sweet and funny scenes, which I loved. But besides that? it was disappointing given the incredible tropes this book has and the potential to be so much better.
I really hated how the fmc allowed her father and his PR agent to “dictate” her life so easily and quickly. This girl barely knows her father, and that man has done absolutely nothing for her, not even to get to know her better. She let his PR mess take control over her. She didn’t want to be a burden or a bigger problem for him and his PR mess/reputation, given her reputation of getting engaged and leaving her fiancés at the altar. So, what does she decide to do to improve the situation? duh- getting engaged again knowing she wasn’t going to make it to the wedding. Did she really think this would calm the situation? The joke tells itself.
Also, she kept the rings and wedding dresses from her previous engagements. That was so weird😭 I don't want to judge, but it really seemed like she was collecting fiancés lmao. And there was never any deep reason why she left them. She had daddy issues, she was scared, and… what else? There was no further explanation. Maybe that is the author’s goal? That some fears don’t need to have some deep meaning? I honestly don’t know, but it felt messy and confusing in this book. I understand that the book needed a plot, but… the plot wasn’t plotting. It was lacking and needed more depth and development of everything, including the main characters and the romance. The chemistry and the whole falling in love felt so rushed. This was a slow burn that somehow took them about two months to realize they were each other soulmates. Huh? No further comments.
────── ⋆⋅💐⋅⋆ ──────
Anyways💜🦋 thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for providing me with an arc in exchange for an honest review! <3
────── ⋆⋅💐⋅⋆ ──────
˚˖𓍢ִ໋💐 ·˚ pre-read ˚ · small town and fake engagement? I'm so ready for it✨
June 20, 2024
4.5 stars
𓏲 he fall first and harder
𓏲 no third act breakup
𓏲 sister’s bestfriend
𓏲 fake dating
𓏲 small town
𓏲 slowburn
upon completing this book, I am convinced that Elena Armas is preferably suited to author slow-burning narratives through a single perspective. this writing pattern was similarly employed in her debut novel 'The Spanish Love Deception', which remains my benchmark for this author’s work. and i’m glad to declare that 'The Fiancé Dilemma' has come close to surpassing it.
I was utterly enchanted by the fresh and inviting atmosphere of Green Oaks, which was skillfully rekindled from the previous book in the series. I delighted in revisiting the charming small town, where a strong sense of community and family permeated every aspect of its residents' interactions. the way everyone looked out for one another, with a warmth and loyalty that bordered on familial, was truly heartwarming. moreover, I loved reconnecting with some of the beloved characters and youngsters introduced in the first book, whose return added an extra layer of depth and nostalgia to the storytelling.
Josie, the female protagonist, shone with a radiant warmth and resilience, bravely navigating the numerous obstacles she faced, a true ray of sunshine despite the heartbreaking loses and challenge she went through. her bond with her self-proclaimed 'grandpa' Mo was particularly endearing. Matthew, the male lead, embodied the perfect blend of protective instincts and hidden depths, his public persona as a golden retriever-like hero expertly masking a more complex and layered personality behind closed doors. I was especially enamored with the contrasting facets of his character, as his tender lover's heart was juxtaposed with a more seductive and spicy side.
the plot-line was sculpted around the good ol’ fake dating arc with a palpable chemistry masterfully interwoven into the fabric of the story ricocheting between Matthew and Josie. i particularly appreciated how the bond was thoughtfully crafted and nuanced with their hilarious camaraderie, brilliant repartee and fire banter, making it easy to overlook the fact that everything was, in fact, a cleverly crafted act. a charade. all in all, it was a surprisingly fun and heartwarming read.
many thanks to NetGalley and the author, publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
———-
got the arc 🥳 hopefully it’s better than the previous book
“beautiful things shouldn’t be boxed. It eventually dims their light.”
𓏲 he fall first and harder
𓏲 no third act breakup
𓏲 sister’s bestfriend
𓏲 fake dating
𓏲 small town
𓏲 slowburn
upon completing this book, I am convinced that Elena Armas is preferably suited to author slow-burning narratives through a single perspective. this writing pattern was similarly employed in her debut novel 'The Spanish Love Deception', which remains my benchmark for this author’s work. and i’m glad to declare that 'The Fiancé Dilemma' has come close to surpassing it.
“rough is good. It feels good. you’re perfect.” “wrong.” He swatted at my ass. “I’m perfect for you.”
I was utterly enchanted by the fresh and inviting atmosphere of Green Oaks, which was skillfully rekindled from the previous book in the series. I delighted in revisiting the charming small town, where a strong sense of community and family permeated every aspect of its residents' interactions. the way everyone looked out for one another, with a warmth and loyalty that bordered on familial, was truly heartwarming. moreover, I loved reconnecting with some of the beloved characters and youngsters introduced in the first book, whose return added an extra layer of depth and nostalgia to the storytelling.
“and that’s because you’re in it. that’s because it’s you. pnly you. I don’t care about firsts when I have you.”
Josie, the female protagonist, shone with a radiant warmth and resilience, bravely navigating the numerous obstacles she faced, a true ray of sunshine despite the heartbreaking loses and challenge she went through. her bond with her self-proclaimed 'grandpa' Mo was particularly endearing. Matthew, the male lead, embodied the perfect blend of protective instincts and hidden depths, his public persona as a golden retriever-like hero expertly masking a more complex and layered personality behind closed doors. I was especially enamored with the contrasting facets of his character, as his tender lover's heart was juxtaposed with a more seductive and spicy side.
”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.”
the plot-line was sculpted around the good ol’ fake dating arc with a palpable chemistry masterfully interwoven into the fabric of the story ricocheting between Matthew and Josie. i particularly appreciated how the bond was thoughtfully crafted and nuanced with their hilarious camaraderie, brilliant repartee and fire banter, making it easy to overlook the fact that everything was, in fact, a cleverly crafted act. a charade. all in all, it was a surprisingly fun and heartwarming read.
many thanks to NetGalley and the author, publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
———-
got the arc 🥳 hopefully it’s better than the previous book
June 25, 2024
"To my readers(yes you. Hi, babe) Your expectations are not impossibly high. Never let anyone make you belive you're asking for too much."
I knew by reading this dedication I was going to love this book🥹🥹
Before I get into this review I want to say I did not love The Long Game and thought the American Roomate Experiment was just okayyyy. However, this book was a masterpiece and I believe it is Armas's best work.
Tropes& What to Expect
💜sister's best friend
💜sloowwww burn
💜small town romace
💜golden retriever MMC with a filthy mouth
💜he falls first and HARDER
💜where's my fiance
💜runaway bride
💜cute nicknames
💜HEA
"You're not running, Josie. I'm not them, I'm not anyone. I'm not fucking letting you go."
Josie is such an extremely likeable heroine. Shes funny, caring, quirky and just wants to be loved.. She has daddy issues which I could relate to and she just deserves the world🥹. She's the mayor of her small town and is always making sure the people are taken care of including her grandfather Mo who is hilarious😂
Matthew the MMC was such a sweetheart I loved how he stood up for Josie at all times and put her first. He was patient with her and never once rushed her. He gave major golden retriever energy and was such a sweetheart. I loved the nicknames and his playfulness. But don't let this sweet man fool you he is possessive and did not play at all when it comes to our girl. Also I’m so glad we have a blonde MMC!! I love a dark haired MMC but it’s getting tiring 😫 so thank you armas for the originality
"I can't decide how I want to have you." His voice strained. "Eat you. Fuck you against this wall. Have you ride my face. Take you on the bed. Fill that tub up and beg you to let me come all over your back."
The spice was SPICING🥵🤪😮💨. It was written so perfectly. The dirty talking, the buildup everything was perfection!!!
The ending...omggg!!!!!! I was curious how it would end but it was the perfect ending. Im not spoiling anything just know it came together in the best way 🥹🥹 I'm so happy I got the chance to read this early as an arc. I would definitely be buying a copy.
Before I get into this review I want to say I did not love The Long Game and thought the American Roomate Experiment was just okayyyy. However, this book was a masterpiece and I believe it is Armas's best work.
Tropes& What to Expect
💜sister's best friend
💜sloowwww burn
💜small town romace
💜golden retriever MMC with a filthy mouth
💜he falls first and HARDER
💜where's my fiance
💜runaway bride
💜cute nicknames
💜HEA
"You're not running, Josie. I'm not them, I'm not anyone. I'm not fucking letting you go."
Josie is such an extremely likeable heroine. Shes funny, caring, quirky and just wants to be loved.. She has daddy issues which I could relate to and she just deserves the world🥹. She's the mayor of her small town and is always making sure the people are taken care of including her grandfather Mo who is hilarious😂
Matthew the MMC was such a sweetheart I loved how he stood up for Josie at all times and put her first. He was patient with her and never once rushed her. He gave major golden retriever energy and was such a sweetheart. I loved the nicknames and his playfulness. But don't let this sweet man fool you he is possessive and did not play at all when it comes to our girl. Also I’m so glad we have a blonde MMC!! I love a dark haired MMC but it’s getting tiring 😫 so thank you armas for the originality
"I can't decide how I want to have you." His voice strained. "Eat you. Fuck you against this wall. Have you ride my face. Take you on the bed. Fill that tub up and beg you to let me come all over your back."
The spice was SPICING🥵🤪😮💨. It was written so perfectly. The dirty talking, the buildup everything was perfection!!!
The ending...omggg!!!!!! I was curious how it would end but it was the perfect ending. Im not spoiling anything just know it came together in the best way 🥹🥹 I'm so happy I got the chance to read this early as an arc. I would definitely be buying a copy.
August 7, 2024
When a fake engagement becomes a long love story that truly will swoon you and melt you away, wanting more of Matthew Flanagan...
How do I start this review? By saying how OBSSESED I am with Matthew Flanagan? And by ending it by saying that I am ADDICTED with Matthew Flanagan? Yup! That's what's going to happen. Because this man... **sighs** he knows. HE KNOWS how to make a girl feel special. He knows how to love, how to adore, how to protect, and most of all; how to be present for Josie. Matthew is the epitome of the perfect man that will emotionally understand you and know when you are needed, even when you think you don't need him. Which is why his persona is such a beautiful balance to Josie's chaotic, yet minimal life.
The sweet next door, small town girl that is a coffee shop owner, and the town mayor comes to life in this sequel. She was already a staple in The Long Game, but as the main character of her own book, she knows how to shine. Even when she doesn't think she is the main character and deserves all that the world can give her, Matthew comes along and makes her flutter and fly;
Matthew comes along like a force to be reckoned with to save the day for Josie when she is in a time of need and desperation. And what a swoon way does he swoop in. With all his charm and... **glasses** and his smirks, and his **glasses**... OH! And how can I forget his lovable presence, and his **glasses**. Have I gotten by point across? If not then just know that as much as Josie literally becomes speechless at the presence of Mathew wearing his glasses, my eyes spark heart emojis at his fictional presence. Matthew has known from the very first knowledge of Josie, that there was something about her that was going to end him;
Elena has written some incredible, drool worthy romances that's for sure. But this story... it hits it you right in the feels. It punches right in the gut. It knocks you right in the head. All body parts are far gone with how much magic and true love there is between Josie & Matthew. And the more beautiful part about this angst of a novel, is how breath taking each and every interaction Josie has with Matthew, how she is vulnerable about many things but at the same time is head strong and determined to fix things for other people and their reputations with no repercussion as to how it might affect her heart. And after having four engagements that truly, both on paper and off paper did not suit her, this fake engagement with Matthew draws a fine line of what is real and what is not. But no matter what happens, Josie learns that her emotions are true about Mathew;
My new found love for Matthew is one that will forever be engraved into my heart. He is the type of character that truly knows how to make a reader's heart flutter. And Elena has truly done the reader's justice because Matthew and Josie have this palpable chemistry that makes the heat curl from your toes to your head. With every scorching glance and minimal touch, with every smile and every heated commotion; Josie & Matthew are the it couple that truly defines the real meaning of "romance".
Elena, you already know that I am proud of you, my darling. Y ese orgullo nunca se disminuirá. Your writing will forever embark into being part of my life as much as our friendship. And I am not going anymore young lady, so be ready to be stuck with me for a long time. And be prepared to keep writing these fantastic and magical stories of yours that will never stop shining through every word and every page ♡
ARC kindly provided by my bestie Elena in exchange for an honest review...
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How do I start this review? By saying how OBSSESED I am with Matthew Flanagan? And by ending it by saying that I am ADDICTED with Matthew Flanagan? Yup! That's what's going to happen. Because this man... **sighs** he knows. HE KNOWS how to make a girl feel special. He knows how to love, how to adore, how to protect, and most of all; how to be present for Josie. Matthew is the epitome of the perfect man that will emotionally understand you and know when you are needed, even when you think you don't need him. Which is why his persona is such a beautiful balance to Josie's chaotic, yet minimal life.
The sweet next door, small town girl that is a coffee shop owner, and the town mayor comes to life in this sequel. She was already a staple in The Long Game, but as the main character of her own book, she knows how to shine. Even when she doesn't think she is the main character and deserves all that the world can give her, Matthew comes along and makes her flutter and fly;
"Beautiful things shouldn't be boxed. It eventually dims their light..."
Matthew comes along like a force to be reckoned with to save the day for Josie when she is in a time of need and desperation. And what a swoon way does he swoop in. With all his charm and... **glasses** and his smirks, and his **glasses**... OH! And how can I forget his lovable presence, and his **glasses**. Have I gotten by point across? If not then just know that as much as Josie literally becomes speechless at the presence of Mathew wearing his glasses, my eyes spark heart emojis at his fictional presence. Matthew has known from the very first knowledge of Josie, that there was something about her that was going to end him;
"Josie had always been technicolor in my head. Not white..."
Elena has written some incredible, drool worthy romances that's for sure. But this story... it hits it you right in the feels. It punches right in the gut. It knocks you right in the head. All body parts are far gone with how much magic and true love there is between Josie & Matthew. And the more beautiful part about this angst of a novel, is how breath taking each and every interaction Josie has with Matthew, how she is vulnerable about many things but at the same time is head strong and determined to fix things for other people and their reputations with no repercussion as to how it might affect her heart. And after having four engagements that truly, both on paper and off paper did not suit her, this fake engagement with Matthew draws a fine line of what is real and what is not. But no matter what happens, Josie learns that her emotions are true about Mathew;
"I knew in that moment. I simply knew. I'd never wanted a smile—a man— more than I did him. I'd never loved like I did him..."
My new found love for Matthew is one that will forever be engraved into my heart. He is the type of character that truly knows how to make a reader's heart flutter. And Elena has truly done the reader's justice because Matthew and Josie have this palpable chemistry that makes the heat curl from your toes to your head. With every scorching glance and minimal touch, with every smile and every heated commotion; Josie & Matthew are the it couple that truly defines the real meaning of "romance".
Elena, you already know that I am proud of you, my darling. Y ese orgullo nunca se disminuirá. Your writing will forever embark into being part of my life as much as our friendship. And I am not going anymore young lady, so be ready to be stuck with me for a long time. And be prepared to keep writing these fantastic and magical stories of yours that will never stop shining through every word and every page ♡
ARC kindly provided by my bestie Elena in exchange for an honest review...
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November 23, 2024
╰┈➤ 3 stars!
oh my gosh, i’m so thankful that this book turned out to be so much better than the first one! although it took me longer than usual to finish it, but it was still a good read!!
౨ৎ josie. this woman had been misunderstood for the longest time because of her history with her fiancés, but let me tell you that those men didn’t have what it takes to be her husband! josie is the type of character who’s extremely amazing! she’s very specific with the things she likes and i loved that she wasn’t scared to say it to matthew. she knew it herself that she’d been on autopilot ever since she lost her mom, but matthew found her. she found the peace she needed with him, even without marriage.
౨ৎ matthew. i’d honestly freak out if a man was as straightforward as this character, but maybe it’s just what i need as well. having this man, who doesn’t usually beat around the bush, and just straight up say what you need to hear is indeed a blessing. he’s very considerate and sweet, always asking about josie’s thoughts about things, and call her all sorts of endearment that just makes my tummy whirl with so much butterflies. he remembers the tiny details about what they’ve talked about, tell me if that doesn’t make you swoon! it’s all about the tiny details, and this man perused everything about her.
overall, i loved how this book didn’t focus on the fact that happy endings are supposed to end with marriage. sometimes, it’s just about having each other and knowing that you love the other person with your whole heart. this series just falls in between good or bad. it wasn’t the greatest, but i wouldn’t say that i wasted my time reading it.
౨ৎ favorite lines/quotes:
“Oversharing was one of my love languages.”
“I could still do a little better. A little more. If you need me to.”
“Maybe I would help any stranger. But it’s you I’m going this far for. It’s you. Josie.”
“Beautiful things shouldn’t be boxed. It eventually dims their light.”
“We don’t just kiss if we must, from now on. I kiss you. I kiss you like I’ve wanted to do for weeks now. Not because we have to, but because I fucking need to.”
“This moment, right here, right now, is perfect for me. And that’s because you’re in it. That’s because it’s you. Only you. I don’t care about firsts when I have you.”
“Perhaps to love was to leave a mark.”
“It was the start of a life, with her.”
“I knew in that moment. I simply knew. I’d never wanted a smile—a man—more than I did him. I’d never loved like I did him.”
oh my gosh, i’m so thankful that this book turned out to be so much better than the first one! although it took me longer than usual to finish it, but it was still a good read!!
౨ৎ josie. this woman had been misunderstood for the longest time because of her history with her fiancés, but let me tell you that those men didn’t have what it takes to be her husband! josie is the type of character who’s extremely amazing! she’s very specific with the things she likes and i loved that she wasn’t scared to say it to matthew. she knew it herself that she’d been on autopilot ever since she lost her mom, but matthew found her. she found the peace she needed with him, even without marriage.
౨ৎ matthew. i’d honestly freak out if a man was as straightforward as this character, but maybe it’s just what i need as well. having this man, who doesn’t usually beat around the bush, and just straight up say what you need to hear is indeed a blessing. he’s very considerate and sweet, always asking about josie’s thoughts about things, and call her all sorts of endearment that just makes my tummy whirl with so much butterflies. he remembers the tiny details about what they’ve talked about, tell me if that doesn’t make you swoon! it’s all about the tiny details, and this man perused everything about her.
overall, i loved how this book didn’t focus on the fact that happy endings are supposed to end with marriage. sometimes, it’s just about having each other and knowing that you love the other person with your whole heart. this series just falls in between good or bad. it wasn’t the greatest, but i wouldn’t say that i wasted my time reading it.
౨ৎ favorite lines/quotes:
“Oversharing was one of my love languages.”
“I could still do a little better. A little more. If you need me to.”
“Maybe I would help any stranger. But it’s you I’m going this far for. It’s you. Josie.”
“Beautiful things shouldn’t be boxed. It eventually dims their light.”
“We don’t just kiss if we must, from now on. I kiss you. I kiss you like I’ve wanted to do for weeks now. Not because we have to, but because I fucking need to.”
“This moment, right here, right now, is perfect for me. And that’s because you’re in it. That’s because it’s you. Only you. I don’t care about firsts when I have you.”
“Perhaps to love was to leave a mark.”
“It was the start of a life, with her.”
August 29, 2025
3.75 stars
I enjoyed this one overall, but I had a real problem with the beginning.
The inciting incident for this whole story really didn't sit well with me. There's no reason Josie should feel any sort of pressure to become a pawn to fix her father's (using that term loosely) PR issues. She has had almost 0 contact with him and doesn't really have any big feelings on him one way or another so why jump through all these hoops for a man you haven't even met in person?
And then Bobbi was an uber bitch. Josie was by no means a push over so I don't know why she didn't tell her to politely fuck off almost immediately. She didn't have a problem doing that with anyone else.
But if I could remove the beginning and just get the parts with Josie and Matthew navigating a fake engagement, I would have been much happier. I really liked both of them, though Josie's quirkiness took a little getting used to. And Matthew was 😍😍
Also loved the ending and how everything resolved. So I would still recommend but wish some parts would have been put together better.
Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for this arc in exchange for an honest review!
I enjoyed this one overall, but I had a real problem with the beginning.
The inciting incident for this whole story really didn't sit well with me. There's no reason Josie should feel any sort of pressure to become a pawn to fix her father's (using that term loosely) PR issues. She has had almost 0 contact with him and doesn't really have any big feelings on him one way or another so why jump through all these hoops for a man you haven't even met in person?
And then Bobbi was an uber bitch. Josie was by no means a push over so I don't know why she didn't tell her to politely fuck off almost immediately. She didn't have a problem doing that with anyone else.
But if I could remove the beginning and just get the parts with Josie and Matthew navigating a fake engagement, I would have been much happier. I really liked both of them, though Josie's quirkiness took a little getting used to. And Matthew was 😍😍
Also loved the ending and how everything resolved. So I would still recommend but wish some parts would have been put together better.
Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for this arc in exchange for an honest review!
January 31, 2025
There's just something about fictional blonde men that I can’t seem to stay away from.
Like, every man written by a woman is perfect, but they have something more that I can't quite grasp, so now I'm apparently attracted to men with glasses. Why, I couldn't say.
Is this the best piece of contemporary romance I've read this year? Nope.
Why? Well, I’ve noticed that more than one of Elena Armas' books go so close to just being ridiculous, and that's probably one of the few things I really can't stand.
In my modest (and critical) opinion, The Financé Dilemma is just on another level in comparison to the first book, The Long Game , for a series of motives that I've already explained. Well, nothing to worry about here because, even if Josie is way more optimistic than she has reasons to be, and there's one character that was clearly created to just be the villain, at least we’re back at acting like normal people - and not characters from a sitcom.
And there are so many topics I could talk about - from the not-so-subtle come and go of the two main protagonists of the previous book to the lack of talk about Josie’s past, and so much more.
BUT I just love that, for once, there's no big issue for which they have to break up with some big speech about why they should definitely be together and all that.
Also yes, I haven't really talked about my love, Matthew-without-a-surname-but-who-cares, and it’s because it’s difficult to explain magic.
As per Elena’s words, “ Your expectations are not impossibly high. Never let anyone make you believe you're asking for too much. ” And that, my friends, is the beginning of a perfect love story.
↠ 4 stars
Thanks to Atria Books and NetGalley, who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest opinion.
——————————
I JUST GOT ACCEPTED FOR THE ARC, OMG I’M SO EXCITED
Like, every man written by a woman is perfect, but they have something more that I can't quite grasp, so now I'm apparently attracted to men with glasses. Why, I couldn't say.
Is this the best piece of contemporary romance I've read this year? Nope.
Why? Well, I’ve noticed that more than one of Elena Armas' books go so close to just being ridiculous, and that's probably one of the few things I really can't stand.
In my modest (and critical) opinion, The Financé Dilemma is just on another level in comparison to the first book, The Long Game , for a series of motives that I've already explained. Well, nothing to worry about here because, even if Josie is way more optimistic than she has reasons to be, and there's one character that was clearly created to just be the villain, at least we’re back at acting like normal people - and not characters from a sitcom.
And there are so many topics I could talk about - from the not-so-subtle come and go of the two main protagonists of the previous book to the lack of talk about Josie’s past, and so much more.
BUT I just love that, for once, there's no big issue for which they have to break up with some big speech about why they should definitely be together and all that.
Also yes, I haven't really talked about my love, Matthew-without-a-surname-but-who-cares, and it’s because it’s difficult to explain magic.
As per Elena’s words, “ Your expectations are not impossibly high. Never let anyone make you believe you're asking for too much. ” And that, my friends, is the beginning of a perfect love story.
↠ 4 stars
Thanks to Atria Books and NetGalley, who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest opinion.
——————————
I JUST GOT ACCEPTED FOR THE ARC, OMG I’M SO EXCITED
July 28, 2024
DNF @15% I couldn’t keep reading this. I don’t like to dnf this early in a book just to see if I can give it another chance but I don’t want to waste my time with this one.
The writing style is terrible (for my preference) the fmc act and think like a child, it’s just Josie pov so I feel like I’m never going to understand Matthew.
It’s just messy in all senses, I’m sorry, I’m sure that there’s going to be a lot of people loving this book but it just wasn’t for me.
I have never read any book by Elena and it’s going to stay that way.
Thank you netgalley for the arc!
_________________________
first chapter and I already want to dnf it🫣
________________________
pre read:
I just got the arc, haven’t read any of Elena book so i don’t know what to expect.
The writing style is terrible (for my preference) the fmc act and think like a child, it’s just Josie pov so I feel like I’m never going to understand Matthew.
It’s just messy in all senses, I’m sorry, I’m sure that there’s going to be a lot of people loving this book but it just wasn’t for me.
I have never read any book by Elena and it’s going to stay that way.
Thank you netgalley for the arc!
_________________________
first chapter and I already want to dnf it🫣
________________________
pre read:
I just got the arc, haven’t read any of Elena book so i don’t know what to expect.
August 8, 2024
Josie Moore, a young woman with a complicated romantic history, finds herself in a weird situation. After four failed engagements and an absent father who has recently appeared in her life, Josie faces a new challenge: her father did an interview to announce his retirement that put her in the spotlight.
In this context, Matthew Flanagan enters the scene. Arriving in Green Oak, North Carolina, during a moment of personal crisis, Matthew gets 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 a mutual agreement.
I adore Elena with all my heart because her first book was one of the first that pulled me out of a reading slump. This book is the second in this series, and I enjoyed reading it despite having a hard time getting started with it. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a big fan of slow-burn romances, but since Elena’s previous book, I’ve found it a bit challenging to follow the story of her books, although that doesn’t stop me from enjoying them to the point of finishing them in a day.
It was really interesting to read because even though I had read fake relationships before, I was surprised by the multiple failed engagements on the Josie’s side, and it certainly intrigued me.
There’s a lovely story here, and the small-town atmosphere and chemistry between the characters were enchanting.
I liked both characters, and they were pleasant to read about, just like all of Elena’s books, but this is my point of view. At this point, I would read anything Elena writes.
Thanks to @atriabooks, @NetGalley, and @thebibliotheque for giving me an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
In this context, Matthew Flanagan enters the scene. Arriving in Green Oak, North Carolina, during a moment of personal crisis, Matthew gets 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 a mutual agreement.
I adore Elena with all my heart because her first book was one of the first that pulled me out of a reading slump. This book is the second in this series, and I enjoyed reading it despite having a hard time getting started with it. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a big fan of slow-burn romances, but since Elena’s previous book, I’ve found it a bit challenging to follow the story of her books, although that doesn’t stop me from enjoying them to the point of finishing them in a day.
It was really interesting to read because even though I had read fake relationships before, I was surprised by the multiple failed engagements on the Josie’s side, and it certainly intrigued me.
There’s a lovely story here, and the small-town atmosphere and chemistry between the characters were enchanting.
I liked both characters, and they were pleasant to read about, just like all of Elena’s books, but this is my point of view. At this point, I would read anything Elena writes.
Thanks to @atriabooks, @NetGalley, and @thebibliotheque for giving me an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
November 9, 2024
First of all, I love Elena Armas’ writing style, her adorable book covers, and mostly her engaging characters! I also enjoyed revisiting the Long Game universe where supporting characters Josie—Adalyn’s stepsister—and Matthew—Adalyn’s writer bestie—earned their own book. That’s where we find ourselves taking a closer look at the romance story of Josie and Matthew.
I know this sequel is not perfect. We don’t learn much about the reasons that only explained as ghosting dad, trust, and abandonment issues turned Josie into a Julia Roberts-style Runaway Bride after four broken engagements. I also wanted to read the POV of Matthew, which we didn’t have a chance to until the last chapter. I liked him in Long Game: he’s supportive, reasonable, and a goofy best friend with his star crush on Cameron (a kind of grumpy Roy Kent), and I wish I learned more about his thoughts, what qualities turned him into a great book boyfriend who creates magic to enchant his lover. But I can honestly say he’s caring, so much lovable, charming as hell from the beginning, never disappointing the readers.
And sweet, girl-next-door, small-town beauty Josie already stole our hearts with her kindness, putting other people first, a little naive but also smart enough to fight her own battles.
I loved both main characters. I also guffawed each time Grandpa Mo/Maurice appeared in chapters, who was so far one of the greatest supporting characters in the romance world.
The other thing I enjoyed is the spice level of the novel. Josie and Matthew’s chemistry hits the roof, putting each chapter into flames, pant-melting, intense, hyperventilating, and extremely hot as hell.
As you remember from the first book, Josie Moore gets shocked after finding out the identity of her father Andrew, who is a sports mogul owning a Miami football team, who is also secretly funding their small town in NC for years. In the opening of the book, poor Josie decides to try on her old engagement ring and cannot take it out, putting strawberry jam to lubricate it, cutting her hand, and at this humiliating moment, her house door keeps banging by Bobbi Shark, the vicious PR woman who wants to save the face of her famous father, criticizing her four broken engagements as a PR crisis!
Another person appears out of nowhere in the garden, Matthew Flanagan, who is covered in mud, leaving his car in a hole that is stuck. He doesn’t even recognize the woman in a bathrobe, covered in strawberry jam running toward his way to welcome her fifth fiancé! Yes, Josie only met Matthew from Zoom calls and WhatsApp group messages who planned to move to their town till he gathers himself to look for jobs, taking a break from Chicago life as a freelance writer. When Bobbi sees her stuck ring and assumes she’s engaged again, seeing this as a solution for the PR crisis, Josie acts like Matthew is her new fiancé and poor guy is too nice to play along, still in shock from his car incident, having no idea what he’s getting involved.
But when Bobbi starts acting like a wedding planner to push them to marry in two months and the entire town roots for the fifth time as a charm, Josie and Matthew are forced to pretend as a couple who want to get happily married.
Two famous podcasters’ nonstop gossiping and digging into her past relationships of Josie and her father Andrew’s decision to not only cover the entire wedding expenses but also surprise visiting alongside a Time Reporter who mentioned Josie as “Andrew’s misstep” make things more complicated.
In the heat of commotion, Josie and Matthew get a little closer with their palpable chemistry that grows each day and the line between pretending and reality getting closer. Josie realizes she has feelings for this man but what if her feelings are unrequited, what if his deadline to leave the town gets closer? And what if he feels the same but she’s too afraid of walking that aisle and runs away for the fifth time?
Well, I’m rounding up 4.5 stars to 5 even though I still needed the POV of Matthew. I loved the main characters and the amazing chemistry which pushed me to grade this book higher, and of course, I’m a big fan of the author. I loved Josie and Matthew’s dynamics more than Adalyn and Cameron.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for sharing this one of the most anticipated romance novel’s digital reviewer copy with me that I highly appreciate.
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I know this sequel is not perfect. We don’t learn much about the reasons that only explained as ghosting dad, trust, and abandonment issues turned Josie into a Julia Roberts-style Runaway Bride after four broken engagements. I also wanted to read the POV of Matthew, which we didn’t have a chance to until the last chapter. I liked him in Long Game: he’s supportive, reasonable, and a goofy best friend with his star crush on Cameron (a kind of grumpy Roy Kent), and I wish I learned more about his thoughts, what qualities turned him into a great book boyfriend who creates magic to enchant his lover. But I can honestly say he’s caring, so much lovable, charming as hell from the beginning, never disappointing the readers.
And sweet, girl-next-door, small-town beauty Josie already stole our hearts with her kindness, putting other people first, a little naive but also smart enough to fight her own battles.
I loved both main characters. I also guffawed each time Grandpa Mo/Maurice appeared in chapters, who was so far one of the greatest supporting characters in the romance world.
The other thing I enjoyed is the spice level of the novel. Josie and Matthew’s chemistry hits the roof, putting each chapter into flames, pant-melting, intense, hyperventilating, and extremely hot as hell.
As you remember from the first book, Josie Moore gets shocked after finding out the identity of her father Andrew, who is a sports mogul owning a Miami football team, who is also secretly funding their small town in NC for years. In the opening of the book, poor Josie decides to try on her old engagement ring and cannot take it out, putting strawberry jam to lubricate it, cutting her hand, and at this humiliating moment, her house door keeps banging by Bobbi Shark, the vicious PR woman who wants to save the face of her famous father, criticizing her four broken engagements as a PR crisis!
Another person appears out of nowhere in the garden, Matthew Flanagan, who is covered in mud, leaving his car in a hole that is stuck. He doesn’t even recognize the woman in a bathrobe, covered in strawberry jam running toward his way to welcome her fifth fiancé! Yes, Josie only met Matthew from Zoom calls and WhatsApp group messages who planned to move to their town till he gathers himself to look for jobs, taking a break from Chicago life as a freelance writer. When Bobbi sees her stuck ring and assumes she’s engaged again, seeing this as a solution for the PR crisis, Josie acts like Matthew is her new fiancé and poor guy is too nice to play along, still in shock from his car incident, having no idea what he’s getting involved.
But when Bobbi starts acting like a wedding planner to push them to marry in two months and the entire town roots for the fifth time as a charm, Josie and Matthew are forced to pretend as a couple who want to get happily married.
Two famous podcasters’ nonstop gossiping and digging into her past relationships of Josie and her father Andrew’s decision to not only cover the entire wedding expenses but also surprise visiting alongside a Time Reporter who mentioned Josie as “Andrew’s misstep” make things more complicated.
In the heat of commotion, Josie and Matthew get a little closer with their palpable chemistry that grows each day and the line between pretending and reality getting closer. Josie realizes she has feelings for this man but what if her feelings are unrequited, what if his deadline to leave the town gets closer? And what if he feels the same but she’s too afraid of walking that aisle and runs away for the fifth time?
Well, I’m rounding up 4.5 stars to 5 even though I still needed the POV of Matthew. I loved the main characters and the amazing chemistry which pushed me to grade this book higher, and of course, I’m a big fan of the author. I loved Josie and Matthew’s dynamics more than Adalyn and Cameron.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for sharing this one of the most anticipated romance novel’s digital reviewer copy with me that I highly appreciate.
Follow me on medium.com to read my articles about books, movies, streaming series, astrology:
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August 6, 2024
2.5 stars. I have put off writing this review because I do not want to review an Eleana Armas book so low. It pains me to do so. The Spanish Love Deception and The Long Game were both 5 star reads for me. I don't know what happened with this one, but this was not Armas best work. The Fiancé Dilemma was such a slow burn, and it did not hold my attention very well. I didn't care for the characters or the storyline. I did like getting to check back in on Adalyn and Cameran from the first book. I love the cover! This one definitely fell short, but I loved her previous books and I'm not giving up on her.
Thank you, NetGalley, and Atria for a copy in return for my honest review.
Thank you, NetGalley, and Atria for a copy in return for my honest review.
July 30, 2024
Runaway Bride meets 27 Dresses in this witty and delightful story, The Fiancé Dilemma by Elena Armas. This contains weddings (of course), engagement of convenience/fake fiancé, he falls first, and a very intense complicated slowburn that will have you screaming “finally” yet blushing profusely! A perfect rom-com for the summer or autumn.
PLOT SUMMARY
29-year-old mayor of Green Oak, Josephine “Josie” Moore has been “always the bride, never the wife” having been previously engaged 4 times but jilted the groom on the wedding day just about every time. After her recently discovered father, multi-billionaire businessman Andrew Underwood, plans to publish a tell-all book and considers Josie a PR problem due to her disastrous reputation.
Bobbi Shark ("doo-doo-do-do-do-doo". Get it? Ahem sorry), Andrew’s PR strategist, shows up and will not leave. A misunderstanding of Josie wearing a ring – a previous engagement ring she was wearing for fun and unfortunately (or fortunately) got stuck – she finds her saviour in the form of Matthew Flannagan, recently returned from Chicago, as she calls out to him and gets him to play along as her fiancé just to shoo Bobbi away.
This only makes matters worse as the rumour of her new engagement has become the talk of the town. Josie makes a deal with Matthew: they will pretend to be engaged as this is just the sort of redemption Josie needs for PR: she gets married, Andrew pays for everything, father-daughter reconciliation, reputation saved! With the wedding less than two months away, so much can happen: so many caught feels, so many almost-kisses, so much forced proximity that it is no wonder Josie falls completely in love with Matthew. But will she make her way down the aisle this time?
This is written in the first-person past-tense POV of Josie. Matthew does get his own POV in the very last chapter, which is something that was nice and I genuinely would have loved more of his POV.
OVERALL OPINIONS
When I think of the fake dating trope, I will always think of “The Spanish Love Deception”. I would say this is Elena’s specialty, where she shines the brightest. I would say the same about this, but I felt the slowburn was really slow, perhaps too slow for my liking. Then it escalated haha and I did enjoy *that*.
Formerly called “The Short List” (to match the vibes of the series), this book is the second in the series “The Long Game” but can be read as a standalone. Josie is the stepsister of Adalyn Reyes and Matthew is her “former best friend” before Josie came along and took that spot. Having read this first, I felt I really should have read the other story first as I would have loved to have seen more of the sisterhood. It is sweet but a shame that both Josie and Adalyn hide secrets from each other (Josie with the fake engagement, Adalyn with being pregnant) because they did not want to hurt the other. I am glad they open up to each other and vow to never to do that again.
<< Observations >>
I like that the page divider is the design on the ring. A Claddagh ring, Irish, with hands surrounding a heart with a crown on top. I like the symbolism behind Josie wearing it the wrong way: her life is, quite literally, turned upside down because of all this, and also they are “backwards” as they are not following the usual path of an engaged couple:
The writing style itself was interesting when it changed for the scenes with Sam and Nicks’ Filthy Reali-tea podcast (I love the name just as much as I love puns). This is laid out in the form of a script which adds an interesting layer to the narrative having the POV of two strangers on the internet. It also is rather fitting as, of course, these podcasters or any news agency follow scripts of their own.
I like that there is this dynamic of a strained father-daughter relationship that Josie wants desperately to fix but by the end of the book, she realises her father needs to work harder on earning that relationship from her. Some people in real life need a gentle reminder that, though you may share the same blood, you need not feel bound to them.
Ultimately, I loved this story and so many of its elements; I just didn’t love it as much as I’d have liked. But I hope they turn this into a film.
<< Positives >>
🠚 The writing is as expected from Elena: very amusing, very cheesy, very spicy too! There was not a dull moment, I certainly was able to race through this one, and only set it down due to other commitments.
🠚 The spice was chef’s kiss for all sessions in this book. Especially the actual bedroom scene – DAYUM! Y’know what I’m saying?
🠚 Matthew going through names of endearment for Josie was adorable! From sweetheart, to sweetcheeks, to babycakes, back to sweetheart, to sugar snap, to snuggle bear, back to sweetheart. Sweetheart is said around 20 times. Also her nickname being Baby Blue (because of her eyes) aww!
🠚 The ending was so beautiful – and I cannot emphasise that enough! I think it was one of the best parts of the whole novel, very creative and different from what I expected. I like that Matthew did not care if they married or not so long as they were together. But having her walk down the aisle towards him, not to marry him but just to speak to and hug him, was so tender and proves to show that she can do that in the future if she ever wants to. And that will wait however long it takes if she wants.
🠚 All the film references like the opening page with Star Wars (“I am your father”), Twilight (“That's why you were watching me sleep?... I wouldn't mind if you were.” … “Okay, Bella Swan, but I wasn't.”), the Avengers, etc.
🠚 Puns and Pedro Pigscal! Enough said!
<< Negatives >>
🠚 I found Josie to be a very ridiculous character. Particularly at the start of the book, and this disappointed me. I get that she rambles when she is nervous, which is something I am quite sure I do – is it possible for one to ramble too much? In which case, Josie ticks the box. She got better as she went on but I found the beginning difficult to make it through.
🠚 Slowburn dragged on for too long. There were so many nearly kisses I had to roll my eyes.
🠚 That one nearly-kiss that turned into him humming a song? Like I get it’s his way of answering a question she had – but it was from a while ago. I’m sorry, but it was too random.
🠚 This only applies to the US version of the book cover (frankly, I love the style, the flowers and Josie’s purple dress but the UK version matches the other book covers so I am quite torn). The lineup of men on the front is misleading . It gives the wrong impression about the story because it implies:
ㅤㅤ• all her exes would appear at some point (only one of them actually does, the rest are mentioned)
ㅤㅤ• some of them would potentially want her back/become rivals for Matthew to fend off (this does not happen and is definitely a wasted opportunity, our man was doing everything else)
CHARACTERS
-ˋˏ ꒰ Josie꒱ ˎˊ-
↳ Funny, goofy, awkward, a people-pleaser, ah yes I do relate to her. As I mentioned above, some of her character was annoying but it made sense from her abandonment and daddy issues. Also I too get interrupted by people rather often, so I was annoyed that I found this relatable too
🠚 “You’ll find it on Google, too; I made sure it’s there.” – I am this person.
🠚 being delusional enough to think I could manifest things was something I loved to do – I feel extremely called out!
🠚 Checking if Venus was in retrograde IS SO ME! Elena, please stop.
-ˋˏ ꒰ Matthew꒱ ˎˊ-
↳ Oh my goodness, Mattsie-Boo. Oh MY. It’s also the glasses for me, Josie, hehe. It reminds me of that Marilyn Monroe quote from Some Like It Hot: “men who wear glasses are so much more gentle and sweet and helpless” – but helpless this man sure is not! If anything, he is all too obliging. (It’s always the quiet ones!) No but seriously, what a beautiful but sexy man, I can see the big appeal. That… wasn’t meant to be a pun but we will roll with it. Because the man is big. And likes to do dirty talk. A lot of good girls to enjoy, ladies.
🠚 He has to be one of my favourite fictional men: he is so kind, patient, asks for nothing but gives everything, “funny, clever, often playful, brutally honest” (and brutal honesty is the best quality a man can have – especially if they are going to go on a podcast to fight for your honour, green flag). I love how much he saves Josie, and how dedicated he is to her. He has sisters too – another green flag.
🠚 Bonus for “If my woman has cold hands, I’m going to keep them nice and warm.” – as someone who got teased about how cold my hands were and very self-conscious about my hands, this made my heart melt! And gathering her wildflowers because she loves them.
🠚 HE LIKES BRIDGERTON! ANOTHER GREEN FLAG.
🠚 With a middle name like Eugene, aka Flynn Rider, aka Tangled, it is no wonder I love him.
FAV QUOTES
•“I have daddy issues too. Half the world does, and the other half deals with a partner who has them.”
• Sweetheart. It wasn’t the word that bothered me. It was the way he said it. Like someone who wanted to protect me. To spare me the heartbreak.
• Oversharing was one of my love languages.
• Those two were like the Avengers of None of Their Business, assembling the moment anything important was picked up by the wind.
• Matthew was standing there, at the entrance of my café, looking like one of the men whose thirst traps I pretended not to save.
• “Only a fool would wait when there's something so precious to be claimed.”
• “There’s a ring on your finger. I don’t care about the specifics, for all practical purposes, it means we’re a team. We handle shit together. I don’t care if you can do it on your own. You shouldn’t have to.”
• “Beautiful things shouldn't be boxed. It eventually dims their light.”
• “Perfection is subjective.”
• “Do you believe in magic? Juju? Premonitions? Ghosts? Fate? The power of manifestation? The yeti?” Matthew pondered the question. “Oh, absolutely.”
• the way he’d somehow guessed. Known. Read me. Even through the phone, almost made me want to weep. Laugh.
• “But no one ever bakes for me.” “I do.” He did.
• “What if I can't give you any fucking firsts, so I want to make sure I get a chance at being your last?”
• I did believe that sometimes love was enough. And some other times it conquered the world. It depended on how much magic was in the air that day.
══════════ ⋆★⋆ ══════════
I received an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review, and I’d like to thank Elena Armas, Atria Books and NetGalley for the opportunity. This has not affected my opinion in any way.
“I’m not sorry I stumbled upon your driveway that night. I’m not sorry you thought this was your way to fix a mess that wasn’t yours. I’m not sorry I played fiancé when I knew I’d end up falling ridiculously in love with you.”[ Contains some spoilers ]
PLOT SUMMARY
29-year-old mayor of Green Oak, Josephine “Josie” Moore has been “always the bride, never the wife” having been previously engaged 4 times but jilted the groom on the wedding day just about every time. After her recently discovered father, multi-billionaire businessman Andrew Underwood, plans to publish a tell-all book and considers Josie a PR problem due to her disastrous reputation.
Bobbi Shark ("doo-doo-do-do-do-doo". Get it? Ahem sorry), Andrew’s PR strategist, shows up and will not leave. A misunderstanding of Josie wearing a ring – a previous engagement ring she was wearing for fun and unfortunately (or fortunately) got stuck – she finds her saviour in the form of Matthew Flannagan, recently returned from Chicago, as she calls out to him and gets him to play along as her fiancé just to shoo Bobbi away.
This only makes matters worse as the rumour of her new engagement has become the talk of the town. Josie makes a deal with Matthew: they will pretend to be engaged as this is just the sort of redemption Josie needs for PR: she gets married, Andrew pays for everything, father-daughter reconciliation, reputation saved! With the wedding less than two months away, so much can happen: so many caught feels, so many almost-kisses, so much forced proximity that it is no wonder Josie falls completely in love with Matthew. But will she make her way down the aisle this time?
This is written in the first-person past-tense POV of Josie. Matthew does get his own POV in the very last chapter, which is something that was nice and I genuinely would have loved more of his POV.
OVERALL OPINIONS
When I think of the fake dating trope, I will always think of “The Spanish Love Deception”. I would say this is Elena’s specialty, where she shines the brightest. I would say the same about this, but I felt the slowburn was really slow, perhaps too slow for my liking. Then it escalated haha and I did enjoy *that*.
Formerly called “The Short List” (to match the vibes of the series), this book is the second in the series “The Long Game” but can be read as a standalone. Josie is the stepsister of Adalyn Reyes and Matthew is her “former best friend” before Josie came along and took that spot. Having read this first, I felt I really should have read the other story first as I would have loved to have seen more of the sisterhood. It is sweet but a shame that both Josie and Adalyn hide secrets from each other (Josie with the fake engagement, Adalyn with being pregnant) because they did not want to hurt the other. I am glad they open up to each other and vow to never to do that again.
<< Observations >>
I like that the page divider is the design on the ring. A Claddagh ring, Irish, with hands surrounding a heart with a crown on top. I like the symbolism behind Josie wearing it the wrong way: her life is, quite literally, turned upside down because of all this, and also they are “backwards” as they are not following the usual path of an engaged couple:
We were engaged, but I wasn’t his. He wasn’t mine. We had rules and were not getting married.Cue “Feels Like We Only Go Backwards” by Tame Impala.
It was us who were backwards. Facing the other way. Not the ring.
Would he turn it, then? Make the heart point the right way? Would I turn this whole thing around? Could I?
The writing style itself was interesting when it changed for the scenes with Sam and Nicks’ Filthy Reali-tea podcast (I love the name just as much as I love puns). This is laid out in the form of a script which adds an interesting layer to the narrative having the POV of two strangers on the internet. It also is rather fitting as, of course, these podcasters or any news agency follow scripts of their own.
I like that there is this dynamic of a strained father-daughter relationship that Josie wants desperately to fix but by the end of the book, she realises her father needs to work harder on earning that relationship from her. Some people in real life need a gentle reminder that, though you may share the same blood, you need not feel bound to them.
Ultimately, I loved this story and so many of its elements; I just didn’t love it as much as I’d have liked. But I hope they turn this into a film.
<< Positives >>
🠚 The writing is as expected from Elena: very amusing, very cheesy, very spicy too! There was not a dull moment, I certainly was able to race through this one, and only set it down due to other commitments.
🠚 The spice was chef’s kiss for all sessions in this book. Especially the actual bedroom scene – DAYUM! Y’know what I’m saying?
🠚 Matthew going through names of endearment for Josie was adorable! From sweetheart, to sweetcheeks, to babycakes, back to sweetheart, to sugar snap, to snuggle bear, back to sweetheart. Sweetheart is said around 20 times. Also her nickname being Baby Blue (because of her eyes) aww!
🠚 The ending was so beautiful – and I cannot emphasise that enough! I think it was one of the best parts of the whole novel, very creative and different from what I expected. I like that Matthew did not care if they married or not so long as they were together. But having her walk down the aisle towards him, not to marry him but just to speak to and hug him, was so tender and proves to show that she can do that in the future if she ever wants to. And that will wait however long it takes if she wants.
🠚 All the film references like the opening page with Star Wars (“I am your father”), Twilight (“That's why you were watching me sleep?... I wouldn't mind if you were.” … “Okay, Bella Swan, but I wasn't.”), the Avengers, etc.
🠚 Puns and Pedro Pigscal! Enough said!
<< Negatives >>
🠚 I found Josie to be a very ridiculous character. Particularly at the start of the book, and this disappointed me. I get that she rambles when she is nervous, which is something I am quite sure I do – is it possible for one to ramble too much? In which case, Josie ticks the box. She got better as she went on but I found the beginning difficult to make it through.
🠚 Slowburn dragged on for too long. There were so many nearly kisses I had to roll my eyes.
🠚 That one nearly-kiss that turned into him humming a song? Like I get it’s his way of answering a question she had – but it was from a while ago. I’m sorry, but it was too random.
🠚 This only applies to the US version of the book cover (frankly, I love the style, the flowers and Josie’s purple dress but the UK version matches the other book covers so I am quite torn). The lineup of men on the front is misleading . It gives the wrong impression about the story because it implies:
ㅤㅤ• all her exes would appear at some point (only one of them actually does, the rest are mentioned)
ㅤㅤ• some of them would potentially want her back/become rivals for Matthew to fend off (this does not happen and is definitely a wasted opportunity, our man was doing everything else)
CHARACTERS
-ˋˏ ꒰ Josie꒱ ˎˊ-
↳ Funny, goofy, awkward, a people-pleaser, ah yes I do relate to her. As I mentioned above, some of her character was annoying but it made sense from her abandonment and daddy issues. Also I too get interrupted by people rather often, so I was annoyed that I found this relatable too
🠚 “You’ll find it on Google, too; I made sure it’s there.” – I am this person.
🠚 being delusional enough to think I could manifest things was something I loved to do – I feel extremely called out!
🠚 Checking if Venus was in retrograde IS SO ME! Elena, please stop.
-ˋˏ ꒰ Matthew꒱ ˎˊ-
↳ Oh my goodness, Mattsie-Boo. Oh MY. It’s also the glasses for me, Josie, hehe. It reminds me of that Marilyn Monroe quote from Some Like It Hot: “men who wear glasses are so much more gentle and sweet and helpless” – but helpless this man sure is not! If anything, he is all too obliging. (It’s always the quiet ones!) No but seriously, what a beautiful but sexy man, I can see the big appeal. That… wasn’t meant to be a pun but we will roll with it. Because the man is big. And likes to do dirty talk. A lot of good girls to enjoy, ladies.
🠚 He has to be one of my favourite fictional men: he is so kind, patient, asks for nothing but gives everything, “funny, clever, often playful, brutally honest” (and brutal honesty is the best quality a man can have – especially if they are going to go on a podcast to fight for your honour, green flag). I love how much he saves Josie, and how dedicated he is to her. He has sisters too – another green flag.
🠚 Bonus for “If my woman has cold hands, I’m going to keep them nice and warm.” – as someone who got teased about how cold my hands were and very self-conscious about my hands, this made my heart melt! And gathering her wildflowers because she loves them.
🠚 HE LIKES BRIDGERTON! ANOTHER GREEN FLAG.
🠚 With a middle name like Eugene, aka Flynn Rider, aka Tangled, it is no wonder I love him.
FAV QUOTES
•“I have daddy issues too. Half the world does, and the other half deals with a partner who has them.”
• Sweetheart. It wasn’t the word that bothered me. It was the way he said it. Like someone who wanted to protect me. To spare me the heartbreak.
• Oversharing was one of my love languages.
• Those two were like the Avengers of None of Their Business, assembling the moment anything important was picked up by the wind.
• Matthew was standing there, at the entrance of my café, looking like one of the men whose thirst traps I pretended not to save.
• “Only a fool would wait when there's something so precious to be claimed.”
• “There’s a ring on your finger. I don’t care about the specifics, for all practical purposes, it means we’re a team. We handle shit together. I don’t care if you can do it on your own. You shouldn’t have to.”
• “Beautiful things shouldn't be boxed. It eventually dims their light.”
• “Perfection is subjective.”
• “Do you believe in magic? Juju? Premonitions? Ghosts? Fate? The power of manifestation? The yeti?” Matthew pondered the question. “Oh, absolutely.”
• the way he’d somehow guessed. Known. Read me. Even through the phone, almost made me want to weep. Laugh.
• “But no one ever bakes for me.” “I do.” He did.
• “What if I can't give you any fucking firsts, so I want to make sure I get a chance at being your last?”
• I did believe that sometimes love was enough. And some other times it conquered the world. It depended on how much magic was in the air that day.
══════════ ⋆★⋆ ══════════
I received an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review, and I’d like to thank Elena Armas, Atria Books and NetGalley for the opportunity. This has not affected my opinion in any way.
August 8, 2024
“i knew in that moment. i simply knew. i'd never wanted a smile—a man—more than i did him. i'd never loved like i did him.”
i will not let my netgalley feedback ratio get any lower than it actually is, so here's my very sleep-deprived review/rant.
₊˚꒰ 🌱 ꒱ ⊹ i. plot. ₊˚⊹ ꒱
the fiancé dilemma is a charming romantic comedy full of quirks set in the captivating town of green oaks, north carolina. it follows josie moore, coffee enthusiast and small-town mayor turn pr nightmare. in order to rectify her unseemly scandal and improve her billionaire father's reputation and her own, she publicly announces her newest engagement, after a long string of broken ones, to none other than matthew flanagan, her sister's best friend and her fake fiancé.
₊˚꒰ ☕️ ꒱ ⊹ ii. josie. ₊˚⊹ ꒱
josie is a bundle of pure sunshine. despite all the challenges and losses thrown her way, she still manages to find the energy to smile and be an inspiring and radiating force in her small town. however, against her father and the utter shark that is his pr strategist, josie is an utter doormat. i don't understand why she'd let them walk all over her when i didn't get the sense she was this type of character in the long game. as much as i love matthew's protectiveness, girlie, you got to fight these type of battles for yourself, especially to a man you OWE ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TO BECAUSE HE WAS ABSENT FOR THE ENTIRETY OF YOUR LIFE.
one of the things i absolutely hate is the resolution at the end of the book. it took about 400 hundred pages just for josie to realise, "oh yes, i don't own my absentee father anything, and if this man wants a relationship, he must work for it." GIRL, ISN'T THAT A LOGICAL THING? WHY DID IT TAKE YOU THIS LONG TO REALISE THAT? like i get you're a people pleaser, but i wanted to smack a reality check into you.
but josie’s uncharacteristically funny, so i’ll be lenient this time.
₊˚꒰ 🍀 ꒱ ⊹ iii. matthew ₊˚⊹ ꒱
glasses-wearing mattsie-boo is somehow a perfect dichotomy of that golden retriever type we all obsess over and a possessive one that we can't help but drool for. he served almost all of my favourite quotes from this book.
first of all, he's already a hero in my book for dealing with all of josie's ramblings. like you can ramble when you're nervous; sure, i do get that, but i would have personally smacked her in the mouth and not just keep standing there listening to her go on and on. second, the amount of patience this man has, like oh god, how? i would have thrown up and taken the first bus out of green oaks immediately, and maybe start crying on the way.
i do wish we could have gotten more matthew pov chapters rather than just one at the very end because why did cameron 'cardboard' caldani get more in his book than matthew did in this one?
₊˚꒰ 🌷 ꒱ ⊹ iv. conclusion ₊˚⊹ ꒱
honestly, it's a solid work for elena armas, and once again, she hits hard with her writing and humour. i also understand that arcs can get messy, so i don't know if all this will make it into the final copy, but this book was all over the place. i'll forgive it because it's an arc.
i also wanted a more in-depth understanding of both matthew and josie's characters through a backstory and a stronger foundation for their romantic feelings. i found it unrealistic that the feelings happened literally out of nowhere. it wasn't there for one chapter and it punched me in the face in another. but i do get a sense of chemistry and tension between the characters, which is understandable because, in my opinion, armas does so well with crafting slowburns.
there was also no third-act breakup, so that on its own was a godsend. also, don't mind the way i shifted tones in the middle of this review. a girl has to rant about books.
thank you so much to netgalley and atria books for providing me with this arc in exchange for an honest review!
— 3 stars. ⋆˚☆˖°
.° ༘🎧⋆ favourite quotes 🖇₊˚ෆ
“beautiful things shouldn't be boxed. it eventually dims their light.”
“i’m not sorry i stumbled upon your driveway that night. i’m not sorry you thought this was your way to fix a mess that wasn’t yours. i'm not sorry i played fiancé when i knew i’d end up falling ridiculously in love with you.”
“what if i can't give you any fucking firsts, so i want to make sure i get a chance at being your last?”
“you're not running, josie. i'm not them, i'm not anyone. i'm not fucking letting you go.”
August 5, 2024
such a cute and fun read!!!!!!!!
October 26, 2025
“It was the start of a life, with her.”
I just love it when a mmc written by Elena Armas reminds me why I’m attracted to men🤭🎀
(y’all the way I’d fold like a lawn chair😔✋)
💜“Oversharing was one of my love languages.”
💜“Only a fool would wait when there’s something so precious to be claimed.”
💜“I wouldn’t hate it if you were the ones slaying my dragons for me.”
💜"You're not running, Josie. I'm not them, I'm not anyone. I'm not f***ing letting you go."
💜“I knew in that moment. I simply knew. I’d never wanted a smile—a man—more than I did him. I’d never loved like I did him.”
💜“It was so scary, it made me feel so vulnerable, so frail, and perhaps... perhaps that was how this was supposed to feel. Perhaps that was fine.
Perhaps, I love yous were meant to feel this big. To make you feel this naked.
This exposed. So big you were terrified to hurt. So safe no one could touch you.
Perhaps to love was to leave a mark.”
Elena Armas couples will forever have my heart💕 MY HEART IS PITTER PATTERING (legs must be HURTING from running all over my mind fr)
#matthewwillyoumarryme🙏♾️🌟stars
____
If anyone heard me shouting in my garage this morning, I apologize. Everyone prepare to be sick of me because THANK YOU SIMON & SCHUSTER FOR SENDING ME A PHYSICAL COPY🥹🫶💐
———
WHAT THE ACTUAL HECK THE COVER IS GORGEOUS (yes I'm using A REPUTATION reference too) AND ADORABLE AND I LOVE IT AND THE NAME CHANGE AND THE NEW RELEASE . LIGHTHEARTED, HOPELESS, ROMANTIC, AND ANGSTY. ELENA I LOVE YOU FOR KEEPING US ON OUR TOES🪻💜💍🌸✨ JULY 30TH!!!!!!
———
WHEN I TELL YOU I FREAKED OUT, I CALLED IT😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭
ENGAGEMENT OF CONVENIENCE. MORE GREEN OAK🥹. MATTHEW HAS GLASSES. I CAN FINALLY SLEEP SOUNDLY GOODBYE.
Elena deserves all the points in the world for her insta marketing with Taylor Swift btw🤌
I just love it when a mmc written by Elena Armas reminds me why I’m attracted to men🤭🎀
(y’all the way I’d fold like a lawn chair😔✋)
💜“Oversharing was one of my love languages.”
💜“Only a fool would wait when there’s something so precious to be claimed.”
💜“I wouldn’t hate it if you were the ones slaying my dragons for me.”
💜"You're not running, Josie. I'm not them, I'm not anyone. I'm not f***ing letting you go."
💜“I knew in that moment. I simply knew. I’d never wanted a smile—a man—more than I did him. I’d never loved like I did him.”
💜“It was so scary, it made me feel so vulnerable, so frail, and perhaps... perhaps that was how this was supposed to feel. Perhaps that was fine.
Perhaps, I love yous were meant to feel this big. To make you feel this naked.
This exposed. So big you were terrified to hurt. So safe no one could touch you.
Perhaps to love was to leave a mark.”
Elena Armas couples will forever have my heart💕 MY HEART IS PITTER PATTERING (legs must be HURTING from running all over my mind fr)
#matthewwillyoumarryme🙏♾️🌟stars
____
If anyone heard me shouting in my garage this morning, I apologize. Everyone prepare to be sick of me because THANK YOU SIMON & SCHUSTER FOR SENDING ME A PHYSICAL COPY🥹🫶💐
———
WHAT THE ACTUAL HECK THE COVER IS GORGEOUS (yes I'm using A REPUTATION reference too) AND ADORABLE AND I LOVE IT AND THE NAME CHANGE AND THE NEW RELEASE . LIGHTHEARTED, HOPELESS, ROMANTIC, AND ANGSTY. ELENA I LOVE YOU FOR KEEPING US ON OUR TOES🪻💜💍🌸✨ JULY 30TH!!!!!!
———
WHEN I TELL YOU I FREAKED OUT, I CALLED IT😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭
ENGAGEMENT OF CONVENIENCE. MORE GREEN OAK🥹. MATTHEW HAS GLASSES. I CAN FINALLY SLEEP SOUNDLY GOODBYE.
Elena deserves all the points in the world for her insta marketing with Taylor Swift btw🤌
May 1, 2024
josie has major fucking issues and the plot makes 0 sense why do i keep reading books by this author???
November 12, 2024
Elena Armas IS NOT FOR ME!!
Siempre le doy demasiadas oportunidades a los autores para poder descartarlos y se las di a Elena, en el libro anterior la traducción no me gustó y dije el próximo lo leeré en inglés y llegué a la conclusión de It's not me, it's you.
Tenía demasiado potencial, un pueblo chico, fake dating, un trope que disfruto demasiado, pero el libro fue BORING AS FUCK!!!, Nunca terminó de engancharme, aunque siento que mejoró en la narración y no es tan cringy, le faltó alma a los personaje eran demasiado sosos y grises, y la historia bastante flat.
Tenía las esperanzas que este fuera EL LIBRO, pero resultó ser tremendo FLOOP.
Con este libro me despido de la autora, nunca digas nunca porque puedo cambiar de opinión y volverla a leer pero por lo pronto es un adiós.
Siempre le doy demasiadas oportunidades a los autores para poder descartarlos y se las di a Elena, en el libro anterior la traducción no me gustó y dije el próximo lo leeré en inglés y llegué a la conclusión de It's not me, it's you.
Tenía demasiado potencial, un pueblo chico, fake dating, un trope que disfruto demasiado, pero el libro fue BORING AS FUCK!!!, Nunca terminó de engancharme, aunque siento que mejoró en la narración y no es tan cringy, le faltó alma a los personaje eran demasiado sosos y grises, y la historia bastante flat.
Tenía las esperanzas que este fuera EL LIBRO, pero resultó ser tremendo FLOOP.
Con este libro me despido de la autora, nunca digas nunca porque puedo cambiar de opinión y volverla a leer pero por lo pronto es un adiós.
December 26, 2025
After the cliffhanger book 1, ‘The long game’, left us with I just HAD to get my hands on the sequel 📚 Sat and ready for Josie’s story 🙂↕️ this is going to be fun 🤭
Josie hasn’t had much luck when it comes to men. And, by that I mean she has been engaged a total of 4 times…need I say more?
Matthew is out of luck. Lost his job and then, whilst travelling to Green Oak to escape, his car gets stuck in mud. Drowned by the storm, he stumbles upon Josie, his best-friend’s sister, who oddly introduces him as her fiancé…
Let’s just say: the rules of engagement are made to be broken 👀
This was a brilliant sequel. Elena stepped it up a gear with a more complex storyline, as well as more depth to the characters. I love a good fake-engagement, but they can become a bit redundant however, Elena managed to mix it up and pull an original story out of the bag.
FULL RTC
"There's a ring on your finger. I don't care about the specifics, for all practical purposes, it means we're a team. We handle it together. I don't care if you can do it on your own. You shouldn't have to."🥹💖✨
4.5 🌟🌟🌟🌟💫
Josie hasn’t had much luck when it comes to men. And, by that I mean she has been engaged a total of 4 times…need I say more?
Matthew is out of luck. Lost his job and then, whilst travelling to Green Oak to escape, his car gets stuck in mud. Drowned by the storm, he stumbles upon Josie, his best-friend’s sister, who oddly introduces him as her fiancé…
Let’s just say: the rules of engagement are made to be broken 👀
This was a brilliant sequel. Elena stepped it up a gear with a more complex storyline, as well as more depth to the characters. I love a good fake-engagement, but they can become a bit redundant however, Elena managed to mix it up and pull an original story out of the bag.
FULL RTC
"There's a ring on your finger. I don't care about the specifics, for all practical purposes, it means we're a team. We handle it together. I don't care if you can do it on your own. You shouldn't have to."🥹💖✨
4.5 🌟🌟🌟🌟💫
November 6, 2024
4 stars
After reading the first book in this series last year, I was unsure if I wanted to read the second, but I’m so glad I did! I enjoyed this one so much more. The hero was perfect, the heroine was quirky and fun, and I loved the ‘Runaway Bride’ aspect. I wish we got more time with the couple as an actual couple but aside from that, I loved it!
After reading the first book in this series last year, I was unsure if I wanted to read the second, but I’m so glad I did! I enjoyed this one so much more. The hero was perfect, the heroine was quirky and fun, and I loved the ‘Runaway Bride’ aspect. I wish we got more time with the couple as an actual couple but aside from that, I loved it!
Audio book source: Libby
Story Rating: 4 stars
Narrators: Brittany Pressley & Zachary Webber
Narration Rating: 4 stars
Genre: Romance
Length: 12h 28m
April 30, 2025
4,5
Potrzebuję takiego kawalera w swoim życiu
Potrzebuję takiego kawalera w swoim życiu
July 18, 2024
I hardly ever give books 1 star ratings, so please know I do not give this rating lightly!
But The Fiancé Dilemma is one of the very few books that I wish I hadn’t read. I enjoyed The Spanish Love Deception, and thought The American Roommate Experiment was okay (I should have rated it lower, to be honest). After those two books, I never felt the need to read Armas’s work again, and have been just fine doing so! But when my friend had the ARC and let me have it, I figured why not give it a shot.
I will say, maybe I would have enjoyed this more had I read The Long Game. And not just enjoyed, but maybe understood it better. While it says that this can be read as a standalone, I didn’t feel that way for a lot of reasons, which I’ll explain below. But had I read TLG, I might have loved the Adalyn and Cameron cameos! There were plenty and those were cute moments.
But without having read TLG, I was so confused about…everything. The book read like you had read TLG, and had understood the Underwood family drama, the relationship between Adalyn and Josie, and how Matthew fits into the friend group in the first place. Nothing was ever explained: not how Josie knew him before he showed up in North Carolina, not how Cameron and Matthew became friends despite idol worshipping him (?), and why I should care about Matthew and Josie getting together in the first place. While I can see not wanting to explain all of this over again, the point of standalone romances part of the same universe is that they can be read as standalone, which might mean repeating necessary information for readers without necessary context! It was infuriating.
Next to that, back to Matthew and Josie as characters. The entirety of the book was narrated from Josie’s POV, and it was a very readable POV. I typically love small town romances, and typically love characters like Josie. However, I felt that a lot of her affiliations with the town weren’t explained. Why did she love it there so much that she became voluntary mayor, for one? Why does she own a coffee shop, and why does it seem like she’s never there or thinking about it when she isn’t? How do her relationships with townsfolk affect her living in her small town, why are they important to her, etc? I felt like none of those questions were really answered, which made the best part about small town romances nonexistent here.
And not only that, but she really bugged me in general for having no spine and not standing up to Bobbi and just saying “no, I don’t want any part in this!” Because she was not obligated, at any point, to do anything, but she did anyways….just because?! She literally went through with a whole farce for zero reason, and I could not stand it. It was beyond baffling.
As for Matthew, I couldn’t understand why Josie had fallen in love with him, because I couldn’t tell you anything about him past the fact that he’s a built, blond man from Boston who has brown eyes with glasses and has a moral compass that meant he left his job in Chicago. That’s it. He’s hot, he says hot things. But despite leaving Chicago for his job, we don’t get any hint of him job searching (until Josie helps him out) or really talking about anything meaningful in his life. But sure, why not pretend to be fake engaged to this woman that, for all intents and purposes, I’ve never met before. I couldn’t trust him, I truly did not understand who he was or why I should care.
So you can see how my not really understanding these two characters at all would lead to me not being invested in their getting together one bit. Especially since their first kiss didn’t appear until 344 pages into a 410 page book. Yes, you read that correctly. Despite the fake engagement trope, despite the forced proximity of lying to the press, they don’t actually kiss until the book is next to over.
This wasn’t even because of a slow burn (which, for the record, even if it was, that’s too late for a first kiss). It was because the pacing was so off. The whole book dragged. 70 pages in I was so incredibly lost as to who the characters were and what their motivations were, and I seriously considered DNFing. It didn't help that there were beyond random scene breaks, some of which don't get resolved at any point, which meant losing the thread over and over and over. Nothing really ever happened the whole book—I’m not sure I could describe a single scene outside of the opening one and the closing two.
And so, at the end of the day, I gave this one one star. It’s one of the very few books I wish I hadn’t read, and wouldn’t recommend unless you love the author’s previous books or read and loved the other one in the series. I won’t be reading another book by this author, but I hope that her readers really love this one, and it’s for them!
But The Fiancé Dilemma is one of the very few books that I wish I hadn’t read. I enjoyed The Spanish Love Deception, and thought The American Roommate Experiment was okay (I should have rated it lower, to be honest). After those two books, I never felt the need to read Armas’s work again, and have been just fine doing so! But when my friend had the ARC and let me have it, I figured why not give it a shot.
I will say, maybe I would have enjoyed this more had I read The Long Game. And not just enjoyed, but maybe understood it better. While it says that this can be read as a standalone, I didn’t feel that way for a lot of reasons, which I’ll explain below. But had I read TLG, I might have loved the Adalyn and Cameron cameos! There were plenty and those were cute moments.
But without having read TLG, I was so confused about…everything. The book read like you had read TLG, and had understood the Underwood family drama, the relationship between Adalyn and Josie, and how Matthew fits into the friend group in the first place. Nothing was ever explained: not how Josie knew him before he showed up in North Carolina, not how Cameron and Matthew became friends despite idol worshipping him (?), and why I should care about Matthew and Josie getting together in the first place. While I can see not wanting to explain all of this over again, the point of standalone romances part of the same universe is that they can be read as standalone, which might mean repeating necessary information for readers without necessary context! It was infuriating.
Next to that, back to Matthew and Josie as characters. The entirety of the book was narrated from Josie’s POV, and it was a very readable POV. I typically love small town romances, and typically love characters like Josie. However, I felt that a lot of her affiliations with the town weren’t explained. Why did she love it there so much that she became voluntary mayor, for one? Why does she own a coffee shop, and why does it seem like she’s never there or thinking about it when she isn’t? How do her relationships with townsfolk affect her living in her small town, why are they important to her, etc? I felt like none of those questions were really answered, which made the best part about small town romances nonexistent here.
And not only that, but she really bugged me in general for having no spine and not standing up to Bobbi and just saying “no, I don’t want any part in this!” Because she was not obligated, at any point, to do anything, but she did anyways….just because?! She literally went through with a whole farce for zero reason, and I could not stand it. It was beyond baffling.
As for Matthew, I couldn’t understand why Josie had fallen in love with him, because I couldn’t tell you anything about him past the fact that he’s a built, blond man from Boston who has brown eyes with glasses and has a moral compass that meant he left his job in Chicago. That’s it. He’s hot, he says hot things. But despite leaving Chicago for his job, we don’t get any hint of him job searching (until Josie helps him out) or really talking about anything meaningful in his life. But sure, why not pretend to be fake engaged to this woman that, for all intents and purposes, I’ve never met before. I couldn’t trust him, I truly did not understand who he was or why I should care.
So you can see how my not really understanding these two characters at all would lead to me not being invested in their getting together one bit. Especially since their first kiss didn’t appear until 344 pages into a 410 page book. Yes, you read that correctly. Despite the fake engagement trope, despite the forced proximity of lying to the press, they don’t actually kiss until the book is next to over.
This wasn’t even because of a slow burn (which, for the record, even if it was, that’s too late for a first kiss). It was because the pacing was so off. The whole book dragged. 70 pages in I was so incredibly lost as to who the characters were and what their motivations were, and I seriously considered DNFing. It didn't help that there were beyond random scene breaks, some of which don't get resolved at any point, which meant losing the thread over and over and over. Nothing really ever happened the whole book—I’m not sure I could describe a single scene outside of the opening one and the closing two.
And so, at the end of the day, I gave this one one star. It’s one of the very few books I wish I hadn’t read, and wouldn’t recommend unless you love the author’s previous books or read and loved the other one in the series. I won’t be reading another book by this author, but I hope that her readers really love this one, and it’s for them!
April 26, 2025
2 / 5 ⭐⭐
2.5 / 5 🌶
Spicy Chapters: 24, 20, 23, 25
Matthew (MMC) Josie (FMC)
I loved the previous book in the series, 'The Long Game', so I was very excited to get my hands on 'The Fiancé Dilemma'. However, it is not what I was expecting... 😩😤😞😓
This book's premise is a fake engagement between the two MC's in order to help restore her dad's reputation and overall family's image. However, the way it's executed is so ridiculous, and even after finishing the book, I still can't understand why in the world Matthew would go along with it?? 😩
Josie is basically Julia Roberts in The Runaway Bride move, and I appreciate that they make some references to it. But it's kind of ridiculous that Josie was engaged 💍 4 times (5 including Matthew) and that she'd leave the guy's at the altar on the wedding day. Yes, I understand that this book is a romance novel and not reality, but it'll be nice to make the plot somewhat believable, or is it too much to ask?? 🤔
I didn't like that Josie was basically lying since the very first chapter. About her being engaged, about her engagement pics having been lost to a hacker, etc. It's too much lying, and for what? to accommodate her family? It's not worth it, imo. Especially because she doesn't even confess about the lie to her sister or her dad (until the end of the book) whom she was, in theory, protecting.
Josie is such a pushover and easily manipulated. She fakes an engagement because she's intimidated by the PR lady Bobby Shark (great name, btw). Gives free drinks to customers in order to avoid conversations about her fake engagement, etc.
Josie is waaay too quirky, whimsical for my taste, has too many inner monologs throughout the book, and on top of that, makes most of the rules of engagement between herself and Matthew. Josie is also so selfish, as grampa Moe's accused her of being, and she even admitted to it. So please explain to me why, besides her beauty, a guy would dig that? I have no idea...
Also, why does she keep ALL of her previous wedding dresses, and more importantly, the engagement rings??? 💍 💍 💍 💍 If you leave a poor (or several) guy/s at the altar, the least you could do is return the ring, wouldn't you agree? 🤦🏼♀️
By the 50% mark I was mentally disengaging from the story, since for the 200th time, whenever something interesting was about to be said, one or both of the MC's got interrupted 🤦🏼♀️🤦🏼♀️🤦🏼♀️🤦🏼♀️ How many times can you do this until it becomes repetitive and overkill? The answer is in this book.
Matthew is too perfect, too patient, and too understanding. He adores Josie a bit too much, too fast imo. He literally hadn't even known her in person or even recognized her but still agreed to go along with the outrageous wedding deception. I just can't wrap my head around it 😩😤🤬.
And ok, he wears glasses sometimes, Josie loves it. Ok, we get it 🙄🙄🙄👌🏻, no need to mention it over and over again every time.
Overall, to me, this book was too long, too fictional, too much faking and lying on the FMC's part, which for me didn't compensate the few hot and spicy 🌶 scenes in it. I hope that you'll enjoy it more than I did.
Happy reading! 📚
2.5 / 5 🌶
Spicy Chapters: 24, 20, 23, 25
Matthew (MMC) Josie (FMC)
I loved the previous book in the series, 'The Long Game', so I was very excited to get my hands on 'The Fiancé Dilemma'. However, it is not what I was expecting... 😩😤😞😓
This book's premise is a fake engagement between the two MC's in order to help restore her dad's reputation and overall family's image. However, the way it's executed is so ridiculous, and even after finishing the book, I still can't understand why in the world Matthew would go along with it?? 😩
Josie is basically Julia Roberts in The Runaway Bride move, and I appreciate that they make some references to it. But it's kind of ridiculous that Josie was engaged 💍 4 times (5 including Matthew) and that she'd leave the guy's at the altar on the wedding day. Yes, I understand that this book is a romance novel and not reality, but it'll be nice to make the plot somewhat believable, or is it too much to ask?? 🤔
I didn't like that Josie was basically lying since the very first chapter. About her being engaged, about her engagement pics having been lost to a hacker, etc. It's too much lying, and for what? to accommodate her family? It's not worth it, imo. Especially because she doesn't even confess about the lie to her sister or her dad (until the end of the book) whom she was, in theory, protecting.
Josie is such a pushover and easily manipulated. She fakes an engagement because she's intimidated by the PR lady Bobby Shark (great name, btw). Gives free drinks to customers in order to avoid conversations about her fake engagement, etc.
Josie is waaay too quirky, whimsical for my taste, has too many inner monologs throughout the book, and on top of that, makes most of the rules of engagement between herself and Matthew. Josie is also so selfish, as grampa Moe's accused her of being, and she even admitted to it. So please explain to me why, besides her beauty, a guy would dig that? I have no idea...
Also, why does she keep ALL of her previous wedding dresses, and more importantly, the engagement rings??? 💍 💍 💍 💍 If you leave a poor (or several) guy/s at the altar, the least you could do is return the ring, wouldn't you agree? 🤦🏼♀️
By the 50% mark I was mentally disengaging from the story, since for the 200th time, whenever something interesting was about to be said, one or both of the MC's got interrupted 🤦🏼♀️🤦🏼♀️🤦🏼♀️🤦🏼♀️ How many times can you do this until it becomes repetitive and overkill? The answer is in this book.
Matthew is too perfect, too patient, and too understanding. He adores Josie a bit too much, too fast imo. He literally hadn't even known her in person or even recognized her but still agreed to go along with the outrageous wedding deception. I just can't wrap my head around it 😩😤🤬.
And ok, he wears glasses sometimes, Josie loves it. Ok, we get it 🙄🙄🙄👌🏻, no need to mention it over and over again every time.
Overall, to me, this book was too long, too fictional, too much faking and lying on the FMC's part, which for me didn't compensate the few hot and spicy 🌶 scenes in it. I hope that you'll enjoy it more than I did.
Happy reading! 📚
June 12, 2024
2.5 stars
ever since the spanish love deception ive been extremely reluctant to pick up another book by elena and that was for good reason! her writing style and plots are never for me! this could’ve been shorter, plus what is the obsession with making the fmc’s so quirky and awkward! i definitely think this was better than sld by a landslide but it wasn’t good enough to become a favorite of mine sadly. it was mediocre at best.
this is definitely for people in search of small town’s, fake dating/engagement, no third act (thankfully), and a very sunshine/sunshine couple. this was marketed as a standalone but i definitely think i should’ve read the long game prior to this since the characters overlap heavily and it did have me confused at first but this overall wasn’t for me sadly.
thank you to netgalley and atria books for providing this arc in exchange for an honest review.
ever since the spanish love deception ive been extremely reluctant to pick up another book by elena and that was for good reason! her writing style and plots are never for me! this could’ve been shorter, plus what is the obsession with making the fmc’s so quirky and awkward! i definitely think this was better than sld by a landslide but it wasn’t good enough to become a favorite of mine sadly. it was mediocre at best.
this is definitely for people in search of small town’s, fake dating/engagement, no third act (thankfully), and a very sunshine/sunshine couple. this was marketed as a standalone but i definitely think i should’ve read the long game prior to this since the characters overlap heavily and it did have me confused at first but this overall wasn’t for me sadly.
thank you to netgalley and atria books for providing this arc in exchange for an honest review.
June 4, 2025
Amor versus Casamento
Josephine (Josie) Moore é a presidente da câmara duma pequena cidade de província, orgulhosa dona de um café, colecionadora de tudo o que brilha e entusiasta restauradora de cerâmica quebrada. Até aqui tudo bem! Mas há mais: acontece que algures no passado, Josie esteve não uma, nem duas, nem três, mas sim quatro vezes noiva. Desses 4 noivados, nenhum passou à fase seguinte — no dia do Sagrado Matrimónio Josie, como é comum dizer-se, deu de frosques deixando invariavelmente, para trás, um noivo confuso, desencantado e feito paspalho em pleno altar…
Após esses malogrados eventos, Josie enfiou os 4 anéis de noivado na gaveta dos recuerdos e seguiu em frente. Porém, os pecados que se deixam impunes, por mais insignificantes que sejam ou aparentem ser, tendem a retornar, clamando por redenção. E, de facto, assim foi: num daqueles dias mais ou menos azarados, eis que o seu cadastro de noiva em fuga (quase literalmente) lhe bate à porta com o único fito de lhe assombrar a vida…
O Dilema da Noiva é um divertido frente a frente entre Casamento e Amor que termina com o segundo livre e vencedor. Um velho tema que é abordado num estilo singular e brejeiro 😉
“Não preciso de que ela suba a um altar, use o meu anel ou assine o nome numa linha. Ela é a minha felicidade. Só preciso dela. Os empregos substituem-se. As carreiras são instáveis. As raízes crescem onde houver terra. O compromisso e o amor mostram-se por ações. E planeio fazê-lo todos os malditos dias da minha vida desde que a tenha. Tão simples quanto isso.”
Josephine (Josie) Moore é a presidente da câmara duma pequena cidade de província, orgulhosa dona de um café, colecionadora de tudo o que brilha e entusiasta restauradora de cerâmica quebrada. Até aqui tudo bem! Mas há mais: acontece que algures no passado, Josie esteve não uma, nem duas, nem três, mas sim quatro vezes noiva. Desses 4 noivados, nenhum passou à fase seguinte — no dia do Sagrado Matrimónio Josie, como é comum dizer-se, deu de frosques deixando invariavelmente, para trás, um noivo confuso, desencantado e feito paspalho em pleno altar…
Após esses malogrados eventos, Josie enfiou os 4 anéis de noivado na gaveta dos recuerdos e seguiu em frente. Porém, os pecados que se deixam impunes, por mais insignificantes que sejam ou aparentem ser, tendem a retornar, clamando por redenção. E, de facto, assim foi: num daqueles dias mais ou menos azarados, eis que o seu cadastro de noiva em fuga (quase literalmente) lhe bate à porta com o único fito de lhe assombrar a vida…
O Dilema da Noiva é um divertido frente a frente entre Casamento e Amor que termina com o segundo livre e vencedor. Um velho tema que é abordado num estilo singular e brejeiro 😉
“Não preciso de que ela suba a um altar, use o meu anel ou assine o nome numa linha. Ela é a minha felicidade. Só preciso dela. Os empregos substituem-se. As carreiras são instáveis. As raízes crescem onde houver terra. O compromisso e o amor mostram-se por ações. E planeio fazê-lo todos os malditos dias da minha vida desde que a tenha. Tão simples quanto isso.”
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April 20, 2024I GOT THE ARC
I'm currently winning at life guys 🤭🤭
I'm currently winning at life guys 🤭🤭
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August 30, 2023BARELY STARTED THE LONG GAME AND I CANT WAITT FOR THIS ONE
August 19, 2024
— 2 stars ★
reading vlog
maybe i messed up by not reading The Long Game first, despite the author claiming that this book is a standalone novel. from the beginning and throughout the story, i could not find the foundation between josie and matthew. genuinely, it felt like they were in love from the beginning with nothing to show for how those feelings came about.
my grievances doesn't start with that though. i was intrigued by the synopsis because i REALLY wanted to know how this was going to play out. as someone that had an absentee father, there's nothing on this green earth that could convince me to fix my father's problems when he didn't care/acknowledge me for so long. ABSOLUTELY NOTHING! josie let a PR girl and her dad run all over her like it was nothing. THEN when it came to faking the engagement, josie basically coerced matthew into playing along. wouldn't take no for an answer. frankly, that rubbed me the wrong way.
once the story started moving along, it felt like it wasn't actually moving. there weren't moments or plot points that made me believe in the main character's feelings for each other. as long as this book is, i expected some plot points that would create turning points in said relationship. but alas, nothing.
i wanted to like matthew, but he was very bland and one-dimensional until we get into his possessive arc. which literally came out of nowhere. if you told me he was a secret alpha-wolf and this was an omegaverse story, i'd believe you - based off the random possessiveness alone.
then moving onto josie - miss girl had some issues. which i understand, because like, daddy issues and all that! but the resolution to said issues was a... wait for it... revelation. LIKE? YOU REALIZE SOMETHING AND NOW ITS ALL GOOD? EVERYTHING IS FIXED? felt so bizarre! there was no real conflict between the main characters.
overall Ꮺ
— anyways. i didn't have the most fun with this book and that sucks. i was really interested in the plot but was left disappointed in the end.
thank you NetGalley and Artia Books for the ARC of this book! all opinions are my own.
reading vlog
maybe i messed up by not reading The Long Game first, despite the author claiming that this book is a standalone novel. from the beginning and throughout the story, i could not find the foundation between josie and matthew. genuinely, it felt like they were in love from the beginning with nothing to show for how those feelings came about.
my grievances doesn't start with that though. i was intrigued by the synopsis because i REALLY wanted to know how this was going to play out. as someone that had an absentee father, there's nothing on this green earth that could convince me to fix my father's problems when he didn't care/acknowledge me for so long. ABSOLUTELY NOTHING! josie let a PR girl and her dad run all over her like it was nothing. THEN when it came to faking the engagement, josie basically coerced matthew into playing along. wouldn't take no for an answer. frankly, that rubbed me the wrong way.
once the story started moving along, it felt like it wasn't actually moving. there weren't moments or plot points that made me believe in the main character's feelings for each other. as long as this book is, i expected some plot points that would create turning points in said relationship. but alas, nothing.
i wanted to like matthew, but he was very bland and one-dimensional until we get into his possessive arc. which literally came out of nowhere. if you told me he was a secret alpha-wolf and this was an omegaverse story, i'd believe you - based off the random possessiveness alone.
then moving onto josie - miss girl had some issues. which i understand, because like, daddy issues and all that! but the resolution to said issues was a... wait for it... revelation. LIKE? YOU REALIZE SOMETHING AND NOW ITS ALL GOOD? EVERYTHING IS FIXED? felt so bizarre! there was no real conflict between the main characters.
overall Ꮺ
— anyways. i didn't have the most fun with this book and that sucks. i was really interested in the plot but was left disappointed in the end.
thank you NetGalley and Artia Books for the ARC of this book! all opinions are my own.
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