Unfortunately I did DNF this book. Thank you Berkeley for the arc! I really appreciate it. I am interested in possibly picking up this book again and giving it another try at some point! I did purchase this book so I will get to it

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publishing Company for providing me this Digital Advanced Readers Copy of the book!

This Texas Made Bookish Woman swooned from beginning to end of this strangers to lovers work of words. There were times when hearing directly from male MC's point of view would have been insightful and made the storyline more robust.

I'm wayyy behind on finishing the ARC #gifted to me by Penguin Random House and Netgalley. Thank you for blessing my shelves and imagination.

The characters in this story were very well written and likeable enough - they had nice personalities and the dialogue was fun and flirty. I often struggle with fake dating/marriage of convenience books when there are not dual POV's. I find it hard to really see the relationship and how it naturally flows into more as it's all just so one sided. This was no different, but from the get go I did greatly appreciate the chemistry as it never felt forced or odd - it felt real and intense. Thank you to Etta Easton, and NetGalley for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

This was such a sweet debut, featuring an astronaut and event planner, and all the romance tropes I love!

WHAT TO EXPECT
- friends to lovers
-fake dating
-single POV

*many thanks to Berkley Romance, PRH audio and Netgalley for the gifted copy for review.

Etta Easton does fake relationships right in The Kiss Countdown. This read will have you swooning and rooting for Amerie and Vince. More astronaut MMCs, please!

This book was a fun time. There was just enough tension to keep it interesting, and by the end you just heave a huge sigh of relief that there is a HEA. The characters are great and the story is cute, so I'd definitely try another book by this author!

This was a cute cozy romance! Love the fake dating trope and most of all love the fact that this had a black astronaut and a black event planner! Overall a solid 4 stars!

I’ve been trying to read more debut authors this year and couldn’t resist this one as soon as I saw that cute cover and realized that one of the main characters is an astronaut!

Amerie Price is going through some things when we first meet her. She’s jobless, newly single, and in danger of being homeless. She’s trying to get her own event planning business up and running, but the struggle is real. She stops in at her favorite coffee shop, accidentally spills coffee all over an annoying but sexy stranger and then immediately turns around and runs into her ex and his new girlfriend. Amerie panics and tells them that she is dating the guy she spilled coffee on, and to her surprise, he plays along, but later asks for a favor in return.

It turns out that coffee guy is actually Vincent Rogers, a sweet, sexy astronaut who leaves in three months on a space mission. Vincent gets Amerie to agree to be his girlfriend for those months leading up to the mission so that his overbearing family will leave him alone about his love life.

I’m a sucker for the fake dating trope and watching those fake feelings gradually turn real over time, so this was a fun read for me. I also just really liked both characters. I enjoyed their chemistry and found them both to be relatable because of the family issues they were each dealing with.

If you’re in the mood for a fun, cute, heartfelt romance that is out of this world (sorry, couldn’t resist 😆), then be sure to pick up a copy of The Kiss Countdown.

Girlllllllllllll how do I end up fake dating an Astronaut??? I love the fake dating trope here, but I feel like it was dragged out longer than it should have. There really was no reason for them to actually start dating early on. Amerie and Vincent were very easy to like and their romance was mature. The only thing here is the pacing. It was a bit all over the place for me, but it was a debut. I would definitely read the author's next book.

3.5 stars
I enjoyed my time with this book. It was fun and fast paced. But ultimately, it was forgettable. Nothing about it stood out from other books I've read. The characters were likable, but bland. The story was fun, but familiar. I found Amerie's character a bit frustrating to read about, and she got very repetitive, however I really enjoyed Vincent. I don't think I've read a book with an astronaut love interest before, and I must say that was my favorite part. I think Etta Easton has potential, and I look forward to seeing what she comes up with next.

3.5 ⭐️

Etta Easton’s “The Kiss Countdown” is a feel-good romance that delicately navigates the challenges of starting over and the fear of vulnerability. The story centers on Amerie, a woman down on her luck who finds herself at a crossroads after losing her job, dealing with her mother’s illness and medical bills, and being dumped by her long-term boyfriend.

Enter Vincent, a nerdy yet charming astronaut Amerie meets at her favorite coffee shop. In a twist of fate, she asks him to pretend to be her boyfriend. Vincent, to her surprise, agrees, and they concoct a plan to keep up the charade until his mission to the moon. What neither of them anticipates is that their pretend relationship would evolve into something genuine, pushing them to confront their fears, grief, and past traumas together.

The romance between Amerie and Vincent is heartwarming and filled with moments that made me feel tingly, culminating in the sweetest ending. Easton effectively captures the emotional highs and lows of their journey, making their love story both relatable and inspiring.

However, the pacing of the novel felt uneven. The fast-paced beginning drew me in, and the final chapters were gripping, but the middle section dragged a bit, slowing down the momentum. Additionally, the story is told solely from Amerie’s point of view. While this provides deep insight into her character, it also limits our understanding of Vincent. A multi-point perspective would have enriched the narrative, allowing us to connect more deeply with both characters.

Despite these minor shortcomings, “The Kiss Countdown” is a delightful read that beautifully portrays the power of love and resilience. I give it 3.5 stars for its heartfelt depiction of love and the courage to start anew.

I normally love fake dating, and I really love an astronaut MMC, but this story was just a little too slow for me. I put it down at some point months ago, and haven't felt the urge to pick it back up, so calling it a DNF @ 40%.

I really wanted to like this, but I found both the characters and their romance to be incredibly boring. The premise of a fake relationship between an astronaut who wants to get his family off his back for not settling down and an event planner down on her luck in various aspects of life was intriguing, but the delivery didn't do it for me. It felt like a chore to keep picking this up because I just wasn't interested. And even after giving it a break, I had no desire to continue with the story. Did not finish in the end, but if I had I'm sure a 3-star rating would suffice based on my feelings toward the book. I think it'll work for others, but it just didn't work for me.

If you can put aside the whole moving in with a perfect stranger bit, this was a fun story! I don't think I've ever read a book with an astronaut as the main character before. Fake dating, well-meaning but overbearing parents, and smug exes - this one had a little bit of everything!

This book was good, not great, and while I did like it, I didn't love it. And, it didn't stand out to me among all the other books I've read.

This is a cute contemporary black romance between an event planner and an astronaut who find themselves in a fake engagement. It was an easy read that I finished in a day, but I read it after coming off a string of spectacular 5-star reads so it just didn't stand out for me.

Thanks to Berkley and Netgalley for my copy to review.

The Kiss Countdown by Etta Easton should be on every romance fans’ TBR list because it is an out of this world heartwarming romcom between an astronaut & an event planner with a meet cute disaster turned fake dating adventure for the ages.

This book made me absolutely giddy with glee. This hero!!! This hero….I was absolutely smitten for him & just head over heels rooting for this couple. I also loved the setup with him being an astronaut. I found that completely fascinating & appreciated how that was interwoven into the story as well as the appreciation & showcasing of space knowledge.

The Kiss Countdown is great for fans of…
🩷 Fake Dating
🩷 Astronaut x Event Planner
🩷 Space & Planets
🩷 Swooning

As a chronically ill disabled person, I always appreciate when there’s chronically ill representation. This book has a character’s mom with sickle cell anemia & it was vital to the story. I think it’s so important to include storylines with representation & I was grateful to learn more about it as well as the aspects of having someone with chronic illness in your family.

This is a book that needs to be made into a movie please & thank you. I also cannot wait to read more from this author!

If you are looking to launch your heart into space with an epically cute romance, I highly recommend The Kiss Countdown by Etta Easton!

Massive thanks to NetGalley & Berkley Publishing for the gifted copy, which I voluntarily read & reviewed.

As a Texan, I was really looking forward to this title. I just never really connected with either character. I love fake dating when it works, but this just didn't for me.

This was a quick and fluffy read. I appreciate its almost hallmark movie-esque feeling where you just enjoy the ride. I do feel it was a bit surface level, not much depth, which would make it a great beach read. I will say it did go a bit heavy on executing stereotypical tropes, but can definitely see where that could be a major win for a lot of readers. And if you are a reader who doesn’t like graphic spicy scenes, this one is for you! I give it about 🌶️🌶️ when it comes to spice. It’s done and over with pretty quickly. Though not my favorite love story, I do want to look more into Etta Easton’s writing and plan to read the next in her series!