The Kiss Countdown was okay for me. I just didn’t think anything about it was something new to me. I read plenty of fake dating / engagement books but I just was never super attached to the couple. It was a good book just not like a new favorite or anything for me.

4.5 ⭐️

I read this in one sitting and it was so freaking adorable!!! I enjoyed it so much and it was so wholesome and so funny. I absolutely adore the FMC and MMC and I would definitely be reading more from this author. Love love love!!!

I absolutely adored this debut from Etta Easton. I love fake dating but Amerie and Vincent were on a whole different level. the chemistry was perfect - I wanted to scream at Amerie at how smitten that Vincent was. I loved the families and the side characters. They definitely stood on their own and really added to the story.

I usually dislike the third act breakup but the way this was written worked so well and I loved how they came together at the end.

Thank you to Berkley and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

I initially requested this after falling in love with the cover, but after flying through the book in two sittings, this is one of my favorite debut romances of the year. Mimi an event planner and Vincent an astronaut are two strangers that make a plan to fake date as a win/win for both of them (the set up was hilarious). The two are complete opposites and their journey to getting to their HEA is what makes this one standout.

Read id you like:
-Forced proximity (one bed)
-Fake dating
-Banter and whit
-Cinnamon roll/ sunshine hero
-Slow burn

I thought this was a fun read. It started with a sweet meet cute where the two main characters have attraction but don’t really get along. As the story progresses we learn more about these two as their paths cross again. The forced proximity and fake dating tropes were both well done. Vincent and Amerie have great chemistry with lots of good banter. The reader definitely roots for these two to find their way through their individual issues. An entertaining and quick read. Thank you to Berkley publishing for the opportunity to read an early copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Genre: contemporary romance

Amerie Price has just started out on her own as an event planner after losing her job and her boyfriend. At a coffee shop she literally runs into sexy astronaut Vincent Rogers, spilling coffee down his front. Only a few days later she runs into her ex, and sees Vincent nearby and pretends that he’s her boyfriend so that she can feel a little better about her ex with another woman already. But then as payback, Vincent asks Amerie to come to his sister’s New Years Eve party as his girlfriend, which turns into coming to his mother’s birthday party at the family cabin for a week. Which turns into a lot more fake dating than Amerie signed up for.

This was a setup I really wanted to like, but unfortunately the book wasn’t for me. Contemporary romances are really always hit or miss for me, because it’s difficult to convey real life situations and build realistic characters for me. I either need them really zany and bananas or really heartfelt and bringing me to tears. The slow burn relationship between Amerie and Vincent was really lovely, but my brain couldn’t shut out the other details swirling behind the plot. I find that a lot of debut authors are excited to get their ideas on page, but at the expense of putting too many things into motion in the plot. As a primarily historical romance reader, my enjoyment of the book rests in my inability to suspend disbelief at moments of reality that don’t add up for me, like getting upset over the expense of business cards with an incorrect spelling but not over lying about losing a job to your parents for almost a year.

I love that Easton has all Black main and side characters in her book, and love that mainstream publishers are producing books like The Kiss Countdown. If you love fake dating in contemporary romance, you’ll eat up this open door slow burn romance. I loved the moment where Amerie and Vincent finally realize that they actually like each other. They take a lot of big personal risks to open up to each other, making this a worthwhile read.

In this debut novel, a struggling event planner finds herself in a fake relationship with a charming astronaut. Amerie Price, jobless and facing eviction, agrees to pretend to be Vincent Rogers' girlfriend for three months in exchange for a rent-free room and support for her struggling business. As their charade progresses, Amerie wrestles with her feelings, torn between the safety of her former life and the unpredictable allure of Vincent. Will she settle for the safe option or take a chance on love among the stars?

My Thoughts: This romantic comedy centered around fake dating was an absolute joy. Brimming with humor, well-developed characters, heartfelt family dynamics, wonderful platonic friendships, and undeniable chemistry between Amerie and Vincent. The dynamic between Mimi and Vincent had me absolutely giggling when they would sass and make little quips towards each other. I typically don't love single POV books, but I really didn't mind it being only Amerie's POV (although I would have loved Vincent's too!!!)

Read if you love:
-fake dating
-coffee shop meet cutes
-Black MMCs
-astronauts!
-family dynamics
-one bed
-caretaking
-cinnamon roll mmc
-slowburn
-forced proximity
-MEN IN GRAY SWEATPANTS

Thank you so much to Berkley Pub, @BerkleyPub, Berkley Romance, @BerkleyRomance, and Netgalley, @Netgalley for this arc!

Read this if you like:
•Fake dating
•One bed
•A man in grey sweatpants
•STEM

This book was seriously so adorable. What a fantastic debut. Vincent is an astronaut & Amerie is an event planner a little down on her luck. I was swooning the entire time. This will be out April 9. Preorder immediately!

Thank you Berkley for eARC!

📣 fake dating between an astronaut & event planner. He romances her so well!

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the complimentary ARC. All opinions provided are my own.

📖 what are you counting down to?

The Kiss Countdown by Etta Easton is so cute that I was smiling while exercising.

This book features an astronaut hero, an event planner heroine, and adorable moments of flirting. With a fast-paced fake dating romance arc that somehow moves fast but not too fast, family members coming back together after grief & navigating chronic health challenges, & a hero who sings off-key in the morning, this book is such a satisfying & yummy mix of heavy & light.

TKC just feels so real to me, & I loved the time I spent with Amerie & Vincent & all of the secondary characters who love them. Just a wonderful book—I was so charmed!

5 ⭐️. Out 04/09.

Please see a trusted reviewer’s list of CWs.

[ID: Jess’s white hand holds the ebook in front of a slate blue wall with different colored flowers painted as a mural.]

4.25⭐️ IM OBSESSED WITH THIS BOOK!!!

I’m convinced I need an astronaut in my life because hearing Vincent Rogers talk about space just made me giggle and fall in love!!


This romance follows Amerie who is a struggling party planner that is newly single and is needing a lucky break and Vincent who is an astronaut preparing for his launch into space.

Both characters run into each other at a coffee shop where they both conveniently find themselves having to fake date to fool her ex and his family!

This book was so funny being in Amerie’s thoughts had me laughing out loud she was hilarious. There was also so many cute sweet moments I just ate up! It was such a fast read for me and if you want a good fake dating & forced proximity rom com I’d def rec this one!!!

Thank you BerkleyPub & Berkley Romance for the ARC!!

Instagram Feature 3/28:

Here in northern VT we’re deep in prep for the upcoming total solar eclipse and our local NASA Solar System Ambassador talked to our patrons about the history of eclipses, safety and local advice about things like travel… and dropped off lots of NASA swag!
So when I received a copy of @ettawritesromance The Kiss Countdown from @berkleyromance I knew I had to bring it to work for a little photo shoot 🚀.
This is a contemporary fake-dating romance between an event planner and a NASA astronaut and it’s perfect to get in the mood for adventures both on and off planet. I didn’t expect the hiking!
The Kiss Countdown is available April 9. The eclipse is available April 8 🌖 Thanks to Berkley for this copy!

Cute fun read , enjoyed the story and the character development as we follow their story “fake dating “ if you will but as life always has other plans
also loved the cover

This was a cute premise and the characters had the potential to be really endearing (and were at many points which is what kept me reading), but I wanted a dual POV because the MMC character was already written in a distant manner and not having his POV made the gap even wider. I loved the fact that both characters had believable reasons for entering into their fake dating contract, it's not very often you see that! Nothing memorable but I enjoyed enough to keep an eye out for this author's next.

I loved this one!! I love fake dating romances, and this one had the added interest of space. I loved the pacing of the book, and as someone who also loves event planning and feels as though it is underappreciated, this really hit home!

What a fantastic book! I've been hearing a lot of buzz about this one and agree with all of it. This fake dating romcom was a delight. Filled with humor, character development, heart tugging family stuff, fantastic platonic friendships, and so much chemistry between Amerie and Vincent (an astronaut!), I enjoyed every page.

As far as debuts go this one wasn’t bad at all! It is rather cute and charming.
I think my issues are mainly with the leads. I found myself struggling to fully understand Amerie. I didn’t fully understand why she was always so unsure. Then with Vincent I felt like I never knew what he was thinking.

This was my first book by Etta Easton!! What an amazing first read, I am smiling ear to ear writing this review. It was so refreshing hearing the story from one POV, so many authors are doing multiple. As refreshing as it was sometimes after important parts of the book, like the third act break up I really wanted to hear what was going through Vincent's mind! Amerie was a character really worth rooting for. Her wins and opportunities to grow were real and how they unfolded kept me interested. The premise of the book was a great a take on fake dating and forced proximity, two tropes I read often but Etta really made them feel new! I can't wait to share The Kiss Countdown!!

Astronaut Vincent proposes a deal to event planner Amerie: pretend to be his girlfriend for three months in exchange for a rent-free room. As they get to know each other, Amerie finds herself torn between the safety of focusing on her precarious business and the allure of pursuing Vincent. With the countdown ticking, will she find the courage to shoot for the stars?

This is very cute. I love the family vibe and the chemistry between Amerie and Vincent. There’s a lot going on in this book, and the author handles it beautifully.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

An enjoyable fake dating romance. She needs a client list and a place to live, and he needs someone to play the girlfriend he told his mother he had. He's an astronaught with a moon mision coming up fast, and she's a disgraced event planner. What could possibly go wrong?

Amerie and Vincent- fake dating, grumpy/sunshine-make for a fun couple in this spritely romance that also touches on the serious issue of chronic illness. They meet cute and then become a couple as he prepares for his space mission (love that he's an astronaut). She's lucky to have a BFF in Gina, who both supports her and keeps her grounded. The family dynamics are well played. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A good read.