Thank you Berkley Publishing for the free book! #BerkleyPartner

I enjoyed this one!! I love fake dating…. you all know this.

At the start, I was unsure of where the relationship was going to go because the FMC, Amerie, really did not like the MMC, Vincent. They have a run-in (literally) and she just has a general disdain for him for a few chapters. I was worried that it would take way too long for her to figure out she liked him but then it kinda happened very quickly. At times it just felt like things were wrapped up and rushed very quickly, writing/storyline-wise.

I think the start of the book takes a second to get into because there is so much build-up for Amerie, she just lost her job, and her bf, is about to lose her apartment and she’s worried about losing her mom. But then we moved into it and I was unable to put the book down.

I really do love Amerie and Vincent as their own people already and then put them together and it’s even better. Although I wish we knew more about Vincent’s thoughts about everything that happened in the book. This book touches on some heavy topics that they both deal with such as grief and sick parents. In my opinion, Easton did it well and not to the point where it feels like too much or too little. I have read books that touch on these topics but also dwell on them to the point where it feels like that’s what the book is about when it’s not.

I loved to see Amerie grow into herself and learn a lot of things about herself and the way she loves. Vincent and Amerie’s love is so pure and I loved that until Amerie freaked out and became what he didn’t want (his mother) but then it was all rectified very quickly at the end and she realizes the mistake she made and fixes it.

It was a great read!

What a fun debut! This fake dating, slow burn, forced proximity romance between an astronaut and an event planner was simply adorable. I loved the chemistry between the main characters as well as their family ties. Their romance was incredibly sweet and charming. Thanks berkley romance and Netgalley for my copy.

Oh, to fall in love with an astronaut in a coffee shop. Amerie, a down-on-her-luck event planner, strikes up a fake dating arrangement with NASA astronaut, Vincent, before he leaves in three months for his next mission to the moon. Naturally, what begins as "fake" becomes very real. As Vincent and Amerie fall in love over the course of extravagant parties, nights for stargazing, and peanut butter jelly sandwiches, I found myself falling in love beside them. The Kiss Countdown is the most polished romance debut I have read in a long time. Did I mention that he is an astronaut?

3.5 rounded up!

A cute, easy romcom. I loved the setting. Not usually a fake dating person, but I liked this one well enough! Would recommend if you're looking for something fast and charming.

I absolutely loved this book!!! It's so cute, it's laugh out loud funny, and overall just sooooo adorable.

I highly recommend this for anyone who enjoys fake dating, slow burn, he falls first, and a nerdy cinnamon roll hero.

1. I love a fake dating book. LOVE. The proximity and the likelihood for just one bed are just the best.
2. The idea of an astronaut and the dangers involved in his life and the relationships, both family and personal, are so interesting to me.
3. This cover is so pretty.

I enjoyed The Kiss Countdown so much. I thought their situation and the way their romance grew was so fun and I fell right into their romance. Their own challenges were just the right balance to their romance. The tension created good steam between the characters. I enjoyed this so much.

I think the reason I don’t love fake relationship as a trope in contemporary romance is that the reasons feel like super low stakes to me. Here, the 2 MCs are pretending to be in a relationship bc Vincent, the astronaut hero, wants to get his mom off his back. She’s forever complaining about the dangers of his job and he thinks showing up to a family vacation with a girlfriend will go a long way in helping his mom relax about his profession. Or at least make her happy that he is in a serious relationship. Things take a turn when his mom gets upset about his job and in an effort to distract her, Amerie ups the stakes by pretending they’re getting engaged. Um okay then. I don’t love the lying to his family (and also kind of to hers). There’s also a storyline about Amerie’s mom being sick with sickle-cell anemia and the ongoing struggle with that. All in all, I don’t think fake relationship works for me in a contemporary setting - I liked the MCs but I wished the set up of the romance was different.

They earned their HEA. Vincent is an adorable cinnamon roll MMC, and Amerie is a devoted daughter and friend whose fears hold her back in a variety of ways. She moved around a lot growing up, and I really connected with her character in feeling "rootless" and seeking stability.

It took a while for me to become invested in the story. I think some of my struggle is the single POV, which is always tough for me to read. But I was really frustrated by Amerie's refusal to view Vincent's actions, their relationship, her parents' situation, etc., differently than how she initially perceived it. I understand that is part of her character growth, but it was tiring to see the same reasoning applied repeatedly. I knew the third-act breakup was coming, but it was really frustrating to see it play out as though she hadn't grown at all.

That said, once the relationship passed the "friend" line, and once Amerie started to be more introspective, I became more engrossed. 3.5 stars.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an eARC of this book.

Mimi and Vincent….she’s an event planner and he’s an astronaut. Mimi has just survived a very tough year….she was fired from her job at a high end event planning firm when she had to leave a wedding that she and her team were running because her Mom’s sickle cell disease landed her, once again in the hospital and the wedding became a disaster. Mimi’s less than fabulous boyfriend broke up with her and the rent on her apartment is being raised…a lot. She’s trying to establish her own business but her wonderful reputation took a huge hit because of the disaster wedding. To make matters worse, she bumps into her former boyfriend and his new girlfriend. In a quick decision, she waves at Vincent, who she’s sorta chatted with before, and introduces him as her boyfriend. Vincent goes along with the ruse and, after the other couple walk away, asks Mimi to pose as his fake girlfriend at his sister’s upcoming New Year Eve party. Both Mimi and Vincent have baggage but they also have great chemistry. Maybe a fake relationship will grow into something more.

The Kiss Countdown was such a fun fake dating romance. There was just the right amount of slow burn to reel you in, but it didn't drag on for too long.

Our main characters are Amerie, an event planner who's down on her luck, and Vincent, a hard-working astronaut with a mother who can't help but worry. After literally running into each other in a coffee shop, they agree to fake date to help Amerie stick it to her ex and to help Vincent convince his family not to worry about him so much.

I really enjoyed all the side characters and family dynamics. Both Amerie and Vincent had trouble standing up to their family and being completely honest, so it was nice to see that progression throughout the story. Their romance was realistic but still funny and sweet, and you could see the chemistry between them from a mile away. The one thing I would've loved to see was a POV from Vincent. I found him to be pretty quick and witty, and I think that would tip this book into 5-star territory for me.

Sweet light romance that makes you smile. I loved getting to know these two and their families. I loved the mfc and her best friend Gina! I also loved how this book didn't feel heavy and made you feel like you were a part of the family! There were a few times I held my breath as the mmc was talking about takeoff and landing the space shuttle, and I loved watching both characters fight for their dreams and careers! What a pleasure it was to watch this sweet romance blossom!!

THE KISS COUNTDOWN is a swoon-worthy romance between Amerie, a professional event planner, who I wish was real because I’d have her plan every single party of mine, and a very sexy astronaut, Vincent, who she meets when she accidentally spills coffee on him. Through a series of seemingly unfortunate (but when you think about it, actually really fortunate) events, they end up fake dating. This book has it all: a superb best friend to love, a bathtub, fake dating but real feelings, and a resolution that made me truly feel both characters were written perfectly for each other and no one was giving up part of what they loved for the other person. This was a delightful read, and I recommend it enthusiastically! Etta Easton is now an auto-buy author for me, and I can’t wait to read what she writes next.

Thank you to Netgalley, Berkley books, and Etta Easton for this eARC. This ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

The last thing down on her luck Amerie needs is to run into her smug ex and his new girlfriend, but when that’s exactly what happens she does what any one would do. She pretends to be dating the hot but annoying man she literally ran into in the coffee shop who turns out to be an actual astronaut! Vincent could also use a little fake dating help from Amerie to placate his family for the next three months before he leaves for a six month mission to the moon, and so the two strike a deal.

The Kiss Countdown is a solid debut novel from Etta Easton. The writing is lovely and the pacing and progression of Amerie and Vincent’s relationship is spot on. The story is sweet and fun if a bit surface level. I think it would have benefited greatly from a dual POV which would have given Vincent’s character more depth. He clearly falls first and there were so many moments I wanted to know what he was feeling to contrast with Amerie who is more reserved.

I loved the setting in Houston and the hill country. No one tell the author that I too am a born and raised Houstonian who have never been to the Johnson Space Center! I loved that Amerie has an actual friend who she can and does lean on for support. Overall, I really enjoyed this story and look forward to more from Easton!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a copy of this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

How is this Etta Easton’s debut novel?! A slow burn love story that felt like a warm hug on a snowy day. I literally could not stop reading this book until I finished it, and now I wish I’d taken more time to savor it. I can’t wait to read more from this author!

I received a copy of this book from Berkley.

I ate this book up! I love STEM romances (hence why I requested an E-ARC from net galley) and getting a STEM main guy with an event planner girl was so fun for me to read. It was a slow burn fake dating story in terms of them actually getting together but the attraction is there immediately. One thing I will say is that I appreciate her girl boss moment at the end where she demanded to be a priority because girl, you sure are.

Let me tell you, I had that cheesy grin reading about Amerie and Vincent falling for one another. One thing I thought was unique with this one was the fact that our male character Vincent was an astronaut! I don’t think I’ve ever seen that before.

My most favorite romance trope is fake dating and this had one of the cutest and funniest one. It all started with a coffee spill and a bump into an ex ordeal. After spilling coffee on Vincent, Amerie pulls him into her conversation with her ex like she’s dating him. Imagine that surprise for Vincent. Eventually, they both come up with the fake dating plan because he needs her to join him at and event with his family, acting as his girlfriend. This one scene where they kiss on the dance floor had me swooning from there and I was hooked from then!

Both of our characters had outside issues to work through and although their dating was fake, they helped one another overcome their issues and find love in the process. This is exactly what I look for in my romance novels, added context to really give depth to the characters. The ending did seem to wrap up pretty quickly, but I didn’t mind because I was on a high from how much I liked this one! This was a great debut romance novel!

The Kiss Countdown is a blast of romantic rocket fuel! Amerie Price's event planning career might be in freefall, but her fake relationship with astronaut Vincent Rogers is a fiery countdown to love. With smoldering chemistry, witty banter, and a love interest that's out of this world, this debut novel shoots for the stars and lands among the constellations. Four stars for a sizzling blend of romance, humor, and a touch of interstellar magic – because who knew faking it could feel this good?
Thank you to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

I’m sure this will be a winner for many other readers but it just wasn’t the book for me. I struggled to connect with the writing style and characters but I also couldn’t fault the general ideas or overall story arc. Some great tropes, fake dating and forced proximity, and I loved the career oriented leads and their backstories. But it also felt a bit flat to me and I wished it were dual POV. In the end I was just ready to move on but no strong feelings one way or the other.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! I’m generally a fan of fake dating, and this book was no different. I liked how Amerie had her own issues to work through… and actually did so! I was maybe hoping for a little more space/science content, but that’s just my personal bias. The chemistry between Amerie and Vincent was solid, although there could have been a smidge more sizzle. That might have been because the timeline of the plot was super condensed, not leaving a ton of time room for the characters to build a deeper relationship.

OK - the thing about this book is that while I loved the premise - Mimi, our main female lead, really.. really... got on on my nerves. She was so dramatic and everything was a big deal? From dust to her mom's illness - her responses didn't feel measured. I think in real life those kinds of people irritate me so I couldn't get past that.

Vincent comes with his own slew of issues - as all good characters should... But in this instance... I'm not sure why, but I didn't feel their chemistry at all.

**Thank you to Berkley & NetGalley for the advanced reader copy. I received this book for free, but all thoughts are my own. – SLR 🖤