Sometimes meeting the love of your life starts off by spilling coffee on an astronaut's shirt and asking him to be your fake boyfriend... leading to some very real chances of falling in love, that is, if he doesn't fly off to the moon. Amerie Price is a risk-averse event planner who is newly single and about to lose her apartment, she was recently fired and wants to get her new business going. What she doesn't expect is to bump into a cute astronaut and accidentally spill coffee on him... or to jump into her ex and ask said astronaut to pretend to be her boyfriend. Vincent Rogers is an astronaut and his one mission is to go on the moon. He has been lying to his mom telling his family that he has a girlfriend so they would get off his case yet when he meets Amerie and his sister catches them with Amerie's ex, she assumes that Amerie is his girlfriend and before he can explain she leaves to tell his mom. Now Amerie has to go with Vincent to his sister's new year's party... and Vincent offers Amerie a deal: if she pretends to be his girlfriend until he leaves to go to the moon so his family can be happy he'll let her live in his place rent free for as long as she likes. Amerie knows that she should say no, but saving all that rent money while building a start to her business is too good a chance to pass up... plus it doesn't hurt that there is some kind of chemistry brewing between these two. But between pretending for Vincent's family and actually getting to know each other... love is definitely on the horizon yet with Vincent bound for space can there really be a relationship between the two? Can Amerie take a risk for once and open herself up to love or is it as impossible as flying to the moon? This was a really cute romance read and I loved Vincent as a romantic lead for Amerie. He was really sweet and fun and liked teasing her. Amerie has a lot on her plate but she's so scared of getting hurt and he really breaks down her walls. It's a sweet read and a fun time!

*Thanks Netgalley and Berkley Publishing Group, Berkley for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

A charming romance debut. The fake dating romance is super slow burn, with the first (not faked) kiss happening 3/4 in.

I liked a lot about this book: the all Black characters, the loving and thankfully un-neurotic families, the sugar sweet cinnamon roll astronaut MMC, the chronic illness rep (the FMC’s mother has sickle cell anemia).

Unfortunately, the first person FMC narrator (the beautifully named Amerie) regularly annoyed me. She spoke of her attraction to Vincent in purely physical terms for almost the entirety of the book — not something I expect from a romance and certainly not one with a slow burn. Vincent offers her a place to live rent-free in her time of need in exchange for posing as his girlfriend at a couple family functions, and in exchange she regularly complains about his terrible decorating taste, paints his guest room gray out of “pettiness,” and is bored when he takes her to the space museum so she can learn more about his work. Vincent is total book boyfriend material and an absolute treasure, but why such a sweetie would fall for someone so judgmental and uninterested in him beyond his looks is a mystery. This made it hard for me to believe the romance.

The Kiss Countdown was a great debut - and so much fun to read! Amerie and Vincent balance each other out well. Vincent has already faced the loss of a sibling but isn't willing to make safe choices in life. As an astronaut just a few months away from a 6-month mission, he is constantly dealing with his mother questioning his career choices, wishing he would settle down, get married, and find a safer job. Amerie, an event planner who is newly unemployed and trying to start her own business, is very independent and does her best to avoid great risks. But when they are thrown together and Amerie needs a stand-in boyfriend to avoid an awkward situation with an ex-boyfriend - they begin to see how they can help each other. An entertaining slow burn fake dating romance with plenty of family drama and entertaining side characters. Definitely excited to see what this debut author writes next! Thank you to Berkeley and NetGalley for the chance to read this novel.

This book was fantastic!! We need more romance books about astronauts! This was full of so much love and healing and fun! Amerie and Vincent’s not so meet cute which led to them fake dating and then living together??? It was all done so well, the pacing, the revelations, the way we got to see Vincent opening up from Amerie’s POV. This is Etta Easton’s debut novel and it definitely didn’t read like one! I cannot wait to see what’s next!

VINCENT ROGERS IS A PERFECT MAN! We love a man who CARES. Who LISTENS. Who GIVES UP HIS ROOM SO HIS (fake) GIRL CAN SLEEP COMFORTABLY. WHO FALLS FIRST AND OH SO QUIETLY BUT OH SO HARD. I love him. He was very clearly hurting and grieving the loss of his brother, and being around his family made it SO hard for him. But having Amerie just simply be with him gave him a chance to redirect and then share things with her and that helped him so much.

I also LOVED Amerie. Her and Vincent were so different but watching her come out of her shell, and in a way that didn’t change her, was done so well. I love her and Gina!! (I HOPE she’s getting her own book!!!) their friendship made me so happy! She was really starting over and it wasn’t easy, I did appreciate that she wasn’t just an overnight success?? She worked SO hard and it eventually paid off and that felt so honest.

Thank you so much to Berkley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!!

Weee stannnn cute black contemporary romance stories and this is what Etta Easton provides in The Kiss Countdown. If you enjoy reading reading romances highlighting intelligent, tenacious, passionate, and funny black FMC’s and MCS read this book !!! If you are a fan of the tropes of fake dating, a great slow burn, and forced proximity this is the book for you!
Thank you so much NetGalley for a digital arc in exchange for an honest review!!
Final Rating 4.50/5

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.