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 🖤

This was cute, but not swoony. I could've done with less Mimi and more Vincent, or at least more equal page time between the two. Not sure if that would've helped their chemistry, though—their conversations are pretty boring. Thanks to the publisher for sending me a link.

Amerie is trying to start her own event planning business after an incident causes her to be fired from her previous company. Building from the ground up isn't easy especially with her mother's medical bills waiving over her head and the rent in her building increasing. When she meets Vincent at her favorite coffee shop and he pretends to be her boyfriend to show up her ex they end up keeping up the ruse for his family.

This is the first Berkley Book I've read in awhile that I enjoyed from start to finish. It was slow burn but it kept me invested the entire time. Early on I did wish it was dual pov but I grew to really enjoy Amerie's pov. As someone who was fascinated by Artemis 1 and used to follow Victor Glover (who was selected for the Artemis II mission to the moon) on Twitter I was excited to see a Black male astronaut as the love interest here. So I loved all the random space facts and Vincent taking Amerie the space center. Fake dating hasn't worked for me in a lot of recent books because it's felt forced but here it was believable enough to go a long with.

My only tiny nit pick was that we didn't get that 3rd act breakup but other than that this one is a keeper!

*Thank you to Berkley and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review*

I love me an astronaut romance and I think it can be hard to do one well! But dannnnng - fake dating meets forced proximity, all wrapped up with a family vacation twist. Event planners are some of my favorite romcom occupations because it means we get to go to all sorts of cool soirees. That New Year's Eve party sounded awesome! Vincent and Amerie are absolutely precious together, especially as they grow into their fake relationship. From the start, it never feels fake between them. The chemistry, the way they tease and test each other, it's perfect. This has just a teensy bit of steam, likely due to the slow burn, but I'm hoping that her future books get a little hotter!

I am absolutely trash for fake dating, and this definitely checked all my boxes. I loved how well fleshed out all of the characters were, not only Amerie and Vincent, but the side characters as well. The pacing was perfect, the conflict handled well. I loved how down bad Vincent was for his girl 🫠 amazing debut and I can’t wait to see what’s next from Easton!

This is such a cute book!!! I loved it!!! I wish it was duo POV and that there wasn’t a 3rd act break up (😑😒) but other than that… this was amazing! Their connection! The way he made her feel! How she was slowly falling but unsure of her own feelings! Ugh so beautifully done! I loved the way he showed up for her in her life and how he made her feel! Just… chefs kiss! I really enjoyed my reading experience!

Amerie's got problems - her relationship just ended, she's worried about her parents' health, she was let go from her job, and really needs to get her own event planning business off the ground. Then she spills coffee on Houston based astronaut Vincent followed by introducing this stranger as her new boyfriend to her old boyfriend. Vincent's sister walks in and he introduces Amerie as his girlfriend he's been talking about for months. Now they have to go to his family New Year's Eve party as a couple. Witty dialogue, smart people, and a slow building romance create a fun read.

The Kiss Countdown by Etta Easton was exactly as adorable as I hoped it would be.

The romance novel follows Amerie Price as she is trying to find her feet after several setbacks: a breakup and losing her job after she poured her energy into caring for her ill mother. A run-in with her ex at the local coffee shop sets off a fake-dating scheme that is mutually beneficial to Amerie and NASA astronaut Vincent Rogers. In exchange for a place to stay, Amerie will attend Vincent’s family functions and convince his mother that she doesn’t have to worry about him despite his risky career choice as an astronaut. The fake relationship has an expiration date: three months until Vincent blasts off on a mission to the moon.

My Thoughts
The theme of caretaking as love is woven throughout the story. Amerie has a mother with sickle cell anemia and the love she has for her mom, that her dad has for her mom, is evident in their actions; Vincent’s mother also cares for her family through baking and food; and at a certain point in the novel (no spoilers here, dear readers), Vincent, an absolute cinnamon roll of a man, cares for Amerie. The love these characters have for each other rockets off the page, and is so comforting to read.

The chemistry between Amerie and Vincent is out of this world, and the evolution of their relationship is both believable and sweet. The heavier topics of grief and family illness help to ground the novel without detracting from the fact that this is a romance (happily ever after included).

If you’re a romance fan, definitely recommend picking this one up! Read this book for the Black joy, stay for the out-of-this-world space puns.

Thank you to Netgalley and Berkley Romance for the advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review!

Content Warnings
death of a sibling (historical, off-page), grief, caring for an ill parent

I will be posting to Goodreads immediately, and sharing my review on Barnes and Noble and Instagram the week of publication. Thank you!

Rating: 3.5 stars

Amerie Price is reeling from her new normal. She’s single, jobless, and on the verge of losing her apartment. As Amerie picks up the pieces to her life and starts her own business, she bumps into her ex. So, there’s only one thing to do. Pretending to be dating the annoying, gorgeous man, she spilled coffee.

Vincent Rogers is a real-deal astronaut. He loves what he does, but his love life is nonexistent, and agreeing to fake data Amerie will help him keep his family off his back. In exchange, Amerie can live with him until she gets back on her feet. Neither Vincent nor Amerie are prepared for the pull they feel towards one another and have to decide what they want after this fake arrangement.

The stunning cover and the synopsis immediately sold me on this book. Fake dating is one of my favorite tropes, and I was not disappointed! I found I could relate a lot to Amerie and her struggles. Trying to pick up the pieces of your life when things seem all going wrong is hard. However, I admired Amerie’s perseverance. While I appreciated getting to know Amerie more, I wish we had heard Vincent’s POV. I would have loved to understand more of his thoughts as things were happening. Vincent was such a loveable character all the way around! How he would nerd out about his career warmed my heart, and I enjoyed seeing a male MC who depicted an astronaut. Overall, this was a fantastic debut, and I would recommend it for lovers of the fake dating trope and books with strong family ties!

Thank you to Net Galley and Berkley Publishing Group for the ARC!