This was such a fun fake dating book. The main characters were relatable, the writing drew me in, and I was invested in the outcome and did not want to put the book down and once I finished it I wanted more of the story.

Amerie is not having a good day when she runs into a very tall, immoveable object and spills her coffee on him. Vincent is an astronaut and when she runs into an ex she uses Vincent as her new fake boyfriend. In return he asks her to attend a party as his fake girlfriend. Both see an advantage to continuing this fake relationship and so they make a deal. But as they spend time together the lines begin to blur. Are they merely pretending or are the feelings real?

I thought this book was so cute!! I loved Amerie and Vincent's relationship and how they get to know each other. This is definitely quite a slow burn but there's really good tension layered throughout and the building anticipation kept me engaged and excited for what was next to come. The slow burn was really well paced and I think made sense for the characters and the situation they were in.

Family relationships are a very important part of this book and I thought felt really realistic - Amerie is struggling with not wanting to disappoint her family and worrying about her mother's failing health, and Vincent is struggling with a mother who wants him to stay safe after the death of his older brother.

Read this for:
- Fake Dating/Engagement
- Astronaut and Event Planner
- Forced Proximity

Thank you to Netgalley and Berkley for the eARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

The Kiss Countdown
Publishing April 9, 2024

🪐 Fake Dating
💫 Forced Proximity
🪐 Only One Bed (ish)

I absolutely adored The Kiss Countdown! I flew through it in a day, and struggled to put it down.
I really enjoyed the main characters and watching their romance blossom. The fake dating trope always hits me in the feels as they the characters have to figure out what their feelings truly are towards each other.
I loved the close knit families (with both characters) and the family trip. I enjoyed how we truly got to know the side characters along with the main characters.

This was a cute, fun, and fast paced romance read. Would 100% recommend this.

An angsty but fun fake dating romance between an event planner and an (actual) astronaut. Both have family trauma-related reasons for needing to be in a sham relationship, but just as the fake feelings start to feel real, one of them is due to leave for six months in space.

I didn't always buy the instalove between the lead couple, but the supporting characters filled out the story nicely. Overall an enjoyable read.

Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for the ARC to review. All opinions are my own.

How fun to read a romcom set in a city I called home for many years! I loved the space/NASA connection, and Amerie and Vincent's love story was delightful to follow. I'm always a fan of a fake dating trope, and this one didn't disappoint!

Also appreciate the sickle cell representation as it's impacted many of my family and loved ones, but I've only seen it in two other books so far.

Fantastic! I loved the peek into a life of an astronaut, and the main romance was very good! I very much enjoyed this one.

This is cute, but I felt frustrated with Amerie, the female MC, several times for her consistent lying to herself and everyone around her 🤦🏼‍♀️🤦🏼‍♀️

It’s one of the better fake-dating reasons I’ve read though — they’re each trying to fool someone!

It’s more of a 3.5 for me; but bumping to 4 because I do enjoy reading romances with Black characters and want to see more of them!

This one started off strong for me but then it fell flat about a third of the way through. I started to dislike Amerie and didn't get what Vincent saw in her. It baffled me when she made an issue of him being gone all the time. She knew what she was getting into - he is an astronaut!

I found myself liking Vincent more than I liked Amerie. He was a hot nerd through and through. The second he started explaining to her about stars and planets, I was a goner.

This was a slow burn but maybe a bit too slow for me.

I had some mixed feelings about this book. I would say I liked it but there were some things I didn't like.

Steam level: 🔥🔥🔥
⚠️: mention of death of a loved one

It was such a sweet love story. I love how both of these characters found their HEA. And the supporting cast of characters just added that extra little something to make it even more special.

Such a great romance! Thank you Berkley Publishing for sending me this e-arc. This book had me smiling and giggling from the very start. The chemistry between Amerie and Vincent was so well written!
Even though I’m not usually a fan on the third act breakup, I think it added a great element of vulnerability to the story and Amerie’s character development

I’ll definitely be ordering a physical copy once available in stores

OH MY GOD. This is undoubtedly going to be one of my favorite reads this year. This story was SO cute and had some of my favorite tropes. Only one bed, taking care of her when she’s injured. *swoons* I’m in love. The chemistry between the MMC and the FMC was INSANE. And the trajectory of their relationship was just so well-paced. And the tension?! Immaculate. Plus the fun and intricate side characters helped push this book over the edge. I loved it.

This was a fun read and I am so obsessed with the book cover. I love book covers that embody and showcase black love!! I love that Vincent had a unique career as an astronaut, I’ve never read a book with an astronaut let alone a Black one so that worked for me!

I liked Amerie but I loved Vincent more. I did feel empathy towards her and her difficulties with trying to redefine herself as she launched her own business. The only thing missing from this story for me though was I felt like there was a lack of passion between both Amerie + Vincent. I wanted to feel more swoony with them and felt like they kinda, maybe lacked some chemistry…

Other than that, it was cute and a perfect read for February! 💕

I Loved this one!!!
I used to want to be an astronaut when I was a kid.
Their chemistry is undeniable. I liked that they had some type of character development through out and it was not just about the romance but about relationships as a whole.

sometimes you pick up a book and you just KNOW that you’re going to love it. that is how i felt picking up ‘the kiss countdown’ by etta easton.

you have amerie who’s life has pretty much fallen apart. she almost lost her mum, she was fired from her dream job and her boyfriend dumped her. enter vincent (read this ‘ken is an astronaut’. if you know you know and you will once you read this book) whose sole focus in life at the moment is his work. he can’t do distractions. the two end up in a fake dating fiasco after running into amerie’s ex and decide to keep the charade up to keep his family off of his back until he has to take off… literally.

this book had me laughing out loud within the first 12 pages. it was so cute and i really enjoyed the strong family bonds being at the heart of the story!

overall i would recommend this book for fans of:
- fake dating
- friends to lovers
- strong familial relationships
- interesting careers
- well developed characters with fantastic personalities!!

thank you so much to netgalley and berkley publishing group for an e-arc!

Amerie is jobless, and about to lose her apartment so she decides to start her own business. When she unexpectedly runs into her ex and his beautiful new girlfriend, she panics and pretends to be dating the annoying man she met when she spilled his coffee all over him.

Vincent plays along with Amerie, but he needs a partner leading up to his space launch in three months. In return Amerie will get a free room.

Of course, the two don’t plan on actually being pulled towards each other.

First off this book was fantastic for a debut. It read like a more seasoned author wrote it, so I am excited to see what comes from this author next!

This book was a lot of fun. Both Amerie and Vincent were easy to like and had lots of likeable qualities, and only a few minor annoying onesThis book found the sweet spot with the slow burn. It felt very realistic, and that the relationship took a natural progression towards the hook-up. The biggest hang-up I had with this book was the pacing. While I understand that the romance was a slow burn, the pacing was rather slow for me and I kept getting distracted, which makes for a frustrated reading experience for me. This won’t deter me from reading the authors subsequent works, but it did knock off about half a star from my rating overall just because it hindered my enjoyment.

I think that this one would have been amazing had it been a dual point of view and I hope that is something the author considers for the future!

Thank you so much to Berkley Pub, @BerkleyPub, Berkley Romance, @BerkleyRomance, and Netgalley, @Netgalley for this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4

The fake dating trope has lost a lot of magic for me in recent years but The Kiss Countdown made me a fan again. This book is more sweet than spice, super cute. Sometimes it gets heavy but quickly lightens the mood. Definitely recommend

Etta Easton's debut romance brilliantly weaves familiar tropes into a fresh narrative. With elements like fake-dating, complex family dynamics, and an astronaut protagonist facing a space mission deadline, the story is captivating. Set in a neighborhood near NASA, the author masterfully captures the setting. Amerie and Vincent's journey is a delightful rollercoaster, making it a must-read. Excited for Etta's next work!

The Fake Dating lovers will get a kick out of this one. Also, anybody that loves a THOROUGHLY smitten and besotted love interest - Vincent is your guy. He was down bad and it was apparent to everyone but Amerie and we love to see it. Vincent also had some smooth operator moments and we love that too. This book had feelings coming from every direction and the complicated family relationships and the realities of life of with a chronically ill family member hit me directly in the emotions. Honestly, how dare this be a debut?

This was a marvelous read of fake dating and real swoon. I loved watching Easton weaves together insecurities, longing, and familial drama in such a beautiful way. This was a grand slow burn that literally shot for the stars and I loved it! I need more astronaut party planning rom coms in my life!

I really enjoyed the majority of this book. I thought I would settle on a 4 star but ended up giving it a 3.5

Both of the characters ( Amerie and Vincent) were extremely likable in my opinion. Reading a story with a black astronaut was dope. I loved their interactions and the slow burn allowed for the romance to feel realistic. However, once I realized our FMC was the one to gravel I had to doc half a star. The whole time I wanted to scream “AMERIE, STAND UP!”

I was also a bit annoyed with Amerie for stressing so much over time she was unsure of. I really wanted her to cherish and enjoy the present moment with her parents and wish we could have gotten just a little more of them together.

Finally, I wish we were given Vincent’s pov. We only know Amerie’s thoughts and feelings. Vincent’s story was worth telling and I would have enjoyed him sharing it.

This is a book I can see myself recommending! I enjoyed the writing style and loved the side characters. I would love to see Gina’s relationship play out! Will her and Mack actually make it the alter? Or even Vincent’s younger sister! Will she find love or continue to be the odd sibling out? Can’t wait to check out more from this author.