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.

This was such a fun romcom! I am a sucker for the fake dating trope and this one did not disappoint! Also the fact that this "relationship" was between an astronaut and an event planner...SO FUN. I am in absolute awe that this is a debut from Etta and I will definitely be picking up whatever she writes next.

The last little bit of the book did something that I am not normally a fan of, which is why this rating is not higher. But all in all, I had a great time with this one and you need to add it to your tbr!

Huge thank you to Berkley and Netgalley for providing me with an arc of this book!

The Kiss Countdown is a beautifully written romance that explores what we should do for our families and if someone with an intense career can also have a love story.

Amerie and Vincent were such a great couple! She gives his life balance and he gives her a home. I loved that they both had careers they were passionate about that were really interesting to read about. I also liked how their initial fake dating situation let them be really honest with each other and in some ways support each other better than they would have otherwise.

One thing that was incredible about this book is how space metaphors are used throughout the book so successfully. It felt like the book had a theme that even the writing recognized. It also never felt forced or unnatural. I particularly liked this for the first non fake kiss scene. It was one of the most beautiful first kisses I have ever read.

I really enjoyed how this book explored the toll chronic illness and grief can take on a family. Etta Easton did a wonderful job showing how Amerie's mother's illness affected Amerie and her childhood. America has this idea that if you work hard you can have a wonderful life, but that doesn't factor in chronic illness, a broken healthcare system and biases in which disorders receive research funding. I love reading romances that discuss this kind of issue and I hope to see more of them in the future.

I recommend The Kiss Countdown to anyone who likes romance, particularly to fake dating and romances about stem career fans! I think you'll love this one to the moon and back (see I can do space metaphors too).

🌶️🌶️ - This book had several kissing and making out scenes as well as some fade to black style steamy scenes. I wouldn't consider it fully closed door but it was fairly low spice.

This is a good book. The two main characters are Amelie and Vince. They meet in a coffee shop when Amelie spills a cup on Vince. There is an instant attraction. Vince ask Amelie to be his fake girlfriend, she says yes. They start dating. They go on vacation with his parents. They both fall in love.

I have never read a book where the MMC was an astronaut and I think I’ve unlocked something new inside of me cause I need more recs! I’m a sucker for fake dating and forced proximity, so I was hooked from the start.

Amerie is trying to get her event planning business up and running on her own, but is financially struggling after helping her family with a medical bill. Her luck continues to backfire when she bumps into a man at a coffee shop and spills coffee all over him (and of course it’s the hottest man ever). Things obviously started on the wrong foot, and it doesn’t help that she runs into her ex a week later with a new girl at the same coffee shop. In comes Mr. Sexy Astronaut Vincent.

From there, Amerie convinces her ex that she’s dating Vincent, but Vincent could also use Amerie’s help attending a family event and offers her a place to live rent free.

From there, the two get to know each other and tension and chemistry build. I think I would’ve liked to see more of them getting to know each other, because it felt rushed and left me wondering how they had these strong feelings for each other when they’ve only been together for a couple weeks. There are tense moments between family members, a lot of head butting, and the break up seemed a little ridiculous.

The fake dating turned into a fake engagement and it all seemed really fast in the storyline and like there were too many tropes happening at once. Just a lot of little things and I’d rate it at 3.5 ⭐️ but I still enjoyed this and can’t wait to see what else Etta writes!

Thank you Berkley and NetGalley for an e-arc for my honest review.

Tropes:
-fake dating/engagement
-forced proximity
-astronaut MMC
-only one bed
-opposites attract

Amerie Price has definitely has better months. She’s been fired from her dream job, broken up with her boyfriend, and discovered her mom’s medical bill that is going to eat away her savings. But, being the loving daughter that she is, she pays the bill instead of ruining her parents’ roadtrip - because who knows if it will be their last. Then she meets Vincent, an honest-to-god astronaut who needs a fake girlfriend to get his family off his back. Honestly, you know where this is going.

The Kiss Countdown is a sweet story, even if Amerie is unbearable at times. The connection between Amerie and Vincent wasn’t super convincing (what exactly do they have in common again?) and the sex scenes fell a bit flat. This is Etta Easton’s debut novel and she definitely has room to grow, but The Kiss Countdown is still a fun read. If you love romance for the sake of romance and the fake dating trope, you won’t be disappointed.

Gosh is this such an amazing and funny romance book! The pining was sooo cute! They both couldn't stop thinking about each other it was so dang swoon worthy! loved this book!

I mean, could I have read this book at a better time? Probably not. I just binged all four seasons of For All Man Kind, so a romance with a cinnamon roll astronaut sounded perfect, and oh my god was it. So sweet and warm, aching and steamy. A DELIGHTFUL romance!

This book was a great debut! The setting and the premise were well done and the fake dating to help each other out was adorable. I had a hard time with the main characters, on their own they were great and you really would like them, but sometimes when they would interact it was a little flat and choppy. The side characters were enjoyable and fun along with the family members. It wasn't a favorite but an enjoyable light read.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

Hello Book friends!

Today I’m reviewing The Kiss Coutdown by Etta Easton. In this contemporary romance we follow struggling event coordinator Amerie Price and NASA astronaut Vincent Rogers, in this swoon-worthy debut romance about finding your person and making room for love.

Ladies and gentlemen, and everyone in-between, this romance debut is not to be missed.

Now, let’s chat about the book itself.

Charming, delightful, Easton’s debut checks all the right boxes for the perfect fake dating romance. Amerie and Vincent are my new favorite OTP, and the bond they have for their families is what makes this such a heartwarming story. And how an accidental run in (literal) and a spilled Americano can be the spark to an epic romance story. 👩‍🍳😘👨‍🍳

I loved every moment spent with these characters and I think romance readers will too. If you’re a fan of fake dating trope and an adorable meet cute, then be ready to fall head over feet for The Kiss Countdown.

I’ve been so excited for Etta Easton’s debut, THE KISS COUNTDOWN, since it was announced, and was blown away by this beautiful, hilarious romance!

Amerie is at rock bottom—fired, dumped, and with a rent increase that’ll leave her homeless. So when she runs into her ex with his kind, beautiful new girlfriend, she does what any logical person would do. Tells them the hot astronaut she just ran into (literally) is her boyfriend. What she doesn’t expect is for Vincent to also need a fake partner to keep his family off his back while he prepares for a moon expedition.

The deal is simple. Pretend to be his girlfriend for his family in exchange for the spare room in his house while she gets herself and her new business on their feet. But Amerie didn’t count on the pull toward Vincent, and their fake interactions keep getting more real. With the countdown on, they have to decide if what they have is written in the stars, or if it really was fake all along.

I’m so in love with this book! I spent the whole time giggling and squealing because they were just so adorable from the jump. Vincent is so clearly all in with her, and I’m such a sucker for a man who knows what he wants 🙌🏻 Amerie is perfectly, lovably grumpy, and all the teasing between them had me flying between laughing and swooning! All the side characters—Vincent’s lovingly pushy family, Amerie’s adorable parents, and her hilarious best friend—rounded out an already amazing love story!

THE KISS COUNTDOWN releases on April 9th! Make sure to get that pre-order in! I can’t wait to see what Etta comes up with next!

✨ARC REVIEW✨

𝕋𝕙𝕖 𝕂𝕚𝕤𝕤 ℂ𝕠𝕦𝕟𝕥𝕕𝕠𝕨𝕟 𝕓𝕪 𝔼𝕥𝕥𝕒 𝔼𝕒𝕤𝕥𝕠𝕟

𝙄 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙗𝙤𝙤𝙠 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙢𝙤𝙤𝙣 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙗𝙖𝙘𝙠 💫

Quick Synopsis: A struggling event planner and a handsome astronaut must decide it their take relationship is worth a shot at happily-ever-after, in this starry debut novel by Etta Easton. What started as a one-off lie in the local coffee shop, Moon Bean, morphs into a the 3 month arrangement leading up to Vince’s mission to the moon, Amerie will play Vincent’s doting partner in front of his loving but overly invested family. In exchange, she gets a rent-free room in his house and can put every penny toward her struggling business. What Amerie doesn’t plan for is Vincent’s gravitational pull. As their time together counts down, Amerie must decide if she’ll settle for the safe life-or shoot for the stars.

Omg I SO enjoyed this book. It gave all the romcom vibes I needed. I knew when I read the blurb it was going to be something I was interested in. Not everyday you see an African American Astronaut as a beautifully crafted cinnamon roll MMC. This book was such a breath of fresh air. I was smiling, kicking, giggling the whole way thru the book. I loved the determination Amerie had to get her business off the ground, I was rooting for her the whole way through the book. The two as a couple were meshed together that didn’t seem super forced, but was quick enough to have me swooning.

(𝘚𝘸𝘪𝘱𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘷𝘪𝘣𝘦𝘴)

ᴛʜɪɴɢꜱ ɪ ʟᴏᴠᴇᴅ ᴀʙᴏᴜᴛ ᴛʜɪꜱ ʙᴏᴏᴋ:
* ꜰᴀᴋᴇ ᴅᴀᴛɪɴɢ 🤝🏾
* ꜱᴛʀᴀɴɢᴇʀꜱ-ᴛᴏ-ꜰʀɪᴇɴᴅꜱ-ʟᴏᴠᴇʀꜱ 🫶🏾
* ʜᴇ ᴛᴀᴋᴇꜱ ᴄᴀʀᴇ ᴏꜰ ʜᴇʀ ᴡʜᴇɴ ꜱʜᴇ’ꜱ ꜱɪᴄᴋ 🥹
* ᴄᴀᴍᴘɪɴɢ ᴛʀɪᴘ ⛺️
* ʙᴏꜱꜱ ʙᴀʙᴇ ᴇɴᴇʀɢʏ 💅🏾👠
* ɴᴇʀᴅʏ ɴᴀꜱᴀ ᴍᴍᴄ 🔭🚀
* ꜱᴍᴀʟʟ ᴛᴏᴡɴ ᴠɪʙᴇꜱ 🏠
* ᴍᴜᴛᴜᴀʟ ᴘɪɴɪɴɢ 😘
* ʜᴀᴘᴘɪʟʏ ᴇᴠᴇʀ ᴀꜰᴛᴇʀ 👩‍❤️‍💋‍👨

This is a debut novel by Etta Easton and if her writing proves anything, it’s that she’s got such a long career writing more happy lovely romance novels like this. I very much impressed and look forward to more works by this author. I can’t wait for everyone to love Vince & Amerie like I do.

Thank you to @netgalley & @berkleypub for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Pub Date: 4•9•2024
#TheKissCountdown #NetGalley

Amerie Price, a recently jobless event planner, faces a looming threat of losing her apartment due to rising costs. When she unexpectedly encounters her ex and his new girlfriend, she improvises by pretending to date Vincent Rogers, the man she accidentally spilled coffee on earlier.

Vincent, needing a faux partner to deflect family pressure regarding his upcoming space mission, agrees to Amerie's plan. As they spend more time together, their mutual attraction intensifies. Yet, Amerie grapples with uncertainty—is their connection genuine or merely a product of their charade?

The plot engaged me, but Amerie's actions sometimes left me puzzled. While her family issues were relatable, her handling of setbacks felt immature, almost adolescent. It seemed like she could benefit from significant introspection or counseling.

Overall it was a cute read and I found most of the characters to be charming.

𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑲𝒊𝒔𝒔 𝑪𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒕𝒅𝒐𝒘𝒏🩷🚀
This is a wonderful and fresh debut novel. It’s safe to say I’m completely wowed!! Firstly, I’m always happy to try a romcom with diverse characters so when I saw this stunning cover I knew instantly I NEEDED it like my next breath.

4.5⭐️

<i>Brief Summary: Mimi is at her favorite coffee shop when she runs into her ex boyfriend(who lives no where near her shop..just thought I should mention). During their conversation he asks if she is alone or with someone. She immediately glances around states she is with her “boyfriend” and grabs Vincent who she knows because she wasted coffee on his shirt a few days ago 🤭 Since he did her a favor she now owes him and she must pretend to be his girlfriend for his sister’s NYE party and mother’s special event.</i>

“𝓦𝓱𝓮𝓷 𝓶𝓲𝓭𝓷𝓲𝓰𝓱𝓽 𝓼𝓽𝓻𝓲𝓴𝓮𝓼, 𝓴𝓲𝓼𝓼 𝓽𝓱𝓪𝓽 𝓪𝓼𝓽𝓻𝓸𝓷𝓪𝓾𝓽 𝓾𝓷𝓽𝓲𝓵 𝓪𝓵𝓵 𝓱𝓮 𝓼𝓮𝓮𝓼 𝓲𝓼 𝓼𝓽𝓪𝓻𝓼”

<b><u>Tropes</b></>
💫fake dating—fake engagement
💫reverse grumpyXsunshine
💫forced proximity
💫He falls first

Mimi is down on her luck and is having a hard time getting clients for her new party planning business. On top of being broken up recently and worrying about her family’s health/finance dilemma. She has a LOT on her plate. She’s independent, strong, caring, selfless, and I admired her resilience after dealing with her many hardships. I was so happy she met the fine as wine astronaut because she needed someone to relax her and make her smile 💓

“ 𝓘 𝓬𝓸𝓾𝓵𝓭 𝓱𝓪𝓿𝓮 𝔀𝓲𝓼𝓱𝓮𝓭 𝓸𝓷 𝓪𝓵𝓵 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓼𝓽𝓪𝓻𝓼, 𝓹𝓵𝓪𝓷𝓮𝓽𝓼, 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓶𝓸𝓸𝓷𝓼 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓼𝓽𝓲𝓵𝓵 𝓷𝓮𝓿𝓮𝓻 𝓬𝓸𝓾𝓵𝓭 𝓘 𝓱𝓪𝓿𝓮 𝓲𝓶𝓪𝓰𝓲𝓷𝓮𝓭 𝓫𝓮𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓵𝓮𝓭 𝓽𝓸 𝓼𝓸𝓶𝓮𝓸𝓷𝓮 𝓵𝓲𝓴𝓮 𝔂𝓸𝓾.”

Vincent is sooooooo sweet and charismatic. You can’t help but smile and laugh with every interaction 😊🤭 I love how he brings Mimi out of shell and pushes her to be adventurous and try new things. He’s so thoughtful and he pays attention to detail 👏🏼 There is nothing not loveable about this man. He’s oh so perfect.

And I have to mention the best friend Gina!! She was so supportive and a GREAT friend to Mimi. Every girl deserves to have and be a ride or die bestie like her, she was truly a gem. I loved her sarcasm and how she was always a ray of sunshine for her friend.

<b><u>Spice Rating</b></u>
1/5 🌶️
scenes aren’t overly descriptive and it’s towards 65 percent mark so it’s a slow burn. Normally, I’m a freak and want details but this worked for me.

There is a 3rd act breakup 🙄🙄 but it made sense and was resolved rather quickly. I’m still upset though 😂 and I’m petty that’s why it’s a 4.5 instead of full 5 star rating

<b>Do I recommend? YES!!</b> It’s cute and lighthearted but also has some heavy subject matter(loss of a sibling and parent w/ sickle cell). The banter was so cute and funny. There’s an unlimited amount of cute and swoony moments to make your heart skip a beat 🩷💕 it also includes an epilogue with a happily ever after for the girlies who need this like me 😊

Thank you Netgallery, Berkeley Publishing Group and Etta Easton for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.