This was a fun romance. It was more spicy than I usually like. For some reason I didn't think it would be that
hot when I requested the ARC from netgalley. I do appreciate the publisher and NetGalley letting me read this. If you like the fake dating/fake fiance trope, and you don't mind the spice, you will enjoy this book. I liked the characters. I liked the setting.

An event planner and an astronaut—that’s a combination I never considered. Amerie (love that name) and Vincent make it work.

This one comes out on one of the best days of the year—April 9, 2024

The Kiss Countdown was okay. My favorite part of the book was the fake dating plot line. I thought the author did a great job with that trope. I did struggle connecting with the main characters, especially Vincent. I think this book would have benefited having some Vincent POV chapters. I thought Mimi's character could have been developed better. She read a little flat to me. I'm not sure what it was, but I just found this book kind of boring 😅 I really struggled with the last 30% of the book. Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for the ARC.

Etta Easton's debut is out of this world charming with a unique presence and snappy characters. Vincent and Amerie's love story is tender, honest, and authentic, peppered with the right amount of wit and spice. I can't wait to see what this author continues to write!

Etta Easton's writing and humor shine in this excellent romantic comedy full of evergreen tropes and a romance to root for! Amerie is a struggling event planner who meets handsome astronaut Vincent about to embark on a trip to the moon. Amerie needs a place to live and Vincent needs a fake girlfriend to get his family off his back about a risky trip out of orbit. We have everything in here: fake dating/engaged, only one bed, supportive funny best friend, a hilarious heroine with inner dialogue that made me snort laugh, and an off the charts spicy scene. This is where the romcom genre is going, Etta Easton has elevated the genre entirely and I am in awe. Five shooting stars!

The Kiss Countdown was really cute and a very strong debut! I liked both main characters and enjoyed seeing them navigate their complicated relationships with family. Plus, fake dating is always a good thing in my book!

The writing was great but the relationship between the two MCs left something to be desired at times. I just felt like there was a disconnect. Vincent would have these funny or swoony moments but more often than not his character felt distant and flat. Also it’s a very slow burn!

Overall, I enjoyed this and think that while it did include some heavier subject matter (off page) it was still a pretty light and breezy read. I look very forward to seeing what Etta Easton whips up next!

I needed a cute romance and this delivered! I love space, so the main character in this book appealed to me as an astronaut. There was some spice, but nothing over the top, so it was a quick fun read. I could really feel Amerie's emotions - the author did a great job at conveying all the ups and downs of her journey. Great quick, fun read!

Slow burn on a whole other level! A marvelous debut novel that makes me want more from this author right now!

To say Mimi is down on her luck at the start of this novel is an understatement: she's recently been fired from her job as an event planner, dealing with her mother’s chronic illness, her rent has been increased to a level she can’t afford AND she's recently broken up with her boyfriend.

When she bumps into a handsome stranger, spilling coffee all over him, she has no idea her whole life is about to change for the better. You see, Vincent is a real- life astronaut who's looking for a fake girlfriend to appease his family. So in exchange for a few months of a pretend relationship - the end date being when he goes into space- she gets to live in his house free of rent, even after he leaves on his NASA mission. This means she can pursue her dream of starting her own event planning business.

But of course, they soon both catch feelings and have to figure out if they can make it work outside of this short-term deal.

I loved the characters -Mimi is a fabulous and caring main character that you root for form the first page, and Vincent is a gem- treating Mimi the ways she deserves from their first moment of their meet cute.

With themes of family duty, the importance of friendships, and Black Love, this wonderful debut is about following your heart where it may lead- even if it seems like a risk.

This is Easton's first novel and I'm excited to read whatever she writes next.

My thanks to NetGalley for the arc.

This was definitely a pleasant surprise--I'm usually not one for the fake dating trope, but there was a freshness to it that had me deciding to let bygones be bygones. While I do think this book could have benefited from a dual pov structure, Amerie was such an enjoyable character that, overall, I did not mind spending the entire book in her head. She did fall flat a few times, and some of her decisions were not examined enough (in my opinion). But, I just wanted more insight into Vincent, and I think some pov chapters from him would have been great. The rest of the characters were fun, and at the end of the day, I had a fun time reading this.

This book was exactly as I needed it to be, for the sizzling chemistry between the characters to take centre stage and thus become one of the crucial component right along with an entertaining plot for the evolution of their relationship, without sacrificing the emotional aspect of it all.

A Houston native I found this story to be so fun! I think this is a really intro into the genre that I would recommend to new readers just trying out the genre. I'm excited to see what else this author does.

This was so good. STEM and NASA meets Black romance. I enjoyed this debut from Etta Easton. It was a romance for romance lovers. Def recommend

It was such a cute read! I have never read an astronaut romance before, but I will for sure be trying to find more to read. I love the fake dating trope, so this was an easy read for me.

Etta Easton creates a rich world of characters and grounds the fake relationship plus enemies (kind of) to lovers in the world. The problem for me isn't the wackiness of the scenario. It's fun to see Amerie's need for a spur of the moment fake boyfriend dovetail with Vincent's need for a fake girlfriend. The tropes are fun and well plotted, but the main character I should love and be rooting for falls flat. The world around her is loveable, but she only has her moments in the middle.

Fake Dating trope at its best! She just wants to look like she has her life together and moved on when she sees her ex. He needs a fake girlfriend as a buffer for his family events. But is it as fake as they profess it to be? I loved this story!

This fake dating/forced proximity romance was adorable. The families of the MCs were such an integral part of why this book is so enjoyable. Amerie's mother is a national treasure and must be protected at all costs. Vincent's family is amazing, even with the long-term tension they've been dealing with.

I would recommend this to anyone interested in the romance genre, especially readers who enjoy great families along with their MCs.

It's hard to imagine a fake romance trope between an event planner and an astronaut working . . . but it does here. Whether this book grabs your interest because you want a Black love story or because you want a modern take on "my lover is a sailor who is away for months at a time," Easton is able to get the reader to suspend disbelief long enough to fall for the characters. I've never met an event planner OR an astronaut in real life, so I can't speak to how realistic the descriptions were, but Amerie's obsession with her mother's chronic illness (sickle cell anemia) feels real, as does Vincent's inability to function within his family structure. No traumas are delved into deeply enough that the book becomes depressing, but it adds depth to the plot. So few people actually go to the moon that it remains a somewhat jarring choice throughout the narrative, but the love between the characters is so well-developed that it's hard to hold onto that concern. Absolutely recommend.

This was a super quirky and lovable read! I absolutely LOVE the fake relationship trope and this book did it justice. I also love space and anything astronaut so I immediately picked this book. I love all the little details it added to it.

My first initial reaction to this book is "AWWWWWWWWWW" and I stand by that reaction fully. I loved this book and I wish I could re-read it again for the first time. I could see this as a bookclub book at my library and I know my patrons will love this book as well.