Read if you like:
🖤 Black Love
😘 Fake Dating
🚀 Astronauts
⏳ Time Limited Arrangements
🔥 Slow Burn

When Amerie spills coffee all over a stranger, she would never expect her life will change all because of that mishap… but when her ex walks in with his new girlfriend she quickly dives into pretending she is dating the man she just met, and if the stars couldn’t have aligned at a worse time, his sister who he has been lying to walks in and Vincent gets trapped into his sister thinking this is the girlfriend he has been mentioning for a while.

So when a moment of fake dating turns into a mutually beneficial arraignment to last for the next three months before Vincent is set to go off to space to calm his mom down, they get much more time together than they initially planned for.

This was a cute slow burn romance that I really enjoyed as I always love some fake dating!

Thanks so much to Berkley for my ARC and PRHA for my gifted ALC in exchange for my honest review!

This book was super cute and for a debut novel, I was incredibly impressed! I loved the idea of an astronaut and event planner fake dating for mutually beneficial purposes. I loved Amerie's character and found her to be super relatable and real. However, I just really struggled to connect with Amerie and Vincent as a couple. I think maybe had we gotten a Vincent POV that would have helped, but he just felt like a very one-dimensional character and I just wasn't invested in him as a love interest.

But beyond that, I think Etta Easton is an author to watch out for and I'm very interested to read her future works!

This review was originally posted on Books of My Heart


Review copy was received from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

I didn't know exactly what to expect but the fake dating had me willing to read. Amerie has really had the worst luck and poor timing. She is smart, competent and hard-working. It's seriously wrong that a company where she did outstanding work for years had such limited backup support for emergencies and stuck her with the blame. I get her having a douche boyfriend when she is more career focused plus with the threat of possibly losing her Mom, she is not the most trusting of relationships.

Vincent, the astronaut, is also very focused on his work. He doesn't want distractions of dating right before his 6 month moon mission but in trying to get his Mom off his back, he trades one diversion for another. He's a cinnamon roll nerd. Vincent is kind and the fake dating is a safe space for them both from the judgement of others.

Overall I liked both their parents and families. I wasn't as partial to Amerie's best friend Gina. Amerie's business startup was difficult as I would expect, but on her own I was worried she would end up with more troubles. She didn't seem to have as much marketing and business expertise as I would have hoped. Although she was very skilled at her role in a larger firm.

Of course, the pretending gets real as they happily spend time together. They are lovely together and have some heartbreak with coming clean. But it's what they both need and so right for them both. I appreciate their maturity and honesty as they navigate the reality of their relationship. I enjoyed The Kiss Countdown and the feels it brought.

The Kiss Countdown
by: Etta Easton
Berkley Publishing Group / Berkley
Pub Date: April 9, 2024

As a member of the Berkley Besties group, I had the privilege to read an advance copy of this charming, captivating spring release. Thank you, Berkley Besties!

Etta Easton's debut novel gave me lots to love, starting with the gorgeously romantic cover. Main characters Amerie and Vincent embrace against a city nightscape of the Houston setting under the moon, stars, and a rocket ship. This struggling event planner and handsome NASA astronaut meet at a coffee shop, and a fake dating relationship begins.

Told from Amerie's point of view, the plot is delightful with Etta's engaging writing style. I love the career and family components within the story. Congratulations to Easton on this wonderful debut, and I look forward to her next work.

I received a gifted advance listener's copy from Net Galley, Berkley Publishing Group / Berkley, and Berkley Besties Group. My review is my own.

Amerie and Vincent meet at the coffee shop near her house... and it doesn't go all that great. But the SECOND time they meet, she needs to come up with a boyfriend to prove to her ex that she's moved on, and Vincent just happens to be conveniently at hand. Turn out he's also in need of a fake girlfriend to get his mom off his back. Amerie and Vincent decide to mutually meet each other's fake relationship needs. It doesn't hurt that they each think the other one is really, really hot.

For me, a first person, single POV contemporary romance has a very high bar to clear. Unfortunately The Kiss Countdown didn't quite make it over the hurdle for me. That said, this is a fun book, and if you like fluffy contemporary romcoms, you'll probably want to pick this one up.

This objective review is based on a complimentary copy of the novel.

I loved this story! It's was a true second chance romance and I love the circumstances that brought them back together.
I do with there was a little more chemistry before them as adults though. I feel like the fire burned the brightest during their flashbacks to high school.
Otherwise, I would be very interested to read more from this author!

Adorable book! I enjoyed this read. It gets better the further you get in the book. These two started with a 'fake' relationship that built from there. The obstacles were believable and added to the story. I was overall pleased with this read. Thanks to the NetGalley for providing this read.

Amerie Price is beyond down on her luck after losing her job, breaking up with her boyfriend and struggling to launch her own business. When she runs into her ex and his new girlfriend at a coffee shop, she pretends to be dating the handsome stranger she accidentally spilled a coffee on. Astronaut Vincent Rogers plays along and then asks Amerie for a favor of his own. He wants her to pretend to date him so his family will stop bothering him and allow him to focus on his upcoming mission.

This is such a charming and fun debut from Etta Easton! Fake dating is one of my favorite tropes and I loved the way it was done here. Having Amerie move into Vincent’s house was a perfect way to drum up some forced proximity feelings. The chemistry between Amerie and Vincent was palpable from the start and the tension builds up during the slow burn to a perfect payoff moment. I will definitely be reading whatever Etta comes up with next!

Recommended for romance readers who enjoy: 🚀 astronaut heroes 📆 fake dating 🏡 forced proximity 💍 overly involved families ↕️ opposites attract 🔥 slow burn

Thank you Netgalley and Berkley Romance for the advanced copy to read and review. All opinions are my own.

Amerie is an event planner who is struggling to get her business started and needs to find a new place to live. Vincent is an astronaut who is getting ready to leave for a launch. He has a spare bedroom and a mom who really really wants him to find a girlfriend. You know where this is headed - a fake dating arrangement!!

I am always here for that and there’s a lot about this story I really enjoyed. I didn’t love the pacing and some of the over the top moments near the end - but overall would recommend this as a fun read! Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the free ebook to review!

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

‘When midnight strikes, kiss that astronaut until he sees stars”

I LOVED IT!!!!

So we have Vincent, the dreamy and charming astronaut. He's all about exploring the great unknown, but underneath that adventurous exterior lies a guy who's dealing with some heavy stuff(the loss of his brother). And then there's Mimi, the sassy event planner who's got a bit of a grumpy facade, but deep down, she's sweet and selfless and is also dealing with some tough stuff of her own(her mom's battle with sickle cell). Now, when these two meet and in a stroke of fate (more like just sheer craziness), they decide to fake date each other and sparks starts flying. And let me tell you, watching these two navigate their way through fake romance and eventually real feelings is like watching fireworks.

I really enjoyed this story. Mimi and Vincent were such lovable characters. They were cute and sweet and their bantering was top notch. I loved how Vincent's sweetness and thoughtfulness perfectly complemented Mimi's sarcasm and independence which in some odd way created a dynamic that was equal parts hilarious and heartwarming.

And although the story tackles tough topics like grief and sickle cell, it’s also infused with so much heart and humor that you can't help but smile through teary eyes. So if you're in the mood for a feel-good romance that'll leave you with a goofy grin plastered on your face, this one is definitely for you.

Thank you to Berkley Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC!

Delightful, relatable, and swoony!

As soon as I heard about this book last summer, it immediately went on my TBR, so I was thrilled to receive an eARC.

Amerie was so relatable; the feeling of having ambitions and dreams but struggling to fully realize them is REAL. Amerie loves her people fiercely, but also struggles with letting others love her as fiercely. She’s stubborn, hard working, and desperate to make her recently launched event planning business a success.

I loved how she really met her match with Vincent, another stubborn person who also loves his people deeply. While their relationship starts off on shaky ground and pretending to date, the sparks were there from the get go and it was so much fun to see how their relationship would unfold.

I enjoyed how Amerie and Vincent challenged each other, but also provided support and encouragement, becoming champions for the other.

There were plenty of swoony moments, especially the picnic - bestill my heart.

The climatic reunion at the end was perfection - there was drama, humour, and the obvious willingness to jump right into a future together.

Thanks to Berkley for an eARC of the book. All opinions are my own.

I am Obsessed! I loved this book so much.

This was a slow burn, fake dating, forced proximity black romance. The Chemistry between Vincent and Amerie was next level. The tension was everything and this book had me kicking my feet and giggling the whole time. Amerie is an event planner who lost her job after a failed event and went on to start her own business. She feels the weight of the world on her shoulders as her parents travel the world after her ill mother has a near death experience. She also just broke up with her long time attorney boyfriend. When she runs into her ex and his new girlfriend at a coffee shop she claims that the man she threw coffee on the day before is her new man (I mean no one wants to lose a breakup). Vincent is an astronaut that has a tense relationship with his family after continually choosing his career over his family. Vincent plays along and everything snowballs into an elaborate fake relationship.

I can't wait to read more from this author. She was able to weave these words together in a beautiful way that just pulled me into the story. These characters are all so wonderfully done and the motives for them going along with this fake relationship were believable (which isn't always the case with fake dating).

Everyone needs to read this book because it was next level!

This is a strong debut with a fake dating/fake relationship trope. When Amerie runs into her terrible ex-boyfriend at a coffee shop, she pretends to be in a relationship with the staggeringly handsome stranger she spilled coffee all over yesterday. Vincent, the staggeringly handsome stranger, plays along and impresses by being an honest-to-goodness astronaut... and having a fake girlfriend is just what he needs.

I thought this was pretty cute and the author has a ton of potential. Vincent is clearly gone for Amerie, and I would have loved this as a dual POV so we could see inside his head. It's low heat, but not no-heat.

Reading this, my interest started to flag after the halfway point. I think it was because of the awkwardness of lying to Vincent's family (including a fairly big event at a birthday dinner). I was excited to read an astronaut book, and I wish there had been a bit more astronaut-ing.

All-in-all, a strong first book and I'll check out what the author does next.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thank you NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for this arc in exchange for an honest review!

2.75 stars

I could not get into this book for the life of me. The storyline was really intriguing and I think this is the first astronaut MMC that I've read, so I was excited for that portion.

But I could not get behind either character for some reason. I enjoyed both of them at the beginning, but I don't think they really got out of two dimensions once the story started progressing.

This may just be me. Other than the above, it was your typical fake dating story so I think a lot of people will still like it, but it was missing a lot of marks for me 🤷‍♀️

This was a snappy, voice-y romance with PLENTY of great nerdy material for readers like me who swoon over anyone who can talk about star clusters and work a telescope. Aside from my complete obsession with Vincent, our astronaut MMC, I really loved how Mimi interacted with everyone in her life in a really natural and realistic way -- she was honest, she was raw, she was a woman fiercely becoming herself and pushing past well-grounded fears.

I really enjoyed this debut and look forward to what Easton writes next!

Blastoff and read debut romance, The Kiss Countdown!

Amerie Price needs her event planning business to blast off. Luckily for her, she's about to get a little more than just that when she runs into astronaut Vincent Rogers. Needing a cop out, she informs her ex that Vincent is her boyfriend. But she's not out of the woods yet... she's got to play fake girlfriend for Vincent. It starts off as an innocent fake date which quickly turns into a live-in situation. No feelings, no love. Yet why is she soon counting down til their next kiss?

I enjoyed reading Etta Easton's debut romance, The Kiss Countdown! I really appreciated how Amerie took nothing from anyone and really stood up for what she believed in towards the end of their relationship. We definitely need more astronaut romances! I loved the space simulator date and how Amerie stepped out of her comfort zone for Vincent. Vincent's caretaking and plant daddy vibes made me smile while flipping the pages! However; I am not fully convinced Amerie and Vincent would last, that ending was a little bit rushed.

Rating: I really liked it!

What a fun debut! Etta nailed it with this swoony romance between an event planner & astronaut. I found myself smiling a lot while listening to this book and I didn’t want to stop!

I thought the writing was great, the characters were well rounded and likeable and the story was different! If you google black astronauts, there aren’t many(so hard to make this reel), so I’m happy to see Vincent in a space where we may not see many.

I loved Amerie & her best friend, they were so funny. Also if Vincent was real, I’d totally try and date him 🤣 he’s quiet, steady, smart and ambitious.

The Kiss Countdown comes out next week, so there’s still time to preorder now!

+fake dating
+forced proximity

At the end of 2023, the cover of this book caught my eye on an anticipated rom-com list. I read the synopsis and instantly put it on a list of books I had to read. What can I say? I’m a simple woman. I see a fake dating story and my interest is piqued.

The plot: Amerie (Mimi), an event planner, runs into her ex at a coffee shop with his new girlfriend. In a moment of panic, she claims the man she spilled coffee on the week before is her new boyfriend (hello, Vincent). Thankfully, Vincent who just so happens to be an astronaut, plays along. They begin a fake relationship, even becoming roommates, because Vincent needs to get his family off his back before his moon mission. This may sound a little "out of this world" but the pacing and plot are so good. I finished The Kiss Countdown in a day. I couldn’t put it down.

Etta Easton wrote the cutest characters. I loved Mimi (and, I too don’t have hiking shoes). The added layer of her mother’s health feels like such an honest representation of chronic illness and how caretakers/families can be affected. Then there’s Vincent, an absolute cinnamon roll of a man. I loved all the random space facts we learned through him. He’s going on the book boyfriend list. It was a joy reading how he quietly, but very clearly fell for Mimi first. The chemistry and banter between these characters is A++++. You will giggle and kick your feet.

Thank you to Berkley and NetGalley for the eARC. The Kiss Countdown is scheduled to be released on April 9, 2024 and is available for pre-order now!

Thank you to Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley for providing me with a digital copy of "The Kiss Countdown" by Etta Easton in exchange for an honest review.

Event planner Amerie Price isn't in a good place. She's lost her job, her romantic partner, and now she's about to lose her apartment. Her mother is recovering from serious illness (and equally serious hospital bills) and Amerie doesn't want to admit that things are rough, for fear of spoiling everything now that her mother is finally enjoying life again.

Desperate, she agrees to fake date devastatingly handsome astronaut Vincent Rogers. She can stay in his home as long as she poses as his girlfriend to please his family. Saving on rent will help her launch her own event planning business so despite the myriad risks in the proposition, she agrees.

As you might imagine, things don't go as planned. Amerie and Vincent have overwhelming chemistry and very quickly, the fake-dating starts turning less fake. But Amerie's been burned by relationships in the past and Vincent has a past tragedy to overcome and he is LITERALLY GOING TO THE MOON, so it takes a little while for them to come the conclusion that they are actually perfect for each other.

It's a lovely take on the fake-dating trope. There are a lot of things to like here. These are two people with genuine emotional baggage who need to decide whether their relationship is more important than their scars. But that said, it's not too heavy on melancholy. It's also great o see characters who are great but not TOO unbelievably great at their jobs.

Recommended for readers who always wanted to travel to the moon and those who enjoy the fake-dating trope.

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Berkley Publishing, and the author for an early copy in exchange for an honest review!

Oh my gosh, this book was out of this world (see what I did there? Sorry, sorry.) and I loved every minute of it!
The story follows Amerie, an event designer who is down on her luck, looking for a way to start fresh. After dealing with the trauma of almost losing her mother, then the heartache of losing her job AND boyfriend, Amerie can't help but wish to the stars that something good will put her back on the path towards herself.
And the universe answered in the form of Vincent- a patient, kind, respectful, encouraging, HUNK of a man. Oh, did I mention he is also an extraordinarily brilliant astronaut? Yeah, he's some top tier book boyfriend material, and Etta Easton did such an incredible job writing a man with such depth and charm.

"It's like I'm in one of those old commercials where a water bottle keeps blowing in the wind until someone finally picks it up and recycles it, allowing it to become something new. I'm that water bottle, only there's no good Samaritan out there to pick me up. I have to do it myself."

Amerie was such an amazing FMC, with many relatable moments of wanting to make a space for yourself in the world, of wanting to be everything for everyone, of never wanting to show weakness to those that might suffer for it. So many pieces of her were relatable, and I found myself completely immersed in her character. Her wit and sarcasm, her barbed edges... all of it was done so well, in a way that made her feel like an old friend, and that truly speaks to the gift of Etta's storytelling.
I loved walking alongside Amerie as she battled for herself, her family, and her love. She let the world rock her a time or two, but she never let it keep her down forever, and I absolutely admire that about her character.

"Didn't you hear? Nerds are in. Women are over the overbearing alpha. We want smart, emotionally available cinnamon rolls. If he knows his was around a science lab, it's on."

Well butter my buns and call me a biscuit, Etta knows how to write a HOT scientist. Vince was absolutely everything. He was so patient with Amerie, and you could truly tell that he wanted to see her succeed, to chase her dreams with him cheering her on, and I loved that for them both. I was so appreciative of the idea that, separately, they have their own dreams and aspirations, and together they support each other in those endeavors. Whether it is planning a bomb ass party or flying to the moon, their relationship is built on solid ground, and that is something that I adore in a fake dating scenario. That moment when the lines begin to blur and true love can be felt? I eat it up, and Etta SERVED.

Alongside the relationship between the MCs, I love love loved the side characters! Gina was such a fun character and I want a book just about her, or one of Vincent's sisters, because they were all so captivating and lovable. There was not a character I didn't appreciate, and all of it just felt like a warm hug, a long conversation with an old friend.

Truly, everything about this book was so well done. The character development, the spice, the banter, the angst, the familial bonding and growth... it was all just done so well and I am so grateful to have been able to read it. Absolutely would recommend, especially to fans of Ali Hazelwood!