3.5 stars
I enjoyed my time with this book. It was fun and fast paced. But ultimately, it was forgettable. Nothing about it stood out from other books I've read. The characters were likable, but bland. The story was fun, but familiar. I found Amerie's character a bit frustrating to read about, and she got very repetitive, however I really enjoyed Vincent. I don't think I've read a book with an astronaut love interest before, and I must say that was my favorite part. I think Etta Easton has potential, and I look forward to seeing what she comes up with next.

3.5 ⭐️

Etta Easton’s “The Kiss Countdown” is a feel-good romance that delicately navigates the challenges of starting over and the fear of vulnerability. The story centers on Amerie, a woman down on her luck who finds herself at a crossroads after losing her job, dealing with her mother’s illness and medical bills, and being dumped by her long-term boyfriend.

Enter Vincent, a nerdy yet charming astronaut Amerie meets at her favorite coffee shop. In a twist of fate, she asks him to pretend to be her boyfriend. Vincent, to her surprise, agrees, and they concoct a plan to keep up the charade until his mission to the moon. What neither of them anticipates is that their pretend relationship would evolve into something genuine, pushing them to confront their fears, grief, and past traumas together.

The romance between Amerie and Vincent is heartwarming and filled with moments that made me feel tingly, culminating in the sweetest ending. Easton effectively captures the emotional highs and lows of their journey, making their love story both relatable and inspiring.

However, the pacing of the novel felt uneven. The fast-paced beginning drew me in, and the final chapters were gripping, but the middle section dragged a bit, slowing down the momentum. Additionally, the story is told solely from Amerie’s point of view. While this provides deep insight into her character, it also limits our understanding of Vincent. A multi-point perspective would have enriched the narrative, allowing us to connect more deeply with both characters.

Despite these minor shortcomings, “The Kiss Countdown” is a delightful read that beautifully portrays the power of love and resilience. I give it 3.5 stars for its heartfelt depiction of love and the courage to start anew.

I normally love fake dating, and I really love an astronaut MMC, but this story was just a little too slow for me. I put it down at some point months ago, and haven't felt the urge to pick it back up, so calling it a DNF @ 40%.

I really wanted to like this, but I found both the characters and their romance to be incredibly boring. The premise of a fake relationship between an astronaut who wants to get his family off his back for not settling down and an event planner down on her luck in various aspects of life was intriguing, but the delivery didn't do it for me. It felt like a chore to keep picking this up because I just wasn't interested. And even after giving it a break, I had no desire to continue with the story. Did not finish in the end, but if I had I'm sure a 3-star rating would suffice based on my feelings toward the book. I think it'll work for others, but it just didn't work for me.

If you can put aside the whole moving in with a perfect stranger bit, this was a fun story! I don't think I've ever read a book with an astronaut as the main character before. Fake dating, well-meaning but overbearing parents, and smug exes - this one had a little bit of everything!

This book was good, not great, and while I did like it, I didn't love it. And, it didn't stand out to me among all the other books I've read.

This is a cute contemporary black romance between an event planner and an astronaut who find themselves in a fake engagement. It was an easy read that I finished in a day, but I read it after coming off a string of spectacular 5-star reads so it just didn't stand out for me.

Thanks to Berkley and Netgalley for my copy to review.

The Kiss Countdown by Etta Easton should be on every romance fans’ TBR list because it is an out of this world heartwarming romcom between an astronaut & an event planner with a meet cute disaster turned fake dating adventure for the ages.

This book made me absolutely giddy with glee. This hero!!! This hero….I was absolutely smitten for him & just head over heels rooting for this couple. I also loved the setup with him being an astronaut. I found that completely fascinating & appreciated how that was interwoven into the story as well as the appreciation & showcasing of space knowledge.

The Kiss Countdown is great for fans of…
🩷 Fake Dating
🩷 Astronaut x Event Planner
🩷 Space & Planets
🩷 Swooning

As a chronically ill disabled person, I always appreciate when there’s chronically ill representation. This book has a character’s mom with sickle cell anemia & it was vital to the story. I think it’s so important to include storylines with representation & I was grateful to learn more about it as well as the aspects of having someone with chronic illness in your family.

This is a book that needs to be made into a movie please & thank you. I also cannot wait to read more from this author!

If you are looking to launch your heart into space with an epically cute romance, I highly recommend The Kiss Countdown by Etta Easton!

Massive thanks to NetGalley & Berkley Publishing for the gifted copy, which I voluntarily read & reviewed.

As a Texan, I was really looking forward to this title. I just never really connected with either character. I love fake dating when it works, but this just didn't for me.

This was a quick and fluffy read. I appreciate its almost hallmark movie-esque feeling where you just enjoy the ride. I do feel it was a bit surface level, not much depth, which would make it a great beach read. I will say it did go a bit heavy on executing stereotypical tropes, but can definitely see where that could be a major win for a lot of readers. And if you are a reader who doesn’t like graphic spicy scenes, this one is for you! I give it about 🌶️🌶️ when it comes to spice. It’s done and over with pretty quickly. Though not my favorite love story, I do want to look more into Etta Easton’s writing and plan to read the next in her series!

Great fake dating book with amazing Black characters, one is an astronaut for NASA (yay for STEM rep!)

Amerie and Vincent meet in a coffee shop and since she spilled coffee on him, it doesn't go well. Then they meet there again, but this time her ex is there with a new woman on his arm and she grabs Vincent and says he's her man. So the fake dating and fun begins!

I thought Vincent was so sweet to let Amerie move in with him to keep this facade up and to help her with tough things she's going through (rent hikes so high she can no longer afford her place because she also got fired). I hated that they fired her, she gave so much to that company. But I'm glad it got her to open her own business.

This is a sweet romance so no spice but it's still swoony anyway

The Kiss Countdown is a really fun, contemporary romance featuring a fake-dating turned fake-engagement arrangement between a down and out event planner and an astronaut who will soon be headed to the moon (literally). It was a really fun read that packs an emotional punch beneath the surface.

What happens when the struggling event planner runs into an astronaut while avoiding her ex with his new partner? You get an entertaining and romantic fake dating romance. Amerie and Vincent both have their reasons for pretending to be in this relationship. She needs a place to stay and just some luck to get her business up and running. He needs to keep well-meaning family off of his back. I love the interactions between both and the buildup to their romance was delightful. I found this book to be entertaining emotional and all in all a must read.

Fake dating is one of my favorite tropes for a reason: and The Kiss Countdown executes the best version of it flawlessly.

This story is adorable. Feet kicking, giggling, screaming like a teenager adorable. Sweet and hot and just perfectly constructed. Unequivocally swoon-worthy. How could you not when the main man is a super hot astronaut who doesn't sue you after you douse him with hot coffee?

And outside of the romance (which, let's be honest, is what we came for), there's a deeply believable plot in the struggles of balancing family drama, financial woes, and small business ownership with the desire to find something that makes life feel meaningful and joyful. The struggles here are real ones in a world of ever growing inflation and the politics and humanity of the state of healthcare. All of it balances beautifully in Etta Easton's honest but levity-filled book.

This one pulls on the heartstrings in a way that will have you sighing and saying "awwwww" over and over again. Definitely an author to watch.

Thank you to the moon and back to the author, Berkley Publishing Group, and netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts are my own.

I wasn’t sure about this one as I started it, but the characters grew on me and I rooted for their HEA. That is what is most important to me in a rom com or any romance. Can I connect with the characters and am I rooting for their HEA.

I’ll admit I would have loved this more if the roles were reversed and he was a party planner and she was in STEM, but that is always my dream. A strong untraditional woman. But I’ll forgive it since fake dating is one of my favorite tropes.

It’s impressive the amount of chemistry between the two when this is the author’s debut novel. It oozed off the page and made me believe these two were meant for each other.

This would have been a five star read if only it was dual POV, but other than that, I was all in for the whole ride.

Angel Pean, while she sounded familiar to me, I am not sure if I have listened to her before or not, but I will definitely listen again. She nailed the narration. While I liked the story, her narration took it up another level. So glad I was able to read and listen to this one.

I absolutely loved this book. It was definitely a slow burn and didn’t have much spice. However it certainly pulled me out of my book slump. I love a good romance novel and this did it for me. I read it in one sitting. You know a book is good when it makes you not want to move from you spot and you sitting googley eyed over the male character. I know for a fact this is a book I will pick up and read again some time soon.

I didn’t really know what to think going into this book, but I really liked it. I thought both main characters were well written and it was a really fun setting/premise for a romance.

I was only able to get a quarter of the way into the book before it expired, but I did thoroughly enjoy it. As a fan of anything to do with NASA and space, I loved the premise of a main character being an astronaut. I think my only real issue is that it’s first person, present tense, which I really don’t like reading, but that’s a personal preference. I do want to continue reading it so I’ll buy the book.

I ended up reading this book via audio from my library.

While I like the characters, I really, really dislike the "family savior" trope. Maybe it is because I do not come from a close knit family, but I do not understand character's reasoning for taking on unneeded responsibilities and sacrifices, especially financial, and keeping it a huge secret. I absolutely understanding helping family when needed but secretly, and when you're clearly not in the right position to be doing as much as you're doing, is what really does me in.

I think I found my most hated trope lol

Other than that, I did enjoy the story and I liked the romance. I also enjoyed the relationship Vincent has with his family and how quickly they let Amerie in.

This was a cute fake dating romance told in a fun voice. I didn't really feel the stakes of Amerie's job as a party planner and since it featured so heavily in the story, that part was kind of a dud for me. I loved Vincent and his family and his unique job--this is the first astronaut romance I have read. This would be the perfect book to throw in your beach bag to enjoy by the pool!

Many thanks to Berkley & Netgalley for the ARC.