The Kiss Countdown

By: Etta Easton

Narrated by: Angel Pean

A struggling event planner and a sinfully hot astronaut must decide if their fake relationship is worth a shot at happily-ever-after, in this starry debut.

Risk-averse event planner Amerie Price is jobless, newly single, and about to lose her apartment. With no choice but to gamble on her shaky start-up, the last thing she needed was to run into her smug ex and his new, less complicated girlfriend at Amerie's favorite coffee shop. Panicked, she pretends to be dating the annoyingly sexy man she met by spilling Americano all over his abs. He plays along—for a price.

Half the single men in Houston claim to be astronauts, but Vincent Rogers turns out to be the real deal. What started as a one-off lie morphs into a plan: for the three months leading up to his mission, 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. While her mind tells her a future with this astronaut is too unpredictable, her heart says he's exactly what she needs. As their time together counts down, Amerie must decide if she'll settle for the safe life—or shoot for the stars.

©2024 Etta Easton (P)2024 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

“Sexy, humorous, and filled with witty banter, Etta Easton’s charming debut dazzles! Fans of the fake dating trope will absolutely love this book.”—Farrah Rochon, New York Times Bestselling Author of The Hookup Plan

“Etta Easton's The Kiss Countdown is a funny, fresh, and voicey debut that will keep you smiling--and swooning--until the very last page. I adored it!”—Mia Sosa, USA Today bestselling author of The Worst Best Man

"Easton delivers a sparkling fake dating rom-com that is both delectably tropey and utterly believable...The Kiss Countdown is a tribute to unexpected romantic connections, crackling chemistry, and the value of family."—Entertainment Weekly

Absolute delight!

I bookmarked Chapter 23, at the 8:06 mark too many times cos why was Vincent defusing all us so swiftly!
He’s so gentle with Mimi 🥹

“If you miss me, just say that…”
*Swoon*

New favorite

Loved this book! It has now become my new favorite. Slow burn but well worth the wait.

This had so much potential

The storyline and narrator were on point. But overall it’s a 3.5. To be 28, Mimi is a bit immature. The continued conniption fits she threw had me wanting to ground her. She was rude in the coffee shop, she was rude on the trail, she was rude at home, she was just rude. And this story could have truly been great.

So sweet, great space puns, hopeful!

Awww! This was really sweet. Fake dating and living together to help each other out. Slowish burn chemistry, family that loves each other very deeply. Astronaut and space puns.

Loved the narration, this was a good mix of romance, gradual buildup of strangers to fake dating to actual friendship to feelings to love.

Love a good fake dating romance

This is a fun listen. The characters are relatable and I love that this book was family centered.

The Cabin Stay Made me feel all cozy

I loved this book and the characters (hopefully we get a sequel) I just wish the climax had been a little bit different is all.

Such a great storyline!

I was obsessed with this story! So many good twists and turns! It was a great display of black family dynamics. And the black love was everything!

The Kiss Countdown

This book gave me chills the voice is so perfect for it on Audio. My Anniversary is on New Year's Day so this book spoke to my soul at first glance. After reading it will stay with me forever the sweetness of it and the genuine circumstance you can find yourself in when love comes a knocking at your door, out of nowhere thru a "chance encounter" I really liked it go get it folks!

Cute love story

I generally liked this book. The narrator did great. I personally could have done without the heavy self-deprecation at the end but otherwise I found the story cute.

Loving a first responder

Heartfelt. The story unfolds with lost and illness to end with family, new beginnings and LOVE