Book Review: The Kiss Countdown

The Kiss Countdown by Etta Easton is a romcom arguably in the STEM romance subgenre. I picked it up as a palate cleanser after some fantasies I read felt like they were all hitting the same note. Since its main trope is fake dating, a trope I'm trying to use, it doubled as research. 

Amerie is a struggling event planner, recently single and about to be homeless. When she runs into her ex with his impressive new girlfriend, she basically grabs the nearest stranger and pretends he'd her new beaux. Somehow that worked out to be Vincent, an astronaut. He's open to the rouse if its a two way street, his overbearing family wants him to be in a relationship before he leaves on a mission to orbit. In exchange, Amerie can live in his house rent-free, even while he's in space, and put that money toward her business instead. But like any good fake dating scenario, the lines begin to blur.

This book was exactly as advertised, a romcom, a character who worked in STEM, The romance was fairly sweet, not too chaste and not too erotic. It was the palate cleanser I was looking for. 

On the downside, there was a touch of the miscommunication trope, after all there was no reason the characters couldn't actually date. I had also hoped for both characters to work in STEM, but that's not really a strike against the book, that's more of me not paying attention as I shopped.


This book is for you if you're looking for a nice popcorn romcom, if you want a love interest in science, or if you're a lover of the fake dating trope. This book is not for you if you're looking for high spice romance, a firmly STEM romance, or if the miscommunication trope is a no-go for you. 

Have you read The Kiss Countdown? What about Easton's other book, The Love Simulation? Let's discuss in the comments!