The Kiss Countdown by Etta Easton

Welcome Back, Booklovers! I've always had a fascination with space. I visited the Kennedy Space Center 2 years ago right before the Artemis 1 launch and I followed Victor Glover's updates from the international space station. So I was ready to see an astronaut love interest in a romance. Etta Easton reached out to me and asked if I wanted an arc of The Kiss Countdown so keep reading to hear my honest review.

Amerie "Mimi" Price has started a new event planning business after an incident with a client got her fired from her previous company and it's been a rough start. The rent for her apartment is increasing and her mother's medical bills are piling up. One day at her favorite coffee shop she runs into her ex who is there with his new woman and she convinces a handsome stranger to pretend to be her new boyfriend. The handsome stranger, Astronaut Vincent Rogers is convinces her to keep up the ruse and pretend to be his girlfriend to keep his concerned mother off his back as he prepares for his mission to the moon.

I wasn't sure how I'd feel about this one with the coffee spilling meet cute. A lot of fake dating romances lately have felt forced like the author was just determined to use the trope whether it made sense or not. So it was nice to see one that felt believable enough because they both had something to gain. The romance between them is slow burn but never boring. Vincent and Amerie deal with living together and grow closer as they spend time with his family. But at the same time Amerie has trouble feeling safe and secure because her mother's chronic illness is always on her mind and trying to rebuild her career. We don't get Vincent's pov here but his loveable nerdiness shines through but it's also easy to feel for him and his relationship with his family. 

Despite featuring some very real issues this book doesn't feel heavy or emotionally draining. The romance never takes a backseat to the other plots and Etta Easton does a great job incorporating depth but still keeping this light-hearted and fun.