The Kiss Countdown is a sweet, fun summer vibe story that captures the breezy mood of the season perfectly.

Amerie Price lost her job, boyfriend, and reputation when her mom got sick, but she regrets nothing. Being at her mother’s side while she was so clearly in need was a priority for her and she is proud of her choice. Now Amerie is getting ready to use her savings to help her parents pay off some of their medical bills, but it won’t be easy. When she went AWOL from the wedding she organized to be with her ailing mother, a public fiasco ensued. No other event planning firm wants to hire her, and that tarnish makes it difficult for her to find clients for her startup. It will take every ounce of her ingenuity to keep herself afloat and pay off her folks’ debts.

Grabbing a coffee at her favorite shop is technically outside of her budget, but in desperate need of a caffeine fix, Amerie stops in at her usual place and, as luck would have it, runs into her ex and his new girlfriend. While they condescendingly cross-question her about her life, Amerie finds herself lying about having found a new love, too. Fortunately, the amazingly hot guy she met at the shop just last week happens to come in and agreeably plays along as Amerie introduces him as her new man.

In the not-so-friendly game of one-upmanship that follows between her ex and her (fake) current squeeze, Amerie learns that Vincent Rogers is an astronaut preparing to go on a mission in three months. Amerie’s dream man has always been an astronaut (what girl in Houston hasn’t had that fantasy?), but just as she is enjoying the moment, convinced she will exit this encounter the winner, his sister Camille approaches them. Thrilled to meet Vincent’s new girl, she insists on getting Amerie to promise they will be at her New Year’s Eve party. Amerie can tell Vince would prefer not to go, but with Camille pouting and her ex and his new girlfriend right there, Amerie tells Camille they will be delighted to attend. And just like that, we are off and running on an only-in-a-romance-novel style love story.

Our newly formed couple attends the party, Vincent hears all about Amerie’s lost job and soon-to-be-lost apartment and offers to let her stay rent-free at his place (yes, after just two or three meetings). In exchange, she will join him for family events, keeping up the illusion that they are a couple. She initially demurs but then realizes the options are the street, not helping her parents, or taking him up on his offer, and of course, chooses the latter. The question of will they or won’t they is a moot point. This is a romance, so of course they will.

The positives to the tale are that Amerie and Vincent make a good couple. They have ample chemistry and fit naturally into each other’s lives, and the author remembers throughout the whole book that she is writing a romance (in today’s market, with all the books that hover between women’s fiction and romance, this is a skill in and of itself), and the focus of the narrative remains firmly on the central relationship.

This is a character-driven story, and the author does a terrific job of showcasing Vincent and Amerie. Amerie’s feisty nature could sometimes make her a bit too demanding (the incident with the guest room being one such instance), but for the most part, she is an amiable, hardworking individual who makes a good counterpart to Vincent. She has strong friends and family connections from the start, so it feels very organic when she easily settles in with Vincent’s significant others. Amerie is the kind of person who would prioritize that because it is of very high value to her. She is also independent and capable; an absolute must given the amount of time Vincent’s job demands of him.

Vincent is a great guy whose success has given him a touch too much solitude. Amerie reminds him of the value of human connection and serves as a bridge in the strained relationship between him, his mom, and his sisters.

The secondary characters are really well done. They stay in the background and serve as a foil for our couple, but the author does a great job of making them three-dimensional. I especially liked that the two groups – Vincent’s and Amerie’s family and friends – don’t just immediately form one big super group. Amerie still hangs out with bestie Gina on her own. She meets her parents on her own often, too. Amerie does get along very well with Vince’s family, but she doesn’t ditch her former friends for those new alliances.

There is some angst here – Amerie’s mom’s sickle cell anemia, Amerie’s lost job, subsequent career struggles, and Vincent’s difficult family relationships – but the book never loses its positive vibe. I felt that was appropriate given the story emphasizes finding joy in the moment.

The book does have some flaws in terms of capturing their careers. Vincent worked in Search and Rescue prior to being an astronaut, but when coming down a mountain carrying Amerie, who had a sprained ankle, he cradles her in his arms rather than using a fireman’s hold while traversing uneven terrain. Amerie speaks of having a team at her former position, but how that functioned and why it failed to do so in such a spectacular manner at the event over which she lost her job is never fully explained.

Minor quibbles like that aside, The Kiss Countdown is a good read for those looking for something light and easy. It’s perfect for whiling away a lazy afternoon.