TL;DR: I was pleasantly surprised by The Kiss Countdown and think it’s a great romance debut. This fake dating romance was a slow burn and honestly, the story felt like a warm hug with relatable characters and wonderful heartwarming family moments. I loved Mimi and Vincent together and how this also had a strong focus on friendship and character growth.

The story is told solely from Mimi’s POV and although I’m not always a big fan of romances with single POVs, by the end I did come to appreciate it. As much as this is about the unlikely yet sweet romance between her and Vincent, this is also very much Mimi’s story of growth and overcoming fear. Mimi is such a relatable character and I think that played a big part in what made me enjoy this story so much more. She’s strong-willed and passionate but having grown up as an only child with a sick mother meant she didn’t like to upset the status quo. She’s overly cautious and is ruled by fear of loss and change. I found myself relating to her in so many ways, particularly with her family situation. I honestly would do and have done the same thing she did for her parents and even at times when it’s to my detriment, I always put them first. Seeing her come out of her shell, take risks and overcome those fears that kept holding her back was very satisfying! She grew a lot throughout the read and I loved that for her.

Vincent was the opposite of Mimi in that he’d always sought adventure and thrill-seeking. He’s a passionate nerd, as any astronaut would be, and a cinnamon roll who loves his family and has a big heart. He was just an all-around good guy! His love language is acts of service and I love how much he showed his growing feelings for Mimi through his actions throughout their romance. Some heart-tripping moments had me swooning! But also, while I enjoyed getting Mimi’s POV, there were times I wished we got Vincent’s too because I think it would’ve allowed us to get to know his character better.

I love a story where family and friends play a big supporting role and Vincent’s played a huge one! The sibling relationships were funny and realistic, and I liked that his mother wasn’t the perfect MIL character but had her flaws despite her love and good intentions. I liked Mimi’s parents and her relationship with them, which was equally complex and I wish we had more time to explore it, but I also loved Mimi’s bestie, Gina who’s an absolute whirlwind and was an absolute joy to read about!

Have you read The Kiss Countdown or is it on your TBR?

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