The Dating Countdown

Island Bites #3

by N.G. Peltier

Remi Daniels knows what she wants. Maxine King. She screwed up when they were teenagers allowing them to part on bad terms, but now that Maxine is divorced and back on the island their chemistry can’t be denied. And Remi is ready to pick up right where they left off.

Maxine King has only ever fooled around with one woman, Remi Daniels and being back in each other’s orbits they can’t seem to keep their hands off each other. Maxine has enough to deal with in her daily life: her daughter and trying to prove herself at work. She can’t add lusting after Remi to that list. To prove that their relationship can be more than just sex, Maxine suggests they keep things casual and go on 10 friend dates. After all if they can do that it would mean they’re serious about each other right?

But their dates keep getting reset as they keep breaking their pact. Remi’s getting restless because not making it to the 10 days by their imposed deadline means failure which sucks because each date just shows her how much more she wants Maxine. As the two women try to navigate this budding relationship the both have to combat their fears: Maxi’s of falling for a woman and Remi’s of worrying that Maxi will reject her at the end of their deal.

Genres: Romance, Lesbian, LGBT, Queer, Contemporary, Adult, Fiction

380 pages, Paperback

First published September 26, 2024

About the author

N.G. Peltier is an anime watching, book reading, video-game playing, story writing kinda girl.

A devourer of words and books from a young age, she enjoys writing romance and creeping people out with the Caribbean folklore stories she grew up hearing.

A Trinidadian born and raised, she currently lives in Trinidad with her mountain of ideas and characters battling each other for whose story get told next.

Reviews

[nikki | ཐི༏ཋྀ​​݁ ₊ ݁ . · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75★

this was a cute lighthearted sapphic romance, and the trinidad & tobago locations made it perfect as a summer beach read 🌊 🌴 ☀️

friends w benefits to lovers after a bisexual awakening/coming out ish? for a divorcée. they were really cute and it was a easy read, my only complaint was the last minute conflict, which was really brief and kind of thrown in. i think i would've liked to see her coming out to her family instead.

[Ms. Woc Reader · Rating 3 out of 5]

Remi and Maxine reconnect after Remi moves back to the island after a divorce. They quickly get hot and heavy but have to figure out how their relationship will work when it comes to their careers and every day lives.

I appreciated that we got a romance where a woman who is a little bit older and has lived some life and had a child is able to discover her sexuality. The smut was great! Heads above other sapphic books I've read this year where I felt like that characters had no chemistry.

Though this book wasn't much longer than other books in the series it felt longer and that had everything to do with the way it was paced. We start the book with Remi and Maxine having already hooked and we saw glimpses of them in previous books. At first I liked that it wasn't drawn out but then upon further reading I realized we needed that reunion between them. Because they were going kind of backwards trying to build the connection after they were already deep in it. I also needed more depth from Maxine because it felt like everything was being catered to her needs.

There was a lot of emphasis on the women's interactions with friends and family while also introducing new characters for potential other books and sometimes it felt like it overshadowed them.

This was my least favorite of the Island Bites books.

[Etinni · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book was fine. Maxine’s character definitely did not do it for me. There were a lot of times where I felt like Remi had to keep proving herself to Maxine and Maxine was just…there? It’s difficult for me to explain but I just wish the relationship was a little more equal on both sides when it came to effort. I also didn’t feel connected to any of the characters and there were A LOT of characters chile.
The smut was good though so there’s that. Not a great read, but it’s cute and not too long!

[lauraღ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maxine smiled. It never got old when Remi looked at her like that.

3.5 stars, verging on 3.75? I don't think this was perfect, but I have an immense amount of affection for it, for obvious reasons. It feels personal, and in trying to write this review, I feel like I keep getting too personal myself, lol. A lot of what I loved about it comes down to the vibe, the language, the little pleasures of seeing my everyday life and dialect reflected in a queer book. I think that with some polish this could have been really, really good. It definitely needed better editing. It frustrates me to think that someone might read this, see the typos and mistakes, and then also see the purposeful Trini slang and dialect, and assume that those are also typos or bad grammar. And I feel defensive and protective of the book in advance, because the little language things really made me happy.

This is a sorta second chance romance between two women who were rivals in secondary school, and then hooked up for a brief while before heading off on separate life paths. Maxine was married in America for a decade, while Remi pursued dance and photography at home. Now Maxine is divorced, with a child, back in Trinidad, and trying to get back into working life and the music industry in her father's company. And Remi is a part of her circle of family and friends, including the small group of queer people she knows. We've gotten hints in previous books about their relationship, and the fact that they've been hooking up (or at least, I believe we got some hints in the first book; I didn't read the second) and now we're seeing it in action. Second chance and insta lust aren't my favourite tropes, so while I did like the characters, and while I did think this was sexy, the beginning of the book wasn't my absolute favourite. Flashbacks are far from my favourite literary device, but I really think that we should have gotten some flashbacks to their school days, to show their rivalry and competition, and how that snowballed into attraction and hooking up. We're just told about it in hindsight, and we never really get to SEE their earlier dynamic and how it ended. We're just told that they went their separate ways. And then VERY late in the book, we're told that Remi had said some hurtful things to Maxine when they were young. (She accused Maxine of just using her to experiment, and honestly, I could see why maybe Remi would have thought that.) And it really felt like something that should have been shown to us earlier, and been actually hashed out between the characters. They make allusions to the antagonistic relationship they used to have, but for most of the book, they're very sweet and casual and flirty with each other. Which I did like, don't get me wrong! But this just needed a little more depth, and I feel like getting more into their backstory could have given us that.

So yeah, that, combined with the fact that this started off pretty hot and heavy, didn't make me love it at first. I love slow burn in most of my romances, and this was definitely not that. But I still ended up really in love with the couple and their relationship. And it was mostly just because of seeing their love and attraction blossom in settings I'm so familiar with. The trip to Tobago and all the activities; feeling safe getting close on Carnival Tuesday by the truck; going down south by the beach... all of it gave me so much joy that I'm not going to try to articulate because I'll probably sound silly and sappy. But I really liked it. And I REALLY liked how the issue of coming out and being closeted was handled. I loved it so much. A lot of queer books take this hard and fast line that I can't identify with, that if the main character doesn't come out, then they're lying to themselves and they're afraid and they'll never be happy. Of course, books never say it in those words, but that's the message. If you're queer, your happily ever after HAS to involve you coming out to the world, no matter who might hate you or reject you. And if not, you're living inauthentically. I hate it so much. There are real people who have to live half in, half out; closeted to family and out to friends, for example, and that's the way it is. And it's okay, and it's good, and you can still live a wonderful life.

All that to say, in any other book, I think Maxine's reluctance to come out and be open with Remi in even little ways would have been a huge source of conflict. But Remi understands, and is so loving and patient with her. Partially because of the country they live; this is, for now, just the way it has to be, to be safe and happy as a queer person. And also because Remi's just a good person, and knows that pressuring people to come out before their time, or making them feel bad for having to be closeted, is a horrible thing to do. Seriously, this little thing, and just.. how little of an issue Maxine being closeted was for the book, made me so happy. I hate when books make it seem like queer people who are closeted are either being queer 'in a wrong way', or are pathetic people who deserve pity. And Maxine DOES have a journey of growth, and IS able to make a few strides with people in her life. It made me really happy.

And the romance was ultimately really, really cute. A dating pact is always really cute, and after this started with insta lust, it was cute and an interesting twist to see them force themselves to slow it down, go on dates, see if they'd like to make an actual relationship of it. It isn't always easy, because their attraction is so electric, and the resultant push and pull was fun. I really loved Remi especially; she's so fun and cute and patient and STRONG, gahh. I loved the cute moments where she bonded a little with Maxine's daughter. All the little family moments were great, and the friend group is really entertaining. I like the fact that a good amount of time passes, and we get to see them spending time together as friends, as casual hookups, as a couple. And I actually like that it didn't tie up in a neat little bow at the end. I remember liking that about the first book too. Not every romance needs to end in marriage and kids; not every romance has huge declarations. This feels like exactly what it needs to be: two people catching up after years apart, and beginning a sexy, but really beautiful and strong relationship.

So, despite all my frustration with the lacklustre editing, I really enjoyed my time with this. And there are some hints toward the next book, an m/m couple, and I'm really excited about it. I might go back and read the second book as well! (Though I'll be honest; grumpy dudes are not my thing, and IDK if I'd like Devon that much, haha.) I just really like this cast of characters, and spending even more time with them will be great.

“I’m saying I don’t want to keep doing this countdown thing. I don’t need to get to ten. I want to try for real. Now.”

[Gabriella · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was cute!!! A lot of the side character development relies on you having read the earlier books in the series, which is fair I guess. If I’d read the straight romances first, I would certainly be complaining about N.G. Peltier rehashing everything.

Speaking of cishet romance novels, I was really impressed by how natural this author’s shift to a sapphic romance felt. I recently read Flirting Lessons by Jasmine Guillory, which was mostly fine, but had a much clunkier transition than The Dating Countdown. Compared to Taylor and Avery, Remi and Maxine’s dynamic feels much more realistic, and their *scenes* are just superb—no real notes from me.

I did feel like the dating rules were plot devices, mostly useful to make them fight. However, this is a minor annoyance that thankfully is not present for toooo much of the book. Overall, I would recommend this story, and I look forward to reading future sapphic romance from N.G. Peltier. If she plans to continue down the Island Bites series, I think she’s opened up multiple paths for a sequel: ones starring Akash, Maxine’s mom, or even our problematic faves Sanaa and Victoria!! I look forward to seeing where Peltier goes with the endless options, and will be tuning in!

[Cleo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely Sapphic bi-romance set in Trinidad.

This is pretty standalone but it’s probably better to read the whole previous two books first. I read book one but not book two and I missed a little of the relationship development of the MCs - they’re already occasionally secretly making out when their book starts.

[KeeAirRuhh · Rating 3 out of 5]

okayyy

This book had its moments, but I did struggle to finish it. I kind of got bored and felt like it could have been wrapped up much sooner.

[Miranda Benson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Steamy, sweet, and subversive. Flips the slow burn trope on its head by having the physical connection there immediately, but the emotional connection building throughout. It felt a bit long but it was such a fun read.

[leyla]

dnf at 70~ pages in.

Didn’t find myself reaching for this one 😕 it’s no fault of the story or the writer, I just don’t click with romance unless it’s sports-romance for some reason 😭

[RinReads · Rating 2 out of 5]

*sigh*

i fear contemporary romance is in such a bad place. (from what i've been reading and based on my taste). this book isn't good. i found myself asking "what is the point of all this?" time and time again. this book would have been great if it was having a real conversation about the complexities of being queer and Caribbean but it isn't. it somehow avoids everything interesting it could be doing. this book is repetitive and inconsistent which is an insane combination. this book is called the dating countdown but the girls barely date and when they go on dates they say the dates don't count because they can't stop having sex with each other. this entire thing was so unserious.

[Remi · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

The Dating Countdown is a cute and fun read, I also loved how believable the romance between Maxine and Remi was. While it was a fun read I did think the characters felt a little bit two dimensional at times and the pacing sometimes felt a bit slow paced.
Overall I enjoyed reading it and would definitely recommend it if you want a cute sapphic romance.

Thank you Little, Brown Book Group for the ARC

[Arianna Rivera · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars! i disliked the pacing and that truly messed up everything! i also would’ve preferred like a character relation tree because i was getting confused! significantly less fun as the other two books :((

[Mackeda(islandgyalreads) · Rating 4 out of 5]

OMG!!! Why this suh cute?? I had a time reading The Dating Countdown (and not just because it's about my people #GoSapphics). From Book I, the tumultuous relationship between Maxine and Remi has been hinted at and through the other characters we were able to see some feelings (good or bad) were definitely involved. So I expected this to be an enemies to lovers serve (yes I read the description) but was also pleasantly surprised by how it all went down. One aspect of Dating Countdown that I really enjoyed was the care that both MCs had for each other and the ways this translated into they loved each other. One such instance, was the fact that Remi was out and proud but for a majority of the book, Maxine wasn't but there was also no pressure for her to to come either (which may seem like basic human decency but is such a point of contention in other stories). I also really enjoyed the spicy scenes and the teasing, that was HOT!

Thank you to NG Peltier for providing me with an e-ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own

[Brittany]

As you read my review, just remember that I'm REALLY BIASED because this book is suuuuper representative of my own lived experience as a bisexual honey. Friends-to-lovers and hurt feelings over feeling "used" to experiment? I'm not divorced, but yeaaaaaah, I looked up and thought, 'Is this fucking play about us?' (Euphoria reference lol)

Such a lovely romance about a queer awakening and navigating so much uncertainty while finding the confidence to be yourself and go for what you want.

[Paula Lindo · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is the third in the Island Bites series (cause there needs to be a book 4) and it is awesome!!! The chemistry between the main characters is off the chain and I love how the writing sounds exactly like us! My only complaint is, like the first two, I always want just a little more!
Peltier outdid herself with this one, and I can't wait to see what else she writes!

[Arzum · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’ve read the first 2 Island Bites books as well, and gave those two 4 ⭐️

With this one though, I felt like the writing was a bit more bland and characters were just okay as their own. Still enjoyed their story so much and not gonna lie I’ll probably read every book NG Peltier writes LOL!!!

-arc

[Hameedah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank You Little Brown Book Group for the Arc.

I found The Dating Countdown enjoyable and easy to read. However I did find the two main characters two dimensional and that made them a bit boring at times. I would still recommend if you are looking for an easy read.

[Andrea (looselfeftlesbian) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Probably one of the best sapphic novels that involve a kid. This was so cute and funny. Literally my only is issue is I want more!



I’d love a spinoff where Sanaa falls in love with Victoria and freaks out because she was only looking for hookups.

[Aminah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book 3 is here!!!

[Chantel DaCosta · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this. Such a sweet love story. I can't wait to read what N.G. Peltier does next. No idea if this is the end of the Island Bites series but I want more romance set in Trinidad and Tobago.

[Jessica Nicole · Rating 2 out of 5]

Eh.

This was my least favorite of the series. Maxine was annoying as hell and it took too long for a decision to be made.

[Erin (erin_bookish) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars rounded down

[sarah ❀]

don’t love how they already have had their reunion in before the book starts - i feel like im missing some critical relationship development there

[Amaya · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 ⭐️

[Ella Romain · Rating 3 out of 5]

Remi is one of my fave characters in the series

[Aliya Hill · Rating 2 out of 5]

**REVISIT
2 stars😪

this book really had me on a high, unfortunately it lost me. first, this is really long so you would think we’d get more development with all these pages but no. outside of her love for maxine and hobbies, we know nothing about remi. like what’s her backstory? what’s her family situation? how does she truly feel dating someone who’s DL? second, i needed their exact ages including the daughter. there were too many instances where things were written more childish than intended. why was maxine worried about coming home late at her big grown age? and why did she speak as if her daughter was 4 when i’m pretty sure she’s at least 8. lastly the whole plot goes out the window when you realize how close maxine and remi’s families actually are. also it was giving maxine was playing w remi’s feelings idk.

side note, why was her ex husband so invested in her kissing a woman when he had a gf that maxine never met around their kid?🤔

i will say the sex scenes kept my attention every time it was drifting. also maxine did have an interesting backstory it was just wasn’t utilized properly. really wanted to give this a 3.5 but i gotta be serious😪 too many times i couldn’t remember had happened in a page i just read.

2.75. 3 on a good day✨

[Callie Browning · Rating 4 out of 5]

A charming second chance romance that ticks all of the right boxes.

Set on an island? ✅
Will they or won’t they set up? ✅
Witty quips? ✅

A round of applause for NG Peltier.