Unfortunately, ""Tis the Damn Season" was just not it for me. As a fan of both holiday and Taylor Swift themed romance books I was excited to read this, but after a few chapters in, I've come to the decision to DNF this book.

While I was genuinely excited to read about Aspen and Roman's romance, especially with the running dual timeline storytelling, I had troubles getting into the book. I had a tough time liking and connecting with the characters because even though they were 23 years old, I found the dialogue and characterization a little juvenile. I am pick this up again in the future if I'm looking for more holiday themed books, but unfortunately for now, I will be DNFing it.

This book started out really good for me. I loved the back and forth narrative so you could see how Aspen and Roman's relationship advanced from the very beginning to where our present story line is. However, I don’t really see the point of it past that? Seeing their first few interactions, leading to them ultimately getting together made sense as it was introducing past characters that became relevant in the present day timeline. But I feel it could've stopped happening after that point. With maybe one popping up to highlight their first break up when the present day timeline started getting rocky again, or to showcase how Keith took advantage of her. Because the past storylines feel like they are building towards the Keith reveal (that wasn’t really a reveal because we all knew what happened the first time she mentioned it) or even the break up (which in a way it did that but it was so anticlimactic when it did happen AND it was already said in the present day timeline that it happened that it was sort of a let down).

I did appreciated the addition of Leila so that Aspen could have some kind of female companionship after having nothing but female bullies through this entire book. But Leila, quite literally, comes out of no where and in just a few short weeks she’s Aspen's best friend, despite never being on the page. The friendship progression doesn’t make sense (at least not for adult friendships, if this was someone she had friended in high school (like in a flashback) and they spent all day together at school, the friendship progression would make way more sense).

The ending was also... weird. The award show scene didn’t make any sense because there was no "big reveal" like Aspen swore there was going to be. And the epilogue was kinda lame. After a story like the one we got the epilogue should take place 1/1.5 years in the future and be the proposal or the wedding day where she's in the white dress excited to walk down the aisle and the book ends when the chapel doors open. That's sort of what you expect out of a romance novel. And yes, sometimes you get a pregnancy epilogue. It happens. But there is almost always a mention of a baby or wanting a baby somewhere earlier in the book so it doesn't totally feel out of left field. And when we got the award show future jump I assumed that was our epilogue and him saying "you'll know when I propose" was going to be good enough, I was even happy with that. Yes the writing was awkward and the dialogue was a mess, but it made sense for our story. We got the promise of a near future proposal, she won an award to show that she's doing better and got what she wanted from her record label. It was perfect. But then we got this super awkward time jump FOUR years into the future and we find out they only JUST got married 6 months prior? That makes no sense for these characters. They spent years pining after each other, these are not the people that would wait 4 years to get married. It's so unrealistic. And it really feels like the author doesn't know her own characters.

The story wasn’t bad. It was jumpy and a LOT happened, almost too much for just one 400 page book. It does read a little wattpad-y with the editing/ story progression. I know the author was young, and you can really see that at the end, unfortunately. The beginning of this book was really strong and did a great job of pulling you in and making you care about the characters. But it fell off the further into the story that you got.

A really good first novel and the author is definitely going to get better past this. But this is not a 5 star read.

And the cover is just absolutely hideous. Who approved these super ugly drawings.

Aspen is a celeb involved in a scandal. This in turn sends her home to Pennsylvania, where she reconnects with Rowan - her first love. Their chemistry is undeniable.

This was cute and cozy. Not even a Swiftie per se, but still loved this nod to her music.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Parson Press for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Although I was hoping for a steamier romance, Tis the Damn Season was a cute, quick read. The nods to Taylor Swift throughout the book were enjoyable, but the book itself felt a bit more like a YA read.

I am DNF'ing at 15%. I really loved the idea, this is one of my favorite Taylor Swift songs, but I cannot seem to get into the characters. I might try again later, so this is more of a DNF-for now.

This was a very sweet romance novel. As a Swiftie, I enjoyed the inspiration. I did feel as though there was something lacking. The characters seemed to be very surface level and didn't really have the complexity I've come to enjoy. Despite that, it was still a sweet and entertaining read.

I felt like this book was very young and should have ventured more into the YA genre. Overall, felt very immature. It felt more YA angsty romance rather than an adult romance. The Taylor swift tie in was okay but not great.

I ended up DNF’ing this one at 43%. It started as a very cozy, nostalgic feeling Christmas season read, but ultimately just wasn’t holding my attention. I really enjoyed the fact that every chapter receives a song to set the vibe, and I was definitely enjoying the plot components for the duration that I was reading the book. The dual timelines set a scene of nostalgia, which was sweet. I don’t have any key complaints that led to me putting it down, I just wasn’t really interested in continuing and the writing style wasn’t keeping my attention.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ebook in exchange for my honest review.

I loved the Taylor Swift vibe this gave off with the song Tis the Damn Season but I really disliked the main characters so this was tough! The writing was decent but they were soo childish and immature. It was hard to root for them.

The way Kimi Freeman took the lyrics of ‘Tis the Damn Season and turned it into a whole book!!

This technically is categorized under adult romance, but I would personally categorize it under YA romance. I loved that this book has a playlist and every chapter is a song! The dual timeline was great insight into Aspen and Roman’s relationship and their characters in general. A quick, cute little read perfect for the holidays!

It's always a difficult thing to become famous, there are so many things you have to change in your life that you never realized before. you have to gain a thick skin and learn how not to take everything so personally because everyone will always have their own opinions. this book tells about how the main character is going through some very ugly public rumors so she ruins back home to regroup.

there she spends time with an old flame. realized all the things she really wants in life and also learns to gain her confidence back.

i really enjoyed this book and was rooting for them throughout the entire book. i would recommend this to anyone. great enjoyable read.

The premise of this novel is a good one and the cover is very cute. It read more like a YA book for me even though the main characters are in their early twenties; the dialogue and abruptness of their actions just felt a little too juvenile to be an adult book. The beginning felt a bit rushed and I couldn't really connect with the characters. The story is told both in the present and with chapters delving back to the past when Aspen and Roman first met in high school which is nice so you can experience the love story both times around. I think if you are a young Taylor Swift fan this book is a good fit and if you like small towns, second chances, high school loves, dual timeline or celebrity scandal this book has all of that. I wish I had gotten more into this one and I think if I was a Swiftie or knew literally anything about her songs, it might have been a better read.

This book talks a lot about bullying and some darker topics here so if you are someone who needs content warnings keep that in mind.

I received an advanced copy of the ebook from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

2.9 rounded up to 3/5

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Have you ever wanted to read about the couple in Taylor Swifts "'Tis the Damn Season"? Well then this is the book for you.

"'Tis the Damn Season" by Kimi Freeman is a small-town, second-chance romance. Aspen Moore is a Hollywood starlet that suffers from a scandal that forces her to return back to her Pennsylvania hometown. Roman Torres is her first love that she never forgot.

While both Aspen and Roman are around 25 years old, the writing occasionally makes them feel much more childish. I feel like this book would have done much better if it was a young adult book rather than a new adult book. Especially with the out of left field SA that appears at the end of the book. There either needs to be a trigger warning about it, or it needs to be taken out completely.

3.5 Stars. A cute story of love withstanding through the years and highlighting the importance of (chosen) family, especially as your life changes. For better or worse, the ones who stand by it all are the ones who should be there

I love a good winter romance and this one did not disappoint. The setting was perfect, I loved the dialogue. I love the concept of the main character being famous. I think this one would be great for swifties!

3.75⭐

If you love famous person/not famous person, second chance romance and Taylor Swift, this is a cute holiday read for you. Admittedly this ended up being a bit heavier than I was looking for some additional plot points that didn't feel needed, but this was such a cute debut from a young author.

I really wanted to like this book. When I see a Taylor Swift inspired title, I immediately want to check it out. The overall story idea was good, but I couldn’t really connect with any of the characters. It felt just a little too rushed for me. The dialogue seemed just a little juvenile for the characters to be around 25 years old. Overall, liked the concept wasn’t crazy about the execution. (Also I am a Swiftie all the way but even I thought the references to songs was a little much)

Thank you to NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Juvenille characters in 25 year old bodies. Wanted to love it, but it just wasn’t my cup of tea. Struggled with some of the writing, too. Had the characters been younger, it would have matched the premise and been *perfect,* but it just wasn’t it. The dual timeline is normally my thing, but it didn’t allow for the writing to be fleshed out. Also, there’s some big triggers in this book that really come into play without any sort of warning. Not required by any means, but could contribute to a lack of liking the story! I appreciate the author for trying to get a book down, as that’s not an easy task, but this one needs some work! Thanks for the opportunity to review!

I received a copy of this for my honest opinion

Unfortunately, after reading a it of this book, I just didn't get into it. I chose to DNF.

This one wasn’t quite what I hoped for in terms of how cute the cover is. It has some darker topics in it that didn’t make it quite as warm and cozy I thought. I did enjoy that the song inspired the story and the unique way the author had the song come to life.