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.

Pop star Aspen is returning to her hometown to escape Hollywood drama. Her ex boyfriend Roman is now working for her father, and generally seems to be the same guy she’s always been able to rely on. But it’s too hard to keep falling in love with him only to have to leave again.

I had really high hopes for this book, since Tis the Damn Season is one of my favorite Taylor Swift songs. The idea was cute, but I found the execution to just be really flat for me. When I recently learned that the author was only 16, I thought it made a lot more sense. I really think this book would’ve been better developed as a YA instead. I commend her for writing and publishing a novel at a young age, but it just read very young and flat for me.

I wish the author the best in her future writing, and I’m willing to give her another try, but this one just didn’t live up to my hopes.

Thank you to NetGalley and Parson Press for an advanced copy of this book

What a fun and easy read for the holidays. This book was super cute and loved the two main characters relationships. Friends to lovers. A great holiday read!

First of all, cannot believe that Kimi Freeman was 15 when she wrote this book. Congrats girl!

Secondly, this book was extremely adorable. I loved both Aspen and Roman. Their relationship was definitely fun to read.

This book is about Aspen Moore a Hollywood starlet who ends up in a scandal and the boy next door that she never got over. Aspen comes home to hide out after her best friend believes the rooms that she tried to sleep with her boyfriend. She reconnects with her first and only love Roman, but she knows that their relationship needs to stay platonic for her hearts sake. The chemistry between these two is undeniable. Will Aspen be willing to give up everything to be with the man she loves?

This book was such a sweet and adorable read. I loved the small-town second-chance romance. While I am not a big Taylor Swift fan (I know, unpopular opinion) I really enjoyed this book and it is great for this holiday season.

Thank you Netgalley and Parson Press for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This book was super wholesome and cute, whilst still dealing with a couple of really difficult subjects. With there not being a huge conflict, this book is a great read if you just want to settle down on the couch a cup of hot chocolate, and let yourself disappear into a story.

I loved the dual timeline as it really helped show how the relationship between Aspen and Roman came to be, and how it grew and grew into what it is now. Two people who are truly meant to be.

Roman is truly one of the best love interests out there, even though he did piss me off for a minute near the end (no worries, he redeems himself. I love him again.)
The way he cares for Aspen and has helped her and been there for her throughout her high school years and even now, is just 😍😍😍

Aspen's life is a lot more complicated than the people around her think it is, and she has to balance her own mental health and the job she loves, which isn't an easy thing to do.
She has to work through a scandal, and it's truly inspiring to see how she deals with all of it.

Also, a healthy family dynamic? Sign me up! Aspen's family is truly there for her, cheering her on and supporting her dreams.

All in all, this book was a lovely, breezy read. Especially knowing the author is/was sixteen!! I can't wait to see what books come next.

𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘨𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘳, 𝘒𝘪𝘮𝘪 𝘍𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘈𝘙𝘊 𝘪𝘯 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘺 𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸.

3.5 Stars. I was first drawn to this book because of the title and the cover. I went into it expecting a quick and easy holiday read, and this is nice and easy. The relationships can sometimes feel surface level, but overall it was entertaining

Aspen is a Hollywood star, however, when rumours circulate she hit on her best friends boyfriend her glamorous glittering life starts to crumble; she’s homeless and her future career is a complete uncertainty. She decides to head home to Pennsylvania to spend a quiet thanksgiving and Christmas with her family. When he Dad asks her to direct the Christmas show she is more than happy, even if it is alongside her on and off again boyfriend Roman. This year she is determined to leave behind the heartbreak she feels everytime she leaves him and be strictly friends.

This was book inspired by Taylor Swift so of course I was going to read it. It was super cheesy which luckily I was expecting and alongside the modern day story described above is also a history into their relationship (it switches perspective each chapter). The reason I’ve rated it down a bit is because they attempted to deal with some really serious topics (rape, consent, gas lighting etc.), however, I felt like they were almost just an add on and weren’t fully addressed how I would hope and expect. It might’ve been better if it was just left as a fluffy romance.

I wanted to enjoy this book so much more than I did.

It has so many things that I really love : Taylor Swift references, a celebrity-normal person relationship, the-exes-who-are-meant-for-each-other trope, big star going back to their hometown trope… Sooo many things I love, and in fact did enjoy with this book.

I loved the parallels with Taylor Swift’s career and how things went for her. As a Swiftie that was really fun.

However it fell flat for me in that none of the relationships in the story were really in-depth, they all felt very surface level. Aspen meets a new friend and they’re immediately trauma dumping on each other and are besties a couple of weeks later.

Likewise with the beginning of her relationship with Roman. It’s like he woke up one day and decided he liked her, and then she just liked him back even though she’d never thought of him before.

I kept expecting this big build up and some kind of misunderstanding as to why they weren’t together, but the conclusion and the “they’re finally together” moment was very anticlimactic. I was left feeling like “Oh, was that it?”

That being said, I do think this book would be HUGELY successful marketed towards a younger YA contemporary holiday romance audience. Having learned that the author herself is a teenager, I must say I am impressed with her writing and I look forward to seeing what she comes up with in future.

Personally I don’t think this was for me. I did try my best to read it and enjoy it as I am a huge Taylor Swift fan but I did really struggle.

Might have been the pace or the writing style, unsure. I wish I could give it more stars.

**3.5 Stars.. I was first drawn to this book because of the title (perfect for the Swifties). I went into it expecting a quick and easy holiday read and I was correct. It was entertaining and perfect for a palate cleanser between two fantasy books I was reading.