This was a very cute, Christmas (without being too Christmasy) vibe! I loved all of the Swiftie references, reading about a singer and also getting the small town vibes. Also, the author wrote this at FIFTEEN! I think that is incredible and amazing. I think as Kimi Freeman continues to write more her books will become incredible romance novels.

I do think that with the age of the author, this would have been a little more successful as a YA book but I also understand being a teen and wanting to be *risqué*. I think this would be a good book for an easy read over the holidays. I loved that each chapter had a song attached to it. :)

Thank you NetGalley for the free copy for my honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing a digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. The novel is driven more by the love story and musical aspect - main character Aspen is an actress and pop star who is clearly still in love with her high school boyfriend Rome and each chapter title is addressed with a Taylor Swift song or other artist's song. The story just happens to take place during the Christmas season when Aspen and Rome reconnect when she returns to their small town and they volunteer to put on the annual Christmas show; that's where the Christmas feels start and stop. The story is mainly about their on/off relationship and where they stand currently. If you're looking for a full on Hallmarky Christmas story, this is not it....but if you're looking for a cute love story, this is a good read.

what a heartwarming, beautiful story to kickstart the holiday season!

such a unique take on romance. each chapter name is the title of a well known song (most being taylor swift songs.) i loved this take because it gives you an idea what’s to come in Aspen and Romans’ relationship.
along with each new chapter starting as a new song, the timeline switches between past and present with each new chapter. i loved this take as well, it allows you to really feel the whole story and go on this journey of love and growth with the characters.
it was perfectly laid out story!

if you are a swiftie who loves love, this is a must read!

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced copy of ‘Tis the Damn Season by Kimi Freeman. Super cute Christmas book. Fast paced. Second chance romance. Absolutely loved it!

This book is based on a Taylor Swift song which immediately got me interested. I really liked the premise of this book and felt that it was going to meet my expectations. Unfortunately it did not, I felt that this book was written by a teenager, the same sort of lines as fan-fiction. I skim-read through most of the book as I really did not enjoy some of the writing style present in the novel.
I liked how the book presented the reader with a backstory for the main character Aspen, however I felt it lacked depth and some description was not necessary and again, felt quite immature.
I feel this book would have benefitted from more depth and maybe a dual point of view from Roman.

After reading this book, I learned that it was written by a teenage girl. Which is quite impressive for her age, but does not make for a good read for an adult, contemporary romance reader. The story was very childish and contained any editing errors. I feel like the maturity/experience level just wasn't there.

It was a fun book. I enjoyed the idea of it being based around the Taylor swift song. But it was difficult to connect with the characters

This is not the book I was expecting from the description, "based on 'Tis the Damn Season." What I wanted: a super sexy winter wonderland weekend fling. What I got: a long angst fest filled with flashbacks following controversy and sexual assault with some... not so inspired song lyrics.

This objective review was based on a complimentary copy of the novel.

although i wasn’t a fan of the overall writing, i enjoyed this cute read! roman was amazing and kind and gentle. he was so selfless in supporting aspen, i loved it! i’m a huge sucker for christmas books (+ taylor swift) and this was a perfect mix of both! i also enjoyed the dual timeline.

this was a cute, simple romance book that’s a perfect pallet cleanser between books! i really enjoyed this book because the plot was easy to follow and it was a quick read. i read it in 2 sittings. i would highly recommend!

Ok, so where to start?
I actually loved this book more than what I was expecting
This story follows Aspen, a pop-star caught in a scandal. She goes back to her hometown and meets her first love, Roman.
So much going on, celeb drama, heartbreak, loss, undeniable fire burning love, etc.
This is the perfect holiday read tbh! i love a good second chance romance and their love was so pure, i was just blushing and kicking my feet all the time.
This book has a past/present timeline, short chapters and a lot of Taylor Swift references ;)
It truly kept me interested, I had to read it in one sitting.
It is an amazing debut novel and I loved it, I just wish that we could have gotten Roman's pov.
I stayed up all night finishing this book, that is when i know that a book was THIS good.
I received this ARC from NetGalley and the publishers to read/review. All of the statements above are my true opinions after reading this book.

tropes:
second chance romance
holiday romance
one bed
small town
closed door

LOVED. Nothing more I love than a dual timeline and a fantastic strong minded FMC. Swifties will love it. But the nods to the song aren’t so strong that people will miss out if they’re not. 11/10

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for providing a copy of this ebook in exchange for an honest review.

I'm sold after I read that this book is set around Christmas time, and about second chance romance, plus this book have Taylor Swift references. ''tis the damn season is a quick romance book to read during Christmas time. The premise seems promising to me, however there are some things that sadly I didn't enjoy when I read it.

First, this book is labeled as new adult category which makes sense because the main character Aspen is 23 years old. But, the writing made the characters a little bit childish with how they acted. Okay, so Roman is the male mc and also Aspen's first love. He's short-tempered and that could jeopardize Aspen's reputation. The lack of communication between them are not fun to read either. I feel like if this book was set in high school and labeled as YA I can understand it more.

The chapters that goes from the past to present timeline was okay, I love the past storyline to understand the characters better but I was expecting more from the present storyline. I love how the author put song titles at the beginning of every chapter.

Overall, a good and enjoyable book! The fact that the author is only 16 and she already published this book is amazing! I know that she have the potential to go big with her writing! I hope she can improve her writing and I truly look forward to her next book if she's planning to write more!

A cute little holiday read. Perfect for swifties! Loved the forced proximity and small town. Wasn't life changing but still a good fluff read.

Lovely, lovely book, I love it super cute and cozy!
Highly recommended 💕
Thanks Netgalley and the publisher for the copy

This was a super quick read. And it had me till the 75% mark. I loved the dual timeline. Getting to see Rome and Aspen and how they started out was sweet. I loved how close he was with her family. The story of her coming home to get away from LA life was fun and them helping out with the play was cute. However, I didn't appreciate the way they treated Aspen. Did she over react when her dad had his accident? Yes. But rightfully so. They all made her feelings seem insignificant for something she just learned about it!! And the fact that they told Rome before her was a low blow. I also was confused on when they got together in the present time? It felt like Rome was constantly pushing for it just for her to be like we can't do this and then the next chapter they were holding hands. I also was kinda annoyed about how she spent the whole book hung up on her friendship with Sierra just to be over it in a paragraph. All in all it was a fun little read. Loved the Playlist and T. Swift references.

As Christmas crazy as I am, when I saw this book I knew I had to get into it because I knew I was going to enjoy it no matter what. And it has been a super good read, which has put me fully in the Christmas mood and with that I'm already won.

It is true that it has remained a very simple story, which I liked, but perhaps there is nothing that stands out incredibly over another facet of the book. I think it's a pretty complete package of feel good story, which in the end is enjoyable because it's a lovely story that you enjoy as you read and while it's not a complete marvel, it's a very cool book.

It's a rather more juvenile book than I was expecting, I must say, and that I think has made me like it a tad less than I perhaps expected to like it. But I still enjoyed it a lot and a juvenile book doesn't bother me.

This book felt like it lacked emotion. I liked the concept and was intrigued by the characters but missed the emotional depth and connection. It felt a little young and immature. I think it has a lot of potential but unfortunately missed the mark.

I loved Ms Freeman’s fresh voice in romance - she delicately danced around some major tropes (two people, one bed; Highschool sweethearts; etc) but did it so well that I believed it could happen (rather than it being a tried and true plot device to force movement in the story).
Great characters in Aspen and Roman - i loved how they interacted.
A new voice in romance - hooray!!!

Great debut for the author. Loved the premise and can’t wait to see what she has in store next.. Cute feel good holiday read!