Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

If you thought this being inspired by a Taylor Swift song would mean I'd love it, you'd have thought wrong. I can't even put into words how boring this was. It was really repetitive and it also felt like it was trying to be two different stories. I didn't care for the on again off again romance between the two main characters either. They know they have feelings for each other but neither were willing to compromise so why go round in circles?

One thing that I really did not like was that the ex boyfriend/on again off again fling was told about the FMCs dad's medical conditions months before she did and then had the nerve to be annoyed at her when she was rightfully angry about it. She then is only angry for a little while beore forgiving everyone and I'm like ??? you're parents and whatever you want to call Rome lied to you about something serious and you forgave them so quickly. Could never be me.

I did like this was dual timelines though even if the rest of this book annoyed me.

Missed the download date for this one but finally got around to reading it through the library! A perfect little holiday romance!

A fictional debut friends to lovers romance that features a singer/actress whose life gets blown up by a false cheating scandal. Told through flashbacks to the past we get to follow Aspen and Roman as they date and get torn apart by life circumstances. I enjoyed this holiday romance quite a lot as Aspen returns home for Christmas and works with Roman to produce the town nativity play for her father. Mostly a kissing only romance, this book does tackle important topics like gaslighting and rape. It's maddening that these kinds of things continue to happen in real life (Blake Lively anybody??!?!?). This was a fun holiday romance with tons of Taylor Swift vibes. It's quite impressive considering the author was only 15 when she wrote it. It also makes for such a timely backlist read and I loved it on audio narrated by Liza Jacob. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review. I know a lot of reviewers have been harsh on this young debut author but I thought it was solid!

CW: parents who die from cancer and one who is diagnosed with Parkinsons

Dnf at 20%

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for allowing me to read an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinion are my own.

Tis The Damn Season by Kimi Freeman

Never knew that such young authors write such superb books!!

The story revolves around a female lead who is trying hard to cope up with her Hollywood life. She has begun her carrer at a very young age and being famous made her wise earlier. However, one wrong step and everything goes downhill which means, she has to get away from everything and back to her hometown till the issue subsides. There, in her little town, with her little family, she finds her high school sweetheart and both of them back on the track of being with each other. But for how long??

The book has many ups and downs and the roller coaster journey is very interesting.
📚 One point that interested me the most was how the MC was dealing with being famous, paparazzi and keeping a low key when things didn't workout.
📚 One thing that disappointed me was how the couple never discussed their future. They were anyways not being together due to their career gaps, talking would have helped them come to a singular point in their relationship.
📚 The backdrop is very well described as a life of a hollywood singer - the topic looks well researched as it covered writing music, tours, parties.
📚 Story is interesting but I felt like it turned away from reality when they showed that the guy was waiting for the girl even after some years and was not in any relationship.
📚 There were somethings that the female lead did not do but was called out on media again and again and she was silent about it. This thing felt like stretching as in this era, no one listens so much.
📚 Authors style of writing is lucid and up to the mark, no long and boring description. Infact, while reading, I never knew that the author was so young.

Overall, the book is for RomCom reader and if you are into exploring books from debut authors then go for it.

I really liked this one which surprised me a little! It was a little hard determining if it was YA, New Adult, or adult romance but that didn't really take away from my enjoyment of the book. There were lots of cute b stories, lots of trauma we unfolded throughout the pages, and lots of love shown throughout as well.

Description
Told in a dual timeline and inspired by the Taylor Swift song of the same title, ‘Tis The Damn Season is a charming new contemporary romance destined to break your heart and put it right back together.

A Hollywood starlet caught in a scandal. The boy she never got over. A Christmas season they’ll never forget…

Aspen Moore is living proof that money doesn’t buy happiness. At twenty-three years old, the singer-actress has it all. Fame. Fortune. Her own headlining tour. And yet something—or someone—is missing.

When a scandal rocks Aspen’s carefully constructed Hollywood life, she’s forced to return to her Pennsylvania hometown, where she reconnects with her first love, Roman Torres. Aspen knows they must keep their relationship strictly platonic. This game of push and pull, catch and release she plays with Roman is bad for her. She’s not staying in Fertsville, and he’s not moving to LA. But their chemistry is undeniable, and amidst rumors and drama, the bright lights of Hollywood begin to pale in comparison to the dark brown eyes she fell in love with all those years ago. Could Aspen be willing to give up everything she’s ever wanted for the best thing she’s ever had?

I really wanted to like this, but I think I've gotten too old for this. This felt very middle school even though the main characters were around 25 years old for most of the novel. BUT the author was only 16 when she wrote this, so I guess that's why.

This almost read like fanfiction, and was not realistic at all. I did like the progression of the romance and how Aspen and Roman reconnected, but I feel like the focus was on the past a little too much, which made the pacing feel off and the ending seemed rushed in comparison.

I also expected more of a Christmassy feel because of the title, but I didn't get any of that, which was a shame.

This book just lacked. The whole time I felt as if it was something that could’ve been posted on wattpad by a seventeen year old. The characters both felt immature, and there was no real character development as the story went on. I had such high hopes for this book, and it definitely fell short

This was basically Taylor Swift fanfiction, about her media troubles before her Reputation era. It was fun and cute, but for a romance, there was hardly any romance. It was mostly about fame, drama, and the struggles of being in the public eye. I wanted more love story.
🎤
My rating: ⭐️⭐️
Spice level: 🌶️
🎤
Read if you like:
▫️she’s a pop star
▫️he’s her high school love
▫️dual timeline
▫️small town

Thank you Netgalley and Parson Press for the EArc in return for an honest review.

Actress turned singer Aspen return home to escape a scandal involving her in LA.
Coming back to her hometown means digging up the past, once again with Roman. The love of her life that she left to pursue her career.

I wanted to read this book because I'm a Swiftie and Tis the Damn Season is my favorite song. The hurdles that both Aspen and Roman faced were told in detail and the story wrapped up well.

I think I set my expectations too high for this book mainly because its title references one of my favorite Taylor Swift songs.

The reality is this book is bad. Like really bad.

It reads like something I would have posted on Wattpad at fourteen years old… because that’s kind of what it is. In the acknowledgments, the author admits that she was just shy of fifteen when she wrote this story. And I mean, props to her for getting published at such a young age, but maybe she should have stuck to what she knows instead of trying to write characters in their mid-twenties that end up feeling incredibly immature and two-dimensional.

Old flames reunited for the holidays. Aspen is at the height of her career at just 23 - she’s a Hollywood starlet and successful singer. But when she’s caught up in a tabloid scandal, she escapes back to her small Pennsylvania hometown for a quiet holiday season with family. While home, she’s recruited to produce the town’s children’s Christmas play with her friend and former high school love, Roman. Told through multiple timelines (then and now) we learn how they came to be, what drove them apart, and how this holiday reunion may be just what Aspen’s image - and heart - need.
I really wanted to love this (after all-it’s named for a Taylor Swift song with plenty of song references throughout!) but I found Aspen pretty unlikable at times and it made it hard to root for her through much of the story…she often came off as a “woe is me” bratty attitude before & after. Again-this is just my opinion but it didn’t bring the holiday vibes I hoped for.
Thank you to Parson Press for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest (and very delayed) review.

These types of books always make me feel so cozy and warm inside. It was such a cute cute cute read!! I enjoyed the writing as well as the characters who were likeable and relatable! The plot was interesting enough as well and kept me interested enough throughout the whole book.

I don't remember requesting this book or seeing it in my list last year. I haven't read it and looking at the reviews it's not something I would likely be interested in.

This was a very cute and very quick read. It reads more like a YA romance than a contemporary one despite the main characters being in their 20s. I didn't mind that aspect but some readers may not enjoy it.

I love the short chapters and the dual timelines. The story itself was sweet and overall I enjoyed this one.

I sincerely appreciate the author and NetGalley for the review copy.

- Celebrity FMC
- Second Chance Romance
- Forced Proximity
- Dual Timeline

I went into this thinking it was going to be a lighthearted cutesy read, but thinking more about it I don’t think I can really classify this as that. Maybe the second chance romance aspect could be classified as that, but the scandal and victim blaming that Aspen is dealing with is not. I didn’t necessarily dislike this book, but I am not sure I will be recommending this one to friends either.

★★★★☆

This book nails the nostalgia and heartbreak of revisiting a first love. Inspired by Taylor Swift’s song, ''Tis the Damn Season' brings us Aspen Moore, a Hollywood starlet whose return home leads to a whirlwind reunion with her small-town love, Roman. Past and present are beautifully woven, making each moment bittersweet and addictive. While the push-and-pull tension elevates the story, and Aspen and Roman’s chemistry keeps it gripping.

TL;DR: A heartfelt, nostalgic holiday romance about fame, home, and the one who got away.

Wow! This is unfortunately one of the worst books I have ever read. I could not stand the characters and I didn't believe in the romance one single bit. It read very YA And it is not a YA story.

It's giving Hallmark Movie in the best way. As a big fan of the song from Taylor Swift's evermore, I had to check out this book. And it was just what I needed, cute and easy to read.