Thank you netgalley for this copy and the author. I was intrigued at first but it got on and on and more Taylor Swift was involved. I dont care for her music. Not everyone does and thats ok. But i would have preferred less mention. But thats what the author wanted and there is nothing wrong with that. She likes what she likes. And i like what i like. I liked the story in general so it wasnt horrible just not my favorite. By all means it was a beautiful story but it was a bit too much for me. Main thing is im judging the book i read for the storyline and the authors writing style. I loved the story plain and to the point but no i would not read again. But still amazing job on the story.

The thing I loved the most about this book was that each chapter had a music you could listen to in the beginning and would set the whole mood.
Apart from that, it was a regular friends-to-lovers book, but with a special touch of the reality of a pop star.
Overall it was a pretty good book considering the age of the author! I hope she continues to write and evolve her writing skills and hope to, in the future, read another book from her!

while i have nothing against teenage authors publishing books and i think kimi freeman can be very proud of her achievement, i wish i had known going into this story that it was written by a 16 year old. what attracted me to this book was the title and the premise inspired by the taylor swift song. i'm a big taylor swift fan and 'tis the damn season is a song i adore. plus i'm always a sucker for a holiday romance! sadly, this book didn't live up to my expectations because you can tell it was written by someone younger than the characters are. the parts of the book when they are in high school felt more realistic, probably because this is something the author has experienced, but the parts in the present, when they are in their early twenties, missed the mark for me. as a debut novel written by someone so young, it's a great book! but in terms of the new adult second chance holiday romance it's sold as, it didn't deliver as well. i think the author should've opted for more of a YA/high school romance as her debut. there was also triggering content towards the end of the book, which we were given no warning for. it definitely wasn't a bad book, but it wasn't for me. however, i will definitely keep an eye on what kimi freeman writes in the future as i think her writing has a lot of potential, she just needs more experience that only comes with age.

This book was just what I needed for an early intro to the holiday season! It was a light read with uplifting moments, but had enough of the serious moments that it didn't feel like a fluff piece.

I was surprisingly drawn to Aspen's story and the chemistry between her and Roman was enough to feel pretty believable. I found myself rooting for them in the end.

It did feel a bit more in the young-adult category, but it was still a fun holiday read.

2 Stars

As a huge Taylor Swift fan, and a big lover of the song Tis the Damn Season, I really wanted to like this book, but unfortunately I didn’t. I think the concept was an awesome one, I just think the execution was done really poorly.

This book is about Aspen and Roman. A friends to Lovers story and set around Christmas. What more could you ask for.

It was such a sweet read. I absolutely loved it

“𝐼’𝓂 𝓃𝑜𝓉 𝑔𝑜𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝓉𝑜...” 𝒽𝒾𝓈 𝓉𝑜𝓃𝑒 𝓈𝒽𝒶𝓇𝓅𝑒𝓃𝓈,”...𝒶𝓅𝑜𝓁𝑜𝑔𝒾𝓈𝑒 𝒻𝑜𝓇 𝒸𝒶𝓇𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝒶𝒷𝑜𝓊𝓉 𝓎𝑜𝓊, 𝒫𝑒𝓃,”

A book with a playlist!! When I saw the list I was like yes let me get on the straight away. Each song was perfect for each chapter and I may have had a dance break every chapter if the song was still going.

I read this book in just under 3 hours! That’s how much I loved this book. I just couldn’t stop I was driven by Aspen and Romans Friends to Lovers story. And around Christmas time I was just eurghhh

Aspen may have been a famous singer, but she still had the small town girl in her no matter where she went. And can I say the hints to miss Tay Swift.. was such a vibe.

Though a cute Romance book, this had so many emotions that you just felt. The songs were the perfect touch.

Thank you Netgalley for sending me this arc to review! This review is voluntarily and honest 🫶🏻

‘Tis the Damn Season was a really cute romance set in the present around the holiday season, as well as in the past, starting 7 years prior. I was shocked when I found out the author was 15 years old when she started writing the book?!? I loved that the book came with a playlist, and I felt that most of the songs fit the chapters to a tee!

The book tells the story of Aspen’s life in the spotlight and her relationship with Roman. This couple had its ups and downs for me; I loved them in the beginning, but began to be frustrated by their ongoing poor communication! I did really relate to many of the deeper issues Aspen was dealing with (although mine were not caused by anything like her own circumstances). The book did go back and forth between past and present a lot, and while necessary to give details, it also made the book feel choppy at times. Overall, this was a sweet read with some powerful messages woven throughout!

At just 23 years old, Aspen Moore looks like she has it all - fame, fortune, a booming career. And yet something—or someone—is missing. It all comes to a screeching halt when a scandal rocks her life and she's forced to return to her hometown in Pennsylvania, the only upside is that her first love, Roman Torres, is still there. Aspen knows they have to keep their relationship strictly platonic, neither of them are uprooting their whole lives to move across the country. But their chemistry is undeniable, and amidst rumors and drama, the bright lights of Hollywood begin to pale in comparison to the people she left behind.

First off, I have to give the author props for publishing a book at such a young age, 16 years old and a published author is a huge accomplishment. However, with the naivety of the story, unfortunately you can really tell. I hadn't realized she was so young until the acknowledgements section at the end and the whole time I was reading I was thinking something was just very off about the story, and that seems to explain it.

I requested this book because 'Tis the Damn Season by Taylor Swift is a favorite of mine and the blurb sounded up my alley, but it fell short big time. The book is told jumping from present day to flashbacks of their high school years, and with incredibly short chapters, it's just hard to get into the book when it's essentially whiplash every few pages. That said, neither storyline had any depth and it was all very surface level - the characters weren't fully fleshed out, the dialogue was all incredibly awkward and felt a bit clunky, and the storyline was... juvenile.

All in all, I think this is a good jumping point for the author. She's got one book under her belt now and it will be nice to see how her writing develops with some more experience. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

‘tis the damn season by kimi freeman*, a review🎄

*thank you to @netgalley and the author @kimifreeman_ for an e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

⚠️please check trigger warnings before reading this book as there are some heavy topics mentioned/described within the book⚠️

synopsis: 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?❄️

this book was so much fun, it was entertaining, atmospheric and full of sexual tension! i absolutely loved the dual timeline this book had and found both equally as entertaining! seeing how Roman and Aspen met and how their relationship developed was really nice and wholesome🥺

rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ (3/5 stars)

this book was just a really good, fun time! i really loved the writing style as it was quick and easy to read. overall, i think this is such an ideal read for winter/christmas time and i loved that the whole plot wasn’t just the romance, there were other things going on in the background. if you’re looking for a fun read that you can finish super fast, this is the book for you!🫶🏻

*despite being gifted an arc of this book all opinions in this review are my own. thank you again to netgalley and the author for a copy of this book in e-arc form in exchange for an honest review.

I really liked the premise of Tis the Damn Season. A celebrity coming home and getting a second chance with her first love sounded right up my alley. I actually think the plot of this book has a lot of potential, but there is a lot more focus on drama between the characters and side characters then some of the serious issues this story deals with. I didn't feel like the emotional depth was there with this one. The characters seemed stuck in issues from high school and the characters were pretty black and white. I think this one would have worked better as a YA romance where the characters immaturity would have made more sense. There are so many great holiday romances out there I recommend giving this one a miss.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Parson Press for the advanced copy in return for my honest review.

When I first read that this was a Taylor Swift inspired book, I was all for it! And set around Christmas? Absolutely down! However, that’s pretty much were my enthusiasm lies. This was a charming debut novel from a 16 year old author but the book was just not for me. This is labeled as a new adult but I think a better genre fit would be young adult / teenager romance.

The book has a dual timeline going – one that follows the characters in the present around 25 years old and the other follows the characters in high school when they first meet and start their budding romance. I really enjoyed reading the characters when they were in high school and trying to navigate this new relationship and high school and life pressures. The author exceled at expressing the feelings of a teenager, because she is one. I would absolutely read more of the backstory of Aspen and Roman! My issues with the book lie mainly in the present timeline. As a second chance romance, I would expect more angst and pining but you don’t have that. The characters in their 20s have good character development but they seem to lack depth. I honestly thought Aspen and Roman were in their late teens or very early twenties instead of mid 20s. I believe this is mainly because the author doesn't quite have the life experience because teenagers and those in their 20s are vastly different. The author has such amazing potential at such a young age and believe she will grow as an author once she gets more experience (both life and writing) under her belt.

This book does deal with some heavy and triggering issues of sexual assault, death of parents, and narcissism/ gaslighting and hope there are some trigger warnings for these.

Tis The Damn Season is cute and wholesome and makes for a good palate cleanser. I enjoyed the song tie ins for each chapter. As a Taylor Swift fan, it was really easy to keep the soundtrack of the song in my head as I was reading. While the pacing was good, I wish there wouldn't have been quite so many flashbacks because they made things feel choppy at points and didn't add much to the story other than symmetry.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I thought that this was a really cute premise and would be an easy, light read. Considering that the author is only 16 (!!!), I was impressed with the plot and characterisation, but the dialogue fell very flat for me and didn’t ring quite true, nor did some events in the text.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4

This was a super cute book! I picked it up because it was inspired by the Taylor Swift song, and I could definitely see the similarities

It’s dual timeline between high school and adult life, following Aspen as she falls in love with Roman for the first and second time

Besides the romance, I loved the plot. The present day storyline follows a major hollywood scandal, which I found interesting. My favorite part was the Christmas play Aspen and Roman work on together! It was super cute and reflected on Aspen’s prior experiences. However, I don’t really think that the high school plot was needed. Maybe it could have been told as flashbacks instead

Additionally, this book has a playlist. Each chapter has a song at the top of it that fits the mood. I did not listen to music while reading, but if I did, I would definitely be listening to this. Most songs were (of course) Taylor Swift, but there was a good variety. There’s a playlist on spotify for anyone who’s interested :)

Also knowing that the author is in high school and is able to write a book like this is incredible! I didn’t realize that until I got to the acknowledgements at the end of the novel

If you like…
- small town romances
- second chance romances
- hollywood scandals
- dual timelines
- evermore by tswift
READ THIS BOOK <3

✮ ✮/5

The title of this book lured me in, and finding out it was based on Taylor Swift songs, I was sold! However, it was a major miss for me.

It felt like a very childish approach to what was supposed to be mid-twenties adults second chance romance. I just didn’t connect with it at all. I was expecting a story about the one that got away but it was really just the one that moved away but still hooked up with whenever she came back… didn’t have any of the angst I was looking for in a second chance romance.

I didn’t connect with the characters and I thought the dialogue was pretty juvenile and boring. The story had the potential to be a cute Hallmark style romcom, but it just missed the mark on the execution.

I found out after reading it that the author Kimi is only 16 and it’s her debut novel! Fair play to her for publishing so young!

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Tropes:
- Small Town Romance
- Second Chance
- Closed Door
- Holiday Romance
- Dual Timeline

this was so good!! such a quick and easy read. a second chance romance where they dated in high school but split due to their different life circumstances. i loved the dual timeline storytelling & the taylor swift vibes of it all.

Had a hard time finishing this one, pretty bland in my opinion. Not much spark between the main characters :(

I liked the Taylor Swift references and how the songs from the playlist each had their chapter that corresponded well to the chapter. Aspen went though a lot and was stronger for it and the hard work she put in so I didn't like how she was not putting work into protecting herself to the world until the end, Roman is a sweetheart and totally obsessed with Aspen from the beginning. There were some parts were the dialogue between characters were I felt the flow was off. Overall sweet, fun holiday romance with cute ending.

Although I love a second chance romance this felt a little too corny for me. The storyline felt a bit all over the place especially with the then and now chapters. I did love the celebrity and regular person plot. Overall 2.5 stars.