Thank you NetGalley and Parson Press for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!

So this book drew me in with the title and that it was inspired by the Taylor Swift songs. But that is pretty much where my attention was left. This book just felt very YA and I felt like the chapters were just so choppy and there wasn’t very good Segway between the chapters. I enjoyed the Taylor Swift references but I felt like there were some that were just thrown in there just to have a Swift reference and I felt like there were some times where that just got old and a little overused. Overall, this just was not a book for me but I feel like there might be some people out there that could enjoy it.

I believe this is marketed as New Adult since the characters are 25, however this book reads very YA. I did not feel engaged with Aspen or Roman. I didn't really understand why their relationship was what it was in the beginning. Just miscommunication and assumptions on both parts.

The writing is very green and when looking into the author, she is only 16. She writes well for 16 however the conflict and the reaction to the bullying and the relationship makes sense.

3/5

Well, this book didn"t make it for me. I thought I was going to read a second chance romance taking place during christmas, and in a sort it was. But I found the writing a little childish, and the spoken part were really "simple". : globally, it always ends the same wat "I'm ok, i't's gonna be ok, I love you". Which is sweet but not really deep.
Sorry for my harsh words, but I think that's because I had others expectations for this book.

Cute Festive Read
I Honestly really wanted to love this. Christmas + Tay Tay sounded like the perfect combination for me. I think i struggled the most with the time dual timeline, it felt really unnecessary at times and It through me off my flow.

Overall a cute holiday read but I just needed more. There was lots of Taylor references which is an added bonus for swifties but still enjoyable without understanding the little easter eggs. Could be great as a seasonal pallette cleanser

I read this as an ARC via netgalley.

Such a cute little book! If you’re looking for an easy, quick read with plenty of Taylor Swift Easter eggs - this is the book for you!

Okay, sadly this one was not for me.

My main issue with this book was that it felt really childish when all the characters are around 25 y.o.
BUT, I just found out Kimi, the author, is only sixteen! mindblowing 🤯
Should have stuck with more of a YA/high school theme and then it would have been perfect!

My best description of this book is, holiday teenage romcom, literally. So, if this is your thing, definitely give it a try!
!!! As a huge FYI, I don't think I saw any TW in the book intro or summary? but be warned that the book touches on SA.

1 star ⭐, because this book is being marketed as New Adult when it clearly isn't.

"Sometimes you can be a real wild card, Pen."

Wonderful, heartwarming, sweet and romantic. The story of two people who love each other and have been loving each other since forever. Second chance plus right person wrong time. One bed and small town romance after she went and made a career in LA but came back for a scandal. Pain and suffering from his past and her present. Roman truly is the perfect guy and despite the age of the main characters … I love him deeply. This cozy romance is exactly what I didn’t know I needed. So perfect for a more winter/ Christmas season romance. It was so good to read and I absolutely adore a good swoony relationship. And Aspen … she is such a strong person, definitely an inspiration for many. If you’re looking for spice, don’t read this. If you’re looking for feelings and sweetness and Taylor Swift themed chapters, then I would highly recommend you to read this.

“We just needed to lose each other before we could find our way back."

First of all, I'm not a Taylor Swift fan, so I did not realize this was a play on her song(s?). She is EVERYWHERE right now and I didn't like she was all over this book, too.

The author of this book is only 16. I think she has a lot of potential as she grows, but I was not into 25 year old characters that are super immature.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

Having written a book and gotten it published at such a young age is no mean feat, so kudos to Kimi Freeman for that. But this needed a lot of work. It's not, in my opinion, well written, and relies too heavily on the fan fiction side it clearly comes from.

The romance didn't make sense, and there was a lack of conflict between Aspen and Rowan which made it not as intriguing as other books.

Would be better marketed as YA than adult fiction, and needs trigger warnings for sexual assault.

This book did exactly what it promised, it broke my heart and put it back together again.

I was expecting a cute little holiday romance (cause I went in blind) but I spent half of last night crying while reading this. I can't even really explain why.

The story is told from Aspen's pov on a dual timeline between her present life as a famous actress and in the past as a teenager falling in love.

The teenage angst, the heartache and all the bad things that keep happening to both Aspen and Roman....it just got me right in the feels.

Read this if you enjoy:
- Taylor Swift
- Celebrity Gossip
- Dual Timeline
- Second Chance Romance

Thank you @NetGalley for the ARC of this book on exchange for my honest review.

Okay let me start off by saying that the author of this book is only 16, which is incredible! However, after learning this, I agree with most of the reviews that this would’ve performed much better had it been classified as a YA book as opposed to New adult.

The overall story felt very juvenile, and the characters fell a bit flat for me, which was disappointing because some of my favorite tropes are second chance and small town romance. Plus it took place during the holidays.

Was the book cute? Yes, however no heart strings were pulled, which is exactly what I look for in a great romance book.

Thank you so much to netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

The idea behind this book is fun and I liked the characters, but the execution wasn't great.

The main couple had so many monumental fights that could have been break-up worthy as they said hurtful things to each other, but each fight was just forgotten and never resolved. Roman never really decided to start dating her and be okay with her publicity, he just changed his mind off-page and it felt very strange. Conversations between characters felt unnatural, and Aspen made multiple speeches/statements that were meant to be strong feminist moments for applause, but they made me cringe.

I liked going back and forth between timelines to see how they first fell in love, but the stakes never existed because they're in love the whole time so there's no question of will they get together again. The romance also never felt real, like they said the right things and clearly loved each other, but it didn't have chemistry.

It also very rarely occurred to me that this is a Christmas romance because it was missing that magic feeling.

I enjoyed the story overall, the book just didn't do it justice.

A story with dual timelines featuring a second chance romance, this is a cute story that is modeled after the Taylor Swift song - and just like the song, really doesn't have anything to do with Christmas.
It's a sweet story, no spice, but lovely romance between a pop/TV star and her former high school boyfriend.
The author is still pretty young, and I think her writing will only get better as she matures. The twist at the end (surprise?) was a bit hokey and not necessary.
Loved that each chapter has a song (listed with artist) and instead of a playlist format is actually written along the chapter number.

I really like the characters of this book and I wanted to love the story. The story has some really great parts and O think it had potential…..unfortunately it seemed to have a lot of build up and no available background and then the finale was lackluster for me.

The book moved at a sloth like speed until about 90% then seemed to move quick……like they are married and now pregnant…..like huh?

I think a big part of this was in regards to the age of the writer. This book needs to be marketed as a YA or even teen book, not to adults.

1.5 stars

I'll start off by saying I did like the songs as titles. Especially being Taylor Swift songs. However, this book is not my favorite. The main character Aspen is annoying. The book is told in past and present. I like when it's telling the past story. I enjoyed those portions of the book. Aspen as her present story I cannot stand. She is a push over. She is self centered. I feel like this story jumps all over the place and some of it comes from left field. For example the SA, I'm not sure why that was mentioned at the end just because? There's just no point for it. She mentions Keith a few times creating this narrative that he is bad but doesn't mention any reason as to why, until the end and it's SA. Do not like that. The plays were boring, I skimmed a lot of that part. Congratulations to Kimi for starting Tis the damn season so young and publishing this book.

Thank you to Netgalley and Kimi Freeman for the ARC for an honest review! My review can also be found on Goodreads.

3.75⭐

I loved the writing and how medium paced it is. The details and showing how the characters feel is amazing. I loved seeing the past. The past years were my favorite chapters to read because I loved seeing the romance. I definitely enjoyed seeing them realize they still love and want each other. The way he loves, cares, and protects her was awesome. He was there. She was there. They were there for each other constantly. They supported each other no matter what.

This book is so cute! I love how easy to read it is and as a debut novel, the author really did a good job! Love it!

The plot is very interesting, the characters are real and human. I love how Rome will call Aspen out on stuff that she did wrong. I feel like towards the end, their relationship became so much better. I absolutely love Rome’s character.

The amount of Taylor Swift references in this book is very good!! It’s not too much that it starts to get boring. Love the way there’s a single song for every chapter, it is so unique. The way this book is inspired by Taylor Swift’s song and it really delivers, I love it so much. Would definitely recommend to anyone who loves Taylor Swift.

I didn’t love this but it was an okay holiday romance. Honestly if the title wasn’t a TS song I probably would have never picked it up.

I received this book as an ARC from IBPA through NetGalley and this review is based on my own opinion.

Aspen is a famous Hollywood star until she gets caught in a scandel. She decides to get back to her hometown Fertsville where she will organize the town musical together with her life long high school crush Roman.
They both agreed to be just friends but their chemistry is undeniable.

This book was so lovely, when I started I just couldn't stop reading so I read this book in one sitting.
It's written in dual pov, one about the present and one around 4-6 years earlier. It was a good way to give the reader some more information about Aspen and her past.
It's supposed to be a holiday romance but apart from them organizing the Christmas musical and having a Thanksgiving dinner it didn't necessarily feel like a holiday story but it was still an easy 5 star read for me.

A second chance! Dual timelines! Celebrity romance! Childhood (high school) friends to lovers! Yet again, I’ve picked up a book without having any idea what it’s about, but I ended up really enjoying the energy between Aspen & Roman even though celebrity romances aren’t typically my thing. This came out a week ago on 10/24, and I have to say I was a little disappointed with how un-holiday it felt, despite the title. Also, this may have been the slowest burn of all time & took until nearly the end of the book for any feelings to be acknowledged. It’s inspired by the Taylor Swift song & comes with a song for each chapter - so if you’re a Taylor Swift fan then that could be a fun added bonus for you! It was cute and an easy read, but I think just wasn’t my favorite niche of romance books.