This book was mid to me I enjoyed it but I also didn’t think it was anything extraordinary but it was decent! I’d recommend this to several of my reading buddies!

This was so warm and cozy and had no business being as cute as it was!!! The writing is pleasantly fast-paced and easy to binge. I just wish it had a little more angst, especially since it did have a dual timeline (which is my favorite style/technique in a second chance romance). I’m a sucker for a second chance romance because I love the angst, so I just wish this had a little bit more tension and moments that wrenched on the heartstrings. Mostly this induced fuzzy good feelings, which I’m not complaining about at all! I loved the little Taylor Swift Easter eggs, and overall I would recommend this book! 3.5 stars

This is a good palette cleanser type of book. It holds a great storyline that follows both Aspen and Roman through their past and their present. It gave me celebrity/non celebrity feelings. This is a cute second chanced romance book that will be enjoyable. If anything I’d give it about 3.75 stars out if 5. It is adorable and has a few triggers, but I feel that the author is able to both convey and portray them in a great light. It’s a book I would definitely recommend. I personally adored Aspen.

Tis' the Damn Season is a romp through the ups and downs of love, fame, and the chaos of the holiday season!

Aspen, the rockstar with a heart of gold, finds herself in the midst of a tabloid nightmare. Fleeing the paparazzi, she heads back home, only to collide headfirst into her past—enter Roman, the hunky sweetheart with a smile that could melt even the iciest of hearts. Their love story, portrayed through flashbacks and present-day escapades, is a rollercoaster of emotions that keeps you eagerly turning the pages.

The holiday spirit in this book isn’t just about twinkling lights and mistletoe—it's about the joy of rediscovering lost friendships, embracing family quirks, and realizing that love, in all its messy glory, is the ultimate gift.

While the plot zips along at a lively pace, there are moments when you’ll want to pause to savor the witty banter and hilarious escapades. If you're looking for a fun-filled romantic comedy sprinkled with holiday magic, then this book is your golden ticket. 🎁📚✨

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC. I mean, I love the title and was hoping to love the book but didn't. I felt like it was very YA which I wasn't expecting.

Aspen is a renowned celebrity who unexpectedly returns home to her small town. There she reconnects with Roman, her former first love and ex boyfriend. As their chemistry reheats, Aspen realizes she doesn’t want to stay but Roman also doesn’t want to leave.

For a debut book this story was really cute and well done. The banter between the two was perfect and the chemistry was undeniable, but I guess I wanted more. The writing at times wasn’t perfect, but it definitely captures my heart.

If you’re looking at a small town, second-chance romance, definitely check this one out. The cuteness of the story is a good pallet cleanser for a lighter happy romance.

This was a fresh take on a holiday rom-com - a fun read! I liked that it had the drama, secrets and miscommunication troupes typically in these books but not the way they are normally presented. I loved the character development of Aspen throughout the book. With the help of Rome she really came out a stronger person. Her character was likable and relatable, minus the fact that she was famous actor turned singer!

I really liked the back and forth between present day and when they were in high school. The transitions between the 2 time periods was done well and I thought it really helped me understand Aspen better.

⭐ Overall Rating: 3 / 5 stars | 🌶️ Spicy Rating: 0 / 5

📚 Tropes: second chance, return to hometown, he falls first

💞Read this if you enjoy:
-Taylor Swift 🎤
-Celebrity gossip 📰
-Dual timelines 🗓️
-Young love 👩🏻‍❤️‍💋‍👨🏽

📸SNAPSHOT:
Aspen is a young starlet who is returning home from LA for a few months after a Hollywood rumor gets out of hand. In her small Pennsylvania town, Aspen is reunited with her high school sweetheart and long-time love, Roman. Aspen and Roman broke up when she moved to LA, but they have never quite been able to let each other go. Whenever Aspen is back in town, the two resume their relationship with the understanding that it’s only temporary until Aspen leaves again. Will this be able to last now that Aspen is in town for a longer stay?

Tis the Damn Season jumps between the present day story of Aspen and Roman and the story of them falling in love in high school.

💭 MY THOUGHTS:
**TW: Rape/sexual assault - not said at the beginning of the book.**

I went into this one with high hopes because I am a huge Swiftie. This book is based off the story told in Taylor Swift’s song (same name) on her evermore album.

First, I absolutely loved that the author created a playlist (comprising of mostly Taylor Swift songs) to go with each chapter of the book! I typically don’t listen to music with lyrics while reading, but I couldn’t resist! Such a fun idea, and very clever since the author knows that Swifties are her target audience.

While the characters’ high school timeline was supposed to establish their relationship and show why Aspen and Roman couldn’t let each other go - it did not do that for me at all. They fell in love super quickly in high school and there was never a lot of explanation as to what caused them to fall in love. I know high school love is often characterized by insta-love, but that is also the reason why most high school relationships don’t last. I wish the beginning of their love story would have been a bit deeper. It would have helped the relationship in the present time feel more meaningful.

Overall, I thought this book was cute. I enjoyed each of the main characters and the overall plotlines of the book. However, I felt like the execution of the plotlines fell a bit flat.

Thank you to NetGalley and Parson Press for allowing me an advanced copy of this book for my honest review!

First of all, thank you to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for making this available to read in advance for an honest review.

I'm sorry, I really, REALLY wanted to like this book. But I've been wanting to bang my head into a wall since about the 25% mark. The only reason I managed to finish this was because Roman and Aspen deserved to get back together. Other than that, the writing was choppy, chapters felt unfinished and I'm sorry but the 25 and change chapters set in the past could've been dealt with in 2 flashbacks. Scenes ended without having really started. There was no build up, the character development was uneven or just plain absent. Characters didn't get defining traits. Leila was just there but didn't really get a personality.

And what sealed the deal for me was the surprise pregnancy in the end, which is not anything the author can do about, just not something I like in my fiction.

I felt like this book deserves a very strict editor, a very strong rewrite. After learning the author is only 16, it makes a lot more sense, but in that I'm even MORE astounded that the publisher did not provide a stricter editor and was okay with publishing this.

I think it's best that all the Taylor Swift references went right over my head because I'm pretty sure I would've not enjoyed that either.

All in all, a very disappointing read. Aspen and Roman were cute but deserved to be written better. Ella was adorable.

I'm sorry to say this book just wasn't for me, it felt a little to immature for me and the characters just didn't appeal to me at all.

Ok so this didn't really work for me sadly. I've read a bunch of celebrity and normal person romances this year, and really enjoyed them, so I thought I'd give this one a go as a Christmas-themed version of the trope. But sadly it's just got too much going on - and a pick-me heroine who is in the wrong profession. Looking at the author's social profiles, I think she's really young, so that might explain why something about the character's interactions just felt off, so I'll give it a pass on that front. Hey ho - it may well work better for other people and for people who read New Adult more than me.

📘'Tis the Damn Season by debut author Kimi Freeman published 10/24/23 via Parson Press 📘

🌀Genre: NA, Contemporary Romance, Christmas, 2nd chance romance, and interracial relationship🌀

⚠️Warnings: SA, death of parents, cancer, Parkinson's disease, bullying⚠️

I enjoyed the dual timelines with Aspen Moore and Roman Torres from age 17 to 23 in their relationship. They met in high school where Aspen was bullied by some of Rome's friends-Rina the most vocal. Aspen didn't have any friends and Rome stood up for her. Aspen joined theater and music, her only solace, while Rome was still grieving his father, who was in the military. He was raised by his mother Rosalia- a paralegal. Aspen's father Mark runs a mechanic shop in their hometown Fertsville, PA. They had big plans after high school-Aspen moving to LA, while Rome following in his father's footsteps and attending Temple University. Their plans got derailed when Rome's mother was diagnosed with terminal cancer. Aspen wanted to stay home with Rome, but he told her to go pursue her dreams.

They broke up but still kept in touch with Aspen visiting Rome periodically.  Rome dropped out of school to pay the bills while his mom went through treatment. Aspen auditioned in LA trying to find her place. She got her big break on a TV show "Soon After." Rome on the other hand, has struggled financially, his mother passed, and he had to sell his childhood home. He moved in a cheap apartment and worked for Aspen's father as a mechanic.

Aspen released her first album and went on tour. Her roommate and BFF Sierra Wong was a supermodel with a rock band boyfriend Cane. Aspen struggled while working on her TV show, especially with her costar Keith Haverton. She told only Sierra and Rome about a horrible ordeal she went through. Sierra's boyfriend Cane accused Aspen of coming on to him, ending her friendship with Sierra. The press made Aspen into a cheater among other horrible things-all lies! She fled back home to her parents and Rome. where they put on this year's Christmas play at her dad's church to take her mind off the scandal. The more time they spend together feelings that never left pull them closer. Rome never cared for the spotlight and with Aspen's life so public, can they really make it work?

The press got even more invasive when Rome's iCloud is hacked revealing risqué pics of them from the past. Sierra and Cane continued to vilify Aspen and Rome in the press. They agreed to take a break from their rekindled romance. Disaster hits and Aspen's dad ends up in the hospital after falling at work. This is where I had a problem. Mark, Aspen's dad, revealed he had Parkinson's disease. Mark, Aspen's mom Linda, and Rome knew about it for 5 months. He didn't want to worry Aspen while she was going through so much. I couldn't understand why they were all mad at her for being upset that no one told her. I went through the same thing when my sister found out she had breast cancer. She didn't tell me or my mom until her surgery because she didn't want to burden us. With close family the motto was always when one person suffered everyone did. Ultimately that revelation make Aspen and Rome confess their love for each other. Aspen reveals her own truth about what happened with Cane and Keith, clearing her name and her career.

⭐ Rating: 4/5⭐


"Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC 💙! I voluntarily give my honest review and all opinions expressed are my own."

This was such a cute book. To start with I loved the playlist that the writer included at the start of the book. I enjoyed the past and present timelines. Every event in the book had a reason for being there. I thoroughly enjoyed all the Taylor Swift references. The writing was well done and easy to follow along. It's a quick read with a fast pace. Very easy to read a in a day. I found the characters were relatable and easy to root for. This book was such a light and fun read.

To put it simply, I did not like this book. It was not for me. I could go into heavy details, and I was planning to, but since I don't think it's inherently harmful in any way and considering the author's age, I'm just gonna (mostly) let it go. Realizing the story was conceptualized when the author was fourteen and is now being published at her being seventeen, a lot of my issues make sense. I found aspects of it juvenile because it WAS written by a juvenile. I'm not saying young people can't write good books, I'm just saying their youth can definitely be quite obvious in the writing in ways that don't really do good things for the book.

Here's just a quick list of my main issues with the book:

- I really disliked the main character and don't really think she did much to redeem herself.
- Basically every other character was extremely static and seemed to just be there.
- I can handle a moral or a cliché here or there but when every dang chapter has at least a line that sounds like something out of the Hallmark channel, I just can't.
- There were simply too many Taylor Swift references SORRY to all y'all Swifties but God I can only imagine how many more there were aside from the SIGNIFICANT amount I, a non-Swiftie, caught. Especially since a LOT of them were so clearly just forced/thrown in there to BE a Taylor Swift reference and have no other purpose.

Just because this wasn't for me doesn't mean it can't be for you, but I don't think I'll be following this author's future projects. I do wanna say congrats on the debut tho because, regardless, that's a big accomplishment.

While I appreciated the story, it read a little too young for me. I love the song this book is based off of, and love that the author acknowledged how this song and other Taylor Swift songs helped her, but it wasn’t quite as emotional or reflective as I was hoping for. I still found it to be a sweet second chance story told in dual timelines. And it got me in the mood for more Christmas reads.

All the feels in this one - great dual timeline pov - where we can fall in love with both Rome and Pen and watch their live story develop. Great secondary story about the making of a Christmas show! A nice quick read and can’t believe the age of the writer!

This book was so cute! I was shocked when I read how young the author was when she wrote it. The cover pulled me in to start, but I ended up reading the book in just a couple of sittings. The story flowed and seemed like something that could happen in social media today.

I was in a big mood reading zone this week and decided to skip some spooky books and move straight into holiday-ish books 🫣 you can judge me, I don’t mind. I thought this was a super cute second chance romance story with high school sweethearts & best friends Aspen and Roman. Told in a dual timeline style, you really get a feel for all these two have been through together. Both characters were very likable with their own small flaws. I also loved aspens mom and dad. The drama made it exciting and of course the ending was very sweet.

I also happened to read the acknowledgments on this one and the author was 14 when she wrote the book. She also wrote it while in Providence, RI which now I’m obsessed since I’m from RI!

'Tis the Damn book that makes me wish it was Christmas already.

'Tis the Damn Season is a second chance, friends to lovers book that had me giddy beyond belief. This book was cleverly written with a healthy mix of flashbacks and present time storylines, characters you love dearly and also a the ones you love to hate.
These characters make you believe that love in fact does conquer all. Both Aspen and Roman have to deal with a lot of hardship, difficult situations and hurt.
Will their love for each other be enough in the end or will they forever be the one that got away?

I recieved an arc copy of this book in exchange for an honest review and I am so happy to have gotten this chance.

I thought this book was fun, and I loved the Taylor tie-in without being too “right on the nail”, The story is related to the song but not a total copy and shows some originality. There were parts (especially towards the beginning) that felt rather juvenile, but overall I felt that it was well written. I really loved the dual timeline and the fact that it switched every chapter - that really kept me turning the page.

I do think that a big trigger warning is missing at the beginning of the book, so definitely look up the TWs before you read.

Overall, a sweet, fun holiday book for the Swifties!