For a debut and this authors age I’m super impressed! I loved the playlist and the song at every chapter and of course all the taylor swift references.

I struggled a bit with how Roman treated Aspen sometimes, they were supposed to be in love and he was just so rude to her sometimes! It did feel like they tried to cover a lot of topics all at once.

I’ll definitely keep my eye out for this author because I see the potential!

Thank you to Kimi, Netgalley and the publisher for an early advanced reader copy of this! Tis’ The Damn Season releases on October 24th!

This has a surprisingly low rating on Goodreads, so I was naturally sceptical going into this. But I was pleasantly surprised.
I enjoyed the general premise and plot line of this book and I think it was executed generally very well. But I did have issues with the last sort of 15% being rushed. Whilst I was happy that things were brought out into the open and uncovered, I think this part was rushed. It felt like one minute, Aspen’s life was in tatters and then the next chapter everything was solved and she was working on her career again.
I’ve only read maybe 2 or 3 books about a singer before! So this was still somewhat fresh to me and I enjoyed it.

I loved Roman. Rome 🥰🥰🥰
What an adorable cinnamon roll he was! He really would do anything for Aspen and it was so so cute. Also, calling her ‘mi cielo’… urm, SWOON! omgg
I liked Aspen’s character, she really had a heart of gold and I was rooting for her throughout this book!
I liked the parents in this but they did seem a bit one dimensional, but I get they weren’t the stars of this story.

One of my other issues was the writing. Most of the time, it felt simplistic, but in a good way so that it was easy to digest. But occasionally, it felt like a toddler has written it and was a little ‘too’ simple. I feel like the author could have been more descriptive or thrown more adjectives in there perhaps.

Honesty this was an adorable, fast-paced book, perfect for the holiday season!!!

Where to start with this review… when I read the description I thought it had a lot of potential but gosh, did it fall flat.

The dual time POV, which I’m admittedly not a fan of, really didn’t add much (if anything) to this story. I wasn’t invested in them in either timeline, probably because of the lack of depth to these characters and of emotional connection between them. I really never felt connected to either of the main characters or like they were particularly connected either.

Everything felt very rushed and we were told a lot of things without ever being shown how they happened/how the characters got there. On multiple occasions, the characters seemed to be quite inconsistent with the way they felt and acted towards each other and honestly it didn’t feel much like a romance at all. I may have been told they loved each other but I didn’t really see any proof of that.

I was also quite shocked by the way two very serious subjects (Parkinson’s disease and sexual assault) were just dropped there toward the end of the book with no warning whatsoever. They were never really explored and like the dual timelines, did not add anything to the story or the characters.

Unfortunately, this book was a bit of a disappointment overall. I just found out the author was quite young and this was their debut, which I guess explains some of the issues I had with this book.

I'm so conflicted on this one. I want to support this debut, but man oh man, I think this was mislabeled. I think this is definitely more YA and I think the editing was a miss.

The story was cute, but everything was SO RUSHED> Nothing was believable because she was exiled in Hollywood only to land at home and be in love with someone from her past that we know nothing about, don't feel the chemistry and BAM history is there.

I also found the writing to be stilted and somewhat choppy. I think the story was sweet, but the editing would have made a world of difference here.

Maybe closer to a 4.5. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of this new author. I went into this book with very little expectations and mostly picked it for the Christmas theme as well as the Taylor Swift references. It was surprisingly a very cute read. I enjoyed the characters and loved the story. I liked how it flipped back and forth between past and present. The characters were clearly flawed at times but I couldn't help routing for them. There were some Christmas-y aspects sprinkled in but it wasn't a book bursting with Christmas. I was wishing to hear how he proposed at the end but overall it was a quick, easy fun read. I was shocked to see that the author was only 15 when she started writing the book. It's not a literary masterpiece but if you're looking for something cute, entertaining with a sprinkle of Christmas this is the book for you

Where do I start with this review… when I read the description I thought it had a lot of potential but gosh, did it fall flat.

The dual time POV, which I’m admittedly not a fan of, really didn’t add much (if anything) to this story. I wasn’t invested in them in either timeline, probably because of the lack of depth to these characters and of emotional connection between them. I really never felt connected to either of the main characters or like they were particularly connected either.

Everything felt very rushed and we were told a lot of things without ever being shown how they happened/how the characters got there. On multiple occasions, the characters seemed to be quite inconsistent with the way they felt and acted towards each other and honestly it didn’t feel much like a romance at all. I may have been told they loved each other but I didn’t really see any proof of that.

I was also quite shocked by the way two very serious subjects (Parkinson’s disease and sexual assault) were just dropped there toward the end of the book with no warning whatsoever. They were never really explored and like the dual timelines, did not add anything to the story or the characters.

Unfortunately, this book was a bit of a disappointment overall. I just found out the author was quite young and this was their debut, which I guess explains some of the issues I had with this book.

[3 Stars😒] I thought that 'Tis the Damn Season was a super-cute debut by Kimi Freeman! The fact that she is a teenager is INCREDIBLE, and I hope she continues to write and publish books! I thought the story of Aspen and Roman was well-thought-out and a sweet homage to the TSwift song. While I think the dialogue was a little stilted, the overall story was enjoyable in a Taylor Swift-meets-Hallmark Christmas movie kind of way, and I look forward to seeing what Kimi Freeman comes out with next!

It’s Christmassy, it’s festive, it’s romance , it’s got a little taytay (Taylor swift) inspiration.. can’t really go wrong can you ! It’s a fun romance & let’s face it Christmas will always make something into a cosy read so I was sold as soon as I saw the book title 😂

'Tis the Damn Season by Kimmi Freeman, inspired by a Taylor Swift song, had potential but fell short. The story follows Aspen, a Hollywood starlet facing a scandal who returns to her hometown and reconnects with her first love, Roman. While the premise was intriguing, the book had several issues. Character inconsistencies and gaps in the plot were distracting. The mention of sexual assault without a trigger warning was a significant concern.
The writing style felt somewhat immature, considering the themes of love and relationships. On a positive note, using song titles as chapter headings was a creative touch, and it's commendable that the young author is starting her writing career.

In summary, 'Tis the Damn Season is a decent debut with room for improvement. It's worth watching the author's growth in future works.

Thank You Netgalley and the publisher for the access to this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

What a fun quick read! I picked this one up because it was a Taylor Swift inspired romance and I thought I needed something like it in my life- glad to be proven right. I loved the storyline and the dual timelines. I loved getting to know the relationship between Aspen and Rome and I mean the nicknames swoon! 🤍

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read this book before release!

Aspen Moore is facing some rough gossip about her that has her desperately needing a time out from being famous. She heads home to Fertsville, where she helps her dad by directing their church Christmas play.

Note: I feel like I need to preface this review by saying I am not a Swiftie, and had not heard the song until after completing this book. I was drawn in by dual timeline, and the preface of the story.

I was excited to see that this story began with a playlist. Truthfully, I've never known how to approach playlists at the beginning of books - do I read a song per chapter? Is it just a vibe of the book? I was glad to see that each chapter laid out a song. I started the first few chapters with listening to them, but quickly found it was distracting. I'd sometimes read the entire chapter before the song ended and be sitting there waiting, and once I finished the song long before the chapter ended. Ultimately, I decided against listening to the playlist because I found it sort of distracting. Not knowing if I'd have time - or too much time - was throwing me off.

I found Aspen to be slightly unrelatable for me. Obviously I am not famous, but more than that, I found her slightly childish. I believe she was wrongfully accused and did feel frustrated for/with her about the lies, but generally I didn't connect to her as the FMC. Roman as the MMC was quite lovely.

I really enjoyed the dual timeline - witnessing what was and how it lead to what is. I sensed a bit of mystery about the past - but it didn't feel super riveting to me. I was kinda curious, but it started to feel like nothing in the book was happening at all.

I was surprised when I discovered what had happened in the past, and felt for her. I would have liked to have a warning at the start of the book - that there are some sensitive topics that happen off page.

Ultimately, for me, this book fell rather middle of the road for me. Chapters were quick which made it easily digestible and rather quick to read, but I didn't feel too compelled or emotionally connected.

I received a digital ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

’Tis the Damn Season by Kimmi Freeman is set to release October 24th, 2023.

⭐️2/5⭐️

Told in past/ present, ’Tis the Damn Season follows Aspen Moore in her life in the Hollywood spotlight. To avoid the latest controversy and drama, Apsen returns to her hometown for the holidays where she reconnects with her high school best friend and first love, Roman.

The sysnopsis caught my attention along with the title relation to Taylor Swift. This story has a lot of potential however, it fell short in many areas for me.

- The plot had gaps and there were character inconsistencies. For example, the FMC, Aspen, states she does not drink or go out yet loves dancing in a club. The MMC, Roman, is the love of her life yet shames/ makes negative comments about her.

- There is the mention of SA towards the end of the book with no mention or warning. I highly reccomend including a Trigger Warning.

The writing is juvenile especially with the relationships and dialogue. With the storyline being told in past/ present it matches the past as the two MC’s were in highschool. But there should be growth/ maturity when reading the parts in the present. Once I did some research I learned how young the author is. She writes about love, relationships, and life expereinces yet has barely started life herself.

On a positve note, I did appreciate the song titles as chapters. Kudos to the author for publishing this at such a young age! This is a good starting point and I believe she will grow in her writing!

Thank you to Victory Editing and NetGalley for an ARC of this book. #TistheDamnSeason #NetGalley

_____

Opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for an early copy of this book!!

This book was alright. The plot felt pretty underdeveloped and there seemed to be no real storyline in either timeline. Every conflict also felt underdeveloped and everything was resolved without any real communication between the characters and the chapter would end and we would switch to the next timeline.

Speaking of communication, it seemed like every time the two main characters had an argument or disagreement they would walk away and spend some time apart and then once they saw each other or spoke to each other next they didn’t do much other than say ‘i’m sorry’ and move on. It didn’t seem like either party ever wanted to talk about their feelings or what truly happened. The fmc also made assumptions about the mmc many times and instead of simply asking him how he felt or what he wanted she would assume what he would respond with and use that to make her decisions.

The past/present was cool to be able to see both times the characters were together in this second chance… although I’m not sure if it was truly second chance. It was alluded to many times that whenever the fmc was visiting home her and the mmc would hookup and I just don’t know if that really led to the clean break in order for the present timeline to truly be a second chance. The past/present flipping after every chapter was kind of confusing, there would be scenes in both timelines that would be multiple chapters and instead of just finishing the scene we would be interrupted by the other timeline in the next chapter. It wasn’t really confusing because the chapters are short, which is nice, but it was more of an annoyance at some points.

I think this book needs a trigger warning for SA that gets mentioned at the end of the book.

Overall this was a decent debut novel and I am excited to see how this author’s writing develops as she gets more experience and I will be tuning in for another book from her whenever it comes.

This was a promising plot that just never quite developed for me. The writing felt overly simplistic and there were too many subplots that were distracting.

Thank you to NetGalley & Parson Press Paperback for an ARC of this book, in exchange for my honest opinion.

What a sweet and feel good Christmas time romance this was! And I love that each chapter had a song at the beginning, and it was usually a Taylor Swift song!

Aspen Moore left her small Pennsylvania town to move to LA and follow her dreams. After a successful run on a popular show, she’s now moved on to releasing music and finishing up her first tour. Wildly popular with the media and also her fans, she feels on top of the world.

Until a media storm crashes into her life; claiming she came on to her best friends boyfriend. She quickly flees LA to head back home, and straight into the arms of Roman her first love. Determined to forget the disaster that is waiting for her back in LA, she decides to direct the local churches Christmas show, together with Rome. She decides to not fall into old habits with him, and strictly stay friends. But as the media begins to wreck more havoc on her career, and her life begins to crumble around her, she dives head first back to Rome to support her.

But will their love story finally have a happy ending? Or are they destined to breaking up when she leaves to head back to LA?

A tale of first love, friendship, family, and finding your own voice, this was an enjoyable read. I think any Swiftie who enjoys romance novels, will enjoy this sweet one!

*I received a free ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

DNF @ 25%

I really wanted to like this book, but unfortunately it fell short of the mark for me. The beginning felt extremely stilted, there is obviously context that will be 'revealed' later, but that way it was written made it hard to follow during the initial chapters and I found that very frustrating. The dialogue also didn't flow well, exacerbating how stilted the text felt.

I did enjoy that sprinkling of Taylor Swift references in what I did read, that was really fun and I love a good 'Easter egg' (although I wouldn't say they were subtle, the author knew what she was doing and it was fun!)

Tis the Damn Season (based on the Taylor Swift song) was overly tropey and very surface level. The characters were bad at communication, and needed to be more strongly convicted to their moral codes. Everything that happened was so easily resolved, so the entire book was just tiny problems one after another. The idea of using a song for every chapter was nice, and the romance itself was cute, but there needed to be less “plot” and more character building.

<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/182670904-tis-the-damn-season" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img border="0" alt="'Tis the Damn Season" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1688323725l/182670904._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/182670904-tis-the-damn-season">'Tis the Damn Season</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/40820625.Kimi_Freeman">Kimi Freeman</a><br/>
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5903149076">3 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
3.5/5 <br /><br />at fourteen/fifteen, there is no way I would have been able to write a book as sweet and filled with so many taylor swift references. Kimi Freeman is truly so impressive for this. <br /><br />A book based on a Taylor Swift song?? yes please. full of little taylor references?? yes please. Past/Present timelines?? yess. <br /><br />Aspen & Roman were just so cute. Depiction of young love and innocence is heartwarming and wholesome. I feel like some things could have been expanded on. I wish their past was a little expanded on and the "5 years ago" scenes were longer because I couldn't get enough of them. <br /><br />over all definitely recommend.<br /><br />thank you netgalley for ARC!
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/66616418-isabelle">View all my reviews</a>

Think Hallmark meets Taylor Swift.
I do wish I loved this more than I did! But it was a cute read for romance lovers, The plot tended to go back and forth a bit where it didn't quite match up, but I still was rooting for the mc's to end up together and find their hea,

This was overall a good debut novel. It’s dual timeline - which isn’t for everyone but does give us context to the story. I enjoyed the side plot of the play and Ella and Millie were great additions to the novel. However, I felt like there could’ve been more depth added to really help with the relationship development between the two main characters. That being said, there were parts of the book that did make me swoon a little. I think that this author definitely has potential and I hope I get to see how she grows!

Side note: There is mention of sexual assault in the novel and, although it doesn’t go into details, I do think it should’ve been added as a trigger warning just in case.

Thank you to NetGalley and the author, Kimi Freeman, for an ARC of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

Tropes:
Second chance
Small town
Holiday romance