Poorly written, almost did not finish due to the writing. No flow, felt like reading a teenagers diary. This book needs a lot of work before it should be published

Thank you to NetGalley and Parson Press for allowing me to read "Tis the Damn Season in exchange for an honest review.

Does money really buy happiness or has her happiness been right in front of her the whole time? A Hollywood starlet has to fight through many scandals on her road to fame and fortune. When she returns home to escape the drama and spotlight, who is here to caught her but the boy she never got over. Is she willing to give up her dreams for the best thing she ever had?

Opposites attract in this YA book. Aspen and Roman know how to make someone hate and love them at the same time. Cheering for them one minute then wishing they would just end it the next.

This book covers several difficult topics (mainly R*** and Death) but doesn't go into detail. NO SPICE. I usually hate books without spice but this one didn't need it.

I do wish her songs could be recorded because something tells me that I would be a fan.

ARC Review —

I was drawn to this book originally because of the Taylor Swift reference title, and upon opening it up and seeing all the Taylor lyrics sprinkled throughout was so fun. It was like a little easter egg hunt for the bookworm Swiftie.

The book opening with a cheating scandal didn't endear me to the book, but I'm so glad that I pushed through and kept going, because as soon as Aspen gets back to her hometown, I was hooked. The relationship between Aspen and Roman was adorable and kept me hanging on their every word. I was captivated by their friendship early on and was rooting for them the entire time.

This book is perfect for the upcoming holiday season, the Swiftie in your life, and romance readers in general.

Hmm, where do I start... I'm not a fan of flashbacks or when the book suddenly returns to the past in the present. Even the alternate timeline.
But there is an exception, when a book catches my attention and when I really liked the book itself.
Hmmm I know this book is cute but it's not for me. When I saw that there were songs dedicated per chapter I find it interesting and cute. But mostly Taylor's songs are on the playlist.
I know that this book is inspired by Taylor song of the same title 'Tis the damn season but It got to the point where I feel like it's a fanfic based on Taylor Swift. I like the concept but there is something missing in this book and I think it still needs a lot of editing.

I was pretty disappointed with this one. While I really loved the writing style and found that the story flowed nicely. The characters just weren’t likeable. Aspen was super unreliable. She was constantly contradicting herself, like wanting honesty from her family but then wasn’t being truthful with them. I loved the whole plot line of her and Roman helping out with the Christmas play. But I hated the scenes of them practicing. I think the way that they were letting these 10-year-olds be so disrespectful to them and the other kids was so frustrating. The way they handled the bullying just made me angry, as well as Aspen not liking certain kids because they reminded her of her high school bullies. It just made it super juvenile. I had high hopes as I was very excited with the chapters changing from present to Roman and Aspen’s past. I loved that we got those moments of Aspen and Roman’s childhood and getting their love story. I enjoyed the writing and the flow of the story, though I didn’t enjoy the plot or characters as much as I was hoping. I was just disappointed by Aspen and Roman, and while they were less insufferable at the end, I didn’t really see much character development.

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

This was a cute concept and I was really excited about a Taylor Swift inspired book, but I just felt a bit let down. The writing, characters, and dialogue weren’t great and not very fleshed out or realistic. Impressed that a teenager wrote this but it definitely needed further editing before publishing.

Writing a book with that is both inspired by a Taylor Swift song and shares the same title is a bold move. And it's a lot to live up to! And with 'Tis the Damn Season, Kimi Freeman gets a lot of things right – but it also didn't *quite* live up to its namesake for me.

I thought Freeman did a great job in using the song's lyrics as a structure for her book and some of the finer character details – Aspen, the FMC, is a singer/actress in the midst of a PR crisis caused by her back-stabbing famous friends, she's staying at her parent's house (in Pennsylvania, Taylor's home state) to lay low for a while, Roman, the MMC, is a truck-driving high school ex she has an on-again/off-again relationship with, the Methodist church is right next to the high school.

And though Aspen and Roman have a complicated relationship, I felt like the romantic chemistry between was lacking, and that the overall mood of the book didn't quite reach the same angsty depths as the song. The book does employ flashback chapters that give more insight into how Aspen and Roman got together in high school, and I think that if these had spent less time on what happened in high school and more time on the on-again/off-again aspects of their relationship and how it impacted both of them, perhaps that mood could have been achieved.

Further, I wanted a more information on why Aspen's friends decided to turn on her. Though in the end the *why* doesn't really matter, I wanted to understand what they were looking to achieve – I suppose the answer is attention, but because we don't truly get an answer on this I was left feeling a little baffled by the whole thing.

But! This is a quick and easy second-chance romance read with a lot of celebrity and family drama. Though it takes place during Thanksgiving and Christmas, it doesn't hit you over the head with Holiday Festivities (other than a play at the Methodist church), so if you aren't huge on holly-jolly Christmas books, this might be more your speed. Taylor Swift fans will easily pick up on references to the song the book is inspired by, but those who aren't fans won't feel like they're missing anything and will still enjoy this.

DNF. I love a good Taylor Swift inspired romance, but this was just a bit ridiculous. The dual timeline didn’t work well and Aspen’s whole personality was not being like other girls. Also- in what world does a whole female friendship group kick someone to the curb based on something a boyfriend claims!! that’s the real girl code misdemeanor, not a boyfriend saying you came on to him!

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

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Opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.