Is this cheesy? Yes.
Are there a ton of Taylor Swift song references slipped in whether they worked or not? Yes.
Did I get tired of hearing about her heart and insides melting all over the place? Yes.
Did I still read this in one sitting? Also yes.

It's definitely not the best writing, but it's a fun light read, especially if you're a Swiftie.

oh this book was so cute! I absolutely loved the dual timeline story. It allowed so much of Aspen and Roman's relationship to be known. This one had great banter and tons of cute moments. It was a quick read that is perfect for the holiday season.

3.5 stars rounded up


I admit I decided to read the book purely due to the title and cute cover. I don't think I even read the synopsis before diving in. Tis the Damn Season is the debut book by Kimi Freeman, who is only 16 years old.

I love when books include a Playlist in them. Freeman assigned each chapter a song that reflected the events and tone of the chapter, thus enhancing the overall emotion of the book. Most of the songs were by Taylor Swift, but there are other artists she chose. The author's choice to "name" her chapters this way opened me up to New artists and songs.

I really loved the characters and the plot. I don't typically like dual timelines being told in alternate chapters, but I felt it worked well with the story. I adored the romance between Aspen and Rome.

At times the story did feel a little juvenile and the writing in the present day chapters could have been a little more age reflective, but the book was very enjoyable and the author did a great job, especially for someone so young. If this is what we get from her debut, then I can see her growing into a great author as she gets older.

This book was cute, but I wasn’t in love with it.
Aspen is a Hollywood star going through a rough patch. When she finds herself with nowhere to go, she goes home. Her first love, Roman, is there and apparently the whole time she’s been gone they’ve had an on/off thing. But they’re both not giving each other the full story, or what the other deserves.

This book had some cute moments, like the Christmas program. But for the most part, I thought the plot was pretty predictable, the romance was either never enough or too over the top, and there was just something about it that I really struggled with. I wouldn’t read again.

This was a super cute and easy read that I was able to get through In a couple of days.

This is a second chance romance between two childhood lovers and was a very sweet book.
I recommend it if you are looking for a book that is easy to read. I absolutely loved the relationship between Roman and Aspen and how pure the love between them was.

The tropes for this book are:
- second chance romance
- small town romance
- Famous girl x Small town Boy
- Forced proximity


There are mentions of SA so be aware of that but overall this was a super cute book with holiday themes in.

After doing super light research into the author for this one, it's super obvious where my problems stem from. She's just too young. The writing lacks emotional maturity. Don't get me wrong, this was decent, it's just very obvious that the author was 15-16 when she wrote it. I did love the Taylor Swift references though, and it was a super easy read. Just not what I was looking for at this point in my life.

Thanks to Netgalley for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review

Aspen ‘Pen’ Moore was a loner in high school till Roman Torres, the football star, become her friend in junior year. Due to bullying, she is riddled with insecurities. Luckily his confidence and encouragement, made her come out of her shell.

Now she’s a successful TV actress turned musician with a big tour and LA bestie whose boyfriend’s band filled the tour’s opening act. Everything is sunshine and daisies till Cane accuses her of coming on to him. Tabloids run with this and make their own story out of it. Leaving her friendless and in ‘negative press’, so she decides to turn back home to Fertsville for Christmas early this year. Only to discover Roman at her parents’ table and working for her dad. The same dad who convinces both to join and help with the annual church production, which is the start of this books’ journey.


This small town romance switches between the present and their high school times every chapter.
Where I liked that in the first half of the book, it switched a bit too quickly from one to the other for me to feel like I’m really in the story.

High school Aspen & Rome were really cute and gave textbook first love vibes.
While as grown-ups they have a big gravitational pull, their different lifestyle means they remain friends instead of lovers until they are forced to work together on the church nativity.
Making for a second chance romance where I sometimes felt like the friends-to-lover would never happen. It was a cute and easy read, although the dialog feels off from time to time.


Since Aspen finds a muse for her music in Roman ‘Rome’ Torres, it is fitting that this book has a big playlist with a dedicated song per chapter. A lot of these are Taylor Swift songs but since I’m not a Swiftie, I just might not understand the link with her lyrics or the <‘tis the damn season song references> in the title.


Thank you to Netgalley and Parson Press for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I thought this story was fluffy, light-hearted and cute. I loved that each chapter had the song it was inspired by noted, and appreciated the nods to Taylor Swift songs. It was a quick and cute read and I will look forward to more books from Kimi Freeman.

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

This was a beautifully written story of a small town girl and her dreams. The main character, Aspen, endures the struggles of high school mean girls and then realizes things don’t really change as you get older, especially when you’re famous. She finds that real friendships/relationships can survive whatever life throws at them. The story inspires one to reach for their dreams and you can get your HEA if you set your mind to it.

This book is amazing it is a one person pov but every chapter goes from the present to seven years ago and it's is a just amazing I can't say anything without spoilers so I'm not but I loved it

Aspen Moore packs up here belongings and moves back home for the winter after a huge scandal and a friend breakup leaves her without her best friend, and roommate. She leaves LA with rumors swirling after her successful first tour. She heads back to Fertsville, PA, her hometown and wheeee her family lives. There she knows she will be heart broken if she lets herself fall back into the arms of her high school boyfriend Rome.

I really enjoyed all the Taylor swift references. Every chapter relates to a song and there were so many Taylor Swift lyrics and themes woven intro he plot. I really liked the story line, but felt many chapters needed almost abruptly and wish some things could have had more background to the stories. I did like that it goes back and forth between present and the past to show how the “ethe road not taken looks real good now” for Aspen and Rome. It’s fun to see the TS Easter eggs!

This was a really fun, christmas read, which also touched on some hard hitting topics. The song choice for the book title fits so well - it's perfect for Taylor Swift fans!

Very enjoyable cosey read. I enjoyed having the contrast between the present day timeline and Romans and Aspens teenage self's. I loved the self growth then even fully grown adults can have in this book!

Trigger warnings at the beginning of this book I think maybe appropriate. Even though there's not a lot of details there are still mentions of triggers.

Probably the most surprising element of this book was the author's acknowledgements and she points out she's 16 yo. That said, while reading, would I have guessed that? Not in the least and I read teenagers' writing for a living. It was really cool to see the interactions between the songs and the story, the Hollywood life vs regular life and simply having some of givens of fame analyzed.

#arc
#netgalley
#tisthedamnseason

'Tis the Damn Season is a cute and fluffy contemporary romance perfect for the holiday season!

Aspen and Roman’s second chance romance while still having remained close friends was such an interesting and healthy take on the popular trope. It was one of my favorite aspects of the book. Everything about the characterizations really made me want to root for them as people and as a couple.

Though I loved the characters, I did struggle with some of their dialogue. At certain points, it tended to stumble into unrealistic territory. I also felt the nods to Taylor Swift song titles were a bit too heavy handed and ended up cheapening the writing instead of enhancing it.

All in all, this was such a cute, enjoyable reading experience with a love story I know will stick with me, and I’m so appreciative to have obtained an ARC.

This was cute and definitely gave the same vibe I get from watching a seasonal hallmark movie. And yes, the title being a Taylor Swift song is what drew me in but actually reading it I found it a bit heavy handed referencing the lyrics. In case you forgot this is a book based off of that song. The writing also feels a bit YA at times even though this is an adult romance.

It was a quick and entertaining read. It's great if you're looking for a book to give you those holiday vibes. It just read a bit juvenile, which is fine, just not a romance that's really gonna stick with me.

I'll admit I was drawn to this book by the Taylor Swift song title. Overall the actual story didn't quite hit the mark for me. I can't quite pinpoint why - I did like the premise, and I did read the whole book, but wasn't feeling compelled to read as much as I do when I'm really into a story.

I was really excited to read this one, as a swiftie and contemporary romance fan. Unfortunately for me it fell short, I felt the Taylor Swift references were just chucked in without actually relating to the chapters, and I didn't really feel anything for the characters. I think the TS references will draw a lot of people in regardless

I am a swifty. However, it took a lot of time for me to get into this book. I didn’t care for this book very much. Nothing captured me. I did love the concept. Tis the damn season is one of my favorite TS songs. I just didn’t like the way this was written. I want to thank Kimi Freeman and Net Galley for this ARC.

I received an advanced review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I have been trying for days to get into this book but I could not. While the premise is wonderful-- a small town girl returning home after some scandal living in the big city set with the backdrop of the holidays, the execution was not for me. I enjoy Hallmark movies-- they're cozy but the constant back and forth between high school and the present felt off. The characters didn't seem to have natural conversation with each other and the situations they were set up to be in felt forced. I was told more than shown things and the things that did happen went the opposite of how the main character wanted them to go. I felt like the main character was re-living her life traumas through other people (the play). I really just felt like I was sneakily reading someone's thoughts in a journal-- or it's the setting of a manuscript for a movie.

Others might like this with the abundance of song references at the beginning of each chapter and throughout the book. There is a trigger warning that wasn't depicted at the beginning of the book.

Both main characters are young adults a few years post high school grad (~23 years old).