I was so excited for the premise of this book. When I began and saw the playlist and songs to much each chapter - I got even more excited. Very early on there are some toxic dynamics and statements - being accused of sleeping with a friend's boyfriend and being dropped by friends for it. It seemed a little juvenile and not real word. But then enter the male main character, Romeo (yes, that is actually his name) and you see a very toxic and pushy relationship. Multiple scenarios where the female main character, Aspen says no - no to him being atop her on the bed - no to hanging out with her bullies. No is never a definitive answer in this book. For that reason, I had to stop this book mid-read.

For a first release the authors writing is good but the themes and scenarios of this book are not for me and frankly really juvenile. I would say it would be better as a YA but I don't want youths being exposed to this level of toxicity. If you enjoy this type of book, fine but I don't.

Thank you NetGalley for this book. I agree with other reviewers that the dialog and story line did seem a bit predictable and immature. While I do love a good Taylor Swift themed book and songs with every chapter, some of the characters personality traits and interactions were cringe.

This is a sweet, emotional story. I was immediately drawn to the book because of the title (always love swiftie references), and holiday romances are also a favorite of mine. this story had some deep elements of loneliness, trust/loyalty, friendship, and familial issues that were mixed with sweet moments of fun and love. ultimately, I loved seeing Penny find her confidence/trust in herself, being able to stand up for herself and not let the media dictate the kind of person she is. as a celebrity romance, I love how this story shows so well that what the public sees is not always (almost never) what is true within ourselves or our lives. Penny and Roman are able to overcome so much outside BS that stands in their way and find a true, genuine, forever kind of connection that they both deserved. overall, I enjoyed reading this story very much, thank you for the ARC

What a cozy holiday read for Swifties! Loved the premise of this book, specifically because I am a huge TS fan. This was a good debut with a quick storyline. I liked the dual timelines. I did feel the character development was lacking and romance was a tad abrupt, but overall a decent read.

Celebrity x normal person romance with a second chance romance in a small town - this is such a cute closed door romance that is told in a dual timeline of when the MC’s first start a relationship and the present time. Aspen is a rising star having spent three season as a lead of a hit tv show and coming off a sold out tour for her first album. After a false scandal comes out against her, she decides to decompress and regroup in her hometown and ends up directing the church Christmas show with her ex.

Overall, very surface level and would’ve like to see more depth into both the characters and Aspen’s life, since it is her POV. However, reading at the end that the author is only sixteen years old impressed me a lot. To be able to write a story like this and publish at a young age is an accomplishment in and of itself. I can’t wait to see where her writing journey takes her.

Yes, there are tons of Taylor Swift references throughout the book. I also love that each chapter had a song coordinating with it to create a book playlist to set the mood of the story. I recommend this if you’re looking for a cute and light Christmas romance read.

A famous actress and singer goes home earlier than expected for Christmas due to a big media scandal, where she re-acquaints with her former school boyfriend.

This was a quick, fun little read. The chapters are a dual timeline, so one is the present and the other is several years ago when they were back in high school, which was cute to see the relationship between them being built from the start.

The book contains a huge playlist, filled to the brim with Taylor Swift songs (hell yeah!!) and each chapter starts with the song to play/related to it. The writing is a little standard and PG, great for those who are getting into reading or for a quick and easy read.

Well written book for a debut novel and perfect for all christmas and taylor swift loving girlies. This isa book based on her song ‘tis the damn season and it was so fun and quick

This was a nice quick read! Super easy to ready with loveable characters. I love books where the main characters are good with children. The Christmas play was a good plot line.

Seeing Aspen overcome her struggles with paparazzi and fame to be the bigger person was a highlight. Showing that you can overcome hard things in life

4/5 stars.

You aren't crying I am.

This entire book had me in my feels the entire time. The chemistry between Aspen and Roman was so endearing to read and I had tears pouring out of my eyes the last 150 pages of this book.

Even though reading the plot gave to the illusion that there was some S.A. I am glad that it wasn't in your face throughout the entire plot of the book.

The only reason why this book is not a 5 star read for me is that there were some things added into the book that did not have to be included. The plot line was fluid and Kimi Freeman's writing style is easy to read and she makes it so easy to immerse yourself into the world of the Torres'. *add smirking emoji here*

Also, I am a huge Taylor Swift fan so props to that addition as well <3

Good job on your debut novel Kimi <3

First, when I read the title, and the summary, I was like: “SING ME UP!” but now… I don’t feel like it anymore. Don’t get me wrong, as a debut, it’s a great book, however, I had some parts that made me uncomfortable.
This book is ok in terms of writing, even if it didn’t match my vibe. I somehow got attached to Aspen, but not the male lead…
Let me explain.
They knew each other in high school, and because of a drama that cost her the career she took years to build, Aspen was back in her hometown for a few weeks — at first. She went from being a famous singer-actress to the most hated woman in the blink of an eye… (Internet.)
On the other hand, Roman never left their hometown — the reason for their break-up — to work with kids. When they first met, Roman — also known as a player in the football team, and FRIENDS with her BULLIES — was already sure that Aspen was his woman… And because of that, he was a bit pushy.
Before she could even know how she ended up at his game, and that day, Roman pushed her to come see the “boys” and her bullies (just to say hi). Obviously, she said no several times and tried to leave, but it didn’t work.
This made me SO uncomfortable.
Or when he tried to push her to intimacy at the beginning of the book when she did say no… Yeah, for me, this man is a RED flag.
It’s a “great” start, but these things could make people uncomfortable.

I came for the Taylor Swift references, but finished for the sweetheart of a male lead.
Note: I realized pretty quickly that I was probably too old for this book, but it wasn't enough to stop reading.

The plot line itself was fun - based loosely in Taylor's "'Tis the Damn Season," it was a "what could have been if I made different choices" type story, without being a sliding doors/alternate reality plot. Instead, it was the story of a starlet who goes home semi-regularly and rekindles things with her on again/off again high school boyfriend. There were a few standard holiday scenes - they help with a Christmas play, they go shopping for a Christmas tree, etc., but overall this was really a story about an actress/musician that has to figure out who she is and what she wants after a series of terrible professional events (and honestly, a terrible management and PR team).

The writing was...young, which makes sense for a 16-year-old author (I'm so amazed she was able to do this at 16!), but dealt with some very adult issues and should probably have a content warning. The story is told in alternating present/high school timelines, and the high school chapters felt much more realistic to me, which makes sense given the author's age. Overall a cute debut, but I think this reads more like an upper YA than an adult contemporary.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the chance to read and review!

this was a pretty sweet lil book! I loveeeee that it’s inspired by Taylor Swift! I can’t believe the author is only 16 yo!

this book was such a fun read! if you’re looking for a sweet rom-com, then this is it. I love the jump from past to present. it just makes the book make so much more sense.

I love love love the main characters, especially Roman. he is sooooo perfect. I hate that he has a sad past because he’s such a golden retriever character, I wish he had a sunshine past too!

I love the way the story flows. however, I think there’s a slight difficulty in reading the chemistry between the characters. personally, I feel the chemistry buildup isn’t up to the mark. and I was really looking forward to reading about the final stage performance of the play but that wasn’t included :( and the ending seemed a bit rushed as I would’ve loved a formal “asking out” but it’s just assumed that the characters are dating.

however, I don’t think I can hold any of these things against the book or the author because it is written by someone incredibly talented who is only 16!!! I can’t expect her to have a no-faults five star book right??

love this book! such a good read ❤️

Triggers: mentions death of a parent, rape, public sl*t shaming.
Age rating (acc. to me): 12+ (only kissing)

I wanted to love this one but it fell short in a lot of areas.
It was written very YA. I felt too old for it and I'm 30. This made for hard reading.
The SA didn't add to the story and was a totally unnecessary storyline.
There were inconsistencies in the characters and it messed with the dynamic.
It was cute but it needed a lot of work.

The premise was great and there were good bones to the story but unfortunately the ages of the characters didn’t align with their behavior and there were a number of major things added with very little detail, relevance, or follow-up.

Please note there is no content warning for SA so keep that in mind should you choose to read this novel.

4/5 stars! I love Aspen and Rome and watching their characters, especially Aspen grow throughout the story. Long time friends to lovers will they be able to find a way to make things work through Aspens fame? I love how Rome pushes Aspen to be her best self and always supports her. Dual timeline.

I cannot lie the taylor swift lyrics drew me in. i would like to mention that this book had mentions of sexual assault without containing trigger warnings. I ask everyone to please be sure theyre okay to read before doing so.
While I prop this author at publishing at such a young age... the ideology behind these things do not make sense. along with some light inconsistencies.

With all that said I do think this author is very young and outside of an editor, and developing the characters a bit more this author has done a great job.

I really wanted to live this but this wasn't the book for me unfortunately.
I personally struggled to believe the character's age and backstory. I felt as though I was reading about teenages versus adults.
I will add I loved the playlist aspect and the dual pov.
Congratulations to this author on their debut novel. I am very curious to see how Kimi's writing develops.

Unfortunately... this book is a hot mess. I realized it as soon as I started reading the first chapter, but alas, I pressed on. Super cute premise, the playlist at the beginning is a fun touch (albeit, overly extensive) but I felt like the book was written by a teenager. And then I realized it’s because the author is actually 16 years old. Kudos to her for publishing a book at that young age, but this book is marketed as a holiday read / contemporary romance? Very confused… it was just a giant "no thank you" for me

I loved the concept of this book, and it will surely appeal to Taylor Swift fans. But it was lacking. The plot was disjointed, the writing a little juvenile, and the story was lackluster. A lot of elements felt thrown in to lengthen the story, but didn’t feel earned: the sexual assault, aspen’s dad’s Parkinson’s (also where was the mention of it in the eipologue), the friendship with Lelia, the baby announcement at the end all felt under developed. I know this author is young, and there is some potential here, but this didn’t feel mature enough even for a YA title.

It was a great debut novel inspired by one of my favorite Taylor songs! Loved the time jumps, it really did well for the storyline. I especially loved the past timeline, as we got to see Rome and Pen’s relationship blossom as teens. I have to say that the present timeline at times moved a bit too slow for me, but the scenes with the kids were just too cute to pass.

All in all, really liked it! Especially the short chapters!