This is one of the most juvenile books in both content and writing style. It’s a really fast read, but there’s nothing that is keeping me connected to the characters or invested in their story.

The song titles at the beginning of each chapter felt pretty arbitrary and not like something that added anything to the story.

This story needs a lot of editing before it becomes something I would want to recommend to anyone.

The only reason I cannot give this book five stars … not even 4 is due to the fact that there was no warning at the beginning of the book that there will be a mention of SA and rape towards the end of the book. A TW message should be included even tho it wasn’t explicitly messaged and it happened outside the book events

This was a cute holiday romance with tons of fun Taylor Swift references. It's quite impressive considering the author was only 15 when she wrote it but that being said, you can definitely tell this was written by a young person who hasn't experienced a lot in life yet. The emotional depth just wasn't there for me and conflict was resolved pretty quickly, easily. I'm sure we can expect great things from future projects though. This was better than anything I could do on a first attempt at such a young age!! Many thanks to NetGalley and the author for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review!

ARC review - 3.75 ⭐️

This was a perfect Hallmark Christmas movie vibe. The transition from past to present was done seamlessly and helped the book flow extremely well. Lovable characters and setting

Thank you to Kimi Freeman, Parson Press, and NetGalley for providing me with this ARC.

As a Taylor Swift fan, I was excited to see how this book was. There were a few things I liked: the concept was very fun and I could see what the author was going for, I could see how the song inspired the book and the songs for each chapter were very fun. For a debut novel, especially from an author so young, it’s an impressive feat.

Unfortunately there wasn’t much I actually ended up enjoying about the book. There wasn’t much conflict in the book so the resolutions and big moments felt unearned. Overall the story seemed to be very slow, and often highlighted things that didn’t need to be. There were also a few moments that seemed toxic without seeming to be intentional.

Despite not enjoying the book that much I definitely am very impressed by the author’s commitment to actually writing it, especially after finding out she was only fifteen or sixteen when she wrote it. I would love to see what she does next when she has more experience.

If you’re interested the book is out on October 24 2023.

Have been seeing Kimi Freeman’s debut novel all over tiktok so I decided to see if I could get an arc!

I enjoyed this book, it’s a cozy read that I look forward to re-rereading in the winter. And the playlist that goes with this? The Taylor Swift references AND themed? Incredible.
Kimi has a great voice in her writing. It feels like I’m talking to a friend! I also loved the dial timeline perspective this book offered.

I really enjoyed the main characters and having them work on putting on a church play is just so cute! I loved this conflict in the book.

Definitely a cozy read that I’m picking up a physical copy of and add to my collection

I felt so cosy after reading this book, and I'm already reaching for more Christmassy novels after reading this one! I found Aspen a bit of a chore to read about, but after a while I warmed up to her and really enjoyed reading about her and Roman. I think it's an excellent debut and I'll definitely be in line to read whatever Kimi writes next!

What I liked:
-The title
-The link to a song for each chapter
-The multiple timelines
-The general plot line of the story

What I disliked:
-Every disagreement was resolved almost instantaneously, there was no real struggle, no real depth
-There was no evidence in what we knew about Rome to show that he would hit someone when put in the situation at the award show. He is an even tempered, calming presence in every other part of the novel, it was out of character.
-The big moments felt unearned. With no struggle and basically no conflict I didn’t feel like the big resolution/moments hit the right way
-The narrative didn’t evoke emotions, it felt like I was reading a list depicting every moment of a persons day.
-I felt little to no connection to the characters, making it hard to really become invested in the story. I stopped halfway through, struggling to find the motivation to finish. It took a week to pick it back up and read the second half.

After finishing the book and being underwhelmed, I read the acknowledgements and my underwhelmed feeling made a little more sense. Knowing now that the author was 15 at the time the book was written explained much of what was lacking for me: the chemistry and the desire between the characters, the true connection between the characters and the characters to the events within the book, the real development of a disagreement and subsequent resolution that followed. I think that there was a lot of potential but unfortunately this book was missing A LOT for me.

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)