3.75 rounded up! this was an enjoyable second chance romance set in a small town. it took me a while to get into the story but once everything picked up i could not put it down. this book is a perfect read for the holidays, i recommend!

Ohhhh this was really cute. I will say I enjoyed the first half more than the second half. And the dialogue was tough to get through at times as the writing felt very...basic. I wish there was more depth to the characters.

This book is a heartwarming, low-angst, small-town romance with a touch of Taylor Swift inspiration. It features a second chance romance between a famous singer and her hometown love, with a cozy Christmas play production setting.

The bonus playlist at the beginning really helped set the tone of the book. A delightful read for Swifties and romance enthusiasts alike.

Thank you Kimi and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley for this glorious Taylor Swift coded romance!!! Y'all this author is SIXTEEN. YES! MISS! GIRL! I'm not the biggest fan of Hollywood/celebrity romances because they always involve some perfectly crafted scandal that doesn't have any weight in reality and that did happen in this book HOWEVER it was cute!!! and fine!!! and a solid read to segue into the winter holiday vibe!!! Given this is Lady Freeman's first book and she's so young I'm extremely excited to see more from her in the future!

This second chance romance was adorable. I loved it! It took me a bit to get in to it, but once the story picked up I couldn't put it down. Aspen was dealt some pretty crappy cards and her high-school love was what every man should be, patient, kind, loving! This small town, second chance was exactly what I needed to read. I absolutely loved the way it all came togrther! I would definitely recommend getting your copy when it is released on October 24th, 2023!
Thank you Netgalley for this ARC.

I’m a massive Swiftie so when I saw this it was a NEED not a want. I was absolutely not disappointed, there was some heart wrenching moments (I mean of course it’s Swift inspired) and some that beautiful warmed my heart right back up. I’ve already gotten some of my other Swiftie friends to preorder so we can book club this when it releases. If you love Taylor and romances, this is a MUST.

When a scandal rocks Aspen’s carefully constructed Hollywood life, she’s forced to return to her Pennsylvania hometown, where she reconnects with her first love, Roman Torres. Aspen knows they must keep their relationship strictly platonic. This game of push and pull, catch and release she plays with Roman is bad for her. She’s not staying in Fertsville, and he’s not moving to LA. But their chemistry is undeniable, and amidst rumors and drama, the bright lights of Hollywood begin to pale in comparison to the dark brown eyes she fell in love with all those years ago. Could Aspen be willing to give up everything she’s ever wanted for the best thing she’s ever had?


God!! I love Taylor Swift and this really worked for me!! The playlists, the songs alongside the chapters, it was so cute!!!

The main characters were a dream, I loved Rome so much.

I enjoyed the past and present chapters because it really set the scene for us and made us understand the relationship between Roman and Aspen.

I rated this 3 stars!!! Looking forward to reading more of the author's work as she has massive potential!

"'Tis the Damn Season" by Kimi Freeman offers a fresh perspective on holiday romance by blending elements of celebrity drama with the nostalgia of returning home. The dual timeline narrative and the Taylor Swift-spo elevate this book from a typical romance novel to a multi-layered emotional journey.

Aspen Moore, a Hollywood starlet, finds herself embroiled in a scandal that forces her to retreat to her hometown in Pennsylvania. There, she reconnects with her first love, Roman Torres. The story takes us through their emotional rollercoaster as they navigate their feelings for each other, all set against the backdrop of the holiday season.

The book shines in its character development, particularly with Roman, who is the epitome of a supportive and selfless love interest. The Taylor Swift-inspired playlist at the beginning sets the emotional tone for the story, making it a unique reading experience. The dual timeline adds depth to the characters and allows the reader to become invested in Aspen and Roman's relationship both past and present.

While the book is emotionally engaging, it does have minor flaws. Some chapters end abruptly, leaving the reader wanting more. Additionally, the absence of Roman's point of view in the narrative feels like a missed opportunity to add another layer of complexity to the story.

In summary, "'Tis the Damn Season" offers a unique blend of holiday romance, celebrity drama, and emotional depth. Despite minor narrative shortcomings, it stands as a heartwarming tale perfect for the holiday season. It's more than just a love story; it's a tale of second chances, the complexities of life, and the enduring power of love.

Aspen Moore is a starlit in Hollywood caught in a scandal. She’s proof that money doesn’t buy happiness. Twenty three with fame and fortune but proof that money doesn’t buy happiness. The scandal has caused her to have to return to her hometown in PA where she reconnects with her first love, Roman. She knows it can’t be anything more than friends but their pull is magnetic and cannot be denied.

I loved everything about this story. I read it in a day and I never looked back! It’s the right amount of comfort that makes you want to bundle up with hot chocolate and a cookie and wrap yourself in this book. For a debut, this is great! Kudos to the author!!
Thank you NetGalley and Parson Press for the ARC, and giving me the chance to read and review it honestly.

On paper, this book sounds right up my alley - celebrity normal person romance, friends to lovers, these are things that immediately grab my attention and I get sucked into it all. But this one, sadly this just didn’t work for me at all.

Aspen is a hugely popular singer-actress who has just become embroiled in a scandal where the world thinks that she came onto her best friends boyfriend. She didn’t, but no one seems to care about her side of the story. So she flees home to Pennsylvania, to her parents, and to the first boy she ever loved - Roman. They all welcome her with open arms, especially Roman who has always wanted more from Aspen, and as we move back and forward in time, we see their relationship develop, as well as Aspen’s move to LA to start her career. As she’s home, her father asks Aspen and Roman to direct his church’s Christmas play which naturally leads to them spending an awful lot of time together and wondering if they can make it work after all.

From that setup, it still sounds like a book I’d enjoy, even if it’s predictable, something that I don’t mind. But this book is exceptionally juvenile and isn’t particularly well written. I will say that I later learned the author was just 15 or 16 while writing it so that made me view the book in a much different way. But I feel like there should’ve been an editor who helped to make this book more of what it could’ve been. I want to applaud the author for writing a full novel at that age, but I really wished it could’ve been done better.

There were a lot of problems I had with the book, like the writing itself, but one of the biggest was that we were just kind of dropped into both of their lives. There wasn’t a lot of character development which meant that I just couldn’t bring myself to care about them, or whether or not they ended up together - which is a huge problem in a romance. Aspen was incredibly irritating and felt exceptionally young. Roman rubbed me in all the wrong ways and I still can’t put my finger on why. I didn’t find their relationship, even when they were younger, to be loving or something to strive for - and maybe that’s because there was no sweet love story. They went to the same school and one day he decided he wanted to date her and the next they were dating - even though they had never talked before. It was all just too… easy.

And with Aspen being a huge celebrity, aside from a scene in New York, we didn’t really get much of that. On one hand she was able to walk around her PA hometown with no one bothering her, no paparazzi staking out her home or the church where she was directing. But then she goes back to New York and suddenly they’re swarmed? It felt very disjointed.

I really think that with some additional editing help, this could’ve been a great book, even if it had skewed young. But as it stands, I’m so sad to say that just one was just a complete miss for me. But I do hope that the author will keep trying, especially as she gets older and really finds how to make a story like this sing.

This was a very cute Christmassy romance following actress and singer aspen and her high school sweetheart Roman as Aspen is back in her home town after facing several scandals in her career. I always love a second chance romance and even better if it childhood sweethearts! Rome was such a sweet love interest and Aspen was an independent and strong fmc. I also liked that it was dual timeline and I loved that each chapter was the name of a song from the playlist in the beginning. So much Taylor swift!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC. The idea of this book was cute, the execution was not. I found it to be quite juvenile, I didn’t care for the characters and the writing was not great either.

I have to say that I am NOT a Taylor Swift fan, but I'm not a hater, if that makes sense. This book seems like the perfect holiday read and it's a very fun & easy read but it also holds the readers interest. I will recommend this book to my patrons for sure!

At first I was thinking this book was kind of juvenile and I wasn’t really feeling the relationship between the two main characters. But thennnnn I found out the author is 16. I’m sorry… what!? I mean, I have to hand it to her. She did a phenomenal job for 16!

Roman and Aspen were flat characters, which is why I couldn’t really get into them, with a ton of history. I really enjoyed the parts of the story that were told in flashback. I had a difficult time with their relationship but I understand now that I know the age of the author.

While I didn’t have a connection with the characters, Freeman did a good job of alternating between the two timelines, as well as picking songs that went with each chapter. I would recommend this book if you wanted a fun and easy holiday read!

(Trigger warning - Rape)
Tis the damn season is a complicated love story between two couples estranged due to circumstances. Aspen "Pen" Moore is a talented singer and wants to go to LA to pursue her passion but she has to leave the love of her life, Roman "Rome" Torres, because he has responsibilities towards his family and has to stay back. They meet again 6 years later because of a scandal occurring in Pen's life and she comes back home to take a break, while getting roped in directing the church Christmas play with Rome.
The story keeps going back and forth between the past and the present, covering the back story as we go forward. Each chapter comes with a song (Mostly Taylor Swift) which kind of summed up the feels but it didn't hit the mark for me and I stopped listening to the songs while reading the chapter halfway in the book. However I created a playlist for it and I do like discovering new songs. The story was a constant "will they, won't they" debate. It also introduced beautiful characters like Ella, Leila, Rosa and many more. The book really did capture the music it represented in it. As a musician, I rarely see books getting the feel of music this accurate. However I would have loved it if the playlist made with each chapter would be close to the chapter too.
Reasons why you should read this book:
• Strong female lead
• Finding back your old high school love cuteness
• Musically inclined main character
• Past and Present narrative

So marry your barbeque grill with Arepas and down a coke while falling in love with Pen & Rome.

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

Thank you to Kimi, Netgalley and Parson Press for my ARC copy in exchange for my honest review!

I so wanted to like this one since it had a large Taylor Swift-inspired vibe, but it was hard to get into. While an easy and quick read, I felt like something was missing.

Aspen is a young actress/singer hitting a low point in her career. With rumors swirling and everyone turning on her, she heads home to her family and her ex, Roman. They’re still close friends, and their feelings have been off-and-on all these year. Will they finally rekindle things and fix Aspen’s reputation?

I’m a huge fan of dual timelines, so that part was great. Watching Aspen and Roman grow up together and experience the turns of life as kids and adults was the highlight of this book.

Mentions of heavy topics are also included, so be sure to check any trigger warnings too. I think some were handled better than others, but overall it was a happy and easy read.

For a first-time author and a young one at that, it’s a great starting point, but the writing definitely showed that level. It felt like reading a YA novel even though the characters were in their early-20s. With more time, I can see Kimi becoming a great author so easily!

Tis the Damn Season is a story that any Taylor Swift fan would enjoy. I enjoyed the switching timelines and the playlist that was included in the book added to the story. I enjoyed the additions of Taylor Swift lyrics in the book as well. This book did seem a little juvenile, it was a quick easy read, I was just hoping for more depth.

for a swiftie, this book is heaven on earth. i was positively squealing with how much I enjoyed it. It was full of taylor swift song references and the most impressive thing is that it was written by a 15 year old???? are you kidding me? that's beyond impressive

I love themed books and especially Christmas/holiday themed books! This was cute and I liked the premise of it however I couldn’t get into the story as much as I would have liked.

I loved how this book had songs to go along with every chapter. As a Swiftie I also loved all of the Taylor Swift references throughout the book! I enjoyed the dual timeline of past and present and to get a good back story about Aspen and Romans previous relationship and where their relationship currently stands.