As a Swiftie, I did enjoy this book for what it is. It is absolutely a Taylor Swift coded book, and I did enjoy it. I enjoyed the dual time line of the book, stating how Aspen and Roman initially found their way to each other and the ups and downs, but it did seem very surface level in the romance. The characters didn't feel fully formed, but after finding out the age of the author that makes a little more sense.

The writing was quick and fast paced which is what I look for in a good rom/com; however, this felt a little lackluster. If you are looking for a sweet ride and are a Swiftie this is a cute book. If you are truly looking for depth and growth this may not be the book for you. It just felt underwhelming, and I did not like how Aspen relied on Roman as much as she did about pulling her out of her shell or making her feel whole. Second chance romance is normally one of my favorite tropes and this one just fell a little flat for me.

I did not like this book. I'm giving it three stars to be nice. I don't know if it was just me or if it was the book, but something was not clicking.

First, I'll talk about what I did like.
•the dual-timeline! I enjoyed getting to see both bookends of their relationship. It made me believe their chemistry a little more.
• ??? that might actually be the only thing.


Now on to what I didn't like
•The chapters end so abruptly. Like in the middle of conversations. I found myself turning the page, expecting more dialog just for it to be the end of the chapter.
•The dynamic between the two leads is so weird?? She's constantly saying that they can't be together or that they'd never work, only to be the one initiating most of the things that happened between them. The lines that she kept drawing were just immediately blurred by her anyway. And he went along with whatever mood she was in that day.
•I didn't love the way Roman talked to her sometimes. Their fights felt juvenile and pointless and not even really like fights. They would blurt out like two insults, just to resolve it almost immediately and go back to the tenuous "friendship" they have. It was so strange.
•they had little to no chemistry as a couple. As friends, I could believe it. And as teens, even, it was fine. But as adults?? No way. Especially when I found out that it was soooo on and off between them.
•For a book that's literally based around a Taylor Swift song, the references were so sporadic. It was heavier at the beginning, and then literally nothing during the middle. It's like a hook the author was trying to use to get people interested.

I didn't find out that the author was literally a teenager until I finished the book, so I don't want to be too harsh with what I'm saying. I do think that there's room for growth in storytelling. (Not that I have much experience myself) I would read more from this author, but I would definitely go into it with certain expectations already there.

I’m obsessed with the title as an avid swiftie. This book had me hooked from the start and was such an easy read

Read this because I’m a Taylor Swift fan. Best part of this book was that each chapter has a different song at the start of the chapters ( most were Taylor Swift songs). Other than that this book was bad. Not a very original plot. Annoying main character. Seemed like a YA book. Don’t suggest.

“we could call it even, you could call me babe for the weekend, tis the damn season write this down, i’m staying at my parents house and the road not taken looks real good now” this book was any taylor swift obsessed book lovers dream. the writing feels very young and nostalgic which makes sense given the authors age at the time of writing this. kimi did a wonderful job including themes from the song but still having it be an original price. not to mention the playlist and the little hidden (whether intentional or now) taylor swift references.

Thank you #NetGalley and #ParsonPress for letting me read this book early.A Hollywood starlet caught in a scandal. The boy she never got over. A Christmas season they’ll never forget.
If you are a swiftie you will enjoy this book.

This book was a cute Taylor Swift inspired Christmas romance. I loved the Taylor Swift references and the playlist lining up with the chapters. I liked how the dual timelines worked together. I felt some parts didn't really flow for me, I found myself rooting for the romance throughout the book.

Tis the Damn Season must be added to every romcom fans holiday reading list because it’s so damn adorable!

Aspen Moore’s world has crumbled around her so she heads home to find peace and solace with her family in Pennsylvania. Trying to distance herself from a Hollywood tabloid nightmare, the actress turned singer leans on her high school boyfriend, Roman, for support. Roman tries to help Aspen pick up the pieces of being shattered when she was publicly accused of hitting on her model/best friend’s boyfriend who was touring with Aspen.

Trying to put the lies and betrayal behind her, Aspen and Roman end up in charge of the yearly Christmas performance for the church Aspen’s father helps out. He usually tackles the festivities but Aspen is stepping in this year and she couldn’t be more excited! As auditions take place, Aspen is reminded of the simple joys music once brought her; she remembers the first guitar that was gifted to her and the hours she spent practicing while writing songs. Those memories are often bittersweet however as it was her dreams of becoming an actress and musician that contributed to the break up of her and Roman. As the two work closely to prepare for the performance, old feelings surface while questions about the future of Aspen and Roman remain unanswered. Does love truly conquer all or is Aspen’s life in the limelight, good and bad, prove too much for Roman to handle?

Thank you NetGalley, Kimi Freeman, and Parson Press for the opportunity to read the novel ahead of its anticipated October 24th release in exchange for candid feedback. I’m excited for what the author will write next!

This book was so FREAKING cute. I'm obsessed with Christmas and anyone who knows me, knows I love a cute Christmas romcom. Kimi did not disappoint and I honestly am in love with this small town romance story.

It was easy to read, had me giggling and laughing the entire time, and overall really did a fantastic job at telling a cute story that's holiday themed.

I loved this and will definitely be rereading it for the Christmas season.

Thank you NetGalley for the eARC!

There is a lot about this book that I really liked. I loved the inclusion of two timelines so we could see where Aspen and Roman were in the present, and simultaneously get the story of their past. It helps draw the reader in and really invest in their love story. I also liked the premise --young starlet goes home for the holidays to escape a recent scandal, and while home meets back up with her first love. The story itself was sweet and full of heart and (almost) as upbeat and fun as Taylor Swift herself. As a debut novel from such a young writer this is a really impressive novel. And personally I really loved the idea of having a song list to accompany the chapters; I even turned on the playlist while reading and really enjoyed the vibes!
There were two things I didn't really love. The first was the dialogue between the two main characters. This was a romcom and very dialogue-heavy, which makes the conversations between the love interests of utmost importance. Frequently, however, they felt repetitive and static. Roman has one (and only one) term of endearment for Aspen that felt unnatural when he used it. And his actions demonstrate that he feels protective of Aspen, but his conversation didn't always reflect that.
There other issue for me was the sexual assault that's included in Aspen's history. While it's hinted at several times in the story, the actual reveal doesn't come until very late in the book. And the way it's revealed and then subsequently serves to help resurrect Aspen's reputation makes it feel as though Aspen's assault is just a plot device and that feels pretty icky. It wasn't a surprise by the time it's revealed because the hints are there sprinkled throughout the text, but it was still a bit of a jarring note in a story that was otherwise very sweet and upbeat. The placement of the reveal and it's handling, as well as its presence without a trigger warning, may trigger or offend some readers.
That said, I did enjoy this read and look forward to seeing more from this author.

This was a cute read and, for a debut novel by such a young author, it was good, however I did have some issues with it.

It follows Aspen and Roman, who were high school sweethearts and apparently still so in love despite ending things when Aspen moved to LA for her career. I enjoyed the chapters written in the past, however, I didn't feel any chemistry between them during the present chapters. The conversations also felt very stilted sometimes so that wasn't great.

I did love all the Taylor Swift references though, and the premise of being based on Tis The Damn Season was great!

I love a good Christmas book! This book has all the elements of the perfect holiday novel. Small town, which I always love because I grew up in a small town. Gives the cozy vibes you need with anything holiday! I love the second chance romance and this book just makes the Taylor Swift song come to life all the more!

Thank you to Netgalley for the eARC.

Unfortunately, I did not love this book. I initially picked it up because of the connection to Taylor Swift but I felt it was a very weak connection.

The characters felt very flat to me, I didn’t believe in their relationship at all and really struggled to connect with them. I also found many other elements of the novel unbelievable in these circumstances.

The songs for each chapter were a nice touch but I felt like many of them had little relevance to the contents of the chapter.

I would not picked this book up had I known it was by such a young author. I found the writing to be not as mature as I would like out of a romance novel.

It is a huge accomplishment of Kimi to get a novel published so young and I’m sure this book would be enjoyed by younger readers.

2/5 stars.

After a big Hollywood scandal, singer and actress Aspen Moore moves back to her small hometown in Pennsylvania. There, she is forced to once again confront her feelings about her high school ex but also best friend, Roman. Will their on again off again relationship go on, will they make sacrifices to finally be together, or will everything blow up in her face?

This was a pretty cute and easy read! Although I feel that the story was lacking in depth and the dialogue and interactions often felt stilted and unnatural, this a promising debut from a 16 year old author. And the Taylor Swift references don’t hurt either!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced digital copy in exchange for an honest review!

This book, which featured well-known clichés like friends-to-lovers and second chances, was incredibly adorable and simple to read. The chapter titles for each chapter are titled after different songs, indicating the book's influence from Taylor Swift's song "'Tis the Damn Season," which gives the story a special musical dimension. Even though I felt a little detached from the protagonist, the novel was nevertheless interesting and effectively captured the sense of a tiny town. I want to thank you for giving me the chance to read this book, and I'm looking forward to Kimi Freeman's upcoming projects.

I love it when authors prescribe songs for every chapter. I love it even more when those songs are Taylors. That's the reason I picked up this book, and also the only reason why I continued to read it. The plot itself was pretty standard, but I just felt like there was far too much going on. Additionally, every single character was so unlikable and so unbelievably conceited. I do appreciate the social commentary on the turmoils of false media and being a celebrity, also the fact the celebrity was the woman, when in most celeb romances they are male. I would recommend this book, but only to swifties, because they would appreciate the quotes, the songs and the parallels, but for everyone who isn't one, then I think you would rate it even lower than I did.

I received this book as an e-arc by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review, Thank you!

Rating: 3.5⭐️
Genre: Romance
Pages: 356
Series?: Standalone

This is a cute book for any Taylor Swift fan. I enjoyed it, I didn’t love it. It was a bit more YA than I usually like to read, even with it being romance. The storyline is cute enough and it's an easy read. I wouldn’t say it blew me away nor was I hooked/read it again.. I did think I would love it more than I did but I found it a little less developed. I think had the story been a bit more developed and the characters a little more developed, it would have been really good. It read as more fan fiction, the first draft.

3.5 stars

This was a very cute story and I really enjoyed having the playlist with a song for each chapter.

However, while it's labeled as New Adult, the writing reads more Young Adult than I was expecting it to be. I think YA would be a better fit, especially with how short the chapters are, and the content being pretty surface level.

Thank you to NetGalley, Parson Press and Kimi Freeman for providing a digital ARC copy. All options are my own.

This was a good and easy romance read that includes a few tropes that I enjoy reading.
The tropes I'm talking about is following:

Friends-to-lovers (or perhaps in this one it is more like on and off again relationship between two friends)
Second chances
Small town

The story was easy to follow but unfortunately I didn't really felt connected to the main character for some unknown reason.
Don't get me wrong I enjoyed reading about her past and her present but there was just something missing for me.

The book is inspired by the Taylor Swift song 'Tis the Damn Season (hence the title of the book) and I really loved the idea the author has with naming the chapters after different songs and just not only after Swift songs. One chapter was called Wake Me Up - Avicii, another one Chasing Cars - Snow Patrol and of course there was a chapter called 'Tis the Damn Season - Taylor Swift.

Only thing I felt like I missed in this book was POV of Roman.

Thank you so much for letting me read this one and now I am looking forward to see what Kimi Freeman is up to next.

To start off, I really do love books that are inspired by Taylor Swift songs. Taylor writes a great song, which always lends itself to a well written story. And I think this book encapsulated the story very well! The Taylor details sprinkled throughout felt so fun. This was a fun Christmas read! I had a bit of trouble connecting with the characters, as I felt they could have been more developed. A good debut, overall.