‘Tis the Damn Season by Kimi Freeman

4.5 ⭐

A cute, heart touching and emotional story about a Hollywood star/singer Aspen, whose reputation goes for a toss when her supposedly close friends in the industry betrays her trust.

I felt the "past" chapters were seemingly out of nowhere. And it was fast paced. I liked the "present" chapters better. I liked how the characters were portrayed. Also, the way Aspen and Roman directed the production and handled the kids were amazing. It was very insightful on what the celebrities go through on a daily basis.

Overall, the plot and the characters were pretty good and I loved the songs picked for each chapter.

*ARC Read*
Thank you to Netgalley and Parson Press for this ARC, in exchange for an honest review. Although this was a book I finished in a day, I found it hard to stay focused on the storyline. As much as I loved that the author put a playlist, I felt that some of the songs did not match the scene in the chapter. With less than 50 pages left in the book, the author brought out a scenario regarding SA without any warning. I believe they were queuing this up during one of the flashback chapters, but it was not enough of a trigger warning especially since the book is targeting Taylor Swift fans. I did appreciate the flashback chapters, I thought it was a good way to show how Aspen and Roman came to be. When the author wrote about Apsen being worried about bringing Roman into the chaos of her life, it would have been perfect to tie it to the song Peace by Taylor Swift. This was a cute story, and I applaud the author for writing this at such a young age, but I believe there is a lot of work to be done on this novel moving forward as this reminds me more of a YA novel than romance. I also thought that the characters were a lot older than 23 during this, even though it was only a few months there was so much going on it felt like years. I personally will not be recommending this book.

3 stars were automatically achieved by Taylor Swift inspiration and all the hidden connections within the entire plot. It’s easy to see that the title track could be the exact description of how the book feels.

The story is not bad but also not exceptional. I enjoyed it, but is most moments couldn’t really connect with the characters. Some of the situations have felt rushed and annoying, without any further explanation or background. It was super heavy on dialogues, which sometimes didn’t bring the needed emotions through the words.

‘Tis the Damn Season by Kimi Freeman

⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 5

“They say you’ll never find forever the first time, but I don’t believe that’s true.”

As a die hard Taylor Swift fan the idea behind this book made it a must read for me. I picked it up on NetGalley as an ARC prior to its release on October 24th.

I really liked Roman and Aspen, and the way their romance played out. I think I preferred the story telling in the flashbacks more so than the present scenes as I believe the way the characters are written, in the flashbacks they come off as super goofy and insecure (as all teenagers are), but in the present scenes both Roman and Aspen seem unsteady and immature.

I think what prevented this being a higher rated read for me was that every chapter felt rushed and cut off, quite a few of them could have been merged together or skipped entirely. Any time the story started to have conflict it seemed to get resolved too quickly, while it was good to see Roman and Aspen clear the air when they miscommunicated or fought, it also meant that there was never enough time to worry that maybe they wouldn’t end up together. The conflict resolutions also seemed very unrealistic in the flashback chapters as you would think issues like picking colleges, or embarrassing yourself in public, are more world ending in severity for teenagers.
It was a shame because having more struggles and conflict and having it run its course would’ve added more depth to the characters.

Despite that it was a lovely little read and I look forward to reading more from Kimi.

I was excited to get an ARC of this book but found it to be intolerable for me personally. Perhaps it would be enjoyed by a different demographic.

I found the language to be over-the-top. I'm not opposed to cursing, however it seemed excessive and juvenile, present as a young adult trying to seem older than they are.

I didn't care much for the plot either. I didn't find it engaging. I didn't find the dialogue natural which kept me from wanting to care about the characters.

I know the author is an adolescent herself, so this is a good starting point for a budding writing career. It definitely needs more experience and polish.

This was a sweet and fluffy contemporary romance. Freeman’s writing style reminds me a lot of Sarah Adam’s. I enjoyed the celebrity romance aspect of this book but felt the Christmas/holiday season part was lacking. For something that is very heavily branded as Christmas romance I was disappointed that the season wasn’t a larger part of the story.

I will say - I loved that each chapter had a song to go with it. What a fun way to get readers even more immersed!

Overall, a light and enjoyable romance read.

Gahhhh! This was such a cute second chance, small town romance.

I loved the alternating chapters from past to present and loved the Taylor Swift playlist chapters.

This was a fast paced, lighthearted romance. Perfect for anyone who likes Hallmark Christmas movies...and of course, Taylor Swift. This had just the right amount of Christmas where it can still be enjoyed all year round...not just Christmas time.

Thank you NetGalley and Parson Press for this advanced eArc in exchange for my honest review.

I wanted to love this book. A Taylor Swift song for a title, an accompanying playlist by chapter, numerous Taylor Swift lyric references to find, but unfortunately that wasn’t enough to overcome the lack of character development and the cheesy plot line.

Hallmark has already made the basic premise of this book into a Christmas movie. There are zero twists or turns, the dialogue is juvenile and it feels like this was rushed out to capitalize on the world being Taylor-mad at the moment.

Cute small town romance based on the Taylor Swift song, this was an easy, lighthearted read with all the seasonal feels.

Unfortunately, this just did not do it for me. I felt like the writing and dialogue felt really robotic between characters and everything was surface level. Also there should have been a trigger warning of some kind.

a very quick and easy read, and perfect for gilmore girls fans imo. Has a lot of similar qualities, especially in the first half, and if you forget that she's actually famous it gives off early rory and dean vibes.

A little juvenile, but that makes it endearing at times. Especially with the song choices in the chapter titles, they were a little teen-like, and I stopped taking a look at them after the first few chapters. Would recommend more for older YA readers than the average NA reader.

a solid 3 star read, nothing spectacular but nothing to really put me off reading it. I enjoyed the time I spent with it and think with some creative growth the author can really continue to improve

full review on goodreads:https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/182670904-tis-the-damn-season

The premise of this book sounded really good, and the overarching storyline of the book has the potential to be great, but this book itself fell flat for me.

I didn't feel a connection between the two main characters, Rome and Aspen/Penny. Rome was just kind of there and apparently thought Aspen hated him, but they never talked when they were younger? Then she comes back, and just says she can't be more than friends yet she is in love with him and keeps hinting at a past, but how it was written was just confusing and felt awkward.

The whole story felt a little juvenile, and while it was easy to read, it was all over the place and not really fleshed out. A lot of tell and no show, and random plots being thrown in to move the story along.

i want to start off by saying that this book is definitely a cute read for taylor swift fans, it’s obviously inspired by “‘tis the damn season” and i loved that. it’s so fun and entertaining to see books inspired by some of my favorite things. the writing style was fun and definitely pretty easy to read, especially if you’re a beginner into the reading world. i was not a big fan of how insta lovey it was though. it’s told during two separate times, so it makes since for the instant attraction when they reunite but i thought it was weird that the main characters were already crushing on each other as teens, having barely said anything to each other. i think both of the main characters are so cute together though and i really enjoy them together, i just wish there was more build up. at the end i also felt like there were just random events happening to try to create some sort of drama going on which bugged me a little bit but over all i was able to fly through this book pretty quickly and enjoyed it. all the references to taylor swift were AMAZING and this is honestly a must read for taylor swift fans!!

This was a quick read with bite-sized chapters that made it incredibly easy to breeze through. The flipping between present day and the past provided a fascinating glimpse into Aspen and Roman's relationship evolution.
However, I must admit that I struggled to fully connect with the story. While the concept was intriguing, there were moments when the plot felt a tad far-fetched – particularly Aspen's rapid career success after moving to LA.
On a serious note, it's essential to mention that this book contains mentions of sexual assault and does not provide trigger warnings. This content can be distressing, and it's important for readers to be aware.
Overall, "Tis the Damn Season" offers a quick dose of drama and romance, but it might not resonate with everyone. Just be aware of its content sensitivities.

Lovers of Romance novels, Taylor Swift & Christmas Do I Have The Book For You!

Aspen Moore is the Hollywood starlet we all know and love, but deep down she's learned the hard way that happiness is not as attaining all the accolades she has in life. When a scandal hits her life, Aspen has to retreat back to her small hometown she left behind and comes face to face with her past in the form of Roman Torres. The will they, won't they energy these two share...well if you know the song the title refers to you probably know where it goes, but I was hooked from beginning to end with this book. Freeman's writing was transcendic and flowed so naturally on the page. Following along the story with the musical interludes from the playlist, her story was playing like a movie in my mind. Full of chemistry and drama, romance and Hollywood glitz, I never knew where Aspen's mind would fall or if she would give it all up for love.

As a Taylor Swift lover, I just have to start off by saying that the title alone had me hooked in. I was ready. Skimming the playlist, again I was mentally preparing. And I wasn't disappointed. A truly glorious read, a perfect Christmas treat. Get the evermore on repeat and make yourself some hot cocoa.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for providing me an early e-book copy in exchange for an honest review.

This was a cute debut novel. But I'll be honest the Taylor Swift and other artists track names at the beginning of each chapter was unnecessary, at least for me. I was unable to see any connection between these and the chapters. I understand it was a playlist, but it messed with the flow of my reading and had me constantly wondering what the connection was, instead of just reading the book. The characters were okay, but nothing that made them stand out. Overall, the book was cute. Thank you NetGalley and Parson Press for a digital arc of this title.

Aspen, a Hollywood starlet slash musician comes back home after being vilified in the media. She reconnects with her high school boyfriend, who is directing a children’s musical.

This was not great.

The writing was juvenile and disjointed. There were numerous typos and grammatical errors. The short sentence length added to the disjointed feeling. The chapters were incredibly short and often pointless. The story flip flopped between the present and the past and read like two completely different stories. I often had to go back and reread the end to every other chapter in the present since it would pick up, with no context, where the last chapter randomly ended.

Plot wise, this book was also all over the place. The main character has no friends in the past or present. The main character somehow “made it” in Hollywood less than a year after moving to LA and landed a lead role in the most popular television show as a “stepping stool” to her music career. The book dropped a sexual assault with 20 pages left.

Romance wise, there was none. There was no tension, no banter, no romance. The main characters barely dated in high school and the dude had a lot of red flag fights with the main character, one of which was after he drove drunk. In the present, the main character insists that they are “just friends” and they acknowledge feelings for each other in the second last chapter.

The town, which was mentioned almost every chapter, was Fertsville. Which is one letter off from Fartsville.

This is a really solid debut novel, and is even more impressive upon learning that the author started writing it at age 15! I thought that it did a good job of balancing the fiery, rapidly-evolving nature of a celebrity in the midst of a public scandal as well as the slowly-unfolding relationship between Aspen and Roman.

Narratively, this book has a dual-timeline. They both do a good job of keeping the reader engaged — we want to learn what happened in the past, but we are also working towards a final event in the present, so I enjoyed both timelines. The romance itself unfolded nicely; you’re able to see the history between the characters while still being treated to a relationship that isn’t necessarily rushed into.

While there are a few hiccups — for one, the main character’s level of fame was a little unclear to me throughout the first chunk of the book which led to confusion as to why her scandal was *so* publicized — I think overall this book delivers on what it is meant to be, and I enjoyed my time with it a lot.

To address the Taylor Swift-sized elephant in the room: the book genuinely does fit the song that it’s named after. I was shamelessly drawn to it because I love Taylor, evermore, and ‘tis the damn season, and I’m pleased that it lived up to the nostalgic, cozy, fall/winter homecoming energy of the song.

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This book was awful - there is no other way to put it. It was extremely juvenile and read like a diary of a middle school child. The dialogue was forced and uncomfortable and did not flow like a real conversation would. After realizing that the author is only 16, this made a lot more sense. Still, this book needs a lot of work for it to be any good.

The characters were all over the place. Aspen was obnoxious and Roman was so lackluster. Their personalities had no depth and I was bored throughout the book. I also didn't understand their relationship in the slightest and their chemistry was non-existent. Again, I feel this has a lot to do with the author's age and lack of life experience.

There is also a random SA that comes out of left field at the end of the book so 1) there needs to be a trigger warning or 2) it needs to be removed from the book because I don't understand why it's in there.

It took everything in me to finish this book and I only did because I got an ARC of it. I don't like to give out 1 star ratings but this book should not be sold as is - there is so much work and editing and better writing that needs to be done to it.

‘Tis the Damn Season follows celebrity, Aspen, as she returns home for the holiday season to avoid the backlash of Hollywood scandal where she reconnects with her first love, Roman.

I want to start off by saying, WOW. The author writing a book this solid at such a young age is astounding!! I cant wait to see what she comes out with next.

The book was such an easy, fun read. The chapters were short which made for a quick read and the dual POV provided a lot of insight into the two love interests.

As for overall, the book seemed a bit immature at times, I was expecting a little more growth between the characters behaviors as they got older. They had good communication but never seemed to say what they actually wanted or anger was misplaced. And the ending felt a little rushed, wish it would’ve been more of a discussion between the two before pursuing a relationship again.

TW: SA