This is not the book I was expecting from the description, "based on 'Tis the Damn Season." What I wanted: a super sexy winter wonderland weekend fling. What I got: a long angst fest filled with flashbacks following controversy and sexual assault with some... not so inspired song lyrics.

This objective review was based on a complimentary copy of the novel.

Ended up DNF - ing the book after a few months of postponing finishing it. I liked the book but my mood at the time wasn't lined up with the genre.

I found 'Tis the Damn Season to be a lovely holiday read, but while classified as New Adult/Women's Fiction, it read much more juvenile & would be better suited marketed to YA audiences. Given the age of main characters, I would hope for more nuance and adult perspectives, but the age of the author makes the experience make more sense in retrospect.

From what I've gathered, the author is only 16 herself, and, um, it shows. Maybe this would have been better as YA instead of NA.

This Rom-com was everything I’m a huge Swifie and all the references had me giggling as I read this one. I love a good cute romance and this fit the bill

DNF- I was excited to get into this book and maybe at another time I would love this book, but I have been picking it up here and there and still can’t finish it. I did get 81 pages in (24%) before I thought I should call it quits, which does sadden me! I believe this would be such a great book for a younger age. To me, it seemed a bit immature and maybe throughout the book you see character development but I couldn’t get through with the two main characters, since I kept thinking of them as high schoolers, like there wasn’t any development from them in HS to them in their 20’s.

This had such promise and maybe I’ll pick it up again one day, but for now this is a DNF. I can tell this is Kimi’s first book. No hate! I would read another book written by Kimi in the future and hope she continues to write. I loved the song aspect and the premise but it just wasn’t what I was expecting (which was more maturity).

I unfortunately didn't get to read/review this book, as I was hospitalized for the fall of 2023. Cleaning it up now to remove it from my feedback loop. I apologize for the lack of review!

This book gave me all the Taylor Swift feels. The chemistry and history between the characters was fantastic.

thank you to netgalley for the advanced reading copy. I really enjoyed this and will be getting copies for my shop.

The title of this book definitely sucked me in… hello, Swifties!

The plot of this book has a lot of potential, but since the book was marketed as a romance I definitely needed more of that and less angst. I think this book could’ve fallen under women’s fiction. It’s a quick read, but I think the character relationships needed more development. The side characters are great and made me laugh! I think overall, this book could’ve used some more edits. I look forward to seeing what this author does next.

This book was not for me, I couldn't get into the story and struggled to finish it. The writing is weak and the characters are very dry. I think this book would be more engaging to a younger audience given the tone of the book.

Thank you NetGalley for an ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

I chose this book because of its correlation to a Taylor Swift song. The title and cover are what originally caught my attention. I felt as if this story was a bit too YA for my taste. I had a hard time connecting with the story so I ended up not finishing this book. I would still suggest this book to a younger target audience though.


Tropes:
-forced proximity
-small town
-Taylor Swift Song
-second chance
-famous FMC

First of all, as a massive Swiftie, I LOVED all of the Taylor Swift references, like the title and the playlist (personally, I love when books have a playlist to accompany them!). This was a cute, warm fuzzies kind of second chance romance, so I really enjoyed it. The author is only quite young herself, so has done an excellent job with this novel and I'm excited to see her future books! I liked the dual timeline and yes there was some room for improvement with the overall writing style and editing, I still think it was a solid debut novel.
A massive thank you to NetGalley, the author and Parson Press for the ARC in return for my honest review.

DNF 52%

The writing is good and captivating, making it an enjoyable experience for most of the book. However, as I progressed, I became increasingly stuck due to the writing style. It seems the book was written purely for the pleasure of storytelling, which I appreciated, but the abrupt endings to each chapter became bothersome over time.
The plot is underdeveloped and needs to be reviewed. The same goes for the characters that look younger than the age that are presented.
I found myself skipping parts to conclude, and I'm relieved to say that the two protagonists eventually found their happy ending.
The potential is evident and I congratulate the author for having published a book at a young age, I hope to read something from her in the future as her writing matures.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read the ebook ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book was a sweet read with a small amount of drama. It's a small town, second chance romance during the holiday season. Hat tip to the Taylor Swift of it all, because if you ever wanted a book about that couple, this could be it. I loved that the leads ended up co-producing the Christmas play together. It's a quick read to get you into the holiday season.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC.

I had the pleasure of immersing myself in the captivating world crafted by Kimi Freeman in her novel, "‘Tis the Damn Season," and I'm sincerely grateful to NetGalley for granting me access to an advance reader copy (ARC) of this enthralling book. Freeman's storytelling prowess shines brightly in this poignant tale of love, loss, and the complexities of family dynamics.

"‘Tis the Damn Season" follows the journey of its characters with a raw and emotional depth that resonates deeply with readers. Freeman's characters are flawlessly portrayed, each grappling with their own struggles and vulnerabilities that add layers of complexity to the narrative. As the plot unfolds, we're drawn into a web of interconnected lives, navigating through the highs and lows alongside the characters with bated breath.

Freeman's writing is evocative and heartfelt, effortlessly capturing the essence of the holiday season and the universal themes of forgiveness and redemption. With its compelling storyline and authentic characters, "‘Tis the Damn Season" is a must-read for anyone seeking a thought-provoking and emotionally resonant novel. I wholeheartedly recommend this book to readers looking for a poignant exploration of love and family during the holiday season. Thank you, NetGalley, for providing me with the opportunity to experience this touching story before its official release.

extremely juvenile. i think perhaps that the taylor swift industrial complex has had a net negative effect on books as a whole

A charming second chance romance. It was a light read and enjoyable.
Many thanks to Parson Press and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

First off this Kimi’s debut novel and she is only 16 years old! I was instantly drawn to the book based on the cover and the mostly Taylor Swift playlist song for the theme of each chapter. The dual POV in the beginning of the booking not flow well but worked for the second half of the book. I would also recommend trigger warning to the start of the book which includes rape. Due to the authors age it would be better as a YA. Thank You Net Galley for a copy of the e book in exchange for my honest review.

⭐️⭐️⭐️

I won’t lie, I requested this because of the title. Being a swiftie, I thought that this would be the perfect little Christmas romance.

and it was… fine.

A very quick read, I loved the chemistry between Roman and Aspen, and the “one of them is famous” trope always gets me!

But I just wanted more of that Christmassy feeling. There only seemed to be a couple of chapters centred around the actual Christmas holiday which threw me as I was waiting for the all of the holiday magic throughout the book. Maybe I went in misinformed though, it could easily have been my mistake.

I will say, I am very interested to see how this author grows, because I think they have something very special! I’ll definitely check out their next works!

(Thank you to Parson Press and Netgalley for the EARC in exchange for an honest review!) 🫶🏻