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!) 🫶🏻

Curl up by the fireplace and sip hot cocoa because ’Tis the Damn Season by Kimi Freeman promises to warm your heart and please your inner-self. Welcome to a heartwarming contemporary romance that resonates with the magic of the holiday season that can be read year-round, especially by those of us who can read Christmas books no matter the month. Told from the perspective of 23 year old Aspen Moore, this novel captures the essence of love, nostalgia, and second chances.


Meet Aspen Moore. She’s a singer-actress who seemingly has it all: fame, fortune, and a headlining tour. Beneath the glitz and glamour, something is missing. When scandal forces her back to her Pennsylvania hometown, she reunites with her first love and their chemistry is undeniable. The dark brown eyes she fell for years ago still haunt her.

Inspired by Taylor Swift's song, the book's title itself hints at the emotional rollercoaster awaiting readers. Freeman weaves Aspen's journey with the tracks of her music, creating a symphony of love and longing. I read this while listening to the song and then many, many themed playlists.

Freeman's writing is swoon-worthy and evocative. She captures the bittersweet ache of missed opportunities and the warmth of rekindled connections. The dual timeline adds depth, allowing readers to witness Aspen's growth and vulnerability.

’Tis the Damn Season is a delightful read for readers who appreciate heartfelt romance, holiday magic, and the power of revisiting the past. Freeman leaves readers with a sweet aftertaste: tell me if you know what it is.

Thank you to NetGalley and the Independent Book Publishers Association for a temporary e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I'd like to thank Netgalley and Parson Press for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I see that others have not rated this book very high but I liked it. This was a second chance romance and didn't seem as juvenile as some others that I read. It was a quick easy read with a dual timeline which I think added to their story. It's always good to have a back story to see why people make the choices they make. I'm glad I stuck with it because overall it was a cute romance.

Thank you Parson Press and NetGalley for the eARC of 'Tis The Damn Season. All opinions in this review are my own.

I think I am officially in a reading slump because this is the fourth book in a row that I have DNFed. I made it 15% through this book but it is clearly a Taylor Swift fan fiction and I didn't like the main character. She seems too wrapped up in her own importance and while I like the second chance angle, I don't want to read about it happening while organizing a church play for children.

Famous "it-girl," Aspen, is living the high life until a scandal sends her scurrying back to her small hometown to hide out and figure it out for a while. She quickly crosses paths with her childhood love, Roman. While her goal is to ultimately return to her star studded life, she finds herself drawn deeper into life in her hometown and with Roman. We're along for the ride while Aspen tries to figure out what it is that she really wants, deep down.

I was not aware that the author is 16 (and presumably, younger, when she wrote this book). For better or worse, while the writing is strong, the characters who are almost ten years older than the author read much more like teenagers than twenty-somethings. Which makes sense in light of the author's own lived experience, but is hard to read as a thirty-something. I was also not familiar with the Taylor Swift song, and was concerned that it would detract from the book - but was very pleased it didn't!

I think Freeman has a very bright future ahead and I look forward to reading more of her books, perhaps when I can relate to the age of her characters a bit more.

A huge thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for gifting me a copy of this ARC!

Calling all Swifties!!! What a fun way to intertwine recency with a fun Christmas story. Anyone who knows the hits will find the references and story to be fun and with a touch of spice, it was a nice change of pace in the midst of the rest of my holiday reading. It felt unserious enough to be playful but serious enough to know that these characters were truly invested in each other. Tis the Damn Season!!!

This just wasn’t it. I was super excited for it and dropped everything to read it.. but it was a no for me. I should have listened to my gut and not finished it.

Thank you so much to Kimi Freeman and Netgalley for giving me an e-book ARC of this book. I started this book and ended up DNFing it. While I get that there are song references, and as a Taylor Swift fan myself, this book fell too much into these song stereotypes. There were a lot of typos, and it read like I was reading fan fiction. I did like the MMC, but the female felt unreplaceable. Overall, for the 150 pages I read, 2 stars, because the setting was nice. That's about all it had going for it. SO sad that I did not like this, but it was just too young.

I honestly did not enjoy this book. I completely understand that the author is young, but personally this book read like fanfiction more than a book. I was very disappointed, however it wasn't terrible. I really enjoyed the playlist that the author created for the book, and I appreciated how every chapter had a song. The dual perspective was a nice touch, I always enjoy getting more than one POV in a book. I do think that this book has potential, but I feel like the constant back in forth within the timeframes kept taking me out of the story.

This is the perfect rom com, Christmassy cheese fest book. I really needed this book to pick me up over a stressful Christmas. I would highly recommend

It felt really juvinille. there were many typos and i had a tough time getting into it.

i ended up not finishing the book .

this was so good!! such a quick and easy read. a second chance romance where they dated in high school but split due to their different life circumstances. i loved the dual timeline storytelling & the taylor swift vibes of it all.

As this is the authors debut book she did an outstanding job! This is a feel good romance book! It had you loving the characters and overall a well written book