Thanks to NetGalley I received an electronic ARC to read and provide a review.

This had a cute premise and was well written. A fun debut novel! Though, I wasn’t as fully invested in the characters as I originally hoped because it only stayed on the surface. Additionally, the past and present POV chapters took me out of the story at time because the “present chapter” would move the story ahead quite a bit and then the “past chapter” would be two pages of little substance.

This book was like drinking a warm hot cocoa on a cold day! The characters were adorable and the pacing was great. For a debut novel from such a young author, this was amazing! I loved the dual timelines - they moved the story along. Would definitely recommend this to Swifties! Thanks to Netgalley and Kimi Freeman for the arc :)

'Tis The Damn Season
Kami Freeman
⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

This book was sweet and easy to read. I picked this one because of the obvious, Taylor Swift references and title. I was able to follow along really well and I liked the dual timeline. However, I did feel like the author was telling me about these two people and their story without showing me. I didn't feel the emotions that I should have been feeling so for that I am giving it 3.5 stars. I did enjoy it and I do appreciate the ARC I received from NetGalley.

This was a cute, quick read perfect for Taylor Swift fans. In addition to the title, there are dozens of Easter eggs throughout the book for Swifties. The dual timeline was perfectly handled, and it really helped shape my understanding of Aspen as a present-day mega star to see her humble beginnings and the death by a thousand cuts she suffered to get to where she is today. The connection between Aspen and Rome is palpable from their first interaction.

On a personal note, as someone raised in a small town, Kimi really nails that experience in her writing. The flashbacks to Aspen and Rome's high school days was more than a little familiar.

I think this is the first book I've read with a proper soundtrack (there's a song assigned to each chapter; mostly Taylor Swift songs!), and that definitely added to my enjoyment as well. I discovered some new music that's going to be in heavy rotation for me these next few months.

Overall, this is a great debut and a perfect read for the holiday season that isn't too Christmassy. I look forward to seeing what Kimi Freeman does next. (And Kimi, if you're taking requests, will you do "Anti-Hero" next??)

{3.5 stars}

Aspen Moore is a famous singer and actress amidst a bit of a Hollywood scandal. She heads back to her hometown to dodge the paparazzi and ends up working on a children's play with her ex-boyfriend. We get alternating chapters between their current time and their burgeoning love in highschool along with all the things that kept them apart in the past.

This was cute. I liked the idea of having a famous song as a chapter theme. Aspen definitely went from a bit shallow and self centered to much more likeable and well rounded in the end. This one was all positivity and no spice, the way I like my romcoms. No insta-love or crazy miscommunication nonsense. Just a nice, wholesome love story. You get a double dose of HEA at the end with the epilogue, that was maybe too saccharine and traditional for me. Otherwise a fun holiday romcom.

Thanks to Parson Press for gifted access via Netgalley. All opinions above are my own.

Tay Swift fans will love this book, so many references to Tay Swift in it, anyone who loves Swift will love it. In this song, broken hearts are depicted as healthy friendships and second chances, but the author turns it into a healthy friendship! To read about a relationship that had a second chance because of mature communication created a whole new kind of angst on page.

'Tis the damn season is a debut novel by Kimi Freeman.
This novel had everything that I could want in a cosy festive romance novel and more. A cute story line with a brilliant cast of characters. Plus it had short chapters which is a bonus for me.
I really enjoyed the novel and I highly recommend it.
❤️ Thank you to netgalley and the author/publisher for my arc ebook copy of the book in exchange for a honest review.

this book was honestly such a pleasant surprise. for a debut novel I honestly didn’t expect to be this happy to have read it. from the Taylor Swift references to the dual timeline, it made me smile an incomprehensible amount of times while reading it. excited to read more from the author!

Reseña: 'Tis the Damn Season de Kimi Freeman.


Como dice el dicho, lo malo de las cosas buenas es que no duran para siempre, y Aspen Moore lo había aprendido de la peor de las formas. Más de siete años habían transcurrido desde el día en que ella abandonó Fertsville, el pequeño pueblo en el que había nacido y vivido toda su vida, para perseguir sus sueños. Gracias a su talento como cantante y actriz, había conseguido lo que muchas personas deseaban: se había convertido en una celebridad de Hollywood, querida por todo su público.

Pero ser una celebridad de esa talla no aseguraba que su vida fuera perfecta. No importaba el dinero que pudiera tener en su cuenta bancaria o la cantidad de seguidores que tuviera en sus redes sociales, una vez que la reputación de una mujer en Hollywood se mancha, comienza un círculo vicioso de persecución y tortura para las personas involucradas.

Aspen decide adelantar su viaje a Fertsville para visitar a sus padres porque algo terrible estaba ocurriendo en su carrera. El novio de su mejor amiga la estaba acusando de haberse propasado con él, de haber intentado tener algo más que una amistad con él, y su amiga no contestaba sus llamadas, lo que solo podía significar una cosa: ella estaba creyendo las palabras cargadas de mentiras de ese hombre. Su reputación estaba cada vez más por los suelos, sus fanáticos dudaban de ella y los medios de comunicación la destrozaban.

Al llegar a su hogar, se encuentra con nada más y nada menos que a Roman, su primer y gran amor. Ella no necesitaba darle explicación de la situación, él la conocía mejor que nadie, sabía que era incapaz de hacerle una cosa así a una persona que amaba. Cuando Aspen era adolescente, creía que pasaría toda su vida al lado de Ronan, pero la vida los llevó por caminos muy diferentes. A pesar de todo, habían logrado sanar las heridas y continuar como amigos.

Para despejar la mente de Aspen, su padre decide ofrecerles un trabajo a ella y a Ronan, con quien se había vuelto muy cercano a lo largo de los años. El trabajo consistía en montar una obra de teatro para los festejos de Navidad de la iglesia a la que asistía todos los domingos de su vida. Ambos aceptaron sin dudar, sin saber que solo sería una excusa para volver a encontrarse y reemplazar muchas cuestiones del pasado.

Voy a ser sincera, comencé a leer este libro por su título porque sabía que estaba inspirado en una canción de Taylor Swift, pero no esperaba mucho más porque pensaba que solo tendría referencias a la artista. A ver, sí que las tiene, por ejemplo, el personaje de Roman es bastante similar a Taylor Lautner y la "cancelación" de Aspen me recuerda un poco a todo el problema que Tay tuvo con Kanye. Pero la verdad es que la historia es muy original y va más allá de lo que una Swiftie como yo hubiese deseado.

La historia toca temas muy sensibles como la manipulación a mujeres jóvenes, el abuso y el aprovechamiento de personas que están triunfando en su trabajo. También me interesó mucho estar leyendo el punto de vista de la celebridad que está sufriendo el escándalo; siempre estamos acostumbrados a leer lo que los medios escriben o dicen sobre ellos y a partir de ahí los juzgamos. No es que no lo haya pensado antes, pero está bueno recordar de vez en cuando que ellos también son humanos, que sienten como cualquiera de nosotros.

El libro es muy musical y eso me encanta, pero lo que más me gustó fue el desarrollo de los personajes. Vemos a una Aspen que nos muestra cómo fue evolucionando, de una adolescente sin confianza a una persona que afrontó cada uno de sus miedos para cumplir sus sueños, y luego volver a hacerlo después de uno de los momentos más difíciles de su carrera. Luego tenemos a Roman, desde el primer momento en que es presentado en la historia, podemos comprender que es un chico lleno de amor, seguro de que los demás pueden lograr todo si se lo proponen. Durante todo el libro pensé que era perfecto, pero poco a poco me di cuenta de que él apoyaba tanto a Aspen (lo hacía genuinamente) porque se lo merecía, pero también para ocultar sus propias inseguridades, y eso me hizo apreciarlo mucho más.

Este libro es una lectura ligera, divertida y muy interesante. Me gustó mucho que la escritora haya decidido alternar los capítulos con las líneas temporales, presente y pasado, porque se me hizo más entretenido y conocer con más profundidad el origen de esa bonita relación.

Si no estoy equivocada, me parece que la autora tiene quince años, así que estoy convencida de que su pluma irá enriqueciéndose con el paso del tiempo, pero la felicito porque me ha sorprendido muchísimo y para bien.

Swifties, si están buscando un libro inspirado en Taylor Swift, y que el trope sea sobre segundas oportunidades, no duden en leer 'Tis the Damn Season de Kimi Freeman.

I’m a sucker for anything Taylor Swift and the title of this book immediately caught my eye! This was a sweet romance between our 23 year old actress/singer Aspen and her hometown on-and-off boyfriend Roman. Aspen has experienced some unfair negative media attention and decides to spend a few months in her home town to lay low when she meets back up with Roman.

We see their relationship from the present view and from their past. I liked seeing how the met and fell in love. Though I’ve never met a boy in high school that was that self-aware! This is a sweet cozy romance, though there is a trigger warning for sexual assault. We did not get any details, just a very brief overview of the fallout. Overall this is an easy read and I would say more geared to a young adult audience.

As a side note, I loved the playlist that the author put together! Each chapter had its own song which was a great way to enjoy the book. I may or may not have created a new playlist!

Thank you to NetGalley and Parson Press for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC copy.

2/5 ⭐️

First of all, I just wanna say that I was actually really really excited for this ARC. ‘tis the damn season is one of my absolute favorite taylor swift song and I was so excited to read a book based on it. I literally just got this ARC yesterday night and finished it in less than 24 hours but unfortunately everything about it fell flat.

Everything felt so surface level; the setting, the characters, their love story. I couldn’t really connect with anyone because I really didn’t know anything about them. The book was a little bit short so there was definitely place to explore the characters more individually. That would have definitely helped.
There was also no real drama, since ‘tis the damn season was such an angsty song I was expecting a more dramatic breaking point and maybe some unresolved issues between the characters. Even though there were some big plot points, none of them made me gasp because, as I said, it felt too surface level.

Also while I do like short chapters, these ones were waaay too short. And since it was dual timeline and a constant back and forth, I could never really get into the book because we kept changing settings and timelines.

While I like the idea of basing books off of taylor swift songs, it is getting a bit overdone and falls flat if not executed well.

I really enjoyed reading this! Such a sweet plot with some of my favourite tropes - first loves, forced proximity, dual timeline, small town romance. You couldn’t help but root for Aspen both in her romantic life and her professional life, and Roman was one of the nicest love interests I’ve come across in a while, even if he’s got a grumpy streak. At times the speech felt a little simplistic and things moved quite quickly without time for it to really develop, but I enjoyed it over all and it’s a great debut, especially for such a young author!

Thank you NetGalley and Kimi for this ARC for my honest review.

"I recently finished reading 'Tis the Damn Season' by Kimi Freeman, and it was an absolute delight! This sweet romance had me swooning over the captivating love interest, Roman, and the cute moments between him and Aspen. The switches between past and present added depth to the story, while Aspen's relatable high school experiences and her growth throughout the novel made her character truly shine. Kimi Freeman's writing style had me completely hooked, and I couldn't put the book down until I reached the satisfying conclusion. If you're in the mood for a heartwarming love story filled with surprising twists, 'Tis the Damn Season' is the perfect read!"
100% Recommended!

** 3.5 stars **

If there is a venn diagram of Taylor Swift fans and Christmas fans, I am in the middle of it. So when this book came up on NetGalley I had no hestiation in requesting it.

The story is pretty much your typical Hallmark Christmas movie plot - big fish back to her small pond hometown and reuinites with her on and off again high school sweetheart. Much like the Taylor Swift Song of the same name, 'Tis the Damn Season shows how good the road not taken can look. It's a simple story with a bit of a predictable ending, but who doesn't love a happy ending in a Christmas book?

I will say that there should probably be some trigger warnings on this book for SA and I think I spotted a couple of spelling mistakes/errors in the text.

If you're looking for a literary masterpiece, this isn't it. But it is a good bit of cheese with a sprinkling of Taylor Swift lyrics and a festive theme.

TTDS was a cute rom com with a lot of heart but not as much chemistry. I really enjoyed the dual timeline, the chapters named after song titles, and the Taylor Swift references scattered throughout, and I thought it was impressive for a debut novel from such a young author. Even though it my not be my favorite romance of the year, it was enjoyable if slow-paced and definitely a fun read for Swifties!

3.5 i mean, if you’re going to write a book based off one of my favorite taylor songs of all time, i am most definitely going to read it. i really did enjoy it, it was cute. i did struggle with the connection with the characters. but overall, it was a short, simple, cute read with a bunch of taylor references.

thanks to NetGalley and publishers for this arc.

Firstly, I cannot believe the author was only 16 when writing this! Definitely one to watch for the future!

On to the book! I loved the concept and I think on the whole this is a decent book. My main issues are that there isn’t enough character development for my taste, and everything felt very sudden and brief. I think this is more young adult than new adult in my opinion as the characters also felt quite young in my opinion.

Definitely a cute read all the same. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion

I loved this book. Despite not really listening to Taylor Swift,the references didn't put me off and I loved the central relationship!

I was hooked by the title and yes, the entire book has so many lovely Tay Swift references, any swiftie would love this book so much. I love how the author took the idea of the broken hearts in this song and turned it into a healthy friendship and second-chance relationship on page! It was so refreshing and fun to read a second chance relationship where the first chance's breakup was based on mature communication, it created a whole different kinda angst on page to see the present relationship development!

I also liked the various side plots in this story, everything was paced so well!

TWs - invasion of privacy by media, false accusation of cheating leading to a scandal, sexual assault of a woman by a man in a position of power

-- ty to the author, the publisher and Netgalley for an advanced copy!

I enjoyed this book for many reasons. First of all, it is Taylor Swift related....lots of references to songs throughout - along with the chapter titles. I liked the MFC, Aspen, who is a Hollywood star who is facing drama and rumours about her career and her friends. She flees to her hometown in Pennsylvania. While there she connects with her ex-flame Rome from high school. The chemistry between these two was spot on! It was a fast, easy read. I wish there was more descriptions in some scenes as they seemed abrupt. Other than that, it was a book I recommend to my friends. I look forward to reading more from this author, as this is Kimi's debut novel.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.