'Tis the Damn Season is a beautifully woven tale of love, sacrifice, and the rediscovery of one's roots. Aspen Moore, the epitome of Hollywood glamour, finds herself at a crossroads when a scandal rocks her seemingly perfect world. Forced back to her hometown in Pennsylvania, she faces her past, including her first love, Roman Torres.

The story, told in a captivating dual timeline, showcases Aspen's life amid the glittering lights of fame and her nostalgic return to her small-town origins. Freeman's skilful storytelling skillfully captures the dichotomy of Aspen's reality, juxtaposing her Hollywood facade with the raw, authentic connections from her past. Aspen and Roman's rekindled bond is the heart of this novel. The chemistry between them crackles off the pages, drawing readers into their push-and-pull dynamic. Their relationship is a delicate dance, laden with unspoken emotions, longing gazes, and palpable tension. Freeman masterfully crafts their interactions, painting a vivid picture of two souls torn between the comfort of the past and the allure of the present.

The narrative unfolds with a tender exploration of Aspen's internal conflict, her emotional vulnerability, and her struggle to reconcile her ambitions with matters of the heart. The portrayal of her personal growth and introspection adds depth to the storyline, making her journey of self-discovery relatable and impactful. Moreover, the novel's holiday backdrop adds a touch of warmth and nostalgia, making it a perfect seasonal read. Freeman's vivid descriptions beautifully capture the essence of the festive season, creating a cosy ambience that envelops the reader.

It is an emotive and engaging romance that transcends the boundaries of time and space. Kimi Freeman’s eloquent prose and well-crafted characters resonate with authenticity, offering a poignant reminder of the enduring power of love and second chances. It's a heartwarming tale that will surely resonate with fans of contemporary romance seeking a story that will tug at their heartstrings and leave them yearning for more.

I’m very disappointed but I just couldn’t finish this book! I did see that the author is only 16 and it’s a brilliant achievement for her, but as other reviews say additional work could be done to clear it up. Likewise marketing it as a YA rather than for an adult audience would be more suitable, even if the age of the characters comes down.

I love the idea and the overall concept, as I adore the inspiration of the song title, but the execution was just off for me. The nicknames really irritated me too and I felt the story had no depth, despite it being about an ongoing relationship. Definitely more of a YA feel and could be marketed that way with some tweaks.

An incredible achievement for the author though and at such a young age!

As a huge fan of Taylor Swift, I was super excited to read a romance novel based on one of Swift’s songs. And while I liked the idea that the author was going for, unfortunately this one missed the mark for me. It’s supposed to be a new adult romance but it reads very much like a YA novel. As I was reading it, the book was giving me Wattpad vibes (but not in a good way unfortunately.) I felt like the story moved very fast but lacked context during so many parts. A few thing’s absolutely irked me including Aspen’s nickname: Pen/Penny. Why would you shorten Aspen to that. I just couldn’t stand that nickname. Also Roman (the MMC) calls her a pet name (for the first time) but the FMC notes that he calls her that name all the time. Keep in mind that she just returned home and has just seen him for the first time in a long while.
Later in the book you eventually find out that they do see each other every time Aspen comes home (when taking a break from her pop star duties) and they hook up. You don’t know that until way later in the book and I rink that’s something that needs to be mentioned earlier. Otherwise their reunion at the beginning feels super weird.
While there are a bunch of things I didn’t enjoy about this book, I liked the playlist at the beginning of the book. Those are always fun to see in novels.

This author is very young and it’s evident in the writing of this book. If they had held off publishing, I think it could’ve been cleaned up and it would make for a great romance. But unfortunately this one was disappointing.

I loved the concept of the story and the second chance aspect. It was so fun including a playlist. The book was cute, but seemed like Taylor Swift or someone similar fan fiction.

This was a very cute, Christmas (without being too Christmasy) vibe! I loved all of the Swiftie references, reading about a singer and also getting the small town vibes. Also, the author wrote this at FIFTEEN! I think that is incredible and amazing. I think as Kimi Freeman continues to write more her books will become incredible romance novels.

I do think that with the age of the author, this would have been a little more successful as a YA book but I also understand being a teen and wanting to be *risqué*. I think this would be a good book for an easy read over the holidays. I loved that each chapter had a song attached to it. :)

Thank you NetGalley for the free copy for my honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing a digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. The novel is driven more by the love story and musical aspect - main character Aspen is an actress and pop star who is clearly still in love with her high school boyfriend Rome and each chapter title is addressed with a Taylor Swift song or other artist's song. The story just happens to take place during the Christmas season when Aspen and Rome reconnect when she returns to their small town and they volunteer to put on the annual Christmas show; that's where the Christmas feels start and stop. The story is mainly about their on/off relationship and where they stand currently. If you're looking for a full on Hallmarky Christmas story, this is not it....but if you're looking for a cute love story, this is a good read.

what a heartwarming, beautiful story to kickstart the holiday season!

such a unique take on romance. each chapter name is the title of a well known song (most being taylor swift songs.) i loved this take because it gives you an idea what’s to come in Aspen and Romans’ relationship.
along with each new chapter starting as a new song, the timeline switches between past and present with each new chapter. i loved this take as well, it allows you to really feel the whole story and go on this journey of love and growth with the characters.
it was perfectly laid out story!

if you are a swiftie who loves love, this is a must read!

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced copy of ‘Tis the Damn Season by Kimi Freeman. Super cute Christmas book. Fast paced. Second chance romance. Absolutely loved it!

This book is based on a Taylor Swift song which immediately got me interested. I really liked the premise of this book and felt that it was going to meet my expectations. Unfortunately it did not, I felt that this book was written by a teenager, the same sort of lines as fan-fiction. I skim-read through most of the book as I really did not enjoy some of the writing style present in the novel.
I liked how the book presented the reader with a backstory for the main character Aspen, however I felt it lacked depth and some description was not necessary and again, felt quite immature.
I feel this book would have benefitted from more depth and maybe a dual point of view from Roman.

After reading this book, I learned that it was written by a teenage girl. Which is quite impressive for her age, but does not make for a good read for an adult, contemporary romance reader. The story was very childish and contained any editing errors. I feel like the maturity/experience level just wasn't there.

It was a fun book. I enjoyed the idea of it being based around the Taylor swift song. But it was difficult to connect with the characters

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.

although i wasn’t a fan of the overall writing, i enjoyed this cute read! roman was amazing and kind and gentle. he was so selfless in supporting aspen, i loved it! i’m a huge sucker for christmas books (+ taylor swift) and this was a perfect mix of both! i also enjoyed the dual timeline.

this was a cute, simple romance book that’s a perfect pallet cleanser between books! i really enjoyed this book because the plot was easy to follow and it was a quick read. i read it in 2 sittings. i would highly recommend!

Ok, so where to start?
I actually loved this book more than what I was expecting
This story follows Aspen, a pop-star caught in a scandal. She goes back to her hometown and meets her first love, Roman.
So much going on, celeb drama, heartbreak, loss, undeniable fire burning love, etc.
This is the perfect holiday read tbh! i love a good second chance romance and their love was so pure, i was just blushing and kicking my feet all the time.
This book has a past/present timeline, short chapters and a lot of Taylor Swift references ;)
It truly kept me interested, I had to read it in one sitting.
It is an amazing debut novel and I loved it, I just wish that we could have gotten Roman's pov.
I stayed up all night finishing this book, that is when i know that a book was THIS good.
I received this ARC from NetGalley and the publishers to read/review. All of the statements above are my true opinions after reading this book.

tropes:
second chance romance
holiday romance
one bed
small town
closed door

LOVED. Nothing more I love than a dual timeline and a fantastic strong minded FMC. Swifties will love it. But the nods to the song aren’t so strong that people will miss out if they’re not. 11/10

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for providing a copy of this ebook in exchange for an honest review.

I'm sold after I read that this book is set around Christmas time, and about second chance romance, plus this book have Taylor Swift references. ''tis the damn season is a quick romance book to read during Christmas time. The premise seems promising to me, however there are some things that sadly I didn't enjoy when I read it.

First, this book is labeled as new adult category which makes sense because the main character Aspen is 23 years old. But, the writing made the characters a little bit childish with how they acted. Okay, so Roman is the male mc and also Aspen's first love. He's short-tempered and that could jeopardize Aspen's reputation. The lack of communication between them are not fun to read either. I feel like if this book was set in high school and labeled as YA I can understand it more.

The chapters that goes from the past to present timeline was okay, I love the past storyline to understand the characters better but I was expecting more from the present storyline. I love how the author put song titles at the beginning of every chapter.

Overall, a good and enjoyable book! The fact that the author is only 16 and she already published this book is amazing! I know that she have the potential to go big with her writing! I hope she can improve her writing and I truly look forward to her next book if she's planning to write more!

A cute little holiday read. Perfect for swifties! Loved the forced proximity and small town. Wasn't life changing but still a good fluff read.

Lovely, lovely book, I love it super cute and cozy!
Highly recommended 💕
Thanks Netgalley and the publisher for the copy

This was a super quick read. And it had me till the 75% mark. I loved the dual timeline. Getting to see Rome and Aspen and how they started out was sweet. I loved how close he was with her family. The story of her coming home to get away from LA life was fun and them helping out with the play was cute. However, I didn't appreciate the way they treated Aspen. Did she over react when her dad had his accident? Yes. But rightfully so. They all made her feelings seem insignificant for something she just learned about it!! And the fact that they told Rome before her was a low blow. I also was confused on when they got together in the present time? It felt like Rome was constantly pushing for it just for her to be like we can't do this and then the next chapter they were holding hands. I also was kinda annoyed about how she spent the whole book hung up on her friendship with Sierra just to be over it in a paragraph. All in all it was a fun little read. Loved the Playlist and T. Swift references.