Aspen Moore is a fascinating lead—glamorous and guarded, yet deeply vulnerable beneath the surface. When scandal sends her retreating from the spotlight to the small town she once left behind, she’s forced to confront the boy she never truly let go of: Roman Torres. Their chemistry crackles with every encounter, and their shared history adds layers of tension, heartache, and hope.

Told in a dual timeline that weaves the past into the present, the story unfolds with a lyrical tenderness that makes you root for these two, even when the odds—and geography—are against them. The setting is cozy and cinematic, the romance is swoony and slow-burning, and the emotions? All over the place—in the best possible way.

Perfect for fans of second chances, small-town holiday stories, and Taylor Swift’s most heart-wrenching lyrics, this is a love story that’ll break your heart and stitch it back together with every chapter.

A fun little holiday read featuring my favorite singer/songwriter. The crossover of Taylor Swift and holiday rom-com is what sold me on the story. The characters were fun and quirky, the dialogue was good and the storyline was entertaining.

I made a real effort this year trying to read more holiday romances and I was quite excited about this one.Shame it was not for me.
Thank you to Netgalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

**3-Star Review of *Tis the Damn Season* by Kimi Freeman**

*Kimi Freeman's *Tis the Damn Season* delivers a cozy, holiday-themed romance with plenty of heart and a dash of sass. The story follows Elle, who returns to her small hometown for the holidays and unexpectedly reconnects with her high school ex, setting the stage for a rekindled romance. With a setting filled with holiday cheer and some lighthearted humor, Freeman creates an easy, feel-good atmosphere perfect for the season.

The chemistry between Elle and her ex is engaging, and the playful banter keeps the romance entertaining. Freeman’s writing is witty and quick, which helps make the book a fast read. The holiday backdrop adds a nice festive touch, with family dynamics and small-town charm bringing warmth to the story.

However, while *Tis the Damn Season* is enjoyable, it feels fairly predictable and doesn't offer much beyond typical rom-com tropes. The characters, though likable, aren’t as fully developed as they could be, and the emotional depth of the romance is somewhat shallow. Some parts of the plot feel repetitive, and the pacing can drag at times.

Overall, *Tis the Damn Season* is a fun, light holiday read perfect for fans of cozy romances, but it doesn't offer anything particularly fresh or groundbreaking. It's an enjoyable escape, but not one that lingers long after the last page.

Unfortunately this wasn't for me. The characters felt very immature and the story just wasn't convincing. Wouldn't recommend this one :-(

"Tis the Damn Season" von Kimi Freeman ist eine romantische Geschichte über zweite Chancen und Selbstfindung.
Nach einem Karriereskandal kehrt Sängerin Aspen Moore in ihre Heimatstadt zurück und trifft auf ihre Jugendliebe Roman. Zwischen alten Gefühlen und neuen Herausforderungen muss sie sich entscheiden, was ihr wirklich wichtig ist. Mit starker Chemie zwischen den Hauptfiguren und charmanten Anspielungen auf Taylor Swift ist der Roman eine unterhaltsame Liebesgeschichte – auch wenn der jugendliche Ton nicht jedem gefallen dürfte.

Love the Taylor Swift inspiration, set in a dual timeline this story of two lovers is super heartwarming, great read.

I should've just known this was a no for me. I hate holiday romance books with a passion but I always convince myself that this will change.

So cute, cozy and Taylor themed 0 Great READ!
"Tis the Damn Season" was so sweet and cozy. Inspired by the song of the same name, the book tells the story of Aspen Moore, an actress and singer, who falls back in love with her high school sweetheart every time she visits her hometown. I liked the past and present alternating chapters because you got to see how their relationship developed and changed over time. They really seemed to care about each other, and there was chemistry. The author dives into the ugly parts of the entertainment industry. This book was just what I wanted it to be for a fun holiday read: fast-paced, cozy, just enough drama, and a good cast of characters.

All the Taylor Swift lyric easter eggs were so fun!

I'll be honest, as a swiftie, this title was the main thing that caught my eye but what I dove into was something so heart-warming and cosy and romantic, everything you could ask for!

This book!!!! The themed chapters with the songs for each chapters made me so excited to get to the next chapter. I loved that aspect. So clever! A heartwarming love story showing how true love prevails. The ending had me very emotional. I really enjoyed the celebrity drama in this as well.

DNF at 40%, so rated 2.5 and rounded down.

Whilst the obvious Taylor Swift vibes appealed to me I don't think me as a 30 something was the target audience, even though the characters were early 20 somethings. I commend the author for being so young when this was written, I just felt like I could tell throughout that the character's POVs didn't match the writing.

Thank you NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review. Best of luck to the author, I do hope to read more of your stories in the future.

This book is the perfect read for any Swifites looking for something Holiday themed and romantic! I loved reading it. The cover is perfect and it really caught my eye!

honestly this felt like a deeeeecent first draft that needs so much more work. it felt like reading about teenagers in high school but the characters were supposed to be adults? personalities were so flat and two dimensional and uninteresting. a lot of potential here for a fun cosy christmas romance but it fell quite flat unfortunately.

This was a cute fast paced holiday romance and while it wasn’t my favourite I definitely recommend it if you’re in the mood for a book with the vibes of a Christmas Hallmark movie. However, I would recommend checking/researching the trigger warnings before reading. This book did feel more like a YA contemporary romance rather than an adult romance (which is what it’s marketed as), but it was still an enjoyable book nonetheless.

I’m such a mood reader, Christmas is over but I have tons of Christmas books to read. I may or may not try to a Christmas in July challenge to finish and review all these Christmas romances. I’ll fix my reviews eventually! I promise

I was pleasantly surprised by this one, I had heard some mixed reviews before reading this, but I ended up really enjoying it. I liked the characters and I liked how the romance played out, I'm not always the biggest fan of second chance romance, but they way this was written with their history being when they were teenagers worked really well and made me really root for them to get their second chance as adults

I didn't really get into the book in the beginning; it didn't really pique my interest much. I think what saved it was the second half of the book, where it got progressively cuter, and Aspen had a character development.

2/5 Stars

This was not for me, I really thought I would love it especially given the title. I wasn't the biggest fan of the writing, and everything felt very young. I found myself getting very annoyed and frustrated with the characters and their choices. I think this would have been better as a YA book rather than an adult. The Flow of the story felt disjointed and wasn't great. Overall this just didn't do it for me.

Did I read this solely because the title is a Taylor song? Perhaps. Does the author know how to pull a specific audience? Likely, yes. This was cute! The main characters acted a bit immaturely at times, but who am I to judge. I read books depending on how closely related they are to the Swiftie universe.