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.

This was a super cute second chance romance that also gives the readers a behind the scenes look at what celebrities can go through. The relationship between Roman and Aspen was so strong, even after all the years they had been apart. I loved the two different timelines as the chapters in the past helped build upon moments mentioned in the chapters in the present. I thoroughly enjoyed this and cannot wait to read more from this author!

As a true Taylor Swift fan, I got hooked with the inclusion of t swift songs at the front of the book. Aspen Moore is a famous actor and music artist having a rough time in LA due to a scandal involving an indie band lead singer and her former best friend Sierra. Wanting to escape and enjoy the holidays, Aspen returns home to be with family and her former love Roman Torres. These books bounces between timelines interweaving various songs to the chapter titles to create a wonderful reading experience. It’s a very sweet story of redemption and heart. I will say I really enjoyed seeing Aspen become a star. This book is not super spicy but overall a great read

I really wanted to love 'Tis the Damn Season, but ultimately, I felt like a lot of elements fell flat for me — I wanted more character development, more of a critique on Hollywood and what being a celebrity entails, and just more. There were some heavier topics that were introduced and then glossed over near the end as well that I felt like would've benefited from discussion.

I received an ARC of this book and I am leaving a review voluntarily :)

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

As a swiftie, this book was everything i’ve ever dreamed of and more🥹 The fact that the author wrote this at such a young age is super impressive, and has made me insipred to write a book!!

This book had everything i’d ever wanted in a romance!Cute + clean (lack of smut) romance is not something that usually interests me, however this book did everything right! Taylor swift references galore, IE they visited a Christmas Tree farm (Taylor was brought up on one.) As well as this, at the top of every chapter, a song was given, and I actually ended up making a playlist and listening while reading. This book even came with a playlist at the beginning of the book!

Tis the Damn Season made me feel so many emotions (Anger, Sadness, Happiness) Which I do not experience with every book. I absolutely loved how everything was resolved, and loved the Karma (See what I did there😉) that all of her critics and betrayers received. This book did need some slight editing (Due to typos) but other than that I thoroughly enjoyed :)

If you are looking for an entertaining speedy and clean romance read, I definitely reccomend this!!

First I want to thank NetGalley, and Kimi Freeman for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

“Tis the Damn Season” follows Aspen, a small town girl turned Hollywood star, on her journey through a scandal. On this journey she decides to return home for the Christmas holiday where she runs into her ex boyfriend and friend, Roman. As the reader we get a dual timeline to better understand the past of their relationship.

I’m blown away that this is a debut novel! Kimi has some real talent! Plus she’s a swiftie ❤️

This is a book that contains:
*holiday theme (Christmas)
*second chance
*friends to lovers
*dual timeline

Overall, this is a cute, cozy book that would be perfect to read with some hot chocolate around Christmas time ❤️💚

It was fine. There wasn't anything that stood out to me to keep me interested and I'm not a Swiftie, so the Swiftie thing was lost on me. It was cute and entertaining but forgettable.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this arc.

Aspen is famous, she does it all- sings and acts. When scandal erupts her life after coming home from a tour, she is ousted by all of her friends and media won’t let her catch a break. She heads home early for the holidays to get a break from it all and see her high school sweetheart. This is a second chance romance/rockstar troupe.

Not bad for a debut book. I liked the back and forth, thought the chapter font was a nice touch, as well as, the playlist, I would say the story was a bit boring at times.

Super, super cute read, especially for a debut novel!

I am a sucker for anything and everything Taylor Swift related, and <i> 'Tis the Damn Season </i> DELIVERED. All of the references to songs and the chapter titles rounded out the book nicely.

The main protagonist, Aspen, is a Hollywood starlet who is trying to overcome drama and rumors surrounding her career and friends. She escapes to her hometown in Pennsylvania, where she connects with her former high school flame, Rome. The scenes with the two and Aspen's family were some of my favorite moments in the book! Even though Aspen & Rome's chemistry was definitely adorable, I always love family interactions in romances.

My only complaint for this book is the pacing and length of the chapters. Though the short chapters made the book fly by, I found myself wishing that there were more details in certain chapters and less details in others. The pacing also wasn't great, but I was able to look past that because of the characters and story line.

Thanks to NetGallery for providing an ARC!