This book was good, though I feel like Roman and Aspen didn’t work together as a couple.

I felt like he only wanted to be with her after she made that post when the truth that she was raped came out. Because before that he was so determined that he wanted nothing to do about her actor/singing career

friend okay, but not as a couple. And then I get her dad not wanting to tell her while she was on tour but as soon as she was done, he should told her and he really shouldn’t have said anything to Roman until he told his daughter first. But nope. I did like Leila and sweet little Ella. 

Definitely impressive that a 15 year old lived out my teenage dreams and wrote her own book. The story was very sweet, but there were a fair number of typos that were hard to get through.

The story keeps this at a 5–though the narration had some issues. There were a lot of double recorded parts and a couple flubs Like saying ‘I’m Vanessa’s mom, Ella” instead of ‘I’m Vanessa, Ella’s mom’. It was still a great book though. 

A contemporary new adult romance meets Hallmark Christmas movie. 

This is great as a surface level, "bubblegum romance" type of book. 

Actress and singing sensation Aspen moves back to her small town in Pennsylvania after being caught in the middle of a cheating scandal. While at home, she reconnects with her best friend, and former boyfriend, Roman. The two are asked to direct the local's church kid's program. As the two spend more time together, they start to become closer and wonder if they're able to make a relationship work. The problem? Roman has expressed zero desire to live the celebrity lifestyle that Aspen lives. 


This is great as a cute, YA, romance without any large conflicts.

However, because it was so surface level, there wasn't much character growth and it felt like the conflicts were thrown into the story just because.
There were issues within the book that I felt like could have been given more attention (SPOILER: Aspen's SA and the Parkinson's diagnosis for her dad). Both instances were blown over and it felt like those conflicts were thrown in strictly to have them in the book. 

Overall, again, a great surface level romance book!
Thank you to Netgalley and Parsons Press for an eARC of this book! All opinions are my own!

I love Taylor Swift so when I saw the title
Of this book and read how it has Taylor swift references and “feels”, I knew I wanted to read it.

I just finished it and while it was a super cute holiday read, it’s not one that I would jump to recommend. Some of the “past” chapters I felt were pointless and unnecessary. 

I did keep in mind that a teenager wrote this and I’m super excited to see her come out with more books but if someone were to ask me if I liked this one, I would honestly say it was “alright”. Nothing really made me say “WOW” about it. 

I loved the story and how Aspen was navigating being in a small town and an “outcast” and then moving to LA and being a big star-much of like how celebrities are now. Some of the dialogue was repetitive and some of the conversations, I could tell she was trying to make you “feel” them talking but it was a lot of, “yes”, “no”, “yeah”, “love you”, and “love you too”. Again, I have to remember a teenager wrote it and that’s how teens talk but to have it in every single chapter got old.

Loved the story, a lot could have been left out or made better, the ending was rushed, but it was great as a debut novel. 

Roman and Aspen are each other’s favorite cardigan, truly. 

This was a cute novel with chapters of the past and present, painting us the story of Rome and Pen. They have an ever-lasting love that began in high school. But distance wasn’t doable when Aspen goes off to make it in LA. 

While the love story was a cute one, I felt like there were too many plot lines to follow. There is the love story, the loss of friendships, a new friendship, decline in health of the parents, songwriting, LA drama, and a Christmas play. It felt like a lot of loose ends to tie up and I felt some of the paths the story took were unnecessary.

It was a quick and cute read! 

 If you have ever read a song fic before you understand the vibes of this book.
The book tells the full timeline of Apen and Roman's relationship. With the current Aspen visiting her hometown to escape the drama of her LA life and the duo in high school starting with their budding relationship. Every chapter starts by telling you the song that channels that chapter's energy and the fun of following along with the playlist kept me energized in the parts that felt slow to me. It is a beautiful debut novel and a fun cozy holiday romance.
As much as I did enjoy the format and story...the characters were not some of my favorites and a few of the plot points felt a little rushed/flat. The flashbacks felt like they had so much more life in them and for me were some of the more enjoyable parts. It is very much inspired by Taylor Swift's songs, but that was never a turn-off for me.
Thank you to both NetGalley and the publisher for a copy in exchange for an honest review