This book has a great balance of romance and commentary for a Christmas book!. I loved how the story was told. It follows two girls trying to figure out life and love, by trading homes. It wasn’t corny like some romance books but it does have great Christmas themes and events but not so much that it boggles down the story . I highly recommend !

I was really hopeful that I would love this cozy slightly sapphic romance more than I did. Billed as being perfect for lovers of The Holiday, I was slightly disappointed by the lack of development between our characters. While I felt Clover’s side of the story was pretty well fleshed out, Bee’s side lacked the same chemistry and action. And both sides had so many different side characters that I really struggled to keep up with who was related to or friends with who. Cozy, but not something I’ll reach for again in future holiday seasons.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon/Harper Voyager for the eARC in exchange for my honest review!

I mean it's a clear The Holiday inspired Christmas rom-com. I loved that it's updated for current times by using an app to connect our swap and how each person's life adds a good fit to the other. I really enjoyed the bath that both Bee and Clover took during the story and having them connect via the app instead of being friends themselves I think let you focus more on their individual growth.

This was a great Holiday read, but I could enjoy this any time of the year!

I thought this book had a really nice premise and I was super excited to read it, it was the first Christmas book I picked up for the season! I ended up being a bit disappointed though because I had such high expectations. The story was overall cute and entertaining, it just lacked the depth that I wanted it to have. I thought that the main characters were done well, I felt a connection to each of their personal histories, but a bit more so with Clover as I felt Bee’s background was less developed. I felt the opposite with their respective stories in the book though, as I often wanted to skip to Bee’s POV rather than read Clover’s. I didn’t feel very connected to the side characters (except for Clover’s dad, he’s the best), which made it hard for me to get into the romances. I also thought the romances were quite rushed so I wasn’t really invested in them. I think it could have been better if the characters and their relationships had had more depth.

This has everything someone looks for in a Christmas romance. I've a read few romances with house swaps, a la The Holiday, and not all of them work, but Georgia K. Boone balances both of her characters and their romances well. This follows Clover, a farmer, and Bee, a writer working at a tech startup in San Francisco, who decide to swap houses over the holidays. Both of them are likable, although Clover definitely had a little more depth. Clover falls for Bee's sister after being closeted and engaged to a man for most of her life, and Bee falls for her ex-fiance. Both romances are super sweet, and I enjoyed seeing these characters grow and embrace the things that make them different. I do think everything from the romance to familial connections to Clover's journey with her sexuality felt kind of surface level. I could've used 50-100 more pages to develop all of this, but as a holiday romance, this does its job and I don't think most readers are expecting deep character exploration. Yes, it could use an epilogue, but its sweet, and I think it would be a nice edition to our library's collection of holiday romances, while adding diversity.

I’ll Be Gone for Christmas has all the makings of a cozy holiday rom-com: a charming house-swap premise, small-town Christmas vibes, and two parallel love stories that will warm your heart. It’s a quick and festive read, perfect for getting into the holiday spirit, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that it needed a bit more time to fully shine.

The story felt like it skipped over some much-needed relationship development, with the last four chapters packing in all the drama and resolution. It left me wondering how these couples were planning to make long-distance work in the long run.

That said, the cozy holiday vibes were spot-on, making it a light and fun escape for the season. If you’re looking for a festive read that doesn’t tie every detail up in a neat little bow but still leaves you with a smile, I’ll Be Gone for Christmas is a great choice to curl up and enjoy the Christmas holiday!

This slow burn, adorable, holiday romance was the perfect read for the season! The characters are so likable and loved seeing how they grew during the story. Loved all of the characters that are in the story, but there were some times when too many characters were making it hard to keep track of.

This low angst romance is the perfect book for anyone in love with the Holiday and queer hallmark movies. I will absolutely be recommending this book to everyone that I know.

Thank you NetGalley for this gifted copy.

The Holiday is one of my favorite movies so I had really high hopes for this book and unfortunately it fell flat. I didn't really like either of the main characters and found the story boring and it didn't hold my attention.

Thank you Avon Books and HarperCollins for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I watch The Holiday every December, so when I heard about a sapphic book coming out with the same premise—two strangers swap houses over the holidays and fall in love with people from each other’s lives—I knew I had to pick it up. As you’d expect, we have two main characters: Clover, who left her fiance last year after realizing she’s a lesbian, and Bee, who just lost a $500,000 contract for the company she runs with her sister. Both of them need an escape this holiday, so they swap houses. Clover visits San Francisco to live her baby queer dreams, and Clover escapes the hustle of the tech world in a cozy cottage in Salem, Ohio.

This is a very cozy story about self-acceptance and discovering love in unexpected places. The romances—one M/F, one F/F—both develop slowly. Clover begins to fall for Bee’s sister, Beth, and Bee begins to fall for Clover’s ex, Knox. Especially when it comes to Bee and Knox, this is a complicated situation, so it makes sense that they aren’t quick to rush into anything. As for Clover, she originally is looking for the girl she kissed in high school, Hailey, who moved to San Francisco after graduation. Bee’s cold and intimidating sister Beth is not on her radar, at least not at first.

One thing I really appreciated about this romance is that the friendships and sibling relationships have their own arcs, too. Clover and Knox grew up together and were best friends. Everyone assumed they’d always be together. Knox is heartbroken by their break-up, and Clover struggles to give him space while missing their closeness—she still loves him, just not romantically. The relationship between them isn’t totally resolved at the end, but it’s at least moving towards repair.

Meanwhile, Bee and Beth have constantly butted heads. Beth is the one who is always completely together. Bee is the irresponsible (but creative) mess. Their parents demand excellence from them, and Bee feels like she’s always failing in their eyes, especially next to Beth. As we get to know Beth better in Clover’s point of view chapters, we realize Bee doesn’t have the complete story. Like Knox and Clover, their relationship is not perfect by the end, but it is heading in a hopeful direction.

I liked Beth and Clover’s romance, but for me, it was just one part of Clover’s queer coming of age in San Francisco. Just as important is her discovering what it would be like to have a queer community around her and being able to be her authentic self without fear of judgement. Between the dual romance and the beginning of Clover’s story being more focused on Hailey, there isn’t a ton of time devoted to Beth and Clover, but I liked what we got, especially seeing Beth from a different perspective after being introduced to her through Bee’s eyes.

If you’re looking for a cozy Christmas read, this is a great choice. I’m also glad to see a sapphic Christmas story with Black main characters, because holiday romances tend to be anything but diverse. Hopefully we’ll get many more diverse seasonal romances soon!

This was an interesting twist on The Holiday! Loved the "big city/small town" element, and the fact that both main characters had complex and compelling storylines. One of my favorite holiday reads this year!

In a slew of holiday books, this one was a standout! I loved the characters and the unique settings. The romances were authentic and so sweet. This was adorable!

I saw the cover, I read the synopsis, it reminded me of the Holiday, and I applied for the arc. Simple as that. I love the movie The Holiday (for the plot ehem of course), and this definitely gave me similar vibes 💫

And oh who does not sometimes just want to escape everything and spend Christmas someplace new all by themselves? Just me?

This book is for you if you want small town, cozy farm vibes on one side, and a new girl in a big city on the other. I loved the concept (duh), the vibes, the characters, the Christmas spirit, etc.
But even though I love a short book for in between and this was perfect to read on my train ride home from uni for Christmas, it was a bit too short. It either had to be longer or the plots reduced.
This book talks about sexuality, difficulties with jobs, toxic relationships, the death of a family member, getting over your ex, different family dynamics, long-distance relationships, and so much more, all while it's Christmas with events and lots of characters and oh yeah, all the falling in love stuff. It felt like a lot at times, and some topics got dealt with too quickly, and the ending felt rushed and too easy.

Overall, I did enjoy reading the book, and I am such a sucker for winter in the busy City but also in the snow in a small town, so I love that because for once I did not have to choose.

Thank you, Netgalley, Avon and Harper Voyager, and Georgia K. Boone, for the advanced reader copy. I leave this review voluntarily.

The Holiday but make it queer and black? SAY LESS. Five stars, chef’s kiss, no notes. Give me everything this author writes in the future.

If you love The Holiday this book is perfect for you. This book follows two separate love stories during the holiday season after a home swap. Bee and Clover both have their reasons for wanting to escape their normal day to day life to spend the holidays somewhere else. One trying to escape their busy city life and career while the other is avoiding her first holiday season without her mom and after breaking an engagement to her lifelong friend. This is the perfect holiday romcom and I'm so happy I read it during the holiday season.

The Holiday is one of my favorite Christmas movies, so books that mention it in the blurb always grab my attention. This one was cute and I liked it well enough. The characters and their relationships were decent once I got everyone straight. I wouldn't say this was a particularly memorable rom com, but it was sweet and easy to read.

I read an ARC of this book from NetGalley. All comments are my own.

An adorable house swap Christmas rom-com with barely any drama. Bea and Clover each need a change of pace for the holidays--but they weren't expecting to fall in love while they were at it! This was such a sweet romance. Definitely a new holiday favorite for me.

This is definitely my favorite holiday romance that I’ve read this year! I did like Clover’s chapters more than Bee’s but I think I was just so excited for her to experience queer community 😭 I do think that the end wrapped up a bit too quickly and both relationships seemed to magically get very serious overnight. But I liked ALL of the characters and had a great time!!

I’ll Be Gone for Christmas has all the makings of a warm holiday rom-com: a charming house-swap premise, small-town Christmas vibes, and two parallel love stories. It’s a quick, cozy read that’s perfect for getting into the holiday spirit, but I couldn’t help feeling like it needed just a bit more time to shine.

The story felt like it skipped over some much-needed relationship development. The last four chapters packed in all the drama and resolution, leaving me wondering how these couples were planning to make long-distance work.

That said, the cozy vibes were on point, and I really enjoyed spending time in both Salem and San Francisco. If you’re looking for a light, festive escape, this is a fun one to curl up with—just don’t expect all the details to be tied up in a perfect bow.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a review copy of this book.

"I've always thought you were gorgeous, but also kind of scary?"

As always with a story with multiple POVs, I ended up preferring Clover's to Bee's. We do start the story with Bee, a sad girl in business with her twin sister. Their parents sound horrific, but 'tis the season and all that!

Bee lives in San Francisco. Clover lives in Ohio. I forgot where. It doesn't matter. How their stories intertwine is Bee's friend Ayana's app Vacate, where you can switch homes with someone. So Bee travels to Ohio, and Clover to San Francisco.

Clover legit works on a farm. Her farmhand is also her ex-fiancée. In her youth, she kissed her best friend Hailey, and was probably in love with her, but her mom said she didn't "raise her that way," whatever the hell that's supposed to mean. Just kidding. I know what that means. Fuck her. Anyway, turns out Hailey lives in San Francisco. Surprise. Not.

Bee's dating life is worse. Every time they mention her ex Roger, I gag a little inside. And I'm currently on dating apps. It's bad out there. Stay safe. Stay married. So if you think this is a second chance romance where Clover and Hailey end up together, think again. As you know, it's my least favorite trope. But back to Bee. And Bee's twin, Beth. And their horrid parents, who are horrid to Bee because she sucks at business minded things, but also equally horrid to Beth because she is queer.

And lo and behold if Beth didn't leave something she needed at Bee's while Clover was staying there. And the queer community is very, very small. So when Clover makes some new Castro friends, Beth ends up there, too. Surely we're not shocked.

And on the other side of that, farmhand Knox gets hit on by every woman in Ohio. But he has no idea why. But he is feeling some things for Bee. Things progress for everyone.

📱 Thank you to NetGalley and Avon

This was set up really cute and I loved that there was a variety of representation in each story line. For a shorter book the characters had some struggles that were addressed and I found that to be interesting! What brought the story down from a 4 star to a 3 star is that the romance was incredibly rushed (especially with one POV). One second the character is upset over a lost "what if" relationship and the next chapter she is head over heels in love with someone else. I would have loved to see that romance develop better. However it was short and I was entertained so I am glad I read this one.