I’m really enjoying this trend of retellings of The Holiday in publishing right now. I’ll Be Gone for Christmas was a cute, charming, slow-burn romance that I had a fun time reading.

Two women swap homes and then find themselves falling for people in each other’s lives, including the sister of one and the ex-fiancé of the other.

This was a nice, light read. The pacing was a bit choppy in places, but I overall had a good time with it.

This book was like wrapping yourself in a blanket fresh from the dryer with a mug of peppermint hot chocolate in hand.
It follows Bee and Clover—two strangers who swap homes for the holidays (hello, dreamy house-swap trope ). Bee’s burnt out in San Francisco, and Clover’s trying to heal from loss in small-town Ohio. What they find in each other's worlds is more than just a change of scenery—think love, healing, self-discovery... and a lot of twinkly Christmas lights.I loved the dual POVs—it made me fall for both women equally. And the way Boone explores grief, family, and fresh starts? Gentle and heartfelt. Plus, the festive vibes were chef’s kiss.

A strong debut novel by Georgia K Boone! This was a slow burn Sapphic romance that gives off The Holiday vibes when the two girls switch houses during the holidays. I liked the diverse representation, and that it felt like a cozy read. I think i would have liked it a little more during the holidays, but it's not super holidays oriented.

I'll for sure be keeping my eye out for future books by this author!

The sweetest holiday romance with two lovely romances featuring Black female main characters.
I didn't anticipate enjoying the house swap concept as much as I did but the country mouse/city mouse aspect was executed in a charming way. Appreciated having a majority non-white characters, including a sapphic romance between two women of color.

This was so sweet. It was just like a hallmark movie and I loved it. I wish it was a little bit longer so we could get more development in the relationships.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review of I'll Be Gone for Christmas by Georgia K Boone. Unfortunately, I was unable to view it before it was archived. I look forward to finding it at my local library, online, or independent bookstore.

Thanks Avon and NetGalley for the gifted DRC book.

I loved this queer holiday romance that delivered all the feels! The characters had depth and each of their dual storylines was engaging. I’d absolutely read this cozy slow burn again.

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.