Such a great, cozy holiday read!

I’ll Be Gone for Christmas is a “typical” rom-com, but with a ton of representation that not only feels refreshing.. it makes the characters incredibly relatable.

There were so many moments where I found myself wanting to be their best friend, or reach into the book and give them a big hug!

It’s a sweet, heartwarming closed-door rom-com with strong, positive sapphic representation. A few of the “typical” elements were either eye-rolling-ly transparent OR unrealistic, but that didn’t stop it from being a fun holiday read!

Thanks to Avon Books and Harper Voyager for the eARC via NetGalley!

This is a dual holiday romance that is perfect for fans of The Holiday. Bee works in tech in San Francisco and after a big screw up at the company she and her twin sister own, needs to get away from her judgmental family for the holidays. Clover is happy to escape her small town of Salem Ohio after losing her mom and ending things with her fiance in the last year.
This book is super charming and you get the best of all the worlds - a M/F relationship AND a F/F relationship. One takes place in a small town and the other takes place in a city. I think for me this didn't rate higher because it felt like the romance didn't actually start to build until the last 25% of the book, and because we were getting 2 different POVs for different romances neither one got enough time to really engage me. This flew by and I would have happily read a longer book in order to be able to give both relationships equal time. Loved the cast of secondary characters, especially all the queer friends Clover makes in San Francisco as she starts to discover herself. But unfortunately the friendships felt better developed than her relationship in the end.
Great for anyone looking for a festive quick read with Hallmark vibes but a diverse cast.

Queer romance with Black mcs just the right amount of slowburn!

I really enjoyed that there were two romance plots and the tropes involved in each. It was definitely Hallmarky so you have to be in the right mood for that I think. The spice level was lower but just right for what I wanted to read.
The book was fairly short but there was good on page character development. But there was a bit of a lack in the conclusion, it was just a bit anticlimactic.

This book was absolutely adorable! I have always loved the “switch places” storylines and this one did not disappoint. It was so fun reading how Bee and Clovers worlds collided. The descriptions of Salem were gorgeous, and really helped to paint a picture for the reader. The author also did a great job with writing the queer community representation in San Fran. I would love to read more about Clover and Beth in the future, and get a little more about their connection it didn't seem as full as Bee and Knox’s storyline.

This adorable retelling of The Holiday is the perfect queer romance for your holidays.
It is definitely a slow read, things didn’t feel like they were picking up till the last 30-20%. But both the FMCs are relatable and great personalities, this honestly includes all the side characters as well.
Lots of slow burn and fluff but not much spice so if that’s your thing this will be perfect for you.

Dual-POV
Slowburn
Queer and POC rep
Holiday themed

Thank you NetGalley, Avon, and Georgia K. Boone, for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I thoroughly enjoyed this one! Clover and Bee were such a delight. But I also enjoyed the side characters as well. I loved how both Clover and Bee needed the same thing. They needed to step away from their everyday lives and take a deep breath. I think they both needed to realize that there was so much more than what they knew and that stepping outside of their comfort zone challenged them in a way that they didn't know they needed.

I also enjoyed the fact that the people in Clover and Bee's life were supportive of the swap and how the swap made each of them grow in their own ways. And Clover and Beth!!!! I need an entire story about them because the banter between them was perfect and I wanted more of them.

I enjoy a good romance, but I love it even more when it's based around the holidays, a dual romance, or a house swap, and this book has all three! I loved the characters and the plot of it all. Bee and Clover are two women who are practically opposites, however the both need a break, so they decide to swap homes around Christmas. Both women find themselves someplace they'd never thought they'd be, yet deep down, both places hold something they both internally desire. Of course, they gain love interests while on vacation - Bee starts falling for Clover's ex fiancé, Knox, while Clover falls for Bee's twin sister, Beth.
This book is such a sweet, cozy read, perfect for the upcoming holidays. It definitely gives big city girl/ small town girl vibes,  grumpy x sunshine vibes, and everything in between! Absolutely loved it!

Thank you NetGalley, Avon and Harper Voyager, and Georgia K. Boone for this wonderful ARC!

A sweet swapped house dual romance that's perfect for the holidays!

Bee needs to get out of San Francisco and away from the unreasonable expectations of her family. After losing her mom and breaking off her engagement last year, Clover needs an escape from her Ohio farm. The two swap homes for the holidays, and both might find what (or who) they didn't know they needed.

I loved the friends Clover makes and the coziness of the town Bee finds. The romance is sweet if a bit fast, but it's a fun holiday story with some surface level growth.

(One romance is M/F, one is F/F.)

Thank you to NetGalley and publisher for the opportunity to read and review.

slow burn romance will always kill me and this was no exception. this book was a cute fluffy holiday romance. imagine like queer hallmark movies!

Thank you to NetGalley and Georgia K. Boone, for providing me with the arc I’ll be Gone for Christmas. My review is based on my opinions of the book.

I’ll be Gone for Christmas
Tropes: Forced Proximity
Representation: Black main female characters, Black Queer characters, Queer Characters, Interracial couples

This book is quite different because it has two female protagonists and tells each of their own stories. Bee Tyler is one of the main characters in the book. She is a writer for a tech company in San Francisco that she and her twin sister run together. Bee is the creative type and believes she is falling short in her role at the tech company. Her sister takes care of the coding and is the mastermind behind the whole operation. Bee feels like she failed her sister because she has finished her side of the project. The fear of failure and retribution from her sister causes her to agree to swap her home with a stranger. She does not tell anyone but her closest friends that she is leaving. Her friends convince her to use their Vacate app to arrange the house swap.
That stranger is Clover. Clover has her problems. She is still grieving over her loss and ending her engagement with her best friend, Knox. This grief causes her to swap houses with Bee. Clover packs her bags and leaves the country life behind in Salem, Ohio. Goodbye.
Clover’s arrival in the city was quite a culture shock. The people were in a rush, and she bumped into quite a few people. One person she bumps into is Bee’s sister, Beth. Upon meeting Beth, Clover thinks she is curt and dismissive towards her. Despite her behavior, Clover finds Beth attractive. The two continue to meet one another through Bee’s friends. All of Bee’s friends expose Clover to a world where people are open to their sexuality. This helps Clover overcome her issues on her own.

Bee also overcomes a few issues of her own, and that is to be herself. Clover’s dad is quite fond of Bee and spends time with her. The affectionate tone in his voice when discussing his deceased wife and cherished Clover caused Bee to realize that families can display genuine love for each other. She realizes she can experience romantic love once more upon meeting Knox. Knox is generally a gentleman, but flirts with Clover. Compared to Clover and Beth’s relationship, their relationship took a while to develop. I wanted more love scenes between Bee and Knox.

Georgia K. Boone did a commendable job presenting a context for Clover’s journey of self-discovery in her sexuality. The author explored Beth’s parents’ perspective on her sexuality. This understanding allows readers to understand her relationship with her parents and Bee. I also like how the author puts you in the mood for Christmas by including classic Holiday songs in the book. It was a perfect book to put in the mood for the Holidays.

3.5 star review rounded up

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This queer retelling of The Holiday was cozy and low-stakes. The holiday vibes are perfect, and I found it easy to connect with Bee and Clover, the protagonists. I enjoyed the dual POV and the backstory given to each of the main characters. Their lives were relatable and believable, without taking away from the overall Hallmark feel of the book.

Ultimately, this book was enjoyable, but I didn’t like the character of Bee’s love interest at all; I didn’t find he had much depth of character, and it detracted from the story for me. Additionally, some of Clover’s decision making didn’t feel fleshed out within the timeline that the story offered, and I wish the reader could have seen more from her.

A++ for the queer and POC representation, though. This is a perfect book for a relaxing read with low expectations.

Bee Tyler needs a break. In the bustling San Francisco tech community, no one ever seems to stand still—especially her perfect sister and business partner, Beth. So when her best friend suggests a getaway on the wildly popular house-swap app, Vacate, Bee decides a countryside retreat might be exactly what she needs.

Clover Mills has had a year. Between losing her mother and making the complicated decision to leave her fiancé, sticking around the idyllic Christmas obsessed town of Salem, Ohio, just doesn’t feel right. So when she hears about Vacate, she jumps at the chance to spend the holidays in the unfamiliar city of San Francisco.

Soon enough, Bee is living in Clover’s cozy Salem cottage, and Clover is living in Bee’s sleek San Francisco apartment. As Clover can’t seem to stop running into Bee’s frustratingly gorgeous sister, Beth, and Bee finds herself spending more and more time with Clover’s ultra charming ex-fiancé, Knox, the two women realize that this Christmas they may find just what they were looking for and more.

This was super sweet. It felt like watching a hallmark movie. 🙂 It was a little short and I would have like a little more, but the characters felt well-developed and I enjoyed their respective storylines. Overall, nice fluffy winter/Christmas read to make your day brighter! ❤️

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced digital reader's copy (ARC) in exchange for an honest review!

A wonderful Christmas read! If you liked "The Holiday", then you'll adore this. The dual POV was amazing since we got to see both of the characters through their journey in the book. A very cute and well written holiday romance novel.

I really enjoyed reading "I'll Be Gone for Christmas" and think it'll be a great read for anyone during the Christmas season. If you enjoyed the movie "The Holiday", you'll enjoy this.

This book is dual POV from our two main character and I really like that it was set up this way. We got to equally see both Bee and Clover's lives as they navigate their swap. I do like both of our main characters, but connected with Clover's story more.

The author dealt well with the characters grief and overcoming others expectations. This is marketed as a romance and while there is romance for both of our characters, it reads more lit fic to me - the romance is not the main point.

I do think that this could have been a little longer we jumped around a bit too much and some scenes could have used more time.

Rated 3.5 stars rounded up to 4 stars. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC ebook.

This book was very cute!! A perfect holiday romance that led me wanting more! The dual point of views was well done and led with a developer romance.

Thank you Avon and Harper Voyager | Avon and NetGalley for allowing me to read this eARC.I loved this book so much!Georgia K. Boone showed that there are all kinds of ways to grieve and approach the holidays when things are difficult.

Thank you NetGalley and Georgia Boone for this ARC opportunity!

I am a huge The Holiday fan, so when i saw that this was a house swap Christmas story, i was sold. And it did NOT disappoint!

I loved the two main characters; and i loved how they navigated the swap. The side characters were also very enjoyable, especially Clover’s new San Fran friends. They felt like people i would want to be around.

I also loved that it was an LGBT friendly story and that Clover was finding herself through her new truth.

This was a very cute, well written Christmas story that made you want to hug your friends and family and enjoy the time you have with them.

A sweet fluff filled story. Reminded me of the Holiday, which I love, but with a cute queer love story, definitely a cozy holiday read!

Thank you NetGalley, Avon, and Georgia K. Boone, for the opportunity to receive an eArc in exchange for an honest review.

Do you remember in 2006 when The Holiday came out and we all sat there entranced throughout the whole thing? And you can still rewatch it now to embrace the feeling of early 2000’s rom com nostalgia? Well, I’ll be Gone For Christmas will bring this nostalgia to life- but in the year of the lord 2024, and I’m here for it!

I enjoyed getting to know Bee and Clover as they do a house swap, each trying to break from from their respective lives and the baggage it eac carries.

Bee is trying to get out of San Fran and her family- Clover for her part is trying to experience something different than her family and farm in Ohio.

They flip flop and in this, Bee gets to know Ohio and Clovers family- falling for the hometown feels and relationships that seem authentic and real compared to a controlled, sterile, and overworked life in work and in family,.

Clover gets to know the big city life, the hustle and bustle of it all and meeting the many characters along the way.

The side characters are fun for their part- we have Knox in Oho as well as Clovers dad and all the towns people! In California we have Bees sister Beth and the neighbors!

There are some twists and turns- unexpected reunifications and blossoming romances fit to reignite any disinterested romantic hearts!

I enjoyed this story and look forward to rereading it again during the holiday season!

4 gooses
2 spicy honks

This book was a not very well executed version of The Holiday movie. That movie is one of my favorites and one of the reasons why I picked this one up. I was disappointed by the lack of character and story development in this book. Both stories felt rushed and not full flushed out. The two romantic relationships lacked chemistry.

This is more of contemporary fiction than romance. I felt the stories focused more on their journeys rather than romance.

It's a quick and easy read, but maybe my expectations were too high for this book.