There are two things I love: sapphic romances and holiday romances. And this is both!! Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy.

I started on my Christmas reads early this because there are just too many excellent options that give me those Hallmark feels but with actually sexiness. Georgia K. Boone's homage to The Holiday is worthwhile time and perfect successor to that film. I actually watched it immediately after finishing this book because Boone opened the Christmas flood gates in me with her dual POV. Overwhelmingly enjoyed!

Thank you to Avon and Harper Voyager and Netgalley for providing an eARC for a honest review.

It gave all the things it needed to give.

I really enjoyed this "The Holiday" retelling and it was a slow burn and a wonderful sapphic romance. I enjoyed both romance plot lines and appreciated how they enterwined.

When you're looking for a cute holiday romance before your regular movie rewatches, this is a fun and romantic time.

Thank you to Avon and Netgalley for an e-copy.

The premise of this novel was wonderful but it is poorly written and often wanders. I wouldn’t spend money on it but might borrow it from a library.

I’ll Be Gone for Christmas by Georgia K. Boone is an adorable holiday story about two women who decide to escape their lives by swapping houses for the holidays. Bee and Clover are both going through a hard time and what better way to deal with it than to run away from their problems? Little do they know that they will both run right into situations that will help them face their problems and find their destiny.

Super cute—fun characters. If you are looking for a cute holiday rom-com, I would recommend I’ll Be Gone for Christmas!

A feel-good, Sapphic holiday romance remix of the Holiday movie that sees two Black lesbian MCs swapping homes and finding love over Christmas. This was good on audio and entertaining from start to finish. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review. Recommended for fans of authors like Karmen Lee.

Maybe this book came to me at just the right time. I can certainly identify with feeling slightly more than whelmed (though in my case, it was entirely self-inflicted). I set up this website at the tail end of an absolute torrent of romance novel reading, and once I got it ready I just sort of ... lost the ability to read for awhile. Burnout happens on any single or combination of topics, hobbies, or it can just slam into you generally.

Thus, it was nice to pick up a book where the two mains (Clover and Bee), for reasons of their own, needed a bit of a breather and just ... got it. Via a new app, Vacate (which sounds incredible in fiction but I would never trust in real life), the two essentially house-swap for a month (Clover to SF, Bee to Ohio) around the holidays, not realizing they're also a little bit Freaky Friday-ing into the other's life as well.

I loved all of the characters we actually got to meet in this book, even if the sheer number was at times slightly more than my tiny brain could handle (this is a known failing of mine, and again why I don't read high fantasy). Though I admit I first expected the two mains to wind up with each other, I actually more enjoyed following them on their separate paths.

Even if Bee is depressingly straight, her whirlwind romance and general love blitzkrieg through the small Ohio town brought a gravitas without being too depressing, which can sometimes happen when a romance novelist tries to pile on the pathos.

I also want to especially note the active diversity of characters, which is still not super common even in gay fiction. I always love the feeling of effortless inclusion, and it comes through in the writing as well as the scene work (I desparately want to join the pack of SF queers that Clover falls in with).

And it's a Christmas(-adjacent) story to boot! I know it's the season, but I always like coming out of a Christmas book without feeling smothered by Santa's beard.

A hearty highly recommended to anyone who could use a little break.

I love books where two people who are feeling stuck in their current life switch places for a short time, and finally manage to get themselves unstuck. In this book, we have Bee and Clover, both successful women of color living wildly different lives. Bee and her intimidating twin sister, Beth, run a successful tech company, but Bee feels extraneous to the company. She feels like she's only employed there because their parents, who originally funded the company, insist it must be for both of them. Clover has had quite the year. She lost her beloved mother, then broke up with her long-time best friend and fiance, Knox, the manager at her family farm, then her father had a heart attack. He's now recovering, but she feels tied to the farm and stuck in her life.

Bee's best friend owns a successful house swapping app and convinces her to get away for the holidays. Clover has listed her Ohio farm to swap and so they switch locations. Clover, who is finally admitting to herself that she is queer, quickly meets and gets drawn into a circle of lesbian friends, while also developing a crush on Beth. Bee, who is straight, gets drawn into Clover's family life and is attracted to Knox, Clover's ex, who is also trying to move on.

I enjoyed both of the parallel plot lines, although Clover's, in San Francisco, was more compelling to me. For a relatively short book, both plots were well developed, but I feel like what was sacrificed was the romance. Especially with Bee and Knox, I never got any sense of why they were attracted to each other and there were no real sparks between them. Still, the book was a fast and fun holiday read, perfect to get in the mood for the holiday season. My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions in this review are my own.

This was such a cute and fun read! This is the perfect holiday book to read in one sitting with a warm bev and a cozy blanket.

Both Clover and Bee were both lovable and down to earth characters that I really enjoyed. I especially loved getting to see Clover burst out of her shell and make friends, and of course I loved the romance!

I also really appreciated the backstory behind Beth and Bee. It really helped me understand both of them.

In all, I absolutely loved this cozy holiday romance!

This was sweet holiday romance , Adorable and full of christmas cheer ! Honestly the cover had me curious but once I read it I am really happy the I chose the book to read 🥰

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.
I really enjoyed this delightful holiday romance. I thought it had a very cozy vibe. I also thought it had a lot of humor and heart to it. If you are looking for a cozy holiday romance, I definitely recommend this book!
Many thanks again to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to review this book.

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Thank you to Avon and Harper Voyager for this lovely eARC! The Holiday is always the top of my Christmas movie rotation every year so the description of this book caught me right away. You throw in a sapphic romance and I am SOLD! I read half of this book in one sitting, it was absolutely addicting and I could not put it down. The balance of Bee and Clovers stories was so well maintained, the community of Queer folks that Clover got to build and the community in general that Bee got to fold into was so natural and so lovely. And each of the romances felt so easy, just like watching a well built rom com. I could not recommend this book enough, a perfect holiday read.

Such a cute holiday read!

This romance def got me into the Christmas mood. I like the tiny bit of magical realism and of course the rep was amazing as well.
I am always looking for deep and powerful swoons when I read romance, and lately I feel like I have been wanting more out of these recent romances. This can use another good sprinkle but that's not to take away from the good amount in here!

Super fun, cozy read, perfect for getting into gear for the winter season. I especially appreciated that the two couples of the book had their own separate journeys with their own roadblocks and timelines. They were progressing at the same time, but not necessarily in the same way, if that makes sense.

Bee Tyler needs a break. She has been feeling adrift in the company she runs with her twin sister and recently lost them a very important client. She feels she can never live up to her perfect sister. So she decides a vacation is in order when her friend suggests vacate, a popular house-swapping app. A countryside retreat is just what she is looking for.

Clover Mills has had one heck of a year. She broke off her engagement, and then shortly after her mother passed away. Now she is trying to care for her elderly father and keep their farm running. She is dreading the Christmas season and all the memories it will inevitably dredge up, so she jumps at the chance to head to San Francisco using Vacate.

A light, sweet holiday romance fashioned after the classic seasonal romance movie, The Holiday (notable for Jack Black as a leading man, which clearly the world should have way more of). Just like the movie, about half the story and characters and their romance are really interesting and cute and the other half you kind of fast forward through—but maybe which half is which depends on you? Stealing and riffing on great holiday movie prompts is a romance novel trend I'm honestly really enjoying.

It was ok. I feel like the author could have made the locations more exciting or more of a story. Seemed kind of slow and predictable. I ended up skimming the second half.

The. Holiday but make it black and queer!

I loved both main characters in this story, and only wish they both had been developed a bit more (separately and together). But, that's a minor gripe in an otherwise ideal small town queer holiday romance.

Thanks to NetGalley and Avon for sending me this ARC.

This was such a cute read! It starts with major sad-girl Christmas vibes and has a slow build romance but I didn't mind it at all. The writing style was easy to get into and at times it was so hard to put the book down because I wanted to know how scenes would play out.

I also enjoyed how this story dealt with self-discovery. I felt for both characters as they tried to find their voice and assert themselves with their loved ones. It was a really nice balance of romance and fiction and I think it's perfect for fans of the movie The Holiday (or any other house-swap holiday movie).

This is going to be a perfect recommendation for cozy holiday reading.

Congratulations to the author on a great debut novel. And special thanks to NetGalley and Avon for the advanced copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

This is such a cute holiday read. Love both Bee and Clover. I only wish it was a bit longer.
4 stars


I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I’ll Be Gone for Christmas is an adorable holiday romance. Not only is there plenty of holiday cheer, but there is BIPOC and queer rep galore in this house swap romcom.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Bee is burned out of her San Francisco tech job and working with her twin sister Beth. So her friend suggests she uses her house swap app to get out of town for the holiday season. She swaps homes with Clover, a small town Ohio farmer who is still getting over her mother’s death and her breakup with her fiancé Knox. As the two explore their new locations, Bee discovers she loves small town life and gets attached to the always helpful Knox. In the meantime, Clover builds a circle of queer friends and is unable to stay away from Beth. But can they each build new relationships in these very different places?

This book focuses on two concurrent romances, one featuring a M/F couple and one featuring a F/F pair. And, all the FMCs are successful women of color. There is lots of plot in what’s essentially two shorter stories, and the characters are great. Both romances are slow burn; no one even kisses until final few chapters. But, since the story focuses more on Bee and Clover’s journeys than their romances, it makes sense.

The characters here are engaging, and I was fully invested in Bee and Clover’s journeys. But I wish there was a bit more on the romance side of things. And, once the characters reach their HEA, the stories come to an abrupt ending.

Overall, I’ll Be Gone for Christmas is an entertaining holiday romance. I enjoyed the dual romance timelines, and it was satisfying to watch Bee and Clover each search for the missing pieces in their lives. This book is Georgia K. Boone’s adult debut, and I’m excited to see what she writes next.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.