Review: I'll Be Gone for Christmas by Georgia K. Boone

Thank you Avon and Harper Voyager for my copy! All thoughts are my own.

If we haven’t gathered from my 2024 holiday reading, it’s that I love the movie The Holiday and It’s become a very popular trope to write! I really liked this book because I thought it explored the complexities of the holidays and self discovery.

Synopsis:

“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…” —NetGalley

What I Liked:

  1. The Concept—As I said, I love the idea of two women swapping homes for the holidays and what they learn about themselves along the way. I loved that this explored coming out later in life.

  2. The Characters—I really loved these characters, especially broody Knox. Bee and Clover’s different POVs were really fun to step into.

  3. The Pacing—I thought things moved really well and kept me interested!

What Didn’t Work:

  1. Nothing—I thought this was sweet, real, and very enjoyable!

Character Authenticity: 4/5 Spice Rating: 1/5 Overall Rating: 4/5

Content Warnings:

death of a parent, homophobia, panic attacks/disorder

Book ReviewPhoebe WrightComment