I’ll Be Gone for Christmas by Georgia K. Boone
Book Overview:
I’ll Be Gone for Christmas by Georgia K. Boone is a fun holiday romance following two women struggling with the pressures in their daily lives and swapping locations to take a break from the troubles they’re facing.
We meet Bee Tyler who lives in San Fransico, California, and owns a business with her sister where she works as a copywriter. She’s struggling with the pressure she feels to be creative and hold her weight in the business. She’s felt like the failure in her family overcome by her parent’s obsession with her to be perfect just like her twin sister Beth.
This has created stress and strain on her relationship with Beth. To make matters worse she’s bungled an important deal that she failed to deliver on. Terrified of having to face her family’s ire and feeling burnt out her friend Ayana suggests she take a vacation for the holiday using her app Vacate to find someone willing to swap houses with her.
Reluctantly she agrees and while perusing the app she finds an adorable cottage in Salem, Ohio owned by Clover Mills and requests to swap houses for the holiday.
Clover is struggling to figure out what’s next. She’s still encumbered by the grief of losing her mother a year ago and also ending her engagement with childhood friend Knox. Additionally, she finds herself struggling with her identity and grappling with the truth about her sexuality. So, when she receives Bee’s request to house swap for the holidays she jumps at the chance to experience a new city and break free from the bubble she’s become accustomed to.
As these women settle into these locations they not only begin to work through their identity and life issues they also find themselves caught up in the beginnings of a new romance. Bee is beginning to develop feelings and a fierce attraction with Knox Clover’s ex-fiancé and Clover finds herself drawn to Bee’s sister Beth.
Both women quickly realize that they’re getting more than they bargained for this holiday season.
Book Review:
If you’re a fan of the movie The Holiday you will enjoy this fast-paced holiday romance. We’re quickly introduced to the characters Bee and Clover and get a good understanding of their plight and what’s driving them to participate in this holiday home swap. Then we see them settle into each other’s homes. I appreciated how quickly this story progressed. Despite the fast pace, Boone was still able to provide clear details and information about each character to help you better understand them and where they are at the start of this story.
Boone’s writing style was comfortable, engaging, and easy to read. She was clear and concise and didn’t spend unnecessary time when it came to providing context and background to her characters. She gave you what you needed to know and let the story unfold as it should.
Another element that I appreciated was that this book focused on the growth and development of these women. They arrive with their problems and hang-ups and through meeting new people and immersing themself in the environment around them they’re able to work through their issues. For Bee, this was her feelings of inadequacy when it came to her family and the creative burnout she was experiencing with her writing. Clover was struggling with her grief following her mother’s passing and coming to terms with her sexuality.
I felt this made the story more interesting and complex. Also, the conclusion was so well done and I appreciated how everything came together in the end such an adorable and heartfelt ending.
My Thoughts:
When it comes to Bee I found her struggles with her family dynamic to be super relatable. Having your parents dictate how your life should go and constantly comparing you to your sibling creates a lot of resentment and bitterness. So, I understood her need to break free from the oppressive judgment of her parents and their expectations of her.
As for Clover, I empathized with her internal turmoil with her sexuality. I can only imagine how fearful she was of the judgments of her family and others who lived in her seemingly traditional small town. However, it made me happy to see her in San Francisco finding people similar to her, and getting a better understanding of what it meant to be part of the LGBTQIA+ community and experience real authentic friendships.
As for the romance. I found the chemistry between Clover and Beth electrifying. They had an undeniable spark and obvious interest in each other and it was adorable seeing them find their way to each other. On the other hand, I didn’t feel the spark between Bee and Knox. I could see that they found each other attractive but the chemistry for me just wasn’t there, especially in comparison to Clover and Beth.
As for the holiday vibes Boone delivered. There were plenty of fun holiday-themed events in this book some traditional and some a bit more experimental and fun. Regardless they made the story interesting and perfect for invoking the holiday spirit.
If you’re looking to get lost in a short and sweet holiday romance this is perfect for you! There isn’t much spice but it’s still a cute read.
