If you loved Mistakes Were Made, this book is for you!

Kenzie is put in an awkward position when her best friend Alice asks her to be her fake girlfriend on a family Christmas vacation since her ex will be there with his new girlfriend. And to make matters worse, Kenzie soon discovers she has feelings for Alice's aunt that the family hasn't seen in over 2 decades due to past family drama.

The tension!!! I ate this book up!!! Highly recommend!!!!

Thank you NetGalley and Publisher for allowing me to read and review this book.

I very much enjoyed this book. The writing was great and the characters were well developed. I hope to read more from this author in the future.

I got an ARC of this book.

It took a little while for me to get into this. Switching narrators between every break in the chapter took some getting used to. Sommers was not the best at getting the voices distinct enough that I really could tell the characters apart without the context of what job they had or who they were talking to. That is a huge issue for me in dual POV books like this. The voices need to be distinct. I almost DNFed at about 25-30%, because I just couldn’t tell them apart and it was moving so glacial.

Then bam! The story started getting snarky and had the best banter. I was giggling and gasping at 2 am. I was panicking about if they would get together, even though it was a romance I just couldn’t figure out how it was all going to work out. I was texting updates about what percentage I was at and how they still hadn’t even kissed yet. I woke up THREE dogs over their first hug.

There is room in this universe for more stories and more romances. I would love to see where Sommers goes with it. It could be a standalone, but I want to know more about Andie. Andie is clearly queer too. I need to know more. There is probably some hidden feelings for Carolina.

This is one of the very few times that there being such a wealth disparity didn’t bother me. Instead of the money creating a power dynamic that was unhealthy and gross, it created a way for the characters to interact with each other differently. That differently felt authentic. The big conversation about money was deilghtful. It brough it up and put it to rest in the most romantic way. I was swooning.

Overall, I really enjoyed this one. I am glad I gave it one more chance before I stopped reading. I would have missed some really fun reading.

A sapphic fake-dating romance set in Portugal over Christmas? Yes, please. Don't Let Me Go had just the right mix of tension, banter, and family drama to keep me hooked. The dynamic between Kenzie and Carolina was everything - sharp, snarky, and slowly softening into something more. I could’ve read so much more of just them - their chemistry and connection really carried the story for me.

The Portugal setting was a great choice too. I loved the small-town vibe of Sintra and the way it grounded the drama. And yes, there was drama in this, mainly from one side character.

But overall, this was a fun, sexy slow-burn that was low-angst but with plenty of emotional pull. The romance was believable, the family dynamics were messy but engaging, and I devoured it over a few days. Would definitely recommend if you’re after a sapphic story with heart and heat (but not too much spice).

Many thanks to Netgalley and Ylva Publishing for a copy of this novel. ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

Alice begs her NYC roommate, Kenzie Wilson, to be her fake girlfriend for a family holiday vacation in Portugal. Her old boyfriend and longtime family friend has been invited and she doesn’t want to come alone. Kenzie reluctantly agrees as long as she can have time to work on her PHD thesis while at the family chateau. Alice’s aunt, Carolina Costa is coming for the first time after being estranged from the family for 24 years. Her mother threw her out of the house and family when she was discovered with a girl. She has gone on to become a successful CEO of a NYC tech firm. But she still resents that her sisters stood by her mother and only now reached out after her passing.

Alice is surprised and intrigued by Kenzie. And they spend time together many late nights in the library of the house while working. Kenzie for her part knows she likes older women and has past relationships with them. But she can’t flirt as she is there as Alice’s girlfriend. There is some flirting. But Carolina is dealing with big emotions being back with her sisters and she can’t understand why Kenzie isn’t more concerned Alice is spending so much time with her old boyfriend. I enjoy age-gap romances and appreciated much of the dramatics. Alice was intentionally annoying not being a very good friend at times. But I chose to look at that with humor. With the family drama it was a bit more serious than I was expecting in this slow burn romance. (3.5 Stars)

Overall, I enjoyed the story! It was a quick fun read. I thought Kenzie was a lovely character, and the romantic tension building between her and Carolina felt real and honest. I also really appreciated how Carolina presented a story of an older queer person who’d lost connection with their family due to non-acceptance, but was able to rekindle that connection with more supportive family over time. The self-reflection displayed by her and her sister Mariana as they attempted to overcome the family breach caused by their toxic parents was refreshing to see!

That all being said, I was NOT a fan of Kenzie’s friend, Alice. I felt like she used Kenzie, minimized Kenzie’s feelings, was needlessly jealous, and then absolutely threw Kenzie under the bus (metaphorically speaking) when the truth came out about their fake relationship . I honestly was shocked that Kenzie forgave her so easily, and Alice’s actions, especially outing their shared secret to get herself out of trouble rubbed me the wrong way. I feel like that interaction really colored my feelings and made it harder to enjoy the ending of the book.

However, in the end, I was glad that Kenzie and Carolina ended up together, as it seemed like they both needed people in their lives who truly treasured and appreciated them just for being themselves! I also loved that both of them were so passionate about and dedicated to their work (#powercouplegoals). Lastly I adored Johnathan as a side character (I mean an emotionally self-aware man who knits, umm heck yes)!

In short, if you’re looking for a light sapphic romance with some family drama and generational healing, and you don’t mind messy side-characters, then add Don’t Let Me Go by Rachel Sommers to your TBR!!

A slow-burn romance and an actual twist on the fake dating trope! Portugal is a great background as well.

I have read the premise before but this still held my interest. There was humour and a bit of dramangst that meant pacing didn't slip. 3.5 up to 4 because of that.

This one was actually pretty good, if not very short. Definitely brought me back to being interested in romantic stories again.

I mean… a Christmas age gap lesbian romance? With a hint of “forbidden” because she is technically the (fake) girlfriend of her niece? CALL ME IN! I really loved this book, it’s funny and sexy and deep. So happy to have read it.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the arc.

Several years ago I read a book where the main character pretended to date a man so he could get an inheritance but fell in love with his sister despite the farce. I wanted to like that book so badly, the concept was really fun and it was set at Christmas, but I just couldn’t get into it or connect with any of the characters. But when I heard about Don’t Let Me Go, I was immediately intrigued.

Kenzie and Caroline don’t hit it off at the beginning. After being thrown out by her mother as a teenager for being queer, Caroline was on her guard. She was distrustful of her older sisters for not standing up for her, as well as their families. But while everyone else walks on eggshells around her, Kenzie isn’t too intimidated by her and keeps asking questions that Caroline initially didn’t want to answer. I liked the evolution of their relationship, how Carolina slowly opens up to Kenzie while Kenzie finds an unlikely friend and ally in Carolina, all while wishing she wasn’t pretending to be Alice’s girlfriend.

Carolina had the most character development in the book, reconnecting with her family after estrangement. Her cold and guarded demeanor at the beginning made perfect sense and it was a satisfying arc of her being able to heal from past trauma as well as see that her sisters had changed. On top of her character development, I also like that Carolina was the CEO of a tech startup.

The side character I really ended up liking was Jonathan, Alice’s ex boyfriend. He was sweet, invited on the Costa family vacation with his new girlfriend Beth because his recently deceased mother was a friend of the family. He and Kenzie bonded over both having deceased parents, and Kenzie stuck up for him when his girlfriend got mad at him for knitting as a hobby.

I also really enjoyed the Portugal setting. It was interesting to read about a place I don’t often see at the forefront of novel locations, and I liked the scenes where Carolina took Kenzie sightseeing.

I found Don’t Let Me Go utterly charming, easy to read, and super fun. The forbidden element of the romance was also delightful, while the overall novel was relatively light- much like a fluffy romcom. It’s perfect for fans of Meryl Wilsner, Emily Banting, or Kiss Her Once For Me by Alison Cochrun.

This book was not what I expected, in a good way. Age gap romances are a hit or miss for me and the set up (from the blurb) read like there was going to be a lot of drama.

To be fair, there was drama. But it made sense to me when it happened and there was a good balance too.

I feel like when you read this, you will find a character that you can resonate with, just because there are so many different sides to this family situation. I loved seeing the characters and their relationships to each other develop. Not just romantically, but also the friendship between Kenzie and Jonathan or Caroline getting closer to her sisters again.

Though talking about the romance, I really enjoyed it. Kenzie had a crush quite quickly, Caroline however was pure ice queen and didn't even notice how Kenzie slipped through her guards and how she fell for her. This is such a slow burn, the last few pages feel like a reward, getting to see Caroline relaxed and pure loving.

Overall I really enjoyed this story and would recommend others to read it if they're looking for a lesbian romance including age gap and/or ice queens.

This is an honest review in exchange for an e-ARC. Thank you to Ylva Publishing, Rach el Sommers and NetGalley for the e-ARC

Drama and angst aplenty yet love blooms despite it all
If you love drama and angst in your romance stories, an age gap, ice queens and a setting that's not a standard go to country or city for lesfic, this one delivers all that and more. Love blooms in Don't Let Me Go under less than ideal circumstances and in an unexpected way but the pairing is one you want to find a way to get and stay together despite all the shenanigans and deception going on around them, and family trauma and resentment brought to the surface after many many years. There is some sharp barbed dialogue that made me chuckle and say 'whoa' under my breath for its bluntness; the family dynamics ring true as do the conversations had with a therapist, who is a fabulous secondary character. The events in the story take place over a short amount of time but so much happens the characters ought to be clamoring for another holiday to recuperate from this one.

The story is hopeful under all the drama and angst, showing the pathways for love, forgiveness, connection and reconnection can occur between the characters. Some readers may identify with a character and see their growth and development possible in the real world. The story trajectory will very likely stir up a plethora of emotions while reading, from strong reactions to certain characters' behaviors to circumstances of their upbringing informing and influencing their present day but not trapping them in it. The themes lean heavy with the humor not always enough to break the tension in a scene but the story is perhaps all the more immersive for that reason. I found the book very hard to stop reading during certain moments, eager to see what would happen next but also challenging to sit with the characters in the heavy swirling unsettled emotions at time. If you're prone to getting sucked in to a compelling story, consider starting to read this one earlier in the day if possible in case the urge to read for longer comes over you.

I recommend this and the author's other books for unconventional and refreshing reading if the usual lesfic fare has lost its shine or you crave novelty.

The first thing I will say about this novel was that it is a lot of fun. The next things would be to mention that it is heartwarming and tackles some important topics of family dynamics, grief, stopping generational trauma, healing damaged relationships, and accepting love. There was a wonderful cast of characters, a vivid setting, and a well-executed plotline. I will sing high praise for the flow of the plot in this book; the author had their plot pieces set up at the start and knew where they wanted them to end up, and the transition between was navigated flawlessly and felt entirely organic. This is especially noteworthy because the premise of the novel is, of course, silly and unrealistic to begin with.

Also; I found myself giggling at several points while reading this book. I don’t giggle? So…?

I LOVED the relationships between the (main) protagonists. The author made the excellent choice of making a long enough timeline for things to develop realistically and naturally between them. I liked how this was entirely an emotional connection between the characters and not one based on sexy-times (that’s good too, but I liked this) because it resulted in much deeper feelings that were very easy to root for. They had wonderful chemistry, but also the way they really saw each other, and were vulnerable. More bonus points to the author because this book never had any of the anxiety and worry around them getting caught or someone getting hurt that fake-dating-falling-for-your-family-member books usually make me suffer through.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing a free ARC. This honest review was left voluntarily.

A fake relationship during the Christmas season and traveling to a foreign country – what could possibly go wrong? Kenzie, a biochemistry Ph.D. student, lives with her roommate Alice, a lawyer who works at her family's firm. Alice has to attend her family's Christmas gathering in Portugal, the first since her grandmother's death. Her family has invited her ex-boyfriend from high school, who's bringing his fiancée, so Alice doesn't want to go alone. She proposes that Kenzie accompany her and pretend to be her girlfriend for the four-week vacation.

Alice's family has some serious skeletons in their closet, so she's going to find herself caught in the middle of the drama between her mother and her two sisters, especially Carolina, who's been estranged from the family for fifteen years for unclear reasons.

With a setup like this, the story was bound to be a massive soap opera, seriously. It's got everything! And honestly, it was super entertaining. Watching Kenzie melt the ice queen Carolina? Hilarious. If you're into age-gap romances, this one's got that and then some

I enjoy Rachael Sommers’ writing. It’s always on point and has a nice flow to it.
I read this book on the hottest 1st of July ever in my home country, which was odd. Not because of the temperature, but because of the timing of this book - Christmas time. While not necessarily being a holiday romance, the holiday is mentioned a couple times and some Christa s tradition are being upheld. I enjoyed the setting in Portugal, it sure was a different country to visit in these books.
Age gap romance is never really my favourite, and always troublesome for me when there are other relationships affected by the romance as well. I think in this case it didn’t bother me as much due to the estranged element of the relationships.
I have some questions about the age of some secondary characters, all a tiny bit confusing to me. It’s not majorly important, but I feel like we should have been told their (approximate) age.

The story is fun enough, the romance could have happened a bit sooner in my opinion. It feels slightly rushed now. While the characters bond throughout the book, I would have liked them actually being a couple a bit more.

Overal a fine read, maybe read it in winter/ closer to Christmas.

I wasn't too sure about this one at first, as it isn't the usual plot I'd go for. However, I have loved books by Rachael Sommers in the past, and am very glad I decided to give this a try! I loved the development of the relationships in this book. Not only is there the great romantic buildup between Kenzie and Carolina, but also you get to see Carolina and her sisters learn how to trust each other again. I also enjoyed the friendship between Alice and Kenzie, and their relationships with Jonathan.

In terms of the romance itself, I really liked the way that Carolina slowly opened up to Kenzie and let her in. She fell without even realizing it, whereas Kenzie was attracted from the start. When they finally did get together it was so sweet and I loved how all in they both were.

My only complaint about the book is how Carolina acted in the beginning of the book. I understand she was coming into a difficult situation with people she believed had abandoned her, however her behavior was still a bit much. Not to mention, Alice was a toddler when Carolina last had met her and she had never even met Kenzie before. Carolina treated them pretty badly (even for an ice queen) with the way she yelled, slunk around the house, and ran off at the start. Luckily, she does warm up throughout the book and start to appreciate the people around her.

As far as the "forbidden" nature of their romance, I wasn't sure it was going to totally work for me. However, it didn't end up being as big of an issue as I thought. There are many moments that keep you wondering how things are going to work out, but as the book goes on you start to see things falling into place.

Overall, this is a pretty cute romance featuring an age gap, ice queen character, and a somewhat "forbidden" romance. 4.8/5 stars rounded up!