I see you chose Clerk for Auth. I really wanted to like Clerk. I found that they worked great when using their tools out-of-the-box - quick, easy, and they work. But once I started customizing the React components they became difficult to work with and buggy. Maybe it was all my fault, and I wasn't doing things correctly, but that just supports the statement that they aren't easy to work with.

That is the catch with pre-built stacks like this - they all look great when you put together a simple example with them, but the quirks of each piece compound on each other. Once your app reaches any level of complexity, you need actual expertise in each piece of the puzzle. When you fight one or two pieces that are new to you, much of the benefit of having the full stack handed to you is burned away.