I’ve been a listener of the Bad on Paper podcast for quite a few years, so when I had the opportunity to read this ARC I felt like it was the culmination of my journey on this book with Becca — a journey where I did very little (e.g. liked her instagram stories) but reaped a huge reward (e.g. reading this delightful book). Becca you are a treasure and this book is so freaking lovely.

Our story follows four friends who spend many, many Christmas’s together but as life changes, feelings go unexpressed and distance threatens their tradition, will their bond stand a chance? We go between Christmas’s past and present and the author weaves a perfect story of friendship, love, and heartbreak that still somehow leaves us with those magical and hopeful holiday feelings.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Five big stars from me!

The Christmas Orphans Club has made it onto my faves list for the holidays! It was fun and festive! The dual POV was on point. I loved the inclusion of the LGBTQIA+ romance, the family drama, the love. I ate this book up! I absolutely recommend it especially if you are an “elder millennial” like me!

I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley. This review is honest, unbiased, and completely my own.

This would make the most perfect November / December read! Following a group of four friends finding and coming close to losing each other over the course of ten years, this books explores all types of love - between friends, family, and romantic love, as well as love of holidays and traditions. I don't know how the author packed so many layers into one book!

I loved the pacing of finding out where things came together and fell apart for the group. I also felt like each character was very likable - even through some of their issues, you could so clearly see the good intentions each of them brought to the group.

I also could not tell exactly where this story is going, which is something I really appreciate! It had all the hallmarks of a cheesy Christmas story without actually being cheesy! The dialogue was also fresh, witty, and kept me hanging on to every word.

I highly recommend this book for book clubs as well - there would be a lot to discuss and unpack here!

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin for my Advance Reader’s Copy.

As a long time Bad on Paper Podcast listener, I’ve been excited for Becca Freeman’s new book, The Christmas Orphan’s Club.

Although I do not know Becca in real life, I feel like I know her because I listen to her for an hour each Wednesday.

Becca’s book represents so much of her. I loved the little nuggets throughout the story that reminded me of different things I’ve learned about Becca from her podcast.

I personally get so excited for holiday books but am often disappointed by them. Often they aren’t written well or have a cheesy plot. That’s not the case with this book!

I’m happy to share that The Christmas Orphan’s Club is a well written story with a unique premise. I loved the friendships and traditions represented in this novel.

Some of the aspects of the book I enjoyed most include:
-How the story got me into the holiday spirit (even though I’m reading it in September. Should I re-read it again in December, too?)
-The core group of friends in this story are all unique and remind me of characters I love together like in Sex and the City or on Friends.
-I loved the traditions in this book and appreciated that with time, life brings us changes and traditions may change too.
-I adored the found family aspect of this story.
-I felt like I was a part of the friend group in this story as I read, just as I feel like I’m a part of Becca’s friend group every week through her podcast.

I have been a longtime fan of Becca Freeman from her Bad on Paper Podcast so I was thrilled to see I was able to get an advanced copy of this. The Christmas Orphan's club lived up to my expectations and more (and I', not just saying that as a longtime listener). Becca is such a brilliant writer. I felt what the characters were feeling. I laughed, I cried, and I genuinely felt like this book was a breath of fresh air. How refreshing to get a story of friendship becoming your family over a decade. I fell in love with each of these characters (although Hannah sometimes made me angry!) and cannot wait to attend Becca's book launch in NYC later this month where I pre-ordered a signed copy. Highly recommend to anyone looking for a light read that isn't specifically romance and isn't specifically Christmas.

I am a follower of Book on Paper and have been awaiting this book to come out! It was really fun to read and see the reference to some of Becca's favorite things in the book that she has mentioned on the podcast. I thought it was a very cute light Christmas story. My favorite parts were the current times and some of the flashbacks weren't my favorite but understand why they were in there to make the story cohesive. I could totally see this being turned into a mini series!

Do you need a dose of Christmas? What if you got to spend Christmas with the people you love most in the world, even if they aren’t technically your family?

This is a fairly lighthearted (although somewhat heavy in certain parts) about four friends who celebrate Christmas together every year. Each has their own reason why they don’t celebrate with their own family, and this is their chosen group to hang with on this special day. The book alternates timelines between present day where they are planning their possibly last Christmas together, with past Christmases. Each one had it’s own ups and downs and exemplifies why these four are such good friends.

The story unfolds nicely, and I was SO ENVIOUS I wasn’t part of this friend group! Mostly for all their hang outs, but their Christmas celebrations were epic and if I was a “Christmas Orphan”, I’d want to be hanging out with them as well.

I loved this one--felt like a cozy hug. Will reread again before the holidays. Loved the dual POVs and couldn't have loved their found family more.

I am a big fan of found family stories, and this was no exception! Since hearing about Becca's book when she talked about it on the Bad on Paper podcast, I knew I needed to read it. The story revolves around four friends who have Christmas traditions every year together. But things are changing, and these traditions and their lives may change as well. I loved the dual POV, but some of the timelines threw me off a bit. Still, this was such a sweet story and I can't wait to read more from Becca in the future!

The Christmas Orphans Club by Becca Freeman is a Christmas themed stand-alone novel revolving around 4 best friends. Hannah and Finn are the main characters, with two others to follow within a couple of years.

Hannah meets Finn while in college, with most of the people away with family during Christmas. Hannah’s parents were deceased, and Finn’s family disowned him (because he was gay). They became best friends, always being there for each other, especially on Christmas day; and when they lived in New York, the found Theo and Priya who became part of their group.

The friendship between the four of them was a holiday tradition over the course of a decade, and now Finn reveals that he got a good job, and is moving to LA.

Hannah is upset, as she always wanted everything to stay the same; even though her boyfriend, David wants a commitment. Theo, who comes from a wealthy family, is gay; with his father not paying too much attention to him. Finn has always had a crush on Theo, but he could never approach Theo about a relationship. Priya doesn’t care about Christmas holiday, but loves being around her friends. Hannah is the one who is concerned to lose this family of four.

Every Christmas that they spend together, is always entertaining, with movies, games, activities, meals and fun making the holidays always memorable. The Christmas Orphans Club was a wonderful story about friendship, new found family, love (both LGBTQ & straight romance), as well as drama. The Christmas Orphan’s Club was very well written by Becca Freeman. I have not followed this author on her podcast, but she has done very well with this book.

I couldn’t get through this one, unfortunately. I know I’m supposed to be along for the ride with the main character as she figures out her life, but I sadly found I didn’t like her enough to want to be on the journey with her. I did like that this was a friendship book (more than a romance) and the side characters are just delightful. But overall, there wasn’t enough to keep me wanting to pick it up.

Becca Freeman's debut is a charming story about friendship and the families we choose. Told from the dual perspective of best friends Hannah and Finn, the novel chronicles 9 (?) years of Christmas traditions with their two other best friends, Priya and Theo, all "Christmas Orphans" for one reason or another. This novel had so much heart, and Becca's voice really shines through. As a longtime listener of her podcast, Bad on Paper, I caught a lot of Easter eggs of things she's mentioned over the years (buffalo chicken wrap, anyone?) but it didn't come across as too cheeky or pandering.

My only real complaint is that the non-linear timeline really threw me off. There are flashback chapters to Christmases past, but they were scrambled out of order and I didn't really feel like it served the story to have them mixed up.

That complaint aside, this was a lovely debut, and definitely works as both a holiday and year-round read as it's ultimately a story about friendship.

What a delightful rollercoaster of a Christmas story! I downloaded The Christmas Orphans Club at the recommend or @jules.literarylifestyle and it did not disappoint. The scenes were filled with all the typical New York Christmas through the eyes of found family. We typically see stories of families or romances during the Christmas season, but it rarer to find a story that revolves around those people who have either lost or separated from their families. While this story breaks your heart at moments, it also offers a calming hug. I would recommend this to anyone who wants a story a little out of the Hallmark norms during the holiday season and enjoyed the TV series, Friends.

Christmas Orphans Club was such a fun book to read! You learn of a group of four friends in NYC and the story follows them through several years of their lives. You gather pieces of the story through the eyes of Finn and Hannah in non- chronological order. It was fun to put the pieces together of how the friend group came to be, what tore them apart, and how they came back together. Each character, Finn, Hannah, Theo, and Priya had their own unique quirkiness which made them all very likable. I listen to the authors podcast, Bad On Paper, and I could totally hear her saying some of the funny phrases in the book which made it all the more enjoyable for me to read. But the book wasn't all sunshine and reindeer, it had some depth to it as some of the characters struggled with loss, family disagreements, and love. Even though this story takes place over several Christmases, I think it can be read at any time of the year!

This book was a love letter to Boston College and to New York City. There were a lot of references to the places, people, and things around at those times. More than once these references and brand name drops took me out of the story. The friends themselves were characters that were well developed. I would have appreciated more from Finn instead of Hannah. Hannah at times was a tad immature in regards to her relationships with her friends, but you did see her grow throughout the book. Found family was a theme throughout, and I appreciated that it did take place within some nuclear families as well. Overall the writing was strong and I think that Becca Freeman will continue to improve as she continues writing. I look forward to reading what she does next. I would not sell this as a "Christmas" novel or romance (ala Hallmark), but it is romance-adjacent (I guess there are HEAs but it is not the main theme of the book). I recommend this.

Becca's book is a coming of age story but for a different age group. It's not YA or university students. These characters has been together since university days but now they are in their 30's. We all know life never remains the same and if you try to hold on to the past for too long; people will leave you. Relationships don't need to end as we are growing up, they just need to be adjusted according to different life changes. I liked reading coming of age in a different light and there were so many things I resonated with. It's a sweet book and it was fun reading about Christmas in summers!

I’ve been a longtime fan of Becca Freeman’s and I had high expectations for this novel, and boy did she blow them out of the water. Christmas Orphans Club manages to both be full of heart and depth, and maintain a sense of lightness and fun. I loved the cast of characters—especially Finn and Theo! The sense of place was very strong; it felt exactly like a holiday film that takes place in NYC. Kudos to Becca and the entire team that got this book to shelves.

Freeman brought a new definition and shimmer to the chosen family trope, and it held up all the way through the book from start to finish. Think Happy Place by Emily Henry meets How I Met Your Mother, all wrapped in New York City and a Christmas bow. The novel explores the lives of two best friends, and the highs and lows of growing up into adulthood, through grief and change. It’s a love story that transcends romantic love, serving as a reminder to all of us that there is love in the people all around us.

Additionally, Finn’s story was such an amazing portrayal of the LGBTQIA+ experience, Freeman did an incredible job in the creation and voice of this character. I only wish the ending was longer, but the friends to lovers trope slow burn is always the best to read.

For a debut novel, I cannot think of a stronger start and I will be actively anticipating her next work. And Becca, as someone who has listened to Bad on Paper for many years, I am so proud of you and the work you’ve created.

Book Release date is: September 23rd, 2023

LOVED! Fantastic debut novel from an author you can tell is a reader! This was a realistic rom-com that was about chosen family and completely has me wanting to skip the fall and head right into Christmas!

I loved everything about this book. The plot, the characters, the character development. Absolute yes. I will be reading this again around christmas time. Definitely warmed my heart. One of my new favorite reads