I have been a fan of Becca Freeman’s since the inception of the Bad On Paper Podcast and became a fan of her writing after listening to the fiction podcasts Rom Com Pods and Bone Marry Burry. In her podcasts, Freeman employed plot beats and witty dialogue expertly, and I was excited to see how that would translate to a long form novel. The Christmas Orphans Club highlights Freeman’s distinct voice and shows how seamlessly she can shift between mediums.

The Christmas Orphans Club follows a group of friends in New York City across a decade’s worth of holiday celebrations. It’s told in a non-linear format which worked due to Freeman’s ability to cement readers in each time period using clothing descriptions, music selections, and hilarious pop culture indicators. Many of the analogies and metaphors were laugh out loud funny, and there were a plethora of Easter eggs for loyal BOP listeners.

Main characters Hannah, Finn, Theo, and Priya are the beating heart of this story and I became smitten with all four of them. This is not a romance, though there are romantic moments intertwined. This is a touching story about chosen family and fierce platonic love. Despite the plot involving Christmas traditions, this novel didn’t emphasize the holiday as much as it did carving out space and time for your loved ones. It was a truly delightful book that has me excited to see what Freeman will give us next.

Thank you to Penguin Books, Penguin Group, and NetGalley for providing me with this e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

As a listener of Bad on Paper, I will read anything Becca writes! I thought this story had a wonderful message behind it and could find little similarities between myself and many of the characters. However, I did find a few lulls throughout the book between the long chapters and stories of past Christmases that just seemed to be there to build history. Overall, it's a touching friendship story and has a ton of great references that millennials will love. Can't wait to read what Becca writes next!

I'm a huge fan of the Bad on Paper podcast - and of Becca Freeman - so have followed along on her journey of writing this book with great interest and excitement. Of course I pre-ordered a hard copy of the book, but was thrilled to get an advance copy of the book from NetGalley so I didn't have to wait. Enjoyed this thoroughly - the best combination of witty and heartfelt - the story of 4 friends who have become each others' chosen family and their enduring tradition of celebrating Christmas together - and what may be their last Christmas as one of them is leaving NY for a new job in LA. Loved it!

This is not a romance so don’t go into it expecting one. Also this isn’t really about Christmas, everything just happens on Christmas day in the past and in the weeks leading up to Christmas in the present.

✅ Set in NYC
✅ diverse group of friends who are family
✅ dual timelines
✅ genuinely funny
✅ Harry Styles easter egg. A+ pop culture references (which double as the most delightful easter eggs if you’re also a Bad on Paper podcast listener)

Reading this book will make you nostalgic for all your friends you haven’t talked to in a while 🥰 This is a big, cozy hug of a book.

Becca Freeman has knocked it out of the park with her debut novel! The Christmas Orphans Club was everything you want to read in a holiday book! Hannah and Finn started a Christmas tradition in college when they realized neither had a family to celebrate the holidays with. As they move to New York City after college and their group grew to include Priya and Theo, the Christmas Orphan's Club was born and over the course of a decade they have had some amazing celebrations, and also some very hard Christmases. When Finn gets a job that's going to send him across the country Hannah is determined to make this Christmas the very best one yet! Told by both Hannah and Finn over the course of 10 Christmases you will absolutely fall in love with this quarter of "orphans." I finished reading a few hours ago and I miss them already!

This was such a fun chosen family story! I loved the focus on friendship and the complexity of a friend group rather then just two friends. I thought this was a really interesting premise that isn't often explored. The characters were all fun, unique and diverse. I do wish Priya had a bit more depth. I felt like she was on the periphery of the group compared to the other characters. I also had a difficult time relating to Hannah because she seemed a little whiney and naive to me. I did appreciate her growth and her epiphany moments at the end but she was difficult to connect with early on.
I loved the flashback to past Christmas' and the dual voices because it created a really comprehensive story. I love understanding characters in the past because it allows me to better connect with them in the present.
Overall, a delightful, heartwarming holiday read for anyone looking for a book about friendship

I loved this chosen family story, including the shifting timelines. I am in my thirties and enjoyed the changing friendships and all the pop culture references that line up with my experience. A perfect Christmas read!

Oh.my.god. This book is DELIGHTFUL. I am a loyal BOP listener and was so so excited to grab an ARC- I have loved the behind the scenes look into the book writing process and it is such a treat to get to read the finished product. Right from the beginning I was sucked into the friend group. The NYC landmarks really make you feel as if you're there and the book wasn't "too Christmasy" that I felt weird reading it in September. I love a book truly about friendship; it is so difficult to find a book that isn't secretly a romance in disguise (although there is some love in here). 5 stars and I cannot wait to see what Becca does next. Review will be posted on Amazon on pub day!! Thank you a million for the galley.

The premise of this book sounded great. This book came highly recommended by several book friends who have read and loved it. Unfortunately, this missed the mark for me. I just wasn't interested in the characters or the back stories, their drama, etc. Maybe it's the introvert in me, I'm not sure. This just wasn't a book for me. It has nothing to do with the author or even the writing style. I may try it on audio eventually. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for this e-ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own!

Full disclosure I have been listening to the podcast Bad on Paper since almost the beginning, and I've enjoyed getting to know Becca through the podcast and following her on Instagram. I figured I would solidly like this book, but I was blown away by just how much I loved it, especially the characters at the center of the novel, Hannah and Finn. I was struggling with how to describe this to people because it's not a romance, but there are some romance elements (which I think are well done but not spicy, it's very closed door) it's really more of novel about a group of friends, featuring one of my favorite things -- good banter.

I really liked the back and forth timelines between the present and past Christmases, and I loved the focus on found families, navigating the holidays as "orphans" and celebrating and making your own traditions. As the member of a friend group most likely to try and start an annual tradition, and the one that will want to cling to any tradition the most I really related to Hannah's struggle to think through the foursome's Christmas traditions in light of changes in their lives. Once I stopped I could not put this down and had to finish it immediately because I was so wrapped up in it. Would be a perfect Thanksgiving/December read and I highly recommend it!

Many thanks to NetGalley, I received this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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.