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

I was anticipating a whimsical adventure like Dash and Lily’s Book of Dares — given the cover, title, and description — but the story unexpectedly felt more like coming-of-age sad girl fic, so I would recommend this book to those looking for more of the latter than the former!

The club’s Christmas adventures weren’t all that crazy. [[[Minor spoilers: They made pancakes in their college campus’ closed dining hall, they danced at a restaurant’s hidden dance party, they did an ugly sweater bar crawl (but all we really hear about is them singing karaoke at the last bar), they had a penthouse party and played charades, etc.]]] — all pretty normal stuff (in terms of special events) that could be done with anyone at any time of year. Thus, the annual Christmas flashbacks felt less about the not-crazy “adventures,” and more about seeing how this friend group came together and the progression of their friendship.

But still, it felt like the friends hardly knew each other, that they were little more than people put together because of the convenience of their Christmas availability rather than emotional connection. The friend group also felt off balance, with Hannah clearly favouring Finn, and Theo away traveling and Priya away working; this was only exacerbated by how the story was only told from Hannah’s and Finn’s POVs.

It was hard for me to see why Hannah was so desperate to hold onto this Christmas tradition, especially as the other three didn’t seem to hold this tradition as sacredly as she did, but at the same time, she came off as the most unwelcoming to newcomers joining the club, which seemed antithetical to the club and felt like unnecessary drama, putting a damper on what I expected to be an all-around feel-good Christmas story. The story isn’t at fault for my expectations, but I do think Hannah’s character could have been more fleshed out, not to mention the peripheral friends.

Ultimately for me, this story was less about holiday adventures and found family, and more about Hannah and Finn navigating the emotional turmoil of changing adult friendship dynamics.

This was one of my first holiday reads and it did not disappoint. My problem was actually that I wanted more of it 😂 please please give me more

I adored both Hannah and Finn. The way the dual timelines pieced together was absolute perfection. The ending was extremely satisfying. Definitely worth a read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin for the ARC.

Hoping reading Christmas books spurs a cold front - instead got historical heat. Heard about Christmas Orphans Club via author @beccamfreeman podcast @badonpaperpodcast which I’ve tuned into for a long time for book recs and chats/interviews with very cool women. Despite the cover leaning into the romanancetoon trend, Orphans Club reads more like the combined Christmas episodes of Friends and less like a hallmark movie. Some romance plot drivers but no smut, and way more focus on the love of friendship, which I appreciated. Out September 25 - thank you @penguinrandomhouse & @netgalley for the advanced copy!

This book took me by complete surprise! I try to be a month ahead of ARCS and was nervous to read a holiday book in August… I’m also a one time holiday book reader a year gal but the synopsis and my love for the author and her humor on her podcast I knew I was in good hands.

Finishing the book I kept saying in my head… that was the best damn found family book I have ever read! Becca created this group of friends that felt like your favorite TV show you obsessively wait for each week. From the alternating POV chapters alongside the different years of Xmas… I found myself always looking forward to whatever was coming my way.

The found family just stole my heart but it also is a story about love and loss. Coming of age and drama. LGBTQIA+ rep that brought joyful tears to my eyes to read in a book. Pop culture references that read like balm to my nostalgic soul.

She just did everything right haha I just have no words but all the words. This is truly like no book I’ve read before let alone a holiday read. I’m sad to this group but looking forward to what Becca does next!

The first half of this book I found exhausting and didn't know if I could finish it. There was a lot of story background to fill in but at the same time there were so many details that didn't seem important that I just didn't think were necessary and did not enjoy. Some of the New York City details were charming and cute but others I will refer to as "mezcal details". Do we need to know their margaritas were mezcal? Almost seemed like a word count was trying to be fulfilled.
Around halfway through the book, when you discover why Hannah and Finn had a falling out, the story picked up and I finished quickly. I ended up loving the story and the characters but don't love that I had to go through so much to get there. Maybe that's the Christmas Orphan Magic?
Cute read for the holidays.

I loved The Christmas Orphans Club by Becca Freeman. I have listened to Becca's podcast for years and I distinctly remember her talking about not being a creative person, despite being a pretty prolific reader. Along came the pandemic and Becca started writing fiction podcasts and eventually this book. That's one of the reasons I think people should read this book: we all have something to say and Becca Freeman does a great job of writing a beautiful story about a group of people who don't have traditional families to spend the holidays with. This is a novel about friendships, how they change over time, and how sometimes we hold onto things because change is scary. Put this book at the top of your To Be Read list!

It's been a few days since I finished this book and I am still thinking about the characters! This story is about friendship and the friends you make that turn into family. Hannah and Finn started a tradition of spending Christmas together in college when neither of them had a place to go, and overtime, they grew into a group of four friends who spend the holiday together. When Finn announces he's moving to LA, this Christmas may be their last - and Hannah is determined to make it the best yet.

As a former New Yorker, I must admit I felt like I was on a tour of the city with Hannah and Finn and loved the places the author weaved into the book. While I normally do not seek out holiday books, the story was not so in-your-face Christmas that you could easily read and enjoy this book all year round. I look forward to seeing what Becca writes next!

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC!

I'm a sucker for any Christmas book so this was a joy for me. This blends joy, grief, romance, friendship, and a feeling of nostalgia. This was able to invoke the nostalgic feeling that I think a lot of adults have for Christmas and the blending of New York City as its own character made this reminiscent of a classic Christmas movie. The characters also all worked together and were genuinely likable even when going through hardships. Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Books for this lovely ARC.

The Christmas Orphans Club was a cute story that I finished within 24 hours (partly because I was without power in the wake of a storm and had few other things I could do). I love stories of found family, and I especially loved how these friendships were imperfect and real. As a queer person who lost a parent when I was a late teen, I identified with both Finn and Hannah so much and I loved their friendship. There’s a really good blend of humor, grief, warmth, and drama in this story. There were times when I wanted more character development, but with the structure of the story being told over a decade of Christmases, I understand why not all of the characters were fully developed. I recommend this heartwarming holiday read for anyone looking for something different from the typical Christmas romance. Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for the eARC!