From someone who didn't get sucked into the holiday genre until a year ago..I LOVED IT. This is one of those rare books where I liked every character. Did they have flaws? Yes. Did they need someone to yell at them occasionally to get their lives together? Also yes. This is why I think they came across as so enjoyable on the page. They are real- self centered, young, joyful, fun. The entire book was fun and it made me want my own orphan group of friends to hang out with. Definitely a book I'd recommend to others who enjoy stories of friendship and a little Christmas magic.

Thanks to Becca Freeman, Penguin Books and Netgalley for the advance copy. Can't wait to pick up the finished copy of this one!

I enjoyed this heartwarming story about Hannah and Finn, two best friends who have spent Christmas together since college (Hannah’s parents have both died and Finn’s family disowned him since he came out). We also meet Theo and Priya, who participate in the yearly Christmas tradition, and they are a close knit group of four. However, the book is told in a dual POV from Hannah and Finn only, so we get to know them better as characters. I really did enjoy the elements of friendship that came across in the story. I could feel that Hannah and Finn truly loved each other and it was nice to read a different type of love story in this way. However, with the alternating POVs, as well as the timeline jumping back and forth, I found myself getting confused about what was actually going on in the story. I also feel as though there might have been a few too many characters. I found myself sometimes forgetting who people were, and not feeling super connected to all the characters. All in all, I enjoyed this book and I have followed Becca and listened to her podcast for a long time, and I saw elements of her personality shine throughout the book. It was a great read overall and I’m sure will be a hit this holiday season!
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Loved the story of friendship and romance (friendmance)? Being a BC alum, the many references made me smile ear to ear. Can't wait for Becca's next book!

I’ve been listening to Becca’s podcast, Bad on Paper, for years and this book is Becca’s voice come to life! The friendship with Hannah and Finn is so special and I loved the dual perspectives and jumping timelines. It was fun to learn the bits and pieces that made up their friendship over the years. This book is also chock-full of pop culture references that really add color to every page. So proud of Becca for this book & I am already looking forward to the next!

This book was like a warm hug! I have been listening to Bad on Paper since the beginning and have been a huge fan of Becca's for many years, so I was very excited to read this, and it did not disappoint. I was in college in the mid '00s and moved to NYC in my early twenties. There was the perfect amount of nostalgia and grounded New York details that made this story feel so real. The four main characters felt very well-rounded and made me want to be friends with them. I loved that the friendship was the central focus of the book, but the romance story lines were also so very sweet. This book is still making me smile, thinking about all the small details!

An incredible story of chosen family and friendship, with two B-plot romances (one is queer which I didn’t know before reading and was very excited to find). I have no notes on this book. Becca, you blew me away. I’m so in awe of you and your debut novel. I have never rooted so hard for four characters. I cried, I threw my iPad down with nerves, and jumped for joy with these characters. The way Becca writes about unconventional families was so so special. This is an absolute must-read for EVERYONE!

This was absolutely incredible, I really don't have enough good things to say about The Christmas Orphans Club or about the author. I'm a dedicated Bad on Paper podcast listener, and it was very fun to follow Becca's journey to authorhood and see pieces of her story come through in this title. I can't wait to read more from her and to rave about this to anyone who will listen once it's out in the world.

I've been a longtime fan of Becca's podcast, Bad on Paper, so I was especially excited to read her debut novel! It follows the alternating POV's of Hannah and Finn, best friends who have spent every Christmas together since college. Since then, they've moved to New York City and expanded their tight-knit friend group. But this year, everything is about to change. Finn is moving to L.A., and this Christmas might be the group's last spent together. Both Hannah and Finn are afraid of what this change might bring, for different reasons, but could it be exactly what they both need in the long run?

This book was so heartwarming—a warm, cozy read that's perfect for the holiday season! I loved how well-developed the NYC setting was (it really did feel like its own character!), and how effortlessly the story jumped from past to present. The characters were also very fleshed-out, and while we see some of their romantic and familial relationships outside of the group, I enjoyed how their friendship was truly the heart of the story. If you are a huge fan of the "found family" trope, books packed with fun pop culture references to spot, and stories set around the holiday season, be sure to add this one to your shelf! Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

I had been looking forward to reading Becca's book as a long-time listener of her podcasts and was very excited to receive an early copy through NetGalley! I really loved the main storyline centering on a friendship versus just romance and could relate in many ways to what Hannah and Finn went through over the years. I was, also, as an "orphan" myself especially appreciative of how Becca portrayed loss. I know Becca has been through losses and it meant a lot to me in how she dealt with them versus a lot of authors who recently seem to throw in a parental loss just to make the storyline "deeper." She, at the same time as dealing with these deeper subjects, kept the novel fun and interesting with each character's unique personality and tons of millennial references. Excited to read it again when my physical copy comes in October!

This book is so fun!!! I'm a longtime fan of Bad on Paper and Becca's voice absolutely SHINES in this book. I really liked how she made New York City almost like a fifth character. I'm not super familiar with all things NYC, but this book made me feel like I could see and experience everything with the four friends.

Overall, I enjoyed this Christmasy novel that features multiple love stories along with a big focus on the enduring power of friendships and how they evolve over time.

During college, the main protagonists Hannah and Finn become friends and start the Christmas Orphans Club and post-grad two other friends fall into the mix and their annual tradition of celebrating Christmas together. Sometimes those celebrations are low-key, but typically they are over-the-top and involve different escapades throughout New York City.

I enjoyed all of the easter eggs of places and events around New York City.

I felt there was some lack of depth around Hannah's past with losing her parents and didn't feel as much emotion with that story as I thought there was with Finn's story. I think overall the book didn't have as much emotion and depth as I was hoping for, but I understand it was the first novel published by this author. Readers are given access to the POV of two of the characters Hannah and Finn - but I wish we got to see more from Priya and Theo.

Some parts of the story really felt more like they were written for a movie script vs feeling like we are inside the story with these characters.

Overall, enjoyable and entertaining.

What a delight! I’ve been a longtime Bad on Paper listener, so it was wonderful to finally read Becca’s novel. Even though I came into this with fondness for Becca, I really enjoyed this debut! Christmas Orphan’s Club has so much heart. The central friendships feel alive and real, the challenges they faced were believable, and their world was filled with quirky side characters and capers that felt like they could have been straight out of Gilmore Girls. There’s a coziness to Christmas Orphan’s Club that left me aching to return for next Christmas.
As a personal aside, I had to smile at Hannah and David being together, as those are mine and my husband’s names. Certainly kept me rooting for them.
Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC!

I love Becca from her podcast and knew this was a must read no matter what! I’m thankful to Net Galley for the opportunity to read this ARC. Big fan of stories that involve the families we make versus the ones we’re born into and this was a great read. I cannot wait to read again around the holidays and gift some to friends!

Loved this from start to finish. The characters are endearing and their interwoven storylines kept me reading “just one more page”. I truly hope there will be a sequel because we definitely need more Hannah, Finn, Theo, and Priya!

Thanks to #NetGalley and the publisher for early access to this book in exchange for an honest review.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 (Holiday/ Fiction)

Synopsis: Hannah and Finn have been best friends for a decade, and they have spent every Christmas together in that time. They don’t really have another choice, Hannah’s parents have died, and Finn’s cut him off after he came out. They have an outrageous time each holiday. As time goes on, Priya and Theo are added to the group, and add to the Christmas fun. Their friends become found family . In the present, Finn has announced that he will be moving to LA from New York at the beginning of the year. This makes Hannah feel like she is losing her family once again. Can she make one more Christmas extra special?

My Thoughts: I LOVED this book. I have listened to Bad on Paper from the beginning and I could hear Becca’s voice throughout this whole book. I loved the little references to Becca that listeners will enjoy (like Hannah’s love of Chili’s, a love Becca shares). I thought that the character development was very well done, and we could figure out why Hannah and Finn were doing and saying the things that they were. I loved the ridiculous adventures that the friends got up to in the holidays past.

Thank you to Net Galley and Penguin Group for allowing me to review this book. I have already pre-ordered and cannot wait to get my physical copy and read it next to my Christmas tree in December.

If you love holiday books or movies and stories about friendship, you’ll love this.

I was excited to read this as I really love the author’s podcast, Bad on Paper. I would recommend this book to anyone who reads Christmas books to gear up for the holiday season. I enjoyed the dialogue in the book and the premise. The characters and situations were realistic but fun. It reminded me a lot of the friend group in Emily Henry’s Happy Place so if you liked that book, definitely give this one a try!

The Christmas Orphans Club by Becca Freeman
Publisher Penguin Group Penguin Books
Release Date September 26, 2023
Genre Romance


Characters: 5/5
Plot: 5/5
Pace: 5/5
Storytelling: 5/5
Overall Enjoyment: 5/5

Hannah and Finn have been close friends for many years. So much so they consider themselves family since Hannah’s parents are deceased and Finn’s father disowned him when Finn told him he was gay. Finn does have a sister though that he talks to. The two have started a Christmas tradition of spending time together each year. Both have had heartache, loss, and emotional trauma. New York City has a lot of surprises for them but the two main ones are Theo and Priya. The four become a strong knit family and call themselves the Christmas Orphans Club. With all four of them becoming each other’s support it is apparent that this was much needed. Until one day when Finn announced that he was moving to LA., it is here that the story starts to captivate the raw emotions rom the characters. The build up to the characters compassion for each other is tender and empathetic.

Hannah now must send her best friend off to LA and deal with her own crumbling relationship with her boyfriend at the same time. The fluidity of the authors writing was amazing and Freeman weaves together stories about loneliness, sadness, and grief. Through all of that Freeman also shows how the group of friends support one another and prove that family does not just have to be blood relatives at all. This is such an eloquent, heart warming, and poignant story about the power of friendship.

Freeman is an amazing storyteller who was able to capture the emotions, styles, and creativeness of each character and share them with us flaws and all. Be prepared though…..you WILL experience an emotional rollercoaster ride. Sharing the tears and laughter with not only the characters but the readers as well. I hope that you will run…. Not walk to your nearest bookstore on September 26th to get your copy. I PROMISE you will not be disappointed.

Can Hanna and the Christmas Orphans Club stay together and share many more Christmas’s together?

5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️



Thank you to NetGalley as well as the author and publisher for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my unbiased and honest review.

I knew this was a story of friendship going into the book. As a long time listener of Bad on Paper and hearing Becca's voice throughout, really helped bring Hannah to life for me. This is the perfect Christmas-time book. I loved how Becca was able to play the characters off each other to show their depths and their flaws. Hannah & Finn being the main characters, I love their relationship. I love how they know each other so well and how loyal they are to each other even when they are in a bad place during the course of their friendship. Mostly, I love the depiction of family and what it means and how the definition changes for Hannah and Finn throughout the book. The characters evolve slowly but surely and Hannah's growth is the most noticeable. I could definitely see this as a Netflix movie or series.
I can't wait to read Becca's next book!
Also, I cried at the acknowledgements and laughed at the Terrence reference.

Thanks to @netgalley @pameladormanbooks and @beccamfreeman for the early chance to read The Christmas Orphans Club. It will be released on September 26, 2023.

This story follows four friends as they navigate the tricky time of early adulthood. The two POV characters—Finn and Hannah—spend every Christmas together since a fateful meeting during college. Along the way, they add Theo (a wealthy, mysterious hook up of Finn’s) and Priya (a glamorous roommate of Hannah’s). They all have one thing in common—they don’t have anyone to spend Christmas with. So, they create their own traditions and become each other’s family in the process. Over the years, heartbreaks, career changes, and unrequited love threaten to tear their foursome apart. But when Finn takes a job in Los Angeles, they have one last perfect Christmas together in NYC.

This was a heartwarming book full of the wit and whimsy that regular listeners of the @badonpaperpodcast would expect from Becca Freeman. I loved that it’s a holiday story about the love you share with your chosen family.

Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Steam: 🔥 (closed door)
Tropes: found family, unrequited love

I loved this book SO much. I knew from listening to her podcast that Becca Freeman is an engaging and thoughtful storyteller, but I was blown away by how quickly she made me fall in love with the whole (extensive) cast of lovable characters in this book. The balance of big-picture story and quirky, highly-specific details was so fun, and I raced through the second half in a couple hours, desperate to find out what happened. Can’t wait to listen to the audio when it comes out, and reread every Christmas😭😭😭