The Christmas Orphans Club by Becca Freeman is a heartwarming contemporary holiday fiction that I really enjoyed.

This was a heartfelt, heartwarming, and inspiring story that is really a “collection of stories” per say of Hannah, Finn, their friends, and their respective friendships and all that they have gone through, their experiences, and all told relating to their Christmases that have brought them together throughout the years to where they are today.

It was interesting to read the development of time and the relationships through a specific holiday and I really enjoyed the genuine emotional pull that was created through the narrative.

4.5/5 stars

Thank you NG and PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Books, Penguin Books for this wonderful arc and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.

I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon, Instagram, and B&N accounts upon publication on 9/26/23.

Figured reading a Christmas story in July made a lot of sense. Nothing like a good fill of nostalgia and hopefulness to end the summer months and move into the fall season. This was a truly delightful read! The Christmas Orphans Club tells the story of Hannah and Finn who met in college on Christmas and have spent the holidays together ever since. They started this Christmas orphans club and later the additional characters of Priya and Theo joined their group. Despite being in different stages throughout their lives/book, they always come together to celebrate Christmas.

Told from Hannah and Finn's point of view and bouncing between present day and Christmas's of the past, Freeman does an excellent job of navigating a story of friendship and love, while weaving in strong pop culture references and funny banter. You understand why Hannah becomes scared when Finn announces that he got a new job in California, and this Christmas may be the last they will spend together. She wants to make it the best ever and in turn, she learns to release a little control and allow herself to see that family is more than just spending the holidays together.

Even though many of the plot points were predictable, I enjoyed the storyline and the development of Hannah and Finn's friendship. It felt like a very realistic portrayal of young twenty-somethings in New York City. The dialogue was great as well and had me laughing at various points. Would recommend checking this one out if you are interested in a heartwarming story centered around Christmas, but about more than Christmas.

Thank you to Penguin Random House for the opportunity to read and review.

I thoroughly enjoyed Becca Freeman’s debut book. This book is a far cry from the typical Hallmark-esque troupe with holiday centered fiction. The Christmas Orphans Club weaves between the past and present seamlessly while introducing to the main characters and the complexity of their friendships. The book was light hearted and a quick read that made me want to finish it in one sitting. The four main characters Hannah, Finn, Theo and Priya are well developed and multi-faceted. The transitions between past and present show the four friends and how their Christmas traditions developed over the years. Each of the four are “orphans” in the literal and not so literal sense and how a friend group can become your chosen family. .

I received a free copy of, The Christmas Orphans Club, by Becca Freeman, from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Hannah and Finn are orphans and friends, but this is there last Christmas together, because Finn is moving. I could not imagine being an orphan at any age. I enjoyed this story, it was sad at times, but good.

An incredible feel good debut novel. Even in the heat of July summer this book joyfully sets a holiday scene, set across many years. The character development and friendships felt both relatable and at times aspirational. I could have kept reading for another few hundred pages. Bravo -- can't wait to read all of Freeman's future books.

Look, I am not a Christmas loving person. Christmas is fine, I just don't get into the hype EXCEPT FOR WHEN THIS BOOK IS INVOLVED.

Freeman has so beautifully displayed the misgivings of growing up, the growth and pains of adult friendship, all while maintaining a sheen of hope and love. I loved this friend group, I wanted only good things for each of them. Freeman drew me into not only Hannah and Finn's friendship, but their individual growth as well.

Five stars for a book I can't wait to see everyone reading this holiday season!

This isn't really a genre I usually read, but am a loyal listener of the author's podcast, so was excited to check out this book. I liked the dynamic of the characters, and the specificity of the places and activities around NYC. Definitely would be a fun, cozy read for the holiday season, and I liked the structure of telling the friendship story through their Christmases together. I did find the stubbornness of the two point of view characters a little frustrating at times, but they are supposed to be pretty young, so I guess that could be understandable.

This is such a fun Christmas read.

It's very easy to differentiate between the two point of views you see in the story.

All the main characters I really well developed and flushed out. And it was really fun to read from the perspective of how as you grow. Your friendships and relationships do as well, but that doesn't necessarily mean you grow apart.

And all of this change happens with a Christmas backdrop was just makes this so much more fun and impactful.

Reading about their adventures around New York at Christmas time with such a delight. This is the kind of book where you really just want to grab a hot drink curl up under a cozy blanket and read until you finish.

Loved every second of this . It definitely gets you into the Christmas mood. 🎄🎅❄️💕

A charming story of found family and friendship centered on spending Christmas together.

No matter how their respective years are going, Hannah, Finn, Priya, and Theo are committed to spending Christmas together. This year feels different though as Finn is leaving New York for LA. Hannah is desperate to make sure Finn gets a proper send off even as her own relationship seems to be falling apart…

This is a cute and enjoyable read! The friendship aspect felt more important / developed than the romances but it all meshed well together (though I do wish the central romance did not feel so rushed at the end).

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance copy.

Ok, I did not expect to love this as much as I did, but Becca’s debut novel was an absolute delight!!!

I love Christmas, but I’m not a Hallmark Christmas movie person, I don’t typically read Christmas books, and I always say that I prefer my rom-coms heavy on the com, since I often find that romance can skew too cheesy for me. Basically, I’m not the ideal target for this book.

However, a while back I decided to try listening to Becca’s Romcom Pods since I enjoy her other podcast, and I absolutely loved every season, so I knew if someone could write a rom-com that I liked, it would be her.

I’m starting to think that my views on the genre are shifting, or I was too dismissive in the first place, and may need to broaden my horizons a bit when it comes to rom-com reading since there are likely others I would enjoy!

Anyways, back to The Christmas Orphans Club (COC for short - IYKYK 😆)

It was so incredibly well-written! It was funny, it was sweet, and I was rooting for romance.

I enjoyed the format of the entire story being told through each Christmas spent together from alternating perspectives. I will say that because they don’t go in chronological order, I got confused a couple times when I took breaks from reading when I’d come back and try to remember what had happened when.

I really loved the character development of Hannah and Finn and their friendship. They were able to help each other grow, and their dynamic and the way they cared about each other felt so real.

The secondary and tertiary characters were so fun too and I felt like I could really picture exactly who Theo, Priya, David, Clementine, and Keith were.

This book is a love letter to friendship, New York, and the early 2000’s (so much nostalgia that brought me back!) I can’t wait to see what Becca does next!

I LOVED this book. It was the perfect mix of friends, holidays, and thoughtfulness. An amazing debut novel from Becca Freeman.

I hate partaking in Christmas-related activities before Thanksgiving (I am a holiday purist) but for Becca Freeman, I'll make an exception. This book is simply adorable! I loved the college friendship at the root of the story and all of the easter eggs to New York City sprinkled throughout. It's a big pet peeve of mine when authors use New York as a setting, but don't do enough homework to make their references feel organic to the plot. That couldn't be the case with The Christmas Orphans Club!

The non-chronological timeline was also super smart. It elevated the story beyond rom-com tropes.

"I never expected to be having one of the most important conversations of my life with a Dunkin iced coffee in my hand. This must be what it feels like to be Ben Affleck." - Finn

I chose this as my Christmas in July read and it fit the theme perfectly! I absolutely devoured this book over the weekend in-between Christmas cookie baking and a viewing of Home Alone.

Hannah, Finn, Priya, and Theo spend Christmas together every year as an "adopted family." Their story is told in alternating timelines from present day to previous Christmases. This year's Christmas is even more important because Finn is moving across the country and the friends must confront the changes in their friendship.

I really enjoyed that this is primarily a story about friendship. The friends have their common bond yet are all so different in what makes them "orphans." I liked the flashback chapters that gave the reader background but it was paced to not give too much away at once. Mostly told from Hannah's POV with a few chapters from Finn. I would've loved to know what was going on in Theo's head for a lot of this book. Perhaps a sequel! Read this book if you adore close friendships, second chance romance, Christmas, and early 2000s references.

I really enjoyed Becca's voice and the characters she developed for this story. I'm looking forward to the audiobook and her future books.

Thank you to Becca Freeman and Penguin Books for this copy.

I’m obsessed with Becca and her voice really shone through with this debut. It was sweet and comforting but never too cheesy. I definitely would recommend this one!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for my advance e copy of this book! All opinions and ratings are my own.

Wow this has been one of my most anticipated reads of the year and it did not disappoint! Hannah and Finn have been best friends since a fateful Christmas in college when they were the only two left in the dorms. Since then they spend every Christmas together and have added a few more friends into their Christmas Orphans Club. Full of witty pop culture references, found family, and Christmas spirit this book was such an amazing debut from Becca Freeman!

Loved it:
-Found family! This is easily my favorite trope in any book and this one was no exception
-The dual perspectives and timelines. It was so fun getting to see the present Christmas as well as ones from the past
-The love stories. Seeing each of the characters find their people was such a joy and I was rooting for all of them the entire time.
-Hannah! I have never related to a character more in a book I think ever. Hannah was such a great character to read about.
-The pop culture references. There were enough to place the book’s year but not too many that it felt cheesy. A lot of them also felt like a nod to the BOP listeners which I loved! (I’m looking at you combos and Terrance)

Didn’t love as much:
-I wish we got to see more from Priya’s and Theo’s perspectives, they were such great characters!
-How quickly the love story between Theo and Finn happened and fell apart and then resolved itself. It get a little rushed at the end

Hannah and Finn have been best friends since that fateful night these two Christmas Orphans turned what could be a lonely night for one into a new found celebration. Hannah is alone after tragically losing her parents just 3 months apart when she was 15. She has an older sister, but not much of a relationship with her. Finn is alone since being rejected by his father after coming out. He still keeps in touch with his younger sister, but secretly from the rest of his family. The night these two found each other they realized they found family. Fast forward a few years and add in Priya, who technically doesn't celebrate Christmas, and the ever elusive Theo who's family money supports his lifestyle, without a family to support his life. These four friends spend each Christmas together in highly unusual, but entertaining ways. That is until Finn announces he is moving to LA. Hannah is distraught. She wants everything to stay the same, but as we all know change is the only constant. Can Hannah let go and move on with her life? Will the friends find a way to grow in their personal lives and still keep their found family?

Wow—talk about Christmas in July! I am normally a person who saves holiday books for the time near that holiday, but I am so glad I didn’t do that with this one! I absolutely loved the friendship of Hannah, Finn, Priya and Theo in this story! Friendship was definitely the star of this book and for good reason, but the extra cute stuff between characters was fantastic. I really enjoyed the author’s shifts between past and present and just absolutely loved how real these characters felt—meaning, I didn’t like all of them all the time, but they often were characterized so well by the author that they felt real. Great story!

Very cute. I liked the romance subplots (and think they added necessary tension) but friendship was really the star of the book, including what happens it isn't perfect. Hannah can be very frustrating but I'm glad she "figured it out" by the end.

Having followed Becca for years I enjoyed the little personal touches from her life (Holbox, BC, etc). I also like reading all the weird New York Christmas things.

The Christmas Orphans Club by Becca Freeman is a perfect read for not only Christmas in July or the actual December holiday but for readers who tightly cling to people and traditions to the possible detriment of both. The novel tells the story of Hannah and Finn, two best friends brought together by their absence of a family with which to celebrate Christmas, over the course of ten years. Along the way, they’ve gathered more orphans, Priya and Theo, and have established their importance in each other’s lives. When Finn’s seemingly last Christmas reveals itself, Hannah panics about making it perfect. The source of her panic isn’t just her best friend relocating for work. Freeman tiles a mosaic of asynchronous Christmases that shows that the tradition of togetherness is easier said than done. The non-linear disclosure of information makes for an engaging narrative that provides a well balanced amount of Hannah and Finn where the reader can see both protagonists’ perspectives.

Freeman seeds perfect cultural references throughout the text and it is clear that while the world changes, it feels like the relationship amongst the Christmas Orphans Club is encased in a snowglobe of good feeling. The characters exhibit a conversational ease that makes the reader want to know what their group texts and emails look like. Freeman explores the romance of friendship in a special way and imbues friendship with the same gravity given to romantic relationships. This book isn’t just about friends celebrating a holiday with their found family, it’s about navigating growing up and around the most important people in your life and holding each other accountable in order to maintain those friendships.

Thank you, Penguin Random House and NetGalley, for providing an eARC of this book. Opinions expressed here are solely my own.

The cover and title of this book makes you want to curl up and dive into what promises to be an amazing story about the family we choose. I love that the story is not told in a linear fashion, but relies on flashbacks to past holidays to parse out the story of how Priya, Finn, Theo, and Hannah become the family they always needed to be. They have their traditions and make their holiday into whatever they want it to be. If they want to eat things that can only be cooked in a toaster, so be it. While we're distracted with their sometimes decadent choices we're reminded that with the good also comes the bad, and the truly awful at times, yet they're always there for each other, until a misunderstanding and fight tear them apart. When they finally find a way back together it's tenuous and they worry that it could be unraveled again and all of their hurts and truths come to the surface during what may be their last holiday together before everything changes. While it deals with some serious topics like parental death, this book is also very Christmassy and perfect for a last read of the year.
Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for allowing me to preview this title.