I have been anticipating reading this book for quite some time as I have listened to the author's podcast long before she was an author. Christmas books can be a little too similar or too predictable which can be fun for a book or two but I can't do more than that. However, Becca Freeman has written such an endearing unique Christmas story that will go down as one of my favorite holiday stories. The premise is four friends who find themselves on Christmas Day without family to celebrate with so they become their own family. They walk through ups and downs of friendships that make you root for them and want to wring their necks at times :). I loved feeling like I was a part of their friend group and exploring the city of NY alongside them. I am so thankful for the publisher, author, and Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read an advanced copy.

Four stars. Late ARC reading. Sweet story and characters. Excited for her next one! Occasional podcast listener and the author’s voice definitely came through.

This book was like a warm hug. I didn't know if I would like it because I like more romance rather than friendship stories, but Becca did a great job making the story entertaining while also being heartfelt. I kept wanting to turn those pages!

🎄Book Review🎄
*
Summary: Hannah and Finn have spent every Christmas together since college. Neither has anywhere else to go—Hannah’s parents died, and Finn’s disowned him when he came out. Their tradition of offbeat holiday adventures only grows more outrageous with time. When the pair starts their adult lives in New York City, they add stylish Priya and mysterious Theo to the group, solidifying a found family and sense of belonging they’ve always craved.

But now, when Finn announces a move to L.A., this Christmas may be their last. Hannah is terrified of losing the family she’s built for herself, even as her boyfriend nudges her toward commitment. Meanwhile, Finn struggles with the things he’s about to leave behind—namely, his unexpressed feelings for Theo. Does growing up mean growing apart? This Christmas the changes these friends fear may be exactly what they need. . . .
*
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
*
My Thoughts: thank you so much @netgalley and @randomhouse for the advanced copy of this beauty! I just loved every minute of this book. A beautiful story about growing up, grief, found family, and so much more. This was such a moving story it’s pretty rare that I love a holiday book as much as I loved this one. I really enjoyed the stories of each past Christmas and the dynamic of the friend group. Overall this was a really moving story and I loved every second of this !
*
QOTD- did you read any holiday books this year? What was your favorite one, mine was this and love Holly!
*
#thechristmasorphansclub #beccafreeman #bookreview #bookrecommendation #bookstagram #booksofinstagram #booksofig #booksofinsta #bibliophile #bookobsessed #bookaddict #bookaesthetic #bookish #booknerd #bookworm #bookwormsunite #readersofinstagram #readersgonnaread #readmorebooks

This is a cute one! Finn and Hannah meet on Christmas in college when they don’t have anywhere to celebrate. This starts a decade long tradition with them and two of their friends.

This is a dual pov and timeline. We learn about past Christmases while we navigate the days leading up to Christmas this year.

Hannah is so set in tradition that she may be ruining some relationships along the way.

Finn is moving and Hannah is trying to make the last Christmas the best one yet but at what cost?


This book showcases the strong bond of friendship and love among friends. One Christmas that friendship is tested and two of the friends don’t talk for a year but the following Christmas something happens that brings them together again.


I really loved the friendship and all their adventures 🥰

I LOVED this book!!! One of my new favorite holiday books. Becca Freeman wrote about friendship so well- it feel realistic and relatable while also being such a cozy read. Can't wait to read what Becca writes next!!

This was such a sweet story of found family and navigating friendships as an adult. I really enjoyed all the fun stories and the varying timeline. Some of Hannah’s attitude throughout got annoying and redundant, as did Finn’s pining, but that was kind of the point. Overall, I enjoyed the story and really liked the friendship dynamic and how they called each other out on things, not to mention getting to watch their friendship origin stories play out.

Four NYC friends make up a found family that carries them through their twenties. Of course, with age, things begin to change and they find themselves trying to figure out what this means for life going forward.
I fell in love with Finn and Hannah immediately, and Priya and Theo weren't far behind. Your twenty-something friends are really your family in lot of ways, and I appreciated this holiday friendship love story that was all about holding on and letting go of each other  but still being family, if that makes sense.
Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Books for the ARC!

This reminded me so much of the celebrants. It was light on the love, heavier on the drama. The real love story is about the best friends. I thought it was a great heartwarming book for this holiday.

I loved this take on found family, friendship, and Christmas traditions. I adored the New York City references- a true homage to living in the city in your 20s. I did wish I had this as a paper copy with how the timeline kept jumping around. A lot of holiday books are romances (which is a favorite) but the focus on friends was a refreshing twist. I would, and have already, recommended this to friends.

What a delightful holiday read! I devoured this book on Christmas Day, and I am so glad I waited until the holiday season to read it. It has all the holidays vibes, friendship, romance, NYC. It was so good. I felt so many feelings as I read this. Most holiday books all seem the same, but this one was one of the best I've read!

The Christmas Orphans Club was a cute story of found family. Going into it, I thought it was going to be a five star favorite. Early on, Freeman did a wonderful job of using pop culture references to put the past story lines into context. I was able to use them to remember what I was doing during that time and it helped me relate. About halfway through though, the main female character’s immaturity made it where I found myself wanting to skim over her chapters. This kept me from being fully committed to the story.

What a delightful book that centers around friendship and chosen family! A cozy Christmas book but can be read at any time of the year as it’s more about a group of friends navigating early adulthood & relationships. The mix of plot going back to old holidays and how it provides context for present was a great plot option. Will definitely recommend.

This was everything that my millennial heart needed. This is such a good debut from Becca Freeman. The nostalgia, the emotions, the creativity... Bravo. Can't wait to read more from this author!

What a fun holiday read! Big thanks to Penguin Books and NetGalley for the advanced copy to read and review. What a debut for Becca Freeman!! I saved this one for my recent trip to NYC, and it made the story come alive!

Becca and Finn have spent every Christmas together since they were in college. They considered themselves Christmas orphans - Becca lost both of her parents young, and Finn was estranged from his family when he came out, What started as a holiday they dreaded became something they looked forward to every year. And in recent years they added friends Priya and Theo, and changed up exactly how they celebrated.

But as happens with all things in life - circumstances change, relationships evolve and sometimes traditions have to as well. The story is told through various Christmas celebrations through the years - a unique storytelling device coupled with the changing of perspectives that worked quite well here. We see the gang go through the ups and downs of new relationships, work transitions, and family issues. While we follow their romances, the true love story here is between these friends.

What an excellent book to read at this time of year!! Bravo, Becca!!

Will post this read to my goodreads, retail sites and bookstagram @scottonreads

This was splendid. I feel like Becca created wonderful characters who were so fun and complex.

I also loved the pop culture references and the way Becca was able to interweave timelines to reveal the story and develop the characters’ conflicts.

Hannah and Finn were such wonderful, deep characters and it was thrilling to be inside their brains. Their friendship and how the friendship came to fruition was beautiful, touching, and of course, a bit sad. I also really enjoyed Theo and Priya, who even as side characters, had a lot of growth and great character development.

Throughout the course of the book, you're constantly flipping back and forth from past Christmases to the present, and some things are held close to the chest: like the real reason that Hannah and Finn had a falling out and why a few of their recent Christmases together weren't the greatest.

When you do come to that reveal, it was shocking and made so much sense because at the start, I didn't see how anything could break these two best friends apart.

There were moments where Hannah's resistance to committing to her boyfriend was really annoying because it felt like she was throwing away something wonderful for her friends, and while that's ok sometimes, I didn't want her to sacrifice her happiness for something fleeting. I also kept waiting for her boyfriend to do something horrible but he really was a standup guy the whole time and that made me sad, yet happy.

There is so much that happens within the book and it really stands out when I think about holiday stories; there is something for everyone, and it's not your traditional holiday romance. There's friends, families, careers, and so much New York City which was really wonderful. I felt like the city was the 5th friend in the group and all of Becca's descriptions really jumped off the page and pulled you into this world.

There's twists, turns, reveals, heartbreak, makeups and a lot of other stuff in between but to me, the core of this story was the message about growing up. Hannah is having a really hard time letting go of what she has always known and giving up part of herself to grow and change. That's something I completely relate to and it was weirdly a wakeup call for me. It made me see my life in a different way, in a more open way, that maybe I do need to do some growing up and changing.

The Christmas Orphans Club also made me incredibly thankful to the many 'chosen families' I have; from my childhood friends to my college sorority sisters, there's something so special about each group and I hold them in really important places in my heart. It made me long for my friends in a way that I haven't previously. It gave me a twinge of growing up guilt, where everything isn't always as easy, your friends don't live down the block, and everyone has their own lives... but it's so important to keep tradition alive in any way you can.

This was truly a beautiful, thoughtful Christmas story that I think everyone could find a bright light in.

Christmas books are usually too saccharine for me, but I gave Becca Freeman's debut novel a chance because I love her on the Bad on Paper Podcast. And, because it stands out amid the sea of Christmas rom-coms by being a story of friendship. A coed group of 4 friends who have been spending Christmas together in New York City for years is trying to make their last Christmas together an extra special one before Finn, one of the original members of the group, moves to L.A. The story is told via a thread of the present-day lead-up to the group’s last Christmas celebration mixed with flashbacks of the group’s previous Christmas celebrations. Becca nails the little details of NYC, especially with the randomness of this group's Christmas escapades. Though there is a slight bit of romance as a side story, the focus here is on found family and friendship. And, Becca's wit keeps the story from venturing into cloyingly sweet territory.

I’ve been a big fan of Bad on Paper podcast for years and was thrilled when I heard Becca Freeman was releasing her first book! I loved that The Christmas Orphans Club is centered around a group of friends, which was so refreshing since most Christmas books focus mainly on romance. I loved that we alternated between present day and past christmases so we pieced together the history of the friend group across the years. This story really put me in a festive mood!

If you are deciding which books to bring home for the holidays, definitely pick up this one! This book is best enjoyed in a cozy spot next to a Christmas tree with your preferred festive drink of choice (mine is mulled wine). It would also be a wonderful gift for a bookish friend.

I was really excited for this holiday book, as most Christmas books are romantic l, I was excited to read one about friendships. This book fell a bit flat for me, as I found the main character a bit unlikeable. I also thought some of the side characters were not fleshed out enough, especially Priya and Theo. It was a sweet read — I just wish some parts had been a bit more fleshed lut.