“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”

My first holiday read of the season and it was a GOOD one!! I really enjoyed my time with Theo, Hannah, Finn, and Priya - what a lovely group of humans. I could tell that there was so much love between these friends. As a born + raised Massachusetts girly, I loved the Paradise Rock Club and Cleveland Circle mentions; it helped me imagine myself in the story (Boston doesn’t get enough representation in the romance world!!!) I resonated heavily with Hannah’s grief and there were parts that made me so sad because I truly understood how she was feeling.

I can’t wait to read Freeman’s next book. This was such a pleasure to read!

highlights:
- Bloodline reference
- queer + POC characters
- based in Boston + NYC
- feel-good holiday read
- Flat Stanley reference

NYC is the backdrop for this festive story of found family sharing Christmas over the years with plenty of fun pop culture references for the Millennial readers. It's not all seasonal fun, though. These friends experience some pretty devastating heartbreaks and struggles over the years! But at least they have each other and Christmas together. Great holiday read to get into the spirit.

I absolutely loved this sweet, funny, and highly relatable story of friendship in New York City. It’s like a love letter to the holidays and the magic of Manhattan with 4 truly lovely friends who have become family to each other in the 10 Christmases since college. it is well written, and just the perfect amount of heart warming without being saccharine. I would recommend this to anyone looking for a warm and fuzzy holiday read, especially if they love NY and pop culture (which I do!)

I was looking forward to this book having followed Becca Freeman's journey as a first-time author on Instagram. This "genre" is new for me as I haven't read any holiday-themed books. I thought the book delivered on presenting a complex story of chosen family and lots of detail about living in and experiencing New York City. You could really feel the struggles of being in your 20's and trying to hold onto the friendships and connections you have, even though you and your friends are all growing up. At the same time, I think the character of Hannah got a little annoying for me towards the middle/end as she just couldn't realize that life was moving on for people (and her too!). Everyone was growing up and her stubbornness sort of started to get old for me.

The other minor gripe I have about the book is that there was an overuse of very specific references -- to pop songs, famous people, restaurants/bars, etc. Even terms of speech -- is this book meant for a younger generation? There were some phrases of speech I sort of had to do a double take on and even google at times. If I (as an American) struggled with some of the very specific references (were they necessary?) and phrases of speech, how will this book translate for a non-US audience? I think a lot of that detail will be lost to other audiences, and indeed maybe wasn't necessary in the book. I read some sentences removing some of the very specific references and it didn't seem to lose anything for me.

For anyone who loves holiday books and New York city, especially perhaps those of a more millennial generation, this would be a good read.

Thank you to the publisher for the gifted e-copy.

This was the perfect book to jump start my holiday reading. Hannah lost her parents in her teens, and was planning to spend Christmas alone, when a stranger knocks on her door and takes her on an adventure. This turns into a yearly tradition for new best friends Hannah and Finn, and they add to their little group each year. Only, this Christmas might be their last together, as Finn is about to move across country. Hannah is hesitant to break their tradition, and doesn't want things to change, even though now she could spend her Christmas with her boyfriend's family.

The book alternates between this current Christmas, and past Christmases so we get the full backstory on Hannah and her friends. We also alternate POV between Hannah and Finn, so we get two different perspectives, which I loved. There's also a lot of underlying themes such as family, found family, love, grief, etc. It's the perfect mix of a holiday read with some deeper segments that will tug at your heart.

I love to point out that this is a DEBUT novel (SO WELL DONE!), and I can't wait to read more from Becca!

The Christmas Orphans Club follows a group of friends who get together to celebrate Christmas in different unconventional ways every year. There are so many things I loved about this debut! It reads like a romance but this book is all about the friendships between Hannah, Finn, Theo and Priya. I loved the concept of making your own family and also how much meaning friendships can bring to your life.

This book leaps back and forth between present day and past Christmases and it was really fun the way this was done. I loved reading about all the previous Christmases and each added a layer to the present day story. It made me want to keep reading just a little bit more!

I also loved it being set in New York! Just such a fun setting for a book like this.

I would have liked more on Priya but that’s my only complaint.

This book was just pure delight and exactly what I needed to read. It gave me the warm and fuzzies and I just loved it. Thank you netgalley for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

This is a really cute “found family” story featuring a group of young adults with individual family issues that choose to spend their Christmases together and consequently end up being the dearest of friends. There are good times, there is drama. There are happy times and a couple of sad times. There is some romance in here, but the friend-relationships are far more prevalent. I liked it.

I didn’t particularly love the nonlinear aspect of the story-I couldn’t keep up with the timeline at all. (Which year is it, again?) But when I chose to ignore the time settings of each chapter, I ended up liking it. I’m not sure I would want to be friends with this entire group, but it was fun to read about the development of their friendship.

Readers who love found family stories and “big city” settings-especially NYC-will likely enjoy this one.

I received an early digital arc of this title from Penguin Books & NetGalley in exchange for a review. However I had a hard time reading the arc due to font size, so I grabbed it from library as soon as it was available and was able to enjoy it that way. Thank you, Penguin!

Yes, I’m digging into my holiday book tbr already! 💙 After reading almost solely dark books for a couple months, a holiday-themed book is just what I needed!

Read this if you enjoy:
🧤Found family trope
🧣Friendship themes over romance
🧤Nonlinear timelines
🧣Dual POV

This is a quick holiday read about friendships and learning to adapt to changes. I think I went into this expecting it to be more of a rom-com, but it’s definitely more friendship focused for the vast majority of the book which is so cool and unique!

Found family tropes are always fun and I admire the author for tackling the topic of being “alone for the holidays” which goes against the societal grain of what holidays are supposed to look like.

Overall, the book was a sweet and easy read. There were side characters with less development and page time than I’d hoped for and I didn't always like the MC that much so it hurt my enjoyment of the book to an extent. Still an easy, cute holiday read!

Thank you to NetGalley & Penguin Books for the eARC!

It was cute and festive! I liked the outlook of a friends romance and found the relationship between the two main characters to be relatable actually.

This is the perfect kind of Rom-Com that I absolutely love! As someone who has spent a lot of my adult years as a single person, I can really connect with these characters in many ways. I have always found "friend family" to be so important. I loved every one of these characters and grew to love them as friends that I will miss. This one made me laugh out loud, smile a whole lot and even shed a few tears. As a longtime listener of the @badonpaperpodcast, I am so very happy for @beccamfreeman. I think she wrote a wonderful book that was the perfect start to the holiday reading season. I cannot wait for her next one! Many thanks to @netgalley and @penguinbooks for this advanced reader's copy in exchange for my honest review.

The Christmas Orphans Club title sounds like the book would be too sad however this was such a heartwarming story of four friends, their struggles, and fun Christmas memories in NYC. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of The Christmas Orphans Club! I really enjoyed this cozy coming of age story to start off the holiday season. The author did a great job balancing the heavy, real-life drama the characters were dealing with along the fun and festive holiday traditions the characters were experiencing.

"The Christmas Orphans Club" is a heartwarming and uplifting tale that embodies the true spirit of the holiday season. Through its compelling narrative and well-drawn characters, the author beautifully portrays the transformative power of kindness, compassion, and the sense of community. This book will tug at your heartstrings and fill you with hope as it reminds us all of the importance of coming together to support one another, especially during the most magical time of the year. It's a touching and enchanting story that is sure to leave readers with a warm and festive glow, making it a perfect read for the holiday season.

I enjoyed The Christmas Orphans Club - anything with found family is an instant love for me and this really covers that and the complicated feelings behind it. As someone who often finds themselves alone during holidays, this book may be my new best friend.

Freeman captured so many of the modern millennial coming of age challenges with her sometimes flawed but always lovable cast of friends. I wanted to laugh and cry right alongside all of them at their next Christmas celebration.

A cute story about friendship and friends as family. Loved the pop culture references as the story hopped around in time. A fun, fast read that’s a perfect beach read for Christmas break.

I have been a fan of Becca's since starting her podcast Bad on Paper, and have had this book on my TBR since the day it was announced. I was not disappointed!

At last, a Christmas book that acknowledges the difficulties of what many consider to be the best season. Becca portrayed the holiday in a very modern, realistic way. You don't have to like Hallmark movies to like this holiday read.

I would not consider it a romance book, but it is a love book. The love of friendship, family (chosen or otherwise), and New York is at the center of this novel and is everything I could have hoped for. You'll laugh, you'll cry, and you'll recommend to a friend.

I liked this book. I loved the concept of found family and what happens when your found family begins to expand. I love the complicated friendship dynamics. It's very much a book of hope for those who sometimes feel alone at Christmas.

This was so cute! I'm a long time fan of Becca from Bad on Paper Podcast and I couldn't wait to read her book. I think it's an excellent entrance into the Christmas novel cannon and will be something I recommend this holiday season. I'm very excited to see how she grows as an author. While I loved this book, I do think she has some room to grow on characterizations and depth. I will pre-order any book she writes and I've loved to see her growth as a creative person!

Thank you for the advanced copy of The Christmas Oprhans Club. I thought it was really fun and sweet.
It took me a few chapters to get used to the flow of the past/present Christmases but over all it was great. I listen to the Bad On Paper podcast that Becca Freeman hosts and I was so happy for her when I found out she was writing a book (2 book deal apparently). Anyway, you could absolutely tell Beccas voice was all over this.

Can't wait to see what else she come up with.
Thanks again for the advanced copy.

3 stars

I love a good found family book but this one was rather mid. The timeline and POV jumps made it confusing to follow the arc of Finn and Hannah's friendship (the two POV characters) and why Christmas mattered so much to them. They also didn't seem like friends. Even in the years they allegedly weren't fighting it seemed like they hardly spent any time together? And barely knew each other? I don't know but it was a weird vibe.

This is another book that is being categorized as "romance" when it is more about the friendships. There is SOME romance but it's mostly at the end and not very impactful to the overall plot. I wish there was more focus on Finn and Theo getting together because a queer romance between two people in the Christmas Orphans Club seems like it would have some intriguing dynamics but it was glossed over completely because they get together at like 97% and have a happy ever after in the epilogue. Boring.

I also did not care at all about Hannah's boyfriend and him being such a baby about spending Christmas together with his family. I do not know why they can't, like, spend Christmas apart or do multiple Christmases in one day or give one Christmas Eve. This should not be that much of a problem but it took up like half of the book.

Overall, it was a fun read but there are better Christmas books out there.