*Review* The Christmas Orphans Club by Becca Freeman

 

Genre: Holiday Romance-ish

Published: September 26, 2023

Pages: 368

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. . . .

I won a copy of this book through the Goodreads First Reads giveaway program. This is my honest review. 

This is a story about found family and navigating big life changes. These changes clearly affect people in different ways, and that is demonstrated quite clearly in this book. Hannah and Finn have celebrated Christmas together since their freshman year of college, but not in the traditional way. I really enjoyed seeing their different Christmas hijinks through the years. It also made me wish I was an orphan too, except I'm sure I wouldn't have been lucky enough to be found by a Finn. 

I can understand Hannah's fear of the life changes her group is going through, because I really felt like I was in her shoes, even though I've never been in a position like hers. I'm not fond of change in general though. 

Because this story shows us several Christmases past, we got to see lots of different takes on holiday magic, some of it unconventional but magical in it's own way, and I always look for the holiday magic in Christmas stories. 

Overall I give The Christmas Orphans Club 4.9732 out of 5 stars. - Katie 

Amazon

Becca is co-host of the hit lifestyle podcast Bad on Paper and the co-creator of the fiction audio series, RomComPods. She is a graduate of Boston College and lives in Brooklyn. Follow Becca on Instagram for more behind the scenes content: @beccamfreeman.