Lauren a thirty something single woman is living her best life on the beach in Florida. A successful biographer, she is enjoying her life in the slower lane despite a recent break up. After a frantic phone call from her mother, Ilene, Lauren rushes home to help out with her fathers sudden illness. Dazzle Dazzle is the family's shop that has been in her father's family for generations and it is stuck in yesteryear--and barely making ends meet. After a chance of a lifetime and a chance to write the biggest biography of her career Lauren is whisked off to Seattle on a whirlwind adventure. In the back ground of the story Lauren also helps a mother and daughter facing a life altering medical diagnosis, helps out an animal shelter, and adopts three cats.
I really wanted to love this book. I am a huge Fern Michaels fan--love her sisterhood series and many of her stand alone books. This one started out promisingly--but somewhere in the middle fell flat. I didn't feel any connection to the characters whatsoever-they were completely unrelatable and there was so much going on in the story and nothing to connect the story lines. I also had issue with the "mean girl" vibe during one of the conversations between Lauren and her best friend Madison. I usually love the positivity of womanhood in Fern Michaels' books0--I didn't feel it in this one. The ending of the book is completely terrible. It came to a point and it felt like the author just gave up and rushed the ending. The ending of the book gave me a unfinished feeling and completely unsatisfied in the story.

Family is the bright spot in Lauren's life this holiday season despite their store's sales slipping into the red. A successful novelist, she moved home after her father's crippling diagnosis. While determined to make the store succeed, her parents refuse to embrace technology. Online sales would bring new life to the business but her father is determined to preserve tradition.

When a lucrative opportunity presents itself, Lauren embraces the possibility of saving the store and a spark of something new this Christmas. Thank you to #NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review. Fern Michaels' books are always a delightful read and #TheBrightestStar was the perfect way to cozy up on the couch with a spot of tea and unwrap her latest serving. I enjoyed the read as part of my Christmas in July novels. It's a great gift for those in need of a cup of cheer this year!

Absolutely magical. A lovely story about family and love, success and a bit of sparkle. Like a fairytale. Perfect Christmas book. All about goodness and joy. I loved it.

For years the Razzle Dazzle hop has been the place to buy unique Christmas ornaments - expeically when the tourists came to town. However, the stock was old and sales weren't at all what they once were. Lauren's parents do not see any reason to modernize or even update the credit card reader. Lauren sells three gorgeous music boxes to a man who turns out to be an angel in disguise. A really fun book for the holiday season. One may have to suspend belief at times, but isn't this season worth it?

The perfect Christmas story. A Christmas shop in the North Carolina mountains run by a daughter who is trying to get her dad into the new century. She is hired to write a biography of the worlds richest man who just happens to come with a hunk of a son. Love at first sight!

If you are in the mood for a feel good Christmas story this will fit the bill. It is a fast read. The only criticism I have is that the ending felt rushed. Thank you to net galley for an advanced readers copy.

Huge Fern Michaels' fan because of consistently great characters and passionate romance brought to life. Her name provokes an automatic one-click from me. I am never disappointed. This books was no exception.

I adore Fern Michaels books, this one wasn't what I expected. I kept waiting for things that didn't happen. LOL It was a sweet read and while the ending third or so of the book felt really rushed it was a fun story to get lost in for awhile :)

The Brightest Star by Fern Michaels
Starts out with Lauren and she researches and writes other bio's. She's good at her job and loves the work. When she gets the call from her mother about her fathers failing health she sells everything and heads home to Fallen Pines, NC. She then runs the shop for them. The shop has been in the family for years and it has a bit of everything anybody would ever need.
Lots of fancy hand crafted items: scarves, hats, mittens, glass ornaments and it's Christmas Time. She knows the family has to get on the band wagon and advertise online. She has to also put her own money into the venture just to keep it going through the holidays.
She places an ad and a man walks in that grabs her attention. He wants all the hand made music boxes, they cost him a fortune and notices his name. She runs into him again at the diner and again other places. She gets a call from her agent and comes to an agreement about her next assignment.
A CEO of a company that sells online only so she starts doing her research. She also has 3 girls come in one day to buy one ailing mother a gift, an angel and Lauren has the perfect thing for her. She recalls going to high school with Lee and offers them a treasured afghan she was going to keep for herself that her mom had made. She learns more about the girls mom and in her mind she knows with the money from her work she can afford to help them.
She gets that plan in action also calling on others to help out. Her parents and others try to get her to date but she has no time for all that and has to reassure her mom she is not gay. It was a funny time in the story when everything looked so dismal. Love the trip to Settle as we have just returned from there and views are priceless.
Love where the story goes from there and how she, like us appreciate a home cooked meal while on the road.
Loved hearing of all the items in the shop and about her father's progression with his disease... So many help her in this book, a village of people, friends, family and acquaintances to make it all work. Love that this book covers a lot of different age groups and their specific problems.
Not as predictable as the authors other works so really enjoyed this one and can't wait to read more.
I received this review book from Net Galley and this is my honest opinion.

#TheBrightestStar #NetGalley

I can always count on Fern Michaels to deliver a solid feel good story. This is exactly the type of boom I needed to read presently. Lauren had to move back to North Carolina to run her parents speciality store after her father decline in health. She put her writing career on hold but is frustrated since her parents refuse to transition to the digital world. Out of the blue Lauren gets a lucrative writing offer and finds Mr. Right. This didn't happen until over halfway into the book which meant the romance side was little contrived and rushed, but it works. It's a great holiday story.

Full review to be published online in mid October.

THE BRIGHTEST STAR is a bit of a twist on You’ve Got Mail. It’s fun and well-written, and a bit of a departure from Fern Michael’s more angsty women’s lit efforts.
To help keep her Christmas shop afloat, Lauren also has a sideline, writing biographies for business figures. She’s thrilled when her literary agent contacts her with a new proposal and quickly agrees to the terms; before learning that the subject will be none other than John Gerald Giompalo. He’s the titan behind Globalgoods.com, the online retailer that has spelled doom for hundreds of small businesses just like Razzle Dazzle Décor.

Despite her misgivings, Lauren travels to Seattle to confer with the mogul, and is caught off guard when his son, John Jr., attends the meeting too. Handsome, intelligent, and deeply kind, he’s perfect—apart from the fact that he’ll soon be CEO of the company threatening everything Lauren loves. As her deadline, and Christmas, draw closer, Lauren knows that there’s more than her family’s shop at stake. Her heart is, too.

Nice, warm and fuzzy Christmas story, and a good read. Recommend.