While helping out at her family's Christmas tree business, Kerry helps an elderly neighbor and meets an interesting man, Patrick, and his son, Austin. Could her future be in NYC?

This was a light and sweet holiday romance (with a bit of a mystery too!), but I never felt much of a connection to the characters and the spark between Kerry and Patrick could have been stronger.

Location: Greenwich Village, New York City

Audiobook

I received an advance copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

Mary Kay Andrews is the Queen of Christmas! Her newest book, Bright Lights, Big Christmas gives all the holiday feels! There is inner reflection and life decisions, family drama, and of course a little love. If you've read last year's The Santa Suit then look for the Easter eggs throughout! You will fall in love with Christmas all over again and yearn for your own little Spammy camper in NY. Grab this book now and curl up with your new favorite!

This story kept getting better & better as I read it. & What a great ending! The chapters were all pretty short, so I loved that I could get a chapter or two done fully if I didn’t have much time to read in a sitting. I loved that the main characters were relatable, and that both the young and old were two of my favorite. “Clean” romance involved, but I just enjoyed the overall festive story. Perfect for the upcoming holidays. I also loved the cliche city/small town arc as well as the idea of selling trees in the city. There’s so many highlights of this story that I wouldn’t want to include in the review and giveaway the story. If you’re looking for a feel good holiday read - this is it!
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced copy of Big Lights, Big Christmas by Mary Kate Andrews. Super cute Christmas book. I loved the story line and the reference to The Santa Suit. Cozy, feel good read!

I finished BRIGHT LIGHTS, BIG CHRISTMAS by Mary Kay Andrews in October but now is a great time to feature this holiday read. This was a quick, feel-good, Hallmark Christmas style book if you’re in the mood for that.

Kerry heads from North Carolina to New York to help her brother sell Christmas trees from their family tree farm. There she builds relationships within the community and of course finds a love interest early on. Their relationship builds quickly as this is a novella that has to have a happy ending, right? Some of it is eye rolling but like Hallmark movies, we aren’t reading this for reality. It’s cute and will give you all the cozy holiday feels. If you love this style, you’ll want to add this to your December list— definitely add THE SANTA SUIT by MKA too as I actually enjoyed that one a bit more.

Thanks @stmartinspress for this copy!
3.5 stars rounded up to 4!

How on earth could I pass up reading Bright Lights, Big Christmas by Mary Kay Andrews with a title that is a play on a favourite Def Leppard lyric? I simply couldn't!

This book is absolutely adorable, and I loved it for exactly what it is! I've always wanted to travel to New York City at Christmas time, and this story instantly transported me there. It made my grinchy heart grow and really put me in the Christmas spirit - even without any snow outside!

The audiobook narrator (Kathleen McInerney) really brought Kerry to life and off the page. Her voice added additional warmth to the story and added to my enjoyment as a whole! I highly recommend getting your hands on the audiobook version this holiday season!

There's so much coziness within this book:
-atmosphere that oozed a piney scent
-Spammy, the trailer, had me longing for camping season
-community and found family that gave me all the feels
-small town underdogs that travel to the big city
-no third act breakup

Bright Lights, Big Christmas is cute, charming, and cheery!

Thank you NetGalley, St. Martin's Press and Macmillan Audio for the complimentary copies to read and review.

This was 3.5- 4 stars for me!

A cute short book about a Christmas tree lot and the romance that can be found. Although a bit predictable, it was still enjoyable and a perfect read for the holidays!

What a cute holiday tale. The newest MKA is a quick and easy read, perfect for the holiday season. A sweet story of friendship and family, I really enjoyed it. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the e-ARC.

Kerry, is a young woman from North Carolina. She had some reservations about leaving her family's Christmas tree farm to help her older brother sell trees in New York. But let me tell you, Greenwich Village was a revelation – full of charm and the friendliest locals that made Kerry feel right at home.

Now, add a dash of romance to the mix. Kerry meets Patrick, a single dad in the neighborhood with his son, Austin. Their friendship quickly evolves into a heartwarming romance.

The story is a solid read with well-crafted secondary characters. I enjoyed them a lot. While the romance between Kerry and Patrick is sweet, it could use a bit more development. They needed more chances to connect and build up that spark. Still, it's a great, easygoing holiday novel and like all Mary Kay Andrews books, worth diving into.

Kerry Tolliver was at a crossroad, with no job and no place to live besides her mom’s house back in North Carolina. Her dad, who normally went up to New York with her brother Murphy to sell Christmas trees, was recovering from an illness, so Kerry was volun-told she would be assisting Murphy this year. Not at all happy about the prospect of spending a month living in a tiny trailer with no working bathroom or kitchen, and her bear of a brother as a roommate, Kerry grudgingly went along for Tree Season.

Using her art training and her creativity, Kerry manages to increase the stand’s revenue by making and selling wreaths, and once she meets the neighbors and friends that Murphy has made over the years, she settles in, finds her passion, and is launched on a new and exciting career.

As always, Mary Kay Andrews has written an engaging story about relationships, both old and new. Kerry gets to know her brother better, meets Patrick, Austin, Heinz, Claudia, and the rest of Murphy’s friends in New York, and finds herself in the process.

I really enjoyed MKA branching out and setting a book not solely in the south, yet still keeping the sense of community that always comes with her books. I loved getting to know this neighborhood and all the characters with a wonderfully Christmassy backdrop. Highly recommend for a light holiday read.

Kerry Tolliver is helping her brother Murphy to sell their family farm’s Christmas trees at a street stand in NYC after their dad’s heart attack. Soon she is swept up into the “family” of the surrounding neighborhood. Through the trials of competing Christmas tree stands, a neighbor gone missing, and the lack of a bathroom in that cute little camper (haha!) this book is found family, love, drama and holiday spirit all wrapped into one!

I absolutely loved this book! Mary Kay, please write a Christmas book every year ok?

This book had a few things that every Christmas book needs. It has the unexpected romance, the lovable side characters and the one character that is grumpy who changes and surprises you. What I’m so glad this book had was that the ending actually surprised me. It was a great Christmas novela.

I really like books from Mary Kay Andrews and this book was no exception! I enjoyed this story of one family's Christmas tree farm set in New York City. It felt very warm and comforting to read and I was transported to a beautiful Christmas setting in the big apple with Amazing characters.

I enjoyed Patrick and Kerry's love story but it felt rushed to me. I actually enjoyed her story of compassion, community, and rediscovering her artistic voice more than anything! Still a great holiday read!

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Thank you Net galley for this advanced copy!

A delightful, fun Christmas romp of a book.
Writing Quality -9 /10
Image / Illustration Quality - 9 /10
Character Development - 9/10
"Couldn't Put It Down"-ness - 9/10
Intellectual Depth - 9/10
Originality - 9/10

I loved this! I look forward to Mary Kay Andrews new Christmas story each year and this one definitely does not disappoint!
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC copy of this book.

I love Mary Kay Andrew’s book, especially her Christmas ones. Sweet and sugary and everything nice. The setting in New York and the magic of Christmas created a truly wonderful Christmas story. Definitely one to read, and read again. It will become a Christmas classic, at least for me.
Thank you the publisher, St. Martin’s Press, NetGalley, and Ms Andrew’s for the opportunity to read and review her 2024 Christmas book.

Mary Kay Andrews is one of my favorite authors, and I was so excited when I saw she put out another Christmas book! Kerry Tolliver hauls her family’s old RV, called Spammy, up to New York City to sell Christmas trees with her brother. As she sells trees to the people in the neighborhood she forms relationships with many and meets some characters along the way, all while trying to save her family’s tree farm. This book was absolutely adorable! I loved reading every second of it. If you’re looking for a feel good, cozy Christmas book, look no further! MKA somehow managed to take the craziness of the city and turn it into a small town feel with a neighborhood of people with big hearts and neighborly love.
If you’re looking for a heartwarming read this Christmas season, pick this book up!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and @NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book!

We love Hallmark and we love Mary Kay! What a fun, sweet holiday read. As a “Santa Suit” lover I was excited to get my hands on this one to get me in the Christmas spirit, and that it did!

I love Christmas books and Mary Kay Andrew's knows how to do a Christmas novel. A solid 4 stars, it feels like your typical hallmark Christmas story but sometimes that's exactly what you're looking for.

The story was sweet and heartwarming. I feel like her books usually have more humor to them and this one felt a little cornier, which isn't a bad thing for a holiday book, but it did make me drop it down to 4 stars.