Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced copy of Bright Lights, Big Christmas by Mary Kay Andrews.

I love reading Mary Kay Andrews books! I think they are always fun and entertaining stories. Bright Lights, Big Christmas is a great book to put you in the holiday spirit. What I really liked about this was that even though I come from New York, I’ve never been to New York City and that is where this story takes place. Kerry Tolliver and her older brother Murphy grew up on a tree farm in North Carolina and they travel by truck and camper to New York City to set up their Christmas tree lot in hopes of raising enough money to get their fathers farm out of the red. Meanwhile, back at home their mother is nursing their father back to health after he has suffered a heart attack. What I found strange about this is that they have been divorced from each other for many years! While working the tree lot, the siblings who were not really close because they had each lived with different parents, seemed to grow a real bond or connection. While there Kerry grows attachments to some of the local residents and even finds love. She also finds a friend who encourages her to follow her dreams of art and helps her make those dreams a possibility. It’s a festive story that leaves you feeling both merry and optimistic. I’d like to thank Kejana Ayala, Marketing Coordinator at St. Martin’s Publishing Group for the widget and invite to read and NetGalley for the arc. I apologize for my late review but I wanted to hold off because I knew it would be the perfect story to read just before the holidays and was I ever right! I loved this book and I’m giving it a 4 star rating!

This was the absolute perfect story to start the Holiday season. I loved all the characters and I loved how they could take a big city neighborhood in New York, and make it feel as cozy as a small town neighborhood. I may have even squealed at the reference to the Santa Suit. I seriously hope she continues writing about these characters in future books because I’m not quite ready to let them go.

Absolutely adorable! Kerry has been roped in by her family to help sell the Christmas trees from their farm - the huge cash influx that saves their farm and family every year. Except this year, more sales need to be made in New York than in Tennessee (where they are located) and neither mom nor dad can help this year. Kerry and her brother pack up and need to run the whole stand the whole season together.

I loved Kerry and Murphy - their sibling relationship was so cute. I loved that they also had to work through some stuff. I also loved the corner they always sell trees on and their regulars. I love how the small corner had a bodega and a restaurant and how they took care of this little duo of tree sellers. When "the bag guys" moved in, I rooted for Austin to help them win. I loved the stories, the creative wreath making, and getting to know this little group of strangers to friends.

The romance was light and sweet. I loved the friendship and community more. I even loved the little easter egg about The Santa Suit. This one was so much fun and a perfect read for the holidays! I highly recommend it!

A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

This was a cute, quick Christmas story. It was fun getting to know all the neighborhood characters. Fun, holiday read.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Such a sweet and cozy Christmas read!

Kerry has to leave her family’s tree farm in North Carolina, and go to NYC for the first time, to help her brother sell trees in Greenwich Village. Living in a tiny camper, she quickly becomes friends with people in the neighborhood. An elderly man, and single dad Patrick and his son, Austin. As Kerry and Patrick grow closer, she is trying to decide what to do with her feelings since she will be moving back to North Carolina soon. But their chemistry is undeniable!

This was the sweetest group of small town characters! I adored them! I can’t get over how charming and magical this book was!
If you are a fan of Mary Kay Andrews, you will absolutely adore this book! This is a great book about family, friends, and love! The perfect holiday read!

📘: Big Lights, Big Christmas by Mary Kay Andrews
🗓️: September 26, 2023

Thank you to NetGalley, Mary Kay Andrews, and St.Martin’s Press for this ARC!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

*Reviewed on NetGalley and Goodreads.

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!