There’s something magical about New York City at Christmas but throw in a Christmas tree stand and it becomes even more magical. Filled with MKA’s signature humor, Bright Lights, Big Christmas is a heart warming story about family and friends and taking a chance on yourself. It’s the perfect holiday read.

I love how Mary Kay Andrews is always able to draw her readers into a story so easily! This was a delightful holiday story about family - family of birth, family of choice - and what we do to keep those bonds. I loved the various storylines and the quirky, relatable characters including Spammy. Thanks #NetGalley #StMartinsPress

3.75 stars rounded to 4.

This is a great feel good Christmas story with likable characters and just gives you the warm fuzzies. I really enjoyed Patrick and his son Austin and Mr. Heinz. I did find the chemistry between Kerry and Patrick lacking though. I think that relationship could have been built up more. Overall, if you are looking for a Christmas Hallmark movie in book form this is for you!

The Tolliver tree farm in North Carolina has a stand in New York City for a few weeks where they sell their beautifully grown Christmas trees. This year Kerry is going towing their beloved camper Spammy with her older brother Murphy and his dog Queenie. They live in the tiny camper on the corner where they sell their trees. Kerry ends up meeting and making friends with all the people on the block and in the neighborhood but Patrick has really caught her eye. The rest of the book explores the various different friendships between the characters and how they have blossomed.

Thank you Netgalley and St Martin's Press for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

If you only read one Christmas book this year choose Bright Lights, Big City with Mary Kay Andrews. It has everything you could ask for with both a smal town feel in the big city: romance and heartwarming Christmas cheer.

Synopsis
Kerry Tolliver is spending the Christmas season with her brother Murphy selling Christmas trees from their North Carolina tree farm in Grenwich Village. After losing her job as a graphic designer, and having to move in with her mother, she doesn’t have much going on so her mother is able to convinces her to help her brother because her father who usually accompanies him has fallen ill.

Once they get there she sees just how friendly this westside community in NYC really is. They might be campitng out in a rusted old camper affectionately known as Spammy but the neighbors are generous with allowing access to food and other necessary accommodations. Kerry is especially fond of Patrick and his son Austin. Austin is a preoucious youngster that proves to be compassionate especially to an elderly man named Heinz, It’s not long before Kerry feels like the city is more of a home than her hometown in NC.


My thoughts:

I absolutely loved htis book!! I read The Santa Suit last year and was so excited to read another of MKA”s Christmas books. I laughed and cried throughout the book but the last 15% of the book I was crying happy tears. If this book doesn’t get you in the spirit of Christmas spirit, nothing will!

I loved this story about selling Christmas trees in NYC.
A brother and sister set off to sell the trees from their family tree farm.
They have a space in the City where they set up and bring a tiny trailer to sleep in. Mayhem follows.
This book is filled with quirky characters, wonderful, warm and delightful.

Another book by Mary Kay Andrews that I absolutely LOVED! A wonderful Christmas story involving Brother and Sister siblings who run and sell Christmas trees in Greenwich Village NYC. You know any Christmas story involving family, love, friendships, and finding yourself has got to give you all the feel goods! I've' read loads of this Authors books and this one included a small bonus related to one of her other books.
Thank you to Netgalley, St. Martins press and the Author, Mary Kay Andrews for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Another enjoyable read written by Mary Kay Andrews. She has a knack of creating characters that are so realistic - like people you know and care about. The setting is New York City at Christmas. A sister and brother travel to the city to sell Christmas trees from their family farm. So loved the inclusion of Spammy - but very surprised to see that it was allowed for several weeks in the neighborhood. I so wanted a glimpse inside! I actually shivered alongside Kerry as I remembered how bone chilling the weather can be -especially for those who are standing outside selling Christmas trees. It has been many years since I have bought a Christmas tree and was shocked at the prices. So enjoyed the interactions between Kerry and Murphy - true sibling relationship depiction. The connection between Patrick and Kerry was instant and predictable. My favorite characters were Queenie, Austin, and Heinz. They each added another layer of “feel good happiness” to this delightful Christmas tale. The addition of the read aloud book Dragons Love Tacos, made me smile as I am looking at my own copy right now that I read multiple times each time my young grandchildren visit.
Many thanks to Mary Kay Andrews for creating characters we know and love, St. Martin’s Press, and NetGalley for affording me the pleasurable experience of reading an arc of this delightful read, published on September 26th.

Her family’s New York City Christmas tree lot was the last place Kerry Tolliver wanted to spend the weeks leading up to Christmas. But it just might be the only thing that can save their family’s North Carolina tree farm.
Toss in a vintage camper, a curmudgeonly big brother, and a handsome single dad, and you have the recipe for Mary Kay Andrew’s latest novella.
Utterly charming, sometimes wistful, and occasionally laugh-out-loud funny, Bright Lights, Big Christmas is the perfect, curl-up-by-the-fire read and keeps Andrews on my must-read list!

*Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Mary Kay Andrews writes books that just feel like a big warm hug while you are sipping on hot cocoa with super tiny marshmallows in it.
Bright Lights Big Christmas had all the Hallmark Christmas movie vibes, and I adored it. While it seemed a few people fell in insta-love which is not usually my jam, this story was just sappy and cute and it fit within the story.
Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read this in exchange for my honest opinion.

Bright Lights, Big Christmas by Mary Kay Andrews has readers traveling from North Carolina to the West Village where the Tolliver Tree Farm sells their fresh cut Christmas tress each year. I found this story similar to two other Christmas tales that I read many years ago (and I watched the movies). In the beginning, I felt like I was dumped into the middle of the story. It seemed that I was supposed to know the characters. I was glad that more details were provided on Kerry and Murphy as the story progressed. I do not know how Kerry endured Murphy’s attitude. I liked Abingdon Square where Kerry and Murphy set up the Christmas tree stand. Spammy, their old travel trailer, sounded cute and awful. I could not do without basic amenities (a functioning toilet and shower). It would have been difficult for the siblings to endure the frigid temperatures. If I was Kerry, I would have found a way to get power for an electric blanket. The author captured the frosty climate, the delightful smell of the fresh cut Christmas trees, and the spirit of Christmas. There are, though, repetitive details (I knew the details by heart by the end of the book). I felt that the story was a tad too long. Fifty to sixty pages could easily have been shaved off. The ending, however, was rushed. An epilogue would have helped. I liked Patrick and his son, Austin. I felt a friendship between Kerry and Patrick, but I did not feel romantic chemistry. I could tell she cared for Austin and that Kerry enjoyed working on the storybook with him. I liked seeing Kerry and Murphy’s relationship grow as the book progressed. Heinz was a unique character. It is a shame that we really did not get to know him until later in the book. There was one more thing that I found perplexing. Kerry worked as an art director in advertising, so I thought she would have more ways to promote the Tolliver Tree Farm. I thought the author would have Kerry promote the business online (come up with creative idea to bring in business). The story does contain foul language and one individual drinking copious quantities of alcohol. Bright Lights, Big Christmas was a letdown for me, but I believe others will enjoy the Christmas story. Bright Lights, Big Christmas takes us on a journey to the West Village with a ramshackle Spammy, a chilly climate, fresh cut trees, rival sellers, a helpful Heinz, an adorable Austin, and a Christmas romance.

This was fine. I enjoyed the found family aspect of the story, and Mary Kay Andrews does a nice job making the NYC neighborhood feel friendly and small town like, despite the plausibility being pretty suspect. Somehow, though, it felt really long for under 300 pages, and with so many holiday themed stories coming out every year, this didn't have the charm I'd need to pick this over something else.

The queen of southern fiction takes on the Big Apple. And boy did she make it work. This one takes place primarily at a Christmas tree stand. Kerry heads to NYC from her parent's Christmas tree farm in North Carolina to help her brother at their annual tree stand. Living in a camper with her grouchy brother and his dog, Kerry finds that being in the big city is different than she expected. Before she knows it, she gets to know the locals to the area and the little tree stand begins to feel like home.

Andrews delivers a festive, heartwarming story about finding the places you belong and the people you belong with. This is a definite tale of found family. I enjoyed getting to know all the characters that lived within a few blocks of the tree stand. It felt like a small town romance while still taking place in one of the biggest cities in the world. Kerry's growing friendship with Patrick is sweet and I loved how they all came together to support one of the locals when he needed it most.

There's no doubt that Andrews knows how to write a Christmas novel full of warmth and heart. If you are a fan of holiday Hallmark movies, you will be sure to love this one. It will put you in those perfect December feels.

Thank you NetGalley and St Martins Press for this eArc of Bright Lights Big Christmas in exchange for my honest review.

I really enjoyed this heartwarming, funny holiday story. I wasn’t sure if I was ready to read a “holiday” book in September, but I quickly changed my mind reading this one. I loved that (for the most part) everyone was kind, loving and accepting of Kerry and her brother Murphy. I loved the big city with a small town feel and the relationships that evolved throughout. I loved the descriptions of winter, Spammy, farms of North Carolina, some pop culture references and just the overall spirit of the holidays. I really enjoyed the side plot at the end of the book as well. Also give me a cute pup in a story anytime!

This was a quick enjoyable read to start off the holiday season. I will definitely be checking out Mary Kay Andrew’s other books.

I tend to avoid heartwarming holiday stories and romances because so many of them are infused with saccharine and require the reader to put their I.Q. in a box until the book is over. But two years ago, I was happily impressed with Mary Kay Andrews’s The Santa Suit, and so when I was invited to read and review Bright Lights, Big Christmas, I happily agreed. My thanks go to Net Galley, St. Martin’s Press, and Macmillan Audio for the review copies. This book is for sale now.

The Tolliver Christmas tree farm is an institution, not only at home in North Carolina but as far north as New York City. As a child, Kerry sometimes accompanied her family to New York to set up a tree stand and sell the trees, but as an adult, she’s had other priorities. This year, though, she finds herself unexpectedly jobless, while at the same time, her father’s health prevents him from executing the task. Kerry must take his place, traveling to the Big Apple with her brother, Murphy. They set up the stand, and they sleep in the ancient pink trailer nicknamed “Spammy” because of its resemblance to a canned ham. Adventure awaits.

Kerry’s love interest pops up before we’re even ten percent into the story, but it appears that the author planned for us to know that, and it doesn’t hurt anything. Over the weeks they are in New York, various small (and large) crises present themselves and are worked out with team work, ingenuity, and the occasional well-placed bribe. They have Murphy’s dog Queenie with them, but she is primarily left in the background where she belongs.

What I appreciate most about this novel is how well grounded the plot is, and the author’s restraint in not permitting any elements to go over the top. There are a host of stereotypes possible, but every time I see one coming, Andrews chooses a different path, and it keeps the story fresh and original. Small details that might be overlooked by someone less detail oriented are seen to, and it keeps the narrative credible. Examples are the need for a shower or bath, given the length of their stay in a trailer without working plumbing; the cost of living in New York; the hazards of theft and vandalism, especially active at Christmas. None of these sidetracks the plot or slows the pace, but the questions a reader might have are tidied away, and this makes for greater enjoyment.

One small criticism involves a situation where theft and vandalism occur at a time when Murphy has to be away, and immediately, other men folk clamor over the need to have someone—someone with a Y chromosome, folks—to do lookout duty, protecting the fair damsel, her trees, and so on.

Apart from that, this is a delightful story. However, for awhile I wasn’t sure I liked it, because I was listening to the audio version, which is poorly done. The male characters are voiced in a way that is choppy, wooden, and unconvincing; but worse is Kerry’s voice, which is performed in a high-pitched, girly-girl voice so off-putting that it took me awhile to realize that the problem wasn’t the author’s, but rather the voice actor’s. The children’s voices are much better, and I actually howled with laughter when the baby in a stroller wailed!

As the story reaches its climax, Kerry has to make some serious choices, and I admire the way this part is resolved. The side character Heinz, an elderly man that lives in the neighborhood and often stops by the tree stand, is terrific.

When all is said and done, I rate the printed version of this novel 4+ stars, and the audio version 3+ stars, with an overall score of 4. I recommend the print version of this book, but not the audio.

What a lovely, feel good holiday story! Kerry really didn’t want to go to New York City to sell Christmas trees with her cranky brother Murphy but the adventure ends up changing her whole life. She was floundering in her adult life and the events of the book helped her move forward. I appreciated that it wasn’t a love at first sight but a growing attraction over weeks not just with Patrick but also with the neighborhood and the people who lived there. I enjoyed when Claudia, Murphy, Patrick, Austin, Kerry and even Queenie banded together to help find Heinz and then worked to help him get healthy. It highlights the joy of the friends who become the family you choose.

I loved the shout out to Dragons Love Tacos as we love that book and its sequel in our house. It was fun to read about it in a grown up book.

I don’t generally do Christmas books but this story was a great one & I’m so glad I read it.

Thanks to NetGalley & St Martin’s Press for a copy of this book.

Readers who love Christmas stories will enjoy this sweet story. This would make a wonderful Hallmark movie! Readers can picture the scene of an old trailer set up by a Christmas tree lot through the eyes of Kerry. The assortment of characters are all interesting in their own way. A touch of mystery and the magic of Christmas will get readers in the holiday spirit. Recommended.

A really charming, heartwarming read to add to your Christmas reading list. This book is full of wonderful characters (old and young), loads of humour, some wonderful community spirit and all the Christmas feels you need to get in the mood for the holidays.

With Kerry’s professional life at a crossroads, she heads back to her hometown to be with her family. When medical reasons prohibit her father from making his annual trip to NY to sell Christmas trees from the farm they own she agrees to go with her brother. Although sharing a trailer with her brother and his dog wasn’t on her bucket list there is nothing she wouldn’t do for those she cares about.

The relationships that Kerry builds with her neighbors are sure to touch your heart from the elderly fellow artist who goes missing to Patrick and Austin, a single father and his son, which has her questioning whether to love when the time is up or if she has found the place where she belongs?

The magic of Christmas as well as love, family and friends are abundant through this story and is sure to leave you with a smile on your face.

This was my second Christmas novel this year and I loved it. Who knew that selling Christmas trees would bring me so much delight. I read and listened to this and saw and felt the weather, lights and cheer. The people and atmosphere of the holidays jumped off the pages. Well written and so many touching moments. This was a New York Christmas and so much more. I fell in love with this story and ALL the characters. I highly recommend this wonderful story.
Thanks St. Martin’s Press and Macmillan Audio via NetGalley.

3.5 stars.

"Bright Lights, Big Christmas" by Mary Kay Andrews is a quick read about friendship, family, and trying new things and taking new chances. It is a sweet, heartwarming tale that starts out strong, but is too repetitive for about 70% of the book. It sort of feels like it could have been a novella if it had been reduced by ~70-100 pages. The entire story could have used about 35% more Christmas/holiday cheer. Most of the time, this is a warm hug of a book. There's not a lot of conflict or struggle or turbulence. It's a relatively low-stakes story. Andrews develops her characters well and makes us feel for all of them for one reason or another. I liked Kerry as the main character. Most od her romance with Patrick is cute, but there's not a whole lot pf chemistry or build-up between them. I liked her/their interactions with Patrick's young son, Austin. The ending is predictable, but that is not necessarily bad. It feels like the parts with Heinz came a little out of nowhere. Still, I have a hunch readers will enjoy this one. I loved the audiobook narration from Kathleen McInerney. She did a spectacular job with the voices and her inflections of tone. Really well done audiobook!

Thank you to NetGalley, Mary Kay Andrews, St. Martin's Press, and Macmillan Audio for the complimentary ARC/ALC of this book. All opinions are my own. I was not compensated for my review.