This was simply a delightful book! I loved the whole story and characters! It’s festive and will certainly put you in the holiday mood. Definitely want this one on your holiday reading list.
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the early copy

I decided to kick off my holiday reads with Bright Lights, Big Christmas by Mary Kay Andrews and it was the perfect cozy holiday book! I was drawn to this book due to the fact that the Tolliver family owns the largest Christmas Tree Farm in western North Carolina (where I live!). They harvest their trees, load them onto a trailer, pack themselves into a camper (lovingly nicknames Spammy because it looks like a ham), and head to a prime time lot in New York City every year for several weeks. The Tolliver siblings have now grown up and apart, but when their father suffers a heart attack Kerry returns home to help her brother, Murphy, take the trip to save the farm’s profits. Over the next several weeks of the holiday season, Kerry and Murphy will rekindle their relationship while also reconnecting with the NYC locals who live in the neighborhood where the trees have been sold for over 50 years. This read is centered on love; family bonds, friendship love, new romance, parental love, and neighborly love. They is a wide case of characters from a local boy who thinks Murphy is a true lumberjack to an aging retired artist who frequently visits Kerry and assists with her art. The perfect snowy setting with holiday parties and magical memories, this read will give readers all the feels that make the season so special!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for my advanced arc in exchange for my honest review.

This is a sweet, heart-warming Christmas book that will be having you check in on your neighbors and believe in the power of giving.
We're introduced to Kerry Tolliver, a woman whose life seems to be going nowhere, when her mother asks her to fill in for her father at their family Christmas tree stand in New York City. Kerry reluctantly agrees to help out despite having to drive the family camper (Spammy) from North Carolina to NYC. Once she gets to New York City, she's told by her brother Murphy that she'll have to park the camper across from where they normally set up the lot because someone parked their car in their spot. Kerry starts to get very stressed out, but the owner of the Mercedes turns out to be Patrick, a nice enough guy with a young son, Austin who adores Murphy.
The story follows Kerry and Murphy as they try to make enough money in the tough NYC winter to keep their family's Christmas tree farm going all while Kerry is falling in love with Patrick, the owner of that Mercedes. Will Kerry and Patrick be able to make their love work or will she go back to North Carolina and her family? You'll have to read to find out!

Cute Christmas read! I love how it linked back to the Santa Suit. I did feel like the relationship between Kerry and Patrick felt a bit rushed into seriousness. One of my fave authors!

Bright Lights, Big Christmas by Mary Kay Andrews follows Kerry Tolliver, whose family owns a Christmas Tree farm in western North Carolina. The bulk of their sales, however, come from New York City where they have a tree lot set up in Greenwich Village. Every year Kerry's dad and her brother Murphy would haul trees and a trailer (nicknamed Spammy because it looks like a can of SPAM) to the Big Apple for a month to sell trees. This year, however, Kerry's dad is in poor health and so Kerry makes the trip with her brother. Kerry, who is an artist, isn't looking forward to it and has no idea how truly life changing this experience will end up being for her.

I truly loved everything about this story! Andrews does a magnificent job of capturing the magic of New York at Christmas and I especially loved how she portrays the sense of community that can be found in places like Greenwich Village. Anytime the Tollivers need assistance, be it an extra set of hands to help deliver trees, a hot meal on a cold night or even just a place to shower, they had so many people they could count on and it was heartwarming to see.

My favorite part of the story though was the personal journey for Kerry. She really comes into her own in New York, using her artistic ability to design wreaths and boost sales, and with the help of an adorable young boy and an eccentric senior citizen, she also blossoms as an artist and finds her "voice" so to speak. This little group also had the most wonderful found family vibes and I adored watching them interact. This trip also gives Kerry a chance to reacquaint herself with her brother, Murphy and to find love when she least expects it.

Cozy, heartwarming and magical, Bright Lights, Big Christmas is the perfect book to kick off your holiday reading and fill you with holiday cheer. Out 9/26!

In this book we follow Kerry and her brother Murphy as they travel from their family Christmas tree farm in North Carolina to NYC for their annual Christmas tree lot. They have a lot of setbacks to overcome this year just to break even.

I loved meeting all the different characters that made up this bustling neighborhood, most of whom had been buying trees from the Tolliver family for years. The romance that developed between Kerry and Patrick seemed a bit rushed which made it difficult to really root for them as a couple.

Spammy, their past its prime camper was such a fun, quirky addition to the story. I have to admit, on the cover alone, I pre-ordered this book! I'm a sucker for Christmas and campers!

I have loved almost every Mary Kay Andrews book that I have read. This one fell a little flat for me. While it is a great cozy read for the holiday season, it wasn’t quite up the same standard I usually expect from this author.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and St. Martin’s Press for giving me an eARC of this book to read and honestly review.

This loosely-connected follow up to The Santa Suit is a festive way to kick off the holiday season! 

It's a quick, Christmas-y read that I could definitely see as a Netflix movie.

I think the title is fantastic; it's catchy and 100% fits with the plot of the story.

If you wait all year to immerse yourself in holiday stories, this one is for you!

Mary Kay Andrews, I don't know how you do it. You have the gift of writing books people enjoy reading and you hit it out of the park again. Mary Kay is known for writing books set in the southeast, especially the Carolina coast. This story starts in North Carolina at the Christmas tree farm owned by the Tolliver family. For many years, the Tollivers have grown, cut and delivered Christmas trees to NYC. It's their big income producer for the year. This year, cantankerous father, Jock, is sick and not able to accompany his son, Murphy, on the trip to NYC. Daughter, Kerry, just happens to have returned to the family farm after a career downturn. Kerry winds up driving to NYC with Murphy. They are accompanied by Queenie, the dog, and the very old family trailer, Spammy, where they sleep when they can. They set up their Christmas tree stand in the usual, unofficial place and open up shop. Kerry doesn't know it, but the neighbors already know Murphy and Queenie and Kerry gets to know the neighbors. She comes to appreciate the area and makes friends with many who support her and Murphy. One of the important supporters is Patrick who has a young son and an ex-wife. There is romance, loads of love, a missing elderly neighbor and so much more. This is a story of family love and loving others who aren't family. I loved it and you will, too. Many thanks to Mary Kay Andrews and St. Martin's Press for the ARC of this lovely book. You can expect it to published approximately 9/26/23.

I LOVED this book. I was actually upset when I had to put it down to attend to something in my life, ha.

This is a feel good story about a Christmas tree lot in New York City. The trees are trucked in each year by a family from North Carolina. And for 30 days each year, this little corner lot becomes a small Christmas Village. One that I would very much like to be a participant in, annually!

I loved every single character in this book, including the doggy, I loved the neighborhood, the cafes, the bodega, the optician, gah, even the wholesale flower market is included. It was just a little piece of holiday perfection, and I am not one to gravitate toward holiday themed books.

If you're looking to capture a bit of holiday magic this year, I highly recommend you read this.

The thing I like best about reading a MK Andrews book is that she is consistent in telling a story that is a good old-fashioned romance. The characters are relatable and likable and ones you'd like to meet again and again. In this story, Kerry, an artist looking for direction in her life, returns home to help out her gruff older brother Murphy at the family tree farm to sell Christmas trees in the city while her father is sick and being tended to by her mother. Staying in a vintage trailer, she is surrounded with warm memories of her youth and good neighbors who embrace the Tolliver family. Most especially, she warms up to single dad Patrick and his young son. Kerry also befriends an old "homeless" man who wanders about in the neighborhood and seems to have taken a liking to Kerry and an interest in her artistic ability. Being there helps Kerry to rethink her life and the direction she wants to go and discover things about herself. Perhaps the romance with Patrick may have helped this? This is a book about discovering the best in people and hope and new beginnings. I can easily see this book made as a Hallmark holiday movie. I recommend you grab a cup of hot cocoa and cozy up with this feel good holiday book. It will leave you all warm inside. Many thanks to #netgalley #marykayandrews #brightlightsbigchristmas #stmartinspress for the opportunity to read and review this book.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Bright Lights, Big Christmas
By: Mary Kay Andrews
Pub Date: 9/26/2023
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press

It’s Christmas in the book reviewing world!!
Kerry Tolliver has had a rough go. A broken relationship and a job loss has knocked her back to her mom’s house. She’s been there moping for 3 months when her father becomes ill which forces Kerry to travel with her brother to NYC to sell the families Christmas trees.
What she doesn’t expect is to find herself in shocking ways in their little corner of the big apple. In just a short period of time she can see herself making a home there but with no job prospects there just isn’t any way she can stay… or is there?!?
I absolutely loved the little mention of The Santa Suit, last year's Christmas novel from Andrews. 🎄🎄🎄

This delightful holiday read has got me in the holiday spirit before the summer is even over. Filled with moments of cheer, romance, and sibling rivalry this book brings all the southern wit and charm that Mary Kay Andrews is known for. This book will leave you with all the warm fuzzy feelings and ready to start your holiday prep!

Told just like a Hallmark movie we have Kerry who goes to NYC with her brother to help out her family"s Christmas tree business. While there she connects with people in the neighborhood, not to mention she finds herself in the process. She also finds love with a local man who believes in her and all she wants to do.

I have been a longtime Mary Kay Andrews fan, and her Christmas books are always special! I finished this feel-good novella in one sitting and did not want to leave these characters and the lovely found family they'd become. Charming and full of Andrew's trademark warmth and wit, this holiday romance hits all the right notes.

Kerry, an artist whose life is at a crossroads, must fill in for her ailing father and go to NYC to help her brother Murphy sell Christmas trees from the family farm in North Carolina. There, she helps revive the family business, reevaluates her life, and meets friends who become family. She also meets Patrick, a handsome single father to the cutest little boy, Austin, who steals every scene he is in! The character development was very well done, and I really connected with Kerry and came to care for the other characters in the book as much as she did. And her slow-burn romance with Patrick was sweet and hopeful.

Set in a lovely Greenwich Village neighborhood, it feels like you're right in the middle of a Christmas movie. With themes of found family, finding yourself, love, and starting over, this is heartwarming, cozy, and full of holiday spirit!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to review this ARC. I loved it!

I hadn't read a book by this author for awhile and it felt like I was meeting up with a friend who had been out of the country. I have always enjoyed her books but I wanted to try new authors and different plots, so I lost touch. This was a Christmas romance that just warmed my heart. The characters are people that you know or people that you want to meet (well, except for the Brothers and they were dealt with appropriately. Kindness, charm and old world manners are abundant throughout this book. Thank you Mary Kay Andrews for the wonderful Christmas novel. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the digital ARC. This review is wholly my own and provided without any coercion or bias.

When fall rolls around, it’s time for Kerry Tolliver to leave the family Christmas tree farm in North Carolina and head to NYC to sell the trees at the family stand with her brother. Sharing a tiny vintage camper and experiencing Manhattan for the first time since childhood, Kerry is ready to carve out a new corner for herself and quickly becomes friendly with the surrounding neighbors.

Such a heart-warming , feel-good romance with all of the Christmas feels! The characters were a vast variety of young and old with unique personalities all coming together in a way that will warm your heart. A story of friendship, found family, self discovery and romance with some Santa Suit references sprinkled in (if you didn’t read that one yet, I highly recommend it!). I enjoyed this book so much and it presented what the true spirit of Christmas is all about.

Thank you NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Mary Kay Andrews for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I really enjoyed this heartwarming Christmas story from Mary Kay Andrews. Set in a NYC, the story follows the main character as she moves from remote, North Carolina to help her family sell their farm-grown Christmas trees. Thrown into a tiny trailer (with no kitchen and plumbing) and with her disagreeable brother, she finds herself loving the city and the residents of the street. Very touching Christmas story that you're sure to enjoy!

Bright Lights, Big Christmas is a cute story to start off holiday reading. Kerry has to head to NY to help her brother sell Christmas trees while their dad stays home and recovers from a health scare. While she learns to find ways to help her family’s business she ends up trying to help an older man who falls ill and finds herself attracted to a guy. Just when she starts liking NY it’s time to head home even though she is unsure what she wants to do with her life.
This story is filled with family , friends , and Christmas spirit. Thank you NetGalley and publisher for an arc for my opinion .

I enjoyed this delightful Christmas story and its unique setting of a Christmas tree lot in The Village in New York City. It’s the story of a brother and sister from North Carolina who traveled to New York every year to sell their Christmas trees. The action takes place over the course of a month leading up to Christmas Day. The plot is fairly predictable, but enjoyable, nonetheless. The main character and her love interest are actually the flattest characters in the book. The love interest’s son, an old man in the neighborhood, and the brother are nicely fleshed out. The descriptions of the snowy New York neighborhood are appealing.. I enjoyed this book very much and will look forward to finding more Christmas books by Mary Kay Andrews. This was a prepub given to me by Netgalley in return for an honest review.

Being this is a short novella, there isn't much depth to this story, but I kind of liked it. The situation with finding a found family always captures my heart and this definitely touched mine especially with Christmas being the setting. Mary Kay Andrews always writes wonderful stories that entertain and make me laugh.

Thank you for the advanced copy.