cute but i wish the romance was better developed, it seemed pretty rushed as there were a lot of other plotlines

I found my new guilty pleasure, and it’s starting in on Christmas romance tropes in September rather than November. Mary Kay Andrews is one of my go-to cozy Christmas authors. I feel like there is so much merit in heartwarming stories, especially when they are set during the heart of Christmas.

Andrews’ latest novel, Bright Lights Big Hearts, is set on a street corner in Greenwich Village, New York. For the first time in decades, the MC, Kerry, is helping her family with their Christmas tree business by traveling to NYC to sell trees roadside with her brother. Kerry, a North Carolina native, quickly falls in love with the big city and its inhabitants. The story is filled with minor conflicts and clean romance. Mary Kay Andrews depicts Greenwich Village similarly to a small town in that its close community offers open arms to everyone they meet. The reader has to suspend disbelief a bit at how quickly the romance comes together. That said, I love the “friends become family” trope, and this one has the elements of that wrapped up in Christmas vibes. At 288 pages, this is a quick read and surely perfect for anyone who loves Hallmark Christmas movies.

3.5 stars

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for the advanced digital review copy.

Kerry Tolliver is having an identity crisis. She doesn't know where she belongs or what to do since she lost her job. The family has a Christmas tree farm in North Carolina. With her dad in poor health, she was told to help her brother in NYC. Murphy and her haven't seen eye to eye but they will do anything to save the farm. Little did she was going to blossom in the freezing cold. She is making wreathes and offering to help people to install their tree lights. She is also starting to get back to drawing again. Along the way there is Peter and his son Austin, whom she has become fond of. This area is a close knit community and everyone knows everyone. When Mr. Heinz stops being seen, the neighborhood gets into action. When they find him, Kerry is the one that brings him back to health. Christmas is still a magical time of the year and the best time to fall in love.

Lovely, feel good Christmas story. Great characters and always a good story flowing. This one includes a little Christmas romance beginnings and always some good humor and a touch of snarky. Cover gives good description of story, no need to repeat. You will enjoy he characters and the descriptions of the settings. I believe I've seen a similar Hallmark movie, if not, this would be a good one! I was provided an advanced reader copy at my request and was under no obligation to write a review. The opinions expressed are my own. Many thanks to the author, St.Martin's Press and NetGalley for allowing me to read this rr book.

Bright Lights, Big Christmas is a heartwarming and uplifting must-read this holiday season! Kerry, Murphy, Queenie, Patrick, Austin, Heinz, Claudia, & all the surrounding neighbors are sure to brighten your holiday spirit and captivate your heart as they come together as a community. Everyone rallies around Kerry and Murphy during their busiest time of the year in NYC selling Christmas trees, offering food, coffee, restrooms, showers, & space to do their laundry, but also to help deliver trees and stand watch over their Christmas tree stand. Their kindness doesn't stop there. They come together when a neighborhood elderly man (Heinz) suddenly stops coming around, and it becomes a race against time to find him since the last time he was seen, he was sickly looking and coughing. No one knows much about him or where he lives. He's a rather private man and is always alone. Austin doesn't give up finding him and urges the adults in his life not to give up either. This is a cozy read that will leave you with that warm and fuzzy feeling this holiday season!

I enjoyed the update from MKA's 2022 Christmas novel The Santa Suit. Another holiday must read!

Thank you, Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for this e-ARC. It was a truly enjoyable holiday read. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Kerry is at loose ends after being made redundant after the ad agency she worked for merged with another larger company. Back home in North Carolina, she hasn't figured out what to do next but she knows staying in the small town is not what she wants. When her father has a heart attack and can't make the annual trip to New York City to sell the family's Christmas trees. Her brother can't do the trip on his own so Kerry is roped into. While she can't imagine a worse time than spending a month with a taciturn brother she barely knows in an old "spam can" camper that doesn't have a working toilet or stove, perhaps NYC at Christmas will work its magic on her.

I'm sure many Mary Kay Andrews fans like me were disappointed that there wasn't a new summer book this year. Thankfully there is a new Christmas book. Bright Light, Big Christmas is a great way to kick off the holiday season, and whether you are a MKA fan or just a fan of Christmas books you will want to start Christmas with MKA!

I don't usually like starting Christmas books until after Thanksgiving, but I just couldn't wait to start this book. And as I knew would happen as soon as I started it, I couldn't put it down - I read it in a day!

The characters are wonderful. I liked that they were a little older than you typically get in Christmas rom-coms. Kerry is in her 30s and her brother Murphy is in his 40s. I loved all the characters in the neighborhood where they set up their tree stand in NYC.

I was a little afraid that there would be a country bumpkin in the sophisticated Big Apple type plot line. But there isn't. Kerry's family has been selling trees in this neighborhood for at least 3 generations and the neighborhood is very welcoming to them - they let them use the bathroom, shower, eat, and do laundry in their homes and businesses. And this is a well-to-do area where you would expect snobs. I mean who carries around $200+ in cash on them when they are on their way to the gym to do pilates?

The dynamic between Kerry and her brother is good. Their parents divorced when Kerry was 7 and she went to live in town with their mother while her brother stayed on the farm with their dad. So they don't really know each other. Murphy is short-tempered but I don't think he really means to be. He has the weight of keeping the farm going as the next generation of Tollivers and that weight is even heavier now that their dad has had a heart attack. I don't think Kerry gives him enough credit either. I think the trip is good for their relationship.

The main focus though of the story is Kerry finding herself and determining what she wants out of life. And the trip to NYC definitely brings into focus where her true passion lies.

As this is a Christmas book, there is, of course, some romance. Bright Lights, Big Christmas is a clean romance. The Christmas tree-selling business doesn't really lend itself to traditional dating so much of the getting-to-know-you phase takes place on the tree lot.

I liked the setting of the Christmas tree stand. It's a different setting but it works really well for this sweet Christmas book.

My review will be published at Girl Who Reads on Wednesday, Sept. 6 - https://www.girl-who-reads.com/2023/09/bright-lights-big-christmas-by-mary-kay.html

Nothing puts me in the Christmas spirit like Mary Kay Andrews holiday books! A wonderful story of a New York Christmas tree stand in the heart of the city which is manned by The Tollivers from NC each year. This year Kerry helps her brother Murphy since their dad is down with a heart attack.

The most idyllic setting and a wondeful cast of characters really pulled me in!

My first Christmas read of the year. It was so cute. I loved the story about a family Christmas tree lot. Loved the MC and the side characters and Heinz was so great!! Only thing I couldn’t really get into was Kerry and her love interest. Overall, I would def recommend for a light Christmas read to get you into the holiday spirit.

Thanks to Netgalley and St.Martin’s Press for my electronic advanced readers copy.

Publish date: September 26, 2023

I already love a Christmas read, but throw in a Christmas tree farm and I am extra happy! Leaving North Carolina behind, Kerry Tolliver is tagging along with her brother (and their vintage travel trailer) to sell trees at their family-owned stand on Abingdon Square in New York City.

Filled with delightful locals and a crisp, wintery setting, this was a super cozy, grab-your-hot-cocoa type of story. I especially enjoyed seeing the daily ins and outs of the struggling Tolliver Family Tree Farm. The sibling bickering between Kerry and her perpetually grumpy brother, Murphy, was too fun.

I wanted more buildup within the romance, though. Patrick, the love interest, felt too pushy at times, making it hard for me to believe their relationship developed organically. I never quite connected with their chemistry. But overall, a cute holiday read with a heartwarming focus on learning to believe in yourself.

A very cute story that draws you in to the characters quite quickly! I would recommend everyone pick up this novella this holiday season!

This is another wonderful Christmas story from Mary Kay Andrews. Lots of humor mixed with love of family and new friends. Due to her father being in recovery from a heart attack and surgery, Kerry has to go to New York City from NC to help her brother run their Christmas tree lot, something she has not done since her parents got divorced when she was 7. This involves living in a small camper by the tree lot and depending on the generosity of some people in the neighborhood for a bathroom break and warm showers. Kerry quickly becomes enamored with a young boy and his father who live close to the tree lot. This is a quick heartwarming read that ends too soon.

What a wonderful story of how different ages and backgrounds can teach each other the important things in life.

(A review for Netgalley!)

I love a good Christmas novel/story so regardless it was going to get an okay rating! The story is cute and I love the family friendly neighborhood feeling! But I didn’t love the romance storyline development at all! And honestly, it felt rushed.

I also felt like the story ended abruptly too.. I guess I would have liked to have seen it end on Christmas Day itself! So continue on with Kerry’s transition a tiny bit into NYC (like a prologue)! It left me wanting more.

All in all; the storyline is cute! It just left me wanting more and a more developed romance!

4.5 stars. This book was all the Christmas magic and NYC magic rolled into one.

The found family in this book was so strong! The characters were a unique hodgepodge, that fit together perfectly within the story.

I loved the love story woven in, though it definitely took a backseat to the self discovery and community being built… but I’m not sad about it. It was a nice little touch in the background.

This book made me crave cold nights and hot cocoa and the smell of evergreens something fierce. Highly recommend to get you in the holiday spirit!!

Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for the chance to review an advance copy.

This was such a sweet, feel good Christmas story. I'm a sucker for a book with found family. I loved that this story was so much more than just a holiday romance. I loved the sense of community and how the characters came together. I highly recommend adding this to your holiday reading list!

Bright Lights, Big Christmas by Mary Kay Andrews has all the Christmas vibes. Tolliver's Christmas tree stand in New York reminds us what Christmas is all about and brings everyone together in this book. Sometimes we need to reinvent things instead of sticking to the old way as the siblings of Tolliver's tree stand find's out. This book is all about Christmas and second chances. The author did a great job writing this as well and I look forward to reading more from her. I highly recommend this book to any reader and especially to reader's who love Christmas. Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin's Press for this ARC copy of this book, I appreciate it. I highly enjoyed this book!

I am a fan of Ms Andrews' books. On one level this is written in her wonderful style - great plot and terrific, warm characters. On the other level, it felt as though it finished really fast, quickly all tied up in a big red bow.

Kerry is an artist who was made redundant at work. Since that happened, she has been living with her mother in a small town in North Carolina. Not a happy time for Kerry.

Her family sells Christmas trees and every year they take a trailer full to the West Village in New York City. This year Kerry will have to accompany her brother, Murphy. Her father had a heart attack and this is a 2 person job. There is no one else to do the job.

The best and worst part will be living in Spammy. Spammy is a 40 year old, tiny trailer, without a working bathroom. It just does not get better than this.

Kerry has a meltdown when someone parks their Mercedes in the spot set aside for the tree lot and leaves it there. She assaults the Mercedes and then finds that the owner of the car is a friend of Murphy's. His name is Patrick and he has, Austin, one of the most charming little boys ever created by an author.

Although Kerry was not happy to be drafted into tree lot duty, before long she is seeing an entirely new aspect of life in the big city. People in the neighborhood are friendly. One family offers to provide hot showers when needed. A restaurant and a bakery are ready to provide food and drink at nearly any hour. In short, Kerry starts making friends and finding that people are interesting and interested in her. Austin and an elderly man, Heinz, start Kerry creating a wonderful story about heroes and dragons and bad guys.

One of the many side effects for Kerry is she quickly starts to regain her strength and belief in herself. She starts remembering what she can do as an artist.

I really liked this story, it was rather like a modern fairy tale. At times I felt that I knew the future of the story, but that was OK because it was a lovely and sweet story.

I did feel that it wrapped up rather quickly. That made me feel let down. But, it still was a "Happily Every After".

Ms Andrews is a talented author and she certainly knows how to provide a reader with a good story.

This should make any reader get into the spirit of Christmas. In fact, I believe that if you sit very still and inhale, you will be able to smell all those lovely green trees.

I received this book from the publisher in the hope of a fair and honest review. I am voluntarily writing this review and all opinions are completely my own.

Kerry Tolliver has lost her job and is living back at home on the family’s Christmas tree farm. Her family has sold trees in New York city since she was a child, living out of their canned ham trailer each season. Times have changed though. Her parents are divorced so now it is her father and brother who run the farm and make the trip to sell trees each year. Except this year. Her father has had a heart attack and her mother is staying with him to nurse him back to health. Kerry and her brother, Murphy, are in charge of selling the trees this year. They need to sell more than ever to keep the farm in the black but can they? Will Murphy accept new ideas for marketing and selling more?
This is a great Christmas read. The characters they meet and bond with are fun, sometimes quirky, but mostly loveable. Kerry has time to examine her life and attempt to figure out what’s next for her. Will she go back to North Carolina to raise trees orfollow a new path?
I received an advance copy of this book from the Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

Look no further for a book to get you in the Christmas spirit! Bright Lights, Big Christmas is filled with warmth and joy and family! Kerry and her brother Murphy are in New York City to run their family’s Christmas tree stand, living in a rusty trailer, showering in the homes of neighbors, fighting off the competition, and maybe finding time to bring some love into their lives! Although set in the big city, this book has a lovely small town feel to it, as they find a community of friends who become like family! Put on your favorite festive clothing, drink some hot chocolate, and enjoy this warm-hearted Christmas story!

A feel-good sweet tale for Christmas...

Kerry & her brother Murphy leave their North Carolina home for their annual trip to New York City to sell the Christmas trees that their family grow on their farm.

This is the first in many years that Kerry is making the trip, as her father normally travels with Murphy, but this year her father is unwell. Kerry only recently moved back home to North Carolina after losing her job, and she is at a loose end. She and Murphy don't know each other well, as they each went with a different parent after the family was split by divorce years ago.

She finds the city a magical place, and is introduced to several families that Murphy has befriended over the years. A local older gentleman, Heinz, helps to re-awaken Kerry's creative pursuits and when he goes missing, Kerry, friend Patrick and his son Austin are frantic to find him.

I'm a huge fan of Mary Kay Andrews, and it was a real pleasure to read an advanced copy of this book.