Bright Lights, Big Christmas is a great book to get in the 2023 holiday season spirit! I loved this book. Mary Kay Andrews is amazing at setting the scene of both New York City and the North Carolina mountains where the Christmas trees of Tolliver Christmas Tree Stand are grown. This heartfelt story with intergenerational characters is charming and festive and the plot is uplifiting. Definitely pick this one up when it is out 9/26!

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and the author for this advanced audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Imagine a perfect chilly December day in New York City. The air has a chill and you can smell the fresh cut Christmas trees at the tree stand on the corner. Bright Lights, Big Christmas by Mary Kay Andrews captures Christmas like a perfect present tied with a perfect bow.

The lovable cast of characters made me unable to put this book down as I quickly became a part of this story.

After their father falls ill, Kerry tags along this year to help her brother Murphy sell their family’s Christmas trees on the same street corner in New York. Kerry quickly becomes loved by many of the neighbors on the block who have become like family to Murphy over the years.

Mary Kay Andrews’ writes the perfect Christmas novels that capture the magic of the holiday season and leave a smile on your face. Bright Lights, Big Christmas should definitely be on your holiday TBR list!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

Ms. Andrews writes such great stories and especially for Christmas. Currently living in NC, Kerry has to step in and help her grumpy brother, Murphy set up for the annual Christmas tree sales location in New York City. Driving the big vehicles with trees and the ancient camper nicknamed Spammy with parking issues, freezing temps (I read this in July but could just feel the cold!), nasty competitors, makes the story seem to have too many issues until we read about the neighborhood.

The neighborhood where they set up for sales is charming and mostly wonderful neighbors – not like I would expect some place in New York City to be. The setting is picturesque, but I can’t imagine having to live in such cold conditions and not have convenient access to a bathroom! The individual experiences with those wanting to buy trees was varied but most left happy with their purchases. Kerry has a degree in art and starts doodling scenes and along comes an elderly man, who critiques her work. When she meets Patrick and his son, Austin is such a wonderful part of the story and he and Kerry work on a story and illustrations.

All problems wrap up nicely and this is just a sweet, charming and uplifting story. I enjoyed the brief reference to the book The Santa Suit and hadn’t realized they were from the same town. I would have loved a bit more to the story once some of the issues are resolved and an epilogue.

Thanks to the author, publisher and Netgalley for allowing me to read this new work. I always look forward to reading more of Ms. Andrews work.

I was really excited when @netgalley and @marykayandrews gave me the opportunity to read this advanced copy of “Bright Lights, Big Christmas”!! I think anyone who is familiar with cozy romance novels is also familiar with Mary Kay Andrews and I felt super special getting to read this early!

It was such a light hearted story, but had some heart wrenching moments and emotion I didn’t expect! I truly enjoyed every minute of this book and my main complaint was wanting “MORE”!!!!

I also would’ve loved an epilogue (maybe a year later?!), but I know that’s shooting for the stars!

Add this book to your TBR for its publication date of 9/26/2023!!

Yes, I know it is August as I am writing this review but I LOVED this book!! Bright Lights, Big Christmas by Mary Kay Andrews introduces us to Kerry and the Tolliver family. Every year, the Tolliver's travel to New York City to sell their beautiful trees just in time for Christmas. This year has been especially hard. Their dad has been sick, the trees have suffered from a colder then normal growing season, and Kerry came back home with her tail between her legs. Kerry is forced to join her brother in the tiny camper just like they did when they were kids to help save the family's tree farm from going under.
Mary Kay Andrews is one of the great story tellers! Honestly, this book needs to be made into a Hallmark holiday movie! It is the perfect setting and story for the holiday season! It is light-hearted, good feeling, romantic story telling. Before reading this, I had been in such a reading slump and wasn't look forward to reading. But I picked this up and loved every minute of Bright Lights, Big Christmas! I will definitely be recommending this to others and will always look for work by Mary Kay Andrews. Special Thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press and Mary Kay Andrews for the advanced digital copy in exchange for my honest opinion. 5 BIG stars for me!

Quick Summary: An enchanting general fiction/women's fiction story

My Review: Bright Lights, Big Christmas by Mary Kay Andrews was a standalone novel all about family and community. The story featured two siblings, a sweet six-year old boy and his dad, a darling dog named Queenie, a neighborhood of colorful characters, and a cantankerous, old man with a secret and a heart of gold.

About the Book: The ups and downs of life often have a way of bringing people together. Such was the case with this ragtag group of people.

Favorite Quote: "Friends are the family you choose."

My Final Say: This sweet story took a ba-hum-bug situation, added some Christmas magic, and birthed life into the hearts of some very special people.

Rating: 3.75/5
Recommend: Yes
Audience: A
Status/Level: 🍬💬

Thanks to the author, to the publisher, and to NetGalley for granting access to this title in exchange for an honest review.

The absolute best story I have read in a long time. Will be sharing this one with everyone I know! Absolutely love a good holiday story.

I have to go to New York City and sell Christmas trees with my brother?

Kerry and her brother hardly know each other, but there is no one else to drive the truck.

Very reluctantly Kerry drives the 700 miles to set up in the spot her brother and father always used as a location to sell the Tolliver trees.

Another thing that she wasn’t too happy about was living in that filthy, freezing trailer for three weeks.

As it turns out, things weren’t as bad as she thought they would be. She met a lot of wonderful people and met dreamy Patrick.

Besides her romantic involvement with Patrick, she fell in love with his adorable son and met an elderly, ill artist Heinz who scared her when he hadn’t shown up for three days.

Kerry and everyone had no idea where he lived and became more worried as time went on.

Follow Kerry as we see how her three weeks in New York changed a lot of things for her.

Once I started reading this book, I couldn’t put it down.

Mary Kay Andrews never disappoints.

You will love the characters and the storyline.

Be sure to add it to your reading list. 5/5

Thank you to the publisher for an advanced reader copy. All opinions are my own.

A Christmas story that takes place in Manhattan, which I read as I visited Manhattan . The Tolliver family drive from their Christmas tree farm in North Carolina to set up a stand in Manhattan every December. Usually Murphy and his father Jock do this, but this year Jock is ill so the sister, Kerry, who hasn't done this since she was a child is recruited. Though her parents have been divorced since she was 7, and her brother lived on the tree farm with her father, Kerry agrees to help. I never thought of the logistics of these tree stands, nor have a ever bought a Christmas tree as I do not celebrate, but I found the whole story very interesting.
Plus, there is a small mystery, a love story, a dog and a child. I very heartwarming story which will come out before Christmas.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the EARC. I highly recommend this book for all Christmas story lovers

Another fun sweet story by this author. I needed a sweet hallmark like book and this was just what I hoped it would be. Thanks for the advanced copy. I would love to see this turned into a movie!!

Well this book was a hug in less than 300 pages!
If you feel like diving into a family/friendship story with a bit of romance for Xmas (set in NY), this should definitely be on you Holiday TBR :)

Thank you so much to NetGalley and St Martin's Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This book is absolutely everything I wanted it to be and more! I love the growth between the siblings and of course the romance. I so desperately want this to become a movie and want to see how they would translate some of the scenes to a movie!

Rating: 4.5 Stars

I have had the pleasure of reading quite a few Mary Kay Andrews books, but I must say, none delight me in the way her holiday books do.

I was born in Brooklyn, so a native New Yorker, and I loved the way Andrews highlighted the community aspect of city life. Yes, there are a whole lot of people in cities, but it is possible to find smaller communities therein.

This was shown in the way the Tollivers were warmly welcomed back to their corner, and how various neighbors pitched in with food, electricity, and bathroom privileges. But, this aspect shown brightest with their concern for one of their neighbors and the way they all rallied to help. It was all sorts of heartwarming, but it's also such a testament to what I expect during the holiday season. That we are more "human" during these times.

This story was also a lot of fun, and it elicited laughter from me many times. But, mostly, this story made me mushy, and I loved every second of it. The mix of warmth, humor, family, found family, romance, and holiday cheer was a delight, and I will be looking forward to Andrews' next holiday book.

Heartwarming & romantic, this book reminded me of a Hallmark Christmas movie. I love the little neighborhood where this family sets up their Christmas tree lot & how welcoming most of the residents are!!

I would consider myself a Mary Kay Andrews super-fan, as I have been known to follow her touring schedule to see how many times a year I could see her in person. I think I’ve read all of her books. I particularly loved her earlier stories of Weezie, Bebe Loudermilk and the gang. That being said, I didn’t especially love her latest creation, Bright Lights, Big Christmas. She may be “Santa’s favorite novelist” but this Christmas tale of Kerry Tolliver manning her family’s traditional Christmas tree lot in New York never really seemed to go anywhere. Kerry’s relationship with her brother, Murphy, never seemed to gain steam and her newfound love relationship never seemed to set sail. However, if you want a light read with lots of twinkle and sparkle to get you in the mood for the holidays, this may be the book for you.

Bright Lights, Big City
By: Mary Kay Andrews
5🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄

This novel is absolutely charming. Just like her last Christmas novel The Santa Suit I could see this as a Hallmark movie. There is even a mention about that in this Novel.

Kerry Tolliver and her brother head to NYC to sell Christmas Trees from their farm. Every year they have the same spot and bring in much needed money. This year everything is on the line since their dads medical bills are racking up.

Kerry quickly becomes friends with several of the neighbors. This novel is full of charm, hope, family, friends and so much more wrapped up in the perfect bow. This would make the perfect Christmas gift for the readers in your life.

Available Sept 26, 2023 by Mary Kay Andrews. Thank you Netgalley and MacMillian Audio for this advanced audio.

#brightlightsbigcity, #marykayandrews, #macmillanaudio, #netgalley, #friendsandfiction, #audioreview, #bookreview, #bookstagram, #booksconnectus, #stamperlady50, #stmartinspress

A new Mary Kay Andrews Christmas novel always means the holidays will be here before you know it. I enjoyed the sweet story of Kerry, who recently lost her job and reluctantly agrees to travel to NYC to help her brother sell Christmas trees from the family Christmas tree farm. Kerry quickly makes friends with those in their neighborhood as the chaos of the holiday season unfolds. Fans of MKA will love this heartwarming story, which is a quick read that is also festive and fun. Many thanks to NetGalley for early access to both the audio book and e-book in exchange for my honest feedback.

‘Bright Lights, Big Christmas, by Mary Kay Andrews is a perfect holiday read. The story takes place in New York City during the month of December where the Tolliver family is set up to sell North Carolina Christmas trees on a Manhattan corner. The story includes, humor, romance and friendship and is easy to read and light hearted.

Cute characters, an entertaining storyline, and loads of Christmas cheer! What a fun book! There was so much heart in this story. Kerry was a super relatable character, who felt really out of place and beyond her abilities a lot of the time, until she caught her flow, and absolutely crushed it. I love how caring she was. Everyone she came into contact with, she gave the perfect amount of feeling to. She connected to complete strangers, and made them feel seen and welcome. I really liked seeing the siblings, Kerry and Murphy, grow together as the time passed. Mr Heinz is the best character ever. I fell so in love with that old man, and could not get enough of his no nonsense personality. The entire community vibe of book was amazing. It really brought out the sense of connection that people can feel for one another in a short time span. Within a month, all members of this tiny community felt like they’d known each other for generations. I loved it.

What could be better than a trip to NYC before Christmas. It's magical. The store windows, the decorations, the tree in Rockefeller Center.
Well, for Kerry Tolliver it means selling their family farm grown Christmas trees. Her dad and brother drive up from North Carolina with the trees every year and set up a tree stand. They have built up a wonderful community of friends in the NYC neighborhood where they sell trees.
This year Kerry is going with her brother to help sell trees.
Heartwarming, enchanting, magical and I loved just being back in the "Big Apple" for the holidays. A story of family, love, lasting friendship, second chances, cherishing every moment with your loved ones.
This was such a delightful read. So grab a mug of hot cocoa and enjoy this festive book.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read this book.