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.

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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.

Bright Lights, Big Christmas is putting me in the holiday mood in August, and I can see it being a perfect read or listen this holiday season!

Kerry Tolliver's family sells Christmas trees from their farm every year in New York City. This year, her father is unable to go on the trip due to a heart attack, so she goes to help her brother Murphy. They park a camper along the street and sell their trees in a charming neighborhood full of interesting characters.

The story is charming, lighthearted, and shows the good in people around the holidays as neighbors help one another out. I loved the descriptions of the wreaths Kerry made, the bitter chill in the air, and the holiday hijinks. It felt like I was right there with Kerry!

The romance is sweet, I adored the little boy, and really the entire secondary cast is fantastic. I loved how they all chipped in to help the Tolliver siblings during the tree season, whether by letting them use their shower or making them a hot meal. The generosity of people during the holidays is always a great thing to see. This definitely gave me all the Hallmark movie vibes and I'm here for it!

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Bright Lights, Big Christmas is a charming Christmas book with the potential to be a Hallmark Christmas movie. The story was heartwarming and a great way to start the holiday season. I loved that a small Christmas tree shop from the south would bring people together for the holidays. The amount of compassion and love they had for their neighborhood was heartwarming. The slow-burn romance between Kerry and Patrick was a great addition to the story, and their chemistry felt very natural. Patrick’s son Austin was hands down my favorite character. I did not care for Kerry’s brother. He was a massive ass throughout the book, and I do not think he ever redeemed himself. This book will make you believe in Christmas cheer and uplift your spirits.

I had access to both the kindle and audiobook versions but I loved listening to the audiobook more. Kathleen McIneray did an amazing job at narrating and incorporating all of the different characters.

Thank you to NetGallery and to both St. Martin Press and Macmillan for giving me a copy of the book.

Bright Lights, Big Christmas
by Mary Kay Andrews

MKA does it again with a feel-good, Hallmark, Christmas story! The Tolliver Family Christmas Tree stand has set up shop in West Village, NYC for decades but this year, the patriarch Jock is unable to make the trip due to a heart attack. Kerry is guilted into making the trip from North Carolina with her estranged brother, Murphy, to try to salvage the season and keep their father's business afloat. Kerry is floundering in her career having recently moved home and unlocks her artistic skills as she tries to build the tree stand's offerings. Murphy is hard-headed and stubborn and hates to admit Kerry has some good ideas when it comes to the business he has tried to take over.

With a cast of lovable characters, Kerry (and the reader) fall in love with this little community in the West Village. Kerry briefly mentions the story of The Santa Suit by MKA released last year and it was a heartwarming memory of that sweet book as well.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an advanced digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

A fun Christmas read with Mary Kay Andrews typical wit! Kerry must help her estranged brother with the tree farm this season. As they prepare the tree lot in NYC, trouble ensues with tree farm rivals. There is a love interest and a questionable camper and a hint of mtstrry.

This tale gives you a happy lift reminding us of finding joy and Christmas spirit .

Due out September 2023! Add to your list!

I really wanted to love this one and start my holiday reading off early with a bang, but this one was very meh. I think the thing I struggled with the most was that I felt ZERO chemistry between Kerry and Patrick, and it was very hard to buy into their whole insta-love dynamic. I loved the setting of a tree farm in New York City. I enjoyed the characters of Austin and Heinz...though it took too long to get a feel for them. I enjoyed how Kerry and Murphy's relationship developed throughout the book (but I really got tired about the details of who was sleeping when and who was covering tree sales when). Overall, I was just hoping for a bit more.

This is a sweet rom-com that would be perfect as a Hallmark Christmas movie. It is a bit of a whirlwind romance, but the cozy feel overall will have you wanting to curl up with a drink beside the fireplace to finish this book. Themes of family and friendship are tied in. I did expect a bit more character development, but if you're looking for a quick, holiday read, this may just fit the bill.

If you told me Bright Lights, Big Christmas was being made into a movie for Lifetime, I would tell you I wasn’t surprised at all. The best and only word I keep coming back to in describing this word is sweet. I think as a Holiday read, that’s a great thing, but as a romance it leaves something to be desired.

A story of bickering siblings living in tight quarters while they sell Xmas trees to save their farm is a great backdrop for the Holidays. I’m afraid this book spends a lot of time stressing that part of the story, along with all the sweet supporting characters that Kerry and Murphy (her brother) meet along the way. If this book was just about them selling said trees and interacting with sweet people they meet along the way, I would say it’s a well told tale.

The challenge is, it’s not. There’s supposed to be romance in this novel that felt like an afterthought and lacked chemistry, both with Kerry/Patrick and Murphy/Claudia. Then there’s the story of the neighbor in need, which is barely a thing until the very end…again something that seemed thrown into this book almost as an afterthought. I wish more were put into these character’s stories vs. the Holiday themes.

And as a minor issue…the NYC setting that was described: the interactions, the cold and snow in December, the flippancy regarding money…it was a little hard to swallow as someone who knows NYC in Xmas all too well.

The thing is, this is my first MKA book and so while these things may not fit my normal preferences in books, it’s hard for me to say they don’t live up to her normal audience’s wants and needs. If I had to guess, I think the normal MKA reader will be charmed with this book, and considering it’s a fast read, there is no reason they shouldn’t give this book a chance. If nothing else, it will definitely give the reader all the Christmas feels.

**Thank you so much to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest opinion. All opinions are my own.**

Kerry had recently been let go of her job so she moves back home to help with her family tree farm! Her Dad and Mom were divorced and her Dad had married a younger woman but it didn’t work out. So after he had a heart attack Kerry’s Mom takes care of him! Murphy is Kerry’s brother and he is a little grumpy but it was going to be those two who would travel to West Village in New York to sell trees!

Kerry happens to have an older gentleman that stops by the tree shop everyday and gives her advice on her drawing, then we have Austin who lives just down the block and he loves being with Kerry. Austin’s Dad Patrick is quite handsome and divorced and a friend of Murphy’s.

This book is all about family helping each other and friends making sure everyone is okay! When you read this you will feel like you are experiencing the scenes as well as the characters!

I received this ARC from Netgalley for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Andrews’ most recent books have been more in the mystery vein, but I think she really shines most with a rom-com, and this charming short holiday novel is an example of Andrews at her best.