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.

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

Thanks to NetGalley & Macmillan Audio for a copy of this audiobook.

#FirstLine ~ Kerry Clare Tolliver couldn’t remember a time when the smell of a Fraser fir tree didn’t make her smile.

"Bright Lights, Big Christmas" is a heartwarming and enchanting novel that captures the true essence of the holiday season. The author's writing style is engaging and descriptive, bringing the festive atmosphere to life on every page. The story revolves around themes of love, family, and the magic of Christmas, creating a perfect read for the holiday season. The characters are well-developed and relatable, making it easy to connect with their experiences and emotions. As the plot unfolds, the reader is taken on a delightful journey through the joys and challenges of the holiday season, leaving them with a warm and fuzzy feeling. "Bright Lights, Big Christmas" is a feel-good novel that reminds us of the importance of cherishing moments with loved ones and spreading kindness during this special time of year. It's a delightful read that will surely leave a lasting impression and become a holiday favorite for many readers. Highly recommended for anyone looking to embrace the magic of Christmas within the pages of a heartwarming story.

Bright Lights Big Christmas
By Mary Kay Andrews

A NICE MIX of Family, Friendships and Holiday Cheer

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

SUMMARY

Kerry Tolliver had recently been downsized from a marketing job and is now living at home with her parents on their North Carolina Christmas tree farm. Kerry's father has recently had a heart attack, and the family needs Kerry to accompany her older brother Murphy and his dog Queenie to New York City to sell Christmas trees at the family stand in Greenwich Village.

Kerry's first order of business is to drive her daddy’s old truck and pull a dilapidated camper through the streets of New York and then find a place to park. In the weeks leading up to Christmas, tree sales are not where they have been in years past. Kerry and her brother must do what it takes to sell every tree on the lot. Kerry has some ideas.

As Kerry gets to know the neighbors, she develops some unique relationships. When one of her new friends, an older gentleman, goes missing, Kerry jumps in to start a search for him. Patrick, a single father, and Kerry have great chemistry, but Kerry is reluctant to get involved with him since she will go home soon.

REVIEW
I finally bit the bullet and read my very first Mary Kay Andrews book. I get it. It’s light, fun, contemporary romantic fiction. BRIGHT LIGHT BIG CHRISTMAS is a warm holiday story of family, love, and friendships.

Andrews' writing is engaging, and the characters are well-developed. Kerry’s character is particularly delightful. The Greenwich Village setting is charming, and readers will feel like they can smell the pine trees and see the city's bright lights. The plot is a nice mix of romance, family, friendship, and holiday cheer.

BRIGHT LIGHTS, BIG CHRISTMAS is a delightful read perfect for the holiday season. Andrews has done a fantastic job creating a descriptive story that will make readers happy and satisfied. I listened to the audiobook and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. Narrator, Kathleen McInerney did a fabulous job with all the voices.

Thanks to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.


Publisher Macmillan Audio
Published September 26, 2023
Narrated Kathleen McInerney
Review www.bluestockingreviews.com

This is going to be ALL book club’s December read (there is a discussion guide). This audiobook was great and read well. Same narrator she’s used for other books so I highly recommend if your a fan of MKA audiobooks. This story overall is wonderful and sweet. Fast paced and really enjoyed.

Bright Lights, Big Christmas by Mary Kay Andrews gave me big hallmark Christmas movie vibes. Kerry Tolliver has to leave her family’s Christmas tree farm to head to New York City to sell trees with her grumpy brother, Murphy. Kerry quickly becomes infatuated with the town and neighbors surrounding her tiny camper, affectionately known as Spammy. She is especially enamored with Patrick, a single dad, and his adorable son Austin. Kerry creates new friendship, bonds with her brother, finds her love of art again and has a budding romance.

This is a quintessential feel good Christmas story. You can’t help but fall in love with Kerry, Austin, Patrick and the other characters. Even the characters that come off as grumpy, such as Murphy, have redeeming qualities. This book is a sweet (and clean) Christmas story. What’s more charming than reading about a Christmas tree seller?! This is the perfect book to read with some hot chocolate and a cozy blanket. It will leave you with a warm fuzzy feeling inside even on the coldest day.

I highly recommend this book for readers who are looking for a heartwarming Christmas story.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for a free copy of the audiobook. The narrator, Kathleen McInerney, has a very sweet voice that adds to the charming atmosphere. The audiobook was easy to follow along to and I was able to listen to this book in 2 days.

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.

This is a cute read to kick off the Holiday season! I would recommend to Hallmark Countdown to Christmas fans who love a cozy holiday vibe.

I thought Mary Kay Andrews did a great job of bringing Kerry’s New York to life and loved the quirky side characters that came to be her friends. Including a very precocious child named Austin!

Patrick, the MMC, was loveable and it was nice to see a “big city” MMC who wasn’t a jerk. I also really enjoyed the narrator Kathleen McInerney.

I didn’t love Kerry’s brother. He’s billed in the synopsis as grumpy, but I found him to be unnecessarily mean to Kerry.

Overall, this is the perfect holiday read that will get you in the spirit!

Thank you to NetGalley, Macmillan Audio and Mary Kay Andrews for an advance copy. These are my honest thoughts.

I took a break from spooky season and thought briefly of Christmas! My 2 favorite holidays!
This audiobook was the ultimate feel good book! Christmas time in New York City on a Christmas Tree Lot! I could see the busy sidewalks and smell the Christmas trees during this! Kerry traveled to NYC to help her brother sell Christmas trees! Kerry quickly realizes that her brother, Murphy, is pretty popular in the area. Murphy soon realizes that Kerry can bring so many new ideas to The Tolliver Tree Farm! While Kerry is in the city she finds more than a love for making wreaths! I loved the narrator and her southern charm! I also loved that the author brought the small town feel to the big city! Lastly, I loved that The Tollivers were from Western NC and had some North Carolina slang in the story! This was my first Mary Kay Andrews and I’m excited to pick up another!
.
Read this book if you love a Christmas atmosphere, new found family, hallmark movies, a cute love story and a story about chasing your dreams!
.
Thank you @netgalley and @stmartinspress for the ALC in exchange for my honest review.

This was a wonderful book! Very similar to the Santa Suit, it is like a warm cup of hot chocolate and a fuzzy blanket for your soul! With some cameos from the Santa Suit, it can be read as a standalone. I really enjoyed this and highly recommend to anyone who loves Hallmark movie- type stories!

This was a really sweet story and a delight to read. Kerry goes to New York to help her brother sell Christmas trees from their family farm. She grew up with their mom while her brother grew up on the tree farm with their father so they aren’t especially close. They are staying in an old motor home affectionately named Spammy. As Kerry starts to get to know the residents of this area, she feels like she belongs. She becomes especially close with a young boy, his attractive father, and an older gentleman in the neighborhood.

This was a fun, low-conflict story filled with Christmas cheer and wonderful characters. I liked getting to know Kerry, her brother, and the other characters. I appreciated the fact that there was a bit of mystery worked into the story in addition to just the right amount of romance. Kerry seemed like she just belonged in the neighborhood and I hoped that she would figure out how to make her visit more permanent.

I listened to the audiobook and thought that Kathleen McInerney did a great job with the story. I thought that the voices she used for the various characters did a great job of helping to bring the story to life. I found her voice to be very pleasant and am certain that her narration added to my enjoyment of this book. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this book to others. I found this to be a very well-done holiday story that kept me hooked until the very end.

I received a digital review copy of this book from Macmillan Audio and St. Martin’s Press.

This was my first Mary Kay Andrews novel and probably my last. The synopsis sounded cute and I love holiday/Christmas books, but this one fell flat. I really liked the main character Kerry and the setting on a New York Christmas tree farm was cute. However, the story was slow moving and there was not enough chemistry between Kerry and Patrick. I also didn’t like Murphy’s character.

Thanks to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for the advanced listening copy.

This whole story was like reading under a warm blanket while sipping hot chocolate. I love that the Christmas ARCs are coming out! Kerry and her brother, Murphy, have a family Christmas tree farm in North Carolina. Every year their father and Murphy set up shop and sell Christmas trees in New York City. This year, their father is not well so Kerry steps in. Kerry quickly becomes friends with the neighborhood folks and soon sparks begin to fly between her and Patrick. Patrick’s son, Austin, and an older gentleman become friends with Kerry as well. As a graphic artist, Kerry begins creating a children’s book with Patrick’s son. This was a sweet story that felt like a warm hug. At times not much happened, but I was OK with that. The characters were great and truly felt like a diverse cast of New Yorkers. The story was easy to follow. This was a feel good Christmas story that was fun bringing the small town girl to the big city. I left the book with a smile on my face.

The story was super predictable, but also really cute and heartwarming. This is probably the first audiobook narrator that I have really not liked. She talks with sooooooo many pauses within sentences; it was all I could concentrate on when I was listening. I also didn't care for her "kid voice," it sounded like a Rugrats character.

My Thoughts- Who doesn’t love a good Christmas story? Christmas is the time of year that is warm and cozy, and this is the feeling I got from reading this book. Though it was slow at times, it was a wholesome and clean romance, with a side of slight mystery. The slow burn between Patrick and Kerry is sweet, though I wish there had been a little more chemistry between them. I have always wondered what it would be like to own a Christmas tree farm, and this book didn’t squander that for me. I liked all of the characters and the development of relationships when Kerry moves to New York City from the mountains of North Carolina. I would rate this story as a 3.5/5, just because it was a little too slow for me, but overall, I enjoyed it. If you are looking for a feel-good clean romance that is Christmas-themed, then this is the book for you.

Book Rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Narration ⭐️⭐️⭐️

I did enjoy the plot of this fun holiday read, but I didn't feel it had her usual southern charm, and I was a bit disappointed by that. I liked most of the characters, but I wasn't a fan of Austin. I know he is only 6, and I feel bad talking about a child, but I just found him to be annoying and unrealisticly mature in his speech. I think the narrator also helped ruin his character for me. I just wasn't a fan.
The narrator overall was a miss for me, and I didn't feel she was a good match for this particular book. I think if I had read this instead of listening, I would have enjoyed it more.
Thank you, NetGalley and MacMillan Audio, for the opportunity to listen and review this advanced copy.

Mary Kay Andrews never disappoints with a holiday read.

The Tollivers have a Christmas tree farm in North Carolina. For about forty years they head to West Village, NY right after Thanksgiving to sell their trees.

Kerry doesn't normally go, but this year she has stepped up to help her brother as their father is ill and just out of the hospital. They live in "Spammy", and old trailer. Kerry, her brother, Murphy, and their dog Queenie.

Kerry and Murphy are quickly a part of the neighborhood. There's romance and even a little mystery. Great holdiay read.

Many thanks to NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for an ALC in exchange for my honest review.

The Tolivers tradition was to travel more than 700 miles from North Carolina to New York and setup shop selling Christmas trees from the family farm. However, this year Kerry and her brother Murphy are in charge of handling the sells after their dad suffered a heart attack. Concerned about the family business, sibling tension, and the nearby competition, Kerry is determined to sell all the trees and make her family proud. She also uses this time to think about what/where she wants to be as she’s still figuring out her career and future. But while in New York, Kerry finds herself smitten with Patrick and his son Austin, which makes for a sweet holiday romance with a super cute ending!

I loved the short chapters and the narrator was cheerful, reminded me of a Lifetime Christmas movie. It’s definitely a Christmas/ holiday season MUST READ 🎄

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan audio for the ARC!

Kerry Tolliver grew up on her family’s Christmas tree farm and when she suddenly becomes unemployed shortly before Christmas, her family ask that she travel to New York with her brother to assist at their family tree stand in Greenwich Village. While she had never been to Manhattan before, living in a tiny vintage camper with her grumpy brother wasn’t what she had in mind when she thought of visiting New York for the first time but since her father had just suffered a heart attack, she felt an obligation to help her family out. While living in the trailer parked right on the street, Kerry meets and strikes up friendships with the people who live in the area and work in the restaurants and coffee shops. Of course, with this being a Christmas-themed book, a romance becomes part of the story and Kerry begins to hope that it takes a long time to sell all the trees so that she doesn’t have to leave her new friends.

I listened to the audiobook edition of this book narrated by Kathleen McInerney and I thought that she did a good job. She was articulate, was expressive and you could tell each character by how she voiced them. As far as the story itself, I enjoyed it. I got a bit of a “found family” type of vibe from the story and if you’re looking for a cute Christmas book, I don’t think you can go wrong with this one.

Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for a copy of this audiobook.

I'm not one to rush the seasons, especially Christmas, preferring to enjoy them as they come. But this year, the August heat here was particularly gross, with heat advisories almost daily. So I welcomed the chance to read something to take my mind to a different climate. Set in New York City in December, this was a nice way to at least mentally jump into thoughts of boots and sweaters and all things Christmas. And I know I can count on Mary Kay Andrews for a charming and entertaining read, usually with a touch of mystery thrown in. This book was no exception as a brother and sister, who don't really know each other all that well as adults, meet up in NYC to set up their tree lot to sell Christmas trees grown on their family farm in North Carolina. While it's been an annual event for years, it's the first time since childhood for the sister, Kerry, to go. Some recent big life changes have left her in limbo just a bit, so she steps in to help the family and to hopefully get some perspective to plan what her next steps will be. It's just the kind of book I like to read around the holidays - light, fun, nothing overly dramatic but still held my interest all the way through. And there was a nice little call back to The Santa Suit, which I read last year. I listened to the audio version and the narration was well done.
Thanks to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for providing a copy for an unbiased review.