Christmas in September? Ok!!!!!

This book was so easy to fall in love with. It was so charming and cozy. I adored all the characters. I listened to the audiobook and I really enjoyed the narrator. After reading I want Christmas music on repeat and a hot cup of cocoa🤣🎶🎅🏼

Definitely add this to your holiday reading list!

Read if you enjoy:
❤️Holiday romance
🎄Christmas tree farms
🎥Hallmark movies
👨‍👦Single dad trope
✌🏼Second chances
📍New York

As usual with Andrews' titles, this one does not disappoint. Set in NYC which is different some Andrews' southern settings, I liked the ease at which the main character found home in the big city. The perfect holiday read!

It's that time of year again where the Tolliver family loads up and heads to New York City to sell their family farm Christmas trees. This year Kerry Tolliver has to tag along with her brother, Murphy, due to their father not being in the best health. Neither of the siblings are too keen on working together but Kerry is determined to make the best of it.

This was a warm and cozy Christmas read. It has a little bit of romance and some found family elements. It is a perfect feel good Christmas story. If you are a fan of Mary Kay Andrews, you'll love this one, and if you have never read from her, give this one a try! I don't think you will be disappointed.

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher (St. Martin's Press/Macmillian Audio) for the allowing me access to an early copy/recording of this story. All opinions are my own

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4.5/5

Bright Lights, Big Christmas🎄

Mini Review ⬇️

ARC - Pub Date Sept 26

@marykayandrews does it again with this new holiday read 😊 I loved The Santa Suit and had high expectations for this one and it did not disappoint.

It has fun loving characters and a charming holiday season tale with a teeny tiny mention of The Santa Suit characters (which I got way to excited over🎅🏻)

One final thought, I was lucky enough to get the advanced audiobook version of this read and the narration was amazing and was a great addition to the story 😉

Cute holiday romance! Love when there’s a family element to the story as well. Ending a bit abrupt for me - the art, find oneself, lost love angles all could’ve used a bit more flushing out.
3.75 stars

𝐁𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐋𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬, 𝐁𝐢𝐠 𝐂𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐦𝐚𝐬
𝐁𝐲 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐊𝐚𝐲 𝐀𝐧𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐰𝐬
𝐏𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐫: 𝐒𝐭. 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐧’𝐬 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬
𝐏𝐮𝐛 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞: 𝟗.𝟐𝟔.𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟑
𝒞𝑜𝓂𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝒮𝑜𝑜𝓃!

Thank you @stmartinspress for this gifted book.
And thank you @macmillanaudio for a complimentary audiobook.


This was the perfect book to kick off the Holiday reading season.
You’ll want to grab some hot cocoa and curl up with this one.


Kerry Tolliver finds herself working with her brother, Murphy, selling Christmas trees from their family’s farm. This may be a Grinch-like Holiday season though - they are selling trees in the East Village of New York, living out of a trailer called “Spammy” with no working bathroom and Murphy is a bit of a crank.

Things begin to change when Kerry meets Patrick and his young son Austin. Suddenly, Kerry starts to remember just how magical Christmastime can be. As Kerry helps young Austin create a whimsical story based on her memories from the Christmas tree farm, she finds her heart warming up to this father and son.

Full of family, romance, and helping your fellow neighbors in need - this is a big-hearted story of second chances and opening yourself to the love and the magic that surrounds you.

This is the perfect cozy read for the holiday season! 🎄

We follow Kerry as she travels to New York City to lend a hand at her families long standing Christmas Tree stand. Camping out in their cramped travel trailer with her grumpy brother and his adorable dog may have its challenges - but the hustle and bustle of city life, quirky neighborhood residents, business adventures and a certain special someone have Kerry wishing the holiday season could last forever.

Full of family, community, love, friendship and the magic of the holiday season - Bright Lights, Big Christmas is a must read for any time of year!

Thank you to Macmillan Audio for the advanced copy!

In this delightful and very heartwarming Christmas book, I learned how much family is not just blood ties but it is also about friendship and acceptance. In this book you will go on a journey with Kerry Tolliver and her brother. They are originally from North Carolina and they help their father run a tree farm. Normally, every year Kerry's dad and Murphy her brother go to sell Christmas trees in New York City, but this year it will be Kerry and Murphy and his dog Queenie. They will be staying in an old camper without a working bathroom... WHAT!
Kerry is about to learn a lot about life and family and what she belongs in the world. This book has it all,heartwarming, sweet,the Christmas spirit, love, laughter, and friendship! Highly recommend you read this book it is fantastic! The perfect read for the perfect season!

Great Christmas story! So many fantastic characters that become a community for two people from out of town. I really enjoyed how the story was built and the main character keeps finding out that her dad and brother know all these people and have made deals with them for food, electricity and showers while they are in NYC selling Xmas trees each year. I especially enjoyed how she made friends with an old man that everyone assumed was homeless or close to it and all the surprises and changes it brought to her life.
This was such a great story, I’d love to see it made into a movie.

Bright Lights Big Christmas is such a fun holiday read. Family and friend drama at a Christmas Tree lot. All come together for a friend and things unfold in a holiday fashion. I loved all the holiday vibes. This is a perfect cozy read. I really liked it.

This cozy Christmas romance featuring brother sister Christmas tree sellers in NYC was just the thing to read at the end of this hot summer -- you could feel the chill in the air! The narrator was excellent and this audiobook absolutely flew by. The Tolliver's have been growing Christmas trees on their family Christmas tree farm in North Carolina and every year for many generations they would go up to New York City to sell them. This year they are facing losing business with there being low-cost competition. It'd always been Murphy and his father who would take the trees up to New Yorkbut this year Kerry and Murphy's father had a heart attack and was stuck at home. So Kerry steps up due to having free time and goes with her very grumpy brother, Murphy. She ends up finding new friends, romance, and an answer to what she really would like to do with her life.

Another fun holiday read by MK Andrew’s! Easy listen, good flow to the book and a cute story. I love the narrator. Her voices really make this book. I think for the length of the audiobook, there was enough character depth, although I do love a good romance. If I have any misgivings about the story I would have liked to see more fun outings with Carrie and Patrick. It would have helped this book only because the relationship seemed rushed. It seems unrealistic for someone to decide to move a 1000 miles away after 3 weeks.

Bright Lights, Big Christmas was an absolute cozy delight! I loved this cozy Christmas romance featuring brother sister Christmas tree sellers in NYC! The narrator was excellent and this audiobook absolutely flew by!

I loved this book. It was the perfect Christmas story. It was so funny and all the characters made me lol. I loved how it all worked out in the end and everyone was happy. My favorite was the old man. He was so cranky.

Great narrator. This Christmas story was enjoyable. Lighthearted and feel good. Characters were delightful and charming.

This was a really cute Christmas read with adorable characters who will warm your heart.

It’s a perfect atmospheric read to get your in the mood for the holiday season.

If you’re a sucker for Hallmark movies (I know I am) then make sure you grab a copy of Bright Lights, Big Christmas.

I would’ve waited until the holidays to read it but since I’m going to meet 🤗😁🤩𝗧𝗛𝗘 Mary Kay Andrews live and in-person next month I figured I’d better check it out now. 🎄 I’m so excited to get my signed copy.

This book will give you all of the Hallmark feels.

🎅🏼There was also a nod to The Santa Suit in this one. That was my first MKA book ever and is also a cute warm & fuzzy story. 🎅🏼

🏆My top Mary Kay Andrew’s reigning champion position still belongs to #thehomewreckers 🏆

The Tolliver's have been growing Christmas trees on their family Christmas tree farm in North Carolina. Every year they would go up to New York and sell the trees. This has happened for many generations. But now they are facing losing business with there being competition and on top of all of that Kerry and Murphy's father have a heart attack. It is always Murphy and his father who would take the trees up to New York and sell them. In order to help the family and farm, Kerry steps up due to having free time and goes with her very grumpy brother, Murphy.

I first discovered Mary Kay Andrews a few years ago when I discovered The Santa Suit and really loved it. I saw Bright Lights, Big Christmas on NetGalley and just had to request it.

Mary Kay Andrews makes you feel transported into a beautiful Christmas oasis. It makes you feel happy, warm, and all cozy when reading her books.

I had fun reading Bright Lights, Big Christmas with seeing how Kerry connect with the people she encounters when selling the trees. Plus, with her being in New York she has to find ways to push her artistic capabilities to get people to buy their trees and wreaths and not the competitions.

Kerry has a great character arc of finding herself and finding what she wants out of life.

My favorite things that I've found when reading Mary Kay Andrews' books is that she always has someone pivotal that either has an interesting story or a mystery surrounding them or something that will change the main characters life in some way.

Anyway, this was a fun, cute Christmas read that I recommend to anyone during the Christmas/Holiday season that will bring you holiday cheer.

I was nervous to review a Christmas book in August, because I am definitely a seasons reader, but I got completely enraptured by this story! It encompasses all the magical and happy aspects of the Christmas season, and I fell in love with the characters! I would love to read another book focusing on the brother from this story. I know this will be very popular this holiday season!

This was my first Mary Kay Andrews book, and let me just say, it did not disappoint! I'm a Christmas fanatic so I figured I would enjoy it no matter what, but this book was so good!

This book gives all the warm and cozy vibes of cuddling up with a fluffy blanket, in front of a warm fire, next to the Christmas tree. You won't want to miss this.

Kerry and Murphy are a brother and sister who aren't very close due to their parents divorce, but are forced to work (and live in a tiny camper named Spammy) together to keep their family Christmas tree business alive after their father has a heart attack. With the help of some unexpected friends (both new and old), one of which is the cutest little 6 year old you ever did read about, they are successful at not only selling their trees, but also finding love, friendship, and even growing closer as a family through it all.

This story genuinely has a little bit of everything for everyone, there's the feel good (and sometimes not so good) family vibes, small town feel in the big city, learning to trust others and ask for help when needed, some mystery and suspense, a little bit of romance, and did I mention Austin, the adorable 6 year old who just steals the show?! I will definitely be recommending it, especially when the holidays come around!

If you want to enjoy it even more, give the audiobook a listen. Kathleen McInerney does an incredible job bringing these already amazing characters to life!

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced audio copy. This review is my own honest opinion.

An irritating brother, a cranky old.man, a small camper, a twist of fate, and a close- knit community in NYC ... this story has it all.

Audiobooks can easily be ruined by a bad narrator - The choice of narrator for this one was spot on ... super articulate and in line with the theme of the book.

This book was the first I've read by Mary Kay Andrews and I look forward to reading more from her.