Thanks for the review edition!

This was my FIRST Mary Kay Andrews book - but it won't be my last. This was a fun book that checked a lot of hallmark movie boxes and had all the feel good vibes while containing well-developed characters you could easily relate to and understand. I loved it!

Kerry accompanies her big brother to New York CIty so they can sell Christmas trees from their NC Farm. They have to stay in a tiny vintage trailer and brave cold temperatures to do so. But Kerry's experience is brightened when she meets single dad Patrick and his young son Austin. This is a delightful, feel-good Christmas story with lots of interesting characters brought to life by great narration. I"d highly recommend it for one of those gloomy winter days! A great listen.

Thanks to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for providing an advance review copy. My opinions, however, are my own.

Bright Lights, Big Christmas is a perfect holiday read for Mary Kay Andrews fans. This book is such a cozy story set in New York city. I loved Kerry's character so much and her holiday spirit is so contagious. The theme of the Christmas tree lot in the middle of New York is so much fun and I really enjoyed the many side characters that pop into the story. This is one to add to your TBR if you are looking for a lighthearted holiday read that has some great storytelling.

This was a perfect holiday winter read! This books brought so much holiday joy and it was so warm and cozy. A sweet, lighthearted novel with a mix of small town and big city vibes!

Thank you Macmillan Audio and Netgalley for an ALC.

Overall, a nice lighthearted holiday read with some heartwarming moments. Make sure you have a hot beverage to drink while you read it because it's always blustery cold on the NYC streets.

This will definitely be a reread next year for me!

This was a fun little Christmas story about a girl from small town North Carolina spends a month selling Christmas trees from her family's farm in New York City. I loved the story of her and her brother living in an old beat up camper for the month, and I really really loved getting to know the neighbors they encountered while selling the trees. I love Mary Kay Andrews, and this book had her signature charm. Only negative to this book was the fact that I didn't love the romance element to it - it felt a little rushed, and not really needed. Overall, would recommend if you're in need for some Christmas cheer! 3.75 stars.

This one was good! We love a Christmas adjacent book, and Mary Kay Andrews doesn’t disappoint i liked it much more than I expected

Kerry Tolliver travels to NYC with her brother to help work on her family Christmas Tree stand. Living in a vintage camper for several weeks, with a brother whom she has barely spoken to recently, Kerry quickly learns that this will be harder than it originally seemed when she signed up because her father was sick. Because this is a cute, light-hearted Christmas story, the expected ensues - friendships/relationships bloom, Kerry learns a thing or two, and Christmas magic comes to life on these NYC streets.

This is a cute Christmas rom-com. For fans of Lifetime and Hallmark Christmas movies, you will enjoy this book. Woman down on her luck travels to NYC for Christmas. Meets handsome man. Makes friends. Learns the true meaning of family, Christmas, and giving to others. Just a cute story. I listened to this book on audio and the narrator did a good job. Listen to it while you are wrapping Christmas presents or making cookies!

Special thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

What an adorable Christmas story. Now I know why I saw this pop up in my feed so much over the holidays. The Tolver family sells their Christmas trees they grow in North Carolina every year in New York City. This year, the father is not able to go to the city, so his daughter Kerry helps her brother out with the stand. Kerry meets Patrick and his adorable son Austin. Very heartfelt and warming story.

This Christmas season isn't going to be how Kerry imagined it to be. She was laid off from her job, and she is going to be joining her gruff older brother and his dog in a small camper on the street in NYC to sell Christmas Tree's from her family's farm.

As she lives and works in the neighborhood, she makes friends and develops a community around her that makes NYC start to feel like home.

When one of her new friends, an elderly man, goes missing, she has to pull together the community she's collected to find him and maybe find herself in the process too.
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I thought this book was very cute. I adored the found family aspect of it. Minus the romance, this book felt a lot like reading The Vanderbeekers. They have the same warm and fuzzy feel good vibes.

And actually I feel like the romance was the worst part of the whole thing. Their intimacy felt like it was just pandering to a certain type of reader and added nothing to the story. I would have loved the book without the romance or just better flirting (and only flirting). Because as is, Kerry and her love interest didn't have much chemistry.

But romance aside, (and really it's just a side plot anyway) this book is Christmassy goodness. Perfect to read to close out the holiday season or to put on your holiday TBR for next year.
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This is a closed door romance. There is implied intimacy.

Thank you for the gifted book @Macmillan.Audio and @StMartinsPress. All opinions are my own.

Many thanks to my friends at @stmartinspress and @macmillan.audio for the #gifted copies of this book.

WHAT A GEM!!!

Most people mark time by dates on the calendar. But for me, there are 2 definitive seasons: Christmas and summer. And both are heralded by MKA’s latest book releases!

With trusted friends raving about this book, I had no doubt it would charm me. Ah, but Andrews outdid herself! This was SO much more than a sweet holiday read.

With Kerry’s father incapacitated, she must take his place in selling their family farmed Christmas trees in NYC. Living in a vintage (decrepit?) old (older than her!) camper (with no running water!) for a month wasn’t in her plan. But it just might bolster the changes she needs.

Twinkling lights. Falling snow. Hot cocoa by a fire (in a trashcan). I absolutely hate camping. But there was magic in the way Andrews set this stage.

I wanted to be there in NYC. I wanted to smell of pine trees and sing Christmas songs loudly. I wanted to pet the dog, draw with the boy, and learn lessons from the old man.

The heart of this story is found in the intergenerational friendships and themes of caring for others and second chances. The found family dynamic filled my heart and oozed joy. While the plot had a romance storyline, I found it to be secondary.

Andrews seamlessly combined the festivity of the city and the charm of the south, making this an easy book to get lost within. It brimmed with hope and embodied the very essence of the holidays.

Teeming with Christmas spirit, this is a book that would make even the Grinch’s heart feel full.

🎧 Equally enjoyable in both print and audio formats. Kathleen McInerney’s narration was an easy listen full of warmth and charm.

With the holidays in the rearview, I’m eagerly awaiting summer and MKA’s next read!

This was such a cute holiday themed read without being "too" Christmas-y! The plot line was adorable and pretty unique compared to other holiday books. I thought the audiobook narrator did a great job between the different voices and it was an engaging, quick read! I always love MKA and this one was no different!

I really enjoyed this Christmas story by Mary Kay Andrews. She was an author I used to read often, but this is the first one I've read in awhile. I'm from NC, so I know a small bit about the tree farm industry, and that was a plus for me. Overall really enjoyed it and recommend!

An absolutely delightful read, packed with endearing characters and holiday sweetness that brought the magic of the Christmas season alive. This one left me feeling warm and fuzzy and was a perfect read to set the mood for the holidays!

Kathleen McInerey does a fantastic job breathing life into these characters. Really made for a pleasant listen.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the opportunity to preview and advance audiobook of this wonderful story. Apologies for the delay in my review.

I received a copy of this audiobook from NetGalley in exchange of a honest review.

I loved this little holiday romance Christmas celebration. The characters were believable. I enjoyed watching the relationship between the main female and her brother develop. It was a rocky start but they made it work. Heinz was so intriguing! Austin, the little boy was so inquisitive, sensitize and caring. The dog, you just have to love her soulful eyes.

Another great, joyful story for Christmas and the winter season. A celebration of the holiday spirit and the goodness of people.

In the weeks leading up to Christmas, Kerry, her older brother Murphy, and his dog live in a vintage camper on a New York City corner and sell Christmas trees from their family’s farm in North Carolina to the neighborhood. Kerry becomes close to several neighbors - single dad Patrick, his son Austin, elderly neighbor Heinz to name a few.

For my first Christmas book of the season, I listened to Bright Lights, Big City on audiobook. I really enjoyed the audiobook, and it was perfect to get me into the holiday spirit (in October)! There is a romance (or two), some family drama, a small mystery, and the Christmas magic you normally find in a Hallmark Christmas movie.

Bright Lights, Big Christmas + a trailer named Spammy! 🎄
Thank you, St Martin's Press, for the gifted book! {partner}

Genre: Romance
Trope: Holiday
Format: 📖
Pub Date: 9.26.2023
Star Rating: ☆☆☆☆☆

Last year, Mary Kay Andrews wrote my favorite holiday read - The Santa Suit. So, when I saw that she had another holiday book coming out, I immediately added it to my list and saved it for just the right time. I should've waited a tiiiiny bit longer but oh well, it still put me in the holiday spirit. Bright Lights, Big Christmas lived up to my expectations and then some; it's the first book I've finished in less than a day in a long time.

For all of you MKA fans out there who were *shocked* that the setting for this holiday romance is New York City - don't y'all worry because the same southern charm that we've all come to know and love from her is still present. I loved how she portrayed all the characters throughout the story - for some reason, authors like to make their NYC characters cranky and unwelcoming. But MKA did the exact opposite, and it was a delight!

💨 Bing-able (finished in one day)
🗽 NYC Setting
🤍 Same Southern Charm from MKA
🫶🏼 Found family
💞 Heinz

If you're looking for a book to get you in the holiday spirit, I highly recommend reading Bright Lights, Big Christmas (and while you're at it, The Santa Suit).

Oh my gosh, I loved this book so much!! Whenever Mary Kay Andrews has a new book out, I can’t wait to read it! I usually end up loving all her books. This was the perfect book to put me into the holiday spirit!

This book is set in NYC, but still has the small town vibes that we know and love from MKA. This book is binge worthy, once I started, I didn’t want to put it down. This book takes place based on a Christmas tree farm, which is the absolute best. There is some romance in this book, but I wouldn’t classify it as a romance novel. If you’re looking for the perfect holiday romance, I highly recommend this book!

Thank you Netgalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

If you’re looking for cute and cozy you’ve absolutely found it. Mary Kay Andrews never fails to give me the HEA that makes my heart swoon!

This was a really cute feel good Christmas book. However, I wish there was more build up with the romance. It felt really rushed at the end. Overall I enjoyed it though and the narrator did a great job