Sweet and cozy Christmas "hallmark" story.
Great setting with lovely characters. Predictable but cute love story.
Nothing to dislike but also not something I will remember.
Definitely a good read when you are just looking to sit back and enjoy a story without thinking.

Thank you NetGalley for the arc.

I have said to before and I will say it again.. I take every opportunity to listen to a Mary Kay Andrews book. It is always a pleasure to listen and review. They are the types of books, I always go back to. Whether set in the south or in NY like Bright lights, Big Christmas.. you know there will be family, good values and a great story. A story that will end in love and I feel we absolutely need more of that in this crazy world. Kerry Tolliver, has to head to NY with her brother to sell their family’s Christmas trees. Her dad and her brother usually go but her dad is sick and has to stay home this year. Everybody pitches in, even her mother, who has to help her ex, back to help. Kerry is not looking forward to the time spent in NY. Her brother isn’t the easiest would to get along with and to be away and living in a trailer.. isn’t really her thing. But she goes and falls in love with Manhattan. The city is filled with the Christmas spirit and she can’t help but feel it. Selling the trees is slow at first but Kerry puts her touch on the “stand”, and they help so much. It’s the little things. She can’t believe the generous spirit of the locals who have taken such good care of her brother and father over the years. They offer meals, bathrooms and even the occasional shower. The neighbors fall in love with Kerry too. They can’t help but love her kindness and compassion. While in NY Kerry has her troubles. Conflicts with her brother, considerable doubt about her future and a possible love connection, that comes at the worst time. She even finds a person who needs her help but doesn’t want to take it. This story is all wrapped up in a Christmas bow.. people come together and rally to get to the finish line of selling trees, getting back home and enjoying the season. I really liked this story so much. Katheleen McInerney did an excellent job narrating. Can’t wait to listen to the next Mary Kay Andrews book. Thank you to Netgalley, Macmillan Audio and the author for my copy for an honest review.

Mary Kay Andrews knows how to write Christmas!! I really enjoyed listening to this book. I thought Kathleen McInerney did a great job narrating this book. I devoured this book and fell in love with the characters. This book is like a warm hug. Grab yourself some hot cocoa, sit by the fire and read or listen to this wonderful holiday book. I highly recommend this book.


Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for allowing me to listen to this ARC for my honest opinion.

This was so sweet! This the story of a woman named Kerry who has to go to NYC with her brother to sell their family's Christmas trees. Normally her brother and her dad go, but her dad is sick and can't so she is obligated to go stay in the run down camper and help her grumpy brother. At first, the camper is gross, the brother is a huge grouch, and she's ready to go home and have some of her creature comforts back. But as the season goes on, she starts to fall in love with so many aspects of this life. There is a man named Patrick and his young son who live near by, a couple businesses that help them out, and a sweet old man that comes by all the time. The man goes missing and Kerry, Patrick and his son go on a venture to find him. Kerry also starts making custom wreaths and meets people that way. This has a ton of Christmas in NYC vibes. I probably won't remember it forever, but it was really sweet and enjoyable at the time.

This novel is a cute Christmas book. I like all the characters, Austin is my favorite. I like how he wanted to help and made friends so easily. I also like the developing relationship between Kerry and Pat. It was great how close Kerry became with the whole neighborhood. The little mystery surrounding Heinz is interesting. I wanna live in that neighborhood. Mary Kay Andrews has made another great book.

***A big thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC copy of this book.***

New York City's Christmas tree farms evoke a special charm during the holiday season, and when blended with the enchanting spirit of the city, it creates an irresistible festive holiday romance within the pages of Mary Kay Andrews' latest book, "Bright Lights, Big Christmas!"

Nestled in the heart of western North Carolina, the Tolliver Family has been tending to their Fraser fir tree farm in Tarburton for nearly four decades. Every year, after Thanksgiving, they embark on an annual journey to West Village, New York, transporting their freshly cut trees.

In a twist of fate, Kerry, an artist, steps in to assist her family when their father returns from the hospital. Accompanied by their endearing 1963 Shasta trailer, Kerry embarks on the 700-mile trek to their customary tree stand. There, she'll stay with her brother Murphy and his loyal English Setter, until Christmas Eve.

This heartwarming holiday tale offers a wholesome and captivating romance. What makes it truly special is the way Kerry and her brother are warmly embraced and become an integral part of the neighborhood during the holiday season. The community's kindness and hospitality make them feel like cherished family members. To add an extra layer of intrigue, the story also features a subtle mystery element that adds depth to the narrative.

Having enjoyed novels by Mary Kay Andrews, I can confidently say that her holiday books are a must-read.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 5 Stars
Happy publication day to @marykayandrews and Bright Lights, Big Christmas! Thank you to Mary Kay Andrews, @macmillan.audio and NetGalley ( @netgalley ) for allowing me to read an ALC (Advanced Listener 🎧 Copy) for an honest review!

📅 Tuesday, September 26, 2023 was the pub date for Bright Lights, Big Christmas by Mary Kay Andrews. The narrator🎙️for this audiobook 🎧 is Kathleen McInerney. 📅

This book oozes with Christmas joy at every turn. It’s feels cozy and warm just like drinking a mug of hot chocolate or your favorite hot tea. There’s always something so magical about Christmas in the Big Apple. And, there is something so charming about a small town, family owned, tree farm setting up their stand complete with tin camper for holiday sales. I really appreciated the nod to the small North Carolina town that was also served as the setting for The Santa Suit.

The deep and genuine connections made between characters was my favorite part of the book. I really enjoyed the unconditional love shown to Heinz from Kerry, Austin, and Patrick.

This book is a reminder that sometimes the best stories are the ones that we create and write together. This book is perfect for the Christmas lover and anyone that enjoys a heartwarming holiday read. Hallmark, please pick up this book and turn it into a movie!

Kerry Tolliver, her older brother, Murphy, and his dog, Queenie leave their North Caroline farm to sell Christmas trees at their family stand in NYC. Kerry becomes close with the charming neighbors close to the stand including Patric, a single dad raising his son, Austin.

This is a very, very Christmas heavy story - the family owns a Christmas tree farm in North Carolina and drives up and sells their trees in NYC every year. I loved seeing how creative Kerry was in her wreaths and helping to support her family's business. I loved the relationship with Patrick's son, Austin, and the book they were writing and illustrating together was so heartwarming.

Recommend if you enjoy
🎄Christmas tree stands
🎄Sweet meddling little boys
🎄Found family
🎄Sibling dynamics
🎄Lots of Christmas references

I really loved this one!! 5 stars! If you want to get in the holiday mood, just read this book! This is a sweet story of family, friendship, and love! I enjoyed every minute of reading it!

Mary Kay Andrew’s does it again! I have not been disappointed by a single book I have picked up from this author. She makes the characters feel like family members. I love how she has romance in her plots,but they are still about the people in general. She shows how you can find your family in so many different ways and her newest release is not a disappointment.

I enjoyed this book so much! I love a good holiday rom-com and I did not want this one to end. I could picture the Christmas tree stand that Kerry and her brother, Murphy, set up in NYC selling Christmas trees grown on their family farm. I have had a dream of owning a tree farm and setting up a stand like this! I fell in love with all the other characters from Queenie to Patrick and his son, Austin, to the neighborhood’s mysterious elderly man, My only complaint is that the ending seemed to be rushed and wrapped up too quickly. I will be looking for other books by this author to read.

A cute, fun Christmas romp. Was it perfect? No. The willingness to bang each other with a sleeping kid in the room was very cringey and I was glad they stopped. I wish the author spent more time on the brother/sister dynamic of adults raised apart and coming back together. All in all, it was enjoyable enough for a holiday romance.

So cute! I loved all the various relationships that blossomed in this book. I fell in love with the main characters and was 100% rooting for them the whole time. I think the book was very well paced and i was hooked the whole time.

Why did I think this was releasing closer to December??? Macmillan Audio, I am so sorry I am behind giving this one feedback, because it is the perfect Christmas read from Mary Kay Andrews! Bright Lights, Big Christmas kept me smiling from start to finish. There are so many characters to focus on in this one that it kept my attention all the way through.

Kerry Tolliver gets sucked into working for her family's tree business in NYC when her dad has a medical emergency and she's the only one who can assist her brother Murph. Right from the start, Kerry is more sunshine and. her brother is the grump. Then in the city, Kerry meets so many lovely people who have been supporting their family business over the years. People include a mysterious Mr. Heinz, Patrick and his darling son Austin, Claudia who works at the diner, and many others. Gah, I could gush over this one for days because it really just activated my holiday spirit. Halloween, what?! Move over, I'm ready for my tree!

This may be the best, feel-good Christmas book of the year. In rural North Carolina, due to her father’s illness, Kerry Tolliver is pressed into accompanying her much older brother, Murphy, to New York to set up and staff the family’s annual Christmas tree lot. It’s something the family has run at least since Kerry was a little girl. Kerry isn’t happy, but she’s out of work, and she’ll do anything to ease the stress on her father. Murphy isn’t happy about the situation, but grudgingly, and impatiently, agrees. Joining them is Murphy’s dog, Queenie. The three will need to share a very old camper named Spammy, that has few comforts.

The author does an amazing job of bringing the atmosphere of New York City in December to life. I felt like I could feel the cold, smell the trees on the lot, and suffer the crunch of life in Spammy. She also creates a community of neighbors who welcome the Tollivers into their lives. There’s Patrick and his delightful son Austin. The owners of local businesses that the Tollivers wind up frequently. But best of all, there’s Heinz (pronounced Heintz). He’s the neighborhood curmudgeon with an eye for art, and Kerry is an artist who occupies quiet times at the tree lot by drawing. These neighbors create a family.

This was a wonderful tale. It includes a bit of a mystery that Kerry and Austin are determined to solve. Most of all, it will make you feel warm and happy, even on the coldest day. I recommend it.

I received an advanced reader audiobook from the publisher through NetGalley. I thank all involved for their generosity, but it had no effect on this review. All opinions in this review reflect my true and honest reactions to reading this book.

Bright Lights, Big Christmas feels like a small town story set in New York city. I loved all the characters from the neighborhood and the relationships the Tollivers had developed with the neighborhood over time. Mary Kay Andrews does a wonderful job painting a picture of corner and the tree selling business. It's the perfect thing to read about in a book because I love the idea of it but could not take the reality as I consider 50 degrees extremely cold. I also really enjoyed reading about Kerry and Patrick as well as Austin. Seeing a potential love interest bond with a child is always one of my favorite parts of any single parent romance story and in this case I almost liked Kerry and Austin's relationship more than Kerry and Patrick's relationship. I also really enjoyed Murphy's character and would love to see him as a central character in a book at a later date. The only thing that didn't work for me about this book was I would have liked to see Kerry and Patrick spend more time together one on one. I didn't feel like they really knew each other that well. I also felt like Patrick was the major instigator for physical intimacy in a way that felt a little odd. I highly recommend this one as a holiday read, but go into it expecting a story about a neighborhood with a holiday theme not a grand romance.

I listened to the audiobook version of Bright Lights, Big Christmas and I loved the narration! Kathleen McInerney did an amazing job bringing the story to life and I highly recommend it. This audiobook is single narrator, but you won't feel like it listening to it.

3.75 Stars
A cute and heartwarming holiday romance

This was a cute and wholesome read. The author did a great job of developing the secondary characters. I adored them. I also enjoyed the small romance between Kerry and Patrick, but felt that it was a tad undeveloped. Kerry and Patrick needed more opportunities to interact with each other to build up that romance. Nevertheless, it was still a great light-hearted holiday novel that is worth reading.

***Thank you to NetGalley, Mary Kay Andrews, and Macmillan Audio for graciously sending me the audiobook to review. As always, all thoughts are my own.***

If I had to describe this in one word it would be cute. Fluffy, if I could use two. It is a hallmark movie of Christmas books, and it does that perfectly. I loved the FMC making friendships with the whole neighborhood, especially the grumpy old man (those are always some of my favorite characters) there didn’t seem to be a whole lot of courting between the two main characters, for them to go towards the HEA. I would have liked to see more of that. Overall, a make you feel good Christmas book.

Kerry’s dad had a heart attack and so now she must drive the old camper up and spend the whole month before Christmas in New York selling trees with her brother. And stay in the small and falling apart camper (named Spammy for the resemblance to the canned meat) together. She was back home because she had lost her job so it wasn’t like she had anything else to do. They need this season to go well to get her dad’s Christmas tree farm back in the black. No pressure!

Thank you to NetGalley for the copy, all thoughts are my own.

Love love love! Mary Kay Andrews does what she does best with this one. A wonderful story with a cast full of characters to fall in love with, including a precious dog and camper, Spammy! I’m ready for a trip to NYC at Christmas!

4.5 stars

Bright Lights, Big Christmas is such a fun book to listen to. I loved seeing a realistic sibling relationship between Kerry and her brother. It was very easy to see that sibling dynamic happening even though they didn't spend a lot of time together before this, they worked together and were able to make the tree stand successful even with all the ups and downs they faced.
I loved the neighborhood that they were in and how friendly everyone was. Everyone knew Kerry's brother and liked him and they were so kind and inviting to them which was so nice to see as well. You can really see this togetherness towards the end of the book and the closer to Christmas it got and how all of the neighbors were going to be sad to see them leaving soon.
One of my favorite parts of this book though was seeing Kerry with Patrick and his son Austin. Seeing Austin help her get back to doing what she loved a little bit and making something together was heartwarming.

Overall I highly recommend this Christmas book as it is a nice and heartwarming story of friendship and how those friends can become family along the way. This book has elements of a Hallmark Christmas movie but it was also so much more than that as well. I look forward to reading more by Mary Kay Andrews in the future as I have hardly read any of their books before.

The audio narrator of this book was great, they kept me engaged and did the different voices for different characters well making it easy to tell all the different characters easily.

Review will be posted on Tiktok/Instagram in late November