Bright Lights, Big Christmas is a charming, witty, and sweet romance set in New York City during the Christmas season. If you love books with a Christmas theme, see the list of more titles that are on my (virtual) bookshelf.

Bright Lights, Big Christmas by Mary Kay Andrews

Genre/Categories/Setting: Contemporary Fiction, Women’s Fiction, Romance, Christmas Season, New York City (Greenwich Village), UpLit

***This post contains Amazon affiliate links and titles are links to my reviews which contain Amazon affiliate links.

My Summary of Bright Lights, Big Christmas

Thanks #NetGalley @MacmillanAudio for a complimentary eARC of #BrightLightsBigChristmas upon my request. All opinions are my own.

The Tolliver family owns and operates a Christmas Tree farm in the mountains of North Carolina. Every year, their trees are cut, loaded up, and sold at their pop-up family tree stand in Greenwich Village (New York City). This year, it falls to Kerry to help her brother sell the trees because of their father’s health. Life in the camper isn’t ideal and Kerry and her gruff brother have completely different styles. This is a story of running a small family business, a brother/sister relationship, and a close-knit community with a side of romance and HEA (happily ever after).

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My Thoughts:

Engaging, Cozy, and Witty “UpLit”

Some stories lend themselves to curling up in front of a cheerful fire with hot chocolate. Save Bright Lights, Big Christmas for such an occasion. It’s light and witty (without the dialogue dominating) with likable and relatable characters. I especially enjoyed the multilayered storyline, the colorful cast of characters, and the variety of relationships (siblings, mother/daughter, family, supportive community, and friends). This book came to me at just the right time when I needed something light after a heavy read. Thanks for putting this on my radar Carla @ CarlaLovesToRead (the Queen of Christmas reading!).

Tropes

Enjoyable tropes include slow-burn sweet romance (closed door), multigenerational friendship, community spirit, sunshine sister + grumpy brother, helping others, and found family. Of course, we also have a sweet HEA (happily ever after), fitting for the genre.

More Than Romance

I love a light women’s fiction read that is more than a romance. In Bright Lights, Big Christmas, romance is only one of the storylines. There is a complicated brother-sister relationship in which different personalities and approaches cause friction. In addition, we meet members of the community who become friends. The multigenerational storyline adds poignancy. I can’t forget about the precocious kid and the adorable dog. The budding romance is a slowburn in the background until the very end.

Recommended

I warmly recommend Bright Lights, Big Christmas for your December TBR if you enjoy light women’s fiction with a side of sweet romance. Fans of Mary Kay Adrews will definitely want to read this new release, and book clubs might enjoy it as their December selection.

I listened to this via audio and enjoyed the narrator.

Rating: 4 Stars

About the Author, Mary Kay Andrews

MARY KAY ANDREWS is the New York Times bestselling author of 27 novels.

A native of St. Petersburg, Florida, she earned a B.A. in journalism from The University of Georgia. After a 14-year career working as a reporter at newspapers, she left journalism to write fiction.

She and her family divide their time between Atlanta and Tybee Island, GA, where they cook up new recipes in two restored beach homes. In between cooking, spoiling her grandkids, and plotting her next novel, Mary Kay is an intrepid treasure hunter whose favorite pastime is junking and fixing up old houses.

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Bonus: More Christmas Titles on my Bookshelf

*Titles are links to my reviews or are Amazon affiliate links

Once Upon a December
In a Holidaze
The Book Club Hotel (review coming soon)
A Christmas Baby at Goodwill House
Unleashed Holiday (steamy)
Faking Christmas (based on Christmas in Connecticut)
A Wreath of Snow (novella)
Small Things Like These (novella)
All I Want for Christmas is the Girl Next Door (YA)
The Christmas Castle in Scotland
Skipping Christmas (classic)
Christmas at the Borrow a Bookshop
A Vicarage Christmas (novella)
Deal of a Lifetime (novella)
Winter Street Series

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QOTD:

Will you add any of these titles to your TBR?
Do you have a recommendation for a Christmas book?

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 I’m linking up with Deb @ Deb’s World, Sue @ Women Living Well After 50, Donna @ Retirement Reflections, and Jo @ And Anyways… for the September installment of #WhatsOnYourBookShelfChallenge.

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Happy Reading Book Buddies!

“Ah, how good it is to be among people who are reading.” ~Rainer Maria Rilke

“I love the world of words, where life and literature connect.” ~Denise J Hughes

“Reading good books ruins you for enjoying bad ones.” ~Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

“I read because books are a form of transportation, of teaching, and of connection! Books take us to places we’ve never been, they teach us about our world, and they help us to understand human experience.” ~Madeleine Riley, Top Shelf Text

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All books I review are bought or borrowed from the library unless explicitly stated that they are free (arcs).

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