Kerry Tolliver moved back in with her mom after losing her job. Her family owns a Christmas tree farm in North Carolina and each year her brother Murphy and father Jock travel to a quaint New York neighborhood to sell their trees for the season. Unfortunately due to Jock’s recent medical scare, he cannot accompany Murphy to NY and, reluctantly, Kerry takes his place. After all, she grew up doing this with her parents.

Sleeping in an old camper named Spammy in 20 degree weather is definitely not glamorous but Kerry, Murphy and a father/son duo help them bring a bit of Christmas to people’s homes.

I have read a few Mary Kay novels so I think I’m safe saying she has a certain formula to her writing. It’s simple, enjoyable and with a definite Hallmark feel. I thought the addition of young Austin and Mr. Heinz was really cute and I was fond of the story they draw throughout the novel. But I actually thought Murphy was kind of a jerk! Overall it’s way too long with many short chapters. The story lacked that holiday spirit for me, missing that magic and cheer I was hoping for. Though the variety of different characters and found family made up for it.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an early copy to review.

Out on September 26

Title: Bright Lights, Big Christmas
Author: Mary Kay Andrews
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Rating: 3/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️