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A review by adogmomsbookishlife
Bright Lights, Big Christmas by Mary Kay Andrews
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for this advanced copy.
Bright Lights, Big Christmas is the perfect holiday read! It takes place on the Tolliver family’s Christmas tree stand in NYC. Their Christmas tree farm is in NC, so this story has a big city setting with a small town feel.
I liked the main female character, Kerry. She has a big heart and is trying to find her way in life. However, Murphy, her brother, is an insufferable pain in the ass. His story (assuming there will be one) will have quite the character arc I’m sure, but he was way too grumpy (with not enough redeeming qualities) for me to like him. But I adored his English Setter, Queenie!!
I didn’t love the romance between Kerry and Patrick. I love their characters, but the emotional and physical connection fell flat for me. I did like the shared custody arrangement he had with his ex wife and how they handled co-parenting their son, Austin.
Then, there’s Heinz. The grumpy, old man of the bunch who wandered into their lives and was adopted first by the dog, Queenie, and then by the young boy, Austin. What’s his story? Is he homeless? Does he have family? By the end of the story you learn the answer to those questions, but I would absolutely love to hear his story from his point of view.
That leads me to my favorite part of the book. I loved the found family theme, and even though Kerry’s “real family” is front and center on the page, she seemed to have way more connection to her found family in comparison to the blood relatives. The friendship between Kerry, Austin, Queenie, and Heinz is perfection! They are the most random group of individuals and yet they are family. They take care of each other, and it’s so beautiful!
This is my first Mary Kay Andrews book but it will not be my last! I highly recommend this one to bring your soul a little bit of joy.
Bright Lights, Big Christmas is the perfect holiday read! It takes place on the Tolliver family’s Christmas tree stand in NYC. Their Christmas tree farm is in NC, so this story has a big city setting with a small town feel.
I liked the main female character, Kerry. She has a big heart and is trying to find her way in life. However, Murphy, her brother, is an insufferable pain in the ass. His story (assuming there will be one) will have quite the character arc I’m sure, but he was way too grumpy (with not enough redeeming qualities) for me to like him. But I adored his English Setter, Queenie!!
I didn’t love the romance between Kerry and Patrick. I love their characters, but the emotional and physical connection fell flat for me. I did like the shared custody arrangement he had with his ex wife and how they handled co-parenting their son, Austin.
Then, there’s Heinz. The grumpy, old man of the bunch who wandered into their lives and was adopted first by the dog, Queenie, and then by the young boy, Austin. What’s his story? Is he homeless? Does he have family? By the end of the story you learn the answer to those questions, but I would absolutely love to hear his story from his point of view.
That leads me to my favorite part of the book. I loved the found family theme, and even though Kerry’s “real family” is front and center on the page, she seemed to have way more connection to her found family in comparison to the blood relatives. The friendship between Kerry, Austin, Queenie, and Heinz is perfection! They are the most random group of individuals and yet they are family. They take care of each other, and it’s so beautiful!
This is my first Mary Kay Andrews book but it will not be my last! I highly recommend this one to bring your soul a little bit of joy.