This was another lovely Christmas novel by the amazing Mary Kay Andrews. She writes novels that make you feel good inside and out, but her Christmas novels make you want to cuddle up with a big cup of hot cocoa in the snowy mountains. Unfortunately, for me, I read this sweet Christmas novel during a severe heat wave in Los Angeles. But, the book was wonderful even if the weather didn't cooperate!!
This book is about a North Carolina family that sells Christmas trees every year in specific lot in Greenwich Village and the wonderful neighborhood and neighbors that they meet along the way. This sweet story made me think of Taylor Swift's song, "Christmas Tree Farm".
It has a huge cast of quirky, eccentric, but loving cast of characters!! It was so fun to read from beginning to end!
OVERALL REVIEW: 4.5 stars
Writing: 4.0 stars
Mary Kay Andrews writes in a lovely way that allows the story to unfold naturally without being bogged down. It is an easy and fun read that was hard to put down as I wanted to know how it ended!!
Character development: 4.0 stars
As I indicated earlier, there is a large cast of characters!! But, they make the neighborhood and book sing with joy. The main characters are Murphy (brother) and Kerry (sister) who sell the Christmas trees. They both come to understand and appreciate each other through working together. The brother and sister were raised separately when their parents divorced so this is an opportunity to become real siblings again. Also, the trailer, Spammy that Murphy and Kerry live in while selling this Christmas trees is a character unto itself!
The secondary characters are Patrick, Austin, and Heinz who are neighbors in the Greenwich Village neighborhood. They soon all become extended family and learn how much that they mean to each other.
The final and tertiary character is Queenie the dog! I love dogs in stories and novels!
Storyline: 4.0 stars
The storyline is of blood family, chosen family, and moving forward from heartache and pain. It has a beautiful thread of art woven throughout the book which was just lovely.
The main location was Greenwich Village.
Memorable/Informative: 4.0 stars
This was a fun and enjoyable novel. It was just lovely - lovely is the only way to describe this sweet Christmas novel.
Book cover: 5.0 stars
So cute!
Book title: 5.0 stars
So sweet.
Gut feeling: 4.0 stars
I was pretty certain that I would love this book as I have loved previous books by the author.
Suggestions:
A map of the Greenwich Village neighborhood would have been a nice touch.
Definite RECOMMEND
BOOK INFORMATION
Bright Lights, Big Christmas by Mary Kay Andrews
288 pages
NetGalley Kindle ARC
Release date of 09/26/2023
INFORMATIONAL LINKS
Happy reading,
Dorothea 💜
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