Bright Lights, Big Christmas

Bright Lights, Big Christmas is definitely outside my genre comfort zone, but I decided to give it a read. I’ve been craving all the festive books this year. So, let’s talk about it.

Synopsis

When fall rolls around, it’s time for Kerry Tolliver to leave her family’s Christmas tree farm in the mountains of North Carolina for the wilds of New York City to help her gruff older brother & his dog, Queenie, sell the trees at the family stand on a corner in Greenwich Village. Sharing a tiny vintage camper and experiencing Manhattan for the first time, Kerry’s ready to try to carve out a new corner for herself.In the weeks leading into Christmas, Kerry quickly becomes close with the charming neighbors who live near their stand. When an elderly neighbor goes missing, Kerry will need to combine her country know-how with her newly acquired New York knowledge to protect the new friends she’s come to think of as family,And complicating everything is Patrick, a single dad raising his adorable, dragon-loving son Austin on this quirky block. Kerry and Patrick’s chemistry is undeniable, but what chance does this holiday romance really have?

My Thoughts on Bright Lights, Big Christmas

This had the Christmas vibes going for it. I felt like I was right there at the stand with them. It was a cute story with an even cuter ending. But there were a few things that drove me a little crazy and I just couldn’t ignore it.

First off, the characters felt a little flat. Murphy’s personality was sleepy. That’s almost all he did. Which honestly, I can relate, but it doesn’t make for an interesting story. But outside of Kerry a few of the characters just didn’t stand on their own.

Which leads me to my next point. The “romance” lacked romance. The chemistry wasn’t there and it just felt too insta-love for my taste. I don’t want to spoil anything but they progressed from strangers to serious in a few short chapters.

Lastly, and most importantly, the synopsis mentioned that a neighbor goes missing so I hoped that there would be a cozy mystery vibe. I was wrong. The neighbor doesn’t go missing until page 138 and he was found a few pages later. Honestly, I don’t think it should have even been mentioned in the synopsis.

But if you’re looking for a quick, Christmasy read Bright Lights, Big Christmas will give you what you’re looking for. You’ll just have to overlook a few technical things.

My Rating: 3/5

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