What a beautiful love story, I loved the chemistry between characters. Marry and Bright is the perect book to read during Christmas.

It may be Thanksgiving, but if you know me, you know I love holiday stories. Bring on the happy endings! Debbie Macomber is an author you might already know, as she has several popular series of books. I follow Debbie online and she seems like not only a talented writer, but a genuinely nice person. Her stories are realistic but gentle and are the perfect choice when I feel stressed.

This story centers on a young woman who is hard-working and single – until her mother and brother set up an online dating account for her.
This was such a fun story and so sweet. Yes, I knew where it was heading, but I wanted it to go there. People – believe me – we need as many happy endings as we can get these days!!
I received this book from Net Galley – thank you for my copy, Penguin Random House!

If you like holiday season books, this is for you.

Merry Knight is working a year long temp job that requires late hours to get a specific project finished before Christmas. Her mom has MS, her brother is a "special needs person", and her dad travels for his job. So everything at home falls on Merry, grocery shopping, helping her Mom when she dresses, etc. When her Mom and brother decide that Merry should date, they sign her up on a dating website and fill out all the required information, but they post a picture of their dog instead of Merry. That way the person would want to know the real Merry.

Jayson Bright is the VP of Merry's company. He's arrogant, cold, and on a deadline to get a big project completed by with his staff. When his best friend/cousin announces that he's getting married, Jayson is shocked. They both swore off marrying until their 40s due to their parents bad relationships. His cousin tells him about the dating site he met his fiancee on and Jayson gets curious. Joining the website, the first picture he sees is a picture of a dog that brings back memories from his childhood. So he does the same thing and posts a dog as his picture.

Soon Jayson and Merry and chatting online nightly, not knowing who they really are talking to. After a few weeks of amazing conversations, Jayson wants to meet Merry, only when she sees him waiting for her at the coffee shop, Merry panics and leaves. She can't believe who she was talking to the whole time, her angry boss.

But the person she speaks online with is nothing like the man she knows at work. So they agree to meet up before new years.

Will he be disappointed with who really shows up? Or would he rather someone else?

A fairly enjoyable Christmas read from Debbie Macomber. Light and breezy ala The Shop Around the Corner/You've Got Mail.

Another beautiful book and full of messages from great Debbie Macomber. I am a fan of her books, her writing and her characters.
In Merry and Bright, she brings the story of the upbeat Merry, a girl who had everything to be always complaining about life and being bitter. Even with her mother and younger brother problems, she does not get discouraged and is always with a smile on her face and willing to help anyone who needs her, even her grouchy boss Jayson Bright. Jayson is Merry's opposite, he's always serious and angry, a workaholic addicted to perfection until the day he starts communicating with a mysterious girl over the internet. What I find very interesting is that Jayson does not fall in love with girl only, he falls in love with her whole family and this detail marked me enough.
The book brings a message of resilience, strength in adversity and hope, great for the Christmas mood. I loved the plot, the suspense and the movie that inspired the book. One detail that made me sad was that I expect a more closed and less fast ending. As the plot was very focused on the suspense of the couple finding out who the virtual friends were in real life, in the end the main conflict was solved without great emotions and I missed a lot of epilogue showing the couple with his cousin Cooper and enjoying each other , but even this detail did not take away the brightness of the plot.

A fun, lighthearted Christmas tale! I enjoyed the characters and the way the story unfolded. Cute play on words for the title! I especially loved the family involvement throughout the story, well done!

I would recommend this book to those looking for a heartwarming holiday read, and absolutely for fans of the author, Debbie Macomber.

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this work and to share my thoughts.

I feel like I’ve heard this story before and it was called You’ve Got Mail😬 It is very reminiscent of the movie - from meeting online, to one of them finding out the other is the enemy - even there being daisies involved.

However, it is a very sweet Christmas love story. There were some very lovable characters - Patrick, Merry’s brother with Down’s syndrome was a sweetheart and stole the show for me.

This is my first read by Debbie Macomber - it is a festive tale full of love and redemption and happy endings. I would recommend to readers looking for a good, clean, festive holiday romance.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Another good book by Debbie. Enjoyed the transformation of Jayson

Tis the season and I wanted to read a holiday book by this author. She is who I think of when I think holidays and happy. This book lived up to my expectations. Merry, the main character, is a young woman, bright and refreshing, who has a lot going on in her life and she meets a guy who seems to to fit her at all. The season brings them together, along with a little help from her mom and brother.

It's a great holiday, feel good story, perfect for this time of year.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Merry’s mom and brother create an online dating profile for her without a picture. She is reluctant at first but soon finds herself chatting with a charming stranger. Their online exchanges become the brightest part of her day. What happens when they meet in person?!

The last book of Debbie’s I read was a little of a let down for me, so I was skeptical to start this one. I actually read this book in one sitting!!! That never happens. I got in to the story right away and had to see where it was going. Chris and I met online, and so this story had a special place in my heart.

Bottom Line: Such a light and quick little love story with a little Christmas cheer. If you are a fan of Debbie Macomber, read it!

** I received a copy of Merry and Bright from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.**

Got to love a Macomber holiday novel. Predictable but perfect for the holiday season. I especially liked the character, Patrick. He was endearing and would love to know more about him and his girl.

Merry and Bright by Debbie Macomber is a wonderful light read perfect for the Holiday Season in front of the fireplace.
Merry Knight, a busy frugal young woman, is working at Matterson Consulting trying to help her widowed mother and Down’s syndrome brother make ends meet. She has little time for herself or to date. So, for her birthday Merry’s mother and brother sign her up for an online dating service, Mix & Mingle.
What happens as a result of their good-natured interference makes up this lovely novel. The individuals are well thought out, the dialogue and the situations are believable. And of course, in Debbie Macomber’s style, the story is a clean enjoyable romantic story that I didn’t want to end. I hope these characters reappear in more of Debbie Macomber’s books because I became quite fond of them.


I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley and Ballantine Books with no obligation to review it. This is my honest review after reading

Not much says Christmas time like a Debbie Macomber Christmas book can. Merry and Bright was a feel-good romance that puts you into the Christmas mood. The story was along time lines of You've Got Mail, so it was a bit predictible, but an enjoyable read.

I am a sucker for a good Debbie Macomber holiday read and this one didn't disappoint. It's sweet and full of laughable moments and should be on everyone's holiday radar.

Merry Bright is working at a temp job so that she can save up money to pay for her last year of college. She is working for a bit of a scrooge named Jayson Bright. He has a deadline to get a project done before Christmas and demands everyone work a lot of overtime.

Neither have time to date. One day Merry comes home and her brother Patrick, who has down syndrome, is so excited she is home. He tells her how their mother and him set her up on Mix and Mingle for an early birthday present. He is so excited she can't really get mad but she is not real happy. Though she is not sure she likes that they set her profile up with a dog for a profile pic.

Cooper, who is Jayson's best friend and cousin stops by for a visit and tells Jayson how he has met the one and she ended up being someone they both new from childhood and he met her on Mix and Mingle. He caves and checks out Mix and Mingle and sees a picture of a dog, intrigued he sets up his own profile with a picture of a dog as well.

Things start of great but then thing something happens and it's not so great and well you just need to read it. I really liked Merry, she is a sweet and thoughtful young woman who loves her family a lot. I liked Jayson too though it takes a bit longer to warm up to him as he does come off as bit of a scrooge but he had a totally different upbringing. I think Patrick, Merry's brother, was my favorite as he was just so cute! 

This is not a unique concept and it has a You Got Mail feel to it for sure but it's still cute and was a lot of fun to read so if you're looking for something light and fluffy and full of Christmas this is for you! :)

Debbie Macomber is a very consistent writer. Her stories are always warm and inviting; and her Christmas stories are always among my favorites.

Merry and Bright is a nice story however it is just not among my top books by Macomber. It is so very similar to You've Got Mail and just did not have enough twists to make it as memorable as I had hoped for. Still, it is a nice story, an easy read and had enough holiday spirit to warm your heart.

4 Stars - I recommend if you enjoy Christmas rom-coms. :) (I know this is not everyone's genre!)

Merry Knight is working a temp job, (for an awful boss), and taking care of her family (her mother has MS and her younger brother is Autistic) all while saving for her final year in college. Her family has had a hard time making ends meet, and getting daily chores done. Because Merry is so selfless, her mother and brother sign her up for an online Matchmaking site called Mix & Mingle. They don't use her real name, and use a picture of their dog, just in case she's mad. Soon after Merry gets a "wink" from a match who also has a dog as a profile picture. When she finds out that her match is actually her boss, a total jerk, she doesn't know how to proceed. Holiday hi-jinx and shenanigans ensue.

I am a sucker for Christmas rom coms. I can't help it. I'm trash for Hallmark channel in the winter, and I love reading these books. I've been disappointed by the last few that I had read by this author... but finally I felt like this one was back to what I expected. I thought that this was cute, predictable, romantic, and heartwarming. Just the type of book I need when the world is hurting so much. I loved the family aspect of this one. I loved that Merry was so close with her parents and brother. I love that those relationships were featured heavily in the book as well. If you're looking for a happy Holiday read, I definitely recommend this one. :)

An nice early Christmas present for myself. Macomber is one of my go to authors when I'm looking for a good book that won't disappoint. It was an even bigger score since it is a Chistmas book, which are my absolute favorite to read.

Merry Knight is working at a temp job. Her boss, jayson Bryght is a strick rule follower. The two of them seem to clash on just about everything. Merry is outgoing and speaks her mind and Jayson is pushing his employees with mandatory overtime and a no frills work environment, to finish a project prior to Christmas.

Merry's mother and brother sign her up for a dating website for her birthday. Jayson signs up for the same website after realizing his cousin is in love and met the love of his life on the sited.

Merry and Jayson end up hooking up on line and chatting about anything and everything. Neither realizing that they already knew one another and didn't care for the other.

A nice heart-warming story with great characters.

5 stars

I received an ARC of Merry and Bright in exchange for an honest, unbiased review. Best selling author Debbie Macomber pulled out another great Christmas read this holiday season. She did a great job of creating well developed main characters with great supporting characters as well. It was nice to see how she also developed the relationship between Merry and Jay from the start of the book to the very end. I also enjoyed seeing the relationships that Merry had with her brother and parents. It is always nice to read about a supportive family.

In addition to the well developed characters I really enjoyed Debbie's well written story. It was sweet, with not a lot of drama but just enough to keep it interesting. I also liked how she incorporated a little humor into the story as well when it came to Merry and Jay's relationship growing online through the dating website. Lastly, I enjoyed reading how Jay's feelings developed for the two versions of "Merry". It really showed in the end it matters what a person is like on the inside rather than what a person looks like on the outside when finding true love.

If you want a quick, easy read that has romance, christmas and a few laughs than this is the right book for you.

Can't wait to see what she has up her sleeve for the next holiday season.

I read all of Debbie Macomber's books and have never been disappointed...this was no exception. A light easy read which i couldn't put down. Thank you so much for allowing me to read it!!!

I could see immediately where this book was going, but it was still fun to read. I'm a sucker for a Christmas story and usually enjoy Debbie Macomber's. No exception here!