Merry and Bright: A Novel

Merry Knight is a young woman who's almost finished working a temp position at a consulting firm. There's only a few days before Christmas, and she has a deadline at work, along with helping her disabled mother Robin and Down Syndrome brother Patrick decorate for the holidays. Her father, a pharmaceutical salesman, is away quite a bit, and they've only the one car, she depends on public transportation to get anywhere. She thinks her boss is mean-spirited and has it in for her, and she's just trying to stay employed until her contract is finished. Her life is definitely complicated right now.

Jayson Bright, a young executive working for his uncle Matthew at Matt's company, has a potential contract with the Boeing Company, if he can make show more the deadline. So he's pushing his employees to get the data finished before Christmas Eve, even if it means working mandatory overtime. He has no time for nonsense, and believes in following everything by the book. He's a hard worker and serious about his life.

But Merry's best friend is happily married and now pregnant. She found her spouse on a dating website called Mix & Mingle, and Robin wants Merry to sign up, but Merry insists she's too busy. Since her birthday is coming up close - December 26 - Robin and Patrick sign her up as an early birthday gift, and rather than use a photo of her, use one of their Golden Retriever, Bogie. Merry, while surprised and not too happy about it, decides to see what just might be out there for her...

Jayson, receiving a surprise visit from his cousin and best friend Cooper, is stunned to hear that Cooper is getting married. Both of them had lousy childhoods with multiple-married parents, and they decided early on that neither one would even start looking for a spouse until they were in their forties. But it turns out that Cooper, on a fluke, met his soon-to-be wife on Mix & Mingle, and better yet, it's someone from his past. After Cooper leaves, Jayson, realizing his life is empty, decides to take a look and see what might be just around the corner. He sees Bogie, fills out an online form, and uses a photo of his own late retriever in return...

Soon Jayson and Merry are communicating without either knowing who the other is. The more they talk, the more they like about each other. But will deciding to meet face-to-face change their budding relationship? Will they be able to survive the knowledge of knowing how they feel about each other? Will they each decide to go their separate ways or will Christmas light its magic and bring two lonely people together?

Debbie Macomber has a lovely tradition of writing an annual Christmas story that touches your heart and brings warmth to the season. This one is no different. We read the story, chapter to chapter, from both Merry and Jayson's points of view. Each one shows us their lives and the changes they are going through. We watch their relationship begin warily, and then, as they start to trust each other, change slowly. But it isn't an easy change. Anyone who's seen the film The Shop Around the Corner will notice the similarity, but I don't think it matters if you enjoy anything of that nature.

It's a lovely book for the holidays, and I enjoyed reading it. I have no doubt that everyone who has read it - or is going to - knows that the magic of Christmas will bring a happy ending. But then again, isn't that what we want to see anyway? A warm, inviting book that will have you longing for snow and a glowing fire to read by. Highly recommended. (To see a hidden spoiler regarding this book, please look for it on Goodreads). show less

How is this not a Hallmark movie? Seriously. If Hallmark's Countdown to Christmas and You've Got Mail had a love child - Merry and Bright would be it's offspring. Merry is all work and no play she's got a few weeks left at her temp job and the overtime is killing her. She really needs the extra income so she can finish her last year of college and help out her family. She lives at home with her mother who has MS, her father, and her 18 year old brother with down syndrome - and due to all the extra hours she's been putting in at work - she hasn't even gotten to enjoy their company very much. As an early birthday gift her mother and brother Patrick buy her a subscription to an online dating service and fill out her page for her - instead show more of putting a picture of her up on it - they put a picture of their family dog. Their hope is that Merry will find someone who is attracted to her personality - rather than looks. To her surprise a man with a picture of his dog as his profile picture responds to her page and the two hit off. Soon the two are staying up late every night chatting. Will they ever meet and if so will they like what they see? 100% predictable and 100% sweet, charming fun. It's pure holiday fluff. show less

So I'm typically not a big fan of these kinds of books, way to much of a hallmark kind of feel. But our book group read it for Christmas so I decided to give it a chance. Honestly, it felt way to unrealistic to me.

The biggest issue I had, however, was the way the younger brother was portrayed. You find out early on in the book he has down syndrome. There's nothing wrong with that. However, the author portrayed him to be very stupid throughout the book which is EXTREMELY offensive to someone who has worked with many kids who have different ways of thinking. Kids with down syndrome, and other things of that nature, are actually very intelligent. Typically more so than what we consider "normal." Not only did the brother himself imply that show more he was stupid multiple times, the sister acted surprised anytime he had an intelligent thought. It felt to me as if the author simply threw him in there just to give the main character a tragic home life. It's not tragic to have down syndrome. It just means that you think a different way.

Many others may not agree with me on this, but I wanted to give an honest review and this was going through my head during the entire book. I felt like this needed to be addressed as well. show less

Merry and Bright by Debbie Macomber is set in Seattle, Washington. Merry Knight is a temp at Matterson Consulting. Her contract will be up on December 23 and Merry will be glad for the break. Her by-the-book boss has been pushing the workers and the mandatory overtime has put a kink in her social life. Merry’s mother (Robin) and brother (Patrick) set up a profile for her on Mix and Mingle with a photo of their dog. They want to find someone for Merry who will be interested in her as a person (not her outward appearance). Merry is stunned, but, to her surprise, one man stands out to her. He did use a photo of himself either (his childhood dog). The pair start chatting online at night while Merry deals with her difficult boss during the show more day. After getting to know each other, they agree to meet in person and Merry is astonished by the man’s identity. It is the last person she expected to see or wanted to. To find out what happens between Merry and her online suitor, pick up a copy of Merry and Bright.

Merry and Bright is a fun, entertaining story (Debbie Macomber never disappoints). It has good characters, a lovely city (I want to live there), a cute premise, and a set during a magical time of year--Christmas. I liked the themes presented in the story—Christmas is a condition of the heart (isn’t that just beautiful), kindness, generosity, openness, showing love to those we cherish, bad things about assumptions, misconceptions and judgements can be harmful/detrimental. I found Merry and Bright to be well-written with a nice ease to the writing (it flowed nicely). My rating for Merry and Bright is 4 out of 5 stars (I liked it). My one critique is the story is predictable. Once I started reading, I accurately predicted the rest of the story. Merry and Bright is a lovely, heartwarming Christmas tale that will delight fans of Debbie Macomber. show less

I always enjoy the yearly Christmas novel from Debbie Macomber. This year, things take on a You've Got Mail vibe, but with the characters connecting through a dating site called Mix and Mingle. That anonymity and a misspelled name set the stage for a fun courtship that takes the read right up to the holidays.

Merry Bright is a temp working on a year long special project in order to save up money for college. Between her job, helping her disabled mother cook & clean, & helping take care of her handicapped brother Patrick, Merry's life is full. She doesn't have time for any sort of social life. For her Christmas present, her mother & brother signed her up for an internet dating service & filed her profile.

Jayson Bright is in charge of a special project for his uncle's company. He's been working overtime & pushing his staff to make sure they get the information compiled before the reports due date. He can't let his uncle down. His cousin called to ask him to be his best man since he's getting married. Jayson realized he had been feeling lonely show more & dissatisfied in his life & signed up for an internet dating service.

In typical Debbie Macomber fashion, this story takes internet dating & makes it hilarious & touching. The writer has created wonderful characters where initial impressions are completely wrong. Jayson comes across as a by the books, grumpy boss until he is encountered outside the office. Patrick & his lack of filters creates several funny instances. The plot takes something that has become commonplace & takes us along as it starts going wrong. Another great story by a great author! show less

Merry Knight is pretty busy these days. She’s taking care of her family, baking cookies, decorating for the holidays, and hoping to stay out of the crosshairs of her stressed and by-the-book boss at the consulting firm where she temps. Her own social life is the last thing she has in mind, much less a man. Without her knowledge, Merry’s well-meaning mom and brother create an online dating profile for her—minus her photo—and the matches start rolling in. Initially, Merry is incredulous, but she reluctantly decides to give it a whirl.
Soon Merry finds herself chatting with a charming stranger, a man with similar interests and an unmistakably kind soul. Their online exchanges become the brightest part of her day. But meeting show more face-to-face is altogether different, and her special friend is the last person Merry expects—or desires. Still, sometimes hearts can see what our eyes cannot. In this satisfying seasonal tale, unanticipated love is only a click away. show less