The Brightest Star

By: Fern Michaels

Narrated by: Susan Bennett

Length: 7 hrs and 41 mins

Publisher's Summary

A special treat to warm your heart, just in time for the holidays - a sparkling new novel from New York Times best-selling author Fern Michaels....

Christmas is more than just a celebration for Lauren Montgomery. For generations, it’s been her family’s livelihood. Their Christmas shop, Razzle Dazzle Décor, has seen seasonal fads come and go, but there’s one trend they can’t escape. Online superstores are swallowing their sales, and this Christmas season will need to be their best ever if the store is to stay in business.

To help keep the shop afloat, Lauren also has a sideline, writing biographies for business figures. She’s thrilled when her literary agent contacts her with a new proposal - before learning that the subject will be none other than John Gerald Giompalo. He’s the titan behind Globalgoods.com, the online retailer that has spelled doom for hundreds of small businesses just like Razzle Dazzle Décor. Despite her misgivings, Lauren travels to Seattle to confer with the mogul, and is caught off guard when his son, John Jr., attends the meeting too. Handsome, intelligent, and deeply kind, he’s perfect - apart from the fact that he’s part of the company threatening everything Lauren loves.

As her deadline, and Christmas, draw closer, Lauren knows that there’s more than her family’s shop at stake. Her heart is, too. But there’s no better time than the holidays to make a secret wish on the brightest star you see - and let the season’s magic take hold.

©2020 Fern Michaels (P)2020 Recorded Books

Off the rails but enjoyable

The characters were endearing and I actually enjoyed listening to the story where the plot lines just got totally crazy. You don’t read these kind of books for realism but this one was way out there. Having said this I really enjoyed it And perhaps I should up the stars a little bit because we are not analyzing the literary merit of the book just how much we enjoyed it, right 😉

If this is anything other than free, save your $

Rambling and long-winded story that has very little to do with Christmas and isn’t even a romance until the last 25-30% of the book.

I have read better Christmas books

I liked some of the story lines, but it was really predictable and cliche.

very good and quick

Before I knew it I was at the end of this book. It was well written. And I enjoyed all of it.

A feel good book for the season!

Although the main characters had terrible communication skills, and the primary character acted more like 15 than 35 years old, I did enjoy this story overall. I doubt anyone in 2020 could be as oblivious to technology as the father, but so be it! The values espoused are timeless nonetheless!

What a fun listen!

I wanted a fun holiday read and The Brightest Star was perfect. I normally do not like romance books and even though this has a sweet (and totally unbelievable) love story, 85% of the book was about Lauren and her work with saving Razzle Dazzle, a Christmas store owned by her parents. Anyone would love to have Lauren as their best friend so listening to the novel was like spending time in girl talk. In fact, very little of the story was believable, but somehow, it didn't matter. Michaels writes real characters and the relationship between Lauren and her parents was the one very believable part of the book, that tension between love and respect, and frustration. There was just the right amount of detail and the novel never became tedious. It was just what I was looking for this holiday season.

Disappointing

C'mon, Ms. Michaels--this was so bad--story not formed--no development--did you just need to put out a Christmas book!!

Just what we need

After the tumultuous year we’ve been having, this book is just what I needed. Truly heartwarming, loving and a darned good story. No drama, hate, lies or betrayals. Just right to end 2920.

The narrator was just right as well.

So glad I read it.

family

I enjoyed the plot of the story about a young woman dealing with family and falling in love.

Meh...

As the old saying goes, it is what it is. The brightest star was a heartwarming story, yes, but the lights angle felt altogether forced/rushed. Nevertheless, I enjoyed listening to it on my walks.

Not 5/10 as the ending happened as the story took

A nice story to listen to but be prepared for the story to start to take off and then, as if Fern Michael's got bored, it abruptly ends. There was significant more mileage in the story as it had taken off but nothing materialised . Thus, a very disappointing end to a book when you were getting into it.

Probably not worth getting for a credit