This was an entertaining, well-written book. It was fun, sweet and heart warming. It kept me reading and I wanted to find out what was going to happen. I enjoyed this book and would recommend it to others.

I absolutely loved the whole premise of this book. Small towns, strangers, and a snow storm. It made me want to go to a small town this holiday season. I definitely enjoyed and recommend!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a digital ARC of Three Holidays and a Wedding in exchange for an honest review.

I really struggled to finish this for a multitude of reasons, the biggest being the two female protagonists who were spineless doormats. Anna, after losing her beloved father to a heart attack two years prior, is working at a job she doesn’t like and dating a man who just wants everything “perfect.” In their five month relationship, she’s hidden most of herself to fit the image he wants. Maryam, who is clearly still suffering from the demise of a previous relationship that wasn’t her fault, has convinced herself that everyone is ashamed of her as a result, but she’s really just gaslighting herself. Of course, both of them, when presented with the possibility of being with good men who adore their real selves, are ready to torpedo the relationships before they even get started. It isn’t until 75% into the book that they finally grow a spine and start believing they deserve better.

The second big reason I disliked the book was the entire premise of their flight being grounded during a Canadian blizzard and conveniently being stuck in the quaint, Christmassy town of Snow Falls. I can understand having to divert the flight during the height of the storm, but it makes zero sense that they’d be stuck there for almost a week. It’s Canada, for god’s sake; they know how to handle snow. And no way would the airlines be willing to lose a week’s worth of revenue. Despite the weather, somehow the characters are able to walk around town unimpeded and a movie crew is able to continue filming, Make it make sense!

The third reason is the town of Snow Falls itself. We’re led to believe that it’s something straight out of a Hallmark movie, but to fit the theme of this story (the very rare occasion of Christmas, Hanukkah, and the end of Ramadan coinciding), this small town is like the United Nations with shops and restaurants featuring wares and cuisines from all over the world. I’m a huge proponent of diversity in books, but not when it isn’t authentic.

The final reasons I can’t recommend this book are the clunky, repetitive dialogue when the main characters are sharing their feelings, the instalove between the two couples, and little annoyances like saying that Josh was putting a “Yule-log shaped cake” in the oven when any baker knows that it would be batter in a jelly roll pan that’s rolled after cooking. Little annoyances that add up.

The only reason I didn’t give it one * is because it was just interesting enough for me to finish it, but I definitely would not recommend it when there are so many other well-written, engaging holiday stories to choose from, including one of the author’s own (The Holiday Swap by Maggie Knox). This is just a case of two decent authors whose collaboration was a fail.

Three Holidays and a Wedding by Uzma Jalaluddin and Marissa Stapley introduces us to two complete strangers, Maryam and Anna. As they fly home for the holidays, an emergency landing leaves them stranded and snowbound in a magical small town at the Snow Falls Inn. We follow along with two whirlwind romances over the course of three holidays - Christmas, Hanukkah, and Ramadan - which happen to fall within days of each other for the first time in over 30 years. The novel features characters from diverse backgrounds and offers multicultural representation. TAGS: fiction, romance, forced close proximity, friends-to-lovers, magical small-town, holiday romance, inclusive, ownvoices, bipoc, multicultural *Thanks to NetGalley for providing a free eARC #ThreeHolidaysAndAWedding #UzmaJalaluddin #MarissaStapley

Many thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Three Holidays and a Wedding comes out on September 26th, 2023
3.5/5 Stars

This story is set in December in a year when Ramadan, Hanukkah and Christmas all overlapped. It centers on two women, Maryam and Anna, who are both flying from Denver to Toronto over the holidays - Maryam with her whole family for her sister's wedding and Anna by herself to meet her wealthy boyfriend's (soon to be fiance?) family for the first time. When the plane is redirected to Snow Falls, a small Canadian town, due to a severe snowstorm both women must figure out how to salvage their holidays. In the process, they form an unlikely friendship while each woman goes through her own process of self-discovery (with a healthy dose of romance).

I typically don't go for holiday books because I find them too saccharine (read: Hallmark-y) but I can genuinely say that I enjoyed this one. It is a feel-good, charming holiday story with a little extra substance thanks to the diverse representation of different holidays and cultural backgrounds. While it definitely falls into the small-town romance trope and you know that everyone is going to get their happy ending, I really did learn a lot about Ramadan and Hanukkah and I also appreciated the friendship storyline between Maryam & Anna.

Three Holidays and a Wedding by Uzma Jalaluddin & Marissa Stapley is seriously a great holiday rom-com!

I thought Three Holidays and a Wedding was so cute and perfect for the feel-good read I was looking for this time of year!
I was immediately drawn into this novel from the first chapter.
The descriptions of the scenery were stunning.
I adored the town of Snowy Falls.
A charming holiday read with a stunning setting and amazing characters.
I was immediately charmed by our characters. The characters were very relatable and I loved how we got a look at the culture’s that was shared in this book.
A cozy holiday atmosphere that sucked me in and one I didn’t want to end so soon!

"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."

Thank You NetGalley and G.P. Putnam's Sons for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

4.5 stars

This is the movie Hallmark should be making! It’s so much more than a cute holiday read. I learned so much about the other holidays and religions, and loved all the characters. I loved the community of Snow Falls, and the winter wonderland setting. The characters were well developed and had a lot of self-discovery and growth. This book had small town vibes, found family, romance, some drama, and holiday magic! I definitely recommend this inclusive holiday romance with depth.

Maryam is the eldest daughter and the people pleaser in her family, taking on all the stress and problem solving required, but is she happy? Or is she just pleasing everyone but herself? Anna feels alone, her dad passed and her stepmother remarried, so she clings to a new seemingly perfect boyfriend. But is he perfect for her? Is she happy with her current life? Snow keeps Anna and a wedding party grounded in a small town in Canada where Anna and Maryam become friends and start to rethink their lives. I don’t want to give anything else away!

Thank you Netgalley and Penguin Group Putnam for this ARC!

Thank you to Netgalley and @PutnamBooks for a copy of Theee Holidays and a Wedding in exchange for a honest review. #partner

This one was just okay for me. I thought it was a fun representation of multiple cultures and traditions. We always love to read about a cozy little Christmas town. The book was just a little long and far fetched for me. I was getting Disney Channel Movie vibes... which is not a bad thing.

Cute story but a little disjointed at times. You can definitely tell that 2 people are writing this book but I did enjoy the characters at least! Got me in the mood for the holidays.

This book had me laughing and crying with the many mishaps of Maryam and Anna. They had such plans for Ramadan and Christmas. A snow Storm, flight delays, and being stranded in a small Canadian town. Their plans and hopes for the future changed. This book is set in 2000 with flip phones and fax machines. I enjoyed getting to know more about the Muslim faith and Ramadan. This is such a wonderful holiday romance.

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
Three Holidays and a Wedding
Author: Uzma Jalaluddin & Marissa Stapley
Source: NetGalley
Pub Date: September 26, 2023

Three Holidays and a Wedding has a little something for everyone. When a plane flying from Denver to Toronto is sidetracked to a small Canadian town due to a severe snowstorm, all passengers onboard are inconvenienced, but Maryam & Anna are primarily in a pickle. Maryam is the eldest daughter of a prominent Muslim family and is planning her sister’s wedding in Toronto during Ramadan, and Anna is meeting her wealthy boyfriend’s family for Christmas. Maryam has many family members, and Anna has been alone since the death of her Dad two years prior. But sometimes, getting sidetracked turns from disaster to good fortune. For both ladies, we learn the meaning of kindness, romance, and different cultural traditions and that good things can come from something disappointing. I enjoyed the sharing of three holidays which occurred at the same time in 2000 when this story is set and the different traditions. The romance was chaste, and the entire story would make a good Hallmark show. #life #love #marriage #snow #smalltown #kindness #holidays #Muslim #Ramadan #Hannukah #Christmas #friendship #women #romancelight @putnambooks @netgalley @uzmajalaluddin @marissastapley #holidays #book #bookreview #bookstagram #threeholidaysandawedding
🎄
I received a complimentary copy of this ARC. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own. Thank you to G.P. Putnam’s Sons, and the authors for the opportunity to read this novel. Pub. Date: September 26, 2023.

If you love a holiday read, family drama, and sweet romance you will love Three Holidays and a Wedding in which three holidays converge.

Maryam and her family are traveling to Canada for her sister’s wedding. Anna is flying to Canada to meet her boyfriend’s family for the first time. These two strangers are seatmates on what becomes a turbulent flight to Toronto. Because they both are unnerved by the turbulence they share their deepest fear with each other thinking they will never see each other again. An emergency landing finds them stranded together (along with Maryam’s family) at the quaint Snow Falls Inn in rural Canada. A Hollywood crew filming a holiday romance complicates the situation. In a year where Christmas, Hanukkah, and Ramadan fall during the same time period, the traditions of three holidays converge.

A unique premise and unexpected fun. I love a unique premise and was intrigued by the aspect of three holidays in one seasonal read! I wasn’t sure what to expect from a story that included three religious holidays. This part of the story added a depth and complexity that I enjoyed! I think the authors did a wonderful job of including all three faith traditions in a balanced and satisfactory way.

In the romance genre, we anticipate (eagerly or not) some predictable tropes. In Three Holidays and a Wedding, we have movie star falls in love with an ordinary girl and old friends to lovers.

More than romance, Three Holidays and a Wedding includes thoughtful themes of parental expectations, cultural differences, second chances, lack of confidence, honesty, discovering your gifts and desires, self realization and taking risks, living authentically, and making the best of a situation. In this sense, I might categorize this as women’s fiction with a side of romance.

Maryam and Anna are complex and relatable characters whom I enjoyed meeting. Each is dealing with complicated circumstances and has different faith traditions. This added depth that sets it apart from chick lit that is primarily focused on the romance. If fact, the romance (although cute and enjoyable) is in the background to Maryam’s and Anna’s growth and self discovery. Each character arc and romance is compelling in its own right and equally heartwarming.

Perfect for a cozy read in front of a cheerful fire this winter! Fans of Uzma Jalaluddin will enjoy this new release. I’m warmly recommending Three Holidays and a Wedding for fans of thoughtful romance that includes substantial content and holiday themes. Book Clubs will find lots to discuss.

Thanks #NetGalley @PutnamBooks for a complimentary e ARC of #ThreeHolidaysAndAWedding upon my request. All opinions are my own.

I absolutely adored this book. This book is set back in 2000 when Ramadan, Hanukkah and Christmas all fell at once. I loved learning about Ramadan, Eid and Hanukkah, the cultural differences between our holidays, and a lot more while reading about these characters. I absolutely adored how this story was a dual POV, but instead of your typical Female MC and Male MC, it was actually two women who become fast friends while stuck on a plane! They experienced terrible turbulence while flying through a snow storm on their way to Toronto. And, spoiler alert, they don’t make it to Toronto. The storm is too bad and they have to make an emergency landing in a small town that ends up being the perfect place for all of them. I won’t go into detail as to why, but let’s just say that it had everything that every character needs and allows (most) of the characters to live each day without worrying about the future. They are stuck in their own little snow globe.

Also, I absolutely adore Saif! He is the sweetest, kindest man!

I highly recommend this book because although there is romance, this book has so much more than that!

Read for:
🕎 holiday rep
❄️ LOTS of snow
⛄️ small-town romance(s)
👯‍♀️ friendship
👴 a quirky, loving grandparent, Dadu
✍🏻 FMC who loves to write
🎥 Hollywood heartthrob
👰‍♀️ a wedding that’s in jeopardy
And a whole lot more!

Three Holidays and a Wedding has a lot going for it. Our two MCs (Maryam and Anna) come from wildly different backgrounds. One's grumpy and one’s sunshine, one’s Muslim and celebrating Ramadan with her large family, one’s celebrating Christmas (and sort of Hanukkah) by herself, one’s falling in love with her childhood crush and one’s falling in love with a famous actor. They’re both stuck in a picturesque small town, unable to get to their final destination (Toronto), one for her sister's wedding and one for Christmas with her asshole boyfriend’s family.

This book was just okay for me. I loved the Ramadan rep and loved Maryam, Anna, and Maryam’s Dadu. The small town setting was cozy and cute. I loved Maryam and Anna’s relationship and they had great chemistry! They did not have any chemistry with either of their love interests. There was nothing romantic, nothing swoon-worthy, no witty or fun banter. They were just there, taking up space and time away from the more interesting characters and storylines.

Even though it wasn't my favorite I did enjoy it and I do think this would make an absolutely fantastic Netflix or Hallmark Channel holiday movie.

I received an advanced reader's copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed both The Holiday Swap and Lucky, so I was excited to read this as another of Melissa Stapley's cowritten titles. Unfortunately, it fell a little flat.
Maryam and Anna are very different but become fast friends during a terrible plane ride. They're trying to get to Toronto but end up stuck in Snow Falls during a "snowmageddon" storm. The chapters alternate between the two women, and I did enjoy how Maryam's showed her family's Muslin traditions during Ramadan, and Anna's covered Hanukkah and Christmas. The three holidays all happen at the same time in the book.
This is a clean romance, very reminiscent of Hallmark, and another of the plot points is that Snow Falls is the setting for Hallmark-esque holiday movies. Both of the women have crushes/budding relationships during the book. Everything felt too sweet and slow to me, as there were so many side characters and the town, while great, seemed extremely unrealistic. It felt like every time there might be some progress for one woman, the chapter ended and focus switched. I don't know if I might have enjoyed the stories more as two separate but related books.

I have enjoyed previous books by both authors and love how each of them develop characters so well. When Anna and Maryam end up on a flight that gets snowed into a small town instead of their destination, all of their holiday plans are crushed. Working through external AND internal expectations, being honest about what they both want out of life and developing a new friendship (and romances!) are all part of what makes this holiday book so good. It's more than a romance and a great story of friends. It has all of the holiday movie vibes that we want in a well written book.

What a delightful read, and with the holidays approaching, it is the perfect festive to read to get you in the holiday spirit. I really think everyone will find something they love about this one! Looking forward to reading more from these authors in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for an ARC of this book.

Unfortunately, this book moved too slowly for me and I had to DNF it. If you are in the mood for a book with a lot of characters with a slow pace, this book might be for you but unfortunately in my current mood, I couldn't get through it.

Such a fun story! I absolutely loved all the characters, Dadu, Maryam, Anna, Saif, and Josh, especially! This is a Hallmark holiday movie story with a twist--all the characters get stranded by a massive snowstorm, dubbed Snowmageddon by the media, and wind up in a magical small town where all the inhabitants are not only friendly, but cater for all three major religious holidays that converge for the first time in thirty years: Hanukkah, Eid, and Christmas. Each main character must come to terms with disappointed expectations, past hurts that have led to present trust issues, strained family relationships, and suspicion of the motives of the other characters. As they come to know one another better, they form friendships across religious and cultural lines and learn to take a chance on new love. The story engaged me from the start. It's an easy, but thought-provoking read that is perfect for the holidays. The 'most magical town in Canada', with 'small-town energy, but with the food selection and diversity of a big city'? I want to move my whole family there!

Two small notes: (though it's late in the game, I know) 1.) 'The heart has reasons of which reason knows nothing' is actually a quote from Blaise Pascal, not Descartes 2.) I wish the heading for December 26 had said, 'The second day of Christmas' rather than 'The day after Christmas', because in the Christian calendar, December 25 is only the first day of the season (the 12 days of Christmas) which ends on January 6, when Epiphany begins.

During a snowy flight day, a mid-flight stop in a small town, Snowy Falls, changes everyone's plans.

Anna and Maryam are seat mates that seemingly couldn't be more different. One looking for family, one feeling the weight of the world. This was a story that brought in a cast of characters with themes of Ramadan, Hanukkah, and Christmas as they overlapped in 2000 to a holiday story that is fun and enchanting to read.

You root for them as they forge bonds, figure out what's important, and celebrate others. A great way to get into the holiday spirit. Now all I need is cooler temps :)

Thank you to Netgalley and GP Putnam's Sons for the ARC.