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.

I absolutely loved this feel-good unique heartwarming story. I devoured this book within 24 hours. 

It's the year 2000 and it's the trifecta of holidays. The airport is extremely busy with Christmas, Hanukkah, and Ramadan all happening simultaneously.

Anna and Maryam are seatmates. Maryam and her family are flying to Toronto for her sister’s wedding and Anna is flying to meet her boyfriend and his family to spend Christmas together for the first time. 

Due to one of the biggest snow storms of the century, their plane experienced extreme turbulence and landed in a small town called Snow Falls. 

The airport was shut down and they were given vouchers to stay at Snow Falls Inn until they were able to fly out again. 

I love the reset that it gives everyone to really evaluate what they want out of life. Anna and Maryam have a lot in common. You see not only their friendship grow throughout the book but you see how much they grow personally.

I can’t say enough good things about this book. This is a must-read for the holiday season. It is such a remarkable story that it will make you want to go to Snow Falls and visit the adorable little town with the most clever store names!

Thank you to NetGalley and Putnam Books for an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

I received this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was a fun way to incorporate all the winter holidays! It read like a diverse and interesting upgraded hallmark.

This is what a holiday Rom Com is meant to be!
I loved everything about this book, with the exception of a September release!! I’m in my falls spooky era and would have loved a late fall/early winter drop. With that said, run to add this to your holiday reading list. It has just the right mix of small town romance and holiday feels.!

4.5 stars!!
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for granting me an e-arc!!
First off, I need to say MAKE THIS A MOVIE PLEASE!!! I think this would be the coziest holiday movie and I would love to see a movie about the tri-holidays!!

Maryam and her family are traveling to Toronto, Canada over the holidays for her sister’s wedding happening during Ramadan. Maryam’s family is a bit chaotic in an endearing way, and she is the one always fixing problems and taking care of everyone. However, being everyone’s shoulder to lean on is causing her to put her own needs and wants to the side- something she finally admits to herself and to a stranger when she believes their plane is going down during a blizzard. She also confesses her life-long crush for a family friend, not realizing he’s sitting right behind her on the plane.

Anna is also traveling to Toronto to meet up with her boyfriend, Nick, and his family for their very coordinated holiday plans. Anna has only been dating Nick for about 6 months, and he’s made it clear that he wants his “perfect woman” by his side during the holidays with his family. However, Anna isn’t sure that Nick really knows her, or loves her for who she really is…which she’s forced to confront while sitting next to Maryam on a plane that is apparently going down.

Luckily, the plane does not crash, but the passengers are stranded in Canada- not Toronto, but a charming small town called Snow Falls. The crew is stuck until the snow ends, and it seems like there’s no end in sight. While Maryam and her family panic about the wedding they’re supposed to be at, Anna struggles with pressure from Nick to get to Toronto.

Taking advantage of the time they’re stuck in Snow Falls, both Maryam and Anna explore the town, meet new people and get involved in the community. As they grow closer to each other and others around them, they learn a lot about themselves and their true desires. Both women consider the detour in Snow Falls as just a snow day, but can they turn their snow day magic into reality?

I thought this was a very interesting holiday story and I appreciated all of the new information I learned! I’ve read books that invoked Hanukkah before, but it was on a very simple level. Learning about Ramadan, Eid, fasting and just the culture in general was so interesting, and Maryam was such a likable, genuine character. She was so good hearted and selfless, but I was also so happy to see her start to stand up for herself too.

I also want to note that Marissa Stapley writes under the pen name Maggie Knox, so if you’ve read Maggie Knox’s Christmas books, you’ll want to pick this one up as well! I’m very happy that this book was co-authored because the experiences from each character were very different and felt so authentic.

P.s. I totally pictured Josh as Josh Groban the whole time. I don’t know why, but I did enjoy it!

If you like holiday novels then you need to pick this one up!! It’s heartwarming and fun, yet the characters have layers and struggles which makes it more interesting!

This is the holiday rom com of your dreams!! This is like the best Hallmark holiday movie made even better by diverse representation and deep characters. I was admittedly a tad wary going into this as based on the blurb I knew it was balancing 2 sets of couples. I worried that would stretch the attention too thin to depth a depth for either but I can reassure that that is not the case for this. As a romance reader I was definitely satisfied although I will say this does cover the foundation of the beginning of the romantic relationships, not necessarily a relationship in its entirety as some other romances do. The setting and timeframe are all within a magical small town so it absolutely makes sense though and again I didn’t feel anything lacking. Because of this, I want to shout from the rooftops that this book is for people who hate insta-love. Personally, I like either trope, but for the record the characters respond very realistically to their personalities and backgrounds.

I loved the developing friendship between the two main female leads. That was another dynamic that felt realistic in that their friendship wasn’t so insta-love either. Their developed trust and camaraderie had me tearing up at times.

While this does cover some more serious topics (such as previous heartbreak, past grief, familial expectations, etc) this has humor at its heart. The writing is subtle but certain descriptions like a family member “squawking” in outrage made this world so real and entertaining. There’s absolutely a found family vibe to this group thrown together. I loved the writing and would absolutely recommend this. Thank you to Penguin group and NetGalley for this ARC!

3.5 rounded up

Three Holidays and a Wedding started so, so strong for me. While there is some suspension of belief necessary for this novel (but isn’t that generally the romance way?), the story itself is crisp and decisive and decidedly unique.

I LOVED the nuanced main characters and their happiness journeys, their budding friendship, and the diversity within our cast. I had such warm fuzzies for the setting of this novel, the deep clean snow, a quaint little town, and the charming inn. Just a perfect holiday season scene. Additionally, there are so many supporting characters that truly support this story: some are so likable and some are a little more villainous, but they are all excellently doing what they must do for our tale.

If the book ended 3/4 of the way through, this would have likely been a 4.5 - 5 star holiday read for me. Yet...

Toward the end of the book, things got really cheesy and really rushed, really fast. Honestly to the point of distraction for this reader. I almost felt like I started reading a different book and found myself longing for the tone and comfort of the previous 3/4 of this novel.

All that said, I would encourage you to give it a try. It is by no means one to assuredly skip. The majority of this book is pretty close to divine, and might even be worth the disappointment that you may experience toward the end. Cheese in our beloved romance genre is certainly subjective and it is a fine line even for me. I’m sure that there are readers out there that will absolutely adore this story. I would definitely read another by this duo of authors.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this book.

Oh how I loved this book. My only criticism: why must be the pub date in September? Y’all have turned this Halloween queen into a puddle of winter holiday goo.

I loved Maryam and Anna’s friendship. I cared more about them than their respective romances, though both deserved their HEA. As a first gen family problem solver, Maryam’s story really resonated with me. As someone also planning a wedding Saima’s story was triggering and a horror for me. But overall I loved every moment of this book.

Have I already pre-ordered several copies to gift during the holiday season? You betcha!

What a cozy and warm read! This light and happy story takes place when Ramadan, Hannukah, & Christmas all fall on the same time frame. I enjoyed the unlikely friendships, the two love stories, and the back drop of a magical town in Canada to bring forward the perfect holiday read!

Rounding up from 3.5 stars.

Thank you to Netgalley & PENGUIN GROUP Putnam, G.P. Putnam's Sons for the advanced reader copy.

Three Holidays and a Wedding-Uzma Jalaluddin and Marissa Stapley

Christmas ✔️

Hanukkah ✔️

Ramadan ✔️

Snowed in in a small town ✔️

Childhood crush ✔️

Celebrity romance ✔️

Three holidays, two romances and a one wedding.

This sweet holiday romance takes place in the 2000s as Christmas, Hanukkah and Ramadan all occur at once. Maryam is flying with her family to Toronto for her sister’s whirlwind wedding. On the flight, she meets Anna, who is flying to Toronto to meet her boyfriend’s wealthy family. As the flight turns turbulent, secrets are revealed and the flight is detoured.

As the passengers are snowed-in in a small town in Canada; Maryam is reunited with her childhood crush and Anna meets the holiday heart throb.

Snow Falls is such a quirky, picturesque small town.

I loved Maryam’s Dadu! He was so sweet to everyone.

Along with the romances, the book has wonderful friendships that develop between people with varying beliefs and backgrounds.

Make sure to add this sweet romance to your holiday book rotation!



Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for my advanced copy.

you don't get many contemporary romcom's set in canada, at least not for me. and i wish there were more! i also really liked the holiday not being about christmas so you get to learn about other traditions

As much as I loved the idea of this book and how intrigued I was to read it; I was unfortunately not able to finish. I couldn’t get past the third chapter.