Three Holidays and a Wedding takes place in 2000, when Christmas, Hanukkah, and Ramadan/Eid all fell within days of one another. Maryam and her family are traveling to Toronto for her younger sister's wedding. Anna is on her way to Toronto to meet her boyfriend's family. Their route gets diverted and the passengers get snowbound in a quirky and cozy small town named Snow Falls.

My low rating seems a bit harsh because this isn't the worst book ever. But there isn't much that I liked about this book. I found all of the characters annoying. Both Anna and Maryam are such doormats—Anna with her boyfriend Nick and Maryam with her family. On top of that, Anna and Maryam had no trouble flirting with men they believed were unavailable. I found it so odd that it took Anna and Maryam forever to question Josh and Saif about their girlfriends. Anyway, Maryam's grandfather was the only tolerable character in this book.

Additionally, it didn't feel like the authors properly captured the vibe of Ramadan. It is so strange that the Muslims were having parties during the last couple of nights in Ramadan. Instead of praying Taraweeh, they were busy watching Bollywood movies and celebrating a mehndi. Ramadan is a month for worship, not for weddings. It made no sense whatsoever to have a wedding during Ramadan. The wedding festivities would have made more sense if the story had taken place during the first 3 days of Eid.

received a copy from NetGalley; this is my honest review
-I love the cover. I loved the secondary characters as well and many were a great support to the main ones, such as Dadu who was a real wizard concerning relationships and life goals. The story is more fiction than romance.
-Anna's story starts first, then Maryam. Then they each their turn. Everything is connected some way or the other and it was interesting. maryam has a story that is similar to Anna's but neither knows it nor do they recognize it. Wrong man, wrong job, great family ties. It takes three holidays, a wedding, and the storm of the century to fix it all.
-Saif and Josh come into the picture too. Can they step-up to their lady's wishes and dreams?
-You can see right from the beginning that either Anna needs to wake-up or she's in for a lot of pain (not physically). Nicholas Vandergrey (no third or fourth, surprisingly) is not the man for her.
-I wasn't too impressed with Maryam's sister Saima - the drama queen. Some of it is cultural but lots of it can be blame on people taking Maryam for granted and that was such a shame or just being a selfish brat. I think the worse I read was when she said "we have to try" but she wasn't doing anything at all.
-I have a hard time when people and/or authors write ex-stepmother, ex-wife, etc. when a person dies. A stepmother remains your stepmother even if your father dies, which is the case of Anna's father. Beth should still be called stepmother.
-There were too many cultural references and at some point I was completely lost. For some of these, even my Kindle couldn't cooperate. Everyone's skin color is also important (brown doctor...).
-Too many repeats, especially about Maryam's heart being battered badly.
-Editing: There are a obvious mistakes, such as being in 2020 vs. 2001 or when Anna rubs her hands on her jeans (she's wearing a cocktail dress). Here again, using French and not writing it properly (both words should be plural - bon(s) mots).

Ever since I first picked up Ayesha at Last many years ago, Uzmâ Jalaluddin's books have become a must buy for me, so when I saw this one, I was excited to read it. The title gives it away a bit but it's centred on the convergence of three holidays - Christmas, Hanukkah, and Ramadan (and specifically Eid.) in a cozy little town in Canada called Snow Falls.

I do not read romance novels for their adherence to reality or likelihood - just that they -could- happen, if circumstances were just right. I was delighted by all scenarios and schemes and drama, I loved the commitment to showcasing holidays that still don't get a lot of airtime in December - even when they're happening, and of course, I enjoyed the references to the Big Snowstorm (the official dates don't matter) it was a delightful scenario to set the stage for the rest of it all.

I loved the description of Snow Falls and wish I could visit again in person - what a dreamy Canadian town.

There is character growth. There are Serious Issues. There is real communication, respect, drama, and love and family and community and it's just a very nice cozy romantic book to get lost in in December.

Happy to have gotten a chance to read this book early courtesy of Netgalley and the Publisher. Check it out.

Uzma wrote another amazing and funny book! The combination of the three holidays made for a great story and the little bits romance make it so much better. As a Canadian I loved the little nods to Toronto and the big storm in 2000 where Mayor Mel Lastman called in the army! I would recommend that book to anyone.

It's the year 2000 and for the first time in over three decades, Christmas, Hanukkah, and Ramadan fall within days of one another. First of all, what a great idea to create a multi-faith holiday romance. I loved the seamless incorporation of various traditions and their importance.

Each in the midst of their own holiday chaos, an emergency airplane landing leads strangers and seatmates Maryam Aziz and Anna Gibson to Snow Falls, a tiny, magical-like small town outside of Ottawa. And what a delightfully cheery, cozy, and inclusive place it was!

Now with a delayed family wedding and other interrupted plans, snowbound Maryam and Anna are naturally forced to rely on one another—the loveliest unlikely friendship! I really enjoyed the message of surrounding yourself with people who truly matter, who lift you up.

And with two heroines comes two romances! But this is where the story faltered for me. I was definitely more invested in one over the other, but overall they both lacked an excitement factor for me. No butterflies were felt, unfortunately.

With that said, if you're looking for something Hallmark-esque and festive, give this one a try!

What a fun read! I found myself smiling while reading it even. The authors did a great job of transporting you back to 2000 with all the mentions of pop culture from the time just making my elder millennial heart happy. I loved how the book wasn’t just centred on romance but also on friendship as Maryam and Anna bonded in this unexpected situation they found themselves in.

I loved the setting of Snow Falls! It sounded like the perfect, picturesque little town to get stranded in. I live in Ottawa so I squealed a little when there was mention of it and loved all the Canadian references throughout (who doesn’t love ketchup chips!?). I enjoyed how diverse this small town was and welcoming of everyone especially at the intersection of the three holidays. I found it really interesting to learn more about Ramadan and Eid-ul-fitr; I knew the bare basics and enjoyed learning a bit more throughout the story. I especially enjoyed how Maryam found a way to bring all three together for the Holiday Hoopla.

Maryam’s story line was one I can relate to with being the good daughter and putting others ahead of herself. I wanted to reach out through the pages and give her a hug. I was happy that in the end she had found a way to speak up for herself and grab a little piece of life just for herself. The romance between her and Saif was adorable too. He was so charming and was willing to wait and work to bring Maryam’s (well-deserved) walls down.

Right from the beginning we all had to know that Nick was gonna go and thank goodness because he was insufferable! Though you could see what was going to happen even from Anna reading the magazine about Chase on the plane, I was still delighted when they had a chance meeting in the small town sports bar. Right from the beginning you could feel the chemistry and were just rooting for it to work out somehow.

My favourite character of course was Dadu since he was the most adorable and sweet grandpa, always nearby to offer the perfect advice or tell a story about his Bollywood days. His sweet story about his wife and their love made my heart melt too. I loved how he set himself up in the lobby of the inn and would watch movies and lend an ear to anyone that needed it.

Overall, the charming town, the loveable characters, sweet romance and millennial/Canadian references made this a wonderfully enjoyable read. I would love to read more someday about these characters and I’m hoping from the notes in the back from the authors that it’s a possibility!

I received an advanced ebook copy of this book from Netgalley and the publishers for my honest review.

I stepped a little out of my comfort zone with this multi-faith holiday rom-com and I’m glad I did.

I read with a smile on my face as I was caught up in the havoc of this rare tri-holiday season - a time when Christmas, Ramadan, and Hanukkah all fell at the same time. It certainly was three times the chaos, but also, three times the holiday magic.

I appreciated being brought to the realization again that as different as we are, we are more alike than we’d like to believe.

Most of all, I loved the relatability. I could place myself in the action having recently experienced the Canadian version of snowmageddon this winter as we headed off on vacation. I also identified with the feelings unexpected and unscheduled ‘events’ have on one’s anxiety, the exploration of the immigrant parents’ expectations and with experiencing grief.

Other things I loved:
✔️Canadian setting
✔️Canadian writing duo
✔️learning more about different faiths/cultures
✔️Maryam’s (Boryam) character
✔️message about community
✔️holiday romance and miracles
✔️message about making the best of one’s situation
✔️finding love, hope and happiness in the unlikeliest of places
✔️exploration of the emotions surrounding not feeling good enough, not measuring up
✔️exploration of self-discovery, feeling invisible and being authentic

I’m sure some of us have uttered these words …

✔️“I’m so tired of taking care of everything.”
✔️“I’m so tired of being someone I’m not.”
✔️“Is anyone being honest about who they are and how happy their life really is?”


Such a successful collaboration. I hope to see more from this Canadian writing duo. I certainly believe we haven’t left Snow Falls for good…more like, see you later.

This is one holiday read you'll want on your night table as the temperatures drop!

I was gifted this copy by Penguin Random House Canada and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.

Absolutely loved it! It was great to read such a fun, well written novel.
If I had to be stranded anywhere, I’d want to be stuck in Snow Falls.
The idea of having Maryam write an original play adaptation of ‘A Christmas Carol’ to include Christian Christmas, Jewish Hanukkah, and Muslim Eid was genius.
I smiled, I laughed, and I even got misty as the bonds between the characters grew. I enjoyed learning about Ramadan/Eid and Muslim wedding traditions along with some Hanukkah traditions. I couldn’t put it down and I didn’t want the story to end.
Thank You to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada for the opportunity to read and thoroughly enjoy this ARC.