Cute holiday romance occurring in a year that Christmas, Hannukah, and Ramadan overlap. When their flight to Toronto gets diverted to small-town Snow Falls, strangers Maryam and Anna strike up a friendship that helps them both get through the holidays. This was kind of like reading a Hallmark movie. It was cute with zero spice. I thought the friendship in this book outweighed the romance, but I really liked learning about the customs and traditions of Ramadan, which I knew nothing about, and seeing a multicultural celebration come together.

Three Holidays and a Wedding by Uzma Jalaluddin and Marissa Stapley is proof that there is no such thing as too much cozy holiday romance. Three holidays, a wedding and two romance in the makings sets the perfect setting for a great romance(s) - did I mention that they are snowed-in at Snow Falls Inn?

This was such a lovely and cozy romance book. There were so many hilarious rom-com moments that it could have easily been ridiculous, but wasn't. The romances were sweet and the family dynamics were probably the best part of the book. Such a lovely and diverse story!

The only things that I didn't love about this was Anna's love story. I liked her backstory so much, but just wish she would have had time to work on herself etc. Whereas, Maryam's romance was chef's kiss perfect!

I love both of these authors individually and now as a writing duo. I really enjoyed the story they built and the depth they were able to inject for all of the characters. This is not your run of the mill romance that is a cut and paste, it is very original and has some deeper emotional topics covered. I really enjoyed this book and think that anyone that likes romances or women's fiction will love this! I hope there are plans for this team to write another book together.

I really need to stop reading her books because every time I do, I’m so disappointed.

It’s more like it’s not me, its a you problem.

Thank you NetGalley for sharing this book with me early to read and review. This book wasn’t my favorite but I do love bits of it and know others will too!

This was a fun holiday story, and I really enjoyed it. It was quite engaging and entertaining. Overall, I had a great time reading this story and would recommend it to any fan of the holiday genre.

Thanks for the review copy. Felt like a Hallmark Christmas movie. Very cute and rom-com. It was decent overall.

Two people yet to meet, Maryam and Anna, are each traveling to Toronto for the holidays. Maryam is accompanied by her family as they journey for her sister’s wedding. Anna is set to meet her boyfriend’s family for Christmas. The two women end up as seat mates during a terrifying winter flight. When the entire group is forced to divert their travel to a small Canadian village as they wait out the blizzard, Anna and Maryam form a friendship. Will the two new friends successfully support and encourage one another to process their true feelings to their newfound respective love interests?

What an adorable read! The authors successfully combined Christmas, Hanukkah, and Ramadan into an enjoyable, cozy winter story. I was eager to discover what outcomes the characters would choose for their lives. The setting of Snow Falls was delightful and diverse. Now I’m wishing for a big snowstorm and some yummy treats!

Thank you to NetGalley and Putnam Books for a copy of this title in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you for the advanced copy on this pic. I am thought it was a good quick read for the holiday season.

Three Holidays and a Wedding by
Uzma Jalaluddin and Marissa Stapley
Romance, Holiday
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This was my last holiday book of the season, and it was the perfect ending. I am a huge holiday person and always love a hallmark type book. Give me snow, romance and some happy endings and I’m content.

This story is about two people on the same flight to Toronto. Maryam is headed to her sisters wedding and Anna who is heading to her boyfriends parents for Christmas. They continue to bump into each other and end up seat mates. Not sure of each other, they hit some bad turbulence and start spilling their secrets. When the plane has to have an emergency landing in Snow Falls, they end up having to stay in the same small inn together.
The small town of Snow Falls ends up being magical to both the girls and some love thrown in there.

I really enjoyed learning more about the different holidays and how everyone came together to help each other. I loved the setting of Snow Falls and wish it was real! There was a lot of self discovery with the girls and opening up to change and just relaxing a bit more in life.
If you’re looking for a cute holiday book this is the perfect one!

3.75 rating.

Our two main characters meet on a flight and it had to land in a small town due to weather. This event causes panic for both as their plans get derailed right before the holidays.

The characters throughout the story are wonderful. Both female MC's stories felt well represented of their culture and faith. Anna's character asks and makes assumptions about Maryam's faith. Maryam does show patience and kindness toward her and explains the truth and meaning. The side characters are great as well, especially the grandfather.

To me there was a lot going on in the book and it could have been cut shorter. I did learn more about faith and traditions throughout this book.

Overall it is a cute read. If you want something cozy and hallmark vibes this would be a good choice.

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

3.5 Rounded Up.

I received an advanced copy of Three Holidays and a Wedding by Uzma Jalaluddin and Marissa Stapley from the publisher Penguin Group Putnum via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

What It’s About: Anna Gibson and Maryam Aziz are complete strangers who find their paths crossed when they are flying to Toronto for the holidays. Anna to meet her boyfriend’s wealthy family and Maryam to attend her sister’s impromptu wedding. When the flight experiences severe turbulence, Anna and Maryam share their deepest hopes and fears to one another and form a deep connection. The plane gets stuck in a small town during an emergency landing leading to their important plans being stuck. Snow Falls is a special town and is right out of a Hallmark film and to make matters better, there is a film being produced in town. This layover allows Maryam and Anna to find themselves and overcome their fears.

What I Loved: This book is honestly very delightful. This book reads like a great holiday movie, this book takes place in 2000 when Christmas, Hannukah, and Ramadan all overlap and we get to see all of the holidays. I really loved the small town and the connection that the Aziz family and Anna made, it was truly just a fantastic friendship and I love stories where relationships are forged in difficult circumstances. This would make a really wonderful holiday film.

What I Didn’t Like: There is a lot of cheesiness here. And a lot of very exaggerated characters, for instance Anna’s boyfriend is just absurd and I can’t really buy into him or their relationship. It annoys me having a character who is so self-centered it just doesn’t seem real. He is Hallmark villain to the extent that it took me out of the reading. I also wish I knew more about what the characters were going through partway through instead of the last

Who Should Read It: People who love a holiday book that isn’t Christian centered. People who love books about relationships forged during difficult circumstances.

Summary: Two women from different tracks of life forge a friendship amidst a flight emergency.

When Maryam and Anna end up next to each other on a very turbulent flight, they are scared into confessing their deepest darkest secrets (and Maryam made a few about her crush Said who was sitting in the row behind them). An emergency landing means that Maryam might not make it to her sister’s impromptu wedding and Anna may not meet her wealthy boyfriend’s parents. However, it does mean they are stranded in the winter wonderland of Snow Falls (where Anna’s actor-crush is filming a holiday romance), and the two learn that there’s no place they’d rather be for the holidays - all three of them.

I really enjoyed learning about the different holidays - Christmas, Eid, and Hanukkah. I loved the parallel stories of Maryam and Anna, and I liked them both equally! This was a fun twist on the traditional Christmas book - even though it was set like a Hallmark movie.

The writing is solid, creating a vivid atmosphere, but the plot is a mix of captivating moments and predictability. Characters are well-developed, though some lack depth. Pacing fluctuates, making it a decent but not outstanding read.

Such a fun holiday read! I loved reading about the multi-faith holiday and the friendships that formed in the small Hallmark Christmas town.

I had a really hard time getting into this book. I liked the plot idea, but something I just couldn't put my finger on as to what made me DNF!

Such a heartwarming and good holiday read! The fact that there's three religions represented in this book makes me extremely happy, and I think this one might even be one I reread every year.

I received this book for free for an honest review from netgalley

Very good holiday read great for December. Found family is a great theme.

This was a fun read and written by two authors but yet it melded together really well. It's also a moment in time before smart phones and constant communications. I enjoyed it.

Cute and light - perfect for holiday reading between all the chaos. Loved the diversity as it’s pretty hard to find in holiday romances these days!

This was one of my favorite reads of 2023 and is going on my Holiday re-read list. This book made me feel warm and gave me all the holiday romance and family feels. I highly recommend it to anyone in need of a sweet holiday feel-good read.