It's 2000, when Christmas, Hanukkah, and Ramadan/Eid all overlap. Maryam and Anna meet on a flight from Denver to Toronto, when both are on their way to their upcoming holiday events. Maryam and her Muslim family have a week of activities planned, leading up to her sister Saima's wedding. Anna is joining her boyfriend's family for the "perfect" Christmas celebration and has discovered an engagement ring in his luggage. But when the "snowstorm of the century" diverts their plane away from Toronto, they find themselves in tiny Snow Falls, Canada, with diminishing hopes of making their important connections.

Both young women are beginning to realize that they are not happy with their lives. Maryam has sacrificed her own dreams to join her family's pharmacy business and to be their relied-upon "fixer." Anna also dreams of a different career, misses her family's joint Christmas/Hanukkah festivities and her estranged stepmother, and wonders whether her boyfriend is really "the one."

The book had a slow start for me, but I was soon engaged when the unexpected wonders of Snow Falls, a movie set, a local holiday play, a would-be bride, and some new love interest (one an old friend and one a new acquaintance) turned it into a magical holiday story. Anna's boyfriend is an unrelentingly awful person--why has she stayed with him for six months?--but the rest of the characters are nuanced and believable. I really enjoyed this unusual holiday romance.

My thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for the opportunity to read and provide an honest review of the book.

What a cute cover. I wanted to read the book ASAP because of it! Fun title as well. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC for the purpose of this review. Three stars for the cute concept.

Christmas, Hanukkah, and Eid fell within days of each other in December, 2000 — for the first time in over 30 years. Anna Gibson is traveling to meet her boyfriends family for the first time. Maryam Aziz and her family are going to her little sister wedding. They meet in the Denver airport on their way to Toronto and turn out to be seat mates. After some terrible turbulence due to a snowstorm, the flight is diverted to Snow Falls, forty miles from Ottowa. All Anna wants is to celebrate the holidays with family again. All Maryam wants is to be seen. Will there be some holiday magic for these two? Read and find out!

In the beginning of this book, I really didn’t like Anna. She was clearly dating the wrong person, was a little too aloof, and, well, I’m with Maryam when it comes to strong smells. However, the more I read, the more Anna grew on me.

Maryam, on the other hand, I liked right away. I connected with her attitude and spirit, as well as her aversion to strong smells. She was kind, empathetic, and an overall likable character. She reminded me a lot of myself, taking everything on herself and not having people to rely on. (Yes, she has her family, but she is the problem solver).

Snow Falls was a wonderful back drop for the story. It had all the charm from your favorite Christmas movies. I could not get over the names of the shops!

Kaif was a great love interest, you really want to root for him. Nick was exactly who I expected, Josh was too sweet (in a good way) and also exactly who I expected, Mr. Dadu was my all time favorite, and the townspeople were the right amount of quirky.

This is exactly the kind of heartwarming holiday book I want to read. It has the perfect combination of holiday charm and self-awareness a book like this needs. Plus, it’s reference to the “Heartline Channel” was glorious.

Thanks to NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Putnam for an arc of this book.

This was a unique, cute holiday romance. It was definitely a little cheesier than the books I usually like, but it was a fun world to spend time in. I wish Snow Falls was real! The characters were likable but not especially developed…. The “villain” characters were two dimensional which always frustrates me. However, I loved the representation of Hannukah and Eid, and as someone who does not celebrate either, I feel like I learned a lot from this book about those celebrations. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for this e-arc.

a quick read, involving Christmas, Hanukkah and Ramadan, and a snowstorm. very cute story., read it in one afternoon.

Three Holidays and a Wedding was such a fun read. I loved the cozy holiday atmosphere the story took place in. It took a bit for me to get sucked in, but then I couldn’t put it down. The characters are sweet and I love the family dynamics and relationships in this book.

This lovely holiday romance was perfect for a snowy day to get lost in a book. I simply fell for this so hard! One of the best holiday books I've read this year.
I just reviewed Three Holidays and a Wedding by Uzma Jalaluddin; Marissa Stapley. #ThreeHolidaysandaWedding #NetGalley
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An absolute adorable romp of holiday fun! I really enjoyed and appreciated the characters personal growth within themselves, and appreciated the mixed-faith family representation.

I wish I could visit Snow Falls. This book was delightful - I want 100 more books like it - every character was great, the setting was cute and every storyline made me happy. Real family, found family, secret celebrity, childhood crushes.... it has everything. And I loved that it took place in 2000, where almost no one had a cellphone, making miscommunications and hijinks easy. If you love Netflix Christmas movies but you've already watched them all, this will fill that hole in your tbr. I can't wait to reread this in December.

When Christmas, Hanukkah, and the Eid celebration ending Ramadan all align with a snowstorm, travel becomes much more difficult for Anna Gibson, Maryam Aziz, and Maryam's family, all of whom are flying from Denver to Toronto for the holidays. Anna intends to meet up with her boyfriend for a round of high society holiday events, while Maryam and her family are heading toward a quickly-planned wedding between Maryam's sister Saima and her fiance. The weather, however, has other plans and diverts their flight to the small town of Snow Falls, where a Hollywood crew is filming a family-friendly Christmas movie. When the continuing snow and impassable roads keep them locked into this holiday haven, new friends are made, life plans are reassessed, and love... finds a way.

I know it's super early in the year, but I think this will end up as my favorite holiday romance for 2023! The writing team of Uzma Jalaluddin and Marissa Stapley brings a wonderfully diverse celebration of all the winter holidays. The plot gives Hallmark vibes, but the town of Snow Falls is a dream town where many religions and cultures live together in harmony and mutual support. (For example, the Aziz family can break their daily Ramadan fasting with takeout from one of three halal Hakka Chinese restaurants, with desserts from a Turkish coffeehouse.)

Anna initially comes across as a little clueless and weak-willed, but she quickly shows her kindness and openness (including being open to correction) as well as her strength in standing up for herself, and she becomes friends with Maryam and her family. Maryam has a history of putting her own needs behind those of her family, and her frustration and resentment bubble to the surface over this trip. But she, too, learns to identify what she wants and to stand up for herself with her family. And the two of them find romantic partners who support them and their dreams without pressuring the women into hasty relationships.

Granted, the book is set in 2000, when the three holidays last converged, and the 2023 zeitgeist of diversity and multicultural representation might be jarring to those who want to stick to the 2000 date. But this is fiction, and the beauty of a romance like this is that it shows us all how we can become our best possible selves -- not just as romantic partners who practice good and honest communication, but as friends, families, neighbors, and communities who can make space for each other and our individual differences. This is the holiday romance I want to see, where all religions have room to co-exist peacefully and supportively and joyfully.

Thank you, G.P. Putnam's Sons and NetGalley, for providing an eARC of this book. Opinions expressed here are solely my own.

"Three Holidays and a Wedding"
by Uzma Jalaluddin and Marissa Stapley

I've never read a book like this before. It was like a Hallmark movie on crack, but in the best way!

The co-authors did a fantastic job giving 3 different holidays equal time and making them understandable for those who aren't familiar. It made me appreciate Ramadan especially as that was the holiday I'm least familiar with. So many interesting traditions, explained well throughout the book, gave me a clearer understanding.

I think all the characters were well written and perfectly placed in their stories. Even the secondary characters held up and each had an impact you could feel.

This book would be so much fun to see as a movie. There's so much depth to the story and the characters that would be lovely to see with my eyes instead of only imagining in my head.

I would definitely recommend this book for holiday lovers and for those who can appreciate the little bits of basic you can find in unknown places.

This wonderfully festive holiday confection is such a delightful treat. I loved the idyllic small town of Snow Falls and all of its holiday hijinks. Heroines Maryam and Anna are lovable and charming, though I think Maryam's story is really the heart of the book. We've hesitated to choose a contemporary holiday rom-com for A Bookish Affair, but a few chapters into Three Holidays and A Wedding, I knew we had our December 2023 pick! I can't wait to share it with the rest of the club.

Many thanks for the opportunity to read and review!

We have an opening of "Christmas! Christmas! Christmas!" followed by an exposition overload about people I don't yet know or have reason to care about. Stopped at only 2%.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin for the ARC.

I adored this book! I loved that it had all of these holidays colliding.
I loved Anna and Maryam and their friendship that developed.
The town of Snow Falls is a place where I want to go live!
A fun holiday book, that has a little bit of everything for everyone.

Thanks NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

loved this so much! it was a very nice and cosy read and i basically have no complaints about it! i enjoyed reading both maryam's and anna's povs and seeing how their friendship developed. the atmosphere the writers was absolutely delightful and i just flew through the chapters. i definitely recommend it as the perfect holiday read if you are looking for something quick and relaxing.

arc provided by netgalley and penguin group putnam in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to the publisher for allowing me to read this eARC.

This was a cozy read! I enjoyed the multi faith aspect and it me excited for the holidays! I thought the characters and details were also well fleshed out.