Three Holidays and a Wedding: Book Review

Three Holidays and a Wedding is the latest releases by Canadian authors Uzma Jalaluddin and Marissa Stapley. Released on October 3, 2023 by Penguin Random House, this holiday rom-com also has a touch of historical fiction to it. Maryam is a stressed out woman tasked with getting her family to her sister’s sudden wedding in Toronto. Anna is a woman who’s supposed to be meeting her boyfriend’s family over the holidays in Toronto. What could go wrong when people are trying to fly to Toronto during the largest snow event in a century?

I want to thank Penguin Random House Canada, Viking, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of Three Holidays and a Wedding. All opinions presented here are solely mine.

Synopsis from Goodreads

  As strangers and seatmates Maryam Aziz and Anna Gibson fly to Toronto over the holidays—Maryam to her sister’s impromptu wedding, and Anna to meet her boyfriend’s wealthy family for the first time—neither expect that severe turbulence will scare them into confessing their deepest hopes and fears to one another. At least they’ll never see each other again. And the love of Maryam’s life, Saif, wasn’t sitting two rows behind them hearing it all. Oops.
    An emergency landing finds Anna, Saif, Maryam, and her sister’s entire bridal party snowbound at the quirky Snow Falls Inn in a picture-perfect town, where fate has Anna’s actor-crush filming a holiday romance. As Maryam finds the courage to open her heart to Saif, and Anna feels the magic of being snowbound with an unexpected new love—both women soon realize there’s no place they’d rather be for the holidays.

My Opinions

I will start by saying, I had no idea this book was set in December 2000. Is that a problem? Nope, not at all! There were quite a few nods to that year that brought me some happy memories. Why? Because in December 2000, I was in the process of planning my wedding. When I mentioned the time period to my husband, he smiled as he remembered the storm hitting Ontario that holiday season.

December 2000 was chosen for this book because it was one of the extremely rare occasions that Christmas, Hannukah, and Ramadan occurred simultaneously. Why is that important? Because those are the three holidays referenced in the title. Each holiday is discussed in the context of the story. Maryam and her family share their Ramadan traditions with Anna and others around them. Anna finds someone who she can share her memories of celebrating Hannukah and Christmas. These interactions help the reader connect with the characters and to understand the traditions they may be unfamiliar with.

Let me take a moment to discuss Snow Falls. I am sadly disappointed to know that it is not a real place. There are several small towns throughout Ontario that are similar to Snow Falls. But nothing could be the real place. There are several times the characters remark how much the town feels like a dream location. If someone knows of a town that has a kosher bakery, across from a Turkish coffee shop, and around the corner from a Hakka restaurant please let me know ASAP! Especially if the town puts out all the stops for the holiday season.

Three Holidays and a Wedding is a Hallmark holiday movie in a book. Is that a bad thing? Heck no! It means that this book is a quick, easy read. Perfect for curling up with a hot drink and a blanket. Trust me!

Are you looking for some more books to read? Check out my bookish lists, book reviews, and monthly reading wrap-ups.