About the Book
-
Authors:
- Uzma Jalaluddin
- Marissa Stapley
- Genres:
- Adult
- Adult Romance
- Man-Woman Romance
Cover Story: Generic Season’s Greetings
BFF Charm: Yay
Talky Talk: Inclusive Hallmark
Bonus Factors: Tasty Business, Holidays, Movies, Throwback 2000s
Relationship Status: Seasonal Friends
Cover Story: Generic Season’s Greetings
It’s bright and colorful and tells you absolutely nothing about the book in that generic cartoon-y way every romance novel looks now. It screams PG-13 and actually is, and I suppose at the very least I’m glad they choose little images that fit with things in the story.
The Deal:
A rare occurrence happened in December 2000 when the Hannukah, Ramadan, and Christmas all fell within days of each other. Thanks to this calendar phenomenon and traveling madness, plane seatmates Anna and Maryam end up stranded in the quaintest small town in Canada: Snow Falls.
Between fasting for Ramadan and her sister’s last-minute destination wedding planning, Maryam is careening towards an early-life crisis, and while she loves helping her family, she doesn’t love that she’s expected to be the responsible one.
Meanwhile, Anna was on her way to spend the most perfectly planned-out Christmas vacation with Nick’s rich family, but now that those plans were derailed by Snowmageddon, her boyfriend of six months is freaking out—and so is Anna, as she realizes she may not fit into his perfect world.
What holiday magic will ensue?!
BFF Charm: Yay x2
Maryam had some snap judgements about Anna’s perkiness and, I won’t lie—at first I was right there with her (even though I had insight into Anna’s head and knew she was just as insecure as Maryam). Anna was well-meaning, but, dang, lady, think before you let every thought come flowing out of your mouth. But I enjoyed tagging along as they got to know each other better, and some of my favorite parts of the book are when they were simply hanging out, supporting each other as the confidants they never knew they always needed.
Swoonworthy Scale: 4
Maryam’s turbulence-induced confession about her childhood crush on family friend turned HOT-tie Saif would’ve been totally unremarkable if he hadn’t been sitting behind them the entire time. And while Anna is contemplating whether she still belongs with Nick, there’s a cute Canadian hockey fan named Josh who is only too happy to distract her from her woes.
Both romances are sweet with some not-very-serious complications; essentially nothing a single heart-to-heart convo couldn’t fix. I did roll my eyes at the attempts to “hide” who Josh really was (I’m not spoiling anything; you will “get it” like five seconds after you meet him) and Maryam’s hesitance began to grate after the third time she and Saif rehash the same conversation. (FYI to the authors: It’s okay if you don’t stick to the “standard” word count for your book if you don’t have anything left to write!)
Talky Talk: Inclusive Hallmark
There’s something addictive about falling in love during the holidays. Holiday romances, why can’t I quit you? I was drawn to this book because there’s only so many options if you want to experience the warmth of the holidays that aren’t only Christmas. This inclusivity was my favorite thing about the novel, as we learn about Eid and Ramadan from Maryam’s family. Everyone is warm and welcoming to one another, open to learning about different faiths, and so if you’re looking for happy holiday feels, you’ve come to the right place.
It’s definitely a Hallmark-level story in novel form, so there are some large coincidences, schmaltzy bits, some melancholy moments (because as Meg Ryan taught us, there has to be some element of sadness to really drive home the happy) and a big, happy ending. While not a book I will probably remember long-term, it does scratch an itch and make for fairly uncomplicated and joyful seasonal read.
Bonus Factor: Tasty Business
You may want to have some takeout menus on hand because by the time you’re finished reading you’re gonna want ALL sorts of tasty treats. Also an important question to ask yourself: do you eat your latkes with sour cream or applesauce? (I am more of an applesauce girlie, but why limit yourself?)
Bonus Factor: Holidays
I read these for the romance but also to help myself get into the holiday spirit, to try to recapture that feeling of seasonal magic that you miss out on when you’re no longer a kid.
It feels especially important right now to remember that it IS possible to lay aside differences and see what peace could look like if we all remembered that everyone is human and empathy is paramount.
Bonus Factor: Movies
Maryam’s dadu is a retired Bollywood director and also is a big lover of holiday romance movies. There is also some live theatre and a movie being filmed happening nearby. Hearing him wax poetic about his favorites made me want to turn on a big Bollywood number and shimmy my shoulders along.
Bonus Factor: Throwback 2000s
Ah those cell phones – they’ll never catch on! The authors don’t beat us over the head with the throwbacks, and they specifically picked this time period because, with a small amount of fudging, it was truly the last time all three holidays coincided in the same few weeks. But there’s also that plot element of getting stuck somewhere and being unreachable that just isn’t really possible anymore—or at least wouldn’t require a lot of hand-waving and coincidences to make possible.
Relationship Status: Seasonal Friends
Some people come into your life for a season or a reason, and there’s a bit of both of those with you, Book. While I had some quibbles here and there, you made me smile and helped me get ready for that holiday spirit.
FTC Full Disclosure: I purchased my own copy of this book. I received neither money nor peanut butter cups in exchange for this review. Three Holidays and a Wedding is available now.
