⭐⭐⭐
Three Holidays and a Wedding
Uzma Jalaluddin and Marissa Stapley
384 pages | G.P. Putnam's Sons
The Set Up: Maryam and Anna get off to a rough start as seatmates on a plane headed from Denver to Toronto for the holidays, but turbulence scares them into sharing their secrets with each other. Maryam is tired of being the sole problem solver of her family, and Anna is worried she’s about to be trapped in a less than perfect marriage. When their plane is diverted to the small town of Snow Falls, they have to learn to let go of their worries and fight for what they really want out of life.
This was a sweet story, one plot of an instant attraction with a literal movie star, and the other a kind of second-chance childhood friend plot. I enjoyed both stories equally, and liked the alternating POVs.
Anna and Maryam both grew so much during their time snowed in this tiny town but in ways that felt realistic. They both reached breaking points with the ways their lives were going and were able to push each other to take charge in ways that hadn’t thought to do.
I liked that the book was set in 2000, making it more realistic that communication was hard, as cell phones weren’t in everyone’s pockets yet.
I loved this wonderfully progressive and welcoming town, that honestly seemed to have a bit of actual holiday magic. This book was a warm hug, and I feel like I actually learned a lot about other cultural traditions.
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