Three Holidays and a Wedding

August 28, 2023
Jalaluddin (Ayesha at Last) and Stapley (Lucky) join forces for a holiday romance with charm to spare. The self-explanatory title lets readers know exactly what they’ll get, but a few twists along the way season the story nicely. On the surface, Maryam Aziz and Anna Gibson don’t have much in common, but when they’re seated together on a plane to Toronto in the middle of a “snowmageddon,” the turbulent flight and subsequent emergency landing in the festive village of Snow Falls, Ontario, leave the pair deeply bonded. Stranded in a winter wonderland as the town prepares for the upcoming Christmas, Ramadan, and Hanukkah holidays, both women find pathways to happiness. Maryam learns that her lifelong crush, Saif Rasool, happened to be on the same flight and has finally noticed her, while Anna is torn between a life with her boyfriend and the handsome, mysterious actor Josh Tannenbaum, who’s in town filming a holiday movie. Proving that “holiday miracles can happen anywhere, to anyone, no matter what they celebrate,” the authors deliver heartfelt romance and plenty of cheer while also tackling heavier issues, including the weight of immigrant parents’ expectations and grief. It’s a keeper. Agents: (for Jalaluddin) Ann Collette, Rees Literary; (for Stapley) Samantha Haywood, Transatlantic.