Three Holidays and a Wedding

I’ll admit, I side-eyed the premise at first: *Another* holiday romance? But *Three Holidays and a Wedding* disarmed me within chapters. Jalaluddin’s strength lies in her refusal to sand down the edges. Maryam and Anna’s connection isn’t instant or easy—it’s built on clashing worldviews, awkward negotiations (like Anna’s bafflement over Eid traditions), and a slow realization that their differences might be the point. The audiobook’s production leans into this unevenness. Mohanty’s narration is *alive*—she doesn’t just read the dialogue, she *throws* it, especially in group scenes where the Aziz and Gibson families collide. Her Anna has a rasp that softens when she’s vulnerable, while Maryam’s voice carries the weight of someone used to being the “responsible one.” That said, the middle act drags slightly. The back-and-forth between Maryam’s internal conflict (faith vs. autonomy) and Anna’s family drama (her mother’s health, her sister’s wedding) occasionally feels like two separate books jostling for space. And while the multicultural mashup is fresh, some plot beats—like the Miscommunication That Could’ve Been Avoided With One Text—veer into rom-com cliché. But the finale? Worth the wait. The wedding scene is a riot of color, emotion, and cultural in-jokes, and Mohanty’s performance peaks here, balancing humor and heartache so deftly you’ll forget you’re listening to a single narrator. If you love romances that feel *lived-in*—where the happily-ever-after is hard-won and the families are gloriously messy—this is your next listen.