A Little Holiday Fling

Farah Heron is an author I’ve been wanting to read for a few years, and I’ve finally found my entry point with her recent Christmas romance, A Little Holiday Fling.

Ruby has spent years moving around Canada working in different retail jobs, but now she’s about to make her and her mom’s lifelong dream come true: Come January, she’s moving to England to gain hotel experience and open her own countryside hotel. But first, Ruby will enjoy her favorite holiday of all, Christmas, and with an unlikely partner along for the ride. Rashid’s family in the UK owns a hotel chain, and if Ruby can impress him enough, he just might help her get a job with them. But this grinchy guy doesn’t like Christmas all that much, even as he and Ruby spend December enjoying the seasonal sights and traditions. And maybe a little casual romance on the side, with a clear end date. When Christmas is over, will Ruby still want to leave Canada (and Rashid) behind? Or will that casual fling have turned more serious?

What I Liked:

Total opposites. This is a perfect grumpy/sunshine pairing. Ruby is so upbeat, fun, and spontaneous. She’s had a rough family life, but she’s chosen to chase her own happiness. I loved her exuberance! In contrast, Rashid is a judgey, opinionated grump. Or at least he seems that way at first. Deep down he’s a devoted and kind person who loves his parents, sisters, and nieces. He just needs to learn to see others’ points of view sometimes!
Doing all the Christmas things! I loved following Ruby, Rashid, and his two nieces on their holiday adventures around Toronto. From gift shopping to drinking hot chocolate to attending The Nutcracker, I was living vicariously through them as the holiday season rapidly approaches in real life.
Family issues. Both Ruby and Rashid come from Indian Muslim families, but they also have major differences. Rashid’s family is extremely supportive and close-knit. (As demonstrated by how Rashid dropped everything to be with his sister in the midst of her messy divorce.) Ruby was very close to her late mother, but her dad is another thing entirely. He’s pretty awful, honestly, and it’s no wonder Ruby has been searching for a sense of home and belonging for so long.
Chasing your dreams. I loved that Ruby, who has had so little to support her in life, is so determined to go after what she wants. She fearlessly marches forward towards her goals, even if that means moving to a country she’s never been to, without a solid job lined up, all in the hopes of living her Jane Austen-inspired dreams. I admire her so much.

What Didn’t Work for Me:

Questioning if Ruby’s mom’s dream is truly her own, too. I get it, and this is an important lesson to learn… but I was biased and unequivocally wanted that English countryside inn for Ruby! Stop doubting her lifelong goals!

Audiobook:

Soneela Nankani is an excellent narrator on A Little Holiday Fling. The book follows Ruby, and she does a great job of capturing that cheery personality. I also enjoyed the accents she gave to Rashid and his family members. This was an engaging listen from start to finish.

Final Thoughts

A Little Holiday Fling is a charming and sweet book that offers a new look at enjoying the Christmas spirit. I loved each of the characters and seeing them evolve over the season. Now is the perfect time of year to read it! I really enjoyed this, and I’m excited to read more from Farah Heron soon.

Special thanks to Forever, Hachette Audio, and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book!

Get the Book

You can buy A Little Holiday Fling here – it’s available as a paperback, ebook, and audiobook.

A Little Holiday Fling by Farah Heron
Audiobook Narrator	Soneela Nankani
Audience	Adult
Genre	Holiday Romance
Setting	Toronto
Number of Pages	368
Format I Read	Audiobook & Ebook (NetGalley ARCs)
Original Publication Date	October 21, 2025
Publisher	Forever

Official Summary

The highly acclaimed author of Accidentally Engaged delivers a heartwarming holiday romance, full of grumpy/sunshine vibes.

There are two things that Ruby Dhanji loves with her whole entire heart: Christmas and anything to do with the UK. For Ruby the holiday season means joy, generosity, and warm memories with her late mother. And now she’s on the verge of realizing the dream she and her mom always had: moving to England and opening a cozy inn. The only problem, Ruby needs some hotel experience first.

Rashid just doesn’t get all the holiday hype. But when he meets a woman dragging home a Christmas tree alone from the Winter Market, he has to offer to help—even if he soon finds Ruby adores all the things he dislikes. When Ruby discovers that Rashid’s family owns a luxury boutique hotel chain in Britain, she offers him a proposition: she’ll help him give his young nieces an amazing Christmas if he’ll facilitate an introduction to his family.

As Ruby and Rashid get closer, she realizes that the great big grump loves his large, eccentric family fiercely. And when their friendship turns to something more, she’s afraid she’s falling for someone weeks before she moves across the Atlantic and she’ll soon have to decide which dream she wants to chase.

About the Author

Credit: Emily Ding

After a childhood raised on Bollywood, Monty Python, and Jane Austen, Farah Heron wove complicated story arcs and uplifting happily-ever-afters in her daydreams while pursuing careers in human resources and psychology. She started writing those stories down a few years ago and never looked back. She writes romantic comedies and women’s fiction full of huge South Asian families, delectable food, and most importantly, brown people falling stupidly in love. She lives in Toronto with her husband, two children, and a rabbit named Strawberry. She recently adopted two cats, one of which is named Mr. Darcy.