A delightful read filled with all of the best things. New York, Christmas, Snow, Gelato and a beautiful love story that gave me all the snuggly feels.

Definitely one to add to your Christmas reading list

A delight. I was unashamedly crying at the end. I would love to be part of the big, noisy, loving Belotti family. Iris flees from England to New York on Christmas Day, escaping her controlling, abusive boyfriend, Adam. She chooses New York to follow in her mother's footsteps- and where Iris was born. AN encounter with Gio Belotti gradually draws her to the heart of the family, but with a huge secret over their gelato recipe, Iris becomes caught up in her lies. A web of coincidences, the past connecting with the present, love, family and humour. Simply beautiful. #netgalley #AWinterInNewYork

What a great love story!

I never heard of Josie Silver before seeing this book but man I'm so happy I read this book. It's a cozy read, perfect for the colder days ahead. The characters were well written and it was a very cute story. If you're looking for a romantic christmas read, this is definitely the right book for you.

Thank you Netgalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Iris comes to New York to revisit her mothers past, since loosing her she hasn’t had the best f experiences when he falls for a manipulative bully Adam who strips her off her identity. After getting up the courage to run away from him, she finds herself in front of the ice cream shop her mother had frequently spoken of. Due to a past romance between Santos and her mother Iris now has the recipe to help save the day, but she doesn’t feel strong enough to reveal all, instead she helps to recreate the ice cream. Cue her romance with Gio developing. A very well written story perfect for holiday reading.

A delicious winter family tale set in New York. Iris is escaping an abusive relationship and ends up working as a noodle chef and living above the restaurant. As a girl her mum would tell her bout when she was in a band and places she had been. When she died she left a scrapbook. One day, Iris sees a door to an ice cream shop that she's sure she's seen before in the book. What connection does her mum have to this shop?
Believable, likeable characters, flavour of New York along with a swirl of romance and family dilemma on top. Definitely one for a winter evening.

"A Winter in New York" is a lovely, seasonal romance from Josie Silver. Iris, a trained chef, has escaped an abusive relationship and travelled to New York, where she knows she spent time with her mother when she was a child, but was too young to remember it. Iris was feeling alone after her mother died but found a wonderful friend and employer when she met Bobby.

The story is about Iris making new friends and finding new interests as she slowly comes out of her shell. At the heart of the tale is a secret family recipe for gelato, which had somehow got into the hands of Iris's mother, and she eventually finds out how.

A great story of love, friendship, families and food. Thanks to Net Galley and the publishers for the opportunity to review this book.

This story is beautiful, magical, heart-warming and atmospheric. Having never been to New York this book made me feel like I had. The way Silver weaves the location into the plot is like it is another character.

There is a strong sense of fate and serendipity throughout which could have felt too co-incidental or convenient for the sake of the plot but to me just felt whimsical and just swept me up in the journey even more.

I’m not a big fan of miscommunication as a plot device so I found that frustrating as times, but I understood why Iris would find it easier to keep the truth to herself.

The side characters were a highlight for me, they were so vibrant and authentic, and I was just as eager to have them in the story as the MCs.

A wonderful, rollercoaster of a story that I did not want to put down.

Full of the effervecent charm of a Jo book, A Winter in New York warms your heart on a cold morning. Following her mum's death and the most toxic of relationships Iris up sticks and moves to New York, a city that her mother had great warmth and affection for. A chance view of a doorway opens up a window into her mum's past whilst very much driving Iris towards her future.
Did Iris drive me batshit crazy with her lies - yes. I wish that where the gelato was involved she had been more creative to get where they needed to be. Also, so much gelato tasting but no final one, felt like a wasted opportunity to make it round itself back full circle to where it should be.
Are these small niggles because the book was still a big hug to anyone a little big broken, who craves a found family to bring them into the fold - absolutely. And Iris ended up exactly where she needed to be with exactly who she needed in the end.

This was a lovely wintery read! I really enjoyed this story of Iris who moved to New York after a failed relationship and bereavement and was trying to find her feet again. She meets Gio who runs the family geletaria who have lost their famous receipe. I did enjoy this book but the lies that Iris tells and that build did start to grate on me. However it does really make me want some good icecream!

Chef Iris has moved from England to New York after a bad relationship. Attending a street fair with a friend, she notices a doorway to a gelateria that looks familiar, and later realises that it is connected to her late mother.
Drawn back to the shop, Iris finds a charming guy called Gio looking after the business while his uncle Santo – the holder of the Italian family’s recipe for their famous vanilla gelato - is in a coma in hospital.
Iris, realising that her mum passed on the top-secret recipe to her - tries to help Gio re-create the flavour, without letting on about her connections to his family.
With a foodie theme and a holiday romance, this was a sweet story that slowly reveals the characters’ secrets and family roots.

I enjoyed this story overall but did find the lead character, Iris, incredibly frustrating with her lie after lie.
I enjoyed the way her story was entwined with her mums years before and I loved the big Italian family descriptions - made me want to sit round that huge table!

Josie Silver is a favourite romance author of mine. Like all of her other books, her writing was rich, complex, heartwarming, and emotional. The larger world around the main characters was superb, and the found family vibes from the numerous cast of side characters was warm hugs perfection.

Unfortunately I couldn't get on board with our female main and all the damn lying. So many lies, on top of lies, and for such a long time! Despite my frustration, I did still really enjoy it (just not love it) and will continue to pick up Silver's future books.

I absolutely love Josie Silver’s writing. I read One Day in December every Christmas, so I had to add this to the list of my Christmas reads.

a story of a lady whose an only child, bereft when here mother dies and in here grief is seduced by a a man who exploit her vulnerability until one day she finds the strength to escape to NY to find a new a new life. Unfortunately she can't face dealing the baggage that she brings and things drag due to her perverse and indecisive nature before she can accept true love.

A lovely festive read, perfect for this time of year. Loved this one and was completely absorbed in it. Always guaranteed a good read from Josie. My thanks to netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

When you want to like a book more. Iris escapes to New York to fill in the missing pieces of her life. She needs a fresh start. Iris is a likeable lead character. Plenty of plot. Just just took me to over half way to get into which was a shame

It took me a short while to get into those one, and I didn't really find Iris relatable in the beginning if I am honest. I felt with a name like Iris Raven she would have a bit more substance.

As the story develops, it does become clear why she feels a little lacking in character. Seeing Iris grow and become a strong female lead despite her past experiences did keep me reading.

I did love the way Iris' story intertwined with her mother's history. It was a beautiful touch going back to the place her mother most felt she belonged.

Whilst there were some predictable elements, a couple of extra surprise encounters contributed to the growth.

I would say overall these elements didn't make it less enjoyable and A Winter in New York is still a heartwarming seasonal read.

After the death of her mother, Iris decides to move to New York as a way to remember her mother. She gets to visit the places seen in movies, that she watched with her mother, whilst eating her special secret-recipe gelato. When she is dragged to the famous autumn street fair in Little Italy, she is stunned to find the family-run gelateria that is captured in one of her mother’s old photos. When Iris meets Gio, she discovers that his uncle is in a coma, and they are unable to make their famous vanilla gelato. When Gio gives Iris a sample of the last remaining batch, she realizes that their gelato and her gelato are one and the same. However, she doesn’t know why Gio’s uncle gave it to her mother in the first place? So, Iris offers to help them but trying to recreate their gelato, knowing that when Gio’s uncle awakens, that her love affair with Gio, might come to an end.
This book had it all with amazing chemistry, romance, family loyalty and heartbreak, all wrapped up into an amazing story, that had me reading through the night. Gio is divine and despite his past, embraces Iris and takes her into his family. The Belotti family were so accepting, and I found myself, falling in love with each and every family member. One of the best reads for the year.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Let's start with the plot. It's your typical fresh-start female protagonist story, but it's done brilliantly: Iris has recently moved to New York, having escaped a horribly controlling ex-boyfriend and grieving the loss of her mother. She arrives with very few belongings and no plan. Pure luck lands her on the doorstep of Bobby, who gives her a flat to live in, a noodle restaurant to work in, and a friend to trust. One day, whilst Bobby and Iris explore the streets of Little Italy, they stumble across the door to an ice-cream parlour that is strangely familiar to Iris, with gorgeous single dad Gio serving up more than just gelato. In fact, he isn't serving gelato at all. It turns out the top-secret family recipe is currently lost, and unbeknownst to Gio, Iris could hold the answer to his gelato prayers, and more...

Now, if you've read any of my reviews, you'll know I love a festive romance; but you'll also know I don't allow even the cheesiest holiday novels to rest on their laurels. This brand new little gem from Josie Silver was the perfect fit for my fussy festive tastes. It actually reminded me of one of my favourite Christmas films: the 1990s Sandra Bullock-at-her-best classic, 'While You Were Sleeping'. So let's jump right into some positives.

The characters were dreamy, but not unrealistic - a hard balance to strike! Iris was the perfect struggling heroine, trapped in her own grief but slowly coming out of her shell. Bobby and Sophia, Gio's cousin, were two supporting characters worthy of main character recognition: Bobby's humorous best friend act made me want to move in downstairs from him, whilst Sophia's boldness added the perfect light relief and made her the perfect pseudo-matchmaker. Finally, our romantic hero, Gio. What can I say other than, mamma mia! Silver writes his character with such a perfect mix of tough and tender, protective and supportive, and hot-as-hell sexy, we'll all be hoping to find a gorgeous Italian under our Christmas trees this year! (Although, don't we every year?)

Silver's development of Iris and Gio's relationship was another strong point. As they unravelled the layers of each other's past experiences and helped to heal each other, I found myself fully invested in their growing love and passion. Their dialogue was believable, natural banter that somehow never became mundane chat, particularly moments that became their own little private jokes - 'Moonstruck' references were a particular highlight for me! Their emotions were realistic and not too soppy. And their steamy moments... well, I'll let you see for yourself, but I can promise you will not be disappointed!

I also loved the wintry New York imagery. Having visited New York in February myself this year, I was ready to revisit the cold chill blowing around woolly-hatted crowds, pound the snow-covered sidewalks and dig into some hot NY hot dogs to warm up. As I mentioned, Silver's novel covers a whole lot more than Christmas, so prepare to watch New York transform through the seasons and enjoy the snowdrops falling over Christmas lights when the time comes. It was beautifully and warmly written, and made me want to do my own trip all over again!

All in all, a delightful festive rom-com featuring all your classic archetypes, but done in Josie Silver's own, unique way.

3.25/5 stars! This reminded me of "While You Were Sleeping." But what worked in a movie (an innocent lie) didn't have as much buy-in in written form. I found myself more annoyed by Iris than rooting for her. That being said, there is a surprising amount of depth to this story that some readers would really enjoy.

I received an advance review copy for free through NetGalley and I am leaving this review voluntarily.