This was such a delightful holiday romance read but went a little deeper with the plot which I always appreciate. This book is about love, loss, grief, family, loyalty, hope, redemption and healing. I loved all the witty banter, secret dates and amazing chemistry between Iris and Gio... he certainly was SWOONworthy. The setting of New York was just what I was looking forward in what was one of my favorite 2023 holiday books of the year!!

First half of the book with really slow but I wanted to keep reading for the conflict resolutions. So many tears for the final chapters.

I absolutely loved this book. It had so many things to love!

❄️Gio… where can I find one of them?
❄️A tender hearted Brit? (Do they make those? You know, stiff upper lip and all.)
❄️THE EIGHTIES.
❄️Rom-Com movies references.
❄️New York City. In Winter.
❄️A big Italian family.
❄️And, oh yeah, allllll the gelato.

Yes, there is miscommunication. But some of the best romcoms have the same trope and are adored. Notting Hill, While You Were Sleeping, You’ve Got Mail, and The Holiday- all have miscommunication plot lines but I rarely hear complaints about any of them. Yet, almost every review I’ve seen about WiNY has been negative regarding this trope.
Instead, I think more focus should be put on the fact that Josie Silver put so much focus on grief, self care, and healing. I also lost my mother just about two years ago so I related so much to Iris and her journey to healing. The scene with the Joni Mitchell song “River” (one of me and my mom’s favorites) left me sobbing. So thank you for that Josie, I needed that connection with my mom again, especially at this time of year.


Thank you to Josie Silver, Random House Ballantine, and NetGalley for the early review copy.

I really like Josie Silver's books, and this one was good but wasn't my favorite of hers. My favorite parts were reading about Gio and his family, and the descriptions of NYC and it's neighborhoods. I found myself getting slightly annoyed at the main character and it dragged on a bit in the middle. Still a good read - Gio and his family are lovely.

I was very much looking forward to this one! I love a holiday read and Josie Silver.

But unfortunately fell quite flat for me. I could never get on board with so much lying and it didn’t feel like it mattered much in the end.

This was a cute and nice Christmas story. We follow Iris as she navigates living in New York after moving from England. She is trying to escape her past but also connect with her mother. She comes to find a place her mother frequented and a mystery unravels and love unfolds.

I really enjoyed the characters especially the family both by blood and found. I think that was the core of the story was family can come in all different packages.

Gio and Iris were a sweet romance and I appreciated the spicier moments of this but I would say this book is one chili pepper at most.

I definitely recommend and look forward to more Josie Silver in the future.

This sweet romance was the coziest, happy-sad romance. I desperately wanted (needed) gelato after reading this book. Gelato Mamma Mia meets invisible string theory.
I loved Iris, she was complex and funny and sweet. This book had great side characters.

This was a beautiful book that represented Italian-American culture of New York so perfectly. It wasn't overly cheesy and over the top, but really stuck to the roots of an Italian family run restaurant, and the way our families think about the holidays, traditions, and loyalty. It added a level of interest to the plot.

Iris was so cool, and very strong. I loved being inside her head, though there were a few times that I was getting annoyed with her secret keeping. It was distracting to the plot, even though it was the entire plot.

I loved Gio and his family; they were so warm, kind, and truly deserved the world. They had good hearts and were good people; I think it added an extra layer to the story because at it's core were good people.

The writing was beautiful, as always. Josie Silver has a way of making pain comforting. Both Iris and Gio were suffering so much but they made the best of it, they opened themselves up and kept on living. There was such a deep connection between them from the start, and even though there were a lot of secrets, their foundation was strong.

Silver makes the message of loss the center of all her stories, and it's always a punch to the gut but the way she wraps everything up in a neat bow warms my heart.

A Winter in New York was a really wonderful story with so many lovely messages, a strong plot, and a very unexpected ending. I was terrified of the way the story would end...or at least, how we would get there, and it was such a nice surprise.

If you're looking for something heartfelt, thoughtful, and a little cheesy & cheeky, to read this holiday season, A Winter in New York will check those boxes.

The l ove story and the story of Vivian were my absolute fav. Other than that, the story was SLOW. It took forever and a day for Iris to get to the recipe and Gio to discover her past. I loved the NYC scenes and the big Italian family, but the story could have a bit more of a faster pace.

Josie Silver's books usually hit me right in the soul in the best way, and I couldn't wait to dive in to her latest, A Winter in New York. A million thanks to NetGalley and Random House: Ballantine for the digital ARC!

One of the ways I judge a book's impact is whether or not it made me cry, and in that regard, this book did deliver. However, it was a complicated reading experience for me in many ways, and didn't quite hit the same spot that some of this author's previous work has.

What I Liked

I loved the side characters, especially Smirnoff the cat. There were a lot of fun people in Iris' life that really show how she's adapted to life in New York.

Overall, I felt the topic of recovering from an abusive relationship was portrayed realistically. Iris has rebuilt her life and we see her resilience, but we also see the scars this relationship left behind, the fear of winding up back in that place again. Though the ex was perhaps a bit over-the-top in his portrayal at times, Iris' emotional response and how she navigated that trauma felt real to me.

The balance of spice worked well for me, for once. There were some spicy scenes, but they weren't awkwardly written or too graphic like so many books can be for me as a reader. We got the on-page chemistry without any throbbing members or awkward metaphors, which I appreciated.

What I Didn't Like

The book's pacing felt off with how long we spend watching Iris keep secrets and lie to herself and everyone around her. The placement of the flashback sections felt awkward at times, though one scene late in the book did feel well done so I suppose we had to earn that through other flashbacks earlier on.

The romantic hero felt unrealistic in how nearly perfect he was, how he never doubted Iris even when she dropped some true shockers on him. He didn't feel real to me after a certain point, and that made it hard for me to invest in their relationship. Also I was kinda worried they'd wind up learning they were cousins? But maybe that's just me.

In all, I did very much enjoy A Winter in New York, but it felt like it lacked a little bit of the spark that I've come to expect from Josie Silver's books. I do think this is a solid fit for readers who like a good romance with some family intrigue and mystery in the background, as well as fans of found family stories.

I kind of have a hard time explaining my thoughts on this book. I didn't really like it that much, but by the end I was absolutely sobbing. So this did manage to tug on my emotional heartstrings. That must mean I can't dislike it as much as I thought, right? I don't know.
There were several things in this book that gave me the ick. I can't really explain it without any spoilers, but despite this being a really interesting concept, Josie Silver just made A LOT of little choices that weren't really necceccary to the book, that just gave me an ick. The main character also made quite a lot of frustrating decisions in the book. On top of that I also had a hard time getting into the romance, as the love interest was just so open and vulnerable, while the main character was just lying the entire time. It just always made me feel weird.
That all being said, there were times the romance made me forget that iffy background, and they did have a lot of cute moments together. I also really loved Gio's family. They were a wild bunch, but the amount of love they have is fantastic. Especially seeing them include Iris in everything very quickly without question was lovely. I also really liked Iris' best friend Bobby. Their friendship was so much fun, and their scenes together also caused for some comic relief, while also having more emotionally vulnerable moments together.
And like I said at the start, this book definitely made me cry. A lot of this book is about Iris' grief around her mother, and finding new ways to connect with her in New York. But it's also about her moving on from a past abusive relationship. I think those parts were dealt with really well, and the "resolution" for both absolutely made me sob. So yeah, my thoughts on this book are a bit all over the place.

Oh, my heart. This just couldn’t be a more perfect book to be reading on a cold night in December. Or anytime really.

Iris has decided to make a fresh start for herself in the city her mom always spoke so fondly of, New York. A bad relationship and a devastating loss have her searching for new beginnings. Gio is running a gelato shop in Little Italy with his big, warm, loud Italian family. Trust me, this makes for a beautiful, funny, tragic, hopeful, romantic, lovely story.

I love the way Josie Silver ties everything together, the glimpses from the past, the backstory. I love Bobby and Robin so much. I want to be friends with them and be a chef in their noodle restaurant! I love the movie references. They all hit perfectly, especially the one about Baby and the watermelon. Most of all, I love the love story. I should say stories. The expected one, the family love, the adopted family love, the love of a city and its magic.

Go pick up a copy. You definitely won’t regret it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House for the advanced copy.

This was my second book by Josie Silver and I enjoyed it as much as I did One Day In December. In this book, Iris comes across a gelato family recipe left by her late mother, but she learns that the recipe belongs to another family which Iris by pure chance runs into when she moves to New York.

This book has so much drama - in a good way! The dual timeline takes us back and fourth between before Iris's birth and the present day as we learn how Iris's mother came to own the secret recipe. Back in the modern day Iris is falling for the handsome gelateria owner. The MCs are getting over the heartache of (his) losing a partner and (hers) running away from abusive relationship. I love how slowly and cautiously their love story develops. I was so hoping that the recipe mystery would not break these two up.

The author has such a beautiful writing style, so rich and descriptive. It was such a pleasure to read this novel!! It's an open door romance, but done very tastefully. Despite romance being in the center of the narrative, the suspense was the moving force behind the story. The drama only intensified when Iris's ex decided to show up in town! The supporting characters were so well written, I couldn't help but love them all.

This story was so heartwarming and at times emotional. Giving a second chance at love after a heartbreak is no easy feat. But the main characters prove that taking that leap of faith is important and can be done. I truly enjoyed this lovely winter read.

A little too slow and cutesy for me. There wasn’t much in the way of turmoil, trauma, or anything majorly distracting, albeit having some sad and melancholy moments. It was a sweet novel about Iris and Gio and how they care for one another as their relationship blossoms. Not super fluffy, but nothing mega heavy either. I’d recommend it to someone looking for a sweet holiday story! Thanks for the opportunity to read.

I kept hearing about this book and seeing it literally everywhere so I was excited to read it. Everyone has been raving about it for months and I was so excited to tuck into it. But I was just so so disappointed. I really liked Iris, I think she's such an interesting character and her story and strength was motivating. But from the get-go like literally chapter 1, finding out that she starts her relationship with Gio with a lie, literally kills me and the entire time it made me on edge in anticipation of a third act breakup. Additionally, she and Gio had less chemistry than two strangers. Like they got together pretty quickly all things considered, and basically never had a flirting or banter stage, which I really hated. For me the book dragged onnn, and even at the end I still wasn't into it.

🍨Review - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5🍨

Iris Raven is a chef in New York who has recently moved from London. Attempting to escape an emotionally abusive relationship, Iris goes to NYC since it was one of the places her mother loved most.

While out with her friend Bobby, Iris passes a gelato shop that she recognizes from a photo of her mother’s. This shop is Belotti’s Gelateria and the photo also contains a vanilla gelato recipe that no one outside of the Belotti family is supposed to know. The Belotti family treasures this recipe so much that only one member of the family knows the recipe. And unfortunately, that family member is currently in a coma.

Iris knows she can’t just go into the shop and share the recipe, as her mom always promised she’d keep it a secret. Instead, Iris decides to help Gio Belotti recreate the recipe. During this process, Gio and Iris begin to develop feelings for each other. But can this relationship survive after it was started based off lies and secrets?

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I thought Iris had some great character development and I love her and Gio together. I also loved seeing the love and dysfunction of the Belotti family.

My only complaint is the miscommunication and lying throughout the whole book. I understand the need for it in some aspects of the story, but I felt like it was excessive at one point.

✨Read if you enjoy:
🍨Foodie romance
🍨Found family
🍨Slow burn
🍨Dysfunctional family

⚠️TW: death of a parent, death of a spouse, abusive relationship

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Dell for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a cute romance comedy. A woman from London, Iris, moves to the New York City. As she begins to find her footing in a new city, Iris soon finds a connection to Gio who runs his family's gelato shop. It was an overall heartwarming story, but I did feel like the secrets and messy relationships were a little too much and took away from the depth of the characters and their relationships.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

🌃Book Review🌃
*
Summary: When Iris decides to move to New York to restart her life, she realizes she underestimated how big the Big Apple really is—all the nostalgic movies set in New York she’d watched with her mom while eating their special secret-recipe gelato didn’t quite do it justice.

But Bobby, Iris’s best friend, isn’t about to let her hide away. He drags her to a famous autumn street fair in Little Italy, and as they walk through the food stalls, a little family-run gelateria catches her eye—could it be the same shop that’s in an old photo of her mother’s?

Curious, Iris returns the next day and meets the handsome Gio, who tells her that the shop is in danger of closing. His uncle, sole keeper of their family’s gelato recipe, is in a coma, so they can’t make more. When Iris samples the last remaining batch, she realizes that their gelato and her gelato are one and the same. But how can she tell them she knows their secret recipe when she’s not sure why Gio’s uncle gave it to her mother in the first place?

Iris offers her services as a chef to help them re-create the flavor and finds herself falling for Gio and his family. But when Gio’s uncle finally wakes up, all of the secrets Iris has been keeping threaten to ruin the new life—and new love
*
Rating- ⭐️⭐️⭐️
*
My thoughts: this one was good but slightly disappointed me. I usually really enjoy Josie Silver books but I thought this one was super forgettable. When writing this review I was actually struggling to remember character names and the plot. I just didn’t feel the connection to the characters like I normally do in her stories. This one is also heavy on the miscommunication trope so if that’s your jam then this is right up your alley. It will make you hungry for gelato though😂
*
QOTD- what is your drink of choice while reading ? I love a hot toddy on the weekends when I read at night. My husband likes to make me cocktails 😍but typically I’m a water or tea girl!
*
#winterinnewyork #josiesilver #bookreview #bookreviewer #bookstagram #booksofinstagram #booksofig #booksofinsta #bibliophile #booklover #bookaddict #bookaesthetic #bookish #booknerds #bookworm #bookwormsunite #bookobsessed

A really sweet holiday story about found family, community, and grief, with a lil romance thrown in. I enjoyed this book and thought the setup was unique, but the conflict mostly hinged on miscommunication which became frustrating to read after a while—the book could’ve also shaved off 75 pages and been better for it. The pacing was a little wonky and the big secret is revealed to readers long before it is revealed to Iris. Despite its length, the end felt very rushed and lacked any real resolution.

I did really love all these characters though, and Iris’s grief over her mother was very touching. Josie Silver’s writing is just easy to read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the e-Arc in exchange for an honest review.

This book had it all, complicated family history, misunderstandings, toxic relationships, sacrifice, and loss. Despite all the previous adjectives it was wrapped in a big swoony bow and you could just feel the love. This book felt like a hug at times and made you think about the concept of family and how it isn’t always the one you’re born into but found families as well. I adored this book and could not put it down no matter how disciplined I tried to be I just couldn’t stop reading. I’ll never look at gelato the same again. ❤️😍