Thank you to Random House – Ballantine/Dell and Netgalley for this digital advanced copy in exchange for my honest review. This book came out on October 3, 2023.

I became a Josie Silver fan after reading ONE DAY IN DECEMBER a few years ago around the holidays. I was so excited to be approved for her newest book, A WINTER IN NEW YORK, when it was published in October, but I knew I wanted to save it for the festive season.

If you’re looking for a lighthearted, heartwarming story to kick off your holiday reading, I would recommend this. Although the plotline doesn’t scream “CHRISTMAS” at the top of its lungs, it’s a beautiful love letter to New York City (illustrated by the title, if it wasn’t already obvious). There’s a reason why people find NYC to be a magical place around the holidays, and this is a wonderful tribute to that magic.

While this isn’t a straight-up holiday romance, I would call it a combination of family secrets, strangers-to-lovers, and found family tropes with a sprinkling of festive cheer. I had “Fairytale of New York” constantly stuck in my head while reading.

Iris is a lovable heroine, navigating life without her mother while trying to find her own way with baggage in tow (literally). I enjoyed her internal dialogue, but I did struggle with the plotlines concerning her lying. I’m never a big fan of stories with lies at the center. I could find it somewhat understandable when lying is meant to protect her late mother’s reputation or to save others from hurt, but it’s difficult to swallow when entire problems could be solved just by telling the truth. Also, some of her decision-making towards the end was…concerning (giving up a stable job AND an NYC apartment with no roommates…in THIS economy?! Sheesh). I think those details are what held this back from being four stars, but it gets a solid 3.5 stars from me, nonetheless.

I adored the romance between Irish and Gio, despite, at times, its implausibility. Their banter (cucchiaino, *swoon*) was sweet, but not overly sweet (like the Belotti’s gelato, lol). Now, I think I need to watch Moonstruck. I’ve never seen it!

I love Josie Silver so I was so pleased to be able to read this! We start off with a Valentines Day mishap between two strangers in a book store. Six months later, Iris is working at her best friends noodle shop in NYC, missing her mom, and trying to outrun her seemingly abusive ex Adam. The only solice she has is her mom’s family secret gelato recipe and her best friend and his husband to keep her company.

Gio is a widower running his family’s gelato shop with his little sister Sophia. When their dad, Santo falls ill they lose their gelato recipe as he’s the only one with it memorized.

Based on an old photo of her mom and the gelato shop it was taken in, Iris and Gio cross paths. Iris quickly realizes Gio’s gelato is her mom’s gelato. But if it’s a secret family recipe for Gio and only santo has it, how is it possible it’s also HER family recipe?! Now she must help Gio get the recipe back, all while hiding the fact she actually has it but can’t explain why.

I enjoyed This but it doesn’t really give off “winter” feels like the title suggests. It really would’ve been better set in the summer but I supposed That doesn’t matter at the heart of the story. I really liked the relationship with Gio and his family and the good banter between Iris and Gio. I’ll always read Josie Silver so overall I recommend this one. Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5 (rounded up to 4)
✈️ to: New York City

A Winter in New York is Josie Silver (a fav author of mine!)'s newest romance novel, set in the big apple and chalk full of serendipity and holiday nostalgia, it's a great read to kick off the holiday season.

This story centers around Iris - a newcomer chef still dealing with the loss of her mother and starting fresh in the city she loved after fleeing an abusive relationship - and Gio - the Italian-American gelato maker trying to save his families shop after their gelato recipe is lost.

I enjoyed reading about Gio and Iris' romance and was pleasantly surprised that they were in their 30s - a rarity in the rom-com genre. That being said, this Josie Silver book wasn't as engaging as some of her others. It took me about a month to read, instead of the usual 24 hours. A lot of my friends are loving it though, so I think it's just a personal preference thing.

If you are looking for a book that is about the deep bonds of families (both big and small), second-chance love, and - of course - gelato, then this is a great choice!

#BookReview #Bookstagram #IgReads #Bookstagrammer #JosieSilver #AWinterInNewYork #RomComBooks #RomanceReads #RomanceBooks #BookWorm #NYC

Thank you, NetGalley for the chance to read Josie Silver's newest holiday rom-com A Winter in New York.
This was a fun read, but I wish it was more holiday-esque. A small portion of it takes place at Christmas time, but I wanted more of the winter magic I picture in New York!
I also wanted more from the spicy scenes! They felt a bit rushed and abrupt.
The storyline was still cute, and I enjoyed reading. I just wanted more

A winter in New York was one of my most anticipated fall 2024 reads. I really enjoyed the authors previous work and was excited to read another book set in the winter, in hopes that it helped put me in a holiday mood! Unfortunately, this book mainly consisted of fall transitioning to winter with only a sprinkle of holiday season towards the end.

Regardless, some things I did enjoy were the element of found family, the New York City setting, the deeper themes of grief and stress, and lastly the gelato!

While the pacing was slower than I’d like, it was still a pretty easy read to follow. I thought the ending was heartwarming and found Iris to be very relatable!

Probably more like 3.5 stars, which is solid but not spectacular.

I always find the period between Thanksgiving and New Year's to be a bit melancholic and I think those vibes fit this book well. While this is ultimately a romance, it deals with absentee parents, grief, and familial obligation well. I'll skip the recap because, ultimately, I think there are so many threads going on in the story that any attempt at making sense of them wouldn't go well.

Ultimately, those many threads are what lowered my enjoyment of the book (though I still liked it just fine!). The main conflict at the core of the book (Iris not telling the truth to Gio and his family) felt unrealistically messy and I couldn't find the reasoning for why she proceeded as she did, she should have been honest from the start. Alas, that would have made for a 25-page long book!

* Thank you to the author, Delcorte Press, and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review! *

I just visited New York for the first time and fell in love with the city so my first holiday book of the season had to be set there! Iris moves to New York from London to see where her mother lived and performed before she was born and to get away from a mentally abusive boyfriend. She hides herself away, living over the noodle house she works in. Her landlord/boss lives with his partner above her and that is the only relationship that she lets herself have. Until..... she goes with Bobby, the boss, to an Italian street festival and goes to a gelataria. The one thing Iris and her mom always had together was their nightly vanilla gelato. Little did she know that the recipe was a family secret, the family of the man that her mom once loved. The recipe that seems to be lost because only a few people in the family have it and the one that does now, is in the hospital and can't remember it. She tries to secretly make it for them without telling them that Santo had given it away once. She falls in love with Gio. (I forgot to mention their meeting at a bookstore in the beginning of the book that doesn't go well and she kind of says her ex is dead) Lots of complications arise until the ending which is a happy ending.

I have really enjoyed Josie Silver's holiday book and this is probably not my favorite but it is still a feelgood story for the season. One of the best families ever!

Thanks to Netgalley and Random House for a copy of this book for review.

"At the time I felt as if I was running away, but now, with the benefit of hindsight, I can finally see the whole messy, beautiful picture. I was coming home."

───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────

This warmed my heart as much as thinking about eating the Belotti's world-class vanilla gelato would freeze my insides in the middle of winter. Especially as someone who nearly freezes to death in the middle of summer. In the desert.

This was the perfect winter romance, full of characters as imperfect but still just as sweet as the multitude of gelato recipes they tried to re-create.

───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────

A Winter in New York is now available as of October 2023! Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, NetGalley and the author for the digital advanced copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Iris flees London to NYC to escape an abusive ex. While in NYC she finds ways to connect to her recently deceased mother. She stumbles upon a gelato shop from her mother's past and seeks comfort in their warm welcoming family.

Based on Josie Silver's previous book One Day In December, I excepted this to be a cozy holiday read. This book doesn't quite work for me - it's topics are heavy, the main character digs herself into a hole with a lot of BIG lies, and being from Boston area the climate just wasn't accurate for NYC.

I loved all the other characters. So quirky and fun were Iris's "found family." The book spans from about Halloween to New Year's with some very cozy Christmas scenes.

I really wanted to like this book and I contemplated DNFing at about 40%.

Iris moves to New York following the death of her mother and leaves her jerk of a ex-boyfriend back in London. She finds a job, makes some new friends and finds herself starting over. Along the way she stumbles into a gelato shop and meets Gio, a handsome man that has a connection to her mother that Iris cannot share. They embark on a friendship that quickly turns into something more. The secrets that she is hiding threaten not only their relationship but her happiness in this new city she has grown to love.

First of all I LOVE Josie Silver books, she has a knack for pulling your heartstrings and making you ugly cry!! This one was a little different for me. I liked the story and the characters but I am not a fan of keeping secrets. I get frustrated when characters are not honest with each at the beginning. I realize that this is a trope in many romances but it is just such a dealbreaker to me. I couldn’t relate to Iris or her motivation for keeping secrets so it was hard for me to really love this book. That said it is written well, the characters have great chemistry but the story is just not my favorite due to my personal preferences.

3 ⭐️

Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book was so much more than a holiday romcom. It was so deep and layered. Beautiful story telling. It truly felt like I was in the story as I read it.

4.75 stars
A Winter in New York, the latest release from Josie Silver, is a charming, touching story that perfectly sets the mood for the holidays.

Iris has narrowly escaped a troubled relationship, has recently lost her mother, and is trying to move-on by moving from the UK to New York City, a place where her mother was once truly happy. Iris happens to secure a job as a chef in a noodle shop and strikes up a friendship with the owner. In a self-protective manner, she has isolated herself to a small circumference and doesn’t venture out often. When Bobby, the noodle shop owner, her landlord, and close friend convinces the foodie in her to visit a local cuisine festival, she enjoys herself immensely, but more importantly, she discovers a place from her mother’s past that was meaningful and holds a story from a long time ago. Iris makes a connection with Gio, the owner of Belotti’s gelato shop, based on the need to recreate a long-held family recipe, and the two form a complicated, but tenderly sweet relationship that has many facets and far too many secrets.

This story starts strong and engaging, slows a bit in the middle, but the conclusion is utterly delightful. The family in this story is the epitome of the loud, loving, close-knit, Italian family that is nothing short of enviable. The descriptions are so vivid they are tangible, and the hurts the two characters are dealing with run deep and have left scars. Though I was frustrated by the lack of communication and the many missed opportunities to tell the truth, it made more sense towards the end.

A Winter in New York is a heartwarming and feel-good holiday story and a favorite of the season.

Thank you, Net Galley, for the chance to read Josie Silver’s latest, A Winter in New York. I really enjoyed the cozy New York setting, filled with a storyline focused on Italian family love, gelato and friends that become family. The plot line follows Gio and Iris, connected through a long ago storyline, find their own connection, separate from the past. A perfect read for the winter season.

This was the holiday-adjacent romance of my dreams. Beginning with a disastrous meet-cute in a bookstore (I mean, how perfect is that for every Bookstagrammer’s heart?!?), A Winter In New York have me all the While You Were Sleeping and Serendipity vibes, and now I need to add Moonstruck to my list of must-watch romance movies 😍

The found-family aspect of this one truly made the book! I adored Bobby and Robin, and can I just be adopted by the Belotti family?!? I loved Sophia, Bella, and Maria, and most of all, I loved how loyal and supportive they all were not only of Gio but also Iris. Stubborn, fiery, and imbued with the biggest hearts, they reminded me of the extended family I’ve been so blessed with in my life, and I couldn’t love them more 😍

I also appreciated baggage Iris had to work through. Het grief over her mother had me crying in the doctor’s office waiting room, and I just adored how interwoven her mother’s journey was with her own. And don’t even get me started on Adam! That man deserved everything that came to him, and while I wanted her to knee him in his junk or see Gio absolutely knock him out, the way Josie wrapped up that storyline was classy perfection ❤️

Read this book! Though it’s more holiday-adjacent, it warmed my heart and kept me company in the hospital while I was worried about my oldest, who had his first (and hopefully last) hospital visit the last several days. Thank you @josiesilverauthor @netgalley and @delacortepress for this beautiful gem. It truly made this last week more bearable, and gave me some light during a scary time ❤️

This book has turned into one of my favorite reads this holiday season. I love books with a feel of serendipity. Leaving her old life in London behind and ready for a fresh start Iris moves to a city so beloved by her Mom, New York. Visiting places on her moms old scrapbook she stumbles upon a small family owned gelato store. Here she meets Gio the owners son who is trying to recreate the family's Vanilla Gelato from scratch as his father is hospitalized and can't remember the recipe. Being that she was a chef back home Iris inserts herself into this family's dilemma. Gio a single dad feeling all the weight of the family business takes Iris up on her offer to help him but falling for her was not part of his plan. Could this be fate, Iris is feeling torn between telling the truth about the recipe and loosing this new found family. But when both her mothers past as well as her own collide will love be enough. This was such a heart warming story that made me swoon.

Hope you enjoy this book as much as I did.

This was a sweet story with many layers. I loved the New York setting at Christmas and enjoyed the found family aspect. Iris was a great MC who made some excellent personal growth through the course of the novel. The flashbacks with her mom were done well and added a nice touch to bring the background of their lives into the story. While the plot wasn’t what I expected, it was enjoyable and a quick read.

An enjoyable holiday romance with a nicely described New York setting. I enjoyed the past-and-present narration and the big Italian family.

Another fantastic book by Josie Silver. Every book of hers has been a 5 star read for me and this one was no different. I absolutely loved Iris and all the characters (except for Adam….he can eat glass!). The NYC setting in winter was perfection. This book was full of feels, from laughter to tears and everything in between. If you love HEAs, found family, romance and NY then you definitely need to read this one (even if you don’t like any of those things you still need to read it)!

I wanted to like this one so badly as I have loved all her previous books. Unfortunately this one missed the mark for me & I DNF'ed it. A sweet winter story from what I read, but not what I was expecting from this author & felt like it wasn't going anywhere. I will still happily try to read whatever she writes next!!

A solid 3-star read, possibly 3.5 stars - I loved so many things about this story, but the miscommunication ended up being too much. I don't know how Iris was functioning as a human around Gio, knowing that she was lying to him about two things that were such defining aspects of each of their lives. I would still recommend this book to friends though... I loved the NYC setting, the romance between Iris and Gio, and the Belotti family. And I am now craving vanilla gelato.