In this sweet holiday romance book, Iris uncovers a hidden family recipe, falls in love, and learns the power of mouthwatering gelato. Set against the backdrop of New York City from Halloween to NYE, this romance book covers more than just love.

It’s a story that includes uncovering new layers of a deceased parent, recovering from an emotionally abusive relationship, single parenthood, and family ties.

With secrets, romance, and a dash of culinary magic, this charming tale will leave you craving for more. My only complaint is that Iris kept the secret for a little too long.

Really enjoyed this book alot. Iris is alone in New York after losing her mother and getting rid of her mean boyfriend. She discovers a bakery that makes gelato just like her mother used to make. She soon discovers the connection to her but doesn't reveal it. Gio runs the bakery and his uncle is the only one who knows the gelato recipe and he has had a stroke and isn't speaking. Iris tries to help him figure out the recipe without telling him she has it. Gio and Iris fall for each other but there are some secrets and things that keep getting in the way.

I really enjoyed A Winter in New York—dare I say, *gasp*—even better than One Day in December. Josie Silver gets better and better with every Christmas romance book, in my opinion.

This holiday romance book has everything you could ever want in a rom-com; although, admittedly, it’s less com and more rom. There are heavier themes in this book than your average wholesome, cheesy Hallmark story.

The romance was perfection. A slow-burn, well-executed, makes-your-knees-turn-to-Jello kind of romance. I adored Gio.

I would have loved to see a little more depth to him, but the romance in general? Their banter, tension, and overall connection? Definitely a 10/10.

I mean, the fact that he affectionally calls her “little spoon” in Italian? Are you kidding? Too cute for words.

Check out my full review on my blog (linked below) for more of my thoughts!

First off, I will automatically add every Josie Silver novel to my TBR without even reading the synopsis. That said, this was my least favorite so far. One Day in December has a spot on my beloved favorites shelf, along with Lydia Bird. This one just seemed kind of far-fetched and contrived. And I wish we had gotten a bit more of Vivien.

Also - I am a lifelong believer of "why bother" with plain old boring vanilla but there is currently a tub of vanilla gelato in my Target drive-up order.

Overview:
After moving across the Atlantic Ocean to escape a manipulative ex-boyfriend and to immerse herself in the city that her late mother loved, Iris stumbles upon a charming gelato shop in New York that has somehow lost its secret gelato recipe. Iris quickly comes to the realization that she may be the only person left in the world that can save the shop, as it just so happens to be the same secret recipe that was given to her by her mother…

Thoughts: It’s books like this one that remind me why romance is my favorite genre! As a reader in my thirties (and a forever New Yorker at heart), this book had everything I wanted in a romance novel. Memorable and unique premise? Check. Romantic backdrop in a gelato shop? Check. Hot male romance hero (who is actually a kind and responsible human being AND just so happens to speak Italian)? Check. Although I was a huge fan of the burgeoning romance between Iris and Gio, what I was loved most were the flashbacks and Iris’s developing relationship with the charming and boisterous Belotti family, the perfect surrogate family for someone with essentially no family left in the world. I was moved by Iris’s grief and the lengths by which she chose to remain loyal to her late mother’s wishes. Throughout the story you could see how Iris continued to dig herself into a deeper and deeper hole, and yet I couldn’t help but want to root for it to all work out for her and Gio in the end.

Take home message: One of my favorite books of the year! Although this does not quite qualify as a second-chance romance, it will satisfy those who are fans of that trope. This book is bursting with charming characters - I guarantee that readers will fall in love with Iris, Gio, and the rest of the Belotti family.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for this digital ARC!

This a great lighthearted holiday romance. The New-York-City-during-the-holidays setting really brought some magic to a story that probably otherwise would have just been okay. I loved all of the rom com references and the way they were incorporated into the romance. Where it went sideways for me was with the main character. She made some decisions that I could not wrap my head around. However, character-wise everything else was great - the hero is swoon-worthy and there are a whole cast of endearing side characters. Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing - Ballantine, Dell for an advanced copy.

One Day in December is one of my favorite books so when I heard Josie Silver was releasing a new winter romance I couldn't wait to read it! This book is the ultimate in cozy. I felt so relaxed and happy reading this book all still while being invested in the story between Iris and Gio. Josie Silver's writing is so beautiful and descriptive it was easy to picture this delightful story unfold as I read. Definitely recommend to anyone who is looking for a cozy romance to read this winter.

Josie Silver is one of my go-to comfort read authors. Her books are lighthearted but have such good characters with so much depth that I feel like I am walking along in the story next to them. I was transported to Geo's gelato shop in A Winter in New York and could taste the vanilla in my mouth as I read. Iris and Geo are amazing characters with real fears, motivations, and accomplishments. This is a love story to remember!

This was the cutest, sweetest little Christmas story that will give you ALL THE FEELS. There's a review posted warning readers to make sure that they have ice cream/gelato in their freezer, and that is FACT! Be prepared for this one to sweep you off your feet. It is the perfect way to kick off the holiday season!

Cute & cozy!

Thank you Netgalley and Josie Silver for the opportunity to read this ARC!
What a beautiful and cozy story, set in New York for the perfect winter read.
It feels like a Hallmark movie in the best way.
The main characters are impossible to not fall in love with and the history within the plot keeps you reading for more!

This book started out with the best meet-disaster AND was full of vanilla gelato. What else could you possibly need?

Iris sets off to New York to escape an abusive relationship and start over in the city that her mother, who died of cancer, loved and wrote about in her journal. While out at an Italian festival with her friend and boss, Bobby, she passes a door that seems familiar. She realizes it's the door in a photo of a man that her mother kept along with her gelato recipe. The gelato recipe that's brought comfort to Iris throughout her life. Determined to figure out the connection between her mother, the door and the man, Iris heads back to, what turns out to be Belotti's Gelateria. There she meets Gio and her whole life flips upside down.

Gio and his family are scrambling to recreate their famous vanilla gelato recipe after the only person who knows it, his uncle/father figure Santo, has a stroke and is in a coma. If they cannot recreate it and Santo never wakes, it's the end of the Belotti legacy. Iris soon realizes that her mother's recipe is actually the Bellotti's recipe and if she reveals that she has it, it will cause chaos within Gio's family so instead, she offers to help him recreate the recipe.

The more she works with Gio and his family to lead them to the recipe, the more she falls for them all. While piecing together the connection between Gio, his family and her mother Iris struggles with the lies she's told and the secrets she's keeping and prepares to run. Breaking her own heart to save the Belotti family legacy is a chance she'll have to take.

I enjoyed the way that the past collided with the present in this sweet story that reads more women's fiction than pure romance. The angst of when and how Iris's secrets will be revealed kept me on my toes. The growth that we see in Iris along with the strength of Gio's character and the love that flows through the Belotti family, this made for a great winter read.

Grab a blanket and a hot drink and curl up to read this sweet story today!

*I received an ARC from NetGalley for voluntary/honest review

I absolutely adored everything about this Little Italy love story. Maybe the familiarity of the setting just felt comforting to me, but after a few weeks of feeling slumpy in my reading, this one pulled me out of my funk and made me feel excited about reading again.

Iris is a chef from London, who ran away to New York City to escape an emotionally abusive relationship, and also to relive her musician mother's happiest moments now that she has passed. On Valentine's Day, she decides to treat herself to a new book, but ends up getting into an altercation with the man who reaches for the last copy just seconds before her. Several months later, she is visiting the San Gennaro festival in Little Italy with her boss and landlord, Bobby, and sees the magical looking painted door of Bellotti's Gelatoria, a landmark that figured prominently in her mother's scrapbook. She discovers that the man behind the counter, Gio, is none other than the man from the book store, and that her mother's special recipe for gelato is the same as their closely guarded family recipe. Past and present collide, and their relationship grows despite being predicated on several lies. I loved all the rich side characters in this story, Gio's big, boisterous Italian family, and Iris's protective "big brother" figures in Bobby and his husband Robin. I felt Iris's emotional struggle as she wanted to do the right thing and come clean to Gio about her true identity and how she fits into his family history, while also protecting their feelings and honoring her mother's request. New York City is also the star of the show, with its Little Italy and adjacent Chinatown setting featuring prominently, though as a native NY-er I was slightly confused by the references to Iris wearing knit scarves and hats and the cold weather in parts of the story that were supposed to take place in September and October (definitely still warm here then 😅). I also wouldn't call this one a holiday rom-com, but more a family drama with romantic elements that happens to take in the months leading up to the holiday season.

AMAZING! This book felt like a warm hug! Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for another wonderful winner by one of my favorite authors Josie Silver!
The book centers on chef Iris who moves to New York for a fresh start. While she's at street fair in Little Italy she tries a gelato that tastes exactly like here. The family shop, which a connection to her mother is endangered of closing and handsome Gio, who helps with the family business says they are in desperate need for the recipe to the gelato. Without giving too much away Iris finds herself falling for Gio and the family and is thrown into a dilemma of what to do.
The book was pure cozy. It's the perfect read for the holidays and winter. It brought me so much needed joy. I can't recommend this charming book enough!

I wanted to love this!! But 25% in I was still feeling like the pacing was far too slow and the characters not developing/real. I’m still planning to try Josie Silver’s “One Day in December.”

I loved this book!! It made me went to set up my Christmas tree while indulging in a big bucket of vanilla gelato! I loved everything about this book!! I highly recommend!!!!

This was good, but also a much heavier read than I was expecting.

Don’t be fooled by the cute RomCom style cover. Though the book has plenty of moments of levity and holiday cheer, it deals with a lot of heavier subject matter, particularly emotional abuse and stalking.

I would have preferred a lighter touch and more focus on the holiday festivities, though I did think Silver did a good job of handling some tougher themes. I’m generally not huge on the tragic backstory in holiday romances, but at least this one doesn’t leave you feeling jerked around.

I really enjoyed the found family aspects of this and it has good holiday atmosphere. And Silver has given us a terrific heroine and a central relationship that is easy to root for.

a winter in new york was sweet and filled with nostalgia as you weave through iris and goo’s complicated love story. this book took my awhile to get into and i definitely found that it dragged in places but it was all in all a sugary sweet romance

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for the ARC of A Winter in New York by Josie Silver. This is my second Josie Silver book and certainly won't be my last. I found the initial plot set up to be a bit far fetched and frustrating. I've also figured out that I really don't like miscommunication troupes. However the book grew on me and I loved it by the end. The side characters are also fantastic and I adored the found family aspect. I would highly recommend this to anyone looking for a light Christmas romance that has some deeper themes.

This is a really sweet romance with an interesting subplot. Iris moves to NYC to get a fresh start while fleeing a toxic relationship. She stumbles upon Gio and his family’s gelateria. But it turns out that her mom has a history with Gio’s uncle and Iris accidentally finds herself caught up in an increasingly larger web of lies.

I will say that a major plot driver here is miscommunication which I usually don’t like. But I actually think it works in this book better than most because of the complicated backstory. The author manages to make everything fit together in the end. I think she wrote two good characters here. They are flawed but we want to root for them!

This wasn’t my favorite of Josie Silver’s books but I really enjoyed it. She is an absolute auto-buy for me.

4.5⭐️

Iris, a trained chef, fled London and a painful past for New York City, the place her late mother’s music dreams began. She’s hoping that by visiting her mum’s old haunts, she’ll find her own happily ever after.

Gio is a strait laced, by the book guy who’s tasked with keeping his family’s gelateria open after his uncle (the only person who knows the recipe) falls ill.

Fate, and family secrets, brings Iris and Gio together but can they overcome all the obstacles they face to find the love they both deserve?

I have enjoyed most of Josie Silver’s books and I absolutely LOVED this A Winter in New York. The MCs are solid and grounded with a supporting cast that are so sweet and charming. There is so much heart and love and grace in these pages and I literally couldn’t stop reading.

I loved:
The slow burn between Iris and Gio
Iris wanting to honor her mother’s secret
The entire Belotti family
Gio’s desire to uphold tradition
Bobby and Robin’s acceptance of Iris into their lives and their unwavering friendship
Iris coming into her own and taking control of her path forward

My issues:
The stubbornness of both Iris and Gio. Her for not sharing her past earlier and him for shutting others down when they’re trying to help.

Trigger Warnings:
Death of a parent
Emotionally abusive partner

Thank you NetGalley and Random House-Ballantine for the advance copy.