Sorry to say this was a miss for me. I was bored by the "vanilla" story. So much unnecessary lying and the gelato recipe thing was just getting old. At first I had a hard time figuring out if this was a romance or if the two main characters were actually related? The abusive ex storyline seemed to forced and the end (specifically the part with the cat) was so silly. I also only think of Haunting Adeline when I hear "little mouse." Bobby and his husband were really the only fun parts. All of the Belottis and their relationships were confusing and I guess I just didn't really like Iris.

2.5 stars rounded up

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book made my heart sing! Now that October is coming to a close, I am ready for everything holiday/Christmas. Throughout the book, I found myself cheering for Iris and her desire to start over anew. I really enjoyed that this book encompassed more than the typical holiday romance novel - it covered some complex topics and really allowed me to feel. I laughed, I cried and I recommended this to all of my friends! Thanks so much for the ARC, NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine!

It takes me forever to finish “reading” vs listening to books. That said, Josie Silver is always a must read for me and her latest did not disappoint. This book tells the story of Iris, a girl from England who moves to NYC after her mother dies. Iris is escaping a toxic, abusive relationship and in her new city, she finds a job as a chef, and good friends. One September evening she stumbles upon a gelato store and by doing so, she begins to trace her mother’s footsteps to the same establishment. She meets Gio Belotti and his family and falls in love. I found this love story sweet-Gio is so dreamy! But while I found the main conflict not a conflict at all in my mind, I chose to willingly accept it as such and just enjoy the story. This is a romantic, sweet love story that had me smiling throughout. Thank you to @netgalley and to @randomhouse for the arc which is out now! Thank you to @josiesilverauthor for another amazing read!

Josie Silver is a favorite writer of mine and this book didn’t disappoint.

Reeling from her beloved mother’s death and fleeing an abusive relationship, Iris leaves England for New York City, the city her mother fell in love with as a young singer. A chef, Iris soon finds work in a restaurant and her boss/landlord, Bobby, becomes a good friend. On a visit to Little Italy, Iris recognizes a gelato place from a photo in her mother’s scrapbook. Iris visits and soon becomes involved with the family who owns it. Unfortunately she realizes she met the owner’s nephew, Gio, soon after she arrived in New York, blurting out to him that she was recently widowed. Problem is, Gio is a widower with a teenaged daughter so Iris’s lie seems cruel.

To further complicate matters, not only is Iris falling in love with Gio, but she has possession to the family’s secret recipe for vanilla gelato which the owner (with whom Iris’s mother had an I’ll-fated relationship) has forgotten since having a stroke.

As convoluted and contrived as the plot may sound, it actually works, even if I didn’t understand why she wouldn’t just tell Gio that she has the recipe. Also the timeline didn’t always work—although certainly a few of us who were young adults in the mid-eighties have died, most of us are still alive and not even grandparents. A very enjoyable romance, but don’t analyze it too deeply. #AWinterinNewYork #NetGalley

Heartwarming. Beautiful. Emotional. Josie Silver is becoming a favorite author for me. Iris’ mom flashbacks added an extra something to the story. Iris and Gio are so cute together, from their bookstore meetcute to working together to recreate a gelato family recipe. Definitely rooted for these two from the beginning.

I've loved each and every Josie Silver book I've read! While they're each completely different, all have the same warmth and care.

The details are spot on, the characters are lovable and relatable, all resulting in a great fall, cozy read.

#AWinterinNewYork #NetGalley #RandomHouse

I requested this book from NetGalley because I absolutely LOVED One Day in December and was hoping this would be the same kind of whimsical, soft, missed connection romance which kept you reading until it was through. Unfortunately for me, this wasn’t the case.

The idea is original and the writing is fine, but it just didn’t pull me in. I just kept thinking if she would just fess up then the story would be over, but it was just drawn out so much and I had a hard time continuing.

There were definitely some positives. I loved the descriptions of NYC at Christmas time, the flash backs and the overall premise of the book.

Thank you to NetGalley, Josie Silver, and Random House Publishing Group - Ballentine for the eARC in exchange for an honest review. All views and opinions are my own.

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!