A Winter In New York by Josie Silver
Stars: 4
Spicy: PG, mostly behind closed doors

Will you like this book? You might if you like:

A serious tug on your heart strings and a good cry
New York City in the fall and winter
While You Were Sleeping
A bit of a mystery
Gelato

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

Josie Silver is definitely one of my automatic buys and it started with One Day in December. Silver doesn’t get the hype that Emily Henry does, but I feel like they have a lot in common. Both are writing romance novels but in their books, the growth of the heroine is just as important, if not more sometimes, than the love affair. These are mature people, finding love again after loss and trauma.

Iris is a British chef who fled to New York City a year ago at Christmas to escape her life in London. She is finally breaking free of an abusive relationship and decides to go to the city her late mother loved. Iris brings along her mother’s gelato machine and a recipe passed on to her, written on an old napkin. In the Fall following her arrival, she finds herself in front of Belotti’s, a cafe famous for their vanilla gelato. Sadly, they aren’t making it at the moment because only two family members can ever know the recipe and one has just suffered a stroke and the other is off traveling. Iris is shocked to find that her mother’s napkin is the secret family recipe and she is not sure how to give it back without causing some serious family drama.

Silver draws on a lot of rom-com references in the book, especially Moonstruck, but i think the real homage is While You Were Sleeping; Iris is the only child of an only child and being welcomed into the Belotti family is like when Sandra Bullock finds herself surrounded by Bill Pullman and his family for the holidays. The one person that can blow the thing wide open is off in a hospital. And for Iris, finding a home for herself gives her the courage to face her demons and go for what she wants AND deserves.

Silver has a way of just tugging at your heart, making you feel all the feels. And as I mentioned, though this is a romance, the love of family, of a parent for a child, of friends, are just as important as the chemistry simmering between the MCs. Iris and Gio are not naive 20 year olds embarking on first love, they have been through tough times and they know they need to embrace happiness where they can. Plus there are a host of great secondary characters, including the city of New York itself. But I love Gio’s sister, Sophia, and Iris’ best friend, Bobby. They both act as perfect foils to the MCs and help move the story along. Smirnoff isn’t so bad either.

A Winter in New York just came out last week, but it will be the perfect holiday book to pick up when you want something just a bit serious but totally heartwarming.

Iris moves to New York after a bad relationship. She is not expecting to meet Gio or uncover the secret connection to his family. Will she keep it to herself?

I’ll love pretty much anything Josie Silver writes and this is no exception! This story follows Iris as she moves from London to New York for a fresh start after her mother’s death, with little more than her suitcase and her mom’s top secret gelato recipe. A chance encounter in Little Italy leads her to the same gelato shop in one of her mom’s photos. Soon she meets Gio, taking over the shop as his uncle is sick, and after one taste, it’s clear their connection goes far back, and there’s more to the story of how her mom got the recipe in the first place. This is a sweet story of new beginnings, second chances, and the power of chosen family.
Thank you to Random House Ballantine for the ARC in exchange for my honest review. This is out now!

Lovely, heartwarming book. When you combine food and romance, what's not to love?

This book isn't particularly groundbreaking, we've seen it all before, but sometimes you just need a romance book that is comforting and enjoyable.

After losing her mother and needing to escape an abusive relationship, Iris leaves the UK for New York. She comes across a gelato shop and realizes that the door is something her mother had photographed years before. Iris meets Gio, the son/nephew of the owners of the gelato shop, and comes to discover that only two people in the family know the secret recipe for their gelato: his father, who rarely comes around and doesn't know where his copy is, and his uncle, who is hospitalized with a stroke. Iris realizes that not only had her mother been to the shop, she also came into possession of the secret recipe. How can Iris help Gio and his family without giving away the secrets?

I loved the family, humor, and heart of this story. As much as I wanted Iris to come clean about her secret, I also appreciated how she was sensitive to how others would take the news. There are some misunderstandings in the tale, but they are all dealt with quickly and not drawn out in a frustrating way like in some books.

There are many contrived situations here, don't get me wrong. There are so many coincidences that it could have been laughable, but surprisingly it wasn't. I just went along for the ride and wasn't disappointed with the results.

I am now on a hunt for some gelato...

New to NYC, Iris, one day, meets the handsome Gio, who tells her that his 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?

What a wholesome story this was. Not just one but two love stories have been portrayed in this book. Each is different yet similar to each others. I'd say what a plot-driven book this was. There were so many things going on, but I didn't feel overwhelmed. The meet-cute was hilarious between Iris & Gio. Their chemistry was great & they felt so comfortable around each other. While I felt the first half of the book was a tiny bit slow, it made up in the second half. As I said earlier, the plot was really wholesome & the side characters were amazing.

Thank you Netgalley & Publisher for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

First thought: What an amazing story, this book took me by surprise. I instantly fell in love with the characters and became immersed and couldn’t out this one down. It was beautiful story that was heart warming, emotional, tender and leaving you wanting vanilla gelato.

Iris was raised by a single mom the two of them against the world. When her mom died of cancer she was left alone in this world, and fell prey to a horrible excuse for a man: Adam. Last year on Christmas she packed a suitcase grabbed her gelato maker and left him to start a new life away from London in New York City.

Iris is slowly putting her life back together and trying to find joy again. She was lucky to stumble across Bobby her instant best friend who took her in, gave her a job and roof over her head. He is the family she never had. Iris is a trained chef and she has a top secret vanilla gelato recipe that her mom gave her that is to die for. Bobby drags Iris to a local food festival to get her out of her tiny bubble and she stumbles across a door to a gelato store that looks so familiar even though she’s never been there before.

Gio lost his wife seven years ago and has closed his heart off to love so he can focus on raising his daughter. He runs his families gelato shop that has a secret vanilla gelato recipe for the last 100yrs only issue is they have lost the recipe and if he can’t figure out how to recreate it he will fail his family.

Fate has decided to intervene and a secret gelato recipe that was shared between lovers over 30yrs ago is the key to Iris and Gio’s future. This story is about connecting with your past, finding family, new beginnings and the strength secret and lies can hold.

Tropes you’ll find:

* Fated Love Story
* Lies & Secrets
* Italian MMC
* British FMC
* Single Dad
* Found Family
* NYC Holiday

★ ★ ★ | .5 🌶

18+ | Check TW

!! POTENTIAL SPOILERS AHEAD PROCEED WITH CAUTION !!

*A special thank you to Netgalley and Random House for early access to this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.*

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It’s never too early for winter/Christmas reads. At least, in my book. Though, I struggled with this one a little bit. The premise is great and I liked the story. But I found the execution to be lacking.

To begin, the characters needed more development. The most developed character was Vivien— Iris’ mom and she was dead. I didn’t really believe the chemistry between Gil and Iris, either. It just seemed so sudden, there was literally no build up. I just wanted more from all of the characters, especially considering the complexity of the story.

Also, the plot needed more development for the book to be as long as it was. There were spans of time where the book just felt like filler. I think that if Santo and Vivien’s relationship had been longer and the flashbacks to them paralleled Gio and Iris, the story would have flowed better. I mean, the main plot line of her helping him find the gelato recipe was over halfway through the book.

What really redeemed the book to me was the ending. I know the scene with the ex boyfriend was super cliche and cheesy, but I ate it up. Gio and his family sticking up for her and becoming her surrogate family made me warm in the best way.

The story in A Winter in New York was absolutely adorable! It follows Iris who moved to New York City for a fresh start. She chose NYC because this was considered a happy place for her mom who recently passed away. 

Iris doesn’t have a lot of family and doesn’t know anyone in the city. She found a job at a noodle shop and now lives above it. She quickly became best friends with Bobby the store owner. 

One night they went to a feast in little Italy and passed by a gelateria which she remembered seeing a picture of in her mom’s photo album.

The next morning everything will immediately change for her. Gio Belotti, who works there, tells her the shop is in trouble because the sole owner of the recipe is his uncle, and unfortunately he is currently in a coma. Iris dedicates her time to helping with figuring out the recipe. In this journey, you see sparks fly between Iris and Gio. 

I loved the Belotti family and how close-knit they all were. It was heartwarming to see how they had taken Iris into the family as if they knew her forever. 

Iris's character showed such growth by the end of the story that it made me so happy to see. 

I loved learning that Iris and Gio’s lives were intertwined more than we had first thought. As if there was an invisible string between Iris and the Belotti family all along.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Ballantine for an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

A Winter in New York by Josie Silver

Content warning:

- Abuse
- Death of a spouse
- Domestic abuse

A Winter in New York is a fun holiday story about Iris Raven, a woman who moves to New York to leave her life in London, and all of its shortcomings, behind. When she recognizes a gelato shop’s door in Little Italy, it starts her down a path of finding a new family and exploring her mother’s past.

All about found family and romance, A Winter in New York is a cozy, heart-warming read that makes you root for all the characters. If you read A Winter in New York and you liked it, you may enjoy With Love, From Cold World by Alicia Thompson.

A Winter in New York starts on Valentine’s Day, when Iris Raven is in a book shop trying to get the third book in a series. A mystery man gets there first, grabbing the book before she can. Noticing the ring on his finger, she comments that he can probably just go do something with his wife, rather than take the book. He sees a ring on her finger—from her mother—and shoots the comment back at her.

Iris, who moved to New York to escape an abusive relationship, says that her husband is dead. Though she’s never had a husband and her ex, Adam, isn’t dead, she keeps telling herself that he is to help calm her nerves. The mystery man is horrified and tries to give her the book, but she runs out of the shop, feeling guilty that she lied.

Months later, Iris’s new friend, Bobby, drags her to a food festival in Little Italy. While there, they come across a gelato shop that look familiar to Iris. When she goes home, she takes out her mother’s photobook and finds a picture of the gelato shop. A handsome man is standing in front of it, and next to the picture is a napkin with a scribbled gelato recipe.

Iris recognizes the recipe, as it’s the one her mother always made, and swore Iris to secrecy to protect. She goes to investigate the shop, and finds herself inside, talking to Gio, the man behind the counter. He offers her coffee and pastries, but informs her that there’s no gelato.

The two of them realize that they’ve met before (at the book shop months before) and Gio remembers what she said about her husband. He apologizes for the way he acted and reveals that he lost his wife—Penny—seven years ago.

Iris learns that there’s no gelato because Belotti family only allows two family members at any one time to know the super secret gelato recipe, and Santo—Gio’s uncle and adoptive father—just had a stroke, and can’t remember how to make it.

Rather than reveal to Gio that she, a complete stranger, actually has the recipe and could help him solve his problem, Iris offers her help in trying to figure the recipe out through trial and error. She realizes that Santo must have given the recipe to her mother, which he wasn’t supposed to do, and she wants to wait until she knows more about the situation to reveal that she has it.

Iris’s mother was in a band, and she inherited her voice. One day, she’s giving money to a street performer when the performer ropes her into the performance, asking her to sing instead. The video goes viral, and Gio’s whole family sees it.

Gio and Iris start to spend a lot of time together working on the recipe, and they become closer as they do. Iris practices the piano with Bella, Gio’s daughter, and later Bella asks Iris to perform with her at a school showcase. Iris doesn’t really want to, but she says yes because Bella is nervous and believes having Iris there will take some of the pressure off of her.

Iris does the performance and continues to grow closer to the Belotti family, even coming to their family holidays. The romance starts to spark between Gio and Iris, and they begin seeing each other once a week.

Right as Iris starts to feel like she’s part of the family, things start to go wrong. Her abusive ex, Adam, sees the videos of her singing and gets her number from Bella, claiming to be an old friend. Iris is on edge because she doesn’t like that he contacted Bella, and in his texts he claims that he might just come over to New York to see her.

Against Bobby’s advice, Iris texts Adam back and tells him to leave her alone. This results in more texts from him, which only makes Iris more paranoid. She can’t share with Gio, either, because he believes Adam is dead.

Iris knows she should tell Gio the truth about Adam, and about the secret recipe, but she doesn’t want to ruin what they have. Then Gio’s biological father, Felipe, shows up, and recognizes Iris right away as being Vivien’s daughter. He confronts her, and asks what she’s doing cozying up to his family, and she explains about the picture of Santo but doesn’t mention the recipe. Felipe says that Iris needs to tell Gio the truth about her mother and connection to the family, or he’s going to.

Iris is trying to figure out how to tell Gio the truth when Santo makes a surprise appearance, having returned from the hospital. He, too, recognizes her immediately, and she, Felipe, and Santo have a discussion about the situation. Santo maintains that she’s invited to the family’s Christmas celebration, though he doesn’t seem too happy about it.

At the Christmas celebration, Iris finds Santo and returns the recipe on the napkin to him, telling him that neither she nor her mother ever shared it with anyone else. He accepts the recipe, then tells her that he wants her to leave his family alone. She’s shocked by this, but does as he asks and leaves.

Felipe offers her a place at his storage unit, and she packs up her apartment, going to stay there instead. Iris sends Gio a letter explaining that she’s not actually a widower. Gio finds out about her being in the storage unit and is furious, coming to the storage unit and insisting that she go back to her apartment. He’s not happy about the lies, but he helps her move her stuff back in and tells her that they can talk about it.

The next day, Iris is waiting for Bobby to come home when there’s a knock at the door. She opens it to find Adam, who barges into her apartment and starts waging psychological warfare like usual. She’s trying to get him to leave when Gio, and his entire family, show up outside and start buzzing at the door.

Adam follows Iris downstairs, where Gio and his family are waiting. Gio reveals that he found out what Santo said to Iris, and he’s not happy about it. Bobby comes home right as Adam is introducing himself, and tackles him to the ground.

When Gio finds out who Adam is, he grabs him and throws him out onto the sidewalk, then Iris comes over and tells him to get lost. Gio’s entire family backs her up and claims her as their own—including Santo—and the story ends with Iris being happily folded into the Belotti family.

I always like to start with what I like first. This story has a wonderful backdrop, and it does a good job of making you feel like you’re spending a winter in New York. Everything, from Little Italy to Bobby and Iris’s building, feels like somewhere you’ve been before.

If you’re a fan of the found family trope, you’re going to enjoy this story. There’s something about the way that Iris walks into the Belotti family and finds her place that makes you feel warm inside. From her romance with Gio to her connection with Bella over their love of music, Iris is truly a part of the clan by the end of the book.

Another aspect of the book that I appreciated was the way Iris and her mother’s stories were intertwined. I appreciated how intricate the relationships were, with Felipe, Vivien, and Santo and Gio, Soph, and Iris.

I also felt that Iris’s predicament was realistic and nuanced. It had the right balance of giving her something to be guilty about without making her completely in the wrong. Santo’s order for her to stay away also felt so shocking, and yet so believable, that it made the conflict interesting and realistic.

I do have a few criticisms for this one. For the most part, I felt like the book was going along great up until the end. One thing that fell a little flat to me was Adam’s appearance at the end of the book. Throughout the story, we see him built up as some big villain, and when he does arrive, we don’t get to see much of this dynamic. I wanted to really hate Adam when he showed up, but he was so lame, it was difficult to really engage with this final scene.

Adam’s lack of believability also made the final show of support from the Belotti family a little more difficult to engage with. Of everything that happened after Adam showed up, Bobby tackling him to the ground was my favorite part.

The portion about Iris going to stay in the storage unit also felt weird and a bit off, especially when Gio comes to find her and just takes her back to her apartment again. I wish the final 10% of the book had gone down a little differently, and if it had, I might have been able to swing a four star rating for this one.

All in all, A Winter in New York was a fun, heart-warming romance with a strong found family theme. I think you would like it if you enjoy reading holiday books and books with musical themes.

Josie Silver books can be great or so-so for me and this one I really enjoyed. I truly liked the characters and though it was "light," it dealt with a lot of complexity in their lives. Communication could have fixed many things but that's just a pet peeve of mine. But overall, it was fun to see the characters develop along with the relationships. A warm book that will be high on my recommendation list for the upcoming holiday reading season.

A Winter in New York by Josie Silver is a great read to settle into a cozier season after a hot summer. Healing Iris happens upon a familiar storefront from her late mother’s photo collection from her days as a lead singer in a band. When Iris enters the storefront, she gets more than she ever bargains for when she realizes her history is closely entwined with Gio, a member of the family gelateria with whom she has crossed paths with before. While trying to unknot a recipe for the gelateria’s famous vanilla gelato, Iris realizes that she holds a closely held family secret. Iris and Gio’s chemistry alights the page and the other members of the Berlotti family introduce Iris to something she craves more than passion: family. It was nerve wracking to see how Iris and Gio would reach the finish line with their hidden secrets standing in the way of their happily ever after. Silver weaves together a beautiful community as delicate as heirloom lace which threatens to tear in the plot’s twists and turns. This isn’t just about romance, but also about finding your voice and choosing your place in the world.

I wrote about Silver’s use of the word “louche” in the September 29 edition of my newsletter, Vocabulary School. The discussion can be found here: https://tinyurl.com/3jmpe7hr

Thank you, Random House Publishing Group, Ballantine, Dell and NetGalley, for providing an eARC of this book. Opinions expressed here are solely my own.

4.5 stars rounded up!

If you’re a seasonal reader like me, A Winter in New York by Josie Silver is a charming and heartfelt romance that can help you make that transition into fall and winter reading. I adored getting to know Iris and the Belotti family with the autumn to Christmas setting in New York City in a novel that is also a love-letter to all my favorite rom-com films.

Silver’s novel from last year was one of my favorite reads for 2022, so my expectations were high for her latest book. It took me a few chapters to settle in, learning the characters, setting, and plot, but once I did, I was enamored!

Iris, a chef, has spent the last year in New York City just surviving, serving noodles in a noodle restaurant. She moved from London wanting a new start after a bad break-up and the devastating loss of her mother, Vivien. Iris chose New York because of her mother’s love for the city; Iris had grown up seeing the pictures and hearing her mother’s tales of performing with her band in the city, and she longed to feel closer to her mother again.

Thanks to luck or fate, Iris met George, the owner of the noodle restaurant, soon after landing in the city. He gave her a job and a place to live, and she’s been doing not much else but working. Thanks to her new best friend George, she’s finally venturing outside of her comfort zone when she recognizes the door to a gelato shop from one of her mother’s pictures. Stepping through the door changes Iris’s life, as well as the Belotti family.

When I started this one, the plot seemed a bit unbelievable, but Silver’s writing and enigmatic characters, her ability to make magic, had me believing. And while I thought the story would be fairly predictable, Silver managed to surprise me quite often. Most of the book is from Iris’s point of view, but we do get a few chapters about her mother’s time in New York, which was a cool throw-back to the city in the 1980s.

Iris and her mother loved to watch classic rom-com films together, and Silver alludes to several throughout the story. This romance gave me major While You Were Sleeping vibes, especially if you read the synopsis that mentions an uncle in a coma. In my advanced copy, there’s no coma, but the uncle has recently had a stroke and is in ICU. Also mentioned throughout the book: Meg Ryan, of course, the queen of rom-coms. But don’t let all the rom-com mentions make you think this one is strictly light-hearted. Like most of Silver’s romances, there’s depth and Iris’s and Gio’s lives have not been happy the past few years. They’re both dealing with trauma and grief.

My only complaint—the title is a bit misleading since more than half of the novel is set during the fall, with the novel including Halloween and Thanksgiving, as well as Christmas, but maybe that’s a trend for Silver’s novels since her previous book, ONE Night on the Island, took place over several weeks and not just one night. But I have been known to overthink things… Don’t worry, however, there is plenty of New York Christmas magic and snow!

A Winter in New York had me consumed, especially the second half of the book, which I read almost in one sitting. It’s a love story I would happily re-read, as well, which is always a sign of a good romance, for me.

A deliciously complicated rom-com, complete with a secret vanilla gelato family recipe! What could be more appealing? The book is about secrets, starting over, family, finding yourself and finding love. It’s hard not to fall in love with Iris and Gio and the whole gelato loving Belotti New York City family.

A WINTER IN NEW YORK - JOSIE SILVER
4.5⭐
PLOT
After loosing her mom, young chef Iris travels from London to NYC where her mother had the fondest memories. She makes a new friend and while being with him she finds the same shop present in her mom's old photos..curious she enters to meet Gio who reveals that his gelato shop is in danger of closing as his family secret is lost and as the keeper of the secret recipe is suffering from stroke and selective amnesia. Iris realises it's the same recipe which her mom used to make her but now can she tell Gio and his family that she has their secret recipe unknown to her how her mother had it in the first place .can this secret family recipe lead to the love she is missing in life?

MY THOUGHTS -
This was such a perfect heartwarming festive read set in my favourite NYC. There are quite a few serious topics underlying the story..grief, finding oneself, emotional abuse which has been combined well with the story.
I really enjoyed both Gio and Iris they were adorable together with enough romance and steam for me to enjoy.
Check if you enjoy holiday romance, self discover,n found family ( loud Italians), NYC and above all Gelatos !!

This was a truly beautiful story. Iris and Gio were both incredibly tender characters who have experienced so much heartache and grief. I loved them both and found myself rooting for them. I loved Gio’s big, loud, and loving Italian family, and the sense of found family that Iris developed.

For readers who loved One Day in December, this book has similar vibes, with a New York setting. I find Josie Silver’s books to be bittersweet, but in the very best way. I sobbed near the end of the book, which in my opinion is always a sign of a well done book. This book is perfect for lovers of cold NYC days, vanilla gelato, and Daisy Jones and the Six.

A sincere thank you to netgalley and to Random House Dell for an electronic arc of A Winter in New York in exchange for my honest review.

I started this book right after returning from my first trip to New York, which definitely had a positive impact on my reading experience. This an ensemble rom-com with a great sense of place and a flawed protagonist you still want to root for. If you're looking for a charming holiday read with some depth, this is a great pick!

Never before have I wanted gelato more than when reading A WINTER IN NEW YORK. For Gil and Iris, one spoonful of Belottii’s vanilla gelato is magical, comforting, and home.

But this story is more than sweets and re-creating a family recipe. Heavier topics, such as psychological abuse, starting over, and found family, are at the heart of this story. With main characters in their mid to late 30’s and one a widowed father, there is also a level of maturity and consequences to their actions that I really appreciated. Bobby and Iris’ friendship is one we all hope to have.

I loved all the New York movie references and locations too. For a book with “winter” in its title, it wasn’t over-the-top holiday. The story was much more than the season it took place.

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Dell for an advanced copy!

Many thanks to NetGalley, Penguin Random House, Ballantine, Dell Books for gifting me a digital copy of the latest book by a favorite, Josie Silver - 5 stars!

Iris fled London and her ex-boyfriend and escaped to NYC. A chef by trade, she got a job in a noodle house and met her new best friend, Bobby. Living above the restaurant and below Bobby, life is good. Bobby takes her to Little Italy where she spots a gelato shop that brings back memories of her mother and her time in NYC. When she meets the owner, Gio, sparks fly but Iris is holding back secrets that threaten everything.

While my reading tends to the slightly darker side, there are some authors that are absolute must reads for me and Josie Silver is one of those. Her romance stories have wonderful characters, relatable situations, and definitely make you feel. This one will also have you craving gelato - should I confess that I spent some time looking up gelato machines and that there is a recipe in this book? Pick this one up for sure - it will transport you to winter in NYC for sure!

I’ve read other books by this author I enjoyed but this one not as much. The story left a lot to be desired and the characters were not fully developed. I thought this was a fun holiday romance and it wasn’t. I

Enjoyed this book SO much. It was the perfect balance of light and airy, yet with a serious dual time line story. This was a unique storyline that I didn't want to end and was so satisfied with the way that it did. Josie Silver remains a must-read author for me! Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an eARC of this novel.