This book had me yearning for a warm cup of coffee and a cozy blanket on a big cushiony couch. Josie Silver writes imagery of certain places beautifully. I was sucked in on her descriptions of New York City in the winter time. The romance in the book hit the right note of wistful yearning from the two main characters, Iris and Gio. Iris leaves London after she ends a terrible relationship and still reeling from her mothers passing. She meets Gio at a gelato shop and sparks fly. There's found family, strangers to lovers, and so many fun side characters. I do wish that some things were more fleshed out. Her past regarding her mother and past relationship were mentioned a lot but I didn't feel like I got any sense of who she was before she moved to NYC. The banter from chapter 1 between Iris and Gio faded so there wasn't much playful banter between them. While I did enjoy their romantic relationship there were missed opportunities Silver dropped the ball on. I wanted a better view into their relationship, but the scenes we do get are swoon-worthy. Overall I'm gonna give this a 4.3 stars.

Thanks NetGalley for the arc

This readable story centers around a gelato recipe. Iris is a little lost after moving to New York and her friend drags her to a street fair in Little Italy. She discovers a gelateria and she is intrigued because she and her mother made wonderful gelato as a special treat for themselves. The uncle who was running the shop has suffered a stroke and he is unable to remember the recipe for the special gelato the store is famous for. Gio, the nephew now running the shop, is trying hard to recreate the recipe. When Iris visits the shop, she finds a connection to her mother and realizes that she knows the special recipe. Because she doesn't know why her mother had the recipe, she is reluctant to tell the family that she has it. There are lots of bumps and misunderstandings and I through the story dragged a little as they worked through everything but it was a pleasant and different story with a happy ending. I give it three and a half stars. Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read this book in return for my honest review.

I loved this holiday book set in NYC. Overall, love Sophie’s work!
It was the perfect amount of light and emotional. I did notice a typo right in the first sentence of chapter 7: “sorry I just needed to get OUT of there”. My positive review is attached. Thank you so much for allowing me the privilege to read this early, I am so ready for the holidays now and can’t wait to get my hands on my physical copy when she book is officially released.

Love the setting being in New York, I really enjoy any rom com based there. Add in the time of year and this makes a perfect fall/winter read. I enjoy this author, and this is another good read. Follows the basic romance/chick lit feel for the book and one I'll recommend to customers.

I feel like the title is a biiiit of a misnomer - the book starts around September and thanksgiving doesn’t appear until around the 60 percent mark.

I’ve read two books by this author and found them to be poignant, introspective, character driven reads. This one was no different. This is completely a character driven story following the main character, Iris, dealing with grief following the death of her mother by following in her footsteps to New York City. Iris is also fleeing an abusive relationship, so she is in desperate need of a fresh start.

The writing was excellent and evocative, but I couldn’t help but feel that the main source of conflict was…fairly minor? The entire time, I kept thinking, “why doesn’t she just tell them the truth?” Stories where the entire conflict has to do with the main character keeping a secret from someone else aren’t my favorite, so I didn’t enjoy this one as much as I was expecting to.

I really enjoyed the Christmas vibes when they entered the story, particularly all the Italian traditions and customs (panettone!!). Overall I’d recommend this one, if you enjoy character driven stories with some holiday feels.

A Winter in New York by Josie Silver is a perfect fall/winter read. Searching for an escape, Iris goes to New York, the place where her mother was the happiest, looking for an escape. When walking through a food festival, she stumbles on a gelato shop that looks familiar, one she recognizes from her mother's photo album. She returns the next day to check out the shop and meets Gio who is struggling to recreate the secret family recipe after it has been lost. As Iris and Gio start to work on recreating the recipe, Iris has to decide what matters most: keeping her mother's secret or helping Gio save his family's shop. The characters in the story are rich and realistic; Silver doesn't shy away from exploring the challenges of family and relationships, instead allowing the reader to connect more with the characters. This story is perfect for readers looking for a romance with more depth, those who love New York, music, and food, or those who just want a story with both a found family and close blood family element. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

Aww I loved this book! It brought me pure joy while reading it and I know I need to have a physical copy on my shelf for a re-read in the future! This is a must read for long and cold winter nights!

I was so attracted to this book based off the cover and the title. Winter in New York is something I have dreamed about since I was a child and I really enjoyed how this book took me there. The description of the cooking in this book had my mouth watering. I loved the strangers to lovers trope and was cheering for love.

Thank you NetGalley for providing this eArc in exchange for my honest opinion.

Mourning the loss of her late mother and escaping a toxic relationship with a psychologically abusive man, Iris uproots her London life and moves to New York City, a place her mother loved as a young adult. Feeling more connected to her mother than she has since her passing, Iris allows her best friend Bobby to drag her out to explore the city. Which is how she stumbles upon the Belotti Gelateria, a feature in her late mother’s scrapbook. Iris meets Gio, the handsome shop owner, and learns that the business is in danger of closing because Gio’s uncle, the sole keeper of the store’s famous gelato recipe, is in a coma. When she samples the gelato, she instantly realizes that the recipe is the exact same as the gelato her mom made growing up, leaving her to wonder how her mom came to get the recipe and what her connections to Gio’s family really are. Iris offers to help Gio recreate the recipe. But when his uncle wakes up from his coma, all of the secrets Iris has kept threaten her new life and her budding romance with Gio.

Thank you @netgalley, @randomhouse, and @josiesilverauthor for the ARC! This was a heartwarming story full of love, loss, friendships, and overcoming past traumas. Iris’s character was so well developed and I loved her and felt for her so much. Her journey to overcome the trauma of her past relationship and live with the grief of her mother’s loss were so poignant and you couldn’t help but cheer her on. I loved how the Belottis embraced her and their family dynamic was so fun and felt so authentically New York and Italian. Gio was so well written to and I love his character and how he and Iris cared for each other. The slow burn between them was perfection. Overall this was a great read that lovers of the holiday, New York, and gelato will devour! A Winter In New York is available October 3! (On October 3rd, he asked me what day it was. Iykyk)

Obviously, if you pick up a Josie Silver romance then you know you are in for a well-written, heartwarming and compelling love story. And A Winter in New York did not disappoint. There's a baking together trope, an intriguing secret and a found family realization. While the novel is mostly told from Iris' perspective, we do get a brief peek into her late mom Vivian's side -- and that gave me, like, serious Daisy Jones & the Six (IYKYK) vibes. It's such a cute and compelling read that I was oh so eager to find out what was happening next.'

CW: Abusive relationship (Not the main love interest)

4 Stars

This was my first book by Josie Silver but it definitely won’t be my last. I got drawn in by the cover (I love it) and having heard good things about her previous book.

I loved the premise of the story and think it would make the cutest movie? It has While You Were Sleeping vibes! Overall, I really enjoyed A Winter in New York. I will say at times it seemed really slow paced, especially in the first 40-50%. This could be a me problem since the last book I read before this was a fast-paced fantasy.

I love loved the few chapters which tied the past into the story and also all the movie/tv show references throughout. The element of deception was kind of woven throughout the story and it gave me major anxiety the longer it went on. It’s nothing new in books and movies but if that’s an anxiety inducer for you, then know it will be for a big chunk of this story.

I personally would have loved more romance and build up to the main relationship on the page— more flirty interactions and signs that things were developing. It seemed like it went from friendship to more pretty instantaneously and I wanted to be feeling it more alongside them. I will say though, Gio is the most delicious cinnamon roll of a man! I would protect him at all costs and now really just wanna eat some Belotti’s famous vanilla gelato.

Thank you to Net Galley and Random House Publishing Group- Ballantine for the ARC of A Winter in New York!

In the winter, you need nothing more than to bundle up in a thick blanket, in front of a roaring fire, cuddled up with this book! One of the best books I have ever read and I can only dream of building a family like the one in this book.

Iris' mother was a 1980s rock star, and though she retired to London, regaled her daughter with her past in New York where she really took off in her stardom. Now, her mother is in an urn, and Iris has come to New York to discover who her mother was, and why she has a picture and recipe from a random gelato shop. At the gelato shop, she will meet Gio, who will do anything to keep his family together and keep the gelato business going another generation.

We can easily guess where the story goes from there, but the heart and love of Gio and his family is so incredible, I was pulled in from the moment we first meet him. When people talk about men written from a female gaze, they mean men like Gio. I would swoon over him any day of the week! And his sisters are just as rapturous!

If you only read one romance book this year, make sure you make it this one!

Josie Silver doesn't write what I'd call rom-coms. They have meet-cutes, and Happily Ever Afters, but they tend to be heavier than most rom-coms, even though some of them contain an element of magic. A Winter in New York is in the same vein -- a romance but not a rom-com. No magic this time. Instead, there's gelato, and a lot of references to classic movies and classic rock. Which, for me, counts as a different kind of magic.

Iris is 34, has recently lost her mom (who was only 52), and has recently escaped from an emotionally abusive relationship. She's been in New York a few months, where she knows a grand total of three people and tries not to leave her apartment unless absolutely necessary. Then she meets Gio Belotti and his gelateria, and finds herself twisted up in his life in ways she never could have imagined.

The whole gelato thing is really far-fetched but also really adorable. A secret recipe, family ties that seem super unlikely -- you gotta suspend a lot of disbelief for this one. But somehow it works. Iris and Gio are what you'd expect for two people who have been hurt and have a lot to lose -- awkward, shy, not at all smooth. But that's what makes them endearing, and you can't help but root for them, even when it seems that Iris has created such a huge mess that she'll never find her way out of it without hurting everyone involved.

The mess, by the way, could have been cleared up immediately if she just would have told Gio the whole truth at the beginning. I have a difficult time with books that rely on people digging a hole for themselves when there's an easy way out. I know, I know, we wouldn't have a book if the people in it acted rationally. But still. It made me frustrated with Iris, and it might affect you that way too.

I never got a great feel for who Iris was, but that's not surprising -- she's the narrator, and she doesn't really know who she is either, thanks to her former boyfriend, Adam. He's damaged her emotionally in ways she doesn't even fully see, so of course she probably doesn't see herself too clearly right now. I wish we'd gotten a bit more of an idea of who she was before Adam and before her mom died. We see some of that come out when she meets Gio, but not enough.

Speaking of Adam -- spoiler ahead . . . .


Why does he actually show up in New York like some third-rate comic book villain? The whole scene with him and Gio's family was pretty silly and not the way I would have liked to see this wrapped up. Iris lived in a storage unit for a few days? What? Who does that? So weird.


Anyway. I liked this one -- it's probably my favorite of Josie Silver's so far, and I look forward to her next one. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an eARC of this book.

Thank you to the publisher for a Netgalley of this one!

Though I am not much of a romance reader, Josie Silver is an auto read author for me. Coming from an Italian family, I loved reading about Gio's family and their interactions with each other, as well as, Iris. The same could be said for her upstairs neighbors/bosses/landlords/BFFs. I enjoyed their characters and what they brought to the story as secondary characters.

I did enjoy reading about Iris' life and how she got to this moment. The backstory of her mom's life and all the events leading to the present were also well done. My biggest qualm was Iris' ability to stick her head in the sand when it came to the lives of others. While she had been through a lot, her choices about the gelato recipe was kind of just weird. I also do not love the miscommunication trope and that was prevalent in this story.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing - Ballantine for an ARC of this book in exchange for honest feedback.

I’m very conflicted on this book. On one hand it was a very good book but it’s not very christmassy. I think if you’re looking for something a bit more festive there are better choices but this is a Josie Silver book so you know it’s going to be a great read.

I docked 1 star just because I felt the three flashback chapters were not needed. I understand what the author was trying to convey with those but I think she could’ve left them out of the story all together because they didn’t add anything for me.

Great book to read anytime!

Josie Silver can make love so real and flawed and, at the same time, so magical. A Winter in New York gives me the same spine tingles as One Day in December. I loved reading this and how two people with their own baggage can truly find something wonderful again. It will also really make you crave gelato.

Trigger warnings: grief/death of a spouse/loved one; emotional/verbal abuse; overcoming trauma.

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced reader copy.

I’ve read a couple books by Josie Silver and really enjoyed them, but this one just didn’t resonate with me. The plot, and specifically the conflict, felt beyond contrived. It was a particularly unrealistic Three’s Company episode. The characters and the descriptions of New York, and food and gelato were all enjoyable, but it was locked up in a plot I found thin and irritating.

This book redeemed itself a bit at the end, even if I did want to shake Iris a bit for her choices.

Looking at other ratings, I think I’m in the minority, so don’t let my opinion stop you from checking this one out. Josie Silver is a terrific writer and I still look forward to reading other books by her in the future. This one just wasn’t for me.

Rounding up to 3 stars.

Love a good holiday romance especially set in New York around Christmas. This romance had depth, found family, and lasting memories. It follows Iris as she escapes to New York after the death of her mother hoping to find happiness in the memories she has left. After a not so meet cute with Gio their connection and family ties are deeper than she ever would have imagined. Through music, gelato, and hope this book is a great book to your holiday tbr. I received this book as an arc for an honest review.

A Winter in New York...

This story follows Iris, she is setting out to New York to start her life over after her mother died and her relationship ended. While out in New York, Iris meets Gio. Well sometimes we aren't the biggest fans of Iris and her decisions, Gio and his family just make you smile.
I do think this story is a little more in the category of fiction instead of romance. Although we do see love between Iris and Gio. Gio needs to preserve the family's gelato shop, Iris sets out to help him. Finding family secrets and the perfect family recipe.
This is a great story for a cozy fall day, wrapped in a blanket with something warm to drink!

Josie Silver is one of my must reads — her characters are complex and make you appreciate both great writing and character building.

Iris lands in New York looking to heal from an emotionally abusive relationship and the death of her mother — whom used to live there. As she’s following her mother’s footsteps, Iris learns more about her past. Which leads her to Gio, the responsible thirty something widow single parent who is at the forefront of preserving his family’s gelato shop in the face of losing its proprietary recipe.

We come to love and hate Iris — who is a flawed (but realistic, because who’s perfect in real life?) main character. Some of her decisions are head scratching and you really want to tell her to wake up! Gio is a great guy, but almost too one dimensional in how good and normal he is.

The other characters — including Gio’s family and Iris’s best friends — definitely shine as secondary characters who are very developed. Because of their investment in Iris and Gio’s relationship, we come to also root for them to end up together.

New York and the gelato shop are also a draw of the book — making the city seem smaller and Little Italy in particular very community focused.

Altogether I really enjoyed this one. It wasn’t as lighthearted as the cover would suggest, but having read Josie’s other books, you know she writes about complicated, flawed, relationships.

Highly recommend a read for this fall and winter!

Thanks to Netgalley, Random House - Ballantine/Dell and Josie Silver for the ARC.