Too much gelato and not enough romantic development. Thought this was going to be a cute, light holiday read but I didn’t really have fun reading this. Had trouble buying into the romance and the central conflict dragged on forever for literally no reason. I love gelato, but this book may have ruined it for me.

A Winter in New York by Josie Silver was a letdown. I loved Silver’s previous books but this one didn’t live up to her past works. The title is misleading as most of the setting is actually before winter. The characters were not overly likeable and I feel like Silver missed the mark by providing just enough character detail to make a reader think they will get more, but it never happens.

The story itself was cute and I like the way Silver wrapped everything together at the end. Everything else missed the mark though. I feel like I didn’t get anything out of this because it felt half done and rushed.

This was a sweet book, but not my favorite, heartwarming-found family- and gelato

Iris ran from London leaving behind an abusive ex., she decides to move to New York to restart her life, she underestimated how big the Big Apple really is—all the nostalgic movies set in New York she’d watched with her mom while eating their special secret-recipe gelato didn’t quite do it justice. This is a romantic comedy that is told mainly from Iris's perspective, the first half was a bit slow, were parts that I got really bored, and was hard for me to keep reading, Sometimes I wanted to know some side characters a little better, Iris could have told her secrets way earlier, and there was too much focus on gelato, eventually became a bit distracting, light fun read, beautifully written, a tale worth reading for people that love woman's fiction. and cozy winter stories.

Thank you NetGalley and Publisher for the eARC. All opinions are my own.

I got an early copy of this through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

I really didn't like this book. I am definitely an outlier after seeing reviews, but I really didn't feel connected to any particular part of the book. I wish there were more parts with the mom's backstory (only three ish chapters?!) to add more depth to the story. The main character told a lie in the first chapter, and it haunts her the entire story... I felt like she wasn't giving Gio enough credit by keeping it from him and just kept making the situation worse. I think I should stick to the Christmas rom/coms because this felt like it was trying to be a lot deeper than I was expecting.

I love Josie Silver and her writing style and was beyond excited to receive a copy of this novel. While I did like it and liked all the characters in this book and the found family element I just didn't love the novel as a whole as much as I wanted to. I'm not even sure what it was that brought the rating down for me it just wasn't my favorite of hers. I liked the Christmas in New York element and the story of starting you life over after a traumatic event but something just didn't click with me. I'll give this one 3.5 starts rounded up to 4 would absolutely recommend it and everything else that Josie Silver writes just not my favorite. I want to thank NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballentine for the digital arc in exchange for an honest review.

After Iris's mom passes away and she leaves an abusive relationship, she finds herself in New York ready to start over. While at a festival with a friend, she recognizes a gelateria door from a photo her mom left her in a scrapbook. This leads to a very complicated situation and relationship with the owners, who are on a quest to recover their famous gelato recipe. Little do they know, Iris has what they need but how can she tell them without upheaving their entire lives because no one outside of the family is supposed to know.

I have gone back and forth and back and forth on three stars versus four stars. Ultimately, I am going to settle for four (3.5 rounded up) because I did like the writing, the setting and the characters. I become very frustrated at books where the main plot line could be solved with one mature, adult conversation. I guess I understand Iris's reasons for not coming clean but ultimately, she could have saved herself and everyone else a lot of heartache with just a little honesty. This definitely gives While You Were Sleeping vibes and I couldn't get mad at Sandy B in that movie so I can't get too mad at Iris here. I loved all of the rom com references because I adore those movies too. The Adam plot line got a little weird and unrealistic. I feel like that was definitely written with a movie scene in mind. Overall, I enjoyed Iris's journey and became big fans of Gio and all of his family. If you like rom com movies, this is a great book to pick up.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing/Ballentine/Dell for the ARC!

A Winter in New York had some great things going. I absolutely loved the found family aspect, both with the Belotti family and with Iris’s friend Bobby. I loved the food-centric plot and rich descriptions of gelato and all the Italian goodness. I also really liked Iris’s journey of starting a new life in a foreign country to escape an abusive relationship and deal with the grief of losing her mom. I just didn’t really love Iris. She was making bad choices left and right and I find it a little hard to sympathize for someone so hellbent on self-sabotage. For someone in her 30s, she read much more like a 20-something. I found some parts of the book to drag, thought the final climatic moments a bit underwhelming, and wished some parts had played out differently. Very sweet ending, though. Recommend to fans of contemporary romance with foodie plots, characters battling grief, and MC starting a new life in her 30s.

3.5 ⭐️

What the title of this one can't possibly make you understand is the layers of this one. It's about Iris, a woman looking for a fresh start. While trying to find that start, she finds a connection to her mother's past. Specifically, she finds out that a shop in Little Italy famous for their gelato is utilizing the exact same recipe for gelato that her mother has always made her. The story is then Iris unwinding how this can be. Oh, and she also falls for Gio, the nephew of the man thought to be the only guy who knew how to make said famous gelato. This one had lots of twists and turns, but was also a bit of a slow burn (which is not always my jam, so want others to know the pace) as Iris tries to figure out what's next for her, all the while navigating some pieces of her past that just won't go away. While I love the other two Josie Silver's I've read more, this was still a story I really enjoyed reading. Thanks to NetGalley for letting me have a dose of winter in the heat of August with this October 2023 release!

This was so cute and sweet!
Such a good book for the winter holiday time. I will definitely be purchasing and rereading! I liked how easy it was to visualize the setting. Such a fun read!
Heartwarming and puts me in the mood to watch a Nora Ephron film:)

Thank you Net Galley and Random House Publishing for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Read this if you like gelato!!! It’ll make you want to eat some appropriately 500 million times!!! The setting is Christmastime in NYC which always just seems magical to me, as someone who’s never been to NYC. Iris stumbles upon a gelato place that has connections to her mother & her past. She quickly becomes friends with Gio, his daughter & their family. However she doesn’t tell them the whole story and now it’s too late. This book was cute & a quick read & a fun wintery setting.

Thank you NetGalley for eARC in exchange for an honest review.

HUGH thanks to NetGalley and Random House-Ballantine for the opportunity to read A Winter in New York by Josie Silver. One of the very best feel good books I have ever read. (bring tissues).

Iris moves to New York to start over after a bad relationship, and stumbles into a job, best friend, and place to live all at once. She comes across a gelato shop that she recognizes from her late mother’s photos and wonders if it’s the source of her secret gelato recipe. While there, she meets Gio and discovers the shop is in danger of closing because his uncle had a stroke and can’t remember the secret family recipe. Amazingly, Iris is able to help but doesn’t want to disrespect her mother’s secret in the process.

This book packed an emotional punch while also providing the sweet feels of a rom com. The author manages to tackle grief, parental and spousal loss, and abusive past relationships all in a sensitive and meaningful way. The gelato shop was a charming setting to the New York backdrop. I enjoyed the book so much! My only complaint was the miscommunication involved some dishonesty, and though I could empathize with the FMC, it went on too long for my liking. Despite that, it’s a sweet, wintery read that is ultimately uplifting.

Thank you to Josie Silver, Random House- Ballantine, and Netgalley for an arc in exchange for my honest review.

I loved A Winter in New York! I’m a sucker for a NYC setting and it was magical. I think this story would be a perfect one to read this winter during a cozy night in.

Thank you to NetGalley, Josie Silver and Penguin for an eARC of A Winter in New York.
I have loved all of Josie Silver's book, so I was excited to read this one. Initially, I didn't think the gelato premise could quite carry this story, but I was mistaken. It is a beautiful story about love, loss and family traditions. The NYC setting is magical, yet the book really isn't entirely set in winter. There were a few times that I thought an event in the book needed more explaining and the 80's rom com movie references were a bit overplayed. However, Iris + Gio's story is genuine and heartwarming, 4 / 5 stars!

ugh i can’t wait to reread this around the holiday season. this was so precious and pure and ooey gooey sweet, im obsessed. ms silver really knows how to weave such a compelling story and the blossoming romance between iris and gio is the real love component. highly recommend checking this one out!

After her mother passes away and she breaks up with an abusive ex boyfriend, Iris moves to New York City from England to start fresh. She lives above the noodle shop where she works and has made friends with the landlords who live above her. She hasn't explored the city much but when her friend Bobby takes her to an Italian festival in Little Italy she recognizes something from her mother's past. It's a gelateria run by the Belotti family. One of her most treasured memories with her mother is making gelato together. What could her mother's gelato recipe have to do with this gelateria in New York City ? As Iris befriends the Belotti family she soon finds out her family's connection with this place and as she falls more in love with the entire family she is afraid of what will happen when the secret is eventually revealed.
This book is so warm and cozy. I love the author's descriptions. They make you feel as if you are right there walking down the streets of New York with Iris and Geo. I loved the entire Belotti family. The only thing missing was the secret recipe at the end.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book for review.

Looking for a sweet romance with gelato included? A Winter in New York shares two romance in New York stories. One story is current day with Iris who’s starting over in the city her deceased mother loved. After Iris settles into life in New York, she learns more and more about her mother’s time in the city back in the mid-80s. There are just enough obstacles to make this a delightfully light romance novel.

New York City with a lost Londoner, delicious gelato and true love…. What more can you ask for?

Sweet and spicy and so very Josie Silver! I have read all of her books and loved each of them for different reasons. A Winter in New York is a sweet romance that manages to lighten some tough topics without making you run away. Romance lovers get ready, Josie Silver has done it again!

Thank you to NetGalley, the Publishers, and Josie Silver for an ARC of A Winter in New York. I am not going to recover from this book for an unprecedented amount of time. Holy feels. I had to take a moment to process this before writing my review. I absolutely ADORED it. I was not in a Christmas mood before reading this (it’s August - spooky season time lol!) but now it looks like I’m skipping Halloween this year. Iris, Vivien, Gio, Santo. I would give anything to be apart of the Belotti family. The writing was amazing, the story straight to my heart. Tears, laughs, hanging on to see what happens next. I can not wait to read more of Josie’s books.

Thank you Netgalley and Penguin Random House for the Advanced copy of A Winter In New York!

I am a sucker for holiday romances and this did not disappoint.

Josie Silver really knows how to tug on my heartstrings!
I did find a few of the plot points predictable, but as a lover of rom-coms that is to be expected. The way I felt Instantly drawn into these characters, the secrets and lies, the DRAMA! this book really does have it all.