"A Winter in New York" by Josie Silver is a heartwarming tale that beautifully weaves together themes of love, loss, and the power of found family. The story follows Iris, who, after enduring the tragic loss of her mother and escaping an abusive relationship in London, embarks on a journey to New York City to reconnect with her mother's cherished memories.

One of the standout elements of this novel is the remarkable cast of side characters that bring the found family theme to life. Their genuine gestures and unconditional acceptance create a heartwarming atmosphere, making the reader feel a part of their circle. The connection between Iris and the people she encounters at the gelateria in Little Italy adds depth to the story, culminating in a tale that feels both authentic and moving.

The development of Iris and Gio's romantic relationship is another highlight. It progresses naturally, without feeling forced, and their chemistry leaps off the pages. The reader is taken on a delightful journey as they evolve from strangers to friends and, eventually, lovers. Josie Silver masterfully captures the nuances of love, vulnerability, and emotional growth, making the reader root for the couple throughout.

The novel's setting during Christmas time in NYC enhances the overall experience, adding a touch of magic and enchantment to the story. The author beautifully captures the festive atmosphere of the city, making it the perfect backdrop for the heartwarming tale of love and self-discovery.

However, despite the many strengths of the book, there were a few aspects that fell flat for me. The extensive focus on gelato and the accompanying store drama seemed to dominate a significant portion of the story, taking away from the core themes of found family and romance. While the Italian roots and gelato theme initially seemed intriguing, it eventually became a bit overwhelming and distracting.

Some of the secrets that Iris kept from Gio felt unnecessary and strained credibility. Although they were intended to create conflict, I found it hard to fully support Iris in these moments, as they seemed to contradict the growth and honesty that had been established throughout the rest of the book.

Overall, "A Winter in New York" is a cozy read if you're into found family vibes, Italian roots, and a mix of women's fiction and romance. It's got all the feels and some Christmas magic sprinkled in. So grab a cup of cocoa, snuggle up under a blanket, and dive into this heartwarming NYC adventure!

I really loved this book.
Iris and Gio are so cute together.
I loved reading about Iris finding her way through grief as well as coming back from a terrible relationship. I rooted for her the whole book. I loved the flashbacks with her mom as well so you learned more about Vivien and Santos relationship. The Belotti family seems so fun and so full of love! It was fun reading about the siblings and their antics.
it's a light and fun read.
I didn't want to put it down.

Josie Silver did it again!!! Such an amazing book with a beautiful intertwined love story. I felt the ending was a bit rushed but overall so great.

Iris moves to New York City from London to restart her life; her mom has recently passed away and she's coming off an abusive relationship. She visits a street fair in Little Italy and comes across a family-run gelato story that looks to be the same shop she saw in an old photo of her mother's. Iris returns to the store and meets Gio and he reveals their family guarded gelato recipe is at risk - only two people in the family know the recipe at a time and one of them is in a coma. She then tries to help Gio recreate this recipe.

This is a very atmospheric winter story set in NYC.I loved some of the side characters in this story - Gio has a very welcoming family and Iris' best friends Robin and Bobby helped give her comfort and security. There is a LOT of gelato talk in this book! I enjoyed Iris' personal growth finding confidence in herself and her self worth after coming from an abusive relationship. This story is about family, history, secrets, and love at first sight. I would say this isn't a favorite of hers for me - it was tough connecting with the characters, it felt a bit slow, and a couple plot points lost me.

Recommend if you enjoy
-Winter in NYC scenes
-Gelato and foodie books
-Big supportive families and found family
-Characters that go through a lot of growth

I LOVED THIS BOOK. the premise, the writing, the plot. loved it. my only complaint was that the neding was extremely rushed and could have been more fleshed out. another win by josie silver!

Iris, pretty fresh off a plane to New York, goes to a festival in Little Italy when she stumbles upon a gelato shop she swears she’s seen before… come to find out, there’s a picture of the door in her mothers scrapbook… along with the family who owns the shop’s secret gelato recipe. She immediately goes back the next day, hoping to find a connection between her mother who has passed on, and this family. Iris meets gelato-shop-owner’s son Gio, who informs iris the shop is in danger of closing if they can’t find this recipe. Iris decides to help this family, but try to keep the fact that she knows the recipe a secret.

I have read all of Josie Silver’s books, so I guess you could say I’m a fan and know her work!! I LOVED the idea behind this book. Josie does a great job of making the plots of her books more than just a 1-dimensional romance; she adds character, details, and emotions.

While I loved the idea of this book and did in the end enjoy it, I felt that there was way too much time spent describing Iris being guilty about keeping her 2 secrets (Adam not being dead, and the gelato recipe). Also, while I think Josie typically adds a great amount of detail, I think this plot had too much going on. In my opinion, I think the book could have done without Adam coming back into Iris’ life and DEFINITELY not come to New York. I think that really took away from this being a romance book to giving it a thriller aspect
I don’t think it needed.

Overall this was a fun Christmas novel, and I am still a Josie Silver fan :)

A former chef finally escaping her abusive ex-boyfriend in London finds herself building a new life in New York and grieving the recent death of her mother and eating the secret-recipe gelato that she shared with her mother... yet when she stops by a famous gelateria and discovers that it's the same shop that was in an old photo's of her mothers and that the secret recipe is related to this family run place... she soon finds herself falling for the handsome gelatio maker and trying to figure out whether or not she can tell him that her mother's secret recipe is the same one that his family is missing. Iris is living in New York after having had to escape her abusive ex in London. She's building a new life for herself and trying to not look over her shoulder afraid he's come back for her. She's also grieving her mother's recent death. Iris and her mother shared a secret family gelato recipe, one that her mother swore her to never share with anyone. Yet when Iris comes to a gelatio shop run by the handsome Gio who tells her that his family owned shop is in danger of closing because his uncle who was the sole keeper of the family's gelato recipe has had a stroke and now they can't make anymore and only have one sample left, Iris also discovers that the shop is the same one in an old photo her mother had and after trying a sample realizes that it is the same one from the recipe her mother gave her. Yet now Iris is struggling with whether or not to give the recipe to Gio but instead offers to help him recreate the flavor and in turn she begins to fall for both Gio and his family... yet the more secrets she has and the longer she keeps them, the more she is going to risk destroying this new family of hers when it all comes out. Unfortunately this one was a miss for me. The book really suffers from just prolonging this unnecessary misunderstanding for so long and I really didn't feel the romance/christmas-esque romance from this book which is unfortunate. I really wanted to like this but it just didn't work for me at all. The romance wasn't there and the book felt lacking in actual plot and was moving so slow. Overall, while this one didn't work for me, if you want a slow burn romance then give this one a go.

*Thanks Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Dell for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

3.5, rounded up because I think it stands out as being much better written than many of the cookie-cutter romantic comedies I've read this year. While it follows the rom com formula and it's a concept we've seen before, Josie Silver delivers likable characters who possess depth. I really appreciate that they don't act nonsensically-- for the most part, Iris's tangled webs feel plausible, especially in regards to hiding information about her ex. Overall, it's a heartfelt story that I would definitely recommend to anyone who loves the genre.

This is one of the best RomCom books I have ever read. I am so in love with this entire story and all the characters. I laughed, I cried, I wish I could read it again for the first time.

This needs to be a movie. A Hallmark Christmas movie. It’s the absolute perfect book for that type of film. You hear me Random House Publishing? You find a producer and sell the rights. Get this movie made!

I’m not giving a book synopsis in this review because you can read it in the description, it’s all that and more. I loved all the little descriptors of New York. And as someone who dearly loves all things NYC, I welcomed reading all the little things you only know about if you’ve been there. Like an entire page with spot on descriptions of Katz’s Deli. I needed a pastrami sandwich after that (Although, let’s be honest- Iris ordered pastrami on the club bread and not the rye bread and when I tried that at Katz’s Deli the first time I went they tried to talk me out of it. It needs to be on Katz’s rye. With mustard. Feel free to edit that line. Damn I want a hot pastrami sandwich now. But I digress).

Anyway, I loved this book. The author has done an incredible job describing everything in so much detail you feel like you’re there. I also really want some gelato now.

Read this book. I’m telling everyone about it. If you’re friends with me and read this genre, I might buy you a copy for Christmas.

Thank you to the author, NetGalley, and Random House Publishing for the advance reader copy. I’m absolutely thrilled to give this book 5⭐️. Publication date Oct 3, 2023.

Josie Silver is always a must-read for me and A Winter in New York is definitely a must-read for anyone who loves gelato, dynamic Italian families, vibrant characters, New York City, family secrets, slow-burn romance, and so much more!

I only knocked it down to four stars instead of five because I felt it was a little long. It annoyed me that it took so long for Iris to trust Gio.

Thank you Random House and NetGalley for the free e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is the second Josie Silver novel I've read and it packed an emotional punch. The story really is of Iris, a woman with no family to speak of, absolutely alone in the world, finding a family and love and security. She leaves a horrible situation in London and begins to find her footing in New York, only to be thrown for a loop when she discovers an important piece of her family history. A place that was meaningful to her mother, the person she's currently grieving. When she visits this place, a gelateria, she discovers a family and history that are enmeshed with her own, the only catch is that the one person who knows how she's connected is hospitalized and her desire to help the family will require that she keep secrets. Keeping secrets in and of itself isn't problematic, until you learn more about the Belotti family (owners of the gelateria) and how they view secrets and lies and honor and trust. So, Iris keeps the secrets, does her best to help and not harm, and ends up falling madly in love with Gio, the person running the shop. As the story progresses, her guilt and shame become more and more of a burden, and you can't help but just want her to spill all of the secrets and just come clean. As the ending nears, the angst and helplessness just kept increasing until you just knew something had to happen. It did. It was super sad, and then it wasn't, and then some unexpected things happened, and yes-the happily ever after happened too.



Something about Iris being an adult orphan just punched me in the gut. All she wanted was her mom back and in lieu of that, a family to belong with and to. She wanted love and warmth and connection and she found it and the idea that it could go away just got to me. The way Josie Silver described the Belotti family interactions and dinners were so vivid and reminded me so much of my family--I really connected to it all. I also really appreciated how she described various NYC scenes; they felt iconic and picturesque and I wanted to live in those scenes.



So here I am in the blazing hot heat of Louisiana in July, wishing for a Winter in New York.

PS-I know it's an impossible dream, but I really would love more of the Belotti family. I feel like there are many more stories to be had.

As a fan of Josie Silver, I was delighted for a chance to review “A Winter in New York.”

It is 100 degrees outside, so difficult to think about cold weather and snow, but this novel does a great job of making you feel like you’re curled up by the fire, steaming hot cocoa with plenty of whipped cream in hand. .

London-native Iris is escaping a tumultuous relationship. She moves to New York to understand more of the city her recently departed mother held dear. While exploring Little Italy, she discovers a gelateria she recognizes from one of her mom’s pictures. It is in that the gelateria that she meets swoon worthy Gio. Naturally, the friendship they form turns into romance.

The predictability of the story doesn’t take away from its sugary sweetness. It’s an enjoyable read, appropriate for those cold winter months, and certainly a story that will fill you with plenty of warm-fuzzies.

Four stars out of five.

Many thanks to Josie Silver, NetGalley and the publisher for my ARC in exchange for my honest review

Following in the steps of many others before her, including her mother, Iris makes the move from London to New York City. She finds herself working at, and living above, a noodle shop. A chance encounter leads her to a gelato shop, closed, because the family recipe is unavailable due to the illness of the family patriarch. Iris realizes this is the same gelato recipe that her mom swore her to secrecy. As the days and weeks pass by, Iris comes to know and partner with the family and "helps" them to attempt them to re-create their family recipe.

I received an ARC via NetGalley.

Thank you NetGalley for providing me A Winter in New York by Josie Silver in exchange for an honest review. I really enjoyed this story. Iris has left London and her world to move to New York. She left an abusive relationship that mentally follows her and ultimately keeps her to herself. She meets Gio who is trying to keep the family gelato business afloat.

I recommend this story. It felt like a true study in relationships. I did get a little frustrated with the characters’ stubbornness. But overall, it is a lovely romance with plenty of family dynamics to keep you interested in reading.

Really enjoyed the beginning and end of this book but felt like the middle dragged on and was really repetitive. I did really like this one compared to One Day in December and thought the characters were fabulous!

4.25 out of 5. Josie Silver is another queen on the Holiday books and her reads will be must reads for me. One day in December is a classic and it should have gotten a higher grade on my review. This book I liked because although it does finish in the holiday crescendo that is Christmas and New years, it is a slow burn and we go from Fall to winter in a beautiful buildup of both seasons and relationship. Misunderstanding tropes give me a bit of anxiety and at the beginning this was going to drive me insane but it actually was a really interesting development. I love all the characters in this book and want to be invited to their holiday celebrations.

Also i will want to reiterate what this book says; 80s rom coms are not dated and you can reference meg ryan anytime you want. Actually those that do not get them might need a rom com education and sit with the trifecta of them all: Sleepless in Seattle, You've Got Mail and When Harry Met Sally.

As I am in my 40s now, I appreciated this description of a leading character - i guess im becoming more mature: "he's coming on 40 and exudes this air of being a man who knows stuff. He looks as if he could build me a bookshelf and mend his own car with those hands of his, and is the sort of person you need around in a crisis".

4.25 stars - Iris leaves London for New York to escape her bad relationship and also experience all the best places her mom visited. While she is out exploring the streets of Little Italy, she stumbles upon a shop that looks similar to a picture from her mom's picture. Iris meets Gio and from this point, they go from strangers to colleagues to friends to lovers.

The first half of the book was a bit slow and focused too much on the gelato recipe. The second half of the book was great. I enjoyed the character development of the main character and the different personalities of the family members and friends; everyone was likable. It was a quick read and perfect for a Christmas read. Will recommend this book!

Thanks to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

3.5 stars rounded up. This was a story of found family for a young woman who has felt lost in her life, set during the holiday season in New York City.

Iris is living in New York after leaving an emotionally abusive ex behind in London. She stumbles on a gelato shop she only knows from her late mother’s memories and realizes she has the owner’s secret family recipe in her possession. A series of health issues, losses, and chance meetings lead Iris into becoming entangled with the family, particularly the current shop runner Gio, while trying to keep secrets from the past to herself.

I felt sympathy for Iris in the loss and hardships that she faced, and I admired the resiliency she was finding to pick herself back up. Her friendship with Bobby was lovely, and he was a key part of her support system. When it came to the point of her interactions with Gio and the rest of the Belotti family, I enjoyed them for the most part, but the secret keeping and lies of omission continuing for as long as they did was a struggle for her. I didn’t really feeling any build up of attraction between Iris and Gio, but I did love their moments together once their relationship was established. I also loved Iris’s interactions with the rest of the family, especially with Bella. I just didn’t like that she was continuing to keep so many secrets as she got more deeply involved. The culmination of everything led to a beautiful scene though, and I was ultimately pleased with the outcome.

The story is about Iris, a chef who is new to New York who is chasing her mother’s past while running from her own. Iris is doing her best to recover from the trauma of her past relationship and, in doing so, tells a lie to a handsome stranger that has a bigger impact on her than expected. In addition to being untruthful about her painful past, Iris finds herself the keeper of a much-cherished secret family recipe - one she shouldn’t have. These things come to a head when she finds herself eyeball-deep in the chaos and affection of the Belotti family. Iris has to choose between keeping her secrets and her place in the bustling large family she never had or coming clean and risking it all.

I liked the book but had a hard time with the first half or more. Here were my hurdles…. First of all, it took a long time for me to get past my dislike of the main male character. Though Gio does nothing irredeemable, he just comes across as a jerk. His response to Iris’s first interaction with his daughter, Bella, was especially off-putting. While we know he mourns his wife, he never really validated his behavior for the way he treated Iris. His eventual apology fell flat for me, especially paired with the inconsistency of him being moved to tears watching Iris and Bella perform at the talent show. Gio just felt very underdeveloped as a character for a long while into the story. I think more insight into his emotional experience as he develops feelings for Iris would have been game changing. The second big hurdle was the “scandal” of the recipe. It was a very big deal in the context of the story but, frankly, just didn’t seem like a big deal to me. It seemed like an overblown plot point, especially at first. Admittedly, I felt less so toward the end of the story.

Though I can’t say exactly when, but this book had a turning point for me - in a good way. I found myself going from long breaks in reading to devouring the last 20% or so. The ending, though a bit cheesy (in the most heartwarming way), was fulfilling and redeeming. My feelings about Gio changed and I felt more invested in the main points of the story (yes, even the secret recipe). The last quarter or so of the book took it from a three-star read to four and reminded me why I love Josie’s story-telling. I’m glad I read it!

A contemporary romance that is mushy in all the right ways, “A Winter in New York” is a warm hug wrapped up in a book. There’s a bit more of a meaningful edge than you’d find in a romantic comedy, as this story touches on grief, loss, and a second chance at love for two people with a little baggage of their own. I found Iris to be a believably flawed character, even frustrating at times which added to the relatability. Gio, who has some past ghosts of his own, Is imperfect and swoon worthy, and has a piece of my heart.

I wish I could have seen a little more of the side characters, since they seemed to hold importance to the main characters but kind of felt in and out of the story and not as Involved as they could have been. However, the parallel stories of past and present lovers was a delight to read and watch it as it came to a satisfying and misty-eye inducing conclusion.

For romance lovers: this story has the right balance of love, laughs, tears, and spice. Perfect for a cozy winter read!