Such a poignant and lighthearted holiday read takes place in my favorite city on earth: New York. Not only did it warm my heart with its well-executed, slow-burn love story, but it also awakened the foodie inside me with its mouth-watering gelato recipes.

The story revolves around Iris and Gio, both coming from different backgrounds and dealing with their own dysfunctional family issues.

Iris decides to start fresh by leaving behind her job as a chef and her abusive ex-boyfriend, embarking on a journey to New York to explore the city in her mother's footsteps. When her friend and landlord Bobby takes her to a festival in Little Italy, she unexpectedly stumbles upon a familiar storefront that she may have seen in one of her mother's photographs. The photo features a handsome man and a gelato recipe, which her mother may have kept a secret for years.

As Iris delves deeper, she discovers that the recipe in the photo is the secret vanilla gelato recipe of the historic Belotti's Gelateria, known only by two people. Unfortunately, one of them has recently suffered a stroke and cannot remember it, while the other is Iris's mother, who made her promise not to share the recipe with anyone.

Despite her commitment to keeping her mother's secret, Iris finds herself unable to resist returning to the gelateria to meet the charming man named Gio. Like a moth to a flame, she witnesses Gio's struggles to keep their store open, trying out various recipes. Iris ends up helping him create the best recipe, honoring their family tradition, all while navigating her connection with Gio's lively, intrusive Italian family members and harboring her secret from him. Her guilt intensifies as her feelings for him grow stronger. Will she have the courage to confess and embrace a second chance? What if Gio can't forgive her for keeping secrets for so long?

This book is everything you need for a swoon-worthy holiday romance. I was close to giving it five stars, but Iris's stubbornness in keeping her secret for so long also agitated me, so I deducted one star. However, it didn't change how much I enjoyed this book, and I genuinely recommend it to you. Let the warm feelings capture you as you delve into this beautiful love story.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group / Ballantine / Dell for sharing the digital review copy of this poignant book with me in exchange for my honest thoughts.

the cover alone sold me on this book. I had to read it. I was not disappointed and loved it. Really good read and must grab book.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

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.

This gave me all the warm, fuzzy vibes of Christmas! I always love a good romance book and this was amazing!🥰💛.

It starts being Valentine’s Day on where Iris goes to get a book she’s been waiting a year for as a gift to herself. It’s the last copy and a man ends up grabbing it before she does.

Little does she know that she will meet him again. Even if it’s several months later.

Iris, moving to a new state and away from her horrible ex. Decides she wants to feel closer to her mother. Her mother fell in love with a man back in 1985 and Iris never expects how the journey will end up changing her life.

Gio, Santos’ son, comes with baggage just like Iris but can they carry and handle each others baggage?

Bobby, Iris landlord and friend is seriously the best! I need a Bobby in my life. I loved this book so much but that’s all I’m giving you. Definitely make sure you add this to your TBR or order.

Thank you to NetGalley for the EARC! As always, my review is my opinion and thoughts. This review will be shared to my Instagram (@Alexandriavwilliams_) in the near future.

Thank you Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group for the ARC I received in exchange for my honest opinion.

A Winter in New York is Josie Silver’s best book to date. A captivating, page turner, beautifully written book about love, and finding family. The writing flows so seamlessly like the gentle ebb and flow of the tide.

I was immediately swept off my feet by the characters. The Belottis, a large Italian family so full of love and loyalty you want to belong to them. Iris’s best friend Bobby is everything. Wouldn’t we be so lucky to have a Bobby in our life. Gio, there are no words. Sigh.

This book had everything you could want . Filled with love, redemption, and family. I laughed, cried, ( dare I mention the VHS scene with Iris and Felippe). I will definitely be picking up a copy of this book upon publication. The only bad thing about this book is that it’s over. My heart is full.

Such a special book. Just perfect.

My review will be posted to BookBub, Goodreads and Pinterest on 6/27/23 and Amazon on publication day. I shall then continue to shout to anyone who will listen how fabulous this book is.

Don't let the cover fool you. This is not a lighthearted holiday romance. There are some heavy topics that, while mostly happen in the past, feature prominently in the plot. These include death of a parent, death of a spouse, grief, absentee parents, and emotional abuse.

Where the book shines is the relationship between Iris and Gio. They go from strangers to colleagues of a sort to friends to lovers over the course of the story. It doesn't feel forced or rushed and I loved the slow simmer of it all. Gio is so kind and sweet and thoughtful, yet not perfect. Their relationship, and her integration into his loud and amazing family, feels real in a way a lot of books don't capture.

I wasn't a huge fan of Iris keeping the secrets for as long as she did but at the same time, I understood why (recentish death of the only family she had and just coming out of an abusive relationship). And it's clear she struggles with the decision - especially as her and Gio's relationship grows.

While not quite the sweet romance I was expecting, the story was captivating, the characters were flawed and relatable, Gio was oh so swoony, and it's a wonderful love letter to New York City.

*** All reviews are posted immediately to Goodreads, Storygraph, and Instagram. At least one follow-up/reminder review will be posted to Instagram a week or two prior to publication. Full review posted on Amazon within a week of publication.

Thanks to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Dell for the ARC!

Josie is one of my very very favorite authors, and since I live in New York, I was over-the-moon excited to read this book!

After losing her mom and leaving an emotionally abusive relationship, Iris ends up in NYC with her suitcase and her gelato maker. Iris’s story is one of found friendship, new romance later in life, honoring her mother’s memory, and learning how to trust again.

It did take me a little longer than usual to get into this story because it was very heavy on gelato-recipe talk at the beginning and I was getting frustrated at Iris for hiding secrets for so long, but the second half really made up for it. EAT GLASS, ADAM.

Read if you;
- like gelato or foodie stories
- have a big Italian family
- love stories set in NYC
- like self-discovery storylines with your romance

Having left her chef career and abusive ex-boyfriend behind in London, Iris has come to New York City to build a new life -- and to find traces of her late mother's past. When Iris's best friend (and landlord) Bobby takes her to a street festival in Little Italy, she spots a familiar looking storefront: the gelateria pictured in her mother's scrapbook, along with the photo of a handsome man and the recipe for her mother's gelato. Iris investigates and discovers that Belotti's Gelateria is renowned for its vanilla gelato, a secret recipe known only to two family members at any given time -- and that the one person who knows the recipe now has just had a stroke and can't remember it. And though her mother, Vivien, made Iris swear never to share the recipe, Iris can't help but return to Belotti's -- and to the handsome man, Gio, who caught her eye -- to help Gio recreate the recipe, little by little. But what will happen when all of Iris's secrets unravel?

A wonderful, sweet, and little bit magical holiday romance, this story is interspersed with vignettes of Vivien's time in New York, setting up the final twists of the plot. I got frustrated with Iris's inability to tell Gio the truth, but I also get it in terms of creating the plot. Gio and his family were entirely lovable, and Bobby was an adorable best friend, ready to throw down when Iris was threatened. Definitely a feel-good story. 3.5 stars rounded up.

Thank you, Dell Books and NetGalley, for providing an eARC of this book. Opinions expressed here are solely my own.

Well what a fun book I can’t wait for this to come out so I can buy a hardcover edition or paperback. I’m a cook so it was a very cute storyline with a family recipe and love it’s perfect. I love Gio and Iris it just felt right and I also love New York so there’s that. I loved the balance between cooking and the actual love story, some books go too heavy in each direction.

This is her best since One Day in December! Such a cozen heartwarming read that made me want to curl up in front of the fireplace during a blizzard and not move! Definitely add this to your TBR this winter!

★★★★ ☐ The publisher has provided a copy for review.

A novel about second chances, possibilities, and deep friendships. Can you go back to your past? Can you create the future? Can you let the past go and forgive yourself and others for disappointment and failure?

This book is for lovers of romance, food, and people. I prefer something with more old-fashioned morals, but if you don't care, take it to the beach. Read it on the plane. Or just stay awake at night until you reach the happy ending.