My final holiday read of the year...

Summary
A young chef stumbles on a secret family recipe that might lead her to the love—and life—she’s been looking for in this stunning novel from the New York Times bestselling author of One Day in December.

I was absolutely loving this one -- Little Italy, the gelateria, the mother/daughter aspect...but in the end, the secrets went on too long and the miscommunication that arose because of said secrets just made the last quarter of the book a bit of a disappointment.

I still recommend it though because for 75% it was giving me all the festive feels 🎄

Have you read anything by Josie Silver? I read One Day in December last and I remember enjoying it but I haven't read anything else by her yet.

3.75 stars rounded up

Full of depth and longing this was a lovely holiday read! There were moments bursting with joy. Others when I wanted to scream for her to tell the truth! And still others when my heart was cracked open.

I have been a fan of Josie Sliver's since One Day in December. That book was sublime. I was so excited to receive a copy of this book. I was lucky enough to spend some time in New York over the holidays, and this book was the perfect way to end the trip. I loved Iris and Gio!

Iris has moved to New York from London to start fresh. After losing her Mom and a terrible relationship, she needed a fresh start. She met some new friends and got a job and started the process of getting her life back and back on track. After a series of events leads her to a gelateria, her past runs into the present. She meets Gio, a single father trying to hold his family business together. Iris offers her help, and by doing so, puts herself in a position in which she needs to guard her secrets. However, relationships and feelings become complications for Iris.

I absolutely adored this story. I loved Iris's descriptions of places around the city and memories of her Mom. Gettting to know Iris's neighbors Bobby and Robin and the whole Belotti family was wonderful. This book made me long to get back on a train to New York and explore the places in the story. I enjoyed learning the Belotti family history and Vivian's - Iris's Mom - history as well. But what I loved most was watching Iris take control of her life and make her own choices and decisions.

There are so many little moments and things that stand out to me, but I do not want to give any spoilers away. This is the perfect story for you to curl up with a fuzzy blanket, a fire, and a hot cup of coffee or tea and read. I enjoyed every page. The audiobook also has a wonderful narrator - Emma Appleton - if you prefer to listen!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the opportunity to read this book! Josie Silver is an auto buy author for me. Her books are fantastic! I highly recommend this one - it is out now!

Thank you to Random House for this arc! All thoughts are my own.

There was a lot going for this book that really worked - the setting, the premise, the way the two met, and I really loved Gio’s family. This big Italian family with all of their siblings and their inability to stay out of each other’s business was such a fun aspect of the book.

But what I really hated about this book was all the lying. So much of this book hinged on lying and miscommunication and it was so frustrating.

At the end of the day, this vanilla gelato recipe threatened this family’s livelihood. There was money and legacy and reputation that were at stake here and Iris could have easily helped them but just kept hiding the truth because she was afraid of them hating her in the end. For MONTHS, Iris dangled this recipe in front of them but never helped them until Santo recognized who she was and the jig was up. It was incredibly hard to root for her in the end because Iris just read off as so selfish.

Also, what gelato shop only sells vanilla? And only two people know the recipe at a time? That’s just asking for trouble.

DNF @ 35%

Turns out I cannot care enough about a book based on LYING about a secret gelato recipe when it's not even an interesting gelato flavor. It's freaking vanilla gelato.

New York is one of the most festive cities in the world during Christmas and is the perfect choice for the backdrop to Josie Silver's A Winter in New York. When Iris makes her way to NYC from the UK, escaping both a bad relationship and the untimely death of her mother she forges relationships with the owners of her apartment and the restaurant where she serves popular noodle dishes. A talented chef, she is slowly emerging from the safe space she has created for herself and exploring the city. A chance encounter with a gelateria during a popular Italian festival sets off a chain of events forever changing many lives. Iris recognizes the gelateria from pictures her mother saved and discovers that her mother holds the secret to the famous family recipe. Working with widowed father Gio she tries to help him discover it for himself-hesitant to betray her mother and Gio's family. With the holidays approaching Iris has to make a decision that could break her heart-or everyone else’s. This heartwarming novel is not to be missed.

This book was such a disappointment for me and I am sad to say I DNF at around 20%. I just couldn't get into the premise of the secret gelato recipe.

Iris moved to New York to escape and has built a quiet life as a noodle chef in a restaurant owned by newfound friend, Bobby. Everything begins to change when Bobby takes her to an annual festival in Little Italy where she sees a door that she recognizes from a photo her mother left her. Walking inside, she meets Gio, the man who runs the gelateria where the special gelato Iris grew up eating originated. The catch? Only two people in the world are supposed to have the recipe- one, Santo, is in a coma, and the other is Felipe, Gio's father. So how did Iris end up with it in her late mother's scrapbook?

This novel is beautifully written. Josie Silver has a way of creating characters that feel so real. This book is an homage to the rom coms I love, but isn't gimmicky or shallow. Instead, I get lost in her descriptions of the little neighborhood Iris lives in and how she views life. I absolulely fell in love with this story about a woman who feels all alone in the world the connections she creates with the Belloti family, from gorgeous Gio to spunky Sophia to matriarch Maria. This book is utterly magical!

Good palate cleanser after a long involved literary fiction book. Held my interest and I always love stories in NYC.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

This was such a great book! It was heartwarming and funny at the same time. The perfect blend of love and loss, and family relationships. The New York City setting is always a favorite of mine. Josie Silver is a favorite of mine and her latest book doesn’t disappoint. Highly recommend to others. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Iris is in New York to follow in her mother’s footsteps and find her way out of a toxic relationship but along the way discovers the family she has unknowingly had a connection to her entire lifetime. A delightful romcom that pulls in the spirit of family and the magic of the holidays in New York City.

I received an ARC of this book through NetGalley- thank you!

I went back and forth on this read a bit. I loved the family aspect, but it was very slow at times. The ending fell a little flat for me, and I wish it went in a bit of a different direction. Overall, it was still a good read, though.

Another great read from Josie Silver! Chef Iris moves to New York to escape an abusive relationship in London. She grew up with only her mother for family and was quite lost after she died. Her mother left her a secret gelato recipe and when Iris arrives in New York she finds the source (a family gelateria, owned by the man, Silvio, her mother fell briefly but deeply in love with) and discovers they have lost the recipe. She cannot betray her mother’s secret, but she starts to work with Gio, Silvio’s handsome, widowed nephew who is running the shop while Silvio recovers from a stroke. Iris and Gio start to fall in love but Iris has not revealed about her past relationship, that she has the recipe, or her connection to the family. Their romance is charming and the reader will be as wooed by Gio as Iris is!
Iris and Gio are easy to love, but the secrets that eat at Iris are will eat at the reader too! An enjoyable read that has you rooting for Iris and Gio despite their obstacles (and a desire to shake Iris and tell her to ‘just tell him everything!’

Unfortunately I couldn't get into this one. I kept finding myself wanting to put it down and move on to a different book. The characters weren't as lovable as I wanted.

Not my favorite Josie Silver book. I couldn't really get into the story and didn't really love the characters or root for them.

First thank you to random house and NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

⭐️⭐️⭐️

Synopsis: Iris leaves an abusive relationship in London. She moves across the pond to New York where her mother spent time. She finds a job and home next to little Italy and spends her days working and at home. She ventures out to little Italy and discovers her mother had a special connection to this geleteria and the family that owns it.

What I liked: This book was great at surface level. I love New York at Christmas time. This story went beyond the typical tourist spots and into the neighborhoods which gave you the cozy vibes that a holiday romance should have. I really enjoy the romance between gio and iris especially the neighborhood dates. I would have liked more depth to the background story to understand more of the context behind their actions. I struggled sometimes with her actions not knowing why.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4 for Goodreads! I wanted to like this one, but I didn’t totally love it. Iris just seemed really dramatic for no reason and not the smartest 😅 she made some really dumb decisions that I just could not get on board with. It also seemed like there were just too many different things going on, and it was all resolved within the last five pages. I did like the flashbacks to the mom’s perspective, and I loved Gio and his family 🥹 but Iris irritated me so much I couldn’t love the story. The side characters were the best part! All in all, this was a good wintry read, but not my fave.

Iris and Gio make a wonderful couple. I was caught up in their story from the first chapters. I have recommended this book to readers who want an enjoyable holiday story with a touch of romance, family history, and a happy ending. (However, this is not just focused on the holidays - it could be enjoyable any time of year - I would rather label it a "winter book" instead of a "holiday book") I look forward to Josie Silver's next book! I hope she continues writing engaging winter/holiday stories.

A secret family gelato recipe in New York goes missing, and Iris, a British woman, who mysteriously has the recipe, is their only hope. Josie Silver does a wonderful job as always intertwining romance with personal growth. The chemistry between Iris and Geo was OFF THE CHARTS, and the cozy, winter in New York vibes were immaculate.

This is definitely one of the better books I have read by this author! It was easy to relate to the character having made a less than desirable life choice when going through the loss of a loved one, but then managing to turn that negative into something more positive while still being able to feel close to their lost loved one. Great descriptions of the scenery in New York and good character development. It would have been nice to have a little more information on the abusive relationship, but I am also happy the book was not completely centered around that, so kudos to the author! Definitely a recommend to other readers! #AWinterinNewYork #NetGalley