This is a beautiful, heart-warming love story. I enjoyed the setting and the characters. Big loving Italian families are near and dear to my heart as a fellow Italian! The pacing was on the slower side and was very relaxing to read. I enjoyed the dual time-lines as we get scenes from the FMC's mom when she had been in NYC decades prior.

I also loved that this book had more depth than a typical rom-com, and was not all just "fluff" but dealt with some heavier themes.

The only reason this was not 5-star for me was the deception that began the book which could have been cleared up easily if done right away, and would have by any mature adult. It felt really weird for the FMC to hide it until the end and cause such a dramatic misunderstanding.

The audiobook version of this was delightful with the British accent!

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Publishing for an ARC of the ebook! All opinions are my own.

Iris moves to New York to start over and retrace the footsteps of her deceased mother who spent time touring through the US with her band (and Iris' father) when she was young. As a chef, she picks up a job at a noodle restaurant and becomes best friends with the owner, Bobby. She mostly keeps to herself after work, until Bobby brings her to a street festival in Little Italy and she stumbles upon a gelateria that was pictured in her mother's photo album. She discovers that her mother's gelato recipe is actually their secret family recipe, which was recently lost after the owner had a medical emergency and can no longer remember the recipe.

She offers to help Gio, the owner's son, recreate the recipe through trial and error while not revealing that she actually has the real recipe herself. In the process she starts to come out of her shell and build a strong connection with Gio and his family.

This book is so cute, the love story that develops between Iris and Gio is so genuine. The characters in the book are all lovable and relatable and I found myself unable to put it down.

Thanks to Netgalley for the eARC.

I can’t remember the last time I cried in a book. Like legit shed tears! But you guys…I DID while reading this one. 𝘼 𝙒𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙞𝙣 𝙉𝙚𝙬 𝙔𝙤𝙧𝙠 is such a beautiful story, and is now my FAV Josie Silver book!

This story follows two timelines - one of Iris in present day, her struggles, love interest, finding out more about her mom who passed a few years ago, and a secret she feels she needs to keep from Gio. Her love interest. The other is of Iris’ mom in her own present day… and how Iris came to be.

This story has it ALL! A lost love, a dangerous relationship, hidden feelings, what-if’s, secrets and redemption! This book has witty humor, pulled at my heart strings, made me righteously angry over complete an udder gaslighting and manipulation, and then scream for joy and shed tears when the story came full circle!

This book is out now, and I suggest you try to get your hands on whatever copy fits you best!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you NetGalley for an advanced listeners copy of this book! I ADORED it!!

Iris comes to New York because her late mother loved the city. What she didn't expect to find was a found family. The moment Iris saw the glass door of the gelateria, she knew that it was a piece of her mother's history. What she didn't know, is that it was also her destiny.

The story of Iris and Gio was a great one. I loved their love story! This book has great messages about found family, telling the truth, and letting go. Highly recommend!

Sorry to say this was a miss for me. I was bored by the "vanilla" story. So much unnecessary lying and the gelato recipe thing was just getting old. At first I had a hard time figuring out if this was a romance or if the two main characters were actually related? The abusive ex storyline seemed to forced and the end (specifically the part with the cat) was so silly. I also only think of Haunting Adeline when I hear "little mouse." Bobby and his husband were really the only fun parts. All of the Belottis and their relationships were confusing and I guess I just didn't really like Iris.

2.5 stars rounded up

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book made my heart sing! Now that October is coming to a close, I am ready for everything holiday/Christmas. Throughout the book, I found myself cheering for Iris and her desire to start over anew. I really enjoyed that this book encompassed more than the typical holiday romance novel - it covered some complex topics and really allowed me to feel. I laughed, I cried and I recommended this to all of my friends! Thanks so much for the ARC, NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine!

It takes me forever to finish “reading” vs listening to books. That said, Josie Silver is always a must read for me and her latest did not disappoint. This book tells the story of Iris, a girl from England who moves to NYC after her mother dies. Iris is escaping a toxic, abusive relationship and in her new city, she finds a job as a chef, and good friends. One September evening she stumbles upon a gelato store and by doing so, she begins to trace her mother’s footsteps to the same establishment. She meets Gio Belotti and his family and falls in love. I found this love story sweet-Gio is so dreamy! But while I found the main conflict not a conflict at all in my mind, I chose to willingly accept it as such and just enjoy the story. This is a romantic, sweet love story that had me smiling throughout. Thank you to @netgalley and to @randomhouse for the arc which is out now! Thank you to @josiesilverauthor for another amazing read!

Josie Silver is a favorite writer of mine and this book didn’t disappoint.

Reeling from her beloved mother’s death and fleeing an abusive relationship, Iris leaves England for New York City, the city her mother fell in love with as a young singer. A chef, Iris soon finds work in a restaurant and her boss/landlord, Bobby, becomes a good friend. On a visit to Little Italy, Iris recognizes a gelato place from a photo in her mother’s scrapbook. Iris visits and soon becomes involved with the family who owns it. Unfortunately she realizes she met the owner’s nephew, Gio, soon after she arrived in New York, blurting out to him that she was recently widowed. Problem is, Gio is a widower with a teenaged daughter so Iris’s lie seems cruel.

To further complicate matters, not only is Iris falling in love with Gio, but she has possession to the family’s secret recipe for vanilla gelato which the owner (with whom Iris’s mother had an I’ll-fated relationship) has forgotten since having a stroke.

As convoluted and contrived as the plot may sound, it actually works, even if I didn’t understand why she wouldn’t just tell Gio that she has the recipe. Also the timeline didn’t always work—although certainly a few of us who were young adults in the mid-eighties have died, most of us are still alive and not even grandparents. A very enjoyable romance, but don’t analyze it too deeply. #AWinterinNewYork #NetGalley

Heartwarming. Beautiful. Emotional. Josie Silver is becoming a favorite author for me. Iris’ mom flashbacks added an extra something to the story. Iris and Gio are so cute together, from their bookstore meetcute to working together to recreate a gelato family recipe. Definitely rooted for these two from the beginning.

I've loved each and every Josie Silver book I've read! While they're each completely different, all have the same warmth and care.

The details are spot on, the characters are lovable and relatable, all resulting in a great fall, cozy read.

#AWinterinNewYork #NetGalley #RandomHouse

I requested this book from NetGalley because I absolutely LOVED One Day in December and was hoping this would be the same kind of whimsical, soft, missed connection romance which kept you reading until it was through. Unfortunately for me, this wasn’t the case.

The idea is original and the writing is fine, but it just didn’t pull me in. I just kept thinking if she would just fess up then the story would be over, but it was just drawn out so much and I had a hard time continuing.

There were definitely some positives. I loved the descriptions of NYC at Christmas time, the flash backs and the overall premise of the book.

Thank you to NetGalley, Josie Silver, and Random House Publishing Group - Ballentine for the eARC in exchange for an honest review. All views and opinions are my own.

In this sweet holiday romance book, Iris uncovers a hidden family recipe, falls in love, and learns the power of mouthwatering gelato. Set against the backdrop of New York City from Halloween to NYE, this romance book covers more than just love.

It’s a story that includes uncovering new layers of a deceased parent, recovering from an emotionally abusive relationship, single parenthood, and family ties.

With secrets, romance, and a dash of culinary magic, this charming tale will leave you craving for more. My only complaint is that Iris kept the secret for a little too long.

Really enjoyed this book alot. Iris is alone in New York after losing her mother and getting rid of her mean boyfriend. She discovers a bakery that makes gelato just like her mother used to make. She soon discovers the connection to her but doesn't reveal it. Gio runs the bakery and his uncle is the only one who knows the gelato recipe and he has had a stroke and isn't speaking. Iris tries to help him figure out the recipe without telling him she has it. Gio and Iris fall for each other but there are some secrets and things that keep getting in the way.

I really enjoyed A Winter in New York—dare I say, *gasp*—even better than One Day in December. Josie Silver gets better and better with every Christmas romance book, in my opinion.

This holiday romance book has everything you could ever want in a rom-com; although, admittedly, it’s less com and more rom. There are heavier themes in this book than your average wholesome, cheesy Hallmark story.

The romance was perfection. A slow-burn, well-executed, makes-your-knees-turn-to-Jello kind of romance. I adored Gio.

I would have loved to see a little more depth to him, but the romance in general? Their banter, tension, and overall connection? Definitely a 10/10.

I mean, the fact that he affectionally calls her “little spoon” in Italian? Are you kidding? Too cute for words.

Check out my full review on my blog (linked below) for more of my thoughts!

First off, I will automatically add every Josie Silver novel to my TBR without even reading the synopsis. That said, this was my least favorite so far. One Day in December has a spot on my beloved favorites shelf, along with Lydia Bird. This one just seemed kind of far-fetched and contrived. And I wish we had gotten a bit more of Vivien.

Also - I am a lifelong believer of "why bother" with plain old boring vanilla but there is currently a tub of vanilla gelato in my Target drive-up order.

Overview:
After moving across the Atlantic Ocean to escape a manipulative ex-boyfriend and to immerse herself in the city that her late mother loved, Iris stumbles upon a charming gelato shop in New York that has somehow lost its secret gelato recipe. Iris quickly comes to the realization that she may be the only person left in the world that can save the shop, as it just so happens to be the same secret recipe that was given to her by her mother…

Thoughts: It’s books like this one that remind me why romance is my favorite genre! As a reader in my thirties (and a forever New Yorker at heart), this book had everything I wanted in a romance novel. Memorable and unique premise? Check. Romantic backdrop in a gelato shop? Check. Hot male romance hero (who is actually a kind and responsible human being AND just so happens to speak Italian)? Check. Although I was a huge fan of the burgeoning romance between Iris and Gio, what I was loved most were the flashbacks and Iris’s developing relationship with the charming and boisterous Belotti family, the perfect surrogate family for someone with essentially no family left in the world. I was moved by Iris’s grief and the lengths by which she chose to remain loyal to her late mother’s wishes. Throughout the story you could see how Iris continued to dig herself into a deeper and deeper hole, and yet I couldn’t help but want to root for it to all work out for her and Gio in the end.

Take home message: One of my favorite books of the year! Although this does not quite qualify as a second-chance romance, it will satisfy those who are fans of that trope. This book is bursting with charming characters - I guarantee that readers will fall in love with Iris, Gio, and the rest of the Belotti family.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for this digital ARC!

This a great lighthearted holiday romance. The New-York-City-during-the-holidays setting really brought some magic to a story that probably otherwise would have just been okay. I loved all of the rom com references and the way they were incorporated into the romance. Where it went sideways for me was with the main character. She made some decisions that I could not wrap my head around. However, character-wise everything else was great - the hero is swoon-worthy and there are a whole cast of endearing side characters. Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing - Ballantine, Dell for an advanced copy.

One Day in December is one of my favorite books so when I heard Josie Silver was releasing a new winter romance I couldn't wait to read it! This book is the ultimate in cozy. I felt so relaxed and happy reading this book all still while being invested in the story between Iris and Gio. Josie Silver's writing is so beautiful and descriptive it was easy to picture this delightful story unfold as I read. Definitely recommend to anyone who is looking for a cozy romance to read this winter.

Josie Silver is one of my go-to comfort read authors. Her books are lighthearted but have such good characters with so much depth that I feel like I am walking along in the story next to them. I was transported to Geo's gelato shop in A Winter in New York and could taste the vanilla in my mouth as I read. Iris and Geo are amazing characters with real fears, motivations, and accomplishments. This is a love story to remember!

This was the cutest, sweetest little Christmas story that will give you ALL THE FEELS. There's a review posted warning readers to make sure that they have ice cream/gelato in their freezer, and that is FACT! Be prepared for this one to sweep you off your feet. It is the perfect way to kick off the holiday season!