I'm having a hard time reviewing A Winter in New York! I absolutely loved aspects and really, really disliked others. I guess I'll just tell you what I loved and didn't love and see where that takes us.... What I loved: depictions of New York, the friendship Iris (the protagonist) has with her boss/landlord, the Belotti family dynamic, references to movies/characters, starting a new life in your 30's party of the storyline...
What I disliked: the ongoing lies that basically make up the main plot line and you know are a ticking time bomb set to upend the relationships Iris is forging. I kept screaming internally at Iris to just spit it out already! I get it, some kind of drama has to unfold otherwise nothing happens.... but I guess I've just now learned that this plot line infuriates me. I don't like when we as the reader know the whole story balances on when the lie/s will be revealed. In not by any means saying I'm morally superior to Iris, I just know I could never keep secrets like these without blabbing and definitely wouldn't be able to continue on as normal, so I really, really had a hard time with this! Anyway, the ending is nice, the city scenes make you feel like you're there, the pace is quick, it's a fast read, just that big plot situation really throws me off! I can't be the only one that cringes at this?! Anyway, I'm giving this one the benefit of the doubt I have because I flew through it, and did enjoy quite a bit of it. It's good for a quick read at the start of the Fall and holiday season, I'll give it that!

TW: death of parent

Family, second chances and traditions all swirl together like a New York City snowstorm. When Iris sets her sights on the Lower East Side, she's channeling her mother's memories. Her mom was happiest during those carefree days and Iris longs to connects the past with the present.

Adopted by her landlord and employer, Iris is a chef at a Noodle House but what's cooking behind the scenes is a steamy romance with Gio and that bubble about to burst when his family learns the truth. Filled with heart, love and family traditions, readers will fall in love with Iris and find her imperfections endearing. Will she give herself the chance to be happy or as her nicknamed 'rolling stone' moniker quest for what's ahead?

Thank you to #NetGalley and the publisher for the early edition of #AWinterinNewYork in exchange for an honest review. Josie Silver's prolific prose and charismatic characters required finishing over 300 pages in a single serving. I couldn't put the book down and needed to know how the final chapter would end.

I struggled with this book right from the start. I thought we would get more of a glimpse into the motivations of the MC. Instead it just felt like she made one odd move after another. She didn’t really seem to have a life outside of her BF which was the point, but it sort of made her seem unrealistic. The side characters weren’t really all that fleshed out well and sorta seemed the same. I did like Gio and felt that he came across as authentic. I just couldn’t get why the MC would involve herself in some else’s life when she didn’t need to. Also didn’t get why she kept the truth for so long. I figured it would be because of the romance but that connection comes across lukewarm at best. I just couldn’t get into this book no matter how hard I tried. I’m glad other people like it but it wasn’t for me.

Thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for the arc.

📚Pub Day Book Review📚

A Winter in New York by Josie Silver
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Happy pub day to @josiesilverauthor and A Winter in New York!

The first book I ever reviewed on this page was One Night on the Island by Josie Silver which I absolutely adored. I am back today to tell you she’s done it again!

I loved this book so much. The writing is perfect. The story is beautifully interwoven with past and present POV. The characters are loveable and flawed and you’re really rooting for all of them to find a happy ending. This story deals with several tough issues and in such a good way. And BFF Bobby?! One of my favorite characters in a long time! Hilarious.

For real, if you haven’t tried one of Josie Silver’s books yet, this is your sign to move them up on your TBR!

#AwinterinNewyork by @josiesilverauthor
I have really enjoyed this author’s other books, and was super excited to get an advance copy from@netgalley.
Iris has come to NYC after losing her mom and escaping an emotionally abusive relationship.
She settles into her life and slowly begins to come out of her shell. She meets Gio and discovers he is, by way of her mom’s younger life, part of Iris’s future. But she has a secret that could upend everything.
I enjoy reading about winter in NYC!

A Winter in New York was absolutely charming! I adored the setting & all of the food mentioned. The gelato, the noodles, the Italian food, the coffee… I liked the “secret family recipe” plot line, but I was frustrated by some of the miscommunication, especially in the last half of the book. It really didn’t ruin the book for me or anything! I still enjoyed it & would heartily recommend it for a great holiday cozy romance. It has all of the trademark Josie Silver goodness & also a special little treat folded in for Schitt’s Creek fans.

I’m sorry to say I didn’t finish this one. I tried several times and just could not get into it. One thing I really struggled with was a winter themed book being about ice cream, which feels Summery.

Star Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Setting: New York City
Format: 📖
Release Date: October 3, 2023
Length: 372 pages

This is my fourth books by Josie Silver, you did it again with this delightful story about finding love where you least expect it. It is about learning to deal with loss and grief, the importance of family and friends and learning how to walk away from an emotionally abusive relationship to start over.

Iris knows that something in her life must change. She decides to pack up her most import possessions; her gelato machine, her mother’s scrapbook, and an old, tattered napkin with a secret recipe and escapes her abusive ex-boyfriend. Her first steps into starting a new life brings her to New York City, a city her mother loved but it also is a big city that she can hide away. But her employer-landlord-and-best-friend Bobby has a different opinion and takes Iris to “Little Italy” for the Feast of San Gennaro, when she catches an unexpected sight of a shop’s painted glass door – a painted glass door that she knows from a photo in her mother’s scrapbook. Could this be the same shop?

The next day Iris returns to Bellotti’s Gelateria and meets Gio and no vanilla gelato they are famous for, the gelato machines are silent. Why? Santo is the only person that knows the family recipe and he has had a stroke he has forgotten the gelato recipe. After tasting what little gelato Gio still has Iris realizes she has a dilemma. How could this be the same gelato recipe that her mother has made? Does she share the recipe? But how can she when she has promised her mother never to share it. Without betraying her mother, she works with Gio to try and recreate the famous gelato which this leads to bigger problems .. Iris is falling in love with Gio. A Winter in New York is sweet and charming, it is everything you want in a romance story. Gio and Iris will instantly warm your heart but so will all the Bellotti family.

A solid 4.5 stars, a little slow beginning.

Thank you, Josie Silver, Random House Publishing Group/Dell and NetGalley for providing me with a digital ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. This novel is due to be released on October 3, 2023.

Break out the tissues! It's a tear jerker! I'm a huge fan of Josie Silver and I think this is her best!

Iris, after losing her mother and escaping an abusive relationship, moves to New York City seeking to reclaim her life. While exploring a street fair in Little Italy, she stumbles upon a Gelateria that resembles the one from her mother's photo. Intrigued, she enters, only to discover that the shop may hold the lost family gelato recipe her mother cherished. As Iris connects with Gio Belotti, she learns the recipe is believed to be lost, even though she possesses it.

This is so much more than a holiday romance. It's full of delightful banter, clandestine rendezvous, and undeniable chemistry. Speaking of Gio, he embodies everything one could desire in a man, making hearts swoon with his irresistible charm. The heartwarming embrace of the Belotti family toward Iris is so touching.

Overall, loved it and was absolutely transported into another world.

Sooooo good!! Loved the setting, loved the characters, loved their stories. NYC, a big Italian family, their gelateria, a lost family recipe, Christmas, and a musician and her daughter… make for a sweet holiday romance.

Thanks to #NetGalley and the publisher for early access to this book in exchange for an honest review.

A Winter in New York is a slow-burn romance, focused on found family and new beginnings.

Grieving the loss of her charismatic mother, Iris flees to New York City, desperate to make a life for herself and maybe learn how to live without her mother. It seems impossible, but Iris is determined to try. Step one: craft a strong friendship with your landlord Bobby and his husband. Check. Step two: explore the city and make it your own. That is still a work in progress. When Bobby takes Iris to a festival in Little Italy, she is stunned to realize that she recognizes one of the shop doors from her mother’s photos. The shop is Belotti’s Gelateria, a family-owned gelato shop that closely guards its traditional vanilla recipe, only sharing the recipe with two members of the family at any given time. So why is there a vanilla gelato recipe hastily scribbled on a napkin next to her mother’s photo of a handsome stranger outside the gelateria? And why was Iris sworn to never share the recipe with anyone? As Iris begins to uncover her mother’s past and link to the Belotti family, she finds herself falling for the handsome Gio Belotti and growing closer to his boisterous family. With her secrets threatening to surface, will Iris find a permanent place among the Belotti family or will she be forced to let them go for good?

The Belotti family made this book! They were absolute perfection and I have never wanted to crawl into a book so bad! Can I be next in line for a Maria hug? However, my love of this amazing family could only carry the book so far. I did find some issues that were difficult to overlook. Iris was an insufferable main character that kept whining about hidng this horrible secret, yet constantly justified not telling Gio. I am already not a fan of the miscommunication trope, but then the safety of a child was brought into question. Adam was an abusive person. Iris told us repeatedly. I believe she said he never hit her, but there are different forms of abuse. We really didn’t get much of an explanation as to everything that went on there. STILL! Adam is texting Bella and Iris still did not feel the need to mention to Gio that her crazy ex was now communicating with his daughter?! I was honestly about to stop reading the book for just that alone. I could not forgive Iris for it and don’t understand how Gio was so rapidly able to move past it in a few short pages. Everything was extremely rushed at the end. Rather than having page after page of Iris moaning about keeping this secret, the end could have been expanded upon and made a bit more realistic.

*I received an electronic copy of this book via Netgalley, Delacorte Press and Random House Publishing Group in exchange for an honest review. The views established in this review are my own.

My review is also on Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

Iris embarks on a fresh start in New York but discovers the city's vastness exceeds her expectations. She and her best friend, Bobby, stumble upon a charming Gelateria in Little Italy, sparking her curiosity about its connection to her mother's past. As she becomes involved with the family-run shop and its handsome manager, Gio, Iris holds a secret recipe that binds their stories. With newfound love and a web of secrets, her winter in New York becomes a journey of discovery and growth.

This has good writing, a cozy plot, and some suspenseful secrets. I loved being in New York City for the fall/Christmas season and it was especially tender how most of the story takes place at a Gelateria in Little Italy. The foodie in me was obsessed with the gelato and sweet Belotti family story. At first I thought it was funny to be focusing on gelato in the wintertime, but this turned out to be such a comforting setting. The only part of the story I had difficulty with were Irsis’ lies and secrets, meanwhile, her favorite quality in Gio was his vulnerability. This story was emotional, heart-wrenching, and sweet. Add it to your holiday list! I’m off to buy some vanilla gelato.

Thank you @randomhouse Ballantine and @netgalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Perfect for you if you like:
Family loyalty
Secrets as the main plot point
Cozy romance settings

Similar to:
Bright Lights, Big Christmas by Mary Kay Andrews
Christmas Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella
A December to Remember by Jenny Bayliss

⛔️chapters 16 & 27 contain explicit romance scenes (open door)
⚠️ explicit language, sexual content, previous death of a parent is a major plot point, lying, previous abuse

I just love the unique way the Josie Silver has of creating loveable characters that are so deep and walk in these situations that are lively, exciting, but play on all the different shades of gray. The back of story of the Gelatoria and the band made an interesting backdrop for the stories of each character and how they all interact. I love her writing in general but the way she creates tension and coziness, intensity and peace make her books a pleasure to read every time. And the way she makes her characters absolute BA's when they need to be makes me happy. I re-read several scenes when Iris stood up strong for herself and others.

#arc
#netgalley
#awinterinnewyork

Once again, another fantastic read from Josie Silver. I love NY & I love winter/xmas stories, so this one filled all my buckets.

It's another dual-timeline, but one that works well because the past timeline is included simply to fill in holes. The present timeline is much more prevalent, so the balance was perfect. To make it even better, the dual timeline bounces back between Iris's mother Vivien's time in NYC and Iris's time in NYC. Thanks to some scrapbooks and photos, Iris is able to re-live some of her mother's best memories in NYC.

Highly recommend!

I LOVED THIS BOOK. Like, loved it so much. It's one of the best books I've read in 2023. This book is like a warm hug from the author to her readers.

Iris has recently lost her mother as well as left a horribly abusive boyfriend and is living a nomadic life, now in New York City. When she comes across a gelato shop from her mother's past she begins a relationship with the family and starts to find her home.

Set during the winter this book has all the trappings of a cute Christmas novel, but goes so much further. Talking about love, loss, friendships, and family, it's an endearing warm hug that will have you laughing and crying and rooting for Iris and her found family.

Josie Silver never fails to craft a heartwarming romance. Iris has moved to New York from London to restart her life. Despite her best efforts to hide away, her best friend and boss, Bobby, won't let her. He takes her to the autumn street fair where Iris notices a distinctive door that is oddly familiar. It looks like the door in a photo in one of her mother's old scrapbooks. Iris is curious about this piece of her mother's history and so returns to the gelato shop the next day where she meets Gio and learns that the shop might be in jeopardy. It is a family business and only 2 people at a time are allowed to know the secret vanilla gelato recipe. Santo, one of the recipe holders, has had a health scare and as a result, cannot remember the recipe. Felipe, the other recipe holder, has misplaced it. Iris quickly realizes that their gelato and the recipe accompanying the photo in her mother's scrapbook are one and the same. How can she explain why she has the recipe when she has no idea Santo might have given it to her? Iris decides out of loyalty to her deceased mother not to say anything but instead offers her services as a chef to help them try and figure out the recipe through trial and error, with the goal of steering them in the right direction. Iris and Gio form a bond and she can't help falling in love with the entire family. But when Santo is finally able to return home the secrets Iris has been keeping threaten to dismantle the new life she has been building.

Cute, sweet, perfect for the holidays! Josie Silver writes such wonderful and heartwarming stories. I don't love a ton of romance books, and her style works perfectly for those like me who don't often read in the genre.

After a slow start, this book had me clutching my chest and crying my eyes out. Josie Silver knows how to give the reader #allthefeels and more. Iris and Gio have an instant connection and their chemistry is palpable. Iris is recovering from an emotionally abusive relationship that left her shattered and Gio is a widower who has closed himself from love after the death of his wife.

We get a lot of Iris' backstory (almost too much about her mother) but we don't get much about Gio. I kept hoping we would learn more about his wife's death but it was never revealed.I couldn't help falling in love with Gio's family... they are warm and welcoming.

Overall, another winner from Josie Silver! I couldn't put it down once the story ramped up. I think this will fly off the bookshelves and have a long wait list at the library!

4.5 stars. Iris Raven is living in New York because that’s where some of her mom’s best memories are and Iris clings tightly to any thread that still connects her to Vivien. It’s a restart button for Iris, who is finally coming out of her shell after hibernation from a previous toxic relationship. Iris stumbles upon Belotti’s, a gelateria, recognizing its nostalgic and symbolic display from her mom’s old photos. Gio Belotti is running the establishment and a traditional recipe for vanilla gelato is temporarily lost, but Iris knows that very specific recipe. How can she explain this?

The story navigates through a series of interesting turns and events that link Iris and Gio together because of the connection through their parental figures but unbeknownst to them. I really loved the found family dynamic that Iris had with all of the Belottis. Her only anchor person had been her mother Vivien and now she has an entire family network, along with her lovable friend Bobby. Iris is also rediscovering her talents and a zest for life that had been silent for a long time. As for Gio, he is one of those quiet and stoic types with a rare smile, yet he also brings comfort and warmth with his presence. While there was not much shown and was mostly told regarding the significant past relationships for both Gio and Iris, I think more details would have been beneficial in understanding how it shaped these two into who they are today. I was eager to see how the secrets would unfold and the aftermath, and to find out if recovery was possible. The plot was well written and I liked all of the characters and how the history of Gio and Iris intertwined. The only weakness I can point out is in that pivotal scene in the end, highlighting how much Iris has grown in her self confidence in contrast to an unlikable person, who came off a bit cartoonish. Otherwise, I could really visualize a lot of these scenes like a holiday movie to curl up with and enjoy on the couch over and over.

Thank you Penguin Randomhouse/Ballantine/Dell and Netgalley for the ARC!

I’ve really enjoyed getting to read Josie Silver’s emotional stories and seeing how she brings you in a journey with each book she writes. This one is heavy, as expected from a Silver book, and is one of self discovery and grief. Your heartstrings will be tugged and your tissues will be used up.