Obviously, if you pick up a Josie Silver romance then you know you are in for a well-written, heartwarming and compelling love story. And A Winter in New York did not disappoint. There's a baking together trope, an intriguing secret and a found family realization. While the novel is mostly told from Iris' perspective, we do get a brief peek into her late mom Vivian's side -- and that gave me, like, serious Daisy Jones & the Six (IYKYK) vibes. It's such a cute and compelling read that I was oh so eager to find out what was happening next.'

CW: Abusive relationship (Not the main love interest)

4 Stars

This was my first book by Josie Silver but it definitely won’t be my last. I got drawn in by the cover (I love it) and having heard good things about her previous book.

I loved the premise of the story and think it would make the cutest movie? It has While You Were Sleeping vibes! Overall, I really enjoyed A Winter in New York. I will say at times it seemed really slow paced, especially in the first 40-50%. This could be a me problem since the last book I read before this was a fast-paced fantasy.

I love loved the few chapters which tied the past into the story and also all the movie/tv show references throughout. The element of deception was kind of woven throughout the story and it gave me major anxiety the longer it went on. It’s nothing new in books and movies but if that’s an anxiety inducer for you, then know it will be for a big chunk of this story.

I personally would have loved more romance and build up to the main relationship on the page— more flirty interactions and signs that things were developing. It seemed like it went from friendship to more pretty instantaneously and I wanted to be feeling it more alongside them. I will say though, Gio is the most delicious cinnamon roll of a man! I would protect him at all costs and now really just wanna eat some Belotti’s famous vanilla gelato.

Thank you to Net Galley and Random House Publishing Group- Ballantine for the ARC of A Winter in New York!

In the winter, you need nothing more than to bundle up in a thick blanket, in front of a roaring fire, cuddled up with this book! One of the best books I have ever read and I can only dream of building a family like the one in this book.

Iris' mother was a 1980s rock star, and though she retired to London, regaled her daughter with her past in New York where she really took off in her stardom. Now, her mother is in an urn, and Iris has come to New York to discover who her mother was, and why she has a picture and recipe from a random gelato shop. At the gelato shop, she will meet Gio, who will do anything to keep his family together and keep the gelato business going another generation.

We can easily guess where the story goes from there, but the heart and love of Gio and his family is so incredible, I was pulled in from the moment we first meet him. When people talk about men written from a female gaze, they mean men like Gio. I would swoon over him any day of the week! And his sisters are just as rapturous!

If you only read one romance book this year, make sure you make it this one!

Josie Silver doesn't write what I'd call rom-coms. They have meet-cutes, and Happily Ever Afters, but they tend to be heavier than most rom-coms, even though some of them contain an element of magic. A Winter in New York is in the same vein -- a romance but not a rom-com. No magic this time. Instead, there's gelato, and a lot of references to classic movies and classic rock. Which, for me, counts as a different kind of magic.

Iris is 34, has recently lost her mom (who was only 52), and has recently escaped from an emotionally abusive relationship. She's been in New York a few months, where she knows a grand total of three people and tries not to leave her apartment unless absolutely necessary. Then she meets Gio Belotti and his gelateria, and finds herself twisted up in his life in ways she never could have imagined.

The whole gelato thing is really far-fetched but also really adorable. A secret recipe, family ties that seem super unlikely -- you gotta suspend a lot of disbelief for this one. But somehow it works. Iris and Gio are what you'd expect for two people who have been hurt and have a lot to lose -- awkward, shy, not at all smooth. But that's what makes them endearing, and you can't help but root for them, even when it seems that Iris has created such a huge mess that she'll never find her way out of it without hurting everyone involved.

The mess, by the way, could have been cleared up immediately if she just would have told Gio the whole truth at the beginning. I have a difficult time with books that rely on people digging a hole for themselves when there's an easy way out. I know, I know, we wouldn't have a book if the people in it acted rationally. But still. It made me frustrated with Iris, and it might affect you that way too.

I never got a great feel for who Iris was, but that's not surprising -- she's the narrator, and she doesn't really know who she is either, thanks to her former boyfriend, Adam. He's damaged her emotionally in ways she doesn't even fully see, so of course she probably doesn't see herself too clearly right now. I wish we'd gotten a bit more of an idea of who she was before Adam and before her mom died. We see some of that come out when she meets Gio, but not enough.

Speaking of Adam -- spoiler ahead . . . .


Why does he actually show up in New York like some third-rate comic book villain? The whole scene with him and Gio's family was pretty silly and not the way I would have liked to see this wrapped up. Iris lived in a storage unit for a few days? What? Who does that? So weird.


Anyway. I liked this one -- it's probably my favorite of Josie Silver's so far, and I look forward to her next one. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an eARC of this book.

Thank you to the publisher for a Netgalley of this one!

Though I am not much of a romance reader, Josie Silver is an auto read author for me. Coming from an Italian family, I loved reading about Gio's family and their interactions with each other, as well as, Iris. The same could be said for her upstairs neighbors/bosses/landlords/BFFs. I enjoyed their characters and what they brought to the story as secondary characters.

I did enjoy reading about Iris' life and how she got to this moment. The backstory of her mom's life and all the events leading to the present were also well done. My biggest qualm was Iris' ability to stick her head in the sand when it came to the lives of others. While she had been through a lot, her choices about the gelato recipe was kind of just weird. I also do not love the miscommunication trope and that was prevalent in this story.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing - Ballantine for an ARC of this book in exchange for honest feedback.

I’m very conflicted on this book. On one hand it was a very good book but it’s not very christmassy. I think if you’re looking for something a bit more festive there are better choices but this is a Josie Silver book so you know it’s going to be a great read.

I docked 1 star just because I felt the three flashback chapters were not needed. I understand what the author was trying to convey with those but I think she could’ve left them out of the story all together because they didn’t add anything for me.

Great book to read anytime!

Josie Silver can make love so real and flawed and, at the same time, so magical. A Winter in New York gives me the same spine tingles as One Day in December. I loved reading this and how two people with their own baggage can truly find something wonderful again. It will also really make you crave gelato.

Trigger warnings: grief/death of a spouse/loved one; emotional/verbal abuse; overcoming trauma.

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced reader copy.

I’ve read a couple books by Josie Silver and really enjoyed them, but this one just didn’t resonate with me. The plot, and specifically the conflict, felt beyond contrived. It was a particularly unrealistic Three’s Company episode. The characters and the descriptions of New York, and food and gelato were all enjoyable, but it was locked up in a plot I found thin and irritating.

This book redeemed itself a bit at the end, even if I did want to shake Iris a bit for her choices.

Looking at other ratings, I think I’m in the minority, so don’t let my opinion stop you from checking this one out. Josie Silver is a terrific writer and I still look forward to reading other books by her in the future. This one just wasn’t for me.

Rounding up to 3 stars.

Love a good holiday romance especially set in New York around Christmas. This romance had depth, found family, and lasting memories. It follows Iris as she escapes to New York after the death of her mother hoping to find happiness in the memories she has left. After a not so meet cute with Gio their connection and family ties are deeper than she ever would have imagined. Through music, gelato, and hope this book is a great book to your holiday tbr. I received this book as an arc for an honest review.

A Winter in New York...

This story follows Iris, she is setting out to New York to start her life over after her mother died and her relationship ended. While out in New York, Iris meets Gio. Well sometimes we aren't the biggest fans of Iris and her decisions, Gio and his family just make you smile.
I do think this story is a little more in the category of fiction instead of romance. Although we do see love between Iris and Gio. Gio needs to preserve the family's gelato shop, Iris sets out to help him. Finding family secrets and the perfect family recipe.
This is a great story for a cozy fall day, wrapped in a blanket with something warm to drink!

Josie Silver is one of my must reads — her characters are complex and make you appreciate both great writing and character building.

Iris lands in New York looking to heal from an emotionally abusive relationship and the death of her mother — whom used to live there. As she’s following her mother’s footsteps, Iris learns more about her past. Which leads her to Gio, the responsible thirty something widow single parent who is at the forefront of preserving his family’s gelato shop in the face of losing its proprietary recipe.

We come to love and hate Iris — who is a flawed (but realistic, because who’s perfect in real life?) main character. Some of her decisions are head scratching and you really want to tell her to wake up! Gio is a great guy, but almost too one dimensional in how good and normal he is.

The other characters — including Gio’s family and Iris’s best friends — definitely shine as secondary characters who are very developed. Because of their investment in Iris and Gio’s relationship, we come to also root for them to end up together.

New York and the gelato shop are also a draw of the book — making the city seem smaller and Little Italy in particular very community focused.

Altogether I really enjoyed this one. It wasn’t as lighthearted as the cover would suggest, but having read Josie’s other books, you know she writes about complicated, flawed, relationships.

Highly recommend a read for this fall and winter!

Thanks to Netgalley, Random House - Ballantine/Dell and Josie Silver for the ARC.

Iris moves to New York to restart her life and may inadvertently have the answers that a family business is looking for. I loved the wonderful cast of side characters who really made this story come alive. The progress of Iris and Gio's relationship also felt very real and not too forced, especially for someone who has experienced problems with men in the past. Plus, a story set during Christmas time in NYC is always a win for me. There was a lot of focus on gelato, but this was a fun, light read, and it did make me want to keep going. I give this one 4/5 stars.
Thank you to Netgalley and Ballantine for the ARC.

All I want to do now is eat vanilla gelato! This was such a moving story of love, family, respect, and honesty. I loved how this story is told in the present through Iris, and then there are a few chapters that are in the past through her mother Viven's perspective. I thought this made the story richer. We were able to experience what her mother felt with Santo and the Belotti family. It added more depth to Iris's experience even though she didn't have almost the details herself.

I love Gio and Iris. They were sweet and brought out the best in each other. I loved the Belotti family and would definitely love to have a meal with them. Iris was a great character to follow. She was easy to like and cheer on as she overcame the loss of her mother and escaped the abuse of Adam. The storyline of Adam was following a little flat for me at first. I thought the parts of him popping up weren't needed, and he could just be a past obstacle. When it all came to a climax, though, it worked for me, and then I changed my mind. That's all I'll say on that without spoiling the plot.

I was surprised that there wasn't more winter in the story given the title. Our first scene is in February, and then the story jumps to September. I was just expecting more winter. This is a sweet read, and instead of curling up with hot coco, I would suggest some gelato.

Book DNF :(
Thank you Netgalley for an ARC of this book.
I was more in the mood for a romance and this book fell under the realistic fiction genre. I got 5 chapters in and just knew it wasn’t for me. I felt bored by the plot and wasn’t hooked into the story. While it may be for some people, Silvers writing doesn’t fit my reading style.

I love this author and all her books but this one didn't do anything for me. I couldnt get into the story at all.

Josie Silver has yet to disappoint me. A winter in New York was such a great cozy love story. This might be my favorite of all Josie Silver's books. Something about Gio and Iris was so beautiful to me. The growth and care in which these two people live was amazing to read. My heart did break a couple times but it made the ending that much sweeter. Definitely keep this on your radars.

What a lovely story! Josie Silver is excellent at creating a sense of place, and she does it this time with NYC, particularly Little Italy. Her character development and dialogue are great, and I found myself thinking about the characters even when I wasn't reading. I look forward to recommending this novel to our patrons!

I’m sorry, but I wasn’t pulled into the story. I just couldn’t get into it. I’m very disappointed because it sounded so cozy and good.

I wish both the publisher and the author much success on its release.

So hard for me to rate this book. I thoroughly enjoyed the second half but man, did I struggle with the first 45%. There was no banter and no dialog which made me a little crazy. There definitely was a lot of explanation of the scenes. I remember there was a time where the FMC referred to a conversation she had with someone but it was off page. We were never even privy to it. It was a lot of little things that lessened my enjoyment in the first half. But I was hooked about half way in and I loved the last 25%. I think I'm going to land on 3.75, rounded up to 4 because I loved the second half that much. I think the story was endearing and sweet.

I was unable to finish this book and thus will not be posting a full review. I have to admit that I now know that this author is not for me -- the book was trite because it felt like a million stories already written and told, and that I have already read. I found it sickly naïve. Thank you for the opportunity.