A Winter in New York: A Novel
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.
A POPSUGAR BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR
When Iris decides to move to New York to restart her life, she realizes she underestimated how big the Big Apple really is—all the nostalgic movies set in New York she’d watched with her mom while eating their special secret-recipe gelato didn’t quite do it justice.
But Bobby, Iris’s best friend, isn’t about to let her hide away. He drags her to a famous autumn street fair in Little Italy, and as they walk through the food stalls, a little family-run gelateria catches her eye—could it be the same shop that’s in an old photo of her mother’s?
Curious, Iris returns the next day and meets the handsome Gio, who tells her that the shop is in danger of closing. His uncle, sole keeper of their family’s gelato recipe, is in a coma, so they can’t make more. When Iris samples the last remaining batch, she realizes that their gelato and her gelato are one and the same. But how can she tell them she knows their secret recipe when she’s not sure why Gio’s uncle gave it to her mother in the first place?
Iris offers her services as a chef to help them re-create the flavor and finds herself falling for Gio and his family. But when Gio’s uncle finally wakes up, all of the secrets Iris has been keeping threaten to ruin the new life—and new love—she’s been building all winter long.
A POPSUGAR BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR
When Iris decides to move to New York to restart her life, she realizes she underestimated how big the Big Apple really is—all the nostalgic movies set in New York she’d watched with her mom while eating their special secret-recipe gelato didn’t quite do it justice.
But Bobby, Iris’s best friend, isn’t about to let her hide away. He drags her to a famous autumn street fair in Little Italy, and as they walk through the food stalls, a little family-run gelateria catches her eye—could it be the same shop that’s in an old photo of her mother’s?
Curious, Iris returns the next day and meets the handsome Gio, who tells her that the shop is in danger of closing. His uncle, sole keeper of their family’s gelato recipe, is in a coma, so they can’t make more. When Iris samples the last remaining batch, she realizes that their gelato and her gelato are one and the same. But how can she tell them she knows their secret recipe when she’s not sure why Gio’s uncle gave it to her mother in the first place?
Iris offers her services as a chef to help them re-create the flavor and finds herself falling for Gio and his family. But when Gio’s uncle finally wakes up, all of the secrets Iris has been keeping threaten to ruin the new life—and new love—she’s been building all winter long.
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I truly enjoyed this holiday read! it was a classic romance in a sense with a hallmark vibe and the right amount of cheesiness but it also has more depth than some others I’ve read. I really loved the dynamic of iris’ mothers history being a part of her future. I saw some other reviews saying her secrets were uncalled for but frankly I don’t agree. I thought the secrets she was holding weren’t only hers to share so that was hard to come out and say the truth. what I loved the most about that is in most cases you know those secrets will come out and cause friction but this book had Gio reacting a different way than I expected and I loved him even more for it. the romance aspects aren’t too excessive it’s more cute than spicy but I enjoyed the overarching story more for it. This was my first Josie silver read and it’s got me wanting to find more of hers soon!
4.5 stars rounded up!
If you’re a seasonal reader like me, A Winter in New York by Josie Silver is a charming and heartfelt romance that can help you make that transition into fall and winter reading. I adored getting to know Iris and the Belotti family with the autumn to Christmas setting in New York City in a novel that is also a love-letter to all my favorite rom-com films.
Silver’s novel from last year was one of my favorite reads for 2022, so my expectations were high for her latest book. It took me a few chapters to settle in, learning the characters, setting, and plot, but once I did, I was enamored!
Iris, a chef, has spent the last year in New York City just surviving, serving noodles in a noodle restaurant. She moved from London wanting a new start after a bad break-up and the devastating loss of her mother, Vivien. Iris chose New York because of her mother’s love for the city; Iris had grown up seeing the pictures and hearing her mother’s tales of performing with her band in the city, and she longed to feel closer to her mother again.
Thanks to luck or fate, Iris met George, the owner of the noodle restaurant, soon after landing in the city. He gave her a job and a place to live, and she’s been doing not much else but working. Thanks to her new best friend George, she’s finally venturing outside of her comfort zone when she recognizes the door to a gelato shop from one of her mother’s pictures. Stepping through the door changes Iris’s life, as well as the Belotti family.
When I started this one, the plot seemed a bit unbelievable, but Silver’s writing and enigmatic characters, her ability to make magic, had me believing. And while I thought the story would be fairly predictable, Silver managed to surprise me quite often. Most of the book is from Iris’s point of view, but we do get a few chapters about her mother’s time in New York, which was a cool throw-back to the city in the 1980s.
Iris and her mother loved to watch classic rom-com films together, and Silver alludes to several throughout the story. This romance gave me major While You Were Sleeping vibes, especially if you read the synopsis that mentions an uncle in a coma. In my advanced copy, there’s no coma, but the uncle has recently had a stroke and is in ICU. Also mentioned throughout the book: Meg Ryan, of course, the queen of rom-coms. But don’t let all the rom-com mentions make you think this one is strictly light-hearted. Like most of Silver’s romances, there’s depth and Iris’s and Gio’s lives have not been happy the past few years. They’re both dealing with trauma and grief.
My only complaint—the title is a bit misleading since more than half of the novel is set during the fall, with the novel including Halloween and Thanksgiving, as well as Christmas, but maybe that’s a trend for Silver’s novels since her previous book, ONE Night on the Island, took place over several weeks and not just one night. But I have been known to overthink things… Don’t worry, however, there is plenty of New York Christmas magic and snow!
A Winter in New York had me consumed, especially the second half of the book, which I read almost in one sitting. It’s a love story I would happily re-read, as well, which is always a sign of a good romance, for me.
Thank you to Ballantine Books and Netgalley for providing me with an advance copy.
Check out my reviews and book playlists at A Book Wanderer
If you’re a seasonal reader like me, A Winter in New York by Josie Silver is a charming and heartfelt romance that can help you make that transition into fall and winter reading. I adored getting to know Iris and the Belotti family with the autumn to Christmas setting in New York City in a novel that is also a love-letter to all my favorite rom-com films.
Silver’s novel from last year was one of my favorite reads for 2022, so my expectations were high for her latest book. It took me a few chapters to settle in, learning the characters, setting, and plot, but once I did, I was enamored!
Iris, a chef, has spent the last year in New York City just surviving, serving noodles in a noodle restaurant. She moved from London wanting a new start after a bad break-up and the devastating loss of her mother, Vivien. Iris chose New York because of her mother’s love for the city; Iris had grown up seeing the pictures and hearing her mother’s tales of performing with her band in the city, and she longed to feel closer to her mother again.
Thanks to luck or fate, Iris met George, the owner of the noodle restaurant, soon after landing in the city. He gave her a job and a place to live, and she’s been doing not much else but working. Thanks to her new best friend George, she’s finally venturing outside of her comfort zone when she recognizes the door to a gelato shop from one of her mother’s pictures. Stepping through the door changes Iris’s life, as well as the Belotti family.
When I started this one, the plot seemed a bit unbelievable, but Silver’s writing and enigmatic characters, her ability to make magic, had me believing. And while I thought the story would be fairly predictable, Silver managed to surprise me quite often. Most of the book is from Iris’s point of view, but we do get a few chapters about her mother’s time in New York, which was a cool throw-back to the city in the 1980s.
Iris and her mother loved to watch classic rom-com films together, and Silver alludes to several throughout the story. This romance gave me major While You Were Sleeping vibes, especially if you read the synopsis that mentions an uncle in a coma. In my advanced copy, there’s no coma, but the uncle has recently had a stroke and is in ICU. Also mentioned throughout the book: Meg Ryan, of course, the queen of rom-coms. But don’t let all the rom-com mentions make you think this one is strictly light-hearted. Like most of Silver’s romances, there’s depth and Iris’s and Gio’s lives have not been happy the past few years. They’re both dealing with trauma and grief.
My only complaint—the title is a bit misleading since more than half of the novel is set during the fall, with the novel including Halloween and Thanksgiving, as well as Christmas, but maybe that’s a trend for Silver’s novels since her previous book, ONE Night on the Island, took place over several weeks and not just one night. But I have been known to overthink things… Don’t worry, however, there is plenty of New York Christmas magic and snow!
A Winter in New York had me consumed, especially the second half of the book, which I read almost in one sitting. It’s a love story I would happily re-read, as well, which is always a sign of a good romance, for me.
Thank you to Ballantine Books and Netgalley for providing me with an advance copy.
Check out my reviews and book playlists at A Book Wanderer
It was ok. I know these cozy holiday books are as predictable as a Hallmark movie, but usually they take you through a sweet holiday romp and at least provide a level of entertainment that gives you some warm fuzzies and makes you feel excited about the holiday season. I didn't get any of that from this. It felt like a long slog to the predictable ending, which, by the time we got to the assumed story arc, was rushed and boring. Oh well. At least the cover is cute for our library's holiday display?
This was just a series of let downs for me. I wanted a Christmas romance and this was barely Christmas, it's just sort of there in the background a little. I wanted to get invested in the romance but it was impossible when the main character is blatantly lying and keeping heavy secrets from the love interest. I would literally cringe during the sex scenes because I felt like it was wrong for her to sleep with someone who couldn't make an informed decision about wanting to be with her while he didn't have all of the facts. I wanted to appreciate the found family aspect, but that was complicated by lies as well. If you really liked the movie While You Were Sleeping, this might work for you? If you like watching a girl slide her way into someone else's family under false pretenses, here you go! Apart from not liking the premise and most of the plot, I do think the prose was pretty and I'd give the author another shot.
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