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mrscorytee's review
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Emotional abuse
abookwanderer's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
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
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
Content Warnings
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Grief, and Death of parent
bookedbymadeline's review
lighthearted
relaxing
sad
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin UK for the eARC!
I was pulled in right away and enjoyed the switching POVs as we occasionally get glimpses of Iris’ mom, Vivien, in the 80’s. At first I really liked them but they became a bit like filler because we don’t get much new information (most of what we know can be found in the present timeline).
I love Gio’s family, absolutely obsessed with their relationship and dynamic! I enjoyed the character development for Iris and the found family aspects too.
Love the rom-com movie references 💗 The novel is both a romance with Iris and Gio but it’s also a romance/love story for New York. I loved the descriptions and felt like I was in NYC during the holidays!
Love the rom-com movie references 💗 The novel is both a romance with Iris and Gio but it’s also a romance/love story for New York. I loved the descriptions and felt like I was in NYC during the holidays!
Didn’t love the friendship between Bobby and Iris-he doesn’t feel like his own character and is more like a flat, background character purely there to further Iris’ development (and at times feels like the cliche “gay BFF”).
The spicy scenes were fairly well done except for one line about how Gio’s actions were “insanely sexual that I feel as if he's actually drawing circles on my cervix.” that was weird…🫠
Miscommunication is a HUGE plot point which was unfortunate because it’s my least fave trope 😭 The story was also predictable, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but I would’ve enjoyed more plot twists that I didn’t see coming.
The romance was okay, it wasn’t great or horrible, just average. It didn’t feel like a main focus and was more the journey of Iris discovering herself, fleeing a toxic relationship, and grieving the loss of her mom. I much preferred Silver’s “One Night on the Island” and I don’t think the miscommunication helped with how I felt either.
I recommend for a light, fluffy holiday read! But be aware of the triggers as it tackles heavy topics like grief and domestic abuse. I’ll probably check out Silver’s other books to see if she’s an author for me or not.
Spice: 🌶️🌶️ (1.5-2/3)
Tropes: single dad (widower), found family
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Dementia, Grief, and Death of parent
Moderate: Cancer and Stalking
meganpbennett's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Winter in New York is a lovely story of a young woman learning who she is and where she wants to be in life, while also falling in love with the son of a gelato maker. Before she was born, Iris's mother had a fiery fling with Santo, a gelato maker who gave her his family secret - his gelato recipe. Flash forward 40ish years, and Santo has just had a stroke, forgetting the famous recipe. Iris stumbles upon the shop and the secret by accident - she had no idea her mother's secret recipe was really Santo's secret recipe - so she decides to help them.
Very interesting. Bit of an emotional rollercoaster through the last few chapters, what with Adam and Iris making some spectacularly stupid decisions.
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for the free electronic Advanced Reader.
Very interesting. Bit of an emotional rollercoaster through the last few chapters, what with Adam and Iris making some spectacularly stupid decisions.
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for the free electronic Advanced Reader.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Grief, and Death of parent
memoirsofabooklover's review
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
I loved this book. It may not be winter but I read this book at the exact right time. I rarely ever cry at books but this book had me brushing tears from my cheeks over the last few chapters. This book was beautiful and a little heart wrenching. I loved the story, unique but not outlandish. her abusive ex brought up a lot for me. I appreciated that it wasn’t the main concentration of the story but it wasn’t brushed over. I loved that a lot of the characters had their own complex baggage and emotions that added to the story so well, allowing you to really feel for them, not just the main character. I loved the couple of chapters from Vivian’s perspective, to give us an insight in to her side of the story. I adored the writing style. I would definitely recommend.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cancer, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Terminal illness, Dementia, Grief, and Death of parent
Minor: Vomit and Alcohol
natalienance's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Emotional abuse
lisareadsthings's review against another edition
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Don't let the cover fool you. This is not a lighthearted holiday romance. There are some heavy topics that, while mostly happen in the past, feature prominently in the plot. These include death of a parent, death of a spouse, grief, absentee parents, and emotional abuse.
Where the book shines is the relationship between Iris and Gio. They go from strangers to colleagues of a sort to friends to lovers over the course of the story. It doesn't feel forced or rushed and I loved the slow simmer of it all. Gio is so kind and sweet and thoughtful, yet not perfect. Their relationship, and her integration into his loud and amazing family, feels real in a way a lot of books don't capture.
I wasn't a huge fan of Iris keeping the secrets for as long as she did but at the same time, I understood why (recentish death of the only family she had and just coming out of an abusive relationship). And it's clear she struggles with the decision - especially as her and Gio's relationship grows.
While not quite the sweet romance I was expecting, the story was captivating, the characters were flawed and relatable, Gio was oh so swoony, and it's a wonderful love letter to New York City.
Thank you Netgalley and Random House for the early copy in exchange for my honest review.
Where the book shines is the relationship between Iris and Gio. They go from strangers to colleagues of a sort to friends to lovers over the course of the story. It doesn't feel forced or rushed and I loved the slow simmer of it all. Gio is so kind and sweet and thoughtful, yet not perfect. Their relationship, and her integration into his loud and amazing family, feels real in a way a lot of books don't capture.
I wasn't a huge fan of Iris keeping the secrets for as long as she did but at the same time, I understood why (recentish death of the only family she had and just coming out of an abusive relationship). And it's clear she struggles with the decision - especially as her and Gio's relationship grows.
While not quite the sweet romance I was expecting, the story was captivating, the characters were flawed and relatable, Gio was oh so swoony, and it's a wonderful love letter to New York City.
Thank you Netgalley and Random House for the early copy in exchange for my honest review.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Grief and Death of parent
Minor: Emotional abuse