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mj_86's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
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
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Death of parent, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Sexual content, Domestic abuse, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Cancer
meggiemeggie52's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
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
5.0
I absolutely loved this book! It was the perfect cute and cozy winter read; like a Hallmark movie in the best way. All of the characters except one (iykyk) were so lovable, the setting was idyllic, and the pacing and writing style had me engrossed in the book the whole time. Highly recommend if you want a curl-up-your-toes-and-squeal romance with a lot of heart and a touch of family drama.
And now I want gelato.
And now I want gelato.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cursing, Alcohol, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Grief, and Death
Minor: Cancer, Sexual content, Vomit, and Abandonment
FMC has an emotionally abusive ex. FMC and MMC had someone important to them pass away, and it/their grief is mentioned often. Sexual content is present, but "behind closed doors" (aka nothing graphic/explicit).gaby_readsss's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
I’ve always wanted to read Josie Silver, so when I came across a copy of A Winter In New York at my local library, I was stoked to take it home with me and read it.
Unfortunately, I kind of hated this book. The entire premise sounded really cute, but the execution of it was a huge letdown for me.
First of all, why did it take Iris so long to be honest about the whole secret recipe thing? I was okay with it at first, but then it kept going and going to the point I was just annoyed at the absurdity of it all. There was absolutely no reason to keep lying to Gio and his whole family. If she loved him, why not help him out?
She had zero trust in him.
Then when Santo finds out he’s like “get out of our lives”, but then miraculously has a change of heart and confesses everything to Gio and his family. The resolution was so random and rushed, and I was expecting more.
Then, the other big lie about her husband (who was not her husband) being dead and then her not telling Gio even after they sleep together, knowing he is in fact a widow, was so horrible. Why did she bond with him over this? It made absolutely no sense that he would fall in love with her when she shared nothing about her past or who she really is. I think the only real thing he knew about her is that her mom has passed away. Yet, he fell in love with her… how?
Their chemistry felt so forced and fabricated. I get it, every romance novel is fabricated but you know what I mean!
This is a romance and I was not rooting for them or felt satisfied that they ended up together.
All the characters were so hollow and superficial. After reading 300+ pages I still feel like I didn’t learn anything deep about who they really were.
Like I said, I liked the concept of this book. It was a cool concept how everything connected between Vivien and the Belotti’s, and ultimately between Iris and Gio, but the way it unfolded was simply dissatisfying and upsetting.
There were some aspects I enjoyed, such as the delicious mention of Italian food, the picturesque scenes of winter in New York, and the Christmas vibes, but mostly I was just happy this book was over.
Not such a great start to my 2024 reading.
Skip this if you’re thinking of reading it.
Unfortunately, I kind of hated this book. The entire premise sounded really cute, but the execution of it was a huge letdown for me.
First of all, why did it take Iris so long to be honest about the whole secret recipe thing? I was okay with it at first, but then it kept going and going to the point I was just annoyed at the absurdity of it all. There was absolutely no reason to keep lying to Gio and his whole family. If she loved him, why not help him out?
She had zero trust in him.
Then when Santo finds out he’s like “get out of our lives”, but then miraculously has a change of heart and confesses everything to Gio and his family. The resolution was so random and rushed, and I was expecting more.
Then, the other big lie about her husband (who was not her husband) being dead and then her not telling Gio even after they sleep together, knowing he is in fact a widow, was so horrible. Why did she bond with him over this? It made absolutely no sense that he would fall in love with her when she shared nothing about her past or who she really is. I think the only real thing he knew about her is that her mom has passed away. Yet, he fell in love with her… how?
Their chemistry felt so forced and fabricated. I get it, every romance novel is fabricated but you know what I mean!
This is a romance and I was not rooting for them or felt satisfied that they ended up together.
All the characters were so hollow and superficial. After reading 300+ pages I still feel like I didn’t learn anything deep about who they really were.
Like I said, I liked the concept of this book. It was a cool concept how everything connected between Vivien and the Belotti’s, and ultimately between Iris and Gio, but the way it unfolded was simply dissatisfying and upsetting.
There were some aspects I enjoyed, such as the delicious mention of Italian food, the picturesque scenes of winter in New York, and the Christmas vibes, but mostly I was just happy this book was over.
Not such a great start to my 2024 reading.
Skip this if you’re thinking of reading it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief and Death of parent
Moderate: Cancer and Emotional abuse
sarahallez's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
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
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse and Grief
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Cancer
dixiecarroll's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.0
Ladies you heard it here first! If you’re single on Valentine’s Day this year you too can weasel your way into a family, drama it up, and then be partnered up all in the span of 3 months! I’m taking it as a sign! I did not like this obviously, but I did read it all. Josie Silver is a compelling storyteller and I read this at listening speed (we’re talking 100+ pages an hour), but it was a mess and I don’t think the plot made sense. I kept saying “WHY” out loud. However, I did cry a few times so there’s that. Some unnecessary triggers that I’m adding to SG. Anyway idk read it because it will only take you a few hours but have low expectations!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Cancer, Emotional abuse, Grief, Stalking, Death of parent, and Domestic abuse
elliefardell's review against another edition
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Cancer, and Grief
jackieranson's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.5
Content Warnings
Minor: Emotional abuse and Cancer
lauramparis's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Emotional abuse, Pregnancy, Sexual content, Cancer, and Domestic abuse
trinloyd's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-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
5.0
So much more than the back cover leads you to believe! In classic Josie Silver fashion, she has you hanging on to the very last page just wondering how our heroine will get every happy ending she deserves! Found family, gut-wrenching loss, and a sweet love story, all set against an NYC winter backdrop—what more could you ask for?
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent, Toxic relationship, Pregnancy, and Cancer
chimichannika's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
4.5
A very emotional, touching, sweet, riveting, heartfelt tale of love— romantic, yes, but just as much about familial and platonic love, as well. A few moments stuck out to me as an, oh yes, this is a very white, cishet, British book (not just in terms of turns of phrase, but the sensibilities/mindset of the narration) and at first I was a bit concerned it was going to go for the whole gay best friend trope with Bobby and Robin being her adorably in love gay neighbors, but they ended up being wonderfully three-dimensional characters and kind of the emotional bedrock of the book. I wish we could’ve gotten more on the noodles shop—what kind of noodles? Ramen? Udon? Pho? It’s never made clear, as all we really know about Bobby’s culture is his family name—Han—and that he owns a noodle shop franchise, and I wanted more info on them! there’s also a weirdly phrased allusion to Bobby’s aunt in the very first chapter that took me out of the story and seemed vaguely derogatory and racist. Thankfully this seemed to be a one-off occurrence and the book is mostly unproblematic throughout. My other detractor was that the character repeatedly refers to the adage that “blood is thicker than water” and with this book having both UK and US editors, I would’ve hoped someone would’ve caught that or at least had Iris learn the full phrase, which literally means the opposite of how she uses it in this book. this isn’t nearly as upsetting as the weird racist comment at the start, but it still brought me out of the story each time it happened.
Apart from these things, though, it was still a riveting book that I didn’t want to put down— the depictions of the utter depth, acceptance, loyalty, and love that the Belotti family had for one another had me in tears at several points, as did the beautiful friendship bonds in the book, as well. This is my second of Josie’s books that I’ve read, the first being The Two Lives of Lydia Bird, and in both of them she manages to depict all of the complicated emotions surrounding grief so relatably and so well. The scene near the end of this book where Iris felt at a good place emotionally to release her mother’s ashes was so beautifully, emotionally, poignantly written, as was the love that was so blatantly evident between them, as well. I also particularly loved the line midway through the book that reads: “..I’ve learned since losing my mother that there is always a missing piece at any festivity or celebration. Other things and other people do not fill in that space, the river simply flows around it.” beautifully written. ♡
Another thing I particularly appreciated about this book was the characters’ choices and motivations— while I didn’t agree with some of the choices characters made, or like to think I would’ve done things differently, I didn’t have a clear answer for what the “right” or “best” solution would be in the situations in the book; there was no clear, easy resolution, and it not only made the characters and their choices more sympathetic, but also made them seem more realistic, too.
All in all a sweet, emotional, riveting book, and the only reason it’s getting a 4.5 instead of 5 from me is for the detractors mentioned at the start of my review. I’m also very happy to report that nothing except good things ever happens to the kitty, and he is very well loved and cared for throughout the entire book ♡ a brief heads up that this book contains depictions of abuse and escaping/surviving abuse that may be triggering to survivors, but also a note that the survivor gets her abuser-free, safe future at the end of the book ❣️ please be sure to check the trigger warnings on this book if this is something that may cause you distress while reading 🫶🏻
p. s. the music references in this book were fun to see (although the “famous piano piece” being The Entertainer did give me a good chuckle!) and I kept thinking throughout this book that this novel definitely deserves a spotify playlist with the songs mentioned in the book all compiled in it! maybe a fun fan project to undertake upon a reread sometime :)
Apart from these things, though, it was still a riveting book that I didn’t want to put down— the depictions of the utter depth, acceptance, loyalty, and love that the Belotti family had for one another had me in tears at several points, as did the beautiful friendship bonds in the book, as well. This is my second of Josie’s books that I’ve read, the first being The Two Lives of Lydia Bird, and in both of them she manages to depict all of the complicated emotions surrounding grief so relatably and so well. The scene near the end of this book where
Another thing I particularly appreciated about this book was the characters’ choices and motivations— while I didn’t agree with some of the choices characters made, or like to think I would’ve done things differently, I didn’t have a clear answer for what the “right” or “best” solution would be in the situations in the book; there was no clear, easy resolution, and it not only made the characters and their choices more sympathetic, but also made them seem more realistic, too.
All in all a sweet, emotional, riveting book, and the only reason it’s getting a 4.5 instead of 5 from me is for the detractors mentioned at the start of my review. I’m also very happy to report that nothing except good things ever happens to the kitty, and he is very well loved and cared for throughout the entire book ♡ a brief heads up that this book contains depictions of abuse and escaping/surviving abuse that may be triggering to survivors, but also a note that the survivor gets her abuser-free, safe future at the end of the book ❣️ please be sure to check the trigger warnings on this book if this is something that may cause you distress while reading 🫶🏻
p. s. the music references in this book were fun to see (although the
Content Warnings
Moderate: Grief, Gaslighting, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Death of parent
Minor: Vomit, Classism, Panic attacks/disorders, Pregnancy, Cancer, and Drug use