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juanat77's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent, Terminal illness, Abandonment, Alcohol, Blood, Death, Cancer, Bullying, Cursing, Grief, Toxic relationship, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
amelianotthepilot's review against another edition
3.0
this was eh. definitely a foreigners idealized image of nyc in the winter which was fine i guess. lots of food moments and italian american-isms.
our main character Iris, is a chef from London, her mother has recently passed away and she’s escaped a manipulative ex boyfriend and now is living in NYC trying to live the dream. She’s found work at a noodle restaurant who’s owner is her gay male best friend 🙄 (what a tired trope) and she also lives in the building. After a series of events she ends up helping our leading man, Gio, an italian american restaurant owner, figure out his family’s lost gelato recipe which Iris happens to know.
first off it starts with a random chapter set on valentine’s day of Iris being rude to a random man (guess who this turns out to be) cause he took the last book at a bookstore.
The book then jump cuts to September’s San Genarro festival in Little Italy and doesn’t bring up this bookshop moment until wayyyy later at which point I literally thought it wasn’t coming back.
I also feel like there was a weird confusion around her parents and the love interest’s parents that left me thinking half of the book that this might turn out to be an incest plot 🙅🏼♀️🙅🏼♀️🙅🏼♀️ maybe i just wasn’t paying attention enough but Iris’s mother was in a band together with two men who were a guitarist and a drummer. Her mother also dated one of the guitarist’s brother, who is the restaurant owner and Gio’s uncle that he calls papa. For me it was unclear that Iris’s mother had the baby with the drummer not the guitarist, and that the guitarist is Gio’s dad. Very confusing tbh and I spent have the book in fear it was incest
our main character Iris, is a chef from London, her mother has recently passed away and she’s escaped a manipulative ex boyfriend and now is living in NYC trying to live the dream. She’s found work at a noodle restaurant who’s owner is her gay male best friend 🙄 (what a tired trope) and she also lives in the building. After a series of events she ends up helping our leading man, Gio, an italian american restaurant owner, figure out his family’s lost gelato recipe which Iris happens to know.
first off it starts with a random chapter set on valentine’s day of Iris being rude to a random man (guess who this turns out to be) cause he took the last book at a bookstore.
The book then jump cuts to September’s San Genarro festival in Little Italy and doesn’t bring up this bookshop moment until wayyyy later at which point I literally thought it wasn’t coming back.
I also feel like there was a weird confusion around her parents and the love interest’s parents that left me thinking half of the book that this might turn out to be an incest plot 🙅🏼♀️🙅🏼♀️🙅🏼♀️ maybe i just wasn’t paying attention enough but Iris’s mother was in a band together with two men who were a guitarist and a drummer. Her mother also dated one of the guitarist’s brother, who is the restaurant owner and Gio’s uncle that he calls papa. For me it was unclear that Iris’s mother had the baby with the drummer not the guitarist, and that the guitarist is Gio’s dad. Very confusing tbh and I spent have the book in fear it was incest
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Death of parent, Death, Toxic relationship, Cursing, Dementia, and Grief
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).blewballoon's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
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.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, and Death of parent
Minor: Violence, Domestic abuse, Death, Alcohol, and Cancer
soobooksalot's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcohol, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Grief, Domestic abuse, Sexual content, and Cancer
theespressoedition's review against another edition
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Cursing, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Sexual content, Alcohol, and Grief
csl4240's review against another edition
emotional
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent and Grief
Minor: Cursing, Alcohol, Toxic relationship, Pregnancy, and Infidelity
laheath's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
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
4.5 stars but rounded down because the female lead should have been more honest
A sweet romance that develops around a family's secret gelato recipe. It sounds simple, but the recipe is not the only secret from the past preventing the two lead characters from getting together. The glimpses of NYC, beyond the typical tourist stops, were wonderful.
A sweet romance that develops around a family's secret gelato recipe. It sounds simple, but the recipe is not the only secret from the past preventing the two lead characters from getting together. The glimpses of NYC, beyond the typical tourist stops, were wonderful.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Toxic relationship and Sexual content
Minor: Medical content, Cursing, and Alcohol
meredith_williams_'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
2.75
Main character, Iris, moves to New York after her mother’s death and after leaving an emotionally abusive relationship. She has a job as a chef and stumbles across a gelato shop in the city that she recognizes from her mother’s photographs. She meets the owner, Gio, who discloses that the secret family gelato recipe has been lost. Iris happens to have the exact recipe among her mother’s photographs, but can’t tell anyone because…she promised her mom not to?? So instead she offers to help Gio recreate the recipe under the guise of being a professional chef.
The winter city setting and family dynamics in this book were enjoyable. I also liked Gio as a love interest and thought the dual timeline between Iris’s present and her mothers past were interesting. However, the secret that serves as the main conflict in the book was simply not that serious. It caused a lot of unnecessary miscommunication between the love interests and it made Iris’s character hard to root for at times.
Ultimately, this book was as vanilla as the gelato that Gio’s family is known for. It’s good if you want a little something sweet, but you’ll be wishing it had more flavor by the time you’re done.
The winter city setting and family dynamics in this book were enjoyable. I also liked Gio as a love interest and thought the dual timeline between Iris’s present and her mothers past were interesting. However, the secret that serves as the main conflict in the book was simply not that serious. It caused a lot of unnecessary miscommunication between the love interests and it made Iris’s character hard to root for at times.
Ultimately, this book was as vanilla as the gelato that Gio’s family is known for. It’s good if you want a little something sweet, but you’ll be wishing it had more flavor by the time you’re done.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Cursing, Pregnancy, Grief, and Sexual content
Minor: Alcohol and Vomit
piratenami's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-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
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Grief, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Alcohol, Stalking, and Sexual content