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A review by jcstokes95
A Winter in New York by Josie Silver
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
This worked out exactly how I wanted, as a cozy romance for the cold season and a fluffy book for the new year (though, for what it’s worth, it’s not winter until like 60 percent into the book, so if you’re looking for an all out Christmas classic, I’d look elsewhere.
Iris has come to New York hoping to experience the city through her mother’s eyes; plus, she’s running away from a nasty ex-boyfriend who did a number on her self-esteem after her mother’s passing. She comes with pieces of her mom’s life in the 80s, a picture of a lover and a secret gelato recipe. By accident, she worms her way into the family of her mother’s former fling, but circumstance means she’s got to keep the past quiet. Complication ensues.
I like that this romance had lots of plots going on but they all stayed close and neatly tied together in the end. The family of the love interest, Gio, is warm and welcoming but gets the right amount of time on page. I felt like the romance, family, and friendship elements were pretty well-balanced on page. I love Bobby; I appreciate a romance with a best friend character who is a cheerleader but not pushy.
I will say, their chemistry had to grow on me, and they don’t have the sort of banter or spark that would make this a top-tier romance for me personally (a la Ms. Henry) however, Gio is a nice guy and clearly passionate about the right things in life. The spiciness level, much like the gelato, is fairly vanilla. Not closed door, but not going to turn your cheeks pink (either cheeks, sorry, had to).
My biggest issues were that Santo, the supposed love of her mom’s life, comes off like a huge douchebag when he meets Iris. He seems more interested in protecting his own reputation than in Iris and his nephew/son’s happiness; this all flies in the face of the big talk about family throughout the book. I wish we could have seen this get more resolved, then it may have sat better for me. Also, some of the final scene comes off a little…super-villainy to me, but this is a romance, so I guess painting villains in broad strokes isn’t the worst thing. But the dialogue feels stilted because of it.
(Also, this is a personal peeve I discovered, but I hate descriptions of performances in books, I don’t know why. I love musicals in real life, but my brain has a strange ick factor when character’s sing. This is not the book’s fault, just a note to myself really).
Worth a listen (I do most romance on audiobook), and I would definitely pick up a seasonal book by this author again.
Iris has come to New York hoping to experience the city through her mother’s eyes; plus, she’s running away from a nasty ex-boyfriend who did a number on her self-esteem after her mother’s passing. She comes with pieces of her mom’s life in the 80s, a picture of a lover and a secret gelato recipe. By accident, she worms her way into the family of her mother’s former fling, but circumstance means she’s got to keep the past quiet. Complication ensues.
I like that this romance had lots of plots going on but they all stayed close and neatly tied together in the end. The family of the love interest, Gio, is warm and welcoming but gets the right amount of time on page. I felt like the romance, family, and friendship elements were pretty well-balanced on page. I love Bobby; I appreciate a romance with a best friend character who is a cheerleader but not pushy.
I will say, their chemistry had to grow on me, and they don’t have the sort of banter or spark that would make this a top-tier romance for me personally (a la Ms. Henry) however, Gio is a nice guy and clearly passionate about the right things in life. The spiciness level, much like the gelato, is fairly vanilla. Not closed door, but not going to turn your cheeks pink (either cheeks, sorry, had to).
My biggest issues were that Santo, the supposed love of her mom’s life, comes off like a huge douchebag when he meets Iris. He seems more interested in protecting his own reputation than in Iris and his nephew/son’s happiness; this all flies in the face of the big talk about family throughout the book. I wish we could have seen this get more resolved, then it may have sat better for me. Also, some of the final scene comes off a little…super-villainy to me, but this is a romance, so I guess painting villains in broad strokes isn’t the worst thing. But the dialogue feels stilted because of it.
(Also, this is a personal peeve I discovered, but I hate descriptions of performances in books, I don’t know why. I love musicals in real life, but my brain has a strange ick factor when character’s sing. This is not the book’s fault, just a note to myself really).
Worth a listen (I do most romance on audiobook), and I would definitely pick up a seasonal book by this author again.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent