A Winter in New York Book Review
Check out my review of A Winter in New York by Josie Silver, an exploration of grief and its impact on family throughout generations illustrated through a romance set during the holiday season in New York.
I'm a huge fan of holiday romance fiction and keep Christmas romances stacked in piles to enjoy all winter long.
I've had a copy of A Winter in New York by Josie Silver sitting on my dresser To-Read pile for a couple years and finally decided to download the audiobook instead so I could listen to it during the busy holiday season when my reading time was shorter than usual.
Though I enjoyed it well enough to finish it, I definitely have mixed feelings on this particular not-so Christmas season read.
Curious if this book is for you? Check out my full review below.
If this is your first time reading one of my reviews, you may want to check out how I score my reads with this scale guide here.
Summary of A Winter in New York
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.
What I Liked
Here's what I would tell my best friend about the book:
- Christmas-Adjacent Plot: This is a great book to read in November or December, it has a festive feeling to it without being overly Christmasy.
- Italian Gelato & Chef Expertise: I love foodie fiction and books that feature chefs. The two main characters fall in love as they are trying to recreate a secret family recipe for the best vanilla gelato in the world.
- Gio and the Belotti Family: I love the contrast between Iris' single-mom family compared to Gio's big, colorful, and boisterous family. His sisters were some of my favorite characters and I wouldn't mind a spin-off sequel focusing on them!
What I Didn't Like
Every reader needs something different from a book. What I may not have preferred may be your favorite part.
When I picked up A Winter in New York, I did not realize how much grief and loss of a loved one would be featured within the plot. I expected a cute foodie mystery set in New York at the holidays, what I got was a deeply heart wrenching exploration of grief from many angles.
Had I been better prepared, I might have chosen to read this at a different time and not been so disappointed.
Additionally, I was not a huge fan of Iris. The secret-keeping part of the story was too much and way too drawn out. She obsessively worries about the fall out from the secrets and it takes up so much time in the story.
How Spicy Is It?
🌶️🌶️🌶️: A Winter in New York rates a Level 3 on my spicy books rating scale. There is perhaps just one open door scene that supports the plot.
Romantic Tropes
A Winter in New York is a slow burn, holiday romance. You can read more about romance subgenres here.
It also takes advantage of the fount family romantic trope.
Overall Score
⭐⭐⭐ I give A Winter in New York 3 stars on my star rating scale. I originally gave it 4 stars on Goodreads when I finished the book but now that I've had some time to sit with it, my feelings have changed.
The lying and secret keeping is so drawn out and the book feels more like commentary on grief than a romance.
I also did not appreciate the hints at domestic abuse in a prior relationship with an oddly explosive scene towards the end of the book. It felt like the author was trying to jam in too many heavy topics in what was marketed as a holiday book.
One thing is for sure -- this book would make for a very interesting book club conversation because I'm sure it will trigger a wide variety of reactions from readers. If you're looking for something to dissect together, this would be a good option.
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