A Winter in New York by Josie Silver

Title: A Winter in New York 

Author: Josie Silver

Publisher: Delacorte Press

Release Date: October 3, 2023

A young chef stumbles on a secret family recipe that might lead her to the love—and life—she’s been looking for in this stunning novel.

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.

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Sweat in a gelato kind of way!

Iris was devastated after losing her mother to cancer. Then she moved to New York City after leaving London or escaping London should be a better way to describe it. She was in an abusive relationship and she finally was able to leave him behind.

Iris is a chef but in NYC, she is working in a noodle restaurant. Here is where she met Bobby, her friend who offered her a job and a place to stay. Iris doesn't go out much but when Bobby insists that she must go with him to the Little Italy's autumn fair, she can't say no. Her future changes when she stumbles into a family-owned gelateria with a door that seems familiar to her. She remembers the door from a picture her mother had. Her curiosity makes her return to it and walking inside she meets Gio, one of the family owners.

Gio is in dire straights. His gelateria might close soon. Santo his uncle and father figure had a stroke. Santo is the one who has the secret recipe for the famous vanilla gelato they have been serving for years. Unbeknownst to Gio, Iris knows the recipe and she has been making it for years. Her mother had been given the recipe years earlier by someone in Gio's family!

How can Iris help Gio without revealing secrets that could hurt him?

I liked the story. Gio was sweet and caring. His family was amazing. They all treated Iris so well. I also loved Bobby. He was there for Iris when she needed a helping hand.

I had some issues with Iris. I didn't like how many secrets she had and the lies she was keeping.

Overall, it was an enjoyable story.

Cliffhanger: No

3.5/5 Fangs

A complimentary copy was provided by Delacorte Press via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.