A Winter in New York | By Josie Silver
Book Review | Contemporary Romance
Synopsis :
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.
My thoughts
Narrative and Plot
A Winter in New York is told largely from Iris Raven’s perspective about a year after she moved to New York. The blurb makes it look like a romance novel. While romance is a big part of the story, it is actually a romantic take on Iris’s life in New York. The book is more about her fresh start and the grief and trauma that she left behind.
The writing is eloquent and poignant and has that re-readable quality despite my issues with the plot. It is more of a hangout book than a fast-paced novel. I enjoyed it so much that it made me want to visit New York someday and I have never been to the United States before. I am sure somewhere familiar with the city would appreciate it even better.
Characters and Conflict
The story centers around Iris Raven as mentioned before. Her relationship with her mother is the quintessential part of the story. As someone who moved around a lot in life, I could relate to a lot of the things in the book. All that being said, I wish the story had some kind of interlude, or at least one chapter with Gio’s perspective or at least any Belotti family member’s perspective.
The Belotti family and all its immensely colorful characters make their presence known, even though we see them only through Iris’s eyes. And that is enough for the most part. But there are a few central conflicts that get resolved behind the curtains and you, as a reader, are robbed of the opportunity to see how they reacted to it in the first place.
Conclusion
Despite my issues with the way some of the things were handled in the book, I enjoyed reading this book. In a way, it reminded me of Love and Gelato, but for adults. It was a heartfelt story. A love letter to New York and to all those who want to make a fresh start. Not by running away from your old life, but by embracing the new you scars and all, but healing nonetheless.
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