Growing up, Iris’s mother made the best gelato using a recipe she got years ago from Santo, a man that she had a brief fling with. The recipe is a family secret so secret that only two family members are allowed to know it at the same time. Santo should not have given Vivien the recipe.

Iris happens to stumble upon Santo’s gelato shop while out walking but they are closed because they’ve lost the gelato recipe. Iris is torn – should she give them the recipe and risk making the family mad at Santo for giving the recipe to her mom? Iris is a chef so she decides she will offer to help Santo’s nephew Gio experiment with different ingredient combinations, knowing she will eventually lead him to the right recipe. And you know what ends up happening with them working so closely to together…

Frankly, I thought this book was boring. The writing itself wasn’t bad but it was very slow paced. I didn’t think there was good chemistry between Iris and Gio. They spent a lot of time making gelato. Like a lot. And I didn’t understand what the big deal was with Iris just telling Gio’s family that she had the recipe. I think they would have preferred that over being closed for weeks while they tried to figure out the recipe. I probably would have DNFed this book if it wasn’t one of my Book of the Month books. I paid good money for it, so I was determined to make it through! ( )

Iris has fled from her life in London to start a new life in New York, with only a battered suitcase and her trusty gelato machine to her name. Whilst getting back on her feet, she comes across a gelateria that stirs something in her memory and Gio, whose family owns the gelateria stirs something in her!

A Winter in New York is THE most beautiful book. I absolutely adored every bit of it. The characters are perfect, the story is tender and warm, and there are foodie references galore via the gelateria and the wider New York streets. Iris's recent past is raw and painful and Gio and his family provide the salve she needs, but it's complicated by the past, her mother, and a secret that she should never have been told.

I know when a book has really burrowed its way into my heart when I don't want to let it go, when I'm playing Joni Mitchell songs and tearing up, and when the characters feel like real people. It's not helped by Gio being rather a dish, an Italian man with a gorgeous personality to match. The scenes between him and Iris were electrifyingly passionate. I loved the way his huge family enveloped Iris and how it was just what she needed.

A foodie love story is probably my favourite kind of book and this one is a top-notch case in point. It's magical and touching, heart-rending and emotive, and full of joy. I've been thoroughly transported to New York and to be honest, I'm not quite ready to leave. ( )

Such a wonderful book.Thanks to Netgalley for the review copy. ( )

This was just what I needed this week. Cozy without being sickeningly sweet. ( )

This novel had some very nice moments and at other times, just seemed a bit repetitive. It was heartwarming in way it depicted Gio and his family, all supporting each other and eventually, Iris, too. But the hiding of the secret gelato recipe that Iris had from her mom and the gradual “development” of it by Iris and the others just got tedious. The story is a quick and easy read, and the characters, except for Adam, are all likable. There just isn’t much of a plot, and yet, the author manages to string the tale along - and the gelato secret - for many, many pages. Still, the book kept my interest enough for me to finish the book. ( )