Window Shopping is a charming, holiday-themed romance filled with warmth, humor, and swoon-worthy moments. Tessa Bailey delivers her signature wit and steamy chemistry while weaving a heartfelt story of redemption and second chances. The quirky yet lovable characters, combined with the festive NYC backdrop, make it a delightful and feel-good read. It was perfect for curling up and reading this holiday season for a cozy night.

I normally love Tessa Bailey but this was a miss for me. I had really no connection to the characters and it was way too insta love for me. A week after knowing each other and they are thinking of saying "I love you" and looking at engagement rings? It was just so cringey. There are much better Tessa Bailey books and much better Christmas romances to choose from.

Thank you to NetGalley, Tessa Bailey and Avon for an advanced readers copy in exchange for my honest review.

“I want to believe that I’m the kind of person worth standing up for.”

I enjoy everything I read by Tessa Bailey, but I went into this one blind and was pleasantly surprised by how different this one was.

I think the last thing I was expecting from a Tessa Bailey holiday romance was an ex-con for our FMC (Stella). And I’m SO grateful she wrote this story, providing a deeper insight into how mistakes, peer pressure, and life can take a turn for the worse. How owning our own mistakes is important, but that there is always the ability to start over.

“She’s window-shopping, while I’ve already bought out the whole damn store.”

This book was so much more than a a lighthearted holiday romance and I loved every moment of it. I loved the quirkiness of Aiden, who is the people-pleasing optimist—almost to a fake degree. I love his dual dynamic though, because he is NOT “super nice” when it comes to the bedroom…ha!

“This isn’t about me carrying you, it’s about us walking together and deciding where to go, all right?”

Also, the Aunt Edna stories? Wow she makes my family look boring. I want someone this quirky in my life.

This story was uplifting, heavy, and rewarding. It was about redemption, making the most out of life, and recognizing that the holidays are a great time to start over. More than that though, it shows that it’s possible to start over on your own, but that it’s easier when you have a helping hand.

Tropes:
- Ex-con FMC
- Holiday romance
- Workplace romance
- Boss x employee
- Grumpy x sunshine
- Forced proximity
- He falls first and hard

Window Shopping by Tessa Bailey
Standalone Romance Novel
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4/5 Stars

This was a fun and sweet Christmas novel to read. I loved the MMC in this book! He is portrayed as sweet, nerdy, and loves Christmas. The FMC is looking for a second chance and someone to believe in her while she is trying to turn her life around. This definitely has a reverse grumpy X sunshine trope and I felt like it was done really well. Stella and Aiden meet outside Aiden's family store when he asks for her opinion on the window display and Stella not knowing who he is tells him just how terrible it is, immediately he is trying to get her to come work for him, but Stella has a secret. When she finally decides to apply she knows he will find out about her record and her just getting out of prison but she hopes he will give her a chance. He does hire her on a trial basis. As she works to show she deserves this chance they end up spending a lot of time together and start falling for each other. They have such a sweet romance and it was such a fun story to read and get into the holiday spirit. I really enjoyed their banter and learning more about each character, their chemistry was obvious and made it a great read. I would definitely recommend this to romance readers looking for a nice easy holiday read. Thank you Netgalley for an early copy of this book.

While I am typically a huge Tessa Bailey fan and love the complexity she gives her characters and stories while also providing the perfect amount of romance, this book was not my favorite of hers - maybe I had high hopes of a holiday Tessa Bailey novel, but I felt there were a few big holes in the story line that were glazed over. While I thought it was enjoyable, I'd highly recommend some of her other novels if you've never read her work before.

I read this entire book in just a few hours. It was super cute and engaging but also had a food plot to it. I loved how Christmassy it was and really was able to get immersed in Christmas

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for a copy to honestly review.

This was fun. Short and sweet. I’m ok with a cinnamon roll, insta love kind of MMC if there are obstacles to overcome before they can get together. Bailey managed to bring the tension, interesting side characters, and a character growth arc for both MMC and FMC in around 250 pages. I thought we deserved more aunt Edna though.
Fun premise, lots of Christmassy vibes, solid execution. One star deducted largely because I’m tired of dainty little FMCs with giant MMCs who can carry them around like a baby.

Tessa Bailey is the queen of romance and this Christmas book is no exception. It’s a cute, feel-good, steamy, grumpy-sunshine, holiday romance that’s perfect for the season!

An amazing cute Christmas story that is a must read! Tessa Bailey’s books are always must reads for me.

I voluntarily reviewed this book.

This book is very heavy on the spice, missing the backbone. It’s all just too much too soon. It is heavy on the Christmas which I appreciate for a Christmas romance since ultimately that is the point. It was a very easy and quick read though if you want something steamy to pass the time. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to provide my honest review.

I'd like to thank Netgalley and Avon and Harper Voyager | Avon for gifting this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book started out strong for me but then turned on me fast. I think I was just bothered by the insta love aspect of it. I loved the story of her being in prison and getting a second chance at life and I guess would have liked a slower build up to the romance.

Recommended for Tessa Bailey fans and those who like a spicier Christmas romance.

A cute and spicy Holiday romance from one of my favorite authors! Stella is fresh out of prison and looking to restart her life. Aiden is a general manager at department store. When she sees the store window display and hates it, he challenged her to apply for the job and do better. The chemistry between Aiden and Stella is off the charts! The spice was excellent. I really enjoyed this one and think you will too. Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Harper Voyager for the chance to read and review.

Cute little holiday book
Stella and Aiden are great and their immediate attraction even with boundaries was lovely
I really appreciated the resolution between Stella and Nicole

A cute Christmas romance just in time for the holiday season. I enjoyed the main character, who is committed to turning her life around after being released from prison. While the way she got the window dressing job is a bit convenient, I still enjoyed the romance as well as the main characters. This was a good reason for the holidays, but I will read whatever Tessa Bailey writes. Her writing allows me to walk away from real life and become immersed in the story where I can just enjoy the interaction of the characters and see where the story takes me.

The perfect Christmas cliche’ 🎄❤️

I was not expecting modern day Pretty Woman vibes, but I’m absolutely here for it!

In true Tessa Bailey style, she nailed it!

Thank you Avon & Harper, Tessa Bailey, and NetGalley for the arc!

𝚁𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐: 4.5⭐️
𝙶𝚎𝚗𝚛𝚎: contemporary romance 📚

𝙼𝚢 𝚃𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚜:
A quick sweet yet spicy festive romance

𝚁𝚎𝚊𝚍 𝚒𝚏 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎:
Fake dating
Holiday romance
Grumpy x sunshine
Workplace romance
Fun and flirty banter
Strong chemistry
Hallmark vibes but make it spicy

𝚃𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜 𝙸 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎𝚍:
Feel good holiday vibes
Quick and easy read
I loved how goofy Aiden was
Aunt Edna stories

𝚃𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜 𝙸 𝚍𝚒𝚍𝚗’𝚝 𝚌𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚏𝚘𝚛:
I wish it was longer

𝙵𝚊𝚟𝚘𝚛𝚒𝚝𝚎 𝚀𝚞𝚘𝚝𝚎𝚜:
★ "I never believed in holiday magic until I met you."
★ "You don't need to be perfect. You just need to be real."

I absolutely adored this book!!! Stella was such a wonderful fmc and I wanted to give her the biggest hug along with encouragement. Made me sad how down she was on herself and doubtful of her own change, but she grew beautifully! Aiden Cross??? Oh man, he's now in my top 5 of book boyfriends. Not only was he as sweet as a southern peach cobbler but had the spice of a habanero??? Drool-worthy! This is certainly one of my favorites from Tessa Bailey. Would love to see her write more reverse grumpy-sunshine in the future!

Hmm. This was definitely a holiday rom-com! Not my favorite, but still enjoyable. Perhaps it was the annoying rich people and their snooty-ass attitudes or that the main characters were head over heels almost instantly. Whatever it was, it wasn’t really my fave.

But I did enjoy the spice! 😏 Tessa Bailey’s spicy scenes never disappoint. 3-3.5/5 🌶️🌶️🌶️

(Thank you, Avon and Harper Voyager and NetGalley, for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.)

Fun meet cute. A bit spicy, and juicy at times. A great Christmas read about starting over and finding love.

Cute. Thats the word. really couldn't get invested. Background stories were good. Lots of spice. Well written, so why didn't I care about them? Overall it's a fun holiday romance if you are looking for something short and sweet