A spicy-sweet grumpy-sunshine workplace holiday romance set in a Manhattan department store. Perfect holiday read: quick and fun, but with enough depth that the specifics of the happy ending had me in tears, and genuinely surprised. Thank you to NetGalley, and Avon and Harper Voyage for digital review copy.

This romance novel enchants with its heartfelt storyline and vividly drawn characters, pulling readers into a tale of love and self-discovery. The author beautifully captures the complexities of relationships, blending passion and tenderness with just the right amount of tension. Its emotional depth and captivating twists make it an unforgettable read for fans of the genre.

This is such a cute Christmas story. Aiden is such a great character and I love the juxtaposition of both main character's personalities in this book.

3.44

Two things to get out of the way at the start. The first is that this is apparently a republishing of a previous Tessa Bailey book from 2021. I didn’t know that until I was flipping through the first pages. It also explains why several parts referred to being the first since the pandemic. The second is that this is very much a Tessa Bailey book. If you don’t know what that means, she is known for her very, VERY descriptive sex scenes.

I still somehow enjoy most of her books that I’ve read and almost forget about how much sex is in them until I start reading a new one. A few have had dynamics that I felt were too imbalanced that the relationship was not healthy to say the least. In this case, the characters are concerned about the imbalance, or sometimes perceived imbalance. It gets a little tricky because, though Aiden is truly a nice guy, he is in a position of power and authority. I don’t just mean as the head of the iconic department store, or even necessarily just as her boss. He comes from an educated, successful background, is a little older, and has no real concept of what Stella has been through, other than his own challenging upbringing that has also made him empathetic. When he asked her questions about her sexual preferences, she doesn’t even know how to answer because, aside from having been in prison, she didn’t seem to have much experience prior to that.

It’s a little bit hard to determine the motivation for their actions because some people do have those type of connections and some people just people are just more amazing in certain ways than others you’ve met. However, Stella had only been out of prison for barely a month when she met him so her world was in a tailspin with no one for support. After all, she was still living like she was assigned to a bunk in the corner. He was taught to be a caretaker and didn’t want to disappoint people, so in walks this messy, but beautiful project that he gets to nurture and love and who would love him back. Self-control doesn’t matter if you ultimately do it anyway.

As an aside, even though this is an interesting and unrealistic take on things , it does highlight how challenging it can be for one who’s been released from prison to avoid recidivism. I agree that, in many cases, they have made their proverbial bed, but why let them out if there is no chance to even minimally succeed? If they can’t get a job and don’t know people in places who would go out of their way to break the rules for them to get one, what do we expect? I think that Aiden was really drawn to Stella because of her response to the window and her ideas, but it doesn’t go unmentioned how attractive he finds her, which is why he goes to the trouble of tracking her down and giving her a second and third chance at interviewing for the job. It’s not hard to imagine why Nicole got into so much trouble, why Stella would feel guilty about not giving her all the support she could, or how successful Nicole could actually be without any support. Even if Nicole’s intentions good, if Stella had only just gotten a minimum-wage job, had to pay for a place to live, and didn’t have a support network, both of them would have been in jeopardy. We won’t get into the fact that they probably couldn’t live together and that there didn’t seem to be any other parole limitations.

Having said all that, if you feel like or can get around the complicated socio-economic and power dynamics and the explicit sex scenes, it’s a cute and unique idea for a holiday romance and a quick read!
Thank you to the author Tessa Bailey, NetGalley, and Avon and Harper Voyager for providing me with a free advanced copy of this book in exchange for my unbiased review.

3/5 stars

I enjoyed this one and the two leads were lovely. I liked how aware they both were of the power dynamic and the exploration of Stella's friendship with Nicole.

However, I kind of... read the whole book and was surprised that was it. I thought it was really slow buildup and then the plot would get going, only to learn that <i>was</i> the plot. Additionally, I couldn't suspend my disbelief enough about how Aiden found Stella to hire her. My last gripe was Stella's insistence that she couldn't sign the paperwork, which I think could be a Me thing, but it wasn't like she was signing a marriage contract.

Overall, this book is a bit unrealistic, but good for a fun time.

Tessa is one of my go to authors, so I was excited to see Window Shopping was being rereleased. This book is one of my holiday romance go to. I loved the relationship between Stella and Aiden. I loved their banter and the spice was just perfect. The reverse grumpy/sunshine was refreshing and pleasant to read.

4.5!!

Aww I liked this one! After reading the first couple pages, I definitely went into the mindset of this just being a silly, hallmark, smutty book and it did not disappoint.

I haven’t read a reverse grumpy sunshine is so so long and I absolutely enjoyed this. Aiden is the sweetest, little optimistic, golden retriever, quirky bow tie wearing man. I loved him throughout the book. I really liked the tension and connection between him and Stella.

Also the side characters were my favorites! Leland, Aunt Edna, and Jordyn were hilarious throughout the book.

Overall a great holiday read! I just wouldn’t set your expectations super high in this being “the best Christmas book ever” or with Tessa’s other books. (It’s giving a little novella vibes bc it’s only 200 ish pages)

It’s sweet, spicy, and a quick holiday read!

This was such a cute, spicy, holiday romance!! Tessa Bailey is an autobuy author for me and she does not disappoint! I absolutely loved Aiden and how accepting and warm he was with Stella’s past and he’s just the cutest cinnamon roll but with a filthy mouth! If you like:

🎄 Spice
🎄 Workplace Romance
🎄 Grumpy x Sunshine

You’ll love this quick, cute, and spicy holiday romance!

Publishing 10/1/24

Thank you so much to Avon, Harper Voyager, and NetGalley for providing me with this eARC in exchange for my honest review!

Another amazing novel from Tessa Bailey.

Stylish, funny, sweet. Loved this holiday romcom. And surprisingly steamy! Phew!

Highly recommend this holiday read!

This book is just in time for the holidays. Tessa is the main character and she has been released from prison. She is window shopping and comes upon a window that she is critiquing when a cute bow-tie clad man starts asking her what she thinks. She has nothing to lose, so she give her opinion. And thus starts her chance at a new life outside of prision walls, and creating window displays for bow-tied Aiden - who is the manager/owning partner of his family business. This is a heartfelt, girl from the wrong side of the tracks romance with the cutest lead character. Bailey has quite the knack for having us fall in love with her leading men. And just in time for some Christmas gifts!

O.M.G.

Looking for a steamy holiday romance with an adorable cover you can take in public? This one has got you covered! Described by Tessa as “if Ted Lasso were kinky,” this steamy story is an opposites attract romance between an ex-convict aspiring window dresser and an always pleasant, bow-tie wearing store manager. The story is on the shorter side for a full-length novel, and easy to breeze through, and feels like classic Tessa Bailey. With plenty of dirty talk and holiday charm, this book will definitely be a Christmas re-read for me. Could not recommend enough!

Thanks to the author and Avon for my eARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

5 stars - 9/10

Every single book I read by her is amazing. This one is no exception, start to finish I was captivated in the story and needed to know how it went and ended. I highly recommend if you’re looking for a holiday read that also has self love, self discovery and self healing after a traumatic event.

Tessa Bailey is always an auto-read for me! Window Shopping was such a fun holiday story. I loved the unlikely romance, holiday spice and story which takes place in a large department store during the holiday shopping season. I couldn't put it down!

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and publisher for allowing me to read an ARC of this title. Tessa Bailey is a refreshing and fun author and Window Shopping is a great example. Stella and Aiden happen to meet and then meet again when he interviews her for the job as a window dresser. Set at Christmastime it's the perfect time for two people to fall in love!

Window Shopping
by Tessa BAILEY
pUB Date: October 1, 2024
Thanks to the author, publisher and Netgalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion. I must have missed this one first time around so I thought I'd give it a go.
Whenever Tessa Bailey comes up, I feel like I always have to make a mention of the steam factor in her books. They are HOT, perhaps shockingly so if you've never read her, so reader beware. She definitely doesn't hold back when it comes to those scenes, which are a bit incongruous with her cute and innocent book covers.

This isn't some serious love story for the ages or anything. It's pure unadulterated fun, with heaping doses of feelgood and raunchy. Add in the themes of finding oneself and getting a second chance, along with loads of Christmas cheer, and this is just about the perfect holiday read.

This was a humorous romp filled with Christmas cheer, but also contained an underlying base that touched on more solid themes such as family, second chances, and forgiveness. I thoroughly enjoyed watching Stella regain her balance and find her joy not only in the season, but in her own abilities as well.

Newly released from prison, Stella finds herself standing outside an exclusive store's display window, analyzing how wrong it is for their Christmas customers. She has some education in marketing/merchandising but having spent the last few years in prison, hasn't had time to use and discover her skills. Without initially introducing himself, Aiden, the owner of the store (charming, handsome and a bit goofy) notices her and asks about the window. He is intrigued and suggests she apply for to be a window dresser at the store. Through their budding, loving and sizzling relationship, they learn to stand up for themselves.. especially with the controlling people in their lives.

Readers who want spice in their romances will get the whole spice rack with this book. They also will find a saucy Christmas read - with personal growth, bowties and a relationship that will last. Who wouldn't want to have a Christmas morning bathrobe or to fall asleep curled up by a Christmas tree, listening to stories of Aunt Edna?

Thanks to Avon and Harper Voyage, Tessa Bailey and NetGalley for this ARC.

This is so odd but I started reading this book and it was immediately familiar...because I read it in 2021 when it was originally published, lol!! So I will just say, I enjoyed this book, it was your average contemporary romance and it was fun to read.

Tessa Bailey is one of my favorite writers. I know this was one of her first books written and I am happy to say that she has come a long way from this book. Unfortunately I did not like this book.

This is a cute but sexy little romp of a romance story. I enjoyed the holiday theme and found this to be a quick read and just what I was in the mood for after some very long, complex reads.