Window Shopping, by Tessa Bailey, is a spicy grumpy-sunshine with holiday vibes! This holiday romance hit the spot! I love it when the grumpy one is the female because this grump can relate! Tessa always does a great job with character development… either you love them or hate them. Oh, and the tension she builds between characters - chefs kiss!

The book focuses on Stella, FMC, a grump with a past who is trying to leave that all behind, and Aiden, MMC, a sunshiney store owner who loves Christmas. The instant attraction between these opposites is fantastic. I love the tension and the witty banter. Who doesn’t love a workplace romance??

I loved that this book also had a secondary romance between side characters that I was totally invested in!

Thank you to NetGalley and Tessa Bailey for gifting me an eARC of Window Shopping. I am leaving this review voluntarily. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Stella Schmidt was just released from from the Bedford Hills Correctional after 4 years for a crime she committed. It's two weeks before Christmas and Stella finds herself walking along the streets of New York City looking at the holiday displays in the department store windows. Stopping at Vivant, Stella can't help but notice how horrible the window design is. When a man stops and asks her her opinion, Stella gives him her honest answer...it's horrible. For some reason Aiden Cook is drawn to this cute female outside his department store. He loves her honesty and when he asks her how she would design the window, he is blown away with her answer. Aiden then tells Stella that there is an opening for a window dresser at Vivant and she should apply. Stella is hesitant but decides to apply. She is surprised to see that Aiden is the man interviewing. They have a rather unconventional interview but Stella gets the job on a trial basis.

Stella starts to fit right in with the other employees, except for a certain few. She is loving the job and especially the paycheck. The times she spends with Aiden causes feelings to grow until they finally cross that line. Just when it looks like Aiden and Stella have found their happy ever after, the powers to be come crashing down. In the end, Aiden and Stella arise from the ashes and finally get the happy ending they both deserve.

I just adored this steamy love story. Aiden was so fun with his happy disposition and cute bow ties. Stella was a fun, sarcastic female but together they just worked. This story was a delight to read.

Perfect Christmas story! This story was perfectly written and executed nicely. Tessa Bailey is very known for the spice in her books and this one did not disappoint! Perfect Christmas story!

Not sure why continue picking up Tessa Bailey because I just don't enjoy her storyline. There's a lot of spice. I don't think I've ever complained about too much spice in a book but since this book is under 300 pgs I could've gone for more plot & less spice.
-For some reason I didn't really care that much about them as a couple. Idk why? I love them individually & they are good together, but I just didn't feel that invested in their romance.

This was a great read, set in New York City during the hustle and bustle of the holidays. Stella and Aiden are total opposites and their story was spicy at times with a twist on a holiday romance. They come from two different worlds with Aiden being a bit dorky, but dorky and Stella with a hard shell from 4 years in jail.
I really enjoyed that the male lead was a softer character while the female lead had a hard shell. Their romance was fun to follow and I thought Tessa did a great job of wrapping this new holiday read up with a bow!

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

What a fabulous book to get you into the holiday spirit. Tessa Baily knows how to tie romance and the holidays together.

Tessa Bailey has given readers an expertly wrapped gift in Window Shopping, a charming, steamy, and utterly magical holiday romance. She really can do no wrong!

I love anything Tessa Bailey writes and Christmas stories are a favorite. This was such a cute holiday romance, and I loved Stella and Aiden. Both have various issues in their history but when he surprisingly offers her a chance at decorating a window in his department store, it was a chance for both to move forward and make changes in their lives.

I loved reading how Stella decorated windows and wish I could have seen them in person. It doesn’t take long before her talent is noticed by employees and shoppers.

Aiden and Stella have an instant connection and they both fight the attraction based on their histories but he’s also her employer. There are issues with his overbearing family and a busybody of an employee but most of the employees love Stella and begin to see Aiden in a more friendly light.

Ms. Bailey can write some really spicy stories, and this is no exception! Between the spice, second chances and Christmas, this was an entertaining and somewhat poignant story. I highly recommend!

Thanks to the author, publisher and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this story.

I've been a Tessa Bailey fan for quite some time, so I was pretty excited to read this story! I was especially intrigued by the reverse grumpy x sunshine trope and couldn't wait to sink my teeth into it!

Stella and Aiden had an interesting meet... "cute". In fact, it was pretty hilarious. It was pretty obvious how drawn they were to each other from the beginning despite their protest of the fact.

Now, while they were interesting as individual characters, there was something I found to be a little lacking in their chemistry. Don't get me wrong, their dynamic was interesting and believable, but the chemistry seemed to be a little inconsistent during some parts of the book.

Regardless, this is one that I would read again!

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

Loved this story!! I enjoyed meeting the main characters, seeing them progress, breaking stereotypical barriers, and we also threw in some romance! I love Tessa Bailey’s works.

I loved getting to see how the storefronts were designed, I enjoyed their little adventure in the mall at night time. I also liked their little rendezvous’s that were happening. Steamy and fun story!

christmas time and a fun little tessa bailey romance? count me in. i loved every second of this one! it was just so cute and sweet, there was a fun holiday twist. big fan.

Short, sweet, and perfect for holidays. I thought Aiden and Stella were opposites that worked and I love a second chances, so I was rooting for Stella. Pretty steamy, but not as much as some of Bailey's other reads.

A sizzling, feel good holiday romance by the one and only Tessa Bailey!

When Stella stops outside the windows of Vivant department store and scoffs out loud at their pathetic holiday display, she catches the attention of their charming general manager Aiden. He challenges her for better ideas, then offers her a job as their window displayer. Of course Stella jumps at the chance to prove herself. And the fact that her boss is a hottie? Well, that didn't factor into her excitement at all.

Window Shopping was such a fun and festive read. If you love a good holiday romance, then you might enjoy this book.

Thank you NetGalley for my ARC copy!

Window Shopping by Tessa Bailey is a Christmas romance set in New York City. Full of second chances and witty dialogue this is the perfect book for the Christmas season!

(4/5 stars) Tessa Bailey is once again delightful in her ability to write dirty talk from the mouth of a seemingly wholesome man. I'll pick up whatever she writes. A great holiday read for anyone looking for some spice.

Tessa Bailey is always a reliable author for me and this book didn't disappoint! With a cinnamon roll turned dominant sex god in the bedroom and a shy, afraid to trust, recently released from jail heroine, we get tons on chemistry abd two main characters that you can't help loving and rooting for! The addition of Christmas at a department store in New York acted like a whole other character in the book and I was here for it! This book is branded as a short story/novella but it didn't feel like it at all. The story was well constructed so that it didn't feel rushed and I didn't feel like I was missing out of their whole love story because I got it all

Thanks to Avon by way of Netgalley for an early copy of this book! All opinions are my own.

I love a good Tessa Bailey romcom but this one was not my favorite. I couldn’t mesh with the hero nor heroine and usually I love a reverse grumpy-sunshine dynamic but these characters were just not it. The plot was weak but that’s to be expected given it’s practically a novella but I was still hoping for more coziness and I just did not get comfort holiday vibes, unfortunately. This one was a miss but I’m still seated for Bailey’s sports romances coming next year!

Window Shopping was a mix of insta love with grumpy/sunshine. I did like how Stella and Aiden met-original and amusing. Aiden knew that there was something special about Stella and he couldn't but help but close to her. There was a push/pull, will they/won't they phenomena happening. I was interested to see how it would play out. I liked Aiden-he was very sweet. Though he did have a hidden side to him. Stella was not as grumpy as I thought. She just had a rough go of it and to keep Aiden at a distance, grumpy it was. However that did not seem to deter our hero. These two were more alike than they thought and it was nice seeing them come together.

I have been waiting for years to get my hands on Window Shopping, so I was so excited when I was finally able to read it. I absolutely loved it.

The plot was interesting and kept me hooked the whole time. I love when a character has an unusual career. I've never read about someone being a window decorator, and it was so fun to be able to dive into a career and setting I don't usually get to see.

And speaking of journeys I don't usually get to read about, Stella was such an interesting main character. This book had a short timeline, but I felt like I really got to know Stella as she goes through this emotional journey and works her way out of her past.

Aiden and Stella just felt made for each other. There was so much chemistry that at one point I thought that Aiden was magical. He was just so perfect for Stella. Definitely a couple that I wouldn't mind reading a whole other story of just fluffy happily ever after scenes.

I just loved this book so much. For a cute romcom about window decorating, I wasn't expecting to be taken for such an emotional ride. I laughed really hard and I also cried. My last note that I took while reading simply said "Amazing".

I can't wait for my next Tessa Bailey book.

This is the 1st book i finish in 2025! What a great way to start the year. I love Tessa Bailey books and Window Shopping did not disappointment me. Window shopping is a great winter book, all you need is a cozy blanket and a hot drink.

Window Shopping takes place in my hometown of New York City! Stella was recently released from prison and is looking to start a new life in NYC since her family did not want her in their home. Stella's dream has always been to be a window dresser, but with her federal record she has not hope to achieve her dream. One day she is stopped by Vivant's window and that is when she was approached by Aiden. Aiden was amazed by Stella's view that he told her to apply for the job.

However, Stella's crime partner reaches out to Stella and tells her that she is also going to be released. Stella is in a delima because she does not know how to tell her best friend she does not want the same childhood friendship and she wants a better life.

Window shopping has a lot of spice and romance. Aiden is a guy that follows the rules but he is not so nice of a guy behind close doors.