Window Shopping is my first book by Tessa Bailey and I really enjoyed it. It was a cute, steamy, fast paced, second chance at life, opposites-attract Christmas romance book. I thought Aiden's bow tie's were cute and the stories about his aunt were funny.
Thank you Avon, NetGalley, and Tessa Bailey for my advanced copy!

This was the perfect quick little smutty Christmas romance to kick off the season. Tessa Bailey is a go-to for both laugh-out-loud and swoony moments, and Window Shopping had both in spades. I loved that Aiden was a different kind of cinnamon roll MMC, and his Aunt Edna stories cracked me up right from the start. I wish there had been more of Aunt Edna to be honest. I loved that she came for the Christmas Eve party, but she would be the perfect side character addition to be present the whole way through. I also wanted a little bit more of Jordyn and Seamus, but they were a great B-couple addition who I’m happy got their happy ending, too. I loved Stella’s character arc, and the way she and Aiden both resolve their personal conflicts and come together in the end is very satisfying. This was a nice quick read with all the right Christmas vibes.

This was a great Christmas romance! The romance was cute and it was a quick cute read. I would highly recommend this book.

3.5/5

This book is a good time, which is exactly what I would expect from a Tessa Bailey book, and I especially expect that vibe from a holiday romance. It is equal parts festive and steamy, so what more could you ask for?

Aiden is kind, quirky, and positively optimistic while Stella is the complete opposite (at least that’s what she’d like to lead you to believe). I loved their dynamic and their ability to make each other better. The candid conversations about navigating life after her prison stint also added another layer to the character dynamic in the book.

If you are looking for a fun, easy holiday read I suggest Window Shopping!

“A loved one’s vote of confidence goes a long way. It can lead to discovering more of your own.”

It’s not my favorite Tessa Bailey, I rounded up to a 3. I wanted to like it, but just didn’t work for me. Not enough humor, and more of a stretch in believability. Manager hires an ex-con to design critical window displays. His family is horrible. Insta love at first sight. I liked the floor manager and the custodian. But the main characters weren’t strong enough I guess. Lots of spice, though!

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC! This book is quick read which I enjoyed but at the same time I felt like the character build up was rushed due to that and made the whole “relationship” seem unrealistic. I did enjoy the characters - the “overly” nice guy and the “dark mysterious” girl. It was a different Christmas book than others which I also enjoyed. Overall, it was good but feel that she could have taken more time to develop the players relationship to make it seem more plausible.

This book was not my cup of tea. I was hoping the Christmas vibes would help bolster my interest level in it (while reading in the Thanksgiving/Christmas limbo), but the Christmas vibes were just tent poles to prop up the insta-lust both characters experience. I would've loved to see more tension or character development, but I felt like this was just messy compared to some of TB's other books.

"Window Shopping" by Tessa Bailey is a delightful holiday romance that perfectly captures the magic of the season. Stella and Aiden's chemistry is undeniable, and their journey from strangers to lovers is both heartwarming and engaging. Bailey's witty writing and the festive setting of Manhattan during Christmas make this book a perfect read for the holidays. The story is filled with humor, charm, and a touch of holiday magic, making it a must-read for fans of feel-good romances.

I love how the fmc is the black sheep in this story and it's the mmc who is the "nerdy" good guy. It was refreshing and unique. This was the perfect holiday time story

A fun holiday romance. It wasn’t my favorite of Tessa Bailey’s books but I still enjoyed it. I thought it was different that Stella was a window dresser.

Grumpy-sunshine romance about getting second chances. Stella was released from prison and needs a job. She starts designing Christmas window displays after meeting the owner, Aiden (who is bursting with golden retriever energy). As expected, Stella has a lot to overcoming with codependency with her friend and gaining confidence while trying to leave her past behind her. But Aiden also needs to overcome his “happy at all costs”. So it’s nice to see them grow together.

Awesome Christmas season romance.

If you’re searching for a sweet and spicy holiday read this is a solid choice!

The premise of this story felt very unique to me, I’d never read a story with an MC who was recently released from prison. Stella did seem to get pretty lucky with the way her cards landed after release but she had to deal some imposter syndrome type feelings…which felt genuine. I really liked Aiden’s nice in the streets, not so nice in the sheets personality. He had such sweet southern boy vibes and I loved that. Their relationship did feel very insta-love, but I can respect the fact that the story wasn’t very long so it almost had to be that way.

I definitely enjoyed it and would recommend to those who like their romances steamy!

Thank you Avon for “granting my wish” on netgalley!

I had been wanting to read this for a while! I was so excited to get it through Netgalley.

-spicy
-opposites attract
-holiday rom com
-forbidden love

It was a cute, fast read. Perfect for the holidays!

This was a cute holiday romance. I loved the meet-cute between the characters and the department store setting. As readers expect from Tessa Bailey, this one was steamy. I enjoyed this quick read.
Thank you to the publisher for the gifted copy via NetGalley, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

⭐⭐

Thank you to Avon and Harper Voyager and NetGalley for sending me a free ARC in return for an honest review.

Two words: Insta Love. Stella and Aiden knew each other for maybe a solid five minutes and it was right then and there when they both decided they liked each other. Sometimes insta love is okay, but coupled with the short timeline, I just couldn’t get into the love story. Also – bowties…not really my thing. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a short holiday read, who’s not really interested in fully fleshed out characters proking each other.

I have always been a fan of Tessa Bailey and her books. This was no exception. I loved the sass and banter between Stella and Aiden. Stella has a complex past and a lot of inner demons to battle as she navigates life out of prison. Aiden is born into wealth but was sent to live with sweet ole Aunt Edna thankfully and has come back to help save the family business.

The chemistry between these two is so good and made me want to find my husband if you know what I mean👀🤣

I love a happy ending and this served up a great one.

The only thing I was wishing for was a little bit more trouble with Nicole arriving and stirring up some stuff. But otherwise I loved this and can’t wait to put it on my shelves at home.

We absolutely loved Window Shopping! This is one of my favorite holiday romances that I can't ever stop thinking about. I will probably keep reading this every year around the holiday season and recommend it to all the customers that come in our shop.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon for this ARC!

I was hoping for a fun, steamy, and very Christmas-y read but unfortunately this didn’t hit the mark for me. While it is set around Christmas, that’s not a center focus of the book, more of a side thing they mention a few times, so that was disappointing. Also, I really disliked the side story of the friend Nichole. It felt very separate from the main character, no matter how much they tried to pull it in. And then it went nowhere at the end, even tho there was a lot of build up/foreshadowing. Very odd and I wished the whole side story wasn’t there 🤷🏼‍♀️. The romance was good, nice and spicy, and I love me the main guy and aunt Edna.

Such a darling little book. So different from your usual rom com! Ex con, window dressers and bow tie wearing bosses. So darling! Too 🌶️ for me but loved the rest!

A merry little cute meet holiday romance. This was a steamy, quick read for smutty readers.
The love interest was hard for me to picture. The descriptions weren't bad it just didn't seem to fit together for me but the story was fun. There were some things that could have been left out of the story