Window Shopping

Instalove and bad dirty talk

Read for the Merry & Bright readathon: dual perspective

I normally am not a huge fan of holiday romances of fluffy contemporary romances but I absolutely adored this one. I don't know exactly why this worked for me but I loved the characters, I loved their chemistry, I loved exploring their pasts, and the smut?! Omg it was just so good

Ik had zin in een Hallmark-achtig, romantisch kerstverhaal en ik zag deze overal verschijnen met keigoeie recensie. Dus ik besloot hem een kans te geven, ondanks het feit dat ik geen echte goeie herinneringen heb aan het enige andere boek dat ik al van deze auteur las.

Al bij al wel ok, maar niet zo goed als verwacht, eigenlijk. Het voelde mij niet echt kerstig aan en gaf me niet speciaal de fuzzy-wuzzy's.
De romance was een zwaar geval van insta-liefde, wat soms wel ok is, maar op het moment dat ik deze las werkte het niet echt voor mij. En dan nog: wat heeft het voor zin om een zwaar plotpunt toe te voegen, om het dan zo gemakkelijk op te lossen? Nu ja, het was natuurlijk maar een novelle, dus ik mocht ook niet zo veel verwacht hebben, denk ik.

i absolutely adored stella's story and the reverse grumpy x sunshine trope was the icing on the cake.

Spoiler-Free Review:

If you're looking for a light and festive read for the holiday season, look no further! This book was just what I needed to put me in the Christmas spirit. Aiden is a dreamy male MC with his adorable obsession with Christmas. Stella is a woman looking for a fresh start after some troubled times. This book has grumpy/sunshine and boss/employee tropes, and I loved it! I especially loved that the FMC was the grumpy as opposed to the usual MMC. There is a ton of sexual tension and the pay off is chefs kiss so worth it. I gave 4 rather than 5 stars because there were some areas I just wanted more information or closure on. Overall a super light and cute romance that was fun to read. 18+ sexual content and language.

i absolutely loved window shopping! i thought it was a super cute love story. i loved that the MC was an ex-con, i thought it added a lot of pizazz to it & was like a second chance at life type instead of second chance romance. it was adorable, plus Aiden was absolutely amazing. suuuuch a cutie (but also HOT when it came down to it!!!!!)

This is the exact type of Christmas romance I was looking for. I loved Stella and Aiden. The Grumpy x Sunshine trope is just so good when it's the girl who is grumpy and the guy who is sunshine. I loved this book. I love how careful Tessa Bailey is about consent and boundaries. It makes it so much more enjoyable.

First book I've read by Tessa Bailey and I was looking forward to it. Sadly, this book wasn't at all what I was expecting. The plot (if you can say there was one) was too fictional for my liking and the chemistry between the characters wasn't quite there for me. I'm hoping this book isn't how all Tessa Bailey books are.

If I could give this a 1000/5 I would

Reseña completa aquí:
https://www.modusleyendi.com/2023/12/un-escaparate-navideno-tessa-bailey.html

I decided to put in another festive romance reading “sprint” and, regrettably, I settled on [a:Tessa Bailey's 6953499 Tessa Bailey https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1634304355p2/6953499.jpg] “[b:Window Shopping 58943206 Window Shopping Tessa Bailey https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1631093429l/58943206.SY75.jpg 92892064]”. It endeavours to offer a festive romance wrapped in themes of redemption and self-discovery but, for me, falls short of expectations. While I anticipated a heartwarming holiday tale filled with charm, I instead found a collection of hurried resolutions, clichéd characterisations, and strained dynamics.Stella's characterisation was one of the main frustrations. She veers wildly between crippling insecurity and unconvincing strength, making her emotional journey feel inconsistent and unrelatable. Her conflict with her parents, which could have provided a rich emotional arc, is resolved almost instantly and without any meaningful dialogue or exploration. This lack of depth extended to Aiden as well. While he's positioned as the quintessential romantic hero, his internal monologues hint at self-satisfaction that does not endear him. His protectiveness and confidence border on the caveman trope, which made certain interactions feel clumsy rather than endearing.The chemistry between Stella and Aiden is another mixed bag. Aiden's cavalier intensity might work in other contexts, but here it veered into cringe territory, especially with lines like:»up and down the rigid stalk of his arousal«Such phrasing, rather than adding to the tension, made the scenes unintentionally comedic.Worse still, the subplots and secondary characters were thinly developed. Stella's friend Nicole, for instance, transitions from toxic to reformed in the blink of an eye after a short, unconvincing conversation. This superficiality pervades much of the narrative, undermining its emotional beats.Yet another letdown was the lack of authentic Christmas spirit. While the premise suggested a cosy holiday backdrop, the festive vibes felt more like an afterthought. Instead of immersing readers in seasonal charm, the story felt rushed and mechanical, missing the emotional resonance that holiday romances often deliver.While I appreciated Stella's stance on “no favouritism,” there was little else for me to connect with.Two stars out of five.Blog Facebook Twitter Mastodon Instagram Pinterest Medium Matrix TumblrCeterum censeo Putin esse delendam

This was a fun, holiday read! Very cute, romantic, and funny.
I felt the ending was a bit abrupt, but other than that I enjoyed reading this.