Reviews with content warning for Confinement - Window Shopping

Reviews tagging 'Confinement'

Window Shopping by Tessa Bailey

34 reviews

grace33's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny inspiring lighthearted relaxing medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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soph22's review

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hopeful inspiring lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

Erh, well, they fell in love way too quickly for me to feel it was at all believable. It wasn't bad overall but not as festive as I was hoping - if you like spice, then you are in for a treat!

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beckyyreadss's review

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This book was gifted to me by a family member to get me to feel festive. For some reason this year, I am feeling so festive and wanted to read more Christmas reads this month. This book was short but so full of depth and smut.

This book has two points of view. The first is Stella, she is trying to get back on her feet after being released from prison. It is two weeks before Christmas and she is walking down Manhattan, looking at what her life could have been. She is standing alone outside the famous Vivant department store, when a random and charming man named Aiden asks for the opinion of the window decor. Stella is unable to lie and says it’s a tragedy in tinsel. He asks for a better idea with a twinkle in his eyes, does Stella know he owns the place? No, he just put her on the spot. Now she is working for the man and trying to ignore the fact that he is extremely hot. However, she knows an opportunity when she sees one and she is determined to make it last. She will put her heart and soul into dressing this holiday window. She will work without stopping. And if she loses the battle with temptation, she will try and remember she’s just window shopping. The second point of view is Aiden, he is sick of not having control over the store that he runs on the day-to-day, whilst getting ready for another depressing Christmas, he takes the chance on the girl who’s just called his window display tragic. There is something about this girl that is making Aiden forget about board meetings, now he must convince the board which is his family, and his employees that Stella’s past isn’t going to interfere with her work and that she's not trying to get with him for money. However, Aiden is refusing to have power over her until they sign the HR paperwork – will he be able to resist her until the paperwork is signed? Will they be able to get over her past?

I loved this book. It was fluffy, smutty but also talks about difficult subjects like rehabilitating after prison and discrimination and how hard it can be for ex-prisoners to get a job. I love Aiden as a character. He was so funny and sweet, and I just loved him so much. The chapter where he was defending Stella was just so damn hot. I wanted to hug Stella so much during this book, my heart broke for her and her self-confident issues. I loved the development arc she had in this book, she went from overthinking and doubting every time to being like no I'm doing this right and it’s going to work and I'm going to be happy.

The only weakness I would say this book had been that it’s too short, I wanted it longer and I would love for this to be a series with Nicole trying to do well and finding love and being happy etc and Aiden’s assistant, I just want everyone to be happy and merry.

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ka_ke's review against another edition

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hopeful lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

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nicole_zx's review

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fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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jaynovara's review against another edition

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hopeful lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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smithrachaelynn's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

So cute! This was waaay more emotional than I was expecting, but I really loved seeing Stella start over and make her dreams come true. Aiden was the most adorable hero! I loved how sweet and happy he was. This was just so much fun to read.

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sharlapeggy's review against another edition

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hopeful relaxing medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Content Warnings

bookcheshirecat's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

2.5

“It's weird. When you're younger, you think you know everything. Then you get older and live in constant awareness of how little you actually know and understand.”

➽ This was my first Tessa Bailey book and I don't think this author is for me! I liked the premise of it: the story follows Stella as she scores an unlikely job as a window decorator for the prestigious Vivant department store. Stella herself is an ex-con so it has been difficult for her to find steady work. Luckily, Aiden - the manager and co-owner of the store - takes a chance on her despite her past! The most interesting aspect of the story was probably Stella's own struggles with the stigma surrounding ex-cons and trying to build a new life for herself in Manhattan!

➽ The writing and romance left a lot to be desired for me. The writing style was a bit cliche and cheesy at times, sadly it made me cringe at certain scenes. There is also a lot of gender-essentialist language that I found offputting. Aiden and Stella getting steamy didn't do it for me and generally, their dynamic didn't appeal to me. I also found it uncomfortable how the story just glosses over Stella's old, toxic friend from her time in prison forcing her way back into her life. She was super pushy and acting entitled to Stella's help, but it was brushed under the rug quickly.

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macykey's review against another edition

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lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I definitely think this book suffered for how short it was. But it was cute, a quick and enjoyable read!

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