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A review by bribreez
Window Shopping by Tessa Bailey
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
5⭐️/ 5🌶️
Who doesn’t love a Christmas story especially involving a romance?! With Tessa Bailey at the helm of this novella she wrote a fun, spicy, amazing Christmas romance with a reverse grumpy/ sunshine couple, opposites attract, and a bit of workplace romance to kick things off with Aiden Cook and Stella Schmidt. Stella was recently released from…prison and trying to start off on a new slate. One day, while looking at the window displays on fifth avenue, she met the most sunshine, optimistic, and handsome man named, Aiden. Aiden was literally so kind, sweet, and a genuine person who immediately recognized that Stella had an eye for creativity when it came to window displays. When it came to needing a job and an opening for a window decorator job, Stella decided why not? Thus, the novella illustrated the way Stella and Aiden found themselves working in the same department store of Vivant, and quickly the two of them forming quite the attraction for one another!
Who doesn’t love a Christmas story especially involving a romance?! With Tessa Bailey at the helm of this novella she wrote a fun, spicy, amazing Christmas romance with a reverse grumpy/ sunshine couple, opposites attract, and a bit of workplace romance to kick things off with Aiden Cook and Stella Schmidt. Stella was recently released from…prison and trying to start off on a new slate. One day, while looking at the window displays on fifth avenue, she met the most sunshine, optimistic, and handsome man named, Aiden. Aiden was literally so kind, sweet, and a genuine person who immediately recognized that Stella had an eye for creativity when it came to window displays. When it came to needing a job and an opening for a window decorator job, Stella decided why not? Thus, the novella illustrated the way Stella and Aiden found themselves working in the same department store of Vivant, and quickly the two of them forming quite the attraction for one another!
After what feels like so many years of hearing people talk about this novella and being recommended it, I FINALLY GOT IT! Plus, this was the perfect time to read it with it being the month of December and what not. I had also heard from plenty of people that the MMC in this book was absolutely amazing, and I can one hundred percent agree that Aiden Cook was all kinds of wonderful! Stella was the grumpy to Aiden’s sunshine, and once they got to know each other, they truly complimented one another. Despite this being a short novella, it felt like I was thrusted into a whirlwind romance, and it also had a bit of depth especially with Stella’s backstory. I thought Stella’s journey over the course of the novella was actually insightful especially considering she made strides into regaining control of her life, and gaining that self independence she had always hoped for. As much as Aiden was a helpful man and occasionally was the knight in shining armor to help Stella, Stella always made a point to tell Aiden she needed to do things on her own in order to grow. Aiden being the wonderful man that he was always sought to not only make Stella happy, but also respect her need for independence.
Another thing I loved about this novella was obviously the romance! Aiden and Stella were attracted to each other right from the start, but with them working in the same department store and certain HR guidelines in place about workplace romance, the two of them initially had to work out their feelings about each other and how to move forward. Needless to say, even before Stella and Aiden became an official couple, Aiden was head over heels gone for Stella! This man was straight up imagining picking out china sets and spending mornings together drinking coffee with Stella in his imagination which, to be honest was really cute of him to think about. As if that wasn’t cute enough, then seeing the dirty talking, sexy side of Aiden had me melting on the floor! Literally Aiden was the epitome of don’t judge a book by its cover because, HOLY MOLY THAT MAN WAS ALL KINDS OF HOT! Phew! Don’t be fooled by the bow ties, Aiden was a man who was dominant, rough, and FINE! Stella could attest to the multiple times she suddenly found herself loving Aiden’s bow ties and even more of his creative and detailed choice of words.
Overall, this was a fantastic novella and I simply adored both Aiden and Stella. This novella was perfect to read for Christmas, and get me ready for all the holiday cheer, but also enjoy a lighthearted, fun, spicy, and surprisingly deep romance between Aiden and Stella. I can’t believe it took me this long to read, but suffice it to say it was an addictive read that I couldn’t put down and was fully immersed in the story as well as connected to Aiden and Stella. Loved the way the story ended on a cute note especially the epilogue furthering showing a happy Aiden and Stella together. Highly recommend this novella!