A Mannequin for Christmas

A Novel

By: Timothy Janovsky

Narrated by: Lee Osorio, Mark Sanderlin

A Christmas romance for Barbie fans who wished Ken and Allan got their own love story.

"Listeners will become engrossed in this warm performance by Mark Sanderlin." —AudioFile on You're a Mean One, Matthew Prince (Earphones Award winner)

Henry Aster swears he is unlucky when it comes to love. He thought he’d finally found The One, but a sudden break-up has left him hopeless right before the holiday season.

Facing another family Christmas alone, Henry makes a wish for “The Perfect Man.” The next morning, when he arrives at the Jersey Shore vintage shop he manages, he finds one of the male display mannequins has sprung to life and entirely wrecked the place.

The magicked man is gorgeous, of course, but he comes with a Cinderella-style caveat: If he doesn’t experience true, human love before the midnight chime on New Year’s Eve, he will turn back into a mannequin for good.

Now Henry doesn’t have to show up to family Christmas alone. The catch? This new man—self-named Aidan Smith—knows nothing about being a human. Henry has one month to teach Aidan how to be a functioning person in the modern world and the swoony boyfriend that will win over his family. It’s an arduous task that draws them close together... but can human love ever really be true?

A Macmillan Audio production from St. Martin’s Press

Critic reviews

<p>"Alternating smoothly between kooky and powerful, this novel might just win over a holiday rom-com grinch." —<i>Library Journal<br></i><br>"Readers seeking lighthearted, magic-infused fare will find this hits the spot." —<i>Publishers Weekly</i></p>

Holiday Cheer

Oh how I love Timothy as an author. Of course he made me so invested & ingrained in a man and mannequin. It was so wholesome. So sweet. Festive. Full of fun distinct characters. A great holiday season read.

Wanted it to be more fun

I imagined this to be as fun and campy as the 80s Mannequin movie but it was a rather dull romance with a bit of magic thrown in. The main characters weren’t particularly exciting and the magic elements weren’t clearly explained.

On the bright side the Christmas atmosphere was definitely present and the narrator did a fantastic job of bringing it to life. The concept was enjoyable but the story needed a bit more polish.

If you loved the move Mannequin...

You'll love this Christmas gem, especially if you loved the 80's movie Mannequin. I know I did. Both narrators did a fantastic job. I did keep wanting to hear more of Aidan's perspective, which Lee Osorio did such a great job of portraying. All in all a feel good story perfect for the holidays.

Another Christmas Fav

I LOVE Timothy Janovsky’s stories. And I love that he consistently puts out Christmas stories. Also, please always bring back Mark Sanderlin to voice some of the characters.