This is one weird concept, and it’s not going to appeal to everyone. But I’ll be darned if I wasn’t rather charmed by it. A Mannequin for Christmas is the story of a man who – well – falls in love with a mannequin (bought by his beloved great aunt at a mall rummage sale) who comes to life. It’s quirky, it’s wild – but it also has a lot of heart. It’s not a concept for everyone, but it’s just grounded enough to entertain – but I had to mark it down for its last few chapters. 

Henry Aster is, in a word, suffering. He has no love life after catching his boyfriend cheating just before he was about to propose to him. Furthermore, his cousin is marrying his high school bully. His entire world revolves around running his Great Aunt Isla’s antique store, which is miring him in credit card debt and reminds him of the fact that Isla herself is now in an assisted living home. He is lonely and like so many romcom leads, one night he makes a wish for the perfect man so he won’t have to face another family holiday alone. And, viola, when Henry reenters Isla’s Attic to reopen it for the morning, there’s an intruder in his shop.

The figure hands him a business card, explaining that Henry’s wish has come true. The store’s beloved mannequin mascot has sprung to life as his handsome ideal. The catch? Said mannequin must find true love by midnight on New Year’s Eve or forever be transmogrified back into plastic.The mannequin names himself Aidan, and immediately goes about learning how to be a human. It’s clear Henry has quite a mission in front of him, but will he manage to find love for Aidan – or is he staring true love in the face?

A lot of A Mannequin for Christmas is charming. One part Barbie, one part Hallmark romcom. But like most of Janovsky’s romances, what looks like a light, fluffy premise is wrapped in layers of angst, self-doubt, self-hatred and uncertainty. There is a major character death and partner cheating to be had. This is pretty heavy for a fluffy concept. That’s not to say whimsy and fluff and deep angst can’t coexist in the same book, but it’s a lot to take in a book about a mannequin coming to life.

On the other hand, I really liked Aidan and his adventures through humanity. Isla is a hoot, and a wonderful character. The Aidan and Henry romance is genuinely sweet, if you don’t mind your connections splashed with a bit of Born Sexy Yesterday. Henry, however, is harder to love, and he’s all over the place as a character in person, especially motivation-wise.

What makes this a C? The ending, y’all, and I can’t get into it without going into spoiler territory:

In the end, there are too many narrative hills for readers to climb to get enjoyment out of A Mannequin for Christmas. But some parts of it are fun, making this a mid-level read.