My main and biggest takeaway from this book is how relatable it is, which seems to be a theme for me with Timothy’s books. Who hasn’t at one point or another thought to themselves “I wish I could just fast forward this part of my life” or “when are things going to work out for me? Can we just skip to that?”

Well, this book shows us what happens when you actually get that wish. The main character is a precocious and rather typical young man in his twenties who is just scraping by as he works on his five year plan- to achieve his ten year plan, and in the mean time loses sight of everything he has going for him right in the here and now. When he accidentally time skips to “the future” where he is successful and all of his future plans have worked out he realizes that this plan doesn’t include his family and best friend/ love interest. Is all of the fame and success worth it? What really matters and what is worth fighting for?

This is the third book in series, but absolutely can be read prior to the other two.

Nolan and Drew have been best friends forever, are currently roommates, and are secretly (not really secretly to anyone not named Nolan or Drew) in love with each other. Drew works at a bookshop and Nolan wants to be a comedian. Nolan won’t confess his feelings until he hits it big. He will do anything, and I mean anything, to catch a break. To top it off, Nolan needs a date to his sisters wedding. What could possibly go wrong when the wedding is sponsored by the mysterious Doop?

I liked the start of this one, the wedding section almost lost me, but the <insert redacted for spoilers favorite movie title here> subplot? Those parts, as well as the ending, I loved. Oh, and the Doop “wellness brand”. I will never not think that is funny. It made me laugh when first introduced and never stopped.

As for the characters, Drew is the literal best. The fact that he works at a bookstore made him even more of a catch. Plus he is a super introvert…he is the perfect man, I swear. Kind, attentive, supportive, wants to spend quality time, goes to medical appts, the real deal.

Nolan…Nolan I struggled with like I do every romance hero that is a comedian. I’m not sure what it is, but I never like them. These character seem selfish, self absorbed, and will stop at nothing to make it big. Nolan really lost me at the disaster of his sisters wedding, until … he won me over. I won’t share how, because spoilers, but I am as shocked as anyone that he pulled it off. I was truly rooting for him at the end.

A fairly strong group of secondary characters round out this book. Specifically, Nolan’s family and his coworkers. They were entertaining but didn’t detract from our heroes.

Keep the trigger warnings in mind, but if you want to read about a clueless comedian realizing he has the perfect love interest right in front of him? Definitely pick this book up. If you like this one, I highly recommend reading the other two in the series!

TW: Alzheimer’s, siblings fight, foul language

Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for an arc of this book.

This is a romance book triumph; it’s truly so lovely and really embodies everything I love about Nora Ephron-esque romantic comedies. I’ve read all of Janovsky’s published novels so far and this is by far my favorite.

A combination of inspiration of 13 going on 30 and A Christmas Carol where 23 year old Nolan Baker makes a really selfish decision and ends up in his own life at 30 years old (with the help of some suspicious crystals) where he must live with the consequences of his actions stemming from this event over the last seven years. Nolan must make amends with his former best friend, sister and choose those close to him over fame, money and the general public.

There is also a close relative of Nolan’s who has Alzheimer’s and I couldn’t help but tear up at this part of the story. A devastating diagnosis for all involved and you really felt the grief as you were reading. I had to set the book down for a bit to compose myself (though I am an emotional volatile person to begin with so take that as you will).

A beautiful romance full of heart, friendship and putting others before yourself every once in a while.

This book features an MC with ADHD, a demisexual love interest, a family member with Alzheimer’s and a strained sibling relationship.

5/5 stars I can’t wait to add the complete copy to my shelf upon release.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for the E-ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This was a cute story.... easy / quick read. I've read "Never Been Kissed" but not "You're a Mean One, Matthew Prince." I felt similarly about this one as I did "Never Been Kissed" -- cute enough story, but (especially for the first 1/3d or so) found myself skimming along pretty quickly. The second half was better, where we see more of Nolan's reflection and redemption.

The '50s-esque cover and vibe with the whole quest for all the crystals was kind of fun & silly in an endearing way. I did enjoy the shade thrown at Gwyneth Paltrow with "Doop" (Ha!) and at twitter" "You know twitter is barely a thing anymore, right?" (by a character in 2030). The theme is a tried and true one - the 'look at the future & see what your life has become, then learn your lesson' (the author even mentions Scrooge at one point), so you basically know what's going to happen (this is why the first part of the book is not as interesting/pretty skimmable -- but towards the end, I did feel some (good) tension, wondering whether Nolan would go / be able to go back in time or not, after he's worked hard to improve the 'future' timeline he landed in.

There were some cute moments, but also some where Nolan responded to a situation with trying to make a (bad) joke, where it seemed his character/the situation was not a joking one. I get that he's a comedian, but it seemed too much sometimes... There were some moments that bumped me out of the story (e.g. A "1989 era Taylor Swift poster)... Maybe this was a joke/I am a pedant...

Drew was a sweetie and I would have liked a little more from Drew's perspective/more filling out of his character at points.

I liked this sentiment, at Nolan's 2nd go-round at CeeCee's wedding: "This time around at dinner, I don't take the passive- aggressive care of our distant relatives to heart. I accept their concern as love manifested in a way that may not be helpful to me, but feels right to them. Just this small change in attitude has opened me up tot he joys of the day."

Cute story, quick read. Not an instant-buy, but a beach read rec for folks who like the genre!

I'm so glad I was able to read this early! It was the perfect spring read.

After enjoying You're a Mean One, Matthew Prince, and now this new book, I think it's safe to say that Timothy Janovsky really knows how to write and redeem an unlikeable main character. It's no mean feat to make someone root for a character they initially dislike, especially in a romcom, but by the end I was tearing up and grinning like a fool because it was so unbelievably cute.

Look, I'm a huge sucker for a time travel plot, especially in romcoms, and this was just a really really fun one. I can see myself rereading this lots!