The titular Matthew Prince starts as unlikeable, but softens as he falls for bunkmate Hector.

The luxury brand name-drops were distracting, and I don't know if they'll age well. Appreciate the discussion of Matthew's mental health, comparing it to Krampus.

(duplicate review due to approval for ebook and audio)

Not bad! I just wanted to like this one more. I wanted to see some more dimension in the characters. Wonderful setup, funny writing style.

A fantastic read. I keep recommending this novel to everyone and have reread it a few times. It much more than the cover would lead you to think and I find that to be wonderful.

Timothy Janovsky is great at writing complex, snarky and complicated characters. The vibes of You’re a Mean One, Matthew Prince were iconic - I’m pretty sure we all love Schitt’s Creek! A must read!

Timothy Janovsky always hits the spot! I love the humor and playfulness in this queer holiday romance. It's just the ooey gooey gay Hallmark kind of Christmas I needed.

I loved Never Been Kissed so I was super excited to pick up the next book in the series. Unfortunately, I couldn't get into this one. I read to the 30% mark and I was pretty meh about the book as whole. I can't even tell you why this didn't work for me because the characters and writing were fine and the plot though slow was fine. It's just one of those books that's not for me.

This book should have hit all of my highlights, but for some reason it just wasn’t a good fit for me. Possibly could have been a bad fit for me at the time and I might like it when I try to pick it back up. I stopped reading at 13% but could tell that the characters were being developed and theoretically would have been a good enemies to lovers book!

This was a fun holiday romance, but could have used some finessing. Hector's overuse of "dude" was annoying and juvenile. Matthew's character development felt a bit jumbled. The poor little rich boy trope worked, but I felt like there needed to be higher stakes for Matthew.

This was such a fun holiday read! Perfect for any romance lover at this time of year. Will definitely pick up more from this author again!

This was a sweet story and enjoyable read. The characters were relatable as you watch them grow as people. The mental health representation was nicely done.

did not stop squealing once during this entire book.

The queer rep!! The GAD rep!!! The therapy!! The growth!!

I am ELATED.

And, most importantly????? THIS BOOK CONFIRMS FOR ALL THE CORRECT ANSWER TO “what’s the best a Christmas Carol movie” is THE MUPPET CHRISTMAS CAROL, THANK YOU.

The audio was perfect. The characters were perfectly imperfect. Matthew was a festive David Schitt on crack and I am a woman obsessed. I didn’t even care it was single POV.

Sourcebooks, I’m sorry it took me so long to read this. It was a disservice to myself more than anyone. Thank you for my copy, I will do better in the future 🙏🏼

If you hated this don’t tell me because you’re wrong and I now hate you bye.

Book Review
You're a Mean One, Matthew Prince

This book in 3 words: Comical. Sweet. Fun.

This kicked off my holiday reading for the year and it was a perfect choice! I loved the idea of the plot and thought it felt fresh and new when it comes to holiday romance.

What I loved most was the banter between the characters. Matthew and Hector were the perfect opposites and truly did compliment one another nicely.

Matthew's voice and reactions to some situations had me laughing out loud.

Overall, an enjoyable read. Would recommend.

Can’t get enough of the holidays? An LGBTQ+ holiday romance along the lines of Scrooged. Can the holiday spirit win in book 2 of the Boy meets Boy series. Of course it does! This is a gay version of a Hallmark movie and is full of delightful holiday tropes that will sugar coat your soul for the holidays. You wont’ be able to put it down just like those frosted sugar cookies!

You're a Mean One, Matthew Prince starts with a spoiled 21-year-old blowing mommy and daddy's money on an island in a bid for paternal attention. And attention he gets, after a fashion. Matthew must suffer the gross indignity of a small-town punishment, staying with his grandparents and their boarder, Hector, leading up to the holidays. It's got big Schitt's Creek energy as Matthew navigates how to survive without all of life's best amenities and struts around in designer creations where they won't be appreciated. The author does a fantastic job setting up Matthew as a borderline unlikable protagonist to the point where I genuinely questioned if personal growth would be enough to turn things around. Great news-- it is!

On the rom-com front, we have a forced proximity romance via bunk beds that lead to whispered confidences in the dark. Hector and Matthew seem like a case of opposites attract, but it turns out they have a lot in common. They're queer (bi and gay, respectively), they love The Muppets Christmas Carol, and they both wish they could be home for the holidays. Matthew's cute grandparents engage in some not-so-subtle matchmaking when the two start at odds. Through a baking challenge worthy of TV, they test the mettle of their houseguests to see if Matthew and Hector are worthy of planning a local charity ball with a storied, holiday tradition. If Matthew can pull off the event, his parents might give him his credit cards back early enough for him to host his annual New Year's Eve bash. And if that happens, he promises to buy Hector a plane ticket home. The way the two grow to care for each other is so adorable. From late-night vulnerabilities that don't feel safe anywhere else to daylight cooperation to craft a beautiful event on a tight budget, Hector and Matthew start to see an opportunity to move forward in life in a new way. There's a medium amount of steam that complements their emotional bond.

The holiday spirit is alive and well in this book. Matthew has to navigate how his upbringing has left him desperate for Christmas cheer even as he publicly scorns it to try and mitigate his December despair. Beyond a family reckoning that helps him recenter his priorities, the scandal has the consequence of giving him clearer eyes to view all his relationships. From his best friend of convenience to his family's employees to his exes, this transformative Christmas season makes him look at how others have treated him and what he deserves. He has to take responsibility for his failings and find the light that's been snuffed out within him. There's also an exploration of how Matthew's anxiety has been this secret burden to him-- treated but unspoken. He's internalized that panic attacks are lonely experiences meant to be silently borne. We see him start to break out of this mold, accepting support and offering it in return.

This is a delightful spin on a Bah Humbug Christmas, adding a frothy, queer rom-com spin we all need. There's personal growth, there's family and belonging, and there's a grounding love. It's the perfect book to get you in the mood for Christmas carols and goodwill towards men, which can so often be in short supply. Thank you to Sourcebooks Casablanca for my copy to read and review!

SYNOPSIS: Matthew Prince is a snobby, rich dude, who takes it just one step too far and gets shipped off to small town, population: no one he cares about. Not only is he miserable to be stuck here, it's some sort of festive wonderland, and the cutest guy in town can't stand his stinking guts. Choosing to help save the day (and hopefully impress aforementioned hottie) he steps in to run the local gala, when they lose their event planner.

CUE THE CUTENESS!

I really enjoyed this book, it has a lot of cute festive fun vibes and I couldn't put it down. It's the kind of wholesome lovestory I enjoy reading during the holidays, and couldn't resist that adorable cover and fun title.

3/5 Stars

[Gifted by Sourcebooks Casablanca and Netgalley - thank you! All opinions are my own.]

DNF @ 21%, but that was mostly an issue of the tone being a mismatch for me personally.

I am not a fan of melodrama, and the MC's lack of perspective really made me feel my age. I was prepared for a grumpy, unhappy MC, not one who was behaving as though it was the literal end of the world that he was going to miss one party. It's five weeks, child. New Year's will be here before you know it. Just ride it out.

So that was definitely a me thing. I also wasn't prepared to dislike *both* MCs. That almost never works out for me. I found both of these guys to be obnoxious, and after one particular scene where they acted like insanely ill-behaved middle schoolers, I was so horrified that I had to bail.

I think people who like drama in their YA will have a much better experience with this. And also anyone who's young enough to be able to relate to five weeks feeling like eternity :)

(I don't give star ratings to books I DNF'd, but NetGalley won't let me submit this without out one so I'm going to rate it right down the middle! There was nothing wrong with the writing, and it is absolutely possible that the characters would have grown on me once they hit their redemption arc. The tone was just too silly and melodramatic for me to stick with it and find out.)

This was so millennial cringe :( I'm a millennial so like I get it but also I get why other generations make fun of us

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me access to the free advanced digital copy of this book.

I enjoyed this book! I really enjoyed Never Been Kissed, so I was looking forward to Janovsky's second book. It's just what I want in a holiday romcom - cute, fast paced, and characters that you root for. Yes it's predictable, but if you're looking for a fun holiday romcom, this is a good pick.

I was disappointed with this one, the premise was great but fell flat for me. I had trouble enjoying the characters or even the romantic elements.