4/5 stars!

>> it's start to look a lot like Christmas

I absolutely loved this novel! While it may have leaned on many common holiday tropes and themes, this novel still felt fresh and fun.

Read You're a Mean One, Matthew Prince for:
- Forced proximity
- dislikers (?) to lovers
- christmas spirit - and a lack of it
- mental health rep
- queer romance

& more!

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

You’re A Mean One, Matthew Prince is the perfect Christmas queer rom com to read this season. Timothy Janovksy did an excellent job of making spoiled rich boy Matthew into a sympathetic character, after he was essentially banished to his grandparents’ cabin in the Berkshires for one too many ridiculous purchases. While there, he pouts and lashes out - and local college student Hector Martinez is the recipient of most of his ire. An unlikely friendship begins to form between the two as they work together to save local businesses with a holiday gala. It’s wonderful and you also get an assortment of great side characters, too. His grandparents are an absolute delight. I really enjoyed reading this one, and recommend it to fans of holiday romcoms with spice and Schitt’s Creek, as Matthew has definite David Rose vibes.

I really have to thank Netgalley and most of all Sourcebooks Casablanca for the free copy of this book.
I have to admit that the contemporary books I've been reading this year keep surprising me. "You're a Mean One, Matthew Prince" is absolutely one of those. It's an hilarious, sweet comedy, where you can find a hidden depth you can't imagine at the beginning.
I've really enjoyed this story of a spoiled guy that seems a sort of modern Grinch, sent to his granparents' house in a little town due to his last foolishness: buying an entire island for himself! He looks at his new situation as a punishment, but this will be his chance to really understand who he really is as a person and what he wants to do in his life. I loved seeing Matthew coming to terms with his fragilities and his fears of being hurt again by other people, and how he naturally open himself again not only to Hector, but also to the rest of the community.
Plus, the representation of his generalized anxiety disorder has been very well portraited and handled, and I think it could be helpful for many people who feel the same and don't talk about it.
Finally, the romance. If you like to find in a book a queer representation, you're looking at the right one. Plus, I was a fan of Matthew&Hector since the first discussions together and I think they're the perfect example of two different people that are really a perfect match together.
TOTALLY recommended!

This book is definitely a cute romcom and perfect for the holiday season. As expected, Matthew Prince is selfish and unlikeable at first but, like with Hector, he grew on me! Hector is an absolute cinnamon roll and I liked that he challenged Matthew and his selfish ways (cinnamon rolls do have a bit of spice after all haha). The side characters in the small town are an absolute delight and honestly, I want to go spend a month with Matthew’s grandparents too!

I really appreciated how, while festive and funny, this book also tackled some heavy subjects. I particularly liked the fact we didn’t just witness Matthew having panic attacks but were walked through his process of trying to calm down - it was refreshing!

The narration in the audiobook is also delightful and brings the characters to life!

**MILD SPOILERS**
That being said, I really disliked Matthew’s parents - they are toxic and despicable and honestly, they didn’t deserve to be forgiven so quickly. Same with his “best friend”.

Content warnings include: Panic attacks/disorders, mental illness, sexual content, toxic relationships, classism, drug use, outing, gaslighting

A huge thanks to the author, Sourcebooks and NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

The premise of this one is fantastic trope goodness, spoiled rich boy gets banished to his grandparents house in the mountains for the holidays and has to share a bunk bed and bathroom with a guy who dislikes him on sight. It's got slight enemies to lovers vibes, delicious forced proximity and a True-Meaning-Of-Christmas plot.

The book starts out so strongly, Matthew has an incredible single first person POV, it drew me in immediately. I would have loved dual POV, always, but Matthew is such a compelling character I didn't mind too much. He has anxiety, and living through those moments with him was a great way to build empathy with what could have been an unlikable character.

Hector is a fun foil to Matthew, grounded, family oriented and hard working. He doesn't have a real ARC in the story, aside from realizing Matthew is more complex than he originally thought, which was where the book didn't work as well for me. Matthew goes through a huge growth arc and Hector is just there.

Matthew has a complicated history with his parents, and we get to explore that a little bit, but it's ultimately unsatisfying. It stays superficial and the tough conversations don't go as far as they need to for real emotional connection. The whole thing felt like a plot device rather than a real complex relationship between humans.

Overall, I did enjoy this book, but it wasn't the home run I was hoping for.

Thank you Sourcebooks Casablanca for my copy! All thoughts are my own.

I was so excited for this book since it landed in my inbox and it did not disappoint! I loved the setting and the characters so much. Picture this as David Rose landing in Schitt’s Creek all on his own at the holidays. There’s humor, love, all the holiday vibes, and even tribute to the majestic classic that is The Muppets’ Christmas Carol.

I highly recommend this book for your holiday reading this season!

Synopsis:

What I Liked:

The Setting—Ah, the Berkshires! We drive through the Berkshires to get to my hometown and I look forward to it every time. I have never read a book set there and I LOVED it.

The Holiday Vibes—The vibes are immaculate in this book. I think it would make a fantastic Netflix original holiday movie.

The Characters—I loved the Schitt’s Creek vibes with Matthew entering this small town. I really came to love Matthew and all the side characters, especially Noelle and his grandparents. Hector is a delight as well. All around, a really great cast of characters.

Anxiety Representation—As someone with anxiety, i’m always attracted to stories that represent characters authentically and I really think Janovsky captured a lot of the feelings in my head. Especially Matthew’s outburst at the end, I could really relate to that.

What Didn’t Work:

ACT III Pacing—Things dragged a bit for me towards the end but then picked up! It’s such a great book for the holiday season, I highly recommend it.

Character Authenticity: 4.5/5 Spice Rating: 1/5 Overall Rating: 4.5/5

Content Warnings:

Panic Attacks/Disorder, classism, toxic friendship, abandonment

This was SO cute. I honestly wanted to read it simply because of the title and it truly did not disappoint. I absolutely have no complaints about it.

A fun, queer, heartwarming holiday love story.

You’re a Mean One, Matthew Prince follows the eponymous rich-boy Matthew Prince as he is exiled to the small town his mother grew up in a place he hasn’t been in years. While there, Matthew is faced with the Grinch he has become, in relation to the holidays but also toward life. While staying with his grandparents, and cut off from his parents accounts, Matthew has to find a way to prove that he is becoming a better person, something his surprise roommate Hector assures him is necessary.

An enemies to lovers queer Christmas romance, perfect for those who craved or missed M/M representation in holiday movies and books growing up. Hector and Matthew’s story is full of class tensions, cultural differences, and evaluations of privilege. While there are social issues at play, the story is largely a holiday romance in the style of Hallmark or Lifetime Christmas movies. It is heartwarming, easy to read, and well-written. If you’re a fan of Christmas based love stories, or enemies to lovers stories, You’re a Mean One, Matthew Prince is a wonderful holiday read, perfect for getting you in the holiday spirit.

Matthew Prince is a spoiled rich boy, def a Prince. He's gotten into a PR disaster and to lay low and to teach him a lesson his parents sent him to his grandparents house.

He has been cut off and has to share a room with a student that lives with them, Hector. He's miserable.

Hector is very attractive and they start at enemies to lovers that turns into friends to lovers as they both plan a gala in town. Matthew is trying to show he's learned his lesson.

There is great mental health rep for anxiety and Hector is very supportive with it.

I read that someone compared Matthew to David Rose and I could totally see that.

Thank you sourcebookscasa for the e-ARC for my honest and voluntary review.

This was a good book and I really enjoyed it. It was cute and a really good read. Thanks so much for the arc.

You’re A Mean One, Matthew Prince is a charming, queer, Hallmark movie in a book! If that is your thing, you’ll definitely love this one! Captivating and a fast read, you’ll love Matthew and Hector!

Thanks to #NetGalley and the publisher for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this read- quirky, with small town vibes. Very reminscent of schitts creek that I love!! Will definitely be reccominging this read to friends this holidays!! Such a feel good read

❄️Book Review ❄️

This is a super fun enemies to lovers Holiday romance. Matthew Prince is a suuuuuper privileged, spoiled character who has made wayy too many mistakes for his parents (He gave me such David from Schitts Creek vibes). To avoid any more scandals, Matthew is sent to be with his grandparents in a small town for the holidays. There, he has to share bunk beds with a college student named, Hector. The two end up working together to plan the annual holiday charity gala.

Their story is not one I will forget any time soon. I loved the mental health representation. I loved the Hallmark vibes. Their chemistry and love story was perfect and everything I could have wanted. It’s such a heartwarming queer holiday romance that brought such warm, holiday cheer to my heart 💚 already planning a re-read. Thank you to@netgalley and @sourcebookscasa for letting me have an early copy. Yes, I’ve already bought my own physical copy and I’m telling all my friends about this one! 🤣☃️

This Jewish girl loves Christmas, so get ready for Christmas romance reviews coming your way. You’re a Mean One, Matthew Prince grabbed me immediately from the title. It immediately implied a fun and whimsical story, which the book definitely delivered.

Matthew starts the book as a young and spoiled child of extreme privilege, cut off by his parents, and sent to spend the holiday season with his grandparents. There is definitely a Schitt’s Creek vibe to this story. It was incredible to watch Matthew grow and mature throughout the story in someone who is willing to throw a gala to raise money for struggling businesses in his grandparents’ small town. I love it when readers get to experience that kind of character growth. I was rooting for Matthew the whole way.

The reader learns that Matthew really loves A Christmas Carol, the story of Scrooge, who learns to be a better person as three ghosts come to visit him around Christmas. Matthew’s story certainly mirrors Scrooges. The reader also sees Matthew’s heart grow three sizes like the Grinch’s in Dr. Seuss’s story.

I love when romance novels address the mental health of their main characters. Matthew not only goes to therapy, but the book also addresses his coping mechanisms when he is in the midst of an anxiety attack. He plans fictional parties in his head to give him something else to focus on. Hector is also immediately helpful and supportive to Matthew when he learns about his anxiety. That is so important in any friend or romantic partner. It also is so lovely that Janovsky included mental health resources in the back of the book.

Even though it thoughfully addresses mental health issues, You’re a Mean One, Matthew Prince doesn’t take itself to seriously. There are many musical theater references (including one to Thoroughly Modern Millie) and fun baking challenges that made me smile a lot while reading.

Of course, many romance novels feature a third act breakup that gets resolved by the end of the story, and You’re a Mean One, Matthew Prince is no exception. This one frustrated me because it felt like it would have been too easy for the fight to have been avoided. Of course, I understand why the break up had to happen for purposes of the structure of the story.

I look forward to Janovsky’s next book, since You’re a Mean One, Matthew Prince is such much fun! It will definitely get you into the holiday spirit.

*I received an ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thanks for the free book!*

While I usually really love enemies to lovers stories (character development can be sexy!), this gay enemies to lovers story just annoyed me because it was entirely predictable and I disliked both the protagonist as well as the enemy later lover. They were both obnoxious. Our protagonist is a rich kid with no regard to anybody but himself. When he is punished because he had randomly bought an island (don't ask me, superrich people), he is banned to his grandparents and not allowed to party like he's used to. Of course he falls for the student living with his grandparents and with loads of romcom drama, there is a happy end.

Because I disliked all characters but the grandparents and the story was so very much over the top, I did not enjoy reading this at all. The queer component was nice but if I don't like the character, I don't like the characters. I don't know. I'm disappointed, I had hoped for something funny like "Red, White, and Royal Blue" but nah. Sorry if you love the characters, maybe I was just in the wrong mood :(

2.5 stars

Matthew Prince is a privileged, rich boy who has lived in the shadow of his famous parents his whole life. After a particularly bad breakup, Matthew decides to buy an island. This decision backfires and his parents send him to stay with his grandparents in their small town for the holidays. When he arrives, he finds out he will be sharing a bunk bed with Hector, one of his grandpa’s students from the local college who needed a place to stay. When they begin working together to plan the local charity gala, they quickly form a connection.

Overall, this was an entertaining and heartfelt novel that reminded me of a good, cheesy Hallmark Christmas movie. I really like how the author included Matthew’s struggles with anxiety and showed how his character grew as a person throughout the story. Hector was a sweet love interest. To be honest, I didn’t find myself invested much in this story. I’m not sure if that’s because I was not in the right headspace for a romance like this. I didn’t like Matthew very much and while he had redeemed himself in a lot of ways by the end, it was hard to root for him. The plot felt like it ran too smoothly and like everything kept falling perfectly into place, at least for most of the story. There were a lot of themes I liked in this book, but I think the execution fell short for me.

CW: toxic relationships, panic attacks/anxiety, classism

Read if you like:
- small town / big city trope
- Hallmark movies
- mental health rep
- personal growth

DNF at 34%.

Not even all the gushing reviews could persuade me to finish this book. Matthew Prince is a spoilt rich brat, who went too far when he bought an actual island, and he has now been cut off from his trust fund/limitless credit cards and sent to stay with his kindly grandparents in a small town just before Christmas. To add insult to injury, his grandparents are hosting a young man, Hector Martinez, who is studying at the local college, and they have to share the basement (bunk beds) because his grandparents are just so dargone humble that they didn't want a bigger house.

Matthew has some anxiety issues, but he's opinionated, a snob, entitled, and frankly not as clever as he thinks he is. He also suffers from having an obnoxious BFF who generally ignores him. In order to try to escape this hellhole and get back to New York city, Matthew and Hector agree to take over organising the town's annual charity gala, Matthew thinks it will be a breeze because he is always organising lavish parties in New York, he's just never had to do it on a shoe-string budget.

I'm over a third of the way through this book and it's not funny or cute, I don't like Matthew and Hector comes across as a paragon of virtue - what he can see in Matthew I don't know.

So, there it is, maybe I'm the wrong age group for this book but it's not for me.

I received an ARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

** Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review **

Actual rating 2.5 stars

You’re a Mean One, Matthew Prince follows Matthew Prince, a spoiled rich kid, during his exile to his grandparents’ cabin in a small town after he irresponsibly blows money on an investment. While he’s there, he has to share a space with Hector Martinez, one of his grandpa’s students.

I wanted to like this one so bad, I really did, but I just don’t think this book was for me.

What I did really enjoy about this book was the mental health rep. I also liked that it highlighted the importance of supporting local businesses, especially in the holiday season. This time of year really can make or break these businesses.

I think the overall idea is cute! The plot itself reminds me very much of those Hallmark movies that just get you into the holiday spirit.

Despite that though, I struggled to get into this one and I think part of it was because of the main characters. I didn’t feel particularly attached to either of them. They were okay and the main character went through growth, but they felt a bit flat at times. I wasn’t a big fan of how many times “dude” was used either if I’m being honest. I actually found myself favoring some of the side characters more.

The big wrench thrown in their relationship around 70-80% of the way through seemed overly dramatic. Something much simpler could have worked. What we got felt a little extreme and honestly made me hate some characters because it was so inexcusable.

This was also when the pacing really felt rushed to me. Before, it felt like it was dragging a bit and then all of a sudden everything happened.

The epilogue didn’t feel completely necessary either. It was heavily implied throughout the book what would happen in it in my opinion. There was no real need to spell it out.

I’d say if you’re looking for a holiday rom com, you can give this one a try because it did have its moments, but I personally didn’t really connect with it.

A fellow teacher who I follow on Instagram highly recommended this book. The cover was so vibrant and the rec so strong, I was excited. This book was a slog for me. A spoiled rich 20 something is exiled to his grandparents’ house in the Berkshires as punishment after he purchases an island on a drunken spree. He is dying to get back to NYC for the holidays. While he loves his grandparents and has fond memories of time spent in their quaint village, he is not happy. Then he finds out his grandparents are also housing Hector, a hot muscly student his grandfather taught at the local university. And Hector happens to be a single bisexual. You can imagine the rest.
I found Matthew Prince to be drawn like a cartoon. He was so over the top, a little like Dan Levy from Schitt’s Creek. His transformation to a likable guy felt sudden and pretty unbelievable. On the bright side, this book describes general anxiety disorder in a way that I found interesting, and, in the end, it was a romance, which I’m starting to admit I truly like:) I just wish I liked this book more.
Thank you so much to Sourcebooks Casablanca for the advanced copy of the book which is available now.

As I read this book, it was totally escaping me which combination of movies this story reminded me of. How The Grinch Stole Christmas was a given…but I knew it was more than that. After searching through a list of the most popular rom coms, I think it’s also a mix of Clueless, Sweet Home Alabama, and Confessions of a Shopaholic.

Matthew Prince is a spoiled, entitled rich kid, whose mother made her fame writing a popular fantasy series similar to Game of Thrones. When Matthew maxes out his accounts buying an ISLAND his parents decide to ship him off to his grandparents home in a secluded country town. There’s no fancy stores, no fancy food, and (the horror!) no Wi-Fi. To top things off, he’s sharing a room with his grandparents employee Hector. Bored out of his mind, Matthew plots his escape - until his grandparents suggest he plan the local Christmas fundraiser to support small businesses. Paired together with Hector, the two attempt to make use of Matthew’s extravagant party planning expertise…and fall for each other along the way.

This is a great romantic comedy for the holiday season to get you in the Christmas spirit. Matthew can be annoying, but like most rich kid protagonists he evolves into a productive and more giving member of society. Hector and Matthew are adorable together, their attraction is instant and fun to read. ⭐️⭐️⭐️