You’re A Mean One, Matthew Prince is a captivating, heartfelt, Christmas, LGBT+ romcom that showcases powerful mental health representation.

Matthew Prince is the son of two successful parents, and is a walking PR nightmare. After he makes a bad decision, buying an entire island, he is cut off and sent to stay with his Grandparents in a cosy-small town called Wind River. There, he meets Hector, the charming local who is staying with his grandparents, and they definitely do not get off on the right foot…

This enemies-to-lovers novel was so captivating and as someone who does have severe anxiety, I really enjoyed and appreciated that Timothy showcased GAD in this book. I thought it was written very well, and I could see myself a lot in Matthew. The romance is definitely more of a slow-burn, but it was so worth it! Hector and Matthew’s banter had my laughing on every page, and I truly cannot wait to get Timothy’s next book in my hands.

5/5 ⭐️ I would definitely recommend this book and I cannot wait to read this book again during the Christmas season.

This one ticked a lot of my required boxes. A Christmas story, always delightful, a small town setting with charming secondary characters, the sweet, supportive grandparents and a love story. All of this was there, and it was all good. The main characters were good too, on their own, but the chemistry felt a bit off to me. It wasn't as page turning as it should have been. It was good, but not great for me.

I loved the diversity in the story, and the accepting spirit of the town. That was big for me.

All in all, it was a love story with a happy ending, and I loved that as well.

Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy.

You're a Mean One, Matthew Prince by Timothy Janovsky. Pub Date: October 4, 2022. Rating: 5 stars. Matthew Prince, a young and rich male who lives a life of luxury is shipped off to his grandparent's house due to him making a questionable purchase of an island. To protect himself from publicity while his parents work to reverse his recent purchase, Matthew is thrown into a world he knows minimal about. He loses access to his bank accounts and to his life of luxury. He is a grinch about the situation until he meets Hector Martinez. Hector is living with Matthew's grandparents and Matthew starts to thaw out his feelings and develop conflicting thoughts about Hector. This riches to rags to riches again story with a dabble of romance and Christmas charm was unputdownable and I absolutely loved it. Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for this e-arc in exchange for my honest review. #netgalley #youreameanonematthewprince

This was the cutest holiday queer YA romance. It gave me a little bit of Schitts Creek vibes, particularly the episode where Jocelyn asks David to talk to a teen in her class who she thinks is struggling with his sexuality while being in a small town.

The book is very lighthearted but also deals with subjects like anxiety, identity, and sexuality.

Would definitely recommend.

Absolutely stunning. Adored reading this book and had the greatest time! The characters were relatable because they were flawed, and I loved the plot. Timothy Janovsky does not miss and I was kicking my feet and giggling while reading this.

You’re a Mean One, Matthew Prince……..well, I would have expected more of a Grinch than we got. It was still a cute romance. This is a poor little rich boy falls for the hard working hunk trope.

I appreciated the anxiety and mental health representation, and how Hector helped Matthew when he was struggling. I really did not like Matthew at the beginning, but I warmed up to him by the end.

3 Stars

Thank you to @netgalley and @sourcebooks for a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

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A cute holiday romance - a bit of a stretch for me because I typically don't like a "poor little rich boy" trope - but there was a lot to like here! While it's hard at times to empathize with Matthew, Hector is so charming (with the exception of overusing the word "dude") that you'll find yourself rooting for these two. The mental health representation of anxiety is one of the best I've seen - kudos! Fans of Schitt's Creek will love this one!

Delightful holiday rom-com!! Matthew’s translation from self-centered rich kid to more selfless human being felt earned and Hector was an adorable foil to Matthew. Perfect cozy read by the fire.

I enjoyed Never Been Kissed by Timothy Janovsky, but this one fell a little flat for me. A little too Hallmark movie--cute, but predictable.

Really enjoyed this one! A fun little holiday romance with some deeper themes and an MC that goes on a great character arc (which is sorely needed because he started off as a total ass).

I felt the discussion on mental health was really well handled and although the plot was fairly predictable as it follows a standard romance format, it was enjoyable.

Main reason for the loss of a star was the sheer number of times Hector called Matthew "dude". Like...so many times the word dude stopped looking like a real word, yknow?

Other than that it was very enjoyable.

This is one of those books where I was enjoying the story but barely enough to really care whether I kept reading or not.

At the start of the book, Matthew is a caustically unlikeable character. He’s basically a cross between David Ross and a supervillain caricature. This is a man who reflectively tries to bribe people and is confused when he doesn’t always get exactly what he wants. He doesn’t know the name of his family chauffehuer and the doesn’t care, he’s just mad that the man didn’t carry his luggage all the way into the house. He’s upset that the guest room he was expecting has been turned into a study and doesn’t care that the change was because of his grandfather's illness. He talks about his designer clothes constantly, and is more concerned about caring for them than any human in his life. When he finds out he has to share a closet with Hector, he responds by throwing all Hector’s clothes on the floor and making fun of Hector’s things when he objects. He walks into a coffee shop and calls out “Coffee Girl”, I half expected him to snap his fingers.

Unlike David Rose, I didn’t find Matthew’s antics entertaining. Which is a problem because his personal growth is GLACIAL. Once things pick up between him and Hector he tones down over the top temper tantrums, but even a simmered down Matthew is still a huge asshole. He just started at such a high level of complete jerkitude, that even a significant reduction still left him in asshole territory. His motivation for everything is his own self interest and his laser focus on getting home for a NYE party. We’re given very little information about the party so his passion around it just emphasized how shallow he is. It tainted pretty much every moment he had with Hector, and made it hard to understand why Hector would be falling for him.

Ex: Matthew decides to help with the town’s fundraising gala and manipulates Hector into helping him with the promise of money that he know he might not be able to provide. It was gross.

My other issue with Matthew is that he’s not a very convincing uber rich world traveler. He’s a coffee snob, but his drink of choice is Starbucks-style macchiatos, a drink looked down upon by coffee elites because it’s a made up American version of an actual Italian drink. He’s a 25 year old who insists that all acceptable hotel suites must have clawfoot tubs. That’s a weirdly specific amenity that I have trouble imagining in all his luxury hotel rooms. He doesn’t like soup, because he’s “a bisque guy.” These are all throwaway moments, but they kept pulling me out of the book to yell, “Um, that doesn’t seem likely.”

What helped make Matthew tolerable is his vulnerability. He has generalized anxiety disorder, and doesn’t have anyone in his regular life who accepts and supports him. His only close friend is dismissive of him, and he isn’t close to his parents. Matthew is clearly lonely. He’s aggressive in arguing for his needs with his parents, grandparents, Hector, half the town…but it’s clear that what Matthew really needs is acceptance and safety, not a party with a bunch of people he doesn’t even like. I was rooting for Matthew, and I cared about him. Which is quite a feat considering what a total tool he was.

I love it when wealthy characters are forced to live a plebeian life (see Secret Princes, one of my favorite reality shows of all time). This book didn’t have anything original on couples with class differences, but if that’s a trope you like, here it is, just waiting for you.

DNF @ 28%
Thank you NetGalley for an eArc of this book.
I loved the idea of this book! It’s kind of like Alexis and Mutt from Schitt’s Creek but make it Christmassy and queer. Unfortunately it didn’t really work for me. I found Matthew quite annoying and I couldn’t stand how many times Hector was saying ‘Dude’. Maybe I will give it another try next year.

okay, so I really enjoyed this book. It was fun and lighthearted, and a delightful holiday read. I devoured this book in 2 days and would highly recommend it.

4/5 stars

Thank you NetGalley for proving me with an arc

Matthew Prince is your typical entitled rich kid. After pushing his parents a little too far with his latest escapades, he finds himself cut off and sent to his grandparent’s house to learn a lesson. When he gets there, he has to share a room with Hector, who could not care less about anything Matthew does or says. The two of them have to come together to coordinate the local charity gala and it might be enough to make his heart grow.

I appreciated the anxiety representation in this one and how Matthew was so supported by Hector when he was struggling. The way his anxiety was portrayed felt so raw and real at times. I was not expecting to love Matthew so much, especially since he was so spoiled in the beginning, but I really felt for him by the end. And his growth throughout the book was phenomenal.

I switched between book and audio and LOVED the narration on the audio. It really brought Matthew’s voice to life.

Thanks to Sourcebooks Casablanca and Dreamscape Media for the advance copies.

love love love the christmas setting, and the references to the grinch! as a lover of all things grinch, i was drawn to this book from the very start. I loved the character development of Matthew with the help from Hector

It is incredibly difficult to find it in myself to care about the struggles of a rich kid spending daddy’s (and mommy’s) money and having to then learn that there is more to life than frivolous parties and fake friends.

I did not like Matthew Prince, I did not care about his “struggles,” and I do not care that he bought an island on a whim and had to learn that is not an okay, normal thing to do. He was a very hateable character and boy did I dislike him. And don’t even get me started on Hector. Every time he said “bro,” I wanted to crawl into the book and blow him up.

This story had absolutely nothing original to it. It was very obviously lifted from a handful of popular shows, movies, and stories, and the author did not bring enough of a twist or new angle to make it okay. I am happy to have left this book in 2022.

dnf at 10% .. i cannot handle the MMC and honestly don't see myself enjoying listening to the rest of the book :/ very stuck up and out of touch with reality .. and since it's from his POV, i literally am loathing his entire existence and cannot muster up any emotional connection to him.. which is essential for me as a reader

An absolute delight.

This book felt like David Rose from Schitt’s Creek in a hallmark Christmas movie. It was exactly what I wanted this holiday season!

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this queer holiday romance immensely! You're a Mean One, Matthew Prince was recommended for people who love Schitt's Creek and that comparison was spot on. The overall plot also reminded me of It Happened One Summer by Tessa Bailey, which is also inspired by SC.

I am a huge fan of chaotic messy people meeting serious buttoned up people and then falling for each other. This is especially fun when the vibe starts off as enemies or rivals. Matthew and Hector immediately dislike one another and the banter between them is excellent. They gave me vibes like Oliver & Luc from Boyfriend Material as well as Evemer and Kadou in A Taste of Gold and Iron.

YAMOMP was full of fun holiday shenanigans, family dysfunction and drama, and a believable enemies to friends to lovers plot that was both sweet and steamy. The only thing that really took me out of the story was the constant use of the word, dude. Dude as a term of endearment just does not work and I really hated that that's how they referred to one another.

Overall, I recommend this small town, redemption plot, mm romance set at Christmastime. Thanks so much to Sourcebooks Casablanca for the chance to read and review a copy!

Honestly, I have no words.

Timothy Janovsky is becoming my new favorite author and is an automatic buy for me!!

Loved loved loved this holiday treat!!

Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this delicious book!!