I received a digital copy from NetGalley/Berkley in exchange for an honest review.

Do not let my review or star rating deter you from reading this book. I can see how this story could be a comfort read for many.

Pros:
*I love character development and the MC matures a lot from beginning to end.
*I love when small rural communities are reflected realistically with flaws and failing businesses but populated with people willing to help each other because they're a community. This is my reality and it's not represented enough in fiction. (I'm not talking the Hallmark perfect small town where the sun shines every day.)
*Weirdly enough, I enjoy when mental illness is portrayed realistically on page and not sugar-coated. I am well-acquainted with the "get out, get out, must get out RIGHT NOW" that Matthew feels at times. Well done, Mr. Janovsky.

Cons:
*No one other than the MC has any personal growth. Matthew's mom starts to make changes by the end, but (view spoiler).
*The MC is so incredibly selfish, spoiled, and entitled for the first two-thirds of the book. He starts to make a turn at the halfway point and eventually learns what's important in life. But I read to escape the selfish and entitled in real life, so this kind of spoiled the escapism component for me.
* Toxic people everywhere! (view spoiler).

Other issues I had were entirely my own based on personal preferences. I was blinded by the brilliant word play of the title and missed a key detail in the synopsis. I do not regret reading the story of Matthew Prince and Hector, and if you feel drawn to the story summary, I recommend adding it to your holiday TBR.

What a cute, Hallmarky, holiday rom-com! It did take me quite a while to warm up to Matthew, but I sort of expected that going in, so it didn’t bother me that much.

I love a holiday romance, and this did not disappoint. Give me all the holiday feels, all the cheese, all of the snowy, small town feels.

Thanks to Netgalley, Sourcebooks and Dreamscape for the ARC & AudioARC of this!

This was perfect timing, I needed some holiday vibes early this year! Super cute, with some of the feels of Schitt’s Creek, a spoiled rich young man is sent to the middle of nowhere with his grandparents after a potential scandal - and starts to fall for the college student they are housing. Queer, sweet, and an easy book to get drawn into, this is perfect for getting your Hallmark movie vibes.

Ok, this one is completely my fault. I have to be in the mood for a romcom, or I just find them annoying. I thought I was in the mood, I really liked the blurb, but once I started reading, not so much.

It's entirely me, I think this story will do really well with the right fans, but it just didn't suit me right now, and that's my fault, not the fault of the story.

A wonderful story from the LGBTQ+ community where a boy from a well off family makes a bad decision and is temporarily cut off and sent to his small town grandparents home for the holiday season. The character growth in this story is beautiful and the love story that pans out is even better.

This was a delightful queer holiday romcom. Matthew Prince is rich, spoiled, and selfish. After a major PR fiasco his parents exile him to spend Christmas with his grandparents in the small town of Wind River. Upon arrival he discovers that he must share a bedroom (bunk beds!) with Hector Martinez, a former student of Matthew’s grandfather who is very attractive but not impressed or charmed by Matthew.

Matthew is desperate to get out of the small town and back to his life and decides he can win over everyone’s approval by coordinating the Wind River holiday charity gala. He enlists Hector to help him. Their sort-of enemies-to-lovers / opposites attract romance is sweet. The enemies part is resolved pretty early on; Hector is solid, supportive, and calming presence in Matthew’s life. They discover a mutual love for A Christmas Carol and this connection weaves throughout the story in several ways that I found very charming.

I really liked that the story is from Matthew’s POV - seeing all his selfishness, and the shiny, perfect Instagram filter veneer he presents to everyone. He is A. LOT and your tolerance for his extra-ness may vary. I liked him and found him annoying but hilarious. But underneath this exterior is a lonely young man with a general anxiety disorder and a complicated relationship with his parents. I appreciate that this romcom addresses how stressful holidays can be for people with anxiety and mental illness.

A sweet, queer holiday romance with a messy MC, a charming (but not overbearingly charming) small town, frank depictions and discussion of anxiety and mental health.

ARC courtesy of Sourcebooks Casablanca (thank you!)

I enjoyed listening to this one and think that had I only had an ebook I might not have finished. Both characters were hard to like at first and while I felt back for Matthew because of his parents and family, it just took a long time for him to be redeemed in my opinion. I also would have liked for their to be more relationship building because I don’t feel like I got much, it went from enemies to hooking up so quick!

Matthew Prince is a wealthy, spoiled socialite who is constantly in the limelight for his shenanigans and wild parties. When a bad breakup leads to an impulsive purchase of an island, his parents froze his credit cards and shipped him off to his grandparents in the small town of Wind River. He immediately clashes with Hector Martinez, a boarder at his grandparents’ place who is thoroughly unimpressed by his snobbish behaviour. When the local charity gala’s coordinator fell ill, Matthew volunteers to co-plan the gala with Hector, hoping that his good behaviour will earn him a ticket back to New York City and his old life.

This was my first Timothy Janovsky novel and an early Christmas read. Written in first person from Matthew’s POV, Janovsky’s writing is humorous, witty, and sarcastic. I mean, this was how Hector’s snoring was described: “Hector sleeping sounds like a mother demon is having a baby inside his mouth, and then that baby is respawning while simultaneously killing the mother in a loud, violent battle to the death.” 🤣

I really enjoyed Matthew’s growth as a character. He started off as the most annoying snob, with a complete disregard for people whom he considered beneath his station, calling his chauffeur, “Driver Man”, and the local barista, “Coffee Girl”. But you soon realise that beneath the wild image he portrays for the media to lap up, lies a very unloved and insecure young man who has never known what it is like to truly connect with somebody on a deeper level beyond carnal desires and social/political/business gains. I loved how Hector came along, chipped away at his barriers, and showed him what a proper, loving relationship was like. And the way he handled Matthew’s anxiety attacks was really 🥹

I loved how Grandpa and Grandma showed him true acceptance and familial love, and I loved the new friend he made in Noelle, the “Coffee Girl” who showed him what true friendship was.

This was truly a heartwarming and delightful queer rom-com that I really enjoyed and devoured in a day. 4.5/5 ⭐️

Thank you Sourcebooks Casablanca and NetGalley for the e-ARC.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for access to this eARC. Give yourself the gift that keeps on giving beginning October 3rd.

I have to be honest and admit that I've been meaning to read Timothy Janovsky's Never Been Kissed since it first came out and just haven't gotten around to it but if it's anything like this beauty, I really need to hurry up. This incredible book, You're a Mean One, Matthew Prince, is so everything I needed right now. I was prompted even moreso to read it due to him being in HoliGays22 with another recent 5 star read for me, Courtney Kae's In The Event of Love and this joins it with a strong 5 stars as well.

Entitled young adults who act like the world owes them something for their existence grate my ever loving last nerve and Matthew did indeed do this for the first couple of chapters. I loved the witty banter between he and Hector from the jump and couldn't help but mentally snap at each and every one of Hector's reads. Luckily, Matthew begins to show his humanity not super far into the book so I was eager to see what he could become rather than just gritting my teeth as I read about a character I couldn't wait to be rid of.

I loved the side characters (Noelle, Oksana/Maxim, Gram and Gramps) and the small town setting of Wind River. I loved the way that Matthew would do battle with Krampus (the personified version of his generalized anxiety disorder) by planning parties in his head and man oh man do I wish I could have a Prince Charming created event for every important milestone in my personal life!

Just absolutely amazing.

Queer ✔️
GAD Representation ✔️
Minority characters ✔️
Hallmark movie vibes ✔️
Forced Proximity ✔️

This book has a lot of really great stuff going for it and for the most part I think it was executed really well. While at times the pacing definitely lagged I think overall people looking for a story to make them cuddle up by a fire watching the snow fall will find themselves happy to spent an afternoon with this book on their lap.

This was a cute and a little emotional cheesy Christmas romance.

Matthew was a shallow and pretty mean guy in the beginning, but every time he starting grating on me he’d drop some intensely sad backstory snippet that had me 100% on his team. The saddest boi! This really made it work for me - it explained why he was a defensive jerk in the beginning, literally a defense mechanism. But he works through it! Look at this!!

"Hating Christmas is the one way I get to manage my familial expectations. I don’t get my hopes up over silly traditions or false illusions of togetherness. It’s safer than admitting that as a child I used to bleed red tinsel for this entire month."

he’s only grinch because his parents suck! so sad!! i’m glad christmas was returned to him because i too love christmas

He also had a well done redemption arc I felt like. It was gradual throughout the book, and he had to come to terms with all his personal and family baggage in order to complete it, which I really appreciated. Especially him telling his parents how much they fucked up. Hell yeah.

This had some very awkward writing things going on that did pull me out of the story, such as:

• unnatural conversations - they were very expositional and people don’t speak in paragraphs

• very odd word uses - sometimes it was just flat out incorrect word use, sometimes it was …made up words?

• too many dramatique metaphors and analogies - these can bring color, but you have to be restrained with them…it was not restrained here

• the dramatique metaphors also made the sex scenes (such as they were) gauzy and vague and really kind of distant…i don’t need it to be super explicit or anything, but this just felt like it should have been fade to black for the awkwardness it ended up with

Overall, it was cute holiday fluff. Some romcom moments like a mini baking contest, cute side characters, good personal arcs…it’s got it all.

I really expected to have a hard time relating to a 1%-er who is shipped off the to the Berkshires because he was being punished for buying an entire island without permission- even if he has GAD. However, Matthew Prince grew on me quite quickly. I fully expected a cute, rom-com during the holiday season, but I did not anticipate how deep this book got when talking about anxiety, impostor syndrome, difficulties with parents, growing up, privilege, LGBTQIA+ situations, etc. I was so pleasantly surprised by how substantive this book is.

The characters are all so likable- except for a certain few who are not meant to be- and I wanted the best for every single one of them.

Also, I cannot help but shout out a book that recognizes the supremacy of the Muppet’s Christmas Carol.

This book had a lot of promise - major Schitt’s Creek vibes during the holiday season? I was so there. But I feel like it fell flat in a lot of ways, making it just alright for me.

Matthew Prince is a spoiled rich kid who has been raised to think about his public persona and how he’ll appear to the masses so he’s curated his entire personality around that. After making a questionable and costly decision while upset, he’s sent to stay with his grandparents while the story dies down. Based on the book title, I assumed Matthew was going to be rude and grumpy, but I don’t think that’s true - he’s out of his element but he’s definitely not the grinch I anticipated him being. He’s felt like a burden for years thanks to his parents’ obsession with image and hasn’t ever had the chance to figure out who he is like he does when he’s out from under their oppressive thumbs.

Hector Martinez isn’t well off and is relying on the kindness of Matthew’s grandparents providing him with somewhere to live while finishing college. He has a huge chip on his shoulder when it comes to money, decadence and extravagance, making things really awkward when he’s forced to share a room with Matthew. Hector is incredibly sweet, hard working and earnest and is willing to do whatever it takes to see his family in Texas for the holidays, including working with Matthew to plan the town’s holiday gala. But I cannot for the life of me figure out why Hector used the word “dude” so excessively throughout this book - it was distracting and aggravating and made me dislike Hector a little more every time it came up.

These two team up to plan the town’s holiday gala and end up spending a lot of time together even though things started on a less than stellar note between them. They’re opposites in a lot of ways but learn they have more in common than they thought. I just didn’t feel the chemistry between them - they made good friends when they finally started talking but it never felt like they clicked with me so it made it difficult for me to root for them.

I had two major problems with this story - 1. The pacing. It took me forever to get into this story (probably like 40% in) and even then I felt like things dragged on way more than necessary. I found myself skimming in a lot of places to avoid repetitive moments and get to the dialogue. 2. Matthew’s parents. I know we weren’t supposed to like them but their actions were inexcusable to me in so many ways. It left me with a sour taste in my mouth about their whole relationship and made me feel even worse for Matthew than I already did.

Overall this one was just okay for me. It had its good moments and definitely its bad, but wasn’t super memorable.

*I'd like to thank NetGalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for an ARC in exchange for an honest review*

I heard a lot about this book from other authors I liked and on listicles for upcoming romances. I liked the premise of the novel. It felt a bit like Schitt's Creek where Matthew Prince, the protagonist, is cut off from his wealthy parents and exiled to his grandparents' house in suburban Massachusetts. There he meets Hector, the graduate student staying with Matthew's grandparents as he finishes school.

The two don't get off on the right foot, and it's obvious that the chemistry, though it may not be initially positive, is palpable. I did hate every time Hector said "dude" because it just took me out of the story. I understand it was a character choice, but I never took to it. It took me a while to get into the story, but that may just be because I'm having a bit of a reading slump recently. Once I gained traction, I was invested in Hector and Matthew's relationship, the party planning, and Matthew's personal growth.

This book comes out next week, and I can't wait for the deserved hype for this book,

I cannot get over the fact how swoony this book was. I'm completely, irrevocably smitten with this book.
Hate-to-love + small town festives + Schitts Creek vibes? Nothing could be more perfect than this.

Told solely from Matthew's pov, it was amazing to not only see the depth of his feelings but also the vulnerability Hector possessed as well. Their dynamics was A+ from beginning.
I loved how they were bickering & having sassy comebacks while also completely being obsessed with each other..... *dreamy sigh*

Matthew's character development felt so natural & I loved to see that side of him. The 3rd act breakup wrecked me but I LOVED the grand gesture so much!! Can't wait everyone else to read & fall in love with this book.

<i>Thank you Netgalley & Publisher for the arc in exchange of an honest review.<i>

4 stars for this adorable and honest queer Christmas rom-com!

This book tells the story of rich and spoiled Matthew Prince, who is sent to his grandparents cabin to avoid a media scandal. Here he has to share a room with Hector Martinez, who he teams up with to throw a charity gala to get them both a ticket home.
I loved the setting and the characters in this book, you really grow to love Matthew the more you read, just like he gets to know himself better and learns to love himself. Hector—despite his overuse of the word dude—is a lovely flannel wearing, wood chopping bisexual English major that you just have to love. The personal and romantic developments in this book felt so natural and even the conflict had a lot of reasoning behind it. I also really liked how this book deals with mental health (anxiety in particular).

Read this book if you like:
- A small town with a queer, open and accepting community
- Honest and good portrayal of general anxiety disorder (the anxiety brain has a name here)
- Home not necessarily being a place but a person
- Dancing to Christmas songs, sparkling lights and grand gestures
- A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens (and the Muppets movie version)
- And they were roommates!!
- Cornelia Street by Taylor Swift

Loved it! I will read anything Timothy writes!
You're a Mean One, Matthew Prince is the perfect holiday rom-com to kick off the season!

You’re a Mean one Matthew Prince by Timothy Janovsky was a fun Chrismtas rom-com with your Privileged rich kid, a hardworking kind guy and a small town with an event to run to help the local businesses. This queer romance falls under my “Hallmark after dark” label. Sweet, and lighthearted with some really great mental health representation and self growth.

In this book you get spoiled, immature, overly opinionated main character, Matthew, who makes a crazy expensive impulse buy and ends up in the small town of Wind River with his Grandparents to be off the grid. Welcome in our kind, hardworking student, Hector, who is the exact opposite. Their lives literally collide in Matthews grandparents basement bunkbeds. And the story grows from there.

This book was full of so much growth and holiday cheer. I really hope that we are able to learn more about some of the secondary characters, especially Noelle. This was a fun holiday read. Make sure it is on your radar.

Thank you NetGalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for this digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest opinions

LGBTQ
When Matthew Prince makes a financial
Faux pas he gets sent to his grandparents in a small town called Wind River.
Upon getting there he discovers he has an annoying room mate. Just when everything seems lost Matthew is asked to step in as an event coordinator, the catch is his roommate is his party planner partner...

Firstly this book covers some pretty heavy topics like anxiety, but does so in such a sensitive way.

I loved the character growth, how Matthew started out selfish, self centered, image obsessed but grew into himself while simultaneously rediscovering his awe-filled childhood self.

The side characters were pretty amazing too and very gracious and all round the amazing people Matthew needed in his life.

Hector perfectly balanced Matthew and guided him through some tough moments in such a caring and sensitive way.

All in all an enjoyable book with lovely characters (although they don't all start out that way). I loved the event planning aspects and the way Matthew talks himself through panic attacks, it's very reassuring but also relatable.

Thank you to netgalley and sourcebooks for the arc copy in exchange for my honest opinions.

Read this if you:
Love forced proximity
Love enemies to lovers
Are looking for a LGBTQ Christmas story
Are looking for a light spicy book.
Love Small town settings
Christmas reads.

4.5 - “Following expectations doesn’t make you a better person. Being the person someone says you should be doesn’t always make you happy.”

Matthew Prince is a young, rich socialite who has just made a huge PR mistake. As punishment, his less-than-present parents send him away from New York City and up to his grandparents in Wind River, Massachusetts. It’s a festive, winter wonderland and Matthew can’t see how things can get worse. Then he needs to share his room with Hector Martinez, a very attractive local college student who’s also living with his grandparents. What ensues is a beautiful story of acceptance, self-love, and self-discovery,

This book is so funny on the surface, but it tackles some heavy subjects really beautifully, I just loved the writing and the characters so much, and it was a joy to read.

Matthew is truly a delight, even when he comes off as a spoiled brat. He is so young and doesn’t really know better because of the lavish lifestyle he’s been afforded by his parents. The small town of Wind River is the last place he wants to be. When he finds out he has to share a room with Hector, he doesn’t see how his stay ca get better.

Hector is a wonderfully written character. He’s complex and full-fleshed out and serves as Matthew’s polar opposite. Away from his family in Texas, he’s a little resigned at the beginning, but he proves to be a sweet juxtaposition to Matthew. Their relationship is endearing and sweet, and they have tension from the get-go, so I was anxious to see their relationship develop.

The character growth is outstanding, and I always find I love stories that have this. Matthew truly comes into his own, realizing what, and who, is important. Matthew has a complicate relationship with his parents and even through I just complained about unsupportive parents, it was just done so well here. We get a lot of information on how it has affected Matthew and it was lovely to see him talk control of that throughout the book. It felt realistic and added emotional depth to the story.

I can’t recommend this enough for Christmas TBRs!