Actual rating: 2.5 stars.

I had high hopes for this book but I ultimately found it to be a predictable and not too well-written holiday rom-com. I literally fell asleep once while reading it... In the first half of the book, Matthew Prince is basically just a copy of David Rose from Schitt's Creek but without any of the charm Dan Levy brings to that role. He definitely gets more bearable later on and even has moments of actual likeability but most of this book, Matthew included, just largely didn't work for me.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I'm going to be 100% honest and tell you I did not like this book *cue tears*. I could not connect to the main character Matthew at all. I found him to just be annoying tbh. The premise of the book is SO amazing but the execution of the plot was just not it unfortunately.

However, please do not let this deter you from reading this book, I know for a fact a lot of people will love this one.

Matthew Prince—party planner, jet setter, and socialite—irritated the hell out of me when he first arrived in the small town of Wind River with his spoiled attitude of superiority.* But try as I did to stay mad at him, the boy grew on me with each page. It was easy to hope that the handsome, hardworking, and kind Hector would bring out the best in Matthew and renew his sense of romance and holiday joy. And if that’s all this was, it’d still make for a decent Hallmark romcom with a twist. But of course there’s more. Beneath the superficial layers of money, class, and sexual energy lies an emotionally scarred human struggling with generalized anxiety after years of loneliness and neglect and a boy who sees that person and wants to love them. I enjoyed it immensely.

*There are definitely some David Rose of Schitt’s Creek vibes with Matthew’s predicament and initial attitude, and I didn’t love him or the show at first either, so take that as you will.

Big thanks to NetGalley for the chance to read this in exchange for my honest review.

4/5

Thank you NetGalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!

Ever read those characters where you just want to punch in the face at first and tell them to stop being a spoiled little bitchy brat? Because that’s how Matthew Prince first comes across and it takes just a little bit of time getting used to him and for his character to become a little bit more likable. I loved how this book focused on so many different aspects such as mental health and rediscovering yourself after going through some hardships. To start with, it is soo important to me that mental health was focused on so much in this book. I feel like there just isn’t enough focus on MH in general and it can definitely help people understand that what they are experience is normal and it’s okay to have a diagnosis. I think it also shows how much Matthew grows with his diagnosis and finding the right person to understand what you are experiencing with anxiety can help you go far.

I think the author does such a great job at delving into family history and showing the reader how your experiences growing up can affect who you are in the present but doesn’t necessarily have to determine who you are in the future. Overall, I loved this book and I think it is a perfect book for the upcoming holiday season.
*
This review will be posted to my Instagram blog (read_betweenthecovers) in the near future!

If you love some Hallmark-family-Christmas-cliche-moments, this one is definitely for you.

Personal Ratings : 3.5🌟

There is a lot more to this book than meets the eye, and while I don't hate it, but I don't particularly like it either. Its kind of a shame because, the setting and the story and the angst is already quite cute and everything sounds promising, but I think what didn't work out for me was the writing style.

Short Summary
Mathhew Prince has it all. A successful family, a famous author as a mother and basically living his life. When a small misjudgment on his part has led him to an exile to his maternal grandmother's hometown for Christmas, Matthew was horrified. It got worst when he came to his grandparents home to be greeted by Hector, the guy who would be sharing a room and a bunk bed with him. Setting of on the wrong foot with Hector, but somewhat both of them knows that there are more things than meets the eye. Its the story of family, love, reconnection and above all, loving yourself.

Personal Thoughts
Firstly,I would like to applaud the author for having an array of Representations in this book. There is a rep for General Anxiety Disorder specially, which I have a soft spot on. I always appreciate a good mental health rep in romance, and this is a first for GAD for me which makes it refreshing to read. Matthew is a character that I came to love and I personally liked how the author brings about the characterization and Matthew's growth at the end. The family relationships and drama, and taking the holidays as a part of celebration in a sense that brings nostalgia makes the book like watching a cliche Christmas movie but it makes you feel warm and good so there's that.

I think my major problem with the book is the Writing. There are certain parts, where everything felt.....so... draggy. There are so many unnecessary fillers that I felt that can be finessed better. The writing is a bit rough on the edge, and I would actually be okay if its a debut novel. Nevertheless, its not the biggest problem for the book, but it did disrupt my reading pace for a bit cause I feel like skimping over some lines due to how long and repetitive some parts can be.

Nevertheless, I still enjoyed the book. There are many parts that the author can improved on but I do applaud for his vision and intentions in the book.

Biggest thank you to Source Casablanca and Netgalley for the e-ARC of the book!

I really loved this book! The focus on mental health was fantastic and I truly enjoyed the character development over the course of the novel. It was adorably festive, steamy, and sweet!

Matthew has just about everything and is grateful for none of it. He reminded me of a mix between Perez and Paris Hilton and honestly he’d probably love that description.

Hector is everything that Matthew is not so of course they’re going to hate each other. But as so often is the case love and hate are very close together so is it really hate or could it be love?

I just really enjoyed this story and I think anyone who enjoys enemies to lovers or who thinks the grinch needed to have his heart grow 3 sizes should read this story ASAP.

This is a story about rediscovering yourself.  Matthew Prince is the spoiled only child of two well known and wealthy parents.  His parents are both more focused on their careers than on Matthew who, since an incident when he was a teenager, has been the subject of media fascination.  When spiraling because of a recent break-up, Matthew does one thing that catches his parents' attention -- he buys an island.  In an effort to keep this mistake out of the public eye, they ship Matthew off to spend the holidays in the small town where his mother grew up and his grandparents still live.  Some may find the town charming but not Matthew, who is used to the clubs, restaurants, and hustle and bustle of New York.

To make matters even worse, it turns out that his grandparents have a student from the local college living with them and he and Matthew have to share a bedroom.  Hector Martinez is everything that Matthew is not -- a hard worker and dedicated student, low key, and more comfortable chopping wood than at a party.  At first, Matthew and Hector are like oil and water.  But then the annual charity gala loses its coordinator, and Matthew agrees to take over in an effort to show he has changed and get back home earlier.  He and Hector are forced to team up to plan the event. As the two spend more time together, Matthew realizes that he may have misjudged Hector, and himself -- and that a little small town holiday cheer, complete with a new romance, may be just what he needs.

I absolutely loved this book!  Matthew is the lovable Grinch we all need -- hurt in ways even he does not fully grasp by his parents and his former relationship and trying to deal with his own anxiety, he has become hardened against genuine connection and simultaneously haughty and doubting his own worth.  Over the course of the story, the author does an amazing job charting Matthew’s growth in a way that is heart-warming and feels authentic.  I so appreciated how in the midst of this very charming story, the book handles with depth and nuance issues around mental health, identity, wealth, and privilege.  And the build up and then exploration of the relationship between Matthew and Hector is pitch perfect.  This is the ideal, modern queer holiday story that will make the holiday season sparkle even brighter this year.

Very highly recommended!

Thank you Netgalley and Sourcebook Casablanca for this advanced copy.

At first, I thought this book is perfect for Christmas romcom, but I was wrong. I found myself really hated the main character here, AKA The "Prince" AKA Matthew Prince AKA Big baby who spoiled by his parents' money.

I understood that this book was a typical Hollywood movie when rich ass white people went to middle of nowhere to get the "Character development", but sure, as a jerk main character, the author should put a limitation of how jerk he was. Matthew Prince was overly selfish and full of drama. And his character development was freakin' slow !!! Until at some point I hated him so much even before he got his "character development". Sorry, but I didn't care anymore about his relationship with his parents' or his mental issue. It took me to long to feel sorry for him.

Also, I HATE Hector from the bottom of my heart. I didn't understand why Matthew Prince thought saying "dude* in the middle of making out was sexy... I Mean that was cringe!!! He sure had no taste in guy.

And the writing style... I had no idea where was the beautiful quote I should choose to put it on Instagram... There was no beautiful writing at all.

Overall, I didn't enjoy this one and definitely not for me.

I am the person who hates Christmas till December, but I liked the blurb and thought I'd give this a read. I absolutely loved this book. I can see me reading it at Christmas every year.

The characters were so good Matthew reminded me alot of David from Schitt's Creek which is one of my favourite TV shows. I loved Hector so much I do agree the best version of A Christmas Carol is definitely the Muppets version.

5 stars overall I can't wait to read more from this author.

3.75 STARS
I had trouble with the beginning of the book feeling overly cheesy, but half way through I learned to love it for what it was. It’s a cute Schitts Creek type of book, with forced proximity and set during Christmas. As long as you don’t have an aversion to reading the word “dude” 1 million times, then it’s a really sweet Christmas season rom com.

Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!

You’re A Mean One, Matthew Prince is an LGBTQ+ very quick, very light-hearted read that will be perfect for the holidays.

It follows spoiled Matthew Prince to his grandparents house in Berkshires for the holidays after he irresponsibly spends too much of his family’s money. There he meets Hector, a local student staying with his family because he can’t afford to pay room and board at the local university. Add in some winter Christmas coziness and a lot of forced proximity, and you’ve got yourself a romance.

I was looking forward for this one because I love the story of the Grinch, and it seemed like it would add a fun Christmas layer to the grumpy x sunshine trope I was expecting. I wouldn’t exactly classify Matthew and Hector as a grumpy x sunshine, more enemies to friends to lovers for the most part. I enjoyed their story and the anxiety rep.

It gives very David Rose from Schitt’s Creek season 1, pre-Patrick vibes if you enjoyed that character arc.

Tropes/Additional Info:

-forced proximity (sharing the bunk bed absolutely sent me)
-snowy cozy vibes
-early 20s main characters
-open door love
-generalized anxiety disorder rep

This was so stinking cute! I was wanting a queer holiday romance that made me feel warm and cozy like a mig of hot chocolate and thats exactly what this was.
This book was the perfect enemies to lovers holiday story. Actually no this book gives off David and Patrick vibes so hard so if you ever wanted to read a holiday romance featuring those arcatypes this is definitely for you.

I'm gonna nope. Grumpy characters are fine. Whiny, entitled brats, less so. I may have loved this when I was younger, but I just don't have the patience for another Schitt's Creek whiny man, Matthew Prince doesn't have the humor to counter his behavior. I get his parents suck, but he could be nicer to his grandparents.
Also whenever there's a "social media dependent" storyline, it's just really, again? We know
The anxiety rep was great.

A SWEET RELATIONSHIP WRAPPED IN TROPES THAT WEREN'T FOLLOWED THROUGH

This had a lot of potential to be great; Matthew gave off David Rose from Schitt's Creek vibes, Hector and Matthew had a great relationship, and the tropes of this story (enemies-to-lovers and forced-proximity) were some of my favourites. But exactly the tropes were what let it down. Because they weren't followed through to the end. They were introduced and just sort of discarded. It put a blemish on what really could have been a good yuletide romance.

👍 What I Liked 👍

Representation: Matthew suffers from anxiety. So do I. Representation is a powerful thing, especially when handled well. Matthew has nicknamed his anxiety "Krampus" in a flash of uncharacteristic whimsy. Krampus shows up whenever Matthew is overwhelmed or pressured by those around him. His panic attacks and how he handles them served as a way to make Matthew more likable and relatable as well as giving others, who also suffer from anxiety, a mirror to look in.

David Rose: I am such a fan of Schitt's Creek and one of the first things that struck me about Matthew was his similarity with David Rose. He is a rich boy suffering from anxiety who has been sent into penniless isolation in a small town. Honestly, I could only picture Matthew wearing David's signature black-and-white oversize sweaters! The similarities were a definite plus for me.

Relationship: Matthew and Hector have such a sweet and supportive relationship. It's not often that I have the pleasure of reading (or experiencing) such support, especially when it came to Matthew's panic attacks. Hector has such a calm and reassuring way about him that absolutely endeared him and their overall relationship to me.

👎 What I Disliked 👎

Dude: Hector has this habit of saying dude. A lot. At first it was funny, especially with how Matthew reacted. But then it just became too much. Way too much. Sickeningly too much. Like, come on dude. Just stop.

Tropes: This book dives into two of my favourite tropes: enemies-to-lovers and forced-proximity (the center of all my wildest Dramione fanfic fantasies...). But the this is, Janovsky doesn't see the tropes through to an end. They are introduced, but never really take form or shape. The enmity between Hector and Matthew is resolved surprisingly fast - and it even exists without any real reason to begin with. And while forced proximity could have given rise to soooo many awkward and sexy moments, they are never fully brought to life. It's attempted, but never followed through. So it was a bit disappointing.

Overall, I definitely enjoyed this!! Loved the cozy holiday vibes and the sweet romance

The only negative part for me was Matthew. He never grew on me, and I was annoyed with him the entire time. I would’ve really loved this book if it had been told from Hector’s perspective because I just couldn’t stand Matthew.

I wanted to love this book so bad:( I’ve been looking forward to reading it for months!

Calling it “Schitts Creek meets Red, White, and Royal Blue” is 1000% accurate. That’s exactly what it is!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! The title initially caught my eye and I knew I had to read it. It was funny, touching, emotional and a journey. I feel as though Timothy portrayed Matthew's general anxiety disorder gracefully. The dynamic between Hector and Matthew was great. I would, without a doubt, recommend this to friends this holiday season.

Trigger Warnings: Drugs, alcohol, anxiety, cursing, anxiety attacks, simultaneous masturbation, sex, lying, blackmail, divorce, therapy

Representation: Mental health: anxiety, Puerto Rican-American, Gay, Bisexual, She/they pronouns, polyamory

You’re a Mean One, Matthew Prince is a contemporary romance about socialite Matthew Prince, whose parents’ wealth and fame keep him in the public eye. When Matthew makes a financial mistake to earn his parents attention, he is cut off and banished to spend the holidays with his grandparents off the grid. There he has to learn some humility, as well as share a bunk bed and bathroom with his grandparents’ guest, Hector. Will this grinch remain a Scrooge or will his heart grow three sizes?

I absolutely adored this Christmas romance! I loved all of the characters and the plot line was absolutely adorable! All of these gay Hallmark-like books are making me so excited for the season and really hopeful for actually movies in the future!

I loved all of the representation in this book! Mental health has such a negative stigma but the author handled it with grace and respect. I loved how self aware Matthew is and how he actively used the lessons he learned from therapy throughout the story. Representation like this is so important and the author really did an amazing job highlighting it.

Matthew was a very fleshed out and a mature character in my opinion. He has his flaws and makes mistakes, sometimes to the tune of millions of dollars. In the beginning, he is a typical, snobby rich kid with way too much money on their hands. I loved getting to the core of who he is and seeing the world through his lens. The coping mechanisms mentioned in the book were awesome too! I also really enjoyed Hector. My only wish is that he had his own chapters or maybe another pov book!

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and I think it’s not only a great HEA and jolly holiday tale, but an amazing read for all readers! Just be careful about some of the steam!

Thank you to NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS Casablanca for an ARC of this book in exchange of an honest review

3,75/5 ⭐

Matthew Prince and a naughty boy, he’s rich, a little spoiled, loves to throws parties, and may not be on Santa’s well-behaved list. So when his parents send him to Wind River, his grandparents small town, to spend the holidays and lay low because he over indulged and bought an actual island, you can imagine he’s not so happy. He then sees himself sharing a room with Hector Martinez, his grandpa’s hot undergrad student who doesn’t really care about his expensive lifestyle or who are his parents. Now, to be back in his parents grace, he’s planing a gala to raise funds to the city with no one other than Hector.

I was really excited to read this book by the synopsis alone (although I’ve discovered after started reading that it is part of a series, I believe I didn’t miss much on that) and it was a overall a good experience.

The main couple is adorable and Janovsky made it impossible to not root for them from chapter one. Matthew is a really funny character and I think is safe to say the most real, although this reality is totally unreachable to many, and with the most development in the book. I’m a sucker for characters who discover that home is not a place, but people. And the people that Matthew chooses to be his home are the absolute best.

Although very cute and funny it also deals with General Anxiaty Disorder and the author was very caring writing this topic.

Overall I liked the story but had two issues with it: 1) it was a bit long, like even the epilogue could’ve been shorter and 2) it has so many pop culture references that at times I found it overwhelming, it makes me wonder how this story will age and if everyone who reads it will be able to connect with it at any point in time. But it doesn’t change the fact that this is a MLM rom-com, it gives a chance to teenage boys and young men to see themselves in a happy ending story, it gives hope that you’re not alone and in the end that’s what matters the most, I think.

This ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This title publishes October 4, 2022.

This male male holiday romance follows Matthew who is a 21 year old who is cut off from his rich parents in New York and forced to spend Christmas break with his grandparents in their small Christmas town. He has to share a bunk bed with a grad student Hector. Matthew has to work with Hector to put on a Christmas fundraiser for the small town in order for Matthew to return to his rich parents’ good graces and wallets.

I enjoyed Janovsky’s second book You’re a Mean One, Matthew Prince more than his debut Never Been Kissed. This wasn’t a new favorite holiday romance but it was fun and cozy for what it was. This is worth picking up this holiday season if you want a Christmas romance featuring anxiety rep, a prominent character development arc, a quaint Christmas town, some dysfunctional family drama, not a lot of steam, and a wholesome love interest.

Positives:
-Anxiety representation throughout
-MC’s character development arc from superficial to caring
-Fun small town setting and Christmas festivities
-Pacing of the relationship
-Fun side characters especially the barista and the MC’s friend from NY

Criticisms:
-I would have preferred if this was a dual perspective so we could learn more from Hector’s point of view. A lot of Hector’s development and background story was either packed in at the end or briefly squeezed in between the MC’s plot points
-Not a lot of steam