Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Dude (IYKYK), the lead in this book was so OTT, and I bloody loved every minute of it. A giant ✅ for this queer Christmas rom com - I can’t wait to add this to my bookshelf to read again over Christmases to come.

Matthew is a spoiled snob who parties hard and rocks designer gear harder, who ends up banished to a small town for buying an island and potentially causing a PR disaster. Hector is a hardworking college student living with Matthew’s grandparents in the town. The two end up combining forces to help plan a Christmas gala, and ugh. It is all kinds of delicious and sweet.

Things I liked:
- Matthew is so sassy and the banter in this book was excellent
- How OTT Matthew was. It was borderline ridiculous, but I laughed out loud many many times. His character growth was fabulous
- The way anxiety was addressed in this book - very well done!
- Quality steam for the NA bracket
- The gorgeous grandparent characters, they were adorable and a really nice element in this book
- The random tattoo “reading” scene - I got a kick out of that hah

Food for thought:
- I anticipated the complication at the end
- I would have loved to see some kind of resolution with the questionable party queen friend Bentley

In short: a jolly Christmas romp that I couldn’t put down. I laughed A LOT, and really grew to love a character who started off as a vapid dingbat. Cleverly written. Loved!

After reading and loving Janovsky's debut, Never Been Kissed, last year, I knew I had to read Matthew Prince ASAP, especially considering I LOVE The Grinch!

There were so many fabulous characters in this book, especially one of the MMCs, Hector! While Matthew was unlikeable at the beginning his character developed so much and so well and I couldn't help but root for him and love him by the end.

I loved the LGBTQIA+ & GAD rep in this book! This is going to be a perfect Christmas time read for so many people.

Huge thanks to NetGalley, Sourcebooks Casablanca & Dreamscape Media for advance copies in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

CW: general anxiety disorder, panic attacks (on-page), toxic relationship with parents, classism, forced outing (past)

I would recommend if you're looking for (SPOILERS)

-m/m contemporary romance
-holiday romance
-only one bunk bed
-forced proximity
-appreciation for the Muppet's Christmas Carol
-small town romance

This was a cute holiday romance. Perfect for readers looking for low-angst, low-steam reads. Nostalgic and soft, with a bit of Schitts Creek David esqueness.

Steam: 2.5

Disclaimer: the author and I are social media mutuals

Janovsky continues to write smart, thoughtful romances that show a deep love for, and understanding of, the genre. Matthew's anxiety and his coping mechanisms unveil themselves slowly to the reader so that his character becomes more and more nuanced.

It's not often that I read a romance book with a main character that I don't adore from the get go. It means that the author must skillfully navigate an incredibly complicated person and not only change my mind about the character, but come to actively root for them before too long. Not many writers can do this while balancing the escapism required in a romance novel, particularly in a holiday romance novel.

Thankfully, Timothy Janovsky tackles these challenges with grace and a whole lot of witty banter that will make you laugh, groan, and fall in love with all the best parts of this book.

Many have already pointed out parallels to a certain Schitt's Creek character that can't fold in the cheese, but there is plenty of originality that makes this story feel as comfortable as a Hallmark film while being as fresh as a cup of coffee from Moon Beans. Would highly recommend grabbing a copy from your local bookstore ASAP!

I have never seen Schitt's Creek but from what I can glean while reading, this book is a mix of that series and The Grinch - therefore I think it will definitely appeal to anyone who loves either that series or the movie.
While I did really enjoy this book, I had the same issue that I had with the author's previous novel and that is the pacing. This story could have easily been told in half the amount of pages and you could often tell that..basically every time Matthew repeats the same feelings over and over again instead of actually, ya know, learning something.

What I enjoyed:
- the pop culture references
- the incredible generalized anxiety disorder rep
- Noelle and basically all the small town inhabitants
- the amazing Christmas vibes

What I disliked:
- the amount of times Hector said dude. I never want to hear, see or read that word again, so thanks for that
- the whole Richie Rich vibes. I mean I know what the premise of this story is but even when Matthew is "rehabilitated" he still owns tons of money and thinks about getting "a small business loan" from his grandmother to start off his new business idea not to mention finances his living expenses with the money from the island sale...this stank of Trump's "Oh I started at the bottom with just a small one billion dollar boost from my parents" and it made my skin itch

I actually had no issue with Matthew only reaching out to his friends when he needed them or the evil plotline with his parents because that felt very much necessary to the narrative - however, I do take issue with the amount of times the same dialogue and introspective thoughts were repeated in relation to Hector. If you cut that repetition from every other chapter, this book is under 200 pages long..which might have been nicer.

Overall, if you're a fan of Schitt's Creek meets a Hallmark holiday movie and don't mind slow pacing, then this book will keep you warm and fed this holiday season!

I keep going back and forth on this book between 3 and 4 stars so 3.5 feels right. After buying an island on an impulse, Matthew Prince, is cut off financially and sent to live with his Grandparents in a small town in Maine. While living there he is forced to share a room with Hector, a grad student, who is his opposite in every way. Matthew is a spoiled brat who must learn to appreciate the town and those around him. He and Hector work together to put on a gala benefiting the town’s small business organization and fall for each other in the process.

What can I say, the author did too good of a job at making Matthew unlikable. Not every main character needs to be likable, but there should at least be something compelling about them that makes me invested in them and I found that aspect lacking about Matthew until the last 25-30% of the book. I really wish this would have been dual POV or 3rd person omniscient because being in Matthew’s head for 300+ pages was exhausting. He is like if the worst parts of Alexis and David Rose from Schitt’s Creek were combined. The rest of the book was just a basic Christmas book with all the cliches.

I did like that Matthew’s struggles with anxiety were on the page and as someone with anxiety the depictions felt accurate. I also really really liked Hector. I liked Hector to the point that I wanted so much more for him than Matthew. I really wish we would have had some chapters from his perspective because he was by far the much more interesting and dynamic character. In fact I loved all the side characters and really enjoyed seeing all the lovely and accepting townspeople (again, very a la Schitts Creek). I did enjoy the audiobook and found that Mark Sanderlin really captured Matthew’s essence.

Thank you to Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for the ALC, and Sourcebooks Casablanca and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Firstly, thanks so much for the advance copy of this book!

You’re a Mean One, Matthew Prince is honestly like if Schitt’s Creek and a hallmark Christmas movie had a baby. A few things I really liked about this book are the overall storyline, the friendships made, and pop culture references.

Everyone loves a good romantic comedy and it’s even better when the characters are from different social classes. However, I didn’t like Matthew for a big portion of the book, he was just TOO out of touch with reality. Which I understand was the whole point. It makes sense for the plot but it did annoy me. That’s probably just a me problem. It’s a cute read regardless!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher Sourcebooks Casablanca for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!
Rating: 3.5/5
You’re a Mean One Matthew Prince tells the story of Matthew who has made some poor decisions and is sent away to visit to his grandparents. An unexpected roommate makes for a difficult stay, but when himself and his roommate Hector are tasked with planning the community Christmas gala they begin to work together and bond in a way they never thought possible.

Pros:
-I really Matthew’s character development, at the beginning he isn’t the most likeable person but as the story develops he begins to learn from his mistakes and own up to his flaws
-I liked the Christmas storyline/elements, it made it exciting and different other romcoms
-the ending resolved nicely
Cons:
-as much as I loved the romance, there were times when it felt forced and I had a hard time getting into the story

Thoughts on the anxiety rep:
As someone who struggles with anxiety it was nice to see a book character who relatable to everything that comes with it. While I can’t say Matthew’s experience is exactly like my own I can say that I personally found the book handled anxiety in a meaningful and respectful way

*Review to be posted on Instagram at a later date closer to publication*

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book was like if you took a Hallmark Christmas movie and Schitt’s Creek and mixed it all up. Rich boy loses access to his fortune and gets stuck in a little town (during the holidays)? And then finds love (and himself)? Most excellent. A+. No notes.

Also, as someone who suffers from an anxiety disorder, the accurate and non-stigmatized depiction of anxiety and panic attacks in this book was extremely refreshing (and, dare I say, validating).

A very sweet read for the holidays, or for whenever you feel like being put in that holiday mood. And I can’t agree more with our protagonist and his love interest: A Muppets Christmas Carol IS the best movie adaption of A Christmas Carol, hands down.

✨Book Review✨

You’re A Mean One, Matthew Prince
Timothy Janovsky
Pub Date: October 4th, 2022

⛄️ Synopsis:
Matthew Prince is young, rich, and thoroughly spoiled. So what if his parents barely remember he exists and the press is totally obsessed with him? He's on top of the world. But one major PR misstep later, and Matthew is cut off and shipped away to spend the holidays in his grandparents' charming small town hellscape. Population: who cares?

It's bad enough he's stuck in some festive winter wonderland-it's even worse that he has to share space with Hector Martinez, an obnoxiously attractive local who's unimpressed with anything and everything Matthew does.

Just when it looks like the holiday season is bringing nothing but heated squabbles, the charity gala loses its coordinator and Matthew steps in as a saintly act to get home early on good behavior...with Hector as his maddening plus-one. But even a Grinch can't resist the unexpected joy of found family, and in the end, the forced proximity and infectious holiday cheer might be enough to make a lonely Prince's heart grow three sizes this year.

💭 Thoughts:
I’m not really sure how to write a review for this book. It turned out to be very different than what I was expecting. I was excited after reading the comparisons to Schitt's Creek, but It’s not nearly as funny. I wish I had gone in more blind.

I definitely enjoyed the references to the holidays and all the magic that comes along with that time of year. I really like Hector’s character and wish he had been developed a bit more.

There were a lot of references to anxiety and panic attacks. It’s always great to see authors bringing awareness to mental health. I appreciated how Matthew evolved throughout the book and work through some of his anxiety.

Overall, the story was very predictable, lacking in some development, and just didn’t quite meet my expectations.

Thank you @netgalley, the author, and publisher for my advanced copy to review.

Rep: anxiety, gay MC, bi LI, queer side characters

It’s a tale as old as time. Every Hollywood movie ever. Metropolitan person goes home to the middle of nowhere for some reason or other, falls in love with the local sweetheart, some drama happens, they go back to the big city, only to realise they were so much happier with the love of their life they met two minutes ago in the old hometown.
This was the book. Only in gay.
I absolutely loved Timothy’s last book, you can tell he’s a movie lover and I don’t mind him implementing that in his books. Only it made this one VERY predictable.
The main problem though was that I didn’t love any of the characters.
Matthew, our MC, is a spoiled brat. He’s rich without ever having to do anything for it. He’s horrible to everyone. He’s a horrible friend, only calling when he needs something or someone to listen to his problems.
Every problem he has he solves with either money or his famous parents celebrity status.
No wonder Hector hates him on sight.

The promised hate to love was very short lived and for me there wasn’t enough of a “realinh the other guy is actually hot”/ pining situation to make the sudden romance believable.
Hector using “dude” in every SINGLE SENTENCE(!!!) didn’t make me love him any more. It’s not cute, dude. After a while I was very fed up with this.

I loved Noelle and her romance part had me more invested than anything else tbh. Go lesbians! 😂
I would have loved for the grandparents to play a bigger role in this, to see their relationship with Matthew get a little more attention.
His parents were horrible and the mothers actions were just absolutely shocking. Throwing your own son under the bus because of your anxiety? No mother should do that. You can have mental health issues and still be an asshole, it’s not exclusive.

All in all I felt pretty meh about this, I didn’t love the characters and the predictable plot didn’t make it any better. I wanted to love this, but I just didn’t.

“You’re A Mean One Matthew Prince” is everything we love about “Red White and Royal Blue”, “The Charm Offensive” and David Rose mashed into one magically festive book. The mental health story line as well as the character development was so incredible. I laughed, I cried, I recommended it to all of my friends and family.

cute, christmasy, and queer - the trifecta - but it got seriously bogged down in the middle pacing-wise which took me out of it a bit. Matthew’s grandparents own my entire heart now btw and I would like to nominate them as Cutest Married Couple in a Romance 2022, thank you for your consideration.

also major points to Timothy Janovsky for expressing only the most correct opinions about the Muppet Christmas Carol, it is absolutely the superior adaptation!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫4.5/5
🌶🌶 - Some Steam
👨🏼‍❤️‍💋‍👨🏻 M/M Romance (gay, bi-sexual and polyamorous representation)
🫂Forced Proximity
🌀Mental Health Representation: GAD (Generalized Anxiety Disorder)
🌱Personal Growth and Rediscovery
🏡Small Town Setting
TW!! Panic attacks
📖Releases October, 4 2022

Matthew Prince is young, rich and severally spoiled. He gives new definition to the word privileged. So what if his parents barely know he exists? He has everything at his disposal and loves his party life. After a major PR slip up where he impulsively purchases an entire island without his parents permission they ship him off to his grandparents house located in the small town of Wind River (population: who cares?) as punishment so he can lay low from the press until things blow over. It bad enough he’s stuck in the middle of nowhere for 4 weeks cut off from his bank accounts, but it gets worse when he finds out he has to share a room with one of his grandfathers students, Hector Martinez, who helps out around his grandparents house in exchange for room and board. A shared bedroom with bunkbeds and a tiny shared bathroom, and Matthew is truly in hell, especially after the not so friendly welcome he gets from Hector.

This was a super sweet Christmas themed M/M romance. I fell in love with the small town of Wind River and everyone that lived there. This was such a heart felt story and I like how it incorporated mental health issues into the romance between Matthew and Hector.

What I loved:
▪️Matthew Prince: Yes he was spoiled and privileged, but I completely enjoyed his journey of personal growth. I honestly couldn’t put this down.
▪️The GHD representation. It was so well done. Krumpus (aka his inner anxiety) was so well described.
▪️Matthews Grandparents. I adored those two and they really where a main factor in making this story wonderful.
▪️Hector. He ends up being the sweetest and most amazing support system that Mathew desperately needs that was lacking in his life.
▪️Noelle and Sienna - Protect them at all costs!

I highly recommend this one. This was my first book by Timothy Janovsky and I’ll now have to read his debut book that came before this, Never Been Kissed. Thank you to @netgalley for this arc in exchange for my honest opinion.

I really wanted to like this but it didn’t work for me. I never warmed to Matthew & Hector - I couldn’t picture them at all and thought they were going to be a little older than the 21/22 that they were. However, right from the start, I felt that Matthew had few redeeming qualities - I found him to be a spoilt brat who is rude to almost everyone, and he places more value on labels & status than people. The story is told from Matthew’s point of view, and there were many times were I wanted to give up but other reviews gave me hope that it would get better - it did a little, but not enough to save the book, in my opinion. Matthew’s redemption didn’t feel genuine. Hector just came across as a bland guy who says dude far too many times for me to take seriously. I did like Wind River and Noelle, and I would have loved to see more interaction between Matthew & his grandparents.

Timothy Janovsky is such a great writer, and I absolutely devoured this Christmas romance. Matthew Prince takes all the best parts of David from Schitt's Creek but in a whole new setting and story. Chemistry is off the charts! Will forever recommend and re-read around the holidays!!

Thank you to Sourcebooks Casablanca for the eARC of this book!

Having just finished a rewatch of Schitt's Creek, this book's comp immediately grabbed my attention.

This was an absolute treat to read. I don't read romance all that often, and when I do it needs to be tailored to my specific preferences. This 100% was.

I really enjoyed the romance! There was some great bantering between Matthew and Hector at the beginning that I really enjoyed. I kind of wish we would have seen more of that as their relationship progressed, but I'm definitely not complaining. It was sweet, and had all the cutesy moments you would expect.

What I really enjoyed about <i> You're a Mean One, Matthew Prince </i> is that it was just about the romance. Matthew's personal journey, his struggles with his anxiety, the overall theme of self-acceptance really elevated this to be more than just a romance.

It might be a little early for a Christmas read, but this was fun. If anything, I wanted more of it. More of the small town, more of the developing friendships Matthew had with Noelle and some of the other townsfolk. But what I did get was warm and comforting like a mug of hot chocolate. This is the perfect Christmastime romance read and if you also love Schitt's Creek, I absolutely recommend this!

This book wasn’t terrible but I certainly did not like it.

My first complaint is how often the characters called each other “dude”, I was about to start a drinking game and see if I survived until the end of the book.

My real issue with the book is Matthew. This is basically a snobby rich kid redemption story. He’s like a blend between David and Alexis from Schitts Creek but like not in a good way. I really couldn’t stand that the author basically implies that Matthews snobby and ridiculous behavior is excused because he has anxiety. Dude, lots of people have GAD without being awful. Don’t blame your personality flaws on your mental illness.

Meh. I liked this authors first book so I will read whatever his next release is. This one is a hard pass for me though.

Matthew Prince is a rich, young socialite. His parents are famous and wealthy and he does everything he can to find a name for himself. Including buying an island to throw a Fyre-like festival which is a PR nightmare. So his parents cut him off and ship him to his grandparents in a quaint town far away from everything. First he wallows and then he decides to help plan a local charity event to try to prove to his parents he is capable and responsible. Along the way he meets a handsome boy who he ropes into helping him and then falls for.

This one was cute but didn't strike me as anything super special. I am not sure I get the references to David Rose that people are offering for Matthew Prince. Sure he's spoiled and rich but he's not very interesting or funny. Overall this book was missing the "com" aspect of a romcom, I wanted witty banter and cute, snarkiness. I didn't even really feel like it was attempting that. Matthew was more of a Paris Hilton, just a rich, unlikable snot. He does have a bit of an arc towards the end but it wasn't what I hoped for.

I'm happy for there to be queer representation in romcoms and celebrate this book for that. But it missed the mark for me on swoony romance. It does take place at Christmas and Matthew is a jerk but there are way more allusions and direct references to A Christmas Carol so I feel like a Scrooge title would have been better than a Grinch one.

Thank you to Sourcebooks Casablanca via Netgalley for advanced access to this novel. All opinions above are my own.