I sometimes find I have to remind myself what I’m meant to expect from flagrantly cheesy Christmastime rom coms. The truth is, <i>You’re a Mean One, Matthew Prince </i>definitely delivers on all the promises stories like this one generally come in with. And in the end, it’s all about the flavor of the feelings that come with it.

I’m not stranger to the cheesy Christmas rom com. My favorite thing to do during the Holiday season of late is to sit down with the most ridiculously plotted stories to engage in days of indulgent silliness. Most I end up hating, never to watch again. But some…some really stick with me.

Matthew’s story is kind of neither. I didn’t really hate it, but it definitely didn’t stick with me. It’s kind of in this limbo space where I can admit that it was silly at times and had heart at others, but I must also acknowledge that the feels I am always looking for simply were not present for me with this book.

And that’s okay.

So, overall? It’s not a bad story, but it probably wasn’t really for me.

I did love the narrator, though!

Matthew Prince is a little punk, and I l absolutely love him. Cannot wait for another holiday book from Timothy Janovsky.

Cute holiday romance, but I am over super privileged white protagonists-regardless of their mental health struggles.

I wanted to like this but sadly I couldn’t get into the romance and I wasn’t invested in the characters. But maybe I’ll give this another go closer to the holidays.

You're a Mean One, Matthew Prince

by Timothy Janovsky

This story is in a series, but can be read as a stabd alone. I have not read the other books in the series.

It's a wealthy learning to live in a small, non-wealthy town trope. So if you don't like that trope, you won't like this.

Short review: It's a good, basic Christmas story.

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.

This a cute holiday romance with a "fish out of water" element to it. The opposites attract trope is alive and well in this book and so are the wintery vibes. I liked the heartfelt slow burn of it all, I liked the imagery of holiday parties that are more than a bit extra, and I loved the concept of personal growth and honesty that this book showed!

The audiobook was just okay. I did find myself tuning out the narrator a few times because of a lack of inflection. I had to go back when I realized that I hadn't really "heard" anything for a bit. Could have used more musical elements to jazz it up a bit.

This was such a cute story and a great way to kick off my winter reading. I don’t tend to read a lot of romantic comedies, but this was definitely a fun one to get going.

The story follows Matthew Prince, a rich, young, completely spoiled 20-something socialite. He is an it-boy and the press and paparazzi are totally obsessed with him; although, the same can’t be said for his parents who are often too busy with their lives and work to notice Matthew. That is until he makes the slightly misguided and definitely ill-advised purchase of an island. The reckless behavior and publicity fallout lead Matthew's parents to ship him off to spend Christmas with his grandparents in their small, boring, but somewhat charming town.

While Matthew won't be spending the holidays with his BFF in the city, he isn't alone. Hector Martinez, one of Matthew's grandfather's students who has been helping around the house, is also staying with Matthew's grandparents. Matthew and Hector find themselves having to share more than just the holidays.

Just when it looks like things couldn't get much worse, the coordinator for the local charity gala is unable to work the event. Matthew soon learns just how much this gala means to the town and his grandparents, and decides to help out, recruiting Hector along the way. The forced proximity and heaps of Christmas cheer may just prove to be enough to help Matthew turn from a grinch into a holiday Prince, while helping a lot of people along the way.

The audio for this lighthearted holiday romantic comedy is narrated by Mark Sanderlin. He does a great job of bringing this adorable story to life. If you're looking for a cute take on a holiday classic, I would definitely encourage you to give this one a try.

⚠️ Content Warnings ⚠️
Panic attacks/disorders, mental illness, sexual content, toxic friendship, classism, cursing, outing, drug use, and infidelity.

Matthew Price just got banished to a small town that his mom grew up in because he accidentally bought an island, yes an actual island. Can't relate? Me either hah. A rich and spoiled New York City socialite has to actually face some consequences of his actions when his parents sent him to his grandparents house for the holidays, and also cut up all his credit cards. He finds himself suddenly sharing a bunk bed with a student of his grandfather's at a local college, and chaos ensues. Can he make it out to plan his traditional New Years Eve bash?

This was a very cute and fun holiday book to listen to on audio. I think my favorite part of this book was all the Christmas elements. It was such a fun listen during the Christmas season, definitely got me in the mood for the holidays. I found Hector to be trying at times, especially his constant use of the word DUDE. Wow, didn't know that was a trigger for me, but it certainly was. I was glad that Matthew learned and became a better person through this experience, and the story tied up nicely in the end. It just was lacking a little bit of the ability to draw me in and keep me listening for hours on end to see how it tied up. It was an alright book, and I did appreciate all the LGBTQAI+ representation. The narrator also did a fantastic job at reading the book and keeping me entertained with his different voices for different characters. I don't know that it has the ability to keep me coming back year after year to enjoy, however.

Thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this audiobook. All the opinions within this review are my own.

after loving janovsky’s previous work, i was very excited to read you’re a mean one, matthew prince. unfortunately, i didn’t love it as much as i wished to.

although filled with an entertaining storyline and a cute romance, the main character’s unlikeable personality made it really difficult to root for him. i would have loved to see much more character growth for matthew. but by then end of the book, i was so annoyed that i just wanted to stop the audiobook.

if you love frustrating characters in a romance, this one is for you!

thank you dreamscape media and netgalley for providing of an audiobook arc in exchange for an honest review.

This was a cute holiday story. I enjoyed the characters and the premise. I'm looking forward to reading something else from Janovsky!

This book was so cute I absolutely loved it. Gay Christmas books are my new favorite genre for sure! This book felt like a hug

i was able to listen to the audiobook version of “you’re a mean one, matthew prince” and i thought the narration was easy to follow along to. i loved the concept of this novel because it combined aspects of holiday classics like “the grinch” and “scrooge.” matthew’s character evolution was unmatched! i couldn’t help but feel proud alongside him as he went from someone who mainly looked out for themselves to someone who actively was looking for ways to make a contribution to the greater society. the premise instantly reminded me of tessa bailey’s “it happened one summer” so i know that fans of that novel will equally enjoy matthew prince!

the cast of characters in the novel are charming and all so spectacular! hector is such a sweetheart and i loved all the moments he shared with matthew - their chemistry and admiration towards each other was contagious! along with them, i thought matthew’s grandparents were charming and i loved how they stayed main characters throughout the plot. they certainly made important contributions to matthew and hector’s relationship! i thought the ending dragged on a bit too long - i would’ve been happy without the added tension between matthew and his parents. all in all, i was super satisfied with how all loose ends were neatly tied - if you’re looking for a heart-warming hallmark-esque novel to give you all the feels, this is the one for you!

This was totally cute and fun. I really appreciated the anxiety rep. It's a cheesy romcom in book form and I'm here for it.

This was a cute holiday romance and my first book by this author. I enjoyed it.

I was not a fan of Matthew at the beginning of the book and wasn't sure I'd like him at all. He did grow on me as the book progressed and I liked the character growth that he went through.

I really liked the narrator.

Ahhh this one was such fun holiday read! Matthew Prince reminded me so much of David Rose from Schitt’s Creek (one of my favorite shows), but also the feel of every holiday movie, coming back to your small town to find yourself. I am here for all of it! The author has an excellent character and story development pace. Matthew and Hector had witty bantering all around that was so funny.

I listened to the audiobook and the narrator was just as sassy you would want. Mark Sanderlin was a great narrator for this story.

Thank you to the publisher for my gifted copy. All thoughts are my own.

Thank you to Net Galley and the Publishers for the opportunity to listen to the audiobook.
This was a rough one for me to get into to. I loved the concept and I'm always down for a good Hallmark Rom-Com but this just wasn't it. It reminded me of Schitt's Creek with the Richey Rich boy but I just could not get past the "DUDE" Dialogue! I think it was over 50 times by the time I DNF'd it. I would definitely give the author another chance, but hopefully this review helps wrangle in the over use of words.. especially DUDE.

Five stars for this one. I read over a dozen holiday romances this season, and this book is a standout.

Matthew Prince, an NYC socialite, has caused a scandal and is sent to his grandparents as punishment. There he ends up having to share a room with Hector (my newest book boyfriend). At first Matthew and Hector are at odds, but once the two begin bonding over helping with the town’s gala - Matthew’s frozen heart softens to Hector and the two become friends.

I get it - Matthew is a very unlikeable character when we first meet him, but the narrator brings him to life so perfectly that I had to keep rooting for Matthew.

Timothy Janovsky is an auto-read author for me! I loved the first book in the series, and I can’t wait to see what’s next.

I would love to see this adapted for the screen.

Recommended if you like:
-Schitt’s Creek vibes
-YA romance
-small town romance
-Hallmark Christmas movies
-forced proximity
-enemies-to-lovers
-Taylor Swift references

CW: panic attacks, classism, infidelity

Thanks to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for my ALC. You’re a Mean One, Matthew Prince is out now!

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.

Unfortunately, I lost access to all of my audiobooks when the app updated so I never got to finish this one. I still enjoyed the first half so will probably pick it up from my local library sometime. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

Swooning for YOU'RE A MEAN ONE MATTHEW PRINCE!

This was my first read by this author and I'm excited to read more by Janovsky. It was heartwarming and such a sweet romance between Matthew Prince, who happens to own a whole island, and tends to fall in the rich spoiled category.

I loved the lgbtq+ rep, and thought it was such a cute holiday romance for the season.

*many thanks to Dreamscape Media for the gifted copy and audiobook for review