a super sweet story! i especially loved matthew's character growth as the story progressed and i thought that it was done in a very real way. a very fun holiday romance!

Ahhh darling!
Such a cute Christmasy queer romance!
Very Hallmark- big city boy gets sent to a small town to learn a lesson but really finds his heart in small town hottie while planning a town gala.
I loved it. The characters were so fun and the sarcasm was excellent!

Thanks to Netgalley and SOURCEBOOKS Casablanca for an eARC

What would your well-off parents do if you bought an island on a whim?
A - they would cut up your cards but help you to launch an ambitious project there
or
B - they would cut your cards and send you to Wind River, where your grandparents live and there is no mobile phone signal?
The latter is what happens to the main character of the book, Matthew Prince, who is forced to stay in his grandparents' house against his will. Unbeknownst to him, he has to share a room with his grandpa's student, who is temporary living there.
The plot is both clever and intriguing, which keeps you desperately turning the pages to see what happens next. What is more, the book explores the theme of generalised anxiety disorders (GADs), which I consider important to be discussed. When it comes to the characters of this book, most of them are well drawn and throughout the story you can see their personal growth. However, I felt sorely disappointed with the Latin representation in this novel: there is a growing number of non Latin authors who include Latin characters in their books that are badly portrayed. In this case, it felt like Janovsky did some research into Puerto Rico's most famous dishes and decided to include it along with a sentence in Spanish to make Hector's character Latin. As a consequence, I wish Hector were not Latin since it wouldn't have felt like a forced inclusion (that's the reason why I didn't give the book five stars).
All in all, I tremendously enjoyed this novel.
Were you to give holiday books a chance, look no further. It's highly likely that anyone would be delighted to get a copy of this unputdownable book.

**I received an eARC of this book in exchange of an honest review**

So here's the thing: this started out really fun and I definitely enjoyed reading the book. I got Schitt's Creek vibes from Matthew and I was there for it.
And then I got bored and completely lost interest halfway through the book. The plot was just too slow for me.
Matthew was an interesting character. I wouldn't say I really liked him at any point of the book, but I liked his character development, especially how he started taking responsibility at the end of the book.
I also have to compliment the author for the way he made Matthew tackle difficult conversations e.g. the one with his parents. It's refreshing to see a character just state their feelings and deal with conflicts like an actual adult.
Now, about the romance: I didn't feel it. It was lacklustre and I honestly didn't care about the love interest at all (I've forgotten his name already because he was such a bland character). Which is kind of bad when I'm reading a romance novel.
Overall I can definitely see a lot of people loving this book, but for me personally it fell a little flat.

I'd like to thank the publishers for allowing me to read this Advanced Review Copy. I'll start off by saying I'm probably not target audience for this book, since I'm generally not a fan of fish-out-of-water stories or 'lifestyles of the rich and famous.' The point-of-view character was a very tough hang for me through most of the book. His behaviour and attitudes were enough to make even this die-hard moderate want to 'eat the rich'. But, of course, the distance he has to travel makes his redemption all the more welcome and impressive. And, I think that those who enjoy these types of stories and characters more than I do, will absolutely love it.

I appreciated how the story dealt with GAD and the empathy with which it treated Matthew's mother even after she did the 'very bad thing'.

I will post a guardedly favorable review focusing on the 'right' audience on my blog closer to the publication date.

7/10 for me, but I think it could be higher for the right audience

This book was so good! I was a little unsure of how much I was going to enjoy it at first because the main character was such a terrible person that I honestly hated reading about, but this became an absolutely delightful read. I loved watching the main pairing go from barely tolerating each other to having a really meaningful relationship. Janovsky did a fantastic job of developing both of their characters and showing how Matthew grows from being a spoiled brat to finding a completely on-brand, Matthew Prince way to help others. I loved the representation of his anxiety disorder, and I found his way of coping with anxiety attacks completely charming, if a bit ridiculous at first. I highly recommend if you’re into riches to rags, forced proximity, enemies to lovers, Christmas queer romance.

Firstly, the play on the title with the indirect reference to the grinch had me intrigued, and it did not disappoint.

A spoiled main character, a pr nightmare and an exiled Matthew is sent to his grandparents- the perfect recipe am I right?

It was heartfelt, Christmassy, a Christmas time rom com that I will be revisiting in December!

The reference to anxiety was also incredibly accurate and a super important touch to add, chef’s kiss

Really loved this story! I also adored the cover, that’s really what caught my eye right away as well as the catchy title! I love a good Christmas books

You're a Mean One, Matthew Prince is a Hallmark-esque Christmas romance in which the titular character, Matthew, is being sent to stay with his grandparents in their small town to keep him out of the press after a major PR misstep. Enter Hector, the young man who has been staying with Hector's grandparents; and the hot, but annoying, person Matthew now has to share a room with. The two must put aside their differences and work together to create the best gala the town has ever seen when the charity gala's coordinator drops out unexpectedly.

I adored this book. All of the characters had wonderful story arcs and have strong character development. Matthew is a grinch, for sure, at the start of the book. But the reader quickly sees beyond the rich-and-grumpy exterior to see the anxiety and uncertainty below.
I loved all the characters, the pacing is good, the ending was well done.

The journey we go on with Matthew Prince is a slow, but rewarding one. Janovsky does a great job of making sure we like Matthew Prince just enough to care from the very beginning, but not enough that we don’t enjoy his journey of growth and change. The true love story of this book isn’t between Matthew and Hector (though that slow burn is enjoyable) it’s between Matthew and the boy he once was. Matthew goes on a tremendous journey that ends in him loving himself on the deepest level because he opens himself up to the unconditional love and respect of others.

It’s been two days since I finished and I’m still at a loss for how to describe how much and why I loved this book.

I kept thinking of David Rose but also the holiday movie Single All the Way. This book was Queer Holiday perfection.

Matthew Prince is spoiled, impulsive, “too much,” and needs to be loved and protected at all costs. Hector is certain he knows the first three to be true (and Matthew has heard those three enough to think so too). Matthew’s family is all sorts of secretive. And Christmas is happening even if the Grinch Prince thinks it died forever ago.

This book is full of sweet moments, steamy moments, a small town I would die for, and a ton of character growth.

I’ll be telling everyone this book needs to be at the top of their holiday TBR. Also, I need a movie adaptation!

Thank you Timothy Janovsky, Sourcebooks Casablanca, and NetGalley for this eARC! I read this as part of the HoliGays22 group.

Schitt's Creek meets Hallmark Christmas movies and I'm here for it.

Matthew Prince is cut off and 'exiled' from his ritzy life in New York after an *extremely* questionable financial decision on his part. Matthew is sent to live with his grandparents in SmallTown USA for the holidays, where he finds himself planning the annual holiday gala. He is paired with Hector, both as a partner in event planning and a roommate in his grandparents' basement. As they get to know each other, dislike paves way to mutual interest... but can they get past being from such different backgrounds?

It didn't take long to warm up to Matthew Prince, as insufferable as he first appears. The character development here was just beautiful, and I loved the relationship between Matthew and Hector. Side characters were well thought out as well. Definitely a great read for the holidays!

ARC August No.2: You're a Mean One Matthew Prince by Timothy Janovsky ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

This was a fun MM romance set during the Christmas holidays. Matthew is rich and entitled and sent to his grandparents' house in a small town to stay out of the press. He has to share a room (with bunkbeds) with the man who lives with his grandparents and helps out around the property. Hector is not at all impressed with Matthew but ends up helping him plan the local charity gala.

I enjoyed this book and think it's a fun queer holiday romance, coming this Oct 4/22. Thank you to @netgalley and @sourcebookscasa for the advanced copy!

#YoureAMeanOneMatthewPrince #BookReview #AdvancedReaderCopy #eARC #ebooks #NetGalley #SourceBooksCasablanca

This was a super campy contemporary romance, did I think I needed a Grinch variation? Absolutely not, but its a really fun niche to fill.

You won’t want to miss out on this 2SLGBTQIA+ The Grinch Who Stole Christmas and A Christmas Carol holiday romance reimagining. Janovsky’s given us not only incredibly likable yet complex New Adult age characters but also manages to weave together a swoony and sexy opposites attract romance and a warm & cozy small town GAY Hallmark-style Christmas holiday filled atmosphere. I very much appreciated the anxiety and mental health rep and how it was portrayed. Matthew and Hector are simply huggably cute and I fell in love with the town folks of Wind River. So, grab some cocoa and cuddle up with this book this holiday season, you won’t regret it.

I received this eARC thanks to NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS Casablanca, Sourcebooks Casablanca in exchange for an honest review. Publishing dates are subject to change

I really enjoyed finding a queer, holiday romance book. I feel like that isn't a genre we find a lot of, so that was refreshing. This book did take me a bit to get into but overall I ended up really enjoying it. I also enjoyed the focus on mental health. If you're looking for a fun Christmas read, I really enjoyed this one.

- noted as a DNF @ 33%-

You're a Mean One, Matthew Prince originally gave me "Schitt's Creek" vibes. Uber rich kid buys an island and has to go to a small town to learn responsibility for his actions.

Unfortunately, the "Schitt's Creek" vibes stopped there for me. I know that this book got very high reviews but this was one that I struggled to connect with. It took me 8 days to get to the 30% mark so it definitely felt like a slow burn and unfortunately a slow-burn that I could not get past.

I enjoyed the flow of the writing and the overall writing style & I would love to try more books by this author, so here is to hoping that this is a one-off DNF!

Thank you NetGalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

DNF. Got 18% in and just wasn’t hooked at all. I’m sure there will be an audience that loves this book but Matthew is just too much of a selfish asshole for me to root for.

This was a fun, sweet read with a lot of heart. It took me a while to warm up to the main characters, but when I did I was hooked.

This is funny, well-written and very emotional. It's a sweet Christmas read with a lot of focus on mental health and finding one's place in the world. The romance is great and I really liked this one.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this in exchange for an honest review.

Let's start by acknowledging that I am the target audience for Gossip Girl and Schitt's Creek. Blair Waldorf and Chuck Bass are my problematic faves and David and Alexa are my unproblematic faves. By all logic I should have been head over heels in love with this book, but it has been a week since I finished and the idea of writing this review still has me groaning.

Janovsky captures the Matthew Prince personality well and allows him charm, remorse, and growth. All good things. He plants thoughtful caricatures throughout the town to fill us with the Christmas spirit and promise Matthew may soon have friends who actually accept him for all of who he is. His grandma is astute and maybe my favorite character because she feels the most real in conversations about being caught between Matthew and his mother. Her practicality, acceptance, and perseverance of hope is admirable and something we all ought to aspire to: she lets her loved ones live their own lives as they choose.

The complexities of family dynamics were also important to me here. I liked seeing all the adults as human, even if you got more of a picture into some than others. But everyone was allowed to have a life outside the Matthew Prince character, even if he was the tether. That is a hard feat and Janovsky managed it nicely.

I have to be honest, there are two things that throw me out of giving a damn about this book:
1) Why is "dude" the catchphrase throughout? I cringed every time and it consistently took me out of the story. This book was supposedly only ~320 pages long but it took me at least 10 days to read.
2) Matthew's anxiety was implied to excuse his snobbish behavior. That may be an accurate blinder but it is not a premise that draws me in. I do appreciate that we got to see Matthew as human and the circumstance of his birth queued up a certain lifestyle and consequences (or lack thereof), but we never really saw him called out, and I can't believe for one second that any rich, entitled posh boy would come down to earth in a matter of 3 weeks. I know Christmas romance novels are supposed to achieve the impossible, but this was a stretch even for me. (Although I must note that I love how romance novels are embracing, celebrating, and depicting characters who live with mental illness. This is a BIG plus for this book for me.)

I like a grumpy/sunshine book as much as the next but I think writing about class lines is tricky and this book had a few too many things going on in it to find the right balance for me.