The Book:
You’re A Mean One, Matthew Prince by Timothy Janovsky
Published October 4, 2022 by Sourcebooks Casablanca
Date read: August 26, 2022
The Characters:
Matthew and Xavier
Buy it on Bookshop.org | Amazon
The Plot (from Goodreads):
Bring a little joy to the world?
Not today, Santa.
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.
The Review:
Adorable, and definitely another rom-com you will want to add to your shelves this holiday season! I am absolutely loving this influx of queer holiday romances–I don’t think I came across a single queer holiday romance last year, but I’ve already read three that I loved this season and have more on my TBR.
Matthew Prince reminded me a lot of David Rose in the first few episodes of Schitt’s Creek, where he’s so spoiled that he can’t figure out how to function without his reliance on drivers and credit cards. Don’t let that discourage you, though! Like David, Matthew quickly endears himself to the reader as he begins to be more aware of how his actions are affecting those around him.
I’m a sucker for ANY Christmas romance, so I especially loved the scenes of Mattew and Xavier enjoying Christmas-themed activities together.
My only gripe with the book was the bit of miscommunication trope–one shouted sentence could have resolved the whole conflict and avoided the third-act breakup. Why didn’t the accused call after the accuser to defend himself? Or text the accuser or a mutual friend? How did the actual culprit (I’m trying not to spoil too much here) watch the two break up and say nothing?? I’ll never understand this conflict, since one single sentence–or literally two words–could have resolved it.
Miscommunication trope aside, I loved everything eles about this book. Janovsky writes about mental health so well, and I appreciated the accurate portrayal of Matthew’s anxiety.
I really enjoyed Never Been Kissed by the same author last year, and was thrilled to see he had written a holiday romance. I’m definitely looking forward to more from him in the future!
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