Early Review: You’re a Mean One Matthew Prince by Timothy Janovsky

September 14, 2022

by Timothy Janovsky

Pub Date 10/4/2022

⛄️ 3 stars out of 5 ⛄️

This is basically a Schitt’s Creek Christmas AU. The narrator, Matthew, is so clearly written to be a David Rose-style spoiled brat that I could only picture the character as Dan Levy. He was so unlikeable it took me quite a while until I became invested. I actually considered quitting several times before the 25% mark. (Then again, it took me a long time to warm up to Schitt’s Creek as well.)

Matthew learns things about himself during his exile to his grandparents’ home. As he spends more time in the small town and with Hector, he learns that the life he previously knew was not a good one despite all its material rewards. Hector helps bring him down to earth and keep him there. Matthew’s struggles with anxiety also helped humanize him and soften his rough edges. I generally appreciate anxiety/mental health rep but it almost felt like a cheap ploy here to make Matthew likeable. It wasn’t until he let Hector’s influence inspire him to work hard and for something other than himself that I began to warm up to Matthew. His personal conversations with Hector were the best part of the book for me. They’re very sweet together and make an unexpectedly cute couple.

Overall it was unoriginal but had several cute sweet moments. Everything after the third act breakup (the last 30% or so) was the most emotionally compelling of the whole book. It won’t be on my list of favorite Christmas romances but it was an okay read. Matthew’s personal growth and his sweet relationship with Hector and his grandparents were highlights.

3 stars out of 5

Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for providing the digital ARC.