You’re a Mean One, Matthew Prince
Timothy Janovsky
LGBT Contemporary Romance
Published October 4, 2022, by Sourcebooks Casablanca

Reviewed by Kate

You’re a Mean One, Matthew Prince is a perfectly acceptable Christmas romance novel. It’s a combo of It Happened One Summer and Boyfriend Material, with a splash of Hallmark movie. Luckily, unlike Hallmark Christmas movies, Matthew and his love interest, Hector, do kiss earlier than the last page, for those of you who care about that kind of thing (it’s at halfway through). 

The book opens with Matthew being banished to his grandparents’ house in a small town after buying an island with his (very rich) parents’ money. Hector is a college student of Matthew’s grandfather who couldn’t afford to go home for break and needed a place to stay. Cue immediate hatred of each other while stuck sharing a set of bunk beds. Matthew wants out as soon as possible so he bribes Hector into helping him plan the town holiday gala to raise money for the small business association. One thing leads to another and instead of just fake learning a lesson, Matthew actually starts to grow up and get over himself. 

As Matthew is the narrator, we spend the book entirely in his head. While I think this worked because it really allowed the reader to better understand Matthew and why he acts the way he does (sometimes spoiled and selfish), it ended up making some of the other characters come off as rather flat, which was a shame, as they could have been really interesting additions to the story instead of just ways to move the plot along. 

One thing I think that You’re a Mean One did well was the portrayal of Matthew’s anxiety. Obviously, I can’t speak for everybody with Generalized Anxiety Disorder, but as a person who also has experienced it, I felt it to be an accurate representation of some of the ways anxiety can manifest in somebody’s life. I also didn’t find it to be too overpowering. I have read books where the anxiety on the page can be written so that it made me feel anxious, and this book wasn’t that – which for me is a good thing in a romance novel. 

You’re a Mean One, Matthew Prince does have younger characters, both being around 22 years old, but I found it to be less angsty than most books I’ve read with younger romantic couples. There was a big dramatic moment near the end of the book, but for the most part, it was fairly cute, and watching Matthew and Hector get over their first impressions of each other was fun. Plus sprinkle some Christmas charm in (including a trip to see Santa) and you’ve got an adorable story. 

Grade: B-

Content notes: Matthew has anxiety and has several anxiety attacks throughout the book.

Amazon * Goodreads