Book Review: You’re a Mean One, Matthew Prince

You’re a Mean One, Matthew Prince by Timothy Janovsky
Out now from Sourcebooks Casablanca

You’re a Mean One, Matthew Prince is basically a Hallmark movie in which David Rose moves in with a handsome lumberjack and I was here for all of it. The titular mean one is spoiled brat rich boy Matthew Prince, who has been banished to his grandparents’ house in the middle of nowhere for the holidays because of his bad behavior. When he arrives he finds out that he will be bunking (literally – they have bunk beds) with Hector, a local college student who has been staying with Matthew’s grandparents to save money. We have all of my favorite tropes here: enemies-to-friends-to-lovers (though I did think the transition from enemies to friends could have been drawn out a little more), small town romance, a quirky supporting cast, forced proximity (seriously, bunk beds). And our Mean One gets his redemption arc and learns to love Christmas and other things besides himself.

Things here are all light-hearted and fun and what you would typically expect from a holiday rom-com. But Janovsky also gives us a reality check in the form of Matthew’s anxiety disorder. Matthew refers to his anxiety and panic attacks as Krampus, which is both seasonally appropriate and pretty darn accurate (I say this as an anxiety warrior myself). Through Matthew we are given a look at the real effects that anxiety can have, and I’m so pleased at the representation in this book.

All in all it was a fun read, and if you’re looking for your next holiday rom-com, I recommend this one.

Thank you to NetGalley and to Sourcebooks Casablanca for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.