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A review by bookstarbri
You're a Mean One, Matthew Prince by Timothy Janovsky
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
This is my first read by Timothy Janovsky! Never Been Kissed is on my TBR for sure and definitely boosted after reading this one! I wasn't expecting to love this as much as I did (I don't read a lot of holiday romances), but oh my gosh I adored this! It was definitely giving Schitt's Creek vibes which was amazing since that's one of my favorite shows. Matthew was an expected surprise. He can come off a bit unlikable in the first few pages, but he quickly shows his true colors and everything that's layered underneath. He's much more than his money, designer clothes, and family name. It was such a joy to get to learn the true pieces of his identity and why he became the he did. I loved the allusions to the Grinch we got in this book. It didn't feel over the top or anything like that. Matthew's heart had definitely grown three sizes by the end of the book and I was smiling really big reading some parts especially :')
Then there's the side characters! LOVEDDDDDDD Hector with my whole heart. Loved Noelle as well (wish we could've gotten more of her somehow, more on that in a sec). Matthew grandparents were fantastic too! The town was so easily imaginable to me and I liked that we got to see so much of it through Matthew's eyes, especially as he grew during his time there.
Now, what kept me from giving this a full 5 stars were two things. One, I've seen other reviews comment on this, and I hate to add to it, but it must be said: "dude" was said too much here. Like there was a reason why Hector said it so frequently and that reason was fine and it became a running joke between them, but I think the point that he said it a lot still could've been made if the number of "dudes" was cut down by half. It was annoying at first but then distracting. It did calm down some by the second half of the book, but the first half was riddled with them. Of course, I did read the ARC so I'll return to this and adjust my rating if that seems to have changed for the finished copy! Second, and more importantly, I wished we could've gotten a smidge more development from some characters/relationships. In particular, it would've been nice to have a few more one-on-one/group scenes with Noelle. She was very sweet and a good friend to Matthew when he really didn't have one and seeing more of that, and especially its influence on him, would've been great! And I also think it would've been nice to have a bit more clarity on where his relationship with his father was by the epilogue.
But those are overall very minor gripes because I loved this story a lot. It really got me into the holiday spirit even in September. Can't wait to read more from Janovsky!
Big thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!
Then there's the side characters! LOVEDDDDDDD Hector with my whole heart. Loved Noelle as well (wish we could've gotten more of her somehow, more on that in a sec). Matthew grandparents were fantastic too! The town was so easily imaginable to me and I liked that we got to see so much of it through Matthew's eyes, especially as he grew during his time there.
Now, what kept me from giving this a full 5 stars were two things. One, I've seen other reviews comment on this, and I hate to add to it, but it must be said: "dude" was said too much here. Like there was a reason why Hector said it so frequently and that reason was fine and it became a running joke between them, but I think the point that he said it a lot still could've been made if the number of "dudes" was cut down by half. It was annoying at first but then distracting. It did calm down some by the second half of the book, but the first half was riddled with them. Of course, I did read the ARC so I'll return to this and adjust my rating if that seems to have changed for the finished copy! Second, and more importantly, I wished we could've gotten a smidge more development from some characters/relationships. In particular, it would've been nice to have a few more one-on-one/group scenes with Noelle. She was very sweet and a good friend to Matthew when he really didn't have one and seeing more of that, and especially its influence on him, would've been great! And I also think it would've been nice to have a bit more clarity on where his relationship with his father was by the epilogue.
But those are overall very minor gripes because I loved this story a lot. It really got me into the holiday spirit even in September. Can't wait to read more from Janovsky!
Big thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Sexual content, Toxic friendship