🎄 BOOK REVIEW 🎄

The Merriest Misters by Timothy Janovsky

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QOTD: Would you want to be Santa?

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Review below cut

Official Summary:

The spiciest risks lead to the sweetest rewards in this delicious, MM retelling of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. Dario Cotogna has a problem. Per his late grandfather’s wishes, if Dario’s not married by his thirty-second birthday, his family’s chocolate empire will go to his philandering little brother. To make matters worse, Dario’s agoraphobia keeps him locked away from the rest of the world. How can he put himself out there and meet “the one” if he literally can’t put himself out there? The solution? A global competition. Five lucky contestants get an all-expenses-paid trip to Dario’s luxury Italian villa for a chance at becoming his lawfully wedded spouse. But aspiring tattoo artist Charlie Moore isn’t looking for love—he’s looking for a miracle. As his grandparents’ sole caregiver, he’s desperate to keep their bill collectors at bay. Marrying into the Amorina Chocolate fortune could save his family home from foreclosure. But when Charlie meets the brilliant heir, their attraction is instant—and very, very real. After a whirlwind week of wine, indulgence and temptation as spicy as it is sweet, will Dario and Charlie melt under the pressure…or find a love that’s truly worth savoring?

My Thoughts:

I've read several Timothy Janovsky's books now, and one thing I've learned is that I often like his romances with absurd concepts best. Last year's A Mannequin for Christmas has a plot that sounds wacky but is actually a heartfelt, tender romance with some great mental health representation. Similarly, One Week to Win the Chocolate Maker has a premise that seems like it shouldn't work: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, but make it a gay dating competition. Yet this is a charming romance between two very different men, each with their own goals and issues. 

The story starts with Dario Cotogna learning that he can inherit his family's chocolate business only if he marries before his 32nd birthday, which is fast approaching. Dario is agoraphobic and rarely leaves his home, but he agrees to the terms because he loves his family's business so much. Five people are chosen, through a contest, to join Dario at his family home, each with a chance to win over the very wealthy heir to a chocolate dynasty. Charlie Moore, one of the few selected, joined the competition in hopes of getting the money to save his family's home from foreclosure. Covered in tattoos and from a working-class background, he's not exactly who you'd expect to join the internationally famous Cotogna family, but he and Dario are drawn together. 

My favorite part of the book is the exploration of mental health issues and the stress of being low-income. Charlie's home and family situation felt realistic and is an issue I haven't seen explored a lot in romances. Dario's agoraphobia is also a unique complication, and it leads to some great character moments, including my favorite scene in the book. These are both serious topics, and the book treats them with respect, while still managing to feel like a mostly lighthearted read. 

There are a lot of characters in this: Charlie, Dario, several members of both of their families, and all the other contestants. Perhaps because of this, some characters feel a little underdeveloped. Charlie, Dario, and Charlie's family were the highlights for me, but a few others had some good moments, too! 

Overall, this is a fast-paced read (less than 300 pages) with a cute and spicy romance. There's some added depth from the mental health and class discussions, and the competition and references to its inspiration are fun. 

My Rating: 🌕🌕🌕🌖🌑 (3.75/5 stars)

Pages: 288 (Kindle Edition)

Tropes/Tags: Queer, Romance, Achillean, Class Differences, Pansexual Main Character

Contains Depictions Of: Mental health struggles (anxiety, panic attacks, and agoraphobia), Housing insecurity, Food insecurity

Links: Storygraph | GoodReads | Pagebound | TimothyJanovsky.com

One Week to Win the Chocolate Maker will be released on January 27, 2026, and is available for purchase!

I received an advanced copy of this book for free, thanks to Netgalley, Afterglow Books, and Harlequin. The above are my honest feelings about the provided book.

📸 Stars in Your Eyes (Kacen Callender): 5/5⭐️

UMM!!!! UMMM!!??? respectfully. Holy fuck

Gorgeous exploration of mental health & character & love. GORGEOUS.

If you liked this, you might like: The Future Was Color (Patrick Nathan), You Had Me at Happy Hour (Timothy Janovsky)

🎹 Exquisite Things (Abdi Nazemian): 3/5⭐️

Very sweet and fun!

Oscar Wilde enthusiasts are QUAKING

A fun little romance read that I'm very glad I picked up on a whim 🥰 (Edit: Now reuploaded with sound because the entire video was muted for some reason.)

Leave it to me to wait until the last minute to get photos for this and then not be able to choose which to use. 😂 I picked a few of my favorite queer books to feature. Books that spoke to me on some level or were just incredibly fun reads. I'm happy to answer any questions!

Some facts about me:

• I'm panromantic asexual, but generally say I'm queer

• Rom-coms are my comfort genre, both books and movies

• I live in Texas with my partner of 8 years and our two cats, Obi and Winston (swipe to slide 4 to see Winston)

• I'm neurodivergent (most likely auDHD)

• I've gotten back into manga collecting after being bullied out of it in high school

• Audiobooks have absolutely CHANGED my reading game. The trauma of the pandemic sadly obliterated my attention span for most physical books

• Most of what I read these days is queer in some way

A huge thanks to @foreverinastory and @djreadsbooks for putting this together!

Remember: whether you are out or not, know you are greatly loved and my account is a safe space. 🌈✨️ Bigots can't and won't win.