Reviews with content warning for Grief - Earls Trip

Reviews tagging 'Grief'

emilywemily6's review

hopeful lighthearted relaxing slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.25

This could best be described as a cozy romance, and I don’t think that’s the vibe I’m looking for. This book was very character driven and slow, with a lot of dialogue and internal thoughts compared to scene description and plot. Also, one of the major plot points included on the back cover was introduced into the story at the 68% mark, which left no surprises to anticipate. I really loved the idea of Clem seeking Archie’s help with exploring her sexuality, but it came so late in the book that it felt like more of a secondary plot point than a major plot device. And while this book takes place in Regency England, it was greatly modernized to its detriment. It felt like a modern retelling of a classic story but set in the classic time period. Everything I love about Regency atmosphere, relationships, speech, etc. was watered down. It felt Regency only in name. I generally enjoyed the writing style and how to characters interacted, but it didn’t scratch the historical romance itch. The character viewpoints that aligned with modern times (vegetarianism, feminism, found family, etc.) were fun to read but took me out of the story a little because they were so heavy handed. Also, this book was advertised as a The Hangover-like guy’s trip, but the shenanigans were few and far between. The pacing was inconsistent as the story started off with some drama and a rescue, then turned into a turtle crawl. And I know that Simon was labeled as the quiet one, but he had zero personality while Effie and Archie had personalities, even if they weren’t super fleshed out. Sorry to complain so much, it just fell short in a lot of ways for me.
I enjoyed the prose of the writing style even with the content being so modern- lots of nice metaphors and thoughtful commentary from the characters’ interactions. It also warmed my heart how Archie and Clem came together at the end of the book. The spicy scenes were tasteful and tender and complimented their relationship at that point in the story. Overall, this was cute and cozy, but slow and overtly modern to the point of detracting from the Regency vibes. I wanted either more ridiculousness or more subtlety. I would read the next but only if I didn’t know what else to read.

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bibliomania_express's review

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adventurous emotional funny lighthearted relaxing fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

Earls Trip by Jenny Holiday is a fun Regency romamce full of friendship, found family, men in touch with their emotions, sisterly bonding, and vegetarianism. I enjoyed all the friendship and family bonding moments immensely, just as much as I loved Archie and Clem's slow-burn childhood-friends-to-lovers romance.

The whole concept of the Earls Trip was delightful! Archie, Effie, and Simon are fast friends, each with their own quirks and interests. There's good natured teasing, fun rules, and so much support for each other. Effie and Simon unhesitatingly support Archie as he copes with his mother's dementia and the change of plans to rescue Clem and Olive. I can't wait to read their books and see more of these friends.

I also love how Holiday complicates the sisterly relationship between Olive and Clem, with what starts as a (seeming) betrayal leads to more honest communication between the two.

This book has so many sweet and fun moments. There's bonding while secretly stargazing, embroidery lessons, goofing around in dressing gowns, traipsing through forests, tree climbing, and a turtle race.

This book does skew very modern. Archie is unbelievably in touch with his feelings, feminist, patient, and reapectful. He doesn't believe in the concept of ruination, engages in honest debate with Clem about hunting, comes up with the term "found family" for him, Effie, and Simon, and takes care to make everyone feel appreciated by taking an interest in their interests.

If you want a sweet, fun, low angst book about a group of people having a nice holiday and two people realizing their love for each other, then you might like this book.

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thebruce's review

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funny lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

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garbage_mcsmutly's review against another edition

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funny hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

This was lots of fun and I'm eagerly anticipating the rest of the series!

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samchase112's review against another edition

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funny lighthearted reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

Positively delightful! The cover and title pairing got me on this one, and it delivered exactly what I wanted. I adored the characters and found family of this lovely little romance — especially the absolutely loveable pairing of Arch and Clem! I was giggling and smiling and waiting for them to get together; it might be one of my favorite instances of friends-to-lovers. Truly, every page of this book was a delight, and though there were strings that didn't quite wrap up (the Morgans' father, for example) they didn't really subtract from my enjoyment. All in all, a great time, and I can't wait for the next book!

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bookrecsbyjess's review against another edition

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emotional funny slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Loveable characters? Yes

3.5

Thank you to Kensington Books for this ARC of Earls Trip by Jenny Holiday. All opinions are my own.

This was my second time reading a Jenny Holiday book. I discovered her books earlier this year when I read Canadian Boyfriend, and I absolutely loved that book. I had expectations that I was going to love this book as well even though it’s a historical romance and not a contemporary romance.

I do think these expectations affected how I perceived this story because this book was drastically different than Canadian Boyfriend in writing style and pacing.

What I liked best about Earls Trip was the characters and the friendships between them.

Archie, Simon, and Effie were so lovable, and their friendship was just wholesome and so welcoming to read about. They were so supportive of each other’s passions and personalities, and I really appreciated this found family aspect since none of them had close relationships with their biological families.

Clementine was also a very likable character because she had a unique personality and interests unlike her sister Olive, which I didn’t particularly like. When I learned more about Olive’s backstory, she didn’t seem as awful, but she still wasn’t great.

The sexual innuendos were a bit much in this story. While some of them were funny, it seemed like the author was trying too hard to cram them in whenever she could.

Also, the pacing was just off in this book. The beginning of this book started off strong. I enjoyed all of the plot leading up to arriving at their residence for the earls’ trip. However, after they arrived, hardly anything happened for most of the book. The characters mostly just spent time talking. It wasn’t until near the end that the plot picked up a little and then was just wrapped right up.

Overall, I enjoyed the characters and relationships in this book, but the rest of the story fell flat for me. I would however read another book by this author since my first experience with her books was great.

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dezs_diary's review against another edition

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funny lighthearted slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

What happens on Earls Trip, stays on Earls Trip.

Thank you to Kensington Books & Netgalley for this eARC!

The cover and title initially sold me on this book, and I was so happy to find a great story inside!
This modern take on historical romance had me giggling & staying up late. From the get-go, I was reminded of The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels, which I absolutely loved! I was so excited to find a book that felt similar in voice and tone to that one.

I think where this book really shines is in its relationships, most especially in the friendships between the three Earls. They are such sweet, understanding, and supportive friends; I loved seeing them get into shenanigans together, as well as have tender heart-to-hearts. They really give found-family vibes, and I can’t wait for the rest of their stories!

I also thought the main characters had great chemistry. And the spice was done very well!

And the ending was so sweet— I was holding back tears! Well done.

My critiques are two-fold.
Firstly, the pacing felt a bit slow at times. I think its a combination of this being a heavily character-driven novel and that the beginning started with such an action-packed bang.

Secondly, I didn’t love that Archie had to

give up his one hobby, espcially when it seemed to mean so much to him

. I think there were different ways to resolve that particular plot-point that wouldn’t have felt as forced. It was still an admirable gesture on his part, but it left me feeling a little uneasy.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book! I had a great time with these characters and I loved getting to know them; I’ll definitely be continuing with the series. I was delighted to read that the next book will follow Effie! Also, the title, “Manic Pixie Dream Earl”, is hilarious.

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alyssaann1317's review

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adventurous emotional hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Publishing for an ARC copy of Earls Trip!

For the first ten percent of this book I was iffy on if it was for me. I genuinely contemplated giving up and just trying to read it in between other books since I knew I had to review it in exchange for the ARC.

Once I got through the initial bit of the book and they get to the castle Earls Trip takes a turn. It becomes absolutely amazing! I enjoyed the development of the characters and the slow burn romance. Everyone has their personal motivations and feel like real people by the end. I truly enjoyed it and am looking forward to reading Effie's book next year.

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