Fun and silly queer regency romance. Read solely based on its title; liked it enough to read the first Earls Trip book.

This was so much fun! The title caught my eye first and the story is just as fun and entertaining. It's unpredictable and engaging and I loved the characters

I *love* Jenny Holiday and will read anything she writes, so when I say this wasn't my favorite of hers, it certainly doesn't mean that it's bad! Still very much worth a read, and I found the secret identity/long-term correspondence setup here to be really effective, though I did have a harder time getting into the story than I usually do with Holiday's books. The titular Manic Pixie Dream Earl is Effie - whose real name is Edward Astley, Viscount Featherfinch - and this year when he and his friends go on their annual earls trip, this time to Brighton/Hove, he admits to the them that he's in love with Miss Juliana Evans. Juliana edits a magazine to which Effie has been contributing poetry and other writing, and they've had a long-term, increasingly intimate correspondence. There are two pretty big issues: 1) they've never met and 2) Julianna thinks Effie is a woman. After Effie comes clean to his friends, and in the process explains to them that he identifies as demisexual (though not in those words), he is shocked to find that Julianna has come to Brighton on a whim to try to find him (or her, as she thinks she's been talking to someone named Euphemia). They have a bit of a magical vacation romance, with Julianna in particular trying to avoid a long-term attachment because she's largely against marriage and is also aware of their significant class difference. There were so many lovely scenes here - especially Julianna's introductions to sea bathing and Effie's heartfelt conversations with his friends - and I did really like it! Not my favorite of Holiday's books, but still easily a four star read, and I reallllly hope I don't have to wait too long for the third book in this series!

I very much enjoyed the first book in this series as well as another few books from Jenny Holiday, and this one did not disappoint! A sweet feminist historical romance. Looking forward to more books from this author.

Like the first book in this series, I found this to be such a specific mix of lighthearted romp and the pure silliness of true friendship and deeply emotional, serious explorations of what it means to belong to someone, found family, freedom vs. duty, and being true to yourself no matter the cost. I found the writing very beautiful in places and laugh out loud funny in others, and I especially appreciated the approach that Jenny Holiday takes to PTSD, non-toxic male friendships, demisexuality, and general gender/sexuality expression. I think the closest read alike to this series is Alexis Hall's Something Fabulous. Definitely recommend this, but I do think the tone and mix of tension/angst to light heartedness might not work for everyone.

I started this lovely ARC on a whim. It looked light and beachy and carefree. And parts of it certainly were. What a treat to take in the sea!

The uniqueness of the earls is thoroughly entertaining. They're so different, but they care for each other so well. I think Archie is still my favorite of the three, but I really enjoyed Effie. And though she's not an Earl, I quite like Julianna too.

There's an unfairness to life we just can't escape, but there's also character growth and changes in perspective. All of that shows up in Manic Pixie Dream Earl which is, by the way, a fantastic title. It suits Effie very well.

This was a quick, easy read. Full of friendship and romantic yearnings, I found this novel enjoyable, engaging, and emotional. The author's third acts always get me in the feels! The spice is harder to skirt than I was anticipating. I'm not sure if my expectations were wishful thinking or poor recall from previous books, but those who care should be aware. While I tend towards milder books, I do really enjoy Jenny Holiday's writing style.

Many thanks to Kensington Books for this ARC. They have been very generous to me this last year especially. I'm grateful they continue to publish enjoyable historical fiction. I'm very glad they keep providing good audiobooks to go with their releases too. I haven't seen MPDE's audiobook yet, but I'm sure it'll be a good one.

If you want to check this one out for yourself, look for it to publish May 27, 2025. Or, if you haven't already, start with its predecessor Earl's Trip.

objectively, earls trip is the stronger of the two books.

personally, i would’ve died for effie in earls trip and i’ll die for him again here.

read if you love benedict bridgerton (and lady tilly arnold tbh).

This book was lovely! I had such a great time reading it. I appreciated a lot the level of research the author did for this novel being a historical romance!

First off, let's give props to whoever the cover artist and marketing team for this book are. Amazing cover and title - I would buy it just for those. I can't express how THRILLED I was to get this ARC from Kensington Publishers. I ADORED "Earls Trip."

Secondly, if there is a mold for historical romance, Jenny Holiday has just shattered it. She's somehow turned the genre stereotypes on their head and mixed significant role reversal, bisexualism, a boys trip, a friends-to-lovers from different worlds trope, an age gap, a talking parrot (key comic relief!), an inheritance plot, and magazine publishing into one delicious literary soup. This might be the most unpredictable historical romance I've ever read! There was so much for the leads to overcome in this story and their path so twisty, that I actually thought they may NOT get a HEA. I wondered if maybe Holiday would stretch their story over a couple of books because there was just SO MUCH to unpack for these two to finally connect.

Edward "Effie" Featherfinch and Julianna Evans are pen pals. They've never met, and Julianna thinks Effie is short for "Euphemia" not Edward. Earls Trip 1822 takes the affable trio of bros to the seaside this time where Julianna has spontaneously decided to surprise her friend on vacation with their first meeting. <spoiler>I was totally not ready for the moment when - as could only be true with the deepest of soulmates - they recognize each other immediately in person. I totally thought I was in for a more comedic mistaken identity scenario at a ball or something, but that was far from the only way this story surprised me. </spoiler> It's hard to know what to say in this review because I don't want to give any of the "shocking" plot points away. Just add it to your TBR if you're ready to try something new.

Holiday didn't go for the low-hanging fruit at any point or take the easy route to resolution. <spoiler> Instead of making a big deal out of Julianna finding out that Effie is a MAN, she just had Julianna immediately accept the fact and move on. That could've easily been a couple of chapters of dramedy right there, but Jules is like, "Yeah, of course you're a man. Give me a hug!" What a much more interesting choice! </spoiler>

Well done, Jenny Holiday! I can't wait for the next book! Simon looks like he's going to get a cute upstairs-downstairs book nerd romance and I'm SUPER down for that.

I was thoroughly entertained by my second trip with this group of friends! I love their humor and their care for each other. What a delight to watch Effy find love!