I really enjoyed this book! Both characters are likeable and flawed and it was interesting watching them grow and change throughout the novel. It is always great to have lgbtqia+ representation nowadays and I enjoyed Effie's love story.

I really loved Jenny Holiday's previous novel, Earl Crush, and while I looked forward to reading more about Effie, this one just wasn't enjoyable for me. I definitely still loved the friendships and bonds between the Earls, but the romantic relationship in this story was difficult for me to get into. Effie as a character wasn't quite working for me in this story, but I do look forward to reading the next one!

Manic Pixie Dream Earl is the silliest romp with the goofiest characters, and I enjoyed every minute of it!

Manic Pixie Dream Earl is book 2 in the Earl’s trip series. This book was really cute. The modern, yet still regency era vibe was actually so much fun and something I haven’t read before. However the pacing throughout the book felt a little strange to me. There were times that it felt like it was absolutely dragging and then there were times it felt rushed. The characters were interesting and the relationship that developed between Julianna and Effie seemed believable. I appreciate that Jenny Holiday represented several mental health struggles as well because it made it all the more relatable! Overall I would recommend this book. 3.75 stars

This is such a fun read! The characters are so entertaining, I loved all of their antics (especially Edward lol). There is great historical romance mould breaking here on gender and sexuality stereotypes. I love the penpal start of their story and the surprise they both got.

3.5 🌟

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin/Kensington for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This one took me a bit to get into, but it was fun to be back with the Earl’s Trip gang. Archie’s story remains my favorite so far, but I liked how different Effie’s was — it definitely didn’t feel like a repeat. I struggled a bit with the pacing (the last 20% really got going!) but I powered through and enjoyed the resolution.

Excited to see what’s next for Simon!

This is a chaotic fun live wire of a book and I really enjoyed all of the characters. I liked how Effie and Julianna met and became so support of each other and the roles they wanted to play in each other's lives. I loved the message of acceptance and allowing people to just be who they are. It's a great story set in a interesting time period.

I loved this book so much. Once I realized it was part of a series, I wanted to first read the first book. Both were wonderful and I look forward to the next in this series.

I normally love Jenny Holiday's work but this latest in her Earl's Trip trilogy just misses for me. From the title to the content I felt as if it was an experience with Regency era childhood trauma and I just couldn't get to the point where I appreciated any humor or romance. I've looked forward to the furtherance of the series so I am sorry I just couldn't like this one.

I receive a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

I absolutely enjoyed Manic Pixie Dream Earl and rated it five stars. This charming and witty romance delivers heartfelt emotion alongside clever humor and delightful twists. Edward and Julianna’s connection is both tender and engaging with their mistaken identity adding a unique spark to the story. Jenny Holiday blends Regency charm with modern romantic tension in a way that feels fresh and satisfying. A wonderfully fun and romantic read.

I expected Manic Pixie Dream Earl to be another fun but somewhat shallow Regency-ish romance from Jenny Holiday. And it was fun, but this book was far from shallow. Effie and Julianna are two characters with a fair amount of depth and SO MUCH going on in their story. Perhaps too much, in fact; I would have liked a bit more focus on the Earls Trip conceit like we got in the first novel. I enjoyed Julianna’s take-charge approach to things and Effie’s ability to figure out how to live the life he wants, as well as the fact that once the two of them meet they’re together—neither one wonders if the other is actually interested. The challenge is how they can reshape their lives to accommodate an unexpected significant other. From the beaches of Brighton to the print shops of London, Manic Pixie Dream Earl is an enjoyable tale!

What a delight this book was! The second in book in the Earl’s Trip series, this series has quickly become a favorite. Centering around 3 earls who take an annual bros trip, the first book saw Archie fall in love. This book focuses on dear Edward as he navigates the crush he has on magazine editor, Julianna.

What’s fun about this book is Julianna and Edward are essentially penpals who’ve been corresponding for years. Edward knows exactly who Julianna is and has fallen hopelessly in love. The problem is twofold — not only is Julianna not a member of society, she also has zero clue who he is. She thinks he is a she named Euphemia, and considers her a best friend. Things get rather interesting when Julianna, smart as she is, manages to parse out where the “Euphemia” will be spending her holiday and shows up on a whim. As expected, hilarity ensues.

This series and these earls have captured my whole heart from the beginning. Not only does Holiday fill her stories with such humor and heart, she also manages to explore social themes that affect each character. In this book, classism is an obstacle that Edward and Julianna have to face. Edward, being titled, is expected to marry of equal rank, or at least marry someone who’s in society. Julianna as a working gal most certainly isn’t part of regency society and most certainly wouldn’t be looked upon as an equal for Edward. The road to love isn’t an easy one between the two, but that won’t stop either one on their road to an HEA.

All told, I adored this one and look forward to the next in the series. Definitely pick this up if you’re a fan of:

⇢ Hidden/secret identity
⇢ Exploration of class
⇢ Friends-to-lovers
⇢ Regency romcoms
⇢ Found family
⇢ Historical romance with a modern twist

Delightful! Holiday has a gift for seamlessly incorporating characters with modern attitudes into authentic-feeling historical settings — nothing cringey or anachronistic here to jerk you out of the story. I love that it’s the male character who’s a manic pixie dream for once, but also that both characters actually change and grow over the course of the book. This one hit me in the feels in the best way, with angst that felt earned, not manipulative, and a satisfying HEA.

This was a cute historical romance with some flipped tropes (he's the virgin, she's working, etc). The humor was clever but overall I needed a little more external conflict I think. The writing was solid and the plot was too - the third act break up was believable. The pacing was a bit off - it dragged some in the middle and then took off in the last quarter or so. 3.5 stars.

This book has an airy feel to it. Effie and Julianna have their differences; Julianna's overwhelmingly practical nature and Effie's tendency towards absentmindedness. What is so cool about this pairing, however, is how willing both Julianna and Effie are to learn from each other.

.Julianna and Effie are both artistic. Both are comfortable with their individuality; their interactions are infused with this softness and wonder. This series explores complex topics such as sexuality and women's rights in a thoughtful and authentic way. Effie, in particular, is a unique protagonist for the historical romance genre. His openness to romance, the way he embraces his identity, and his great emotional depth and vulnerability were refreshing. It is exciting to see a romantic hero who breaks from the mold. Julianna is unique as well. Characters like her are more common in this genre - independent, ambitious, and capable. Something I have not often come across in this genre, however, is a woman who is older than her partner as well as more experienced. The way Julianna interacted with the world was intriguing, and I connected with her so deeply as she was navigating through times of uncertainty.

There are a lot of similarities between this story and Archie/Clementine's story. There is depth to the characters that I really admire. The strong sense of friendship is central to everything (I am especially looking forward to Simon's story). Archie and Simon are such good friends, and they care so much about Effie; it is a beautiful portrayal of friendship.

This will not be for everyone. It is slow-paced, and everything unfolds very languidly. Effie and Julianna are not typical protagonists - they are oddballs. They are creatives in every sense of the word. I did feel my interest start to wane about halfway, but the last third of the book was remarkable. There was a moment where Effie really comes into his own, and it's heartwrenching, but I was so invested and proud of him

Harry Frost did an outstanding job narrating - he portrayed Effie's temperament brilliantly.

Thank you to Netgalley and Kensington Books for the copy in exchange for an honest review!

Great book, charming, witty, spicy, well written. This is the second book in the series. I did not read the first book but still enjoyed this one.

DISCLAIMER: This review is based off of the review of the ALC. I had requested the ARC copy of this title first, and then became aware of the ALC copy. I requested them both, unsure of which I would be approved of and ended up getting approved for both copies! OOOPS!


05/30/2025 || Earl's Trip #2 - Manic Pixie Dream Earl by Jenny Holiday || #ManicPixieDreamEarl #NetGalley #HistoricalFiction

Thank you NetGalley, Jenny Holiday, and Kensington Publishing | Kensington for making this ARC available!


Please note: This review may not be reproduced or quoted, in whole or in part, without explicit consent from the author and myself.
All of my thoughts are my own~

5 Stars
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐


What worked for me:
Jenny Holiday has done it again!

For this second installment of the Earl's Trip series/trilogy? Holiday is focused on (my personal favorite) Effie!

Effie, or Edward Astley, Viscount Featherfinch, is a poet, writer, artist, and over all gentle soul who HAS to be gender non-conforming to a degree (in my opinion). He is also described on page as to be both demisexual and pansexual, although those terms are not exclusively used, their definitions were. Effie has been corresponding with a Miss Julianna "Jules" Evans, a magazine owner and writer, for some time now and if you've read the first book, is the primary subject of a specific topic held by Effie and another character. Miss Evans is either pansexual or bisexual herself, which makes this book officially queer!!! And as a queer person who loves their queer stories, I feel this one was very well done and really spoke to those who are in the closet and/or not sure how to exactly come out. I felt their queerness was handled well and while I am not a historian by any means, I felt Manic Pixie Dream Earl showed how queerness was handled by the different sexes and classes alike.

Manic Pixie Dream Earl felt like the best installment yet, and will probably remain my favorite forever. I really enjoyed getting to know Effie better and really wished the book had spent even more time focusing on Jules, as I truly fell in love with her too! I wanted to know more about her, her magazine, her family life, more and more and more! Although I fully understand these are the Earl's Trip books, and the focus of the story really remains and focuses in on the men, I need Holiday to make some little novellas about the female main and side characters STAT, along with some more detailed happily ever afters for our beloveds? Hint hint wink wink Jenny Holiday!

I digress - I really enjoyed this book a lot. Trauma and emotional health and emotional intelligence being the main focus for this book was the perfect timing for me personally. I really liked how the book explored both sides for both Effie and Jules and how childhood trauma shapes who we grow up into being (for better or for worse) but that is not who and what you have to stay as neither. Exploring childhood trauma and emotional/mental health in this book was a knock out and there was very important messages to be read from this book. I really appreciate Holiday holding this conversation and so artfully wrapping a story with beloved characters around it.

I truly look forward to Simon's book next!

I truly loved this installment so much! It took me 8 days to complete, but I probably would have finished it up faster if I did not have, yanno, life obligations and sleep. Silly things in the way of a good read if you asked me! (joking of course)


What did not work for me:

I honestly don't have many issues. My main issue and concern is I feel like I don't know enough about Simon anymore than I did while reading the first
Earl's Trip installment. I love a good surprise and all, but I rather liked the build up of getting to know Effie so well in book 1 then anticipating his book that I feel a little anxious of what to expect for Simon's installment.

My other issue was I felt like the book/story needed to be longer. I needed more information, more backstory on both Julianna and Effie (and of course needed more on all the other characters as well).
I believe this installment could have easily been double in size to fully explore more of their childhood trauma, emotional health, and even though I HATE 3rd act break ups and I was so happy when it ended, I feel like their breakup could have been a tad longer to get more emotional and mental health focus going for the both of them. I am NOT complaining that they "didn't suffer" enough, but realistically speaking, it would have been more preferred to see a bit more emotional and mental growth and AHA moments for them on page. I also would have loved to have seen more of that growth together on page after their make-up was official.

I also wanted more of Effie and his family and their interactions and healing to be on page. There is a lot left up to the reader to glean and imagine and I really would have love to see Holiday cover all of those subjects! Maybe one day she will create some novellas or additional content to be read and enjoyed! (Again, hint hint wink wink!)

Overall, these are personal "what did not work for me" tid-bits and are in no way hindering my rating and are personal complaints and desires for more content to be made by Holiday of my now beloved series!

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!
I thoroughly enjoyed Effie and his supportive friend group. I loved their annual trip and the advice they gave each other. Everyone needs a friend group like that. Our FMC is a badass and I loved her independence.

as always with jenny holiday, this book was phenomenal. this series is one I am particularly fond of, as it is a very non traditional take on historical romance. While effie was still a whimsical man, he was also portrayed as emotionally strong despite all of thr set backs from his early life. I am desperate for Simons book and maybeeee... possibly olive and kenver?

Manic Pixie Dream Earl by Jenny Holiday is the second book in the Early Trip series. It follows Edward and Julianna as they go from pen pals and colleagues to actual friends, conquering class barriers in the process. I struggled to get into this read, which was disappointing since I do love the author. It was cute, just not for me.