Reviews with content warning for Dementia - Earls Trip

Reviews tagging 'Dementia'

Earls Trip by Jenny Holiday

6 reviews

srivalli's review against another edition

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lighthearted reflective relaxing slow-paced

3.75

3.7 stars

One Liner: Slow-paced but entertaining

1821

Archibald Fielding-Burton, the Earl of Harcourt, calls himself lucky for having two best friends who would do anything for him. Simon and Effie are his dearest friends and partners in crime. The trio plans an all-men trip every year and calls it the Earl’s Trip to unwind from the pressures of daily life.

That year was no different until Archie got a letter from Sir Albert Morgan, an old family friend, begging for help. His daughter Olive has eloped with someone. His other daughter, Clementine, has rushed to rescue Olive. Now, Archie has to rescue them both and bring them back safely.

Archie and Clem go back a long way. They were always good friends, but Archie finds the grown-up even more alluring. When Clem shares a proposal, Archie knows he would accept it. But where will this lead?

The story comes in the third-person POV of Archie and Clementine.

My Thoughts:

As the premise suggests, this is a fun book that deals with some serious topics. However, the overall tone is lighthearted and entertaining.

The beginning is slow but in no way boring. We get enough laughs as the characters are introduced and established. At the same time, we get a glimpse of the deeper emotions these characters feel.

Dementia/ early memory loss, found family, sibling relationships (between sisters), loss of a parent, dysfunctional families, etc., are some themes explored in the book. Not all of them are prominent, though. A few more tropes are modernish, but it has almost become a norm, so I won’t complain.

Archie is surprisingly easy to like. He is lively, friendly, mischievous, understanding, supportive, and fun. Yet, he has his pain, uncertainties, vulnerabilities, and doubts. Clem is nice, though not as much as Archie. He is a gem.

While it is good to have Regency FMC as a vegetarian, even if it doesn’t seem realistic for the period, Clem comes across as a bit too judgmental about others. (I’m a vegetarian, too, but I don’t go around wrinkling my nose at meat eaters). Moreover, she doesn’t seem to make the same effort to understand Archie the way he tries to get to know her thoughts and takes them seriously.

The relationship takes time to progress. This gives space for enough scenes and conversation between them. Things don’t feel rushed, despite what the blurb states.

The side characters are developed enough to go beyond what’s initially defined for them. There’s more than what meets’s eye applies here. Olive’s arc is very good. I did like her more than the FMC sometimes.

The repetition slows down the pacing, which could have been trimmed a little. The chapter length also contributes to the slowness due to the extended length (I like short chapters).

The book has some steam, though I don’t know why it changed toward the end and skipped over the scene (which was important). Didn’t make sense to me, but maybe they had a page limit to work with (?).

To summarize, Earl’s Trip is an entertaining book with a loveable male lead and worthy side characters. It works well as a standalone. The last chapter could be considered a lead for the next book, which I would love to read.

Thank you, Edelweiss+ and Kensington Books, for eARC. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.

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allingoodtime's review

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emotional hopeful reflective 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

3.5

I’m the type of person who constantly has songs stuck in my head. While they range greatly, there are a few that are in there over and over. One of them is the song Sisters from the film White Christmas. Not only is the dedication of this book lyrics from that song but there is a chapter named after said lyrics. Needless to say, that song has been on a continuous loop in my brain all week!

As for this book, it had its ups and downs for me. To start with, the characters are all amazing. I couldn’t love Archie and his friends more. And while it seemed at first as though Clementine’s sister was going to be a hard sell, that wasn’t the case. I found this story fascinating when this quintet was together in the same room. I loved their camaraderie and the inside jokes the men shared. I loved that Clementine and Olive could let go of formality and be themselves with them. Also, when Clementine and Archie spent time alone it was magic. They were the best of friends when children and delight in reconnecting. They bask in the realization that they still find great comfort in each other’s presence while also noting the differences that have come about over the last few years.

The problem was I didn’t feel they got to spend enough time together. Seriously, these two didn’t kiss until three-quarters into the book! While there is a definite attraction between Archie and Clementine, they are strictly renewing their friendship and keeping any lingering thoughts to themselves. In fact, they rarely see each other for the first half of the book due to the circumstances that brought them together. It was too much for me and slowed the story, which started strong, to a crawl at times.

Once Clementine and Archie finally kiss, the story picks back up and the last quarter of the book is wonderful. I especially love the scene leading up to their declarations of love. So touching and beautiful.

Right now I don’t see this story listed as part of a series, but there was a reference that there will be a teaser chapter to Effie’s story in the final draft of this book. (BTW, how magnificent is the title Manic Pixie Dream Earl?) There is enough given in this story for me to have me invested in the rest of the quintet’s stories, too.

**I received an ARC of this book courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and given freely**

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kelseyreadshr's review against another edition

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adventurous funny lighthearted reflective 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

4.5

Earls Trip is the first in a new series and a new to me author.

This was a delightfully lovely book. A lighthearted romance about childhood friends that have lost touch in the last few years and are rebuilding their friendship. Getting to know one another again by using their childhood as a foundation to learn who they are now. The entire plot and characters were endearing and sweet. The beginning started out in a fast pace but slowed to a moderate pace, once arriving at the destination of the trip, for the duration of the story.

I loved that this story was about seeing and understanding those you love and it didn’t include just romantic love but sisterly and platonic love as well. Getting to see a connection build between the FMC and her sister was a wonderful example of that. The MMC is open with his feelings, not afraid to show the love he has for those he cares for. It was also maddening though as you can see the feelings he has for the FMC but is unable to recognize his own feelings for her. The FMC is adamant in not wanting to marry but is also oblivious to her own feelings as well.

There are three encounters that short but are steamy and has good build up.

An advance ebook was provided by Kensington Books via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

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kaleys23's review

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emotional funny lighthearted fast-paced

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

3.75

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bookrecsbyjess's review

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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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alyssaann1317's review against another edition

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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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