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A Study in Charlotte (Charlotte Holmes, #1)

Brittany Cavallaro

Start date: September 1, 2021

Finish date: September 30, 2021

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What Members Thought

Nov 20, 2020 Sylvs (NOVELty Reads) rated it liked it · review of another edition

TRIGGER WARNING: DRUG USE, SUBSTANCE ABUSE AND ADDICTION

I definitely was in the mood for some good old YA mystery. I was excited to start reading and deducting my way through evidence, facts and clues along with the characters. What I didn't expect however, was the ways in which Jamie's (romantic) feelings towards Charlotte were developing. Usually in mysteries I'll prefer not to have any romance (I know, I know) because, well, feelings tend to get in the way of the actual plot and storyline. Th ...more

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Jul 08, 2023 Eileen rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: audiobook, 2023, 2023genrechallenge, retellings, romance, mystery, teen-young-adult, 2023-ng-group-challenge

3.5 stars

This was a good YA adaptation of Sherlock Holmes that takes place in modern times. Charlotte Holmes and Jamie Watson are descendants of the original pair, and they both share traits of their ancestors. In particular, Charlotte is a genius at deductive reasoning, having solved her first case at 5 (if I recall correctly), but probably as a result of her legacy, genius brain, and family pressure, she is also addicted to opiates and probably prone to depression. Neither is all that likable, 3.5 stars

This was a good YA adaptation of Sherlock Holmes that takes place in modern times. Charlotte Holmes and Jamie Watson are descendants of the original pair, and they both share traits of their ancestors. In particular, Charlotte is a genius at deductive reasoning, having solved her first case at 5 (if I recall correctly), but probably as a result of her legacy, genius brain, and family pressure, she is also addicted to opiates and probably prone to depression. Neither is all that likable, especially Charlotte, and time will tell if they end up growing on me.

James Watson is a 16-year-old Londoner starting his sophomore year at a boarding school in CT, on a rugby scholarship, he THINKS. There he meets Charlotte Holmes. Coincidence? Based on how things play out, it's definitely not, but as for why they meet--well, that's left unanswered. They become friends (reluctant on Charlotte's part), and the dynamic between them is honestly not a healthy one. Yet, I suspect they are aware of it, but there is enough other stuff going on that they're not addressing it.

For a YA book, I like how complex the characters are, and if all goes well, we'll see them come out with a healthier relationship--at least that's my hope. It helps if you're already a Sherlock Holmes fan because it helps put everything into context. The original Sherlock Holmes was an extremely selfish and self-absorbed man, not emotionally healthy, and could kindly be called high maintenance. For all his hero worship, Watson was not exactly without his flaws, although in both these stories, it's a little easier to sympathize with Watson than with Holmes. I suspect that part of the reason Charlotte is the way she is comes from her family situation. What I saw in this book already reveals the dysfunctional relationship she has with her older brother and parents.

This book is an example of how you can become intrigued by a book even if you don't particularly like the main character(s). I look forward to reading the rest of the books in this series. ...more

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Jun 13, 2021 anna ✩ rated it liked it

3 stars!

I think I had very high expectations for this one and it unfortunately just fell a little bit short. The whole pacing felt a bit too rushed for me and I found I couldn’t connect to the characters or the story that well.

That being said it was still an entertaining read and it flew by. I think considering there are more books in this series, this book set things up well and creates a sense of wanting to continue on.

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