A Study in Charlotte

This reimagining* of Sherlock Holmes as a modern YA novel with kids at a boarding school was a fun enough read. If you're someone who's not well-versed in the Sherlock canon you might not get as much enjoyment out of it, as there are plenty of allusions and references to Doyle's original work. If you are a Holmes fan it does a great job of scratching that Holmes itch.


*Less a reboot and more a “descendants of the original characters” thing.

CAVEATS: I'm not usually a big fan of mysteries and/or Sherlock Holmes! But I wanted to read this because I've been internet friends with the author for years! But I was afraid I wouldn't like it because of that first thing!

BUT I loved it, I think I like the bitter too-smart drug addict Holmes-deal way more if she's a somewhat traumatized teenage girl than a middle aged dude. To me it makes more sense! Also it gives this kind of a Veronica Mars vibe, which is one of few mystery-type things I do love. It feels like a great response to rape culture, etc.

And I loved the in-world lore of the repercussions of these famous ancestors of theirs, and the way it made this kind of bonkers mystery premise actually make perfect sense.

HOORAY

I love the Sherlock Holmes stories, and this is a fun modern take on the Holmes and Watson duo. In this universe, Sherlock Holmes and John Watson were real people, and Arthur Conan Doyle was the literary agent who helped Watson publish his stories. Charlotte Holmes and Jamie Watson are their descendants, and they both end up at a small boarding school in Connecticut, where Sherlockian mystery ensues. The story focuses a bit more on teen angst and drama than the actual solving of the mystery, but other than that it is an enjoyable read.

4.5 StarsThis was a great retelling of some of my favorite characters, Sherlock and Watson. I really enjoyed Brittany Cavallaro's take on these characters using their descendants as the main characters. This was a really well done debut novel that I basically read in one sitting. I've lately really gotten into Sherlock retellings reading [b:Jackaby 20312462 Jackaby (Jackaby, #1) William Ritter https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1410170969s/20312462.jpg 28147221] and [b:Lock & Mori 24885790 Lock & Mori (Lock & Mori, #1) Heather W. Petty https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1435188368s/24885790.jpg 26757948]. This book definitely kept me enthralled and invested in these characters and their quest. The writing in this book was really well done and there were a lot of great witty phrases. For me the best part of the writing was the dialogue. It was so well done and made the story. The only real issue I had with this book was the pop culture references. I only mind them because it dates the book and makes it relevant now, but potentially not in the future. However, I cannot wait to read more from these characters and see what Jamie and Charlotte get up to next, I believe this is a trilogy and I'm already eagerly awaiting the next installment.Completely, unrelated but the epilogue to this book is spot on. It really tied the entire story together and made it that much better. It also helped to really sum up Charlotte and Jamie's relationship. Also can we please get more Charlotte POV in the next book, I would love to see things from both of their perspectives rather than just Jamie's.