A Study in Charlotte (Charlotte Holmes, #1)

by Brittany Cavallaro

Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson descendants, Charlotte and Jamie, students at a Connecticut boarding school, team up to solve a murder mystery.

• ISBN10: 0062398903
• ISBN13: 9780062398901
• Publish Date: 1 March 2016
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
• Imprint: Collins
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 336
• Language: English

Reviews

[Joni Reads]

I enjoyed this story. I loved the characterization of everyone and really enjoyed reading about Charlotte and her mannerisms and deductions. Jamie is a hard character to understand but I ended up really liking him as well. The mystery was interesting and unpredictable. I really liked reading about how Charlotte and Jamie solved it every step of the way. I will say- this is very much a YA book but it had a few themes that seemed mature for the writing style. Holmes deals with drug addiction and it is discussed quite flippantly. Honestly, it is discussed the way teens would talk about it. Like it's more scandalous and inconvenient than the serious issue that it is. I had to remind myself that this book is not about teaching a lesson and when it comes to teens they are very flippant about things that they should take more seriously. As someone used to reading adult mysteries more than YA I really had to remind myself that this is a book about teenagers and is narrated by a teenager.
It also moved pretty slow. There was no urgency to the plot and I felt like the book dragged on a bit. I would read for an hour and feel like I made no head way at all. It took me much longer to read this book than I expected.
All that to say-I did enjoy this book. I recommend it for teens but maybe not on the younger side because there is drug and sex references and a trigger warning for mention of rape.
I own the rest of the series and will be reading the rest of the books. I look forward to seeing what else Charlotte and Jamie get caught up in.

[Amber (The Literary Phoenix)]

I really, really, really enjoyed this book.

To start off this review, I actually want to pause and shout out to the main narrator, Graham Halstead. I rarely talk about the narrators in my reviews even though most of my reading is audiobooks. That said, when one is either very good or very bad, I like to highlight it. Graham Halstead is fantastic. Aside from having just the right cadence and buttery tone to embody James Watson, I’ve never noticed a narrator pay attention to the detail in book about the voice. At one point, Watson mentions when he’s angry, his accent thickens… and Graham Halstead spoke with a thicker British accent during Watson’s angry dialogue. I just… wow? So immersive. So good. It needed mentioning.

As far as narrators go, Julie Whalen is always wonderful as well, but she only narrators the epilogue, so don’t get too excited for that.

OKAY.

On to the book itself.

I am finding myself in the midst of a lot of Sherlock Holmes retellings lately, and I am okay with it. There’s a quirky charm to them, and A Study in Charlotte is no exception. Rather than creative a pure retelling, this is a continuation of sorts, revolving around the descendants of the famed Holmes & Watson duo. I liked that, because while we can see reflections of their predecessors in them, James and Charlotte are very much their own people.

These characters are interesting, unpredictable, and layered. One of the qualms I have with anything retelling-esque is that it tends to rely on the reader knowing the original story and character details. Brittany Cavallaro makes no such assumptions, but she is not tedious. These two are vibrant and complicated and interesting. At the end of the book I found myself wanting to know more about Charlotte, so I’m quite glad this isn’t a standalone.

The story draws some inspiration from classic murder mystery boarding school tales (which are practically always fun) and some sparks from Sherlock Holmes, but this is also an awkward friendship/probably romance (in later books, I’m assuming) and a story about finding friends, family, and fitting in. There are a lot of elements in the plot to like about this. The writing is interesting, the deductions enjoyable, and the descriptions are not too heavy. Generally… this is just a well-written book I found highly enjoyable!

[lisacee]

I am not quite finished, but I'm loving on this book. 😊😀

[nitzan_schwarz]

To read this review and more check out Afterwords!

Some books are just god damn, capital letters, FUN.

Of course, A STUDY IN CHARLOTTE is a lot of other things, too, but boy did I enjoy reading this one! I knew roughly around the halfway mark that I wanted to own physical copies of this series. That's a really big deal, for me, because I don't often purchase a book I have on kindle unless the book is both gorgeous and great... which, this one sure is (by the way, we're getting a 4th book *does a happy dance*).

Now, before I really begin and for transparency's sake, I love Sherlock and Watson. Not as much the original books themselves, but their various interpretations and reimagining in the media. I have watched the movies, the BBC series, Elementary, etc. The only shows I ever watch consistently are crime dramas with detectives and the likes. Those are my jam, and so are Sherlock and Watson.

So I didn't really need to know much about this book before picking it up. Which is lucky, because looking at the GR page for it just now I realized almost all my friends gave it lukewarm reviews at best. This means I could have totally missed a book I ended up loving.

Because, yes, as I've mentioned before, I loved this one.

A STUDY IN CHARLOTTE is set in a world where Sherlock and Watson weren't characters in a novel, but real life people. Real life people who had kids, and those kids had kids and those kids had kids and... you get the picture. Now, two of those direct descendants meet in a boarding school. And then someone gets murdered, and they're the prime suspects. So... they do what Holmes and Watsons do best. They team up. They investigate. They form a relationship that is as balanced as it is unlikely.

Have I sold you on this yet? Need more? Okay then.

So, our precious mains. First, we've got James (not to be called Jamie!). As appropriate of a Watson, he tells the story. And he's adorable. There, I said it. He wants to be a writer (#relatable, am I right??), he feels like a complete outsider, he's smart--but not obscenely smart and logic-oriented as Holmes. Which makes him the heart of the partnership.

Then we have the titular Charlotte. As the brains. She's cold, rational, and messed up. Jaded and untrusting, but still with a glimmer of hope. Thinks herself the smartest person in the room... mostly because she is. Tries to pretend she doesn't care, when she does. Manipulative, kind of vengeful, but with a working sense of right and wrong that doesn't always scream at her loudly enough to notice. Again; messed up.

These two are far from perfect, but that's what makes it so fun to watch their relationship evolves into friendship (and... maybe more. In fact, hopefully, more, because I ship it like FedEx). I loved how beautifully Cavallaro captured the role Watsons have in the lives of Holmes. They humanize them, become what they measure right and wrong, good and bad against. I'm curious, in this world, what a Holmes with a bad Watson would look like.

Which is why, ultimately, they may make such a great couple. I've seen people put out by this fact; claiming it ruins the original dynamics. But firstly, this is not Sherlock and John. And secondly... I wholeheartedly disagree, for everything I said above and more.

I feel like this interpretation maintains the original power balance (the banter, the quips, the roles each have in the other's life) but adds another layer to it. There is a reason Watson and Sherlock are one of the most shipped pairings in the world, and that reason manifests itself here in all its glory but also becomes 80% most likely to come to fruition.

Like, even though I am not an aggressive shipper, I've always shipped Johnlock in the way I ship Dan & Phil; they're my ultimate brotp, but if they decided to make fangirls' dreams all over the world come true and announce they're together, I wouldn't mind. In fact, I may even squee a little. Perhaps I will tweet about how beautiful life is. Post photos and gifs of them from the years on Tumblr with the hashtags #relationshipgoals and #dreamcometrue.

Hey, I'm just being honest.

Moving on... Aside for the two mains, I loved the contemporary boarding school settings, the character development and the general vibe of the whole book. There is no other character I can describe as "stand out", but it's mostly because these two are scene stealers. They always have been, in any interpretation.

The only part I am lukewarm on is the actual mystery, and I wasn't at first. I actually really liked it when I finished the book, especially since I couldn't figure it out until the very end (although, I did suspect ALL the guilty parties so boo ya!).

BUT the further away I am from it the more I became kind of bummed that this was the first mystery. Like, I feel like we may have needed the first mystery to be... less personal. It had to be because of the setting, but this was too personal. Which made it feel more appropriate for a second book, or even the third one. I'll have to go back to this point after reading the second book; we'll see how the mystery there will fare in comparison.


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Original Thoughts
4.5 stars

Honestly, this was so much fun!! I loved Charlotte and James. I loved their banter and their friendship (also, not gonna lie, I ship it like FedEx, and the next books better give me more otp moments to bask in). I loved how their characters developed and that they're not perfect. I loved how well Cavallaro captured the roles of Watsons in Holmes lives, and the roles of Holmes in Watsons lives. It's beautiful.

I loved the setting, and the mystery (I admit, I didn't see how it would unfold, but I had mistrusted ALL the guilty parties, so at least I have that). I'm super curious to see more of the Moriarity Clan, as well!

I feel like there are a ton of things I want to say, and none that I'm actually capable of writing down right now. Will attempt again tomorrow after work...

[jesstheaudiobookworm]

3.5★ Audiobook⎮ I began listening to this last year and got about a fourth of the way through it before tabling it. After picking it up a few months later, I was finally able to get through it, but I’ll always remember A Study In Charlotte for what it could have been.

Let’s start with something positive: I love the concept of the original Holmes’ and Watson’s descendents following in their footsteps. Love it. And I love it even more that the Holmes in this incarnation is a woman. Charlotte is brilliant. The parallels between her and Sherlock (her 5x great-grandfather) are fascinating, as are the rich family histories. That is an area that I wish had been more fully explored.

The character development was so “almost there, but not quite” that I found it a tad bit frustrating. There’s so much potential with these main characters and the vastness of their ancestry that it seems a shame for Cavallaro to have rushed it, barely bothering to skim the surface. I wanted to know so much more about these families, but I can understand if Cavallaro is waiting to reveal more further into the series.

What I can’t get past is the dullness of the mystery. When I think about what was missing from the story, my complaints land squarely on the mystery aspect of the plot. For a title that is labeled as a Mystery/Thriller, A Study In Charlotte was neither thrilling or particularly mysterious. Although I didn’t guess the ending, I also had no desire to even try. So much of this story was centered around driving the mystery plot forward (at the expense of other elements) that the mystery’s flaccidity caused a nearly total lack of interest on my part. In short, A Study In Charlotte lacked enough intrigue to warrant much of an emotional investment from me.

However, the larger concept behind these characters interests me enough that I’m willing to pick up The Last of August (Charlotte Holmes #2). I’m hoping that the mystery surrounding the second book’s events will prove to be more gripping than the first’s.

Narration review: I think a large part of my difficulty connecting with the story stemmed from its narration. I have heard and enjoyed Graham Halstead‘s work before. He is a superb narrator, however, I don’t think he was the right choice for A Study In Charlotte. I just couldn’t find him believable as Jamie or Charlotte. For Jamie, Halstead sounded far too mature and his voicing of Charlotte came across as extremely awkward and unnatural. As already stated, I know Halstead is a capable narrator, but (in my opinion) this role was wrong for him.

I spent about 8 hours and 31 minutes wondering when the heck Julia Whelan would appear. When beginning this audiobook, I assumed it would be narrated in alternate chapters (Halstead as Jamie and Whelan as Charlotte) and, I have to say, I wish it had been. But that isn’t how this book was written. It’s told almost completely from Jamie’s point-of-view. However, Julia Whelan managed to steal the show in the final 10 minutes and save my opinion Charlotte Holmes in the process. That probably isn’t fair to Mr. Halstead, who performed the first 8.5 hours, but it’s still true. I’m looking forward to seeing how the POV chapters (and therefore narration) will be divided in the next installment. ♣︎

[Artemis]

Reviews at The Artemis Reader

A Study in Charlotte has an interesting premise – teenage descendants of Holmes and Watson are accused of murder at their prestigious prep school, and of course must solve the case. As a fan of Doyle’s work and the film Young Sherlock (c. 1985) (and of course the BBC’s Sherlock) I was excited to see a teenage take on this.

Cavallaro really tries to create an interesting atmosphere, but the characters are almost too familiar. Jamie and Charlotte are almost too like their relatives and that makes for some boring development. Watson is first obsessed with getting to know Holmes, which comes off as stalker-like in their first encounter. Holmes is almost too cut off from reality – a personality trait directly from Sherlock himself. While I wanted to see this duo beat the odds and solve crimes, the characters themselves had been too irritated to enjoy the unfolding of the murder plot and the backstory.

Two stars for some inventive plot points, but overall disappointed with the characters. Almost a do not finish but thankfully my ebook copy was only around 270 pages, enough to finish on a train ride into work.

[Sam@WLABB]

Rating 4.5 Stars

I started reading, and could not stop. I really enjoyed this book. I loved Cavallaro's take on Holmes and Watson, making them descendants of Holmes and Watson, and incorporating details from the books. Charlotte was such a complex character, and while we sort of got to know Jamie and his motivations quite quickly, Cavallaro was greedy with the pieces of Charlotte. Layers of her persona and her life were slowly revealed, but once they were out there, I had a better understanding of her.

This book was a solid 4 stars for me, but when I read the ending, it pushed my rating up a half star, because it warmed my heart. I look forward to reading more of Jamie and Charlotte's adventures.

[readingwithwrin]

“Truth be told, I liked that blurriness. That line where reality and fiction jutted up against each other.”


See reviews first on my Blog



I really enjoyed this story. I know a lot of people aren’t huge fans of it because of how many of these types of books are coming out right now. I personally find that it is better to separate all of them from each other and enjoy them as individual things that have the same type of theme but are completely different.

This is the first type of book that I have read what Holmes is a girl and Watson is a boy. This made things far more interesting to me, especially once we get to know Charlotte and how her brain works and what she had to deal with as a child to become what she is today. It was also nice to see Jamie’s point of view and how he was trying to figure out who Charlotte was at the same time we were, all while still having to do school work.

Jamie is a teenager who has some anger issues, which lead him to be placed on a rugby team and then later on sent to an American boarding school where he got a scholarship. This is where he meets Charlotte and tries to befriend her. This doesn’t work though until someone dies and they both have motive for wanting the deceased dead. They end up working together so they can clear their names. In the process we see their friendship grow a little bit; we also see why Charlotte was sent away to boarding school.
At best our friendship made me feel as though I was a part of something large, something grander; that, with her I'd been access to a world whose unseen currents ran parallel to ours. But at our friendship's worst, I wasn't sure I was her friend at all. Maybe some human echo chamber or director for her brilliant light."
Once these two get called in by the police though is when things started to get really interesting. Not only does this cause Jamie’s dad to get involved, but they also start learning why they are being framed and who might be framing them. Plus we also get some information on Charlotte that she had been hiding from Jamie, and how to exactly handle her when she is doing illegal things.
"What I didn't understand was why they'd bugged my room. Who was I, anyway? I wasn't the extraordinary one. I was Jamie Watson, would be writer, subpar ruggar, keeper of the most boring journal in at least five states. I couldn't even get people to call me by my full first name. If I was important it was only as a conduit. Holmes’s only access point."
Disaster of course ends up happening and one of them is left to try and save the other one from disaster, all while still trying to get their names cleared by the police.
"You don't see it-- that I'm not a good person. That I spend every minute of every day trying not to be the person I know I could be, if I let myself slip. And I'll bring you downwith me. I have Look at us. Look at where we are."
I really loved this story, and can’t wait till the second book comes out. There might be some romance between these two characters way way down the road, but right now they really are just good friends who happen to have Holmes and Watson as their last name.

"Maybe Charlotte Holmes was still learning how to pick apart a case; maybe I was still learning how to write. We weren't Sherlock Holmes and John Watson. I was okay with that, I thought. We had things they didn't, too. "

[Beth C.]

Holmes and Watson. Two of the most famous names - and personalities - in literature. But what if those names belonged to real people? People who manage, somehow, to always find their Holmes or their Watson, even as successive generations come and go? And what sort of chaos may be following them?

Jamie Watson has just gotten himself shipped off to a school in Connecticut where he is *supposed* to be getting to know his father. The fact that he has no intention of doing so doesn't seem to mean much to those involved in the final decision. To add to the drama, he is aware that Charlotte Holmes also attends that school, but he has been warned that it might be best to keep his distance - even though he has imagined meeting her for years. Unfortunately, boarding schools can be a hotbed of trouble, and when a student that both Jamie and Charlotte had a run-in with is found dead, the two are thrown together in order to attempt to clear their names.

While this is a young adult book, I found it a fun and interesting read. The author does an excellent job of NOT talking down to her audience, even when there is violence involved. A quick warning - there is some talk about a rape, and while there are not a lot of details given, it could be a trigger for some. However, I felt that it was handled quite well, and was appropriate for both the story and the potential ages of future readers.

It does appear (according to the author's website) that this is the first book in a planned trilogy. If the second book is as good as the first, then it will be a rollicking read with mystery, danger, and a touch of romance.

[Linda]

*I received a free ARC of A Study in Charlotte from Katherine Tegen Books via Edelweiss in exchange of an honest and unbiased review*

A Study in Charlotte is a very clever re-telling, where Sherlock is a young girl, Watson is a young boy and they end up across the Atlantic in the same, small boarding school in Connecticut.

Full review to come soon.

This and all my other reviews are originally posted on my blog (un)Conventional Bookviews