[Book Review] A Study in Charlotte by Brittany Cavallaro

The last thing Jamie Watson wants is a rugby scholarship to Sherringford, a Connecticut prep school just an hour away from his estranged father. But that’s not the only complication: Sherringford is also home to Charlotte Holmes, the famous detective’s great-great-great-granddaughter, who has inherited not only Sherlock’s genius but also his volatile temperament. From everything Jamie has heard about Charlotte, it seems safer to admire her from afar.

From the moment they meet, there’s a tense energy between them, and they seem more destined to be rivals than anything else. But when a Sherringford student dies under suspicious circumstances, ripped straight from the most terrifying of the Sherlock Holmes stories, Jamie can no longer afford to keep his distance. Jamie and Charlotte are being framed for murder, and only Charlotte can clear their names. But danger is mounting and nowhere is safe—and the only people they can trust are each other.

4.5 STARS 

CW: Drug abuse, mention of rape 

This book was one of the gifts I got for my birthday from my fiancé back in October and I am so happy I decided to pick it up now. I had seen the cover around other blogs, videos, and on social media but I didn't know much about it other than it was some sort of Sherlock Holmes retelling.

I love the fact that it wasn't so much as a retelling, as a companion series 100 years after the famous stories in The Adventures in Sherlock  Holmes. I loved the idea of our main characters being the descendants of Holmes and Watson. I will admit I thought it was going to be a bit cheesy, kind of like the Descendants books/movies (which isn't any shade towards them! I find them fun, but they're definitely a bit cheesy at times). But it wasn't, instead it was kind of exactly what I wanted out of a story with a premise like the one above.

First, the characters. I genuinely loved Jamie Watson and Charlotte Holmes. I have a soft spot for John Watson, so I loved Jamie a little bit more but just like Sherlock, Charlotte was as charming as she was intelligent. I loved their friendship, the way they bickered and debated but held a underlining tone of respect and love for each other. I would easily pick up the other books just on the fact that I want more of their interactions, and that isn't taking the well written mystery.

The mystery was a lot of fun, and definitely gives off a Sherlock Holmes vibe. Because Charlotte is so young, even with all the detective training she has been given she's also just a teenager who has had a very interesting childhood and is going through some pretty adult things. I thought it felt realistic and I think because I was expecting for the story to be cheesy, I was just shocked at how mature the story was but especially Charlotte's story. Jamie's character was great because I loved being in his head. I like that he was smart, smarter than he gave himself credit for, but he was also well loved. Like I said earlier,  I have a huge soft spot for John Watson, so I think Jamie fit under that soft spot also. It is mentioned he's on the rugby team to help his aggression, but I would have liked to see more of that with him. We see Charlotte dealing with her abuse of drugs, so it would be nice to see Jamie struggling with his anger. Maybe it'll come up in later books, or maybe him focusing so hard on solving mysteries with Charlotte helped.

The writing was really well done. I think it was a great young adult companion to the original stories. The story is fast paced and kind of drops you into the story right away, which sometimes can be jarring in other experiences but I didn't find it to be in this case. I thought it was easy to get into the story and keep up with the pace. There was only one thing I honestly had a bit of a problem with and that had to do with Charlotte's drug use. We are told her family put her in rehab a handful of times but she still continues to use drugs. I understand that is a parallel to her great-great-great-granddaughter and there is a message of "don't do drugs kids" but I don't feel like anyone other than Jamie is really concerned about her drug abuse. Maybe that's a comment on boarding/private schools and caring more about their student's public reputation, but I feel like it was a bit odd that Charlotte didn't have many repercussions in the present story.

Overall, I highly recommend this book to everyone. If you like The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle, if you like the Sherlock Holmes movies or even the Sherlock BBC show, then I think you'll like this. If you aren't experienced in the Sherlock Holmes world, I think this could be a fun introduction. Either way, I say pick it up and try it because I think it's worth it!

Thanks for reading!!