Reviews with content warning for Sexual assault - A Study in Charlotte

this was such an awesome, entertaining and engaging read!! i'm not a big mystery reader since i tend to not like books that are super dark or disturbing and although this book did have its dark and distrubing moments, they weren't too bad and didn't bother me too too much. i think i was just so swept up in the story; i was so excited to keep reading and kept questioning what would happen next. i didn't feel like the ending/how the mystery was be solved was super obvious to me any point earlier on, but then again i'm not super well-versed in this genre so that could just be me.

one of my favorite things about this book were the characters!! there were so so many complex, three-dimensional characters and it was very clear to me they were all well crafted. once i thought i knew a character, they would do something else that would give me a new perspective on them and in this case i liked that!! jamie would probably be my favorite character due to his wittiness, relatability and special relationship ith charlotte! i read this book before reading six of crows but now that i have read both books and i'm writing this review, i'm realizing how much charlotte reminds me of kaz brekker. so if you're a kaz fan, it's just yet another reason why you should read this book :)

what did bother me about this book though (however minorly) was the length of the chapters. for a mystery that aims to keep its readers engaged, shorter chapters (like in the inheritance games) instead of very long ones like in this book, would've enhanced my experience just that much more. at the time of this review i've already read the second book the last of august but i'm excited for the last two books in the series! overall, i'd defintely recommend and had so much fun with this book & series <3

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leandrathetbrzero's review

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adventurous challenging dark tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

A Modern-Day Sherlockian Reimagining

↓ Similar Reads ↓

Arthur Conan Doyle’s Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
Sherry Thomas’s A Study in Scarlet Women
Maureen Johnson’s Truly Devious

CONTENT WARNING: sexual assault, rapist-sympathizing, and substance abuse

Upon receiving a rugby scholarship to Sherringford, a Connecticut prep school, Jamie Watson finally meets classmate Charlotte Holmes, the famous detective’s great-great-great-granddaughter, after years of admiring her from afar. Their relationship has a rocky start, but when one of their classmates is murdered and the two find themselves being framed for the crime, Jamie must place all of his trust in Charlotte to save them both.

This modern reimagining of Sherlock Holmes was fascinating as Cavallaro maintained certain classic elements while uprooting and replacing others. The major changes include a modern-day American setting with teenage sleuths, and the brilliant Holmes has been given a gender switch. Holmes and Watson are British expats in this world, and both are descendants of the original investigating duo. One aspect that hardcore Sherlockians will appreciate is that each crime in this book is a copy-cat recreation from the story collection Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. It was so much fun watching the characters connect the dots and rehash past classic mysteries.

As enjoyable as the mystery plot was for me, I really struggled to accept certain character flaws and narrative subplots. At the beginning of the story, Jamie battles with keeping his temper in check as not to lash out violently. This internal conflict kind of gets forgotten after the single time he has an outburst, publicly fighting with the novel’s first victim. Meanwhile, his father and step-mother act in a way that makes them more immature than the book’s teen protagonists. And, finally, Charlotte has inherited Sherlock’s drug dependency which I would have been fine with if it were written in a more sensitive manner. Charlotte’s substance abuse makes her vulnerable and the target of sexual assault prior to the book’s events. I was disappointed by how this was addressed, especially in how it tied Charlotte not only to the murder victim who was also her attacker but the book’s overall villain. There was a moment of sympathy for murdered character/assaulter at the end of the narrative, after all had been revealed, and I found the sentiment uncomfortable and concerning. While 2016 may seem quite close to modern day, I do attribute the poor handling of Charlotte’s trauma to the fact that this book was published 7 years ago. Much progress has been made regarding sexual assault awareness and advocacy in the last decade, and hopefully this progress will continue.

As this review does discuss sexual assault, I would like to take the opportunity to provide resources in case someone reading this is in need of assistance:

RAINN is the nation’s largest anti-sexual violence organization. RAINN created and operates the National Sexual Assault Hotline in partnership with more than 1,000 local sexual assault service providers across the country.

Online chat: online.rainn.org

Hotline: 800-656-HOPE (4673)

More resources: rainn.org/resources

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teagan105's review

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adventurous funny mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

this was a fun take on holmes and watson and much better than i initially expected!

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bones_jackson's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Eu devorei esse livro, é simplesmente maravilhoso. Não sou de ficar colocando post it nos livros, mas esse aqui tá cheio deles pq eu ficava colocando um em cada cena que eu achava legal, interessante ou engraçada. É facilmente um dos meus livros favoritos.

P. S. : se vc tem algum TW, é bom pesquisar um pouco sobre esse livro, pq ele tem alguns, mas eles não são explicitos

21/08/23: reli esse livro e continuo amando ele. Coloquei ainda mais post it

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sarahsbookss's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

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lyla_wicks's review

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No

4.5

so intense and the dynamic between jamie and charlotte got me hooked from the very beginning. extremely slow burn but i adore the angst between them. the mystery (and book itself) was quite a lot darker than expected, and i found it super interesting

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chrilovyl's review

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adventurous challenging dark emotional lighthearted mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

found the intense drug abuse iffy. kinda felt like it was being romanticised but i hope not

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