Reviews tagging 'Sexual violence'

A Study in Charlotte by Brittany Cavallaro

10 reviews

alyssajp's review against another edition

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dark mysterious slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No

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rach981's review against another edition

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mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5


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whewtaewoon's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

"A Study in Charlotte" casts two descendants of the famous Sherlock and Watson in their own murder mystery. With one classmate dead, and another hospitalized, Jamie and Charlotte are looking like perfect suspects. Can they figure out who is behind this? Is one of them behind this? Will they both make it out alive, and free? So many questions, and only one way to find out.

I enjoyed this book, I thought it was very fun. It was a fairly easy read, although there's discussion of some difficult topics. I intend to continue reading this series and see where things go. 

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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 ↓

  1. Arthur Conan Doyle’s Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
  2. Sherry Thomas’s A Study in Scarlet Women
  3. 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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xaphiro's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional inspiring lighthearted mysterious medium-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? Yes

5.0

I loved it. It was one of my favorites when I read it as a kid and I’m surprised how much I didn’t remember. Loved the relationship between them but it took me a while, almost towards the end, to feel the cuteness. It reminds me of a current relationship, did not expect to find how much this book defined me and my life. Also, having watched Wednesday so recently, it was wild seeing the similarities. The opposite roommates and their cute friendship, the dark cold girl from the weird family with seemingly no feelings. The first time I read it I gave it five stars and I was thinking of lowering it to 4 on this reread but that scene
where holmes kisses watson and tells him that’s all she can do
really warmed my heart. It was an amazing journey warming up to the character even though they drove me crazy every other page.

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laeta_res's review

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adventurous dark tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0


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cupidsarroww's review

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mysterious reflective tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25


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erin_curry's review

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mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0


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export_library's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75


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camille_andherbooks's review

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adventurous mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

I would've liked less of the "romantic elements" in this book. And why the heck is Jamie so in love with Charlotte from the start?

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