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matchareads's review
1.0
First of all: there should have been a trigger warning at the beginning of the book. I hate that we are in the year 2021 and there continues to be books published without trigger warnings.
This was a suggestion by #AskIndigo. The service did it’s job, it was definitely in the league of what I asked for (I wanted something like Truly Devious), HOWEVER.
HOWEVER
this was a real royal let down. The idea was great fun, but the execution was so bad. I honestly hated it and I had such high hopes for this! I hated the instant love/creepy infatuation Watson had with Holmes. And like, the murder wasn’t all that interesting? I was kind of like oh, okay this happened. I wasn’t on the edge of my seat trying to figure out who did it, and like the way the clues were presented was more of Holmes going « Yes well I knew about this all along Watson I cant believe you never realized ugh »
Hated it.
This was a suggestion by #AskIndigo. The service did it’s job, it was definitely in the league of what I asked for (I wanted something like Truly Devious), HOWEVER.
HOWEVER
this was a real royal let down. The idea was great fun, but the execution was so bad. I honestly hated it and I had such high hopes for this! I hated the instant love/creepy infatuation Watson had with Holmes. And like, the murder wasn’t all that interesting? I was kind of like oh, okay this happened. I wasn’t on the edge of my seat trying to figure out who did it, and like the way the clues were presented was more of Holmes going « Yes well I knew about this all along Watson I cant believe you never realized ugh »
Hated it.
tcrowell's review
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
mackle13's review
adventurous
mysterious
tense
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? It's complicated
3.5
jazmin's review
3.0
this was good. i liked the whole holmes’ and watson’s descendants thing (although probably might’ve been more significant for someone who has actually read all of the books that were referenced in this) but the mystery itself wasn’t my favourite.
also, the characters… i don’t know how to feel. i liked jamie and charlotte enough i suppose, but none of the side characters were all that memorable, and I didn’t like our MCs enough for them to support the story on their own.
also, this was just too long for what it was.
my carrd ❦
also, the characters… i don’t know how to feel. i liked jamie and charlotte enough i suppose, but none of the side characters were all that memorable, and I didn’t like our MCs enough for them to support the story on their own.
also, this was just too long for what it was.
✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧
my carrd ❦
mujigae's review
4.0
The book was more and more good as times goes by. Love the duo, i'd recommend it to someone that wznts to try again reading something, because it's easy, not too cheesy, and super cool if you love some Sherlock Holmes' backstory :)
katherinehurlin's review
4.0
Lovely Sherlock Holmes knockoff but with consistent language throughout and a decent amount of thematic content that would likely have it R rated as a film
thealbatrossreads's review
5.0
still not sure if i should give this book 4 stars or 5 because I am conflicted about some things. The characters and plot were amazing, even the deductions were on spot and reminded me of Sherlock <3
the only thing i didn’t really like were some dialogues that were very weird and cliché but besides that this book got me out of a reading slump so I’m leaving it at 5 stars.
the only thing i didn’t really like were some dialogues that were very weird and cliché but besides that this book got me out of a reading slump so I’m leaving it at 5 stars.
merriell's review
3.0
Blog review: https://morphinelollipop.wordpress.com/2016/06/24/a-study-in-charlotte-by-brittany-cavallaro/
This book was really fun. It’s a light read, and I finished it in one sitting.
A Study in Charlotte’s narrative exist in a world where Sherlock Holmes and John Watson did exist, and that Watson penned their own adventures, with Sir Arthur Conan Doyle as his literary agent. It’s a book where both the authors and the characters poke fun at the inaccuracies Watson made in writing their stories, something that made me snort. He’s pretty much treated like a historical figure, with the Holmes and Moriarty family having popularity of an age-old socialite with fan-forums and gossips dedicated to them.
Most importantly, A Study in Charlotte tells a story about the two descendants of Holmes and Watson respectively: Charlotte Holmes and James Watson. They’ve never meet each other before, until Watson got a rugby scholarship in a boarding school in Connecticut and their path crossed. A murder would bring them closer together, and kickstarted their whole relationship as they worked on a case that had them framed.
Let me start it with a disclaimer: I don’t cream myself over BBC Sherlock. I used to like it when it first came out, but with after the second season that came out I just lose my interest of it. If anything, I enjoy Elementary more, where characters are deconstructed and given time for development, and even Joan Watson is treated with respect. Why do I bring it up, you ask? Am I just being a hipster that hates something other people like? Because everyone in this review section mentions that version of Sherlock, and praise that version of modern day Sherlock only. There’s room for more. There’s room for retelling of these two characters that isn’t queerbaited for horny fangirls to cream themselves with.
Do drag me.
But I’m getting ahead of myself. We’re here for A Study in Charlotte, which of course, to my disappointment, delved into a classic YA trope as soon as this version of Holmes is a girl. Without any significant lead to the romantic undertones, James Watson “fall”/has an infatuation for Charlotte Holmes, because she’s unique and beautiful. Hmm. I honestly don’t buy the romantic undertones of these two, but I love the platonic dynamic between them, the banter they’re allowed with and the fights they are involved. I do wonder whether I would appreciate their romantic undertones more if they were both girls. Haha. But what I do know, Jamie’s romantic feelings for Charlotte was a little bit obsessive sometimes; it really distracts from the plot and it doesn’t even feel that crucial.
In terms of characterization, both Charlotte and Jamie were lovely. While they have similarities and tropes similar to their great-great grandfathers, they were given enough space to develop as their own characters, with their own weaknesses and insecurities, with their own goodness and pluses. They balance each other in a way that was believable. It’s interesting to see a duo as classic as Holmes and Watson not only in modern day perspective, but also in teenage perspective (especially with Holmes being a girl who’s harassed and condescended by boys who don’t know better), which is a very interesting and fresh take for the characters who are usually portrayed as experienced and old. No, this version’s Holmes and Watson are both young, with less experiences, putting into the words of Jamie: “not quite Holmes and Watson yet”. It would be interesting to see them grow as characters into something that’s worthy of the name throughout the trilogy.
The mystery in A Study in Charlotte was okay. It was well-written and exciting, with enough threads in the story that kept you guessing, but in the end, we’re given quite an info-dump—an exposition, if you would—that I feel like could’ve been revealed and written better. It would work as a dialogue we can both watch and hear, but in terms of writing, it seems like a hurried exposition more than a revelation.
One thing that really bothered me from this book was the way the rape was portrayed. I’m a sexual assault survivor and I understand that Charlotte, here, didn’t report the rape; in some extent, the oxy she was using aside, I understand that there was also shame. But this wasn’t something that was written into the narrative. The only people who are given chance to react emotionally to the rape was not Charlotte, but rather Jamie, because we were to believe how good he was for being on her side—his borderline obsessive crush aside. What he thought in this book was right: he’s no different. I rolled my eyes when I come to the passage that “Dobson deserved to grow to a better person”. No, he’s a rapist, he might not deserved to be murdered, but he deserved to be in jail for raping a girl while she’s on drugs. What I would appreciate is more agency for Charlotte in the next book, a chance for her to deal with her problems healthily, and I would be disappointed if her issues are just brushed aside, especially the fact that she’s a rape survivor.
That aside, A Study in Charlotte is a very fun, light-weight book. It’s no brain food, but it has enough action and witty dialogue to entertain you for whatever time you have reading it.
But hey, how fun was it to imagine a descendant of Sherlock Holmes, colorless, unique in her own right, playing Mario Kart on Wii?
Rating: 3.25 out of 5
“We weren't Sherlock Holmes and John Watson. I was ok with that, I thought. We had things they didn't, too. Like electricity, and refrigerators. And Mario Kart.”
This book was really fun. It’s a light read, and I finished it in one sitting.
A Study in Charlotte’s narrative exist in a world where Sherlock Holmes and John Watson did exist, and that Watson penned their own adventures, with Sir Arthur Conan Doyle as his literary agent. It’s a book where both the authors and the characters poke fun at the inaccuracies Watson made in writing their stories, something that made me snort. He’s pretty much treated like a historical figure, with the Holmes and Moriarty family having popularity of an age-old socialite with fan-forums and gossips dedicated to them.
Most importantly, A Study in Charlotte tells a story about the two descendants of Holmes and Watson respectively: Charlotte Holmes and James Watson. They’ve never meet each other before, until Watson got a rugby scholarship in a boarding school in Connecticut and their path crossed. A murder would bring them closer together, and kickstarted their whole relationship as they worked on a case that had them framed.
Let me start it with a disclaimer: I don’t cream myself over BBC Sherlock. I used to like it when it first came out, but with after the second season that came out I just lose my interest of it. If anything, I enjoy Elementary more, where characters are deconstructed and given time for development, and even Joan Watson is treated with respect. Why do I bring it up, you ask? Am I just being a hipster that hates something other people like? Because everyone in this review section mentions that version of Sherlock, and praise that version of modern day Sherlock only. There’s room for more. There’s room for retelling of these two characters that isn’t queerbaited for horny fangirls to cream themselves with.
Do drag me.
But I’m getting ahead of myself. We’re here for A Study in Charlotte, which of course, to my disappointment, delved into a classic YA trope as soon as this version of Holmes is a girl. Without any significant lead to the romantic undertones, James Watson “fall”/has an infatuation for Charlotte Holmes, because she’s unique and beautiful. Hmm. I honestly don’t buy the romantic undertones of these two, but I love the platonic dynamic between them, the banter they’re allowed with and the fights they are involved. I do wonder whether I would appreciate their romantic undertones more if they were both girls. Haha. But what I do know, Jamie’s romantic feelings for Charlotte was a little bit obsessive sometimes; it really distracts from the plot and it doesn’t even feel that crucial.
In terms of characterization, both Charlotte and Jamie were lovely. While they have similarities and tropes similar to their great-great grandfathers, they were given enough space to develop as their own characters, with their own weaknesses and insecurities, with their own goodness and pluses. They balance each other in a way that was believable. It’s interesting to see a duo as classic as Holmes and Watson not only in modern day perspective, but also in teenage perspective (especially with Holmes being a girl who’s harassed and condescended by boys who don’t know better), which is a very interesting and fresh take for the characters who are usually portrayed as experienced and old. No, this version’s Holmes and Watson are both young, with less experiences, putting into the words of Jamie: “not quite Holmes and Watson yet”. It would be interesting to see them grow as characters into something that’s worthy of the name throughout the trilogy.
The mystery in A Study in Charlotte was okay. It was well-written and exciting, with enough threads in the story that kept you guessing, but in the end, we’re given quite an info-dump—an exposition, if you would—that I feel like could’ve been revealed and written better. It would work as a dialogue we can both watch and hear, but in terms of writing, it seems like a hurried exposition more than a revelation.
“You think you’re defending my ‘honor,’ but you’re just as bad as he is.”
One thing that really bothered me from this book was the way the rape was portrayed. I’m a sexual assault survivor and I understand that Charlotte, here, didn’t report the rape; in some extent, the oxy she was using aside, I understand that there was also shame. But this wasn’t something that was written into the narrative. The only people who are given chance to react emotionally to the rape was not Charlotte, but rather Jamie, because we were to believe how good he was for being on her side—his borderline obsessive crush aside. What he thought in this book was right: he’s no different. I rolled my eyes when I come to the passage that “Dobson deserved to grow to a better person”. No, he’s a rapist, he might not deserved to be murdered, but he deserved to be in jail for raping a girl while she’s on drugs. What I would appreciate is more agency for Charlotte in the next book, a chance for her to deal with her problems healthily, and I would be disappointed if her issues are just brushed aside, especially the fact that she’s a rape survivor.
That aside, A Study in Charlotte is a very fun, light-weight book. It’s no brain food, but it has enough action and witty dialogue to entertain you for whatever time you have reading it.
But hey, how fun was it to imagine a descendant of Sherlock Holmes, colorless, unique in her own right, playing Mario Kart on Wii?
Rating: 3.25 out of 5
emilyanneofgreengables's review
adventurous
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5