A Study in Charlotte

By: Brittany Cavallaro
Published Year: 2016
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
Pages: 321

Amazon Barnes and Noble

Summary (Provided by Goodreads): 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.

                                                                               First Impressions

I first heard about this book through the Debut Author Challenge hosted by Jana at That Artsy Reader Girl. The cover is gorgeous and immediately caught my eye. Then when I found out it’s about Sherlock Holmes and John Watson’s great great (great?) grandchildren? I was sold!

                                                                                 What I thought

Charlotte Holmes and James (Jamie) Watson meet at a boarding school in Connecticut in their Sophomore and Junior years respectively. Watson was given a full scholarship for his rugby skills to attend the school and was moved there from London by his mom. Charlotte was sent to the same school a year earlier due to family reasons. In this version of Holmeses and Watsons the families are not in touch. Therefore, Jamie and Charlotte have never met and have not been encouraged to meet. Charlotte, as expected, helps Scotland Yard with cases. Shortly after Jamie arrives at the new school a student gets murdered. Jamie and Charlotte are the main suspects, so they take it upon themselves to find the murderer.

For the most part I enjoyed the story. I feel like this is one of those stories that I enjoyed it while I was reading it, but a few days out I look back and don’t feel as positive about it as I did while reading it or even shortly after. That’s not o ay I didn’t enjoy the story, I definitely did. But I think initially, I was excited to read the next one when it came out and now I feel very meh about reading a second one.

It’s a cute story and I enjoyed the mystery aspect of it. I think one of my issues is that it’s a bit immature and predictable. I didn’t really like Charlotte or Jamie and their relationship together is a bit odd. I thought the murder was a bit quick in that the murder happened and immediately Charlotte went into Sherlock mode. I wish she was a little more different than the stereotypical Sherlock.

I did enjoy the environment that the story took place in. I also liked the take on the history of the Watson family and the Holmes family. I thought it was fun that Sherlock and Watson were real people and that their families didn’t get along because of that relationship and other issues they had.  I also enjoyed the references to original Sherlock stories. It was fun to include hat and I enjoyed the playfulness of it.

I think that my biggest issue is that Charlotte is so unlikeable. Maybe if I had read Sherlock when it came out I would’ve felt the same way about him? I just couldn’t connect with her and as a result couldn’t understand why Jamie was so taken with her. Considering that they are the two main characters, it definitely impacts the overall likability of the story.
 

While reading the book, I enjoyed myself. I finished it in about a day or two and I never felt like I was slugging my way through it. If you are younger or know someone younger I would recommend this book to you. I think I would’ve enjoyed it much more at a younger age. It’s not a complex mystery novel and considering that’s more what I enjoy now, I think that was a bit of my issue. I wouldn’t re-read this and I may or may not pick up the second one. I would definitely check out another book by AUTHOR, but maybe a different story.