Name: Sarah Sammis's review of The Last of August by Brittany Cavallaro
Item: The Last of August
Rating: 4
Author: Sarah Sammis

Brittany Cavallaro

In the second brilliant, action-packed book in the Charlotte Holmes series, Jamie Watson and Charlotte Holmes are in a chase across Europe to untangle a web of shocking truths about the Holmes and Moriarty families. Jamie and Charlotte are looking for a winter break reprieve in Sussex after a fall semester that almost got them killed. But nothing about their time off is proving simple, including Holmes and Watson’s growing feelings for each other. When Charlotte’s beloved Uncle Leander goes missing from the Holmes estate—after being oddly private about his latest assignment in a German art forgery ring—the game is afoot once again, and Charlotte throws herself into a search for answers. So begins a dangerous race through the gritty underground scene in Berlin and glittering art houses in Prague, where Holmes and Watson discover that this complicated case might change everything they know about their families, themselves, and each other.

The Last of August

In the second brilliant, action-packed book in the Charlotte Holmes trilogy, Jamie Watson and Charlotte Holmes are in a chase across Europe to untangle a web of shocking truths about the Holmes and Moriarty families. Jamie and Charlotte are looking for a winter break reprieve in Sussex after a fall semester that almost got them killed. But nothing about their time off is proving simple, including Holmes and Watson’s growing feelings for each other. When Charlotte’s beloved Uncle Leander goes missing from the Holmes estate—after being oddly private about his latest assignment in a German art forgery ring—the game is afoot once again, and Charlotte throws herself into a search for answers. So begins a dangerous race through the gritty underground scene in Berlin and glittering art houses in Prague, where Holmes and Watson discover that this complicated case might change everything they know about their families, themselves, and each other.

Elena M.

I tended to spend too much time with my favorite things, loved them too hard until I wore them down. After a while, they became more like a shorthand for who I was and less like things I actually enjoyed.

Lila Harrison

Sarah Sammis

The Last of August by Brittany Cavallaro is the second book in the Charlotte Holmes series. Though it's set in Germany, rather than Switzerland, the title pretty much confirms that this will be a nod to "The Final Problem." I think it's an unspoken requirement among pastiche writers that the story which created the infamous fandom revolt that ultimately gave Sherlock Holmes his immortality must be paid homage to. 

http://pussreboots.com/blog/2017/comm...

3.5 stars. did I understand the plot? no. am I overly invested in charlottejamie? yes

nina 

I’m not sure what happened but this is nowhere as good as the first one. It was awfully repetitive and the mystery was boring. I did not care about the storyline at all.

mercy

i was going to rate this higher because the angst was just IMPECCABLE but everything else was boring so

Jamieson

You ever finish a book, open the goodreads reviews, scroll down, read some reviews .. squint in confusion .... read some more .. and just go ... what. Every single review, you're like, what the heck. Because that is me with this book. because apparently everyone else didn't like it as much as ASIC but oh my god, I liked it SO MUCH MORE. 


  “She smiled at me, that one particular smile I hardly ever saw, the one that could open padlocks, Yale locks, bank vaults, the one that was a trapdoor down into everything.” 


If you saw my review for A Study in Charlotte you would know I thought it was fun but there were some key elements I wanted development on to really like it. If you wanna know more about what this series is about, read that review. This one is going to be talking about this book specifically and the things I liked more about it compared to book one. Lets break them down:


x


→THE FAMILY BRANCHES: From the get go, the thing that interested me most about this series for me, was the different family branches and their tenuous connections between the Moriartys, Holmes' and Watson's. Most of this book focussed on family politics and explored the Moriarty family, which I LOVED. I also liked that Milo played a larger role in this, and so did Leander, Charlotte's uncle as well as Jamie's dad. The complex family politics, and each families influence on the global sphere was really interesting. 

→CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT: In A Study in Charlotte, I felt like every character was a bit too simple and predictable. The Last of August took a much deeper dive into these characters psyche, and developed them far outside of their famous namesakes. Charlotte, especially, I felt was given much more of an edge, and her character has this kind of dark side to it I really like. I disliked that she felt so similar to Holmes' the character in the first book, but in this one she feels much more developed and unique and I was glad of it. I also LOVED the Moriarty's and their characterisation. 

→NOT AS PREDICTABLE: That ending ... what the FUCK. All I can say is I did not see where this book was going and I LOVE IT. The subversion of typical tropes around Holmesian characters and the absolute twist at the end was TOO GOOD. I didn't see it coming but it all came together so well at the end, and I was left wondering how I missed it. I love those reveals. 

→THE GOOD WAS JUST AS GOOD: Everything I liked about book one was just as good here. The relationship between Charlotte and Jamie is great, and I love them a lot. I'm gonna real need them to step out of This Mess and be happy together to be honest. I think they're such an interesting duo, they're real different and yet two sides of the same coin. It's an interesting dynamic, and I really like the emphasis on the fact their relationship is built upon some questionable foundations. The unravelling of Jamie's romanticisation of Holmes was also interesting here, and I hope it continues. 



  "You used to go to plays with me and stay up late reading A Wrinkle in Time, and you'd make things out of clay and we'd bake them in the oven when mum wasn't around to complain about the smell, and some of them cracked. But you make beautiful art
 (I realise this quote is weird out of context but if FUCKS ME UPPP)

Anyway, I really liked this. I feel like Cavallaro capitalised off of so much missed potential from book one here. I really don't get the bad reviews, for me this was just as exciting as the first book, but it had the added bonus of being much more complex and dynamic in terms of character construction. I really enjoyed the extension to the worldbuilding, and the way Cavallaro expanded the scope of the series tenfold. Bringing the characters into the realm of international politics and organised crime, for me, heightened the stakes enormously. The ending is mind-bending and a hell of a cliffhanger, and I'm definitely excited to pick up book three soon!

celene

jamie’s a babie 🥺 and charlotte too 🥺

Anna

Mon avis reste le même que pour le tome 1.

Catarina Freitas

Elisa Bieg

What the heck.

Look, I love these two. I love their dynamic, their dialogues, the fact that they are all kind of messed up. I love reading about their adventures and messes and fights and back-and-forth, and dysfunctional families and everything. And I will absolutely keep reading this series.

But this was convoluted, weirdly paced, and the... hmmm, developments didn’t feel natural or organic or even like they would make entirely sense as far as how they were timed and such.

This wasn’t great. It wasn’t terrible, but it wasn’t great. 
This lands somewhere just a hair above 3 STARS for me, but I’m hoping the rest of the series if as good as the first!

Nicole Dykeman

The audiobooks for this series have me hooked. They’re seriously entertaining. But they’re tropey and predictable, and the end of this was a little confusing and messy. Will I finish the series though? Most definitely.

jess

The Last of August brings Charlotte Holmes and James Watson into the wider world and ups the stakes on their lives, which was pretty exciting to read about. 

Jamie annoyed me a bit more in this book than the last one. This may be because it has occurred to me that Jamie's a bit self-absorbed, especially when it comes to Charlotte and the romantic subplot surrounding them. I was reaaaaally hoping for that to disappear, but the focus on the romance just increased. Jamie romanticizes Holmes immensely. This is recognized, but I feel like he's imposing on Holmes by spending a lot of time complaining about how her trauma affects him. Charlotte is a good character. I like her a lot. She's blunt and pragmatic, which I really appreciate; it's different from a lot of YA characters. 

I still love the writing style, though; it's reminiscent of classic novels. (view spoiler)[I'm glad that, when the point of view abruptly changed to Holmes's for a couple chapters, it was distinctly different from Jamie's while still having the same kind of style. (hide spoiler)]

The plot was good for most of the book. It was fast and kept me focused and wanting to read more. However, the threads fell apart near the end and got very confusing very fast and I'm still not 100% what exactly went down, because it was complex and not explained quite as well as I would have liked it to be.

Lillian

ok i objectively think there were many things wrong with this book and it was not that good but I’m in too deep and charlottejamie have unfortunately got me so we’re gonna keep going

marilynn

Livia

3.5

Whew, what a ride!
I admit I was kind of put off at first. It was kinda hard to follow. But after, give or take, 100 pages, things started to pick up.
And that last 50 pages. The revelations being revealed. Woah.

Shan

3.5 from me. I absolutely love these characters, the mystery, the plotting, all of it. I could not put it down. However, the ending was overwhelming. I had to reread it to fully understand exactly what happened in a hectic last chapter. I was left wanting more and am looking to find the next book cheaper than what eBay has it at. I still love the series and never want it to end, but the last chapter really disappointed me and left me frustrated not with just the book being over, but everything.

Ella Patterson

Wasn’t in love with the mystery (kept getting confused between the antagonists) and the relationship between Charlotte and Jamie was aggressively angsty and leant into the miscommunication trope more than I would have liked. I might persist in the series because I am invested in their happinesses and relationship at this point but I’m not in love so far with how it’s progressing.

Alisha Dockrat

(Spoiler Review)

I'm not sure whether I preferred this or the previous book more. I definitely enjoyed the faster pace of this book, but I liked the mystery and the way it played out in A Study in Charlotte more.

While this book was enjoyable, I found myself confused or unable to keep up with it at certain times. Also, what even was the ending? It just seemed a bit hastily wrapped up and slightly confusing. 

Now, let's talk about Jamie. I liked his character development in this book, especially when he decided to not just shadow Charlotte but do some investigating himself. However, I think he spent a bit too much time moping around.

Regarding the Jamie/Charlotte relationship, I'm certain I preferred it in the first book when they were just getting to know each other. This time it just felt a bit wrong with the way Charlotte treated Jamie even with the way he felt about her. (Even though I'm quite impressed with the extent to which she cares about him.)

I'll admit to being surprised about August. I'm not entirely sure what I was expecting but it wasn't that. Although, throughout most of the book my feelings towards him were mutual. (Until Jamie started suspecting him.)

I also preferred the boarding school setting from the first book, although it was certainly interesting to get an insight on the Holmes' household.

Rating - 7.5 (4 stars)

The first book was phenomenal with the mystery writing and the development between the characters. This sequel, while still an excellent read, did not live up the standards of the first one I felt. I was disappointed in the "end solution" of the case. It felt like it was rushed almost, or as if it was maybe not exactly finished.

The characters in this did not have the same chemistry as the first one, which maybe was on purpose. I understand that Holmes is still working through her trauma, but she was doing that in the first one as well. This time the banter between the two fell flat. 

Still definitely looking forward to the next installment.

Alexa Jade

Honestly the mystery was too much for my peanut brain but goodness am I here for the characters!!!!! I haven’t loved characters like this in a while!

Camila Eduarda Vilela Lobianco

Man, really, I liked the book but I didn't understand anything about the ending, so I think this is the best review I can do. I suppose that I will read the next one because I really want to see if all of this have an explanation or if I am getting insane.

Kwan Ann Tan

Sequels are tough. Rarely do I find a sequel that makes me go.... oh shit.... i think that was better than the first book... and this is one of the rare ones that made me completely fall in love. The first book was a galloping, luxurious romp in getting to know the characters, and now that we know who the players are, it's time to dive into that lovely Greek tragedy that is the Holmes family and their centuries long battle with the Moriarty family. 

Literally, this series went from 0 to 100 in two books flat and the pace is breathtaking. I loved how Cavallaro takes the time to address Charlotte's issues with intimacy after her sexual abuse was pretty glossed over in the last book, and it's handled quite well, in my opinion. I also loved the introduction of August! Finally, we get to meet him after all the foreshadowing in the previous book, and he's exactly the sort of awkward, isolated and hurt sort of person I imagined him to be. Jamie really gets a spot to shine here as well, becoming more than a sidekick and a hero in his own right. 

And of course, we finally address the crux of the problem that has been haunting Charlotte and Jamie: a historical family feud neither cold nor detached, as either family would like to think, but a red-hot revenge that ruins lives on both sides.

Katharina Hoffmann

Ah, after reading the first book (and enjoying the heck out of it), I was hoping that this one would be just as good but I felt let down...

This book begins with Jamie spending Christmas at Charlotte's which includes getting to know her parents and her uncle Leander. The latter mysteriously disappears from the Holmes's manor and Jamie and Charlotte follow his trace to Berlin, Germany. There they meet up with Charlotte's older brother Milo who owns a tech company and August Moriarty, Charlotte's former crush and tutor.
Together they start investigating by diving into Berlin's art scene, hot on the tail of a ring of art forgers.

What I liked was the slow-burn romance between Charlotte and Jamie but that's kinda the only thing I enjoyed about their relationship in this book. Charlotte is still dealing with the after-effects of being raped by Dobson (book 1) and Jamie spends most of his time sulking about the fact that he and Charlotte can't have sex because she can barely bear being touched. This just made Jamie look like a dick.
The three teenagers (excluding Milo) spend the rest of the novel being undercover in Berlin and determinating what exactly that love triangle between them is.

August Moriarty is an interesting character and it was nice to finally get to know him after they talked so much about him in the first book. He is a great addition to this book though I felt like his character was missing some depth.

What bothered me is that Cavallaro still does that thing she already did in the first book. Sometimes, the narratives jumps from Jamie describing thing A to him describing thing C which often enough left me confused and caused me to re-read several sentences.
The ending felt rather rushed, the case's solution non-transparent and confusing.

What I liked about the first book was how Charlotte and Jamie weren't acting like "typical" teenagers while they did exactly that in this one.

Fingers crossed the next one will be better because "The Last of August" was a bit of a disappointment.

Sahi K

I was very excited at discovering the Charlotte Holmes series – a female Holmes in the modern era. It was too good to be true. I liked the first one in the series enough to discount its plot inconsistencies. I was quite excited to read this second book but this has disappointed me. There was too much teenage angst, multiple plots going on with no connection with each other and I did not even understand what was happening at certain times. Either I was too distracted before I reached the ending or the writing itself was unclear because I did not even realize what happened at the end until I read some of the reviews on Goodreads. Now that’s not a good sign.

I don’t think I was invested enough in the book to give a detailed review here nor am I going to give out any spoilers. I am also not sure if I am interested in reading the next book in the series but I can be very unpredictable and I might end up reading it anyways. I don’t usually abandon series in between and time will tell what I do with this one. Final word – This book is probably not for the die hard Sherlock fans.

Lila Harrison &
The Last of August by Brittany Cavallaro

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