DNF Reviews: The Other Bigfoot Book & A Study in Charlotte

Ugh, ugh, ugh. Trust me, this post will be a day of sad DNFing. Did I want to DNF these books? Noooooooooooo. But did I? Yesssssss – which brings so much sadness to my heart. Let’s take a quick look at the two brilliant sounding books that failed to catch my book fancy. Also, let’s take a look at our featured princess of this post:

The Shadows We Know by Heart by Jennifer Park (aka Other Bigfoot Book that I was fangirling so, so, so hard)

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes and Noble

Leah Roberts’s life has never been the same since her brother died ten years ago. Her mother won’t stop drinking, her father can’t let go of his bitter anger, and Leah herself has a secret she’s told no one: Sasquatch are real, and she’s been watching a trio of them in the woods behind her house for years.

Everything changes when Leah discovers that among the Sasquatch lives a teenager. This alluring, enigmatic boy has no memory of his past and can barely speak, but Leah can’t shake his magnetic pull. Gradually, Leah’s life entwines with his, providing her the escape from reality she never knew she needed.

But when Leah’s two worlds suddenly collide in a deadly showdown, she uncovers a shocking truth as big and extraordinary as the legends themselves, one that could change her life forever.

From debut author Jennifer Park comes a haunting and luminous exploration of love, grief, and the dangerous lies that can bind—or break—us.

DNF @ 36%

Okay, this book was supposed to be on my favorites shelf. Another YA Bigfoot book? Omg, it was going to be perfect. So may heart eyes. However, it did not float my Bigfoot boat. I’m so disappointed in what I read. I’m not sure if it was me or the expectations I placed on it. I imagined this would be a happy go lucky Bigfoot book, and I got a heavy, darker, more emotional Bigfoot read, which I was not feeling instead. And that really rocked my view of how the book read.

I really think my main issue is in the feel/vibe of the book. Bigfoot books, to me, are supposed to be happy and fun and about, well, Bigfoot. This story felt depressing. Literally, everything was sad about it – the main character, the home life, the way Leah was treated. Everything was dark and heavy, and when the Bigfoot family appeared, I couldn’t even get excited because I was too sad.

And then I kept getting confused by a few of the characters. I figured out who the mysterious boy was right away, but then I kept messing up a few of the characters’ names as well (I could have sworn Reed was Leah’s brother, but apparently not). I didn’t find Leah’s friend all that nice and I didn’t find either of the love interests intriguing. I felt sad, unimpressed, and just bored with the part that I read. I think this would have just been a fine contemporary had it been focusing on the death of the brother and the family dynamics it caused. However, infused with the Bigfoot storyline, it was a bit too much and it certainly didn’t fit the mood. So I had to stop – which crushes my Bigfoot loving heart.

No crowns since I didn’t make it far enough and a Snow White rating!

A Study in Charlotte by Brittany Cavallaro

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes and Noble

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.

DNF @ 27%

Ummmmmm, this wasn’t my cup of tea. Perhaps it was a combo of things – the fact that I was prepared for a Gossip Girl version of Sherlock, I’m apparently in a horrible book rating slump where I keep reading books I don’t like, I’m not super as in to Sherlock as I used to be, or maybe, this book was just rough. I’m not really sure.

My issues:
– the characters (I didn’t particularly like Jamie or Charlotte. I mean, I felt nothing. Literally nothing.)
– the characterization (when did Watson get so violent and Charlotte’s Sherlock observations felt…not real? They kind of just came out and I saw no epic logic behind them. How does white shoelaces have any bearing on anything?)
– I kept forgetting there was a mystery at play (or who was even murdered – was his name Lou? I feel like his name was Lou.)

There were some interesting to parts of it. I thought it was incredibly inventive and the author’s mythology was intriguing. I definitely give major kudos for giving new life to the Sherlock story. Although I’m really not sure Gossip Girl was really the setting for it. And I think that is what turned me off the most. I know Sherlock wasn’t a saint or anything, but gosh, this was weird for me.

I tried? Snow White rating and no crowns since I didn’t finish. Gosh, I need to get out of this rut and fast. Still love that cover, though.

xoxo, Book Princess trying to get the full Gossip Girl effect here

What do you think? Does a setting/tone of a book really trip you up? Have you tried with these books? Let’s discuss in the comments below!