This is the second book in the series and I highly recommend reading or re-reading the first installment of this series before picking this one up. I had to do a bit of a re-read to remember what happened and who everyone was. This was definitely better than the first book in my opinion from both a mystery plot point and also from a character development standpoint. This time our teenage sleuth is a substitute teacher at her old middle school. While older, she definitely hasn’t put her sleuthing days behind her!

Free eARC provided by NetGalley and the publisher for reviewing purposes.

This is a great second installment in this series. We follow Charlotte Illes, former child detective a la Encyclopedia Brown or Nancy Drew, now a grown up millennial as she tries to survive life and gets back into mystery solving. Fair warning- this is very much a millennial coded book. I really enjoyed this mystery more than the previous installment- I found the integration of her friends into the story to be more natural (Charlotte is working as a substitute at the school where her best friend works), and even though I didn't remember a lot of the first book, this universe felt a lot more lived in. It's also fun to return to where Charlotte had a lot of middle school adventures and see her interact now as an adult with the vice principal who used to punish her for rule breaking while solving mysteries as a child. For those who don't usually enjoy child characters written in books- the middle schoolers themselves are not a huge part of the story, but they are well written and I thought they were a good part of the story.
I also felt like the details for solving this mystery made more sense when you put them together than the first book- kudos to the author for improving on the mystery part when the first installment felt so character driven. Overall, if you liked the first one and you're a cozy mystery fan, I think you'll like this one even better!

Another cute Charlotte Illes! It’s a fun cozy mystery with a great group of friends! Very enjoyable!

"I thought this was really well written and I look forward to reading more from this author in the future. I think it will find readers at our library, so we will definitely be purchasing for the collection.

What a beautiful second novel! Charlotte Illes returns to a new mystery and keep readers on their toes!

Enjoyed this endearing, funny mystery! Well-written with quirky, delightful characters. This is the second Charlotte Illes novel in the series…looking forward to the next one.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Charlotte Illes is back with her besties and ready for... middle school. Taking a gig at her old middle school as a substitute teacher, Charlotte finds mysteries a plenty, just like when she was a kid. As she tries to leave her adolescent sleuthing self behind, she finds herself forging a new and unexpected path, but not completely removed from little Lottie. While a lot has changed since middle school (including her perspective on a former teacher) her love for mysteries and justice is still her driving force.

This second in the series was as delightful as the first and I look forward to more shenanigans from Charlotte and her best friends.

If you loved the first book, you’re going to love this one. If you didn’t love the first book, I hate to be the one to tell you this (lol no I don’t) but your opinion is wrong.

Book two is so wonderful because we already know and love the three main characters and starting to read this story was like getting together with friends I haven’t seen in a long time. And then there’s new characters introduced and omg some of them are just so so so delightful - specifically a group of Lucy’s students but I can’t say more because no spoilers.

Prepare yourself for some fun, some feels, some nostalgia, and maybe even some well-deserved childhood regression with this book! 💚

Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest rating and review.

This novel is the second in Siegel’s series featuring former child detective Charlotte Iles. It can be read as a standalone work, despite being a sequel; any important points needed from the first book are provided.

I really enjoyed the first book in this series, but this one didn’t engage me as much. I think it was the school setting. I found it odd how easily someone with no formal educational training was able to become a substitute teacher (and a long term one at that). I appreciated what was being done overall in terms of plot, but that weirdness of set up stuck out to me pretty much throughout the book.

All that said, the characters are as engaging as in the previous book, and the examination of queer culture in schools well-done. I also enjoyed seeing how Charlotte interacted with those who knew her when she was a child detective and those who have only heard of her legacy. The mystery was also consistently interesting, which kept me reading.

this had everything that I was looking for in a sequel to this series, the characters felt like they were supposed to and enjoyed the overall feel of them in this story. It had everything that I enjoyed from the genre. I thought Katie Siegel wrote this perfectly and left me wanting to read more in this series and from the author.