A fun mystery read

I quite enjoyed this book. The vibe of cosy mystery with detective stuff was very fun to read, and I thought the author really managed to keep me guessing with the case all the while entertaining me with the story. I'll admit that, outside of the mystery, what I loved most was the friendship. Charlotte and her friends are absolutely adorable and the queer representation was on point and a big bonus for me. It did feel a little childish at times despite the characters' age, but nothing that prevented me from thoroughly enjoying the book. All in all, it was funny, exciting, mysterious, and very inspiring as well, so a very good read.

I recommend if you like cosy mystery and great friendships.

"Charlotte knew it was coming. She had felt it coming as soon as she got the very first whiff of a mystery."

I actually enjoyed this one more than the first. Charlotte is back with her quirky friends and family. She's also back at her old school as a substitute and finds herself investigating there again, as she did as a child.

The banter in this one is quite good. It's hard to find decent banter outside of romance novels. I also enjoy that these are younger people but this isn't a young adult novel. The school setting is fun, and the mystery is believable.

I like the representation of people of different backgrounds and personalities and find it realistic.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC. I shared it with my monthly book club, as I did the first one.

The second book in the series, with Charlotte still trying to figure out her life so she takes a job as a substitute teacher which leads her to a new case. Overall a low stakes mystery that errs on the side of cozy.

Formerly a child detective, twenty-five year-old Charlotte Illes is now trying to figure out what she wants to do as an adult. In addition to some detective jobs for a local (very attractive, but of course Charlotte doesn't view her that way...), her friend Lucy has gotten her a job as a substitute teacher. But was does Charlotte know about children? Although, we do get to see flashbacks of Charlotte working on cases in middle school.
Surprisingly, there are just as many mysteries in the school as there were when Charlotte was a kid (so it's a good thing at least one of her detective kits is still hidden around the school.) Of course, these mysteries are somewhat updated, involving bobbleheads and social media. And blackmail- at least that one is recognizable. In this case, threatening letters have been sent to one of the teachers as well as her aunt who is the president of the school board.
I did feel like the ending came a little bit out of nowhere but it was still a fun book and the children weren't just plot moppets, they had actual personalities. I hope we get to see some more of Nia (a budding child detective herself), in future books.

Four stars
This book came out July 23, 2024
Charlotte Illes #2
Follow2 by Charlotte Illes is not a Detective
ARC kindly provided by Kensington Books and NetGalley
Opinions are my own

I loved the first book in this series & was super excited when I learned there would be more. I so enjoyed this one! If you haven't read the first book, go do it now!! Charlotte is still trying to find herself & figure out adult life and is starting a substitute teaching job at the school where her best friend, Lucy teaches. Lucy asks her to consider putting on the detective hat (figuratively) again to figure out who is sending threatening letters to a fellow teacher & the teacher's aunt, the president of the local Board of Education. Charlotte is returning to the same middle school where she was student & some of the staff from that time are still around, making Charlotte's efforts to not relive her childhood detective days difficult.

I absolutely love these characters. The friendship between Charlotte, Lucy, & Gabe is real. They don't always agree & they love and accept each other anyway. The students introduced in this books are delightful & I want more of them! Charlotte's journey to accept herself and what she wants in life is wonderful. I love how I feel when I read these books.

The mystery is excellently paced, complex enough to keep you guessing, and just well done. I can't wait to read more of Charlotte's adventures!

Thanks to NetGalley & Kensington for the opportunity to read & review this title. The opinions here are mine alone & freely given.

Calling all fans of Harriet the Spy this book series is for you! This sequel to Charlotte Illes Is Not a Detective was just as witty and add an extra layer of having flashbacks to cases she solved in middle school that really made the book stellar.

I thought the character development for Charlotte Illes was done better in this book with her still trying to discover who she is after making it big as a child detective. I enjoyed the relationships that Charlotte has with Gabe and Lucy along with trying to make more friends.

I really hope there will be a sequel to this book since the situations that Charlotte gets herself into is just so hilarious!

Unlike many reviewers, I didn’t enjoy this book by Katie Siegel. Charlotte Illes is a 25-year-old who became well-known as a girl detective when she was younger. Now, years later, she’s trying to become more adult-like and figure out what to do with herself.

I thought the premise sounded interesting but, instead, much of this book was off-putting for me. The characters are flat, unappealing, and childish. The hallmark of the book is supposed to be the humor, but there seemed to be very little of that as well. Charlotte, as a child, was often tolerated instead of reprimanded for her behavior. In my estimation, not a great way to raise a responsible adult.

Moreover, the writing isn’t compelling and I found it bothersome that the author always included the character’s race when introducing them for the first time. (she had long brown hair, white, and big blue eyes). Does the race of the character make a difference in the plot? So many things didn’t add up, including Charlotte’s lack of knowledge about social media – not too believable for someone her age – and the fact that not once did Charlotte and her cohorts ever consider reporting the disturbing and threatening events to the proper authorities.

As I started this book I didn’t realize it’s the second book in a series. But, I didn’t find that to be a detriment. However, I’m not sure I’ll read any more books by this author. NetGalley provided an advance copy.

I have to say I enjoyed this book more than the first one in the series. Charlotte Isles is still determined she is not a detective and in need of a day job she accepts substitute teaching at her old middle school where her best friend Lucy now works. Charlotte is determined to not be her 10 year old child detective self, but she can’t help but be drawn in when Lucy’s friend and co-teacher starts to get threatening letters telling her to quit. I loved that Charlotte worked with her friends no the mystery and then even got to mentor a small group of future detectives. I also loved that Charlotte got to relieve her old middle school and realize that her perspective then may not have been the whole picture and air vents are harder to navigate when you’re 25. The humor in this one was great, and I have to admit that I only got the mystery half right which is always fun for me. I hope this is the second of many books in this series.

Charlotte Illes is Not a Detective
By Katie Siegel
Kensington
July 2024

Review by Cynthia Chow

Even though she’s finally agreed to do unpaid minor investigations for friends and family, 25-year-old Charlotte Illes is still adjusting to life as a former famous Kid Detective. She no longer wants to allow that identity to consume her entire sense of self, but she also hasn’t exactly decided on just what she wants to do with her life. That explains how the ex-mini-Sherlock is convinced by her childhood best friend to become a substitute teacher, as Lucy Ortega loves being a language arts teacher at the same Middle School they once attended together. Charlotte never expected that she would return 13 years later to the place where she was infamous for crawling through ventilation ducts to eavesdrop and solve the mysteries of who ate which teacher’s lunch. While the Frencham Middle School secretary who used to conveniently look away every time Lottie used to ask for office keys has long retired, the same Vice President who issued warning memos regarding the former tween still presides. What has changed are the students themselves, as they are openly queer and seem to embrace an acceptance of themselves that Charlotte and her two besties can only envy. Charlotte doesn’t NOT encourage the middle schoolers who join her for lunch periods to discover the many detective kits she hid around the campus, but it’s she who learns from them about how to track down clues through their social media posts and followings. That comes in handy when Charlotte is drawn into a case involving Lucy’s fellow teacher Kim Romano, who is being blackmailed regarding her former job and whose aunt is threatened to drop out of the Board of Education presidency election. After Kim’s bake sale brownies inadvertently cause an allergic reaction despite her declarations that they were nut-free, Charlotte is drawn into the case to discover who is threatening the middle school teacher’s chance at tenure and her aunt’s school board presidency.

This second in the series is an absolute romp that plays tribute to the very teachers who may have inspired the love of reading. Also remarkable is that Charlotte and her friends discover that in the 13 years since they left, so much has changed for the students…and mostly for the better. Charlotte, along with her childhood friends Gabe and Lucy, have a bond that has them making good-natured jokes that are based on their longtime knowledge and love for one another. As fascinating as Charlotte’s actual investigations are how she is so troubled by her identity as a kid detective. As much as she feels trapped and boxed in by her past, Charlotte also has to admit how good she is an investigator and that she doesn’t need to completely reject her past. Lucy as well has the very relatable challenge of learning to not always need others’ approval, while Gabe learns to not allow past rejections to prevent him from making future connections. These Gen Z’s may be more accepting of their own queerness, but they are still struggling to find their own passions and choice of careers. This trio is absolutely hilarious as they manage to finagle one another into their individual dilemmas, be it Gabe forcing them to take videos chewing disgusting “shareable” gum, Lucy learning to stop being too polite to a clingy ex, or Charlotte when again crawling through vents to eavesdrop on teachers. This is a modern-day mystery for readers who always dreamed of seeing their favorite childhood detectives all grown up and dealing with real-life issues.

A five-star outing for Charlotte Illes. The second book in the series brings back most of the characters from the first time around, but the author seems more confident in writing about them. The story is well-plotted and thoroughly enjoyable. I can't wait to read the third.

Yes! I loved this book even more than the first! I feel like I can completely relate to Charlotte when she feels like she's falling hard into something (in her case detecting) and finds it hard to stop or draw the line. She is singularly focused and hilarious and a sweet and caring friend. There is a lot of amazing banter in this book, especially between the friend trio. I loved the descriptions of Charlotte returning to her middle school as a sub and all the interesting students she meets. The characters in this book are fabulous and vivid and kept me laughing and guessing. I was shocked by all the reveals and loved how open Charlotte was. I also appreciate how cozy this mystery especially was because there was enough personal emotional struggles that I wasn't worried about constant danger for Charlotte.

Katie Siegel has a great comedic voice that clearly comes through in her writing. 

I wasn't sure how this installment would go since it revolves around a school, but the interactions with the students were some of my favorite parts. Since Charlotte deals a lot with her internal issues revolving around her childhood detective past, it was interesting to see her interact with kids who are involved in their own detective work. I appreciate that this book continues to be diverse and with great queer rep.

These books aren't quite for my personal taste, but since I love the author's voice, I still enjoy reading them. I'd be happy to get another installment, but I'm also hoping the author will write a comedic fantasy novel.

Thanks to Kensington Books and NetGalley for the digital ARC of this book; I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I had the pleasure of reading the ARC of Charlotte Illes is Not a Detective, so I was pumped that a sequel was available so soon after the first novel. (If you’d like to read my review of that book, click here.)

I do have to say that I enjoyed this cozy mystery much more than the debut novel! Even though I had issues with the first book, it had a lot of redeeming qualities that made me happy the character had returned! Charlotte is a “reformed” former child detective, ala Encyclopedia Brown or Trixie Belden, with nods to Nancy Drew, too. She’s bright and funny and openly queer, and despite her best efforts, mysteries just keep dropping into her lap.

The issues I had with the first book are not as apparent in the second volume, which, by the way, can be read as a standalone novel. You don’t have to have read the first book in order to enjoy this book. Because Charlotte, Lucy, and Gabe are all gainfully employed, I found the book much more realistic than the first.

This time around, Charlotte is a long-term substitute teacher for her old middle school, where her friend, Lucy works. A co-worker has been receiving anonymous threats, and with that, Charlotte is back on a case. There’s plenty of witty banter amongst the friends, actual sleuthing going on, and becoming mentors to some middle school kids.

I’m not going to rehash the plot but suffice it to say if you enjoy a cozy mystery with the nostalgia of all those children’s mystery series books, you’d probably enjoy this book, too.

Charlotte Illes is becoming one of my favorite series characters. In this one she's found herself a role as substitute teacher at her old middle school, where there are still a few of her "detective kits" hidden around the school, which proves quite convenient when a mystery comes up for her to solve. While the mystery is central to this, there's also a really heartwarming plot as Charlotte and her friends get to see the way queer community has changed for the kids at the school since their own youth, and Charlotte works on who she wants to be as an adult. Great takes on friendship and relationships in your twenties, as well.

I loved reading this book and seeing the mystery unfold from childhood detective to a twenty something year old teacher but still keeping the mystery alive.

Charlotte Iles is Not a Teacher is the 2nd book from social media personality, Katie Siegel.

"Charlotte is back at her old Middle School - this time as a substitute teacher. Charlotte is determined to stay away from any problems or issues that people have - no more cases for her. But she's pulled back to help a fellow teacher and the teacher's aunt."

Charlotte was a female Encyclopedia Brown as a student and has continued as a young adult but there's less novelty with this book than the first one. This story has a slow start. There are a lot of different parts to the mystery/incident and Charlotte and her friends tackle them one-by-one. There are some surprises at the end and Charlotte has to make some decisions.

Fans of the first book should enjoy this one.

Book 2 in this series is a lovely continuation of the easy mystery genre. Siegel's focus on the characters is a nice change of pace in this not at all high octane plot.

Thank you to Kensington Publishing and NetGalley for providing an eARC for a honest review.

I received this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I love sleuthing books on the vain of Nancy Drew or Harriet the Spy and I love Knives Out. This wasn't as fleshed out but enjoyed the plot a bit.

A nice second in the series that sees a 20 something Charlotte casting about to find herself but still solving crimes. A cozy without a murder, this has Charlotte pulling out her old detective skills to find out who has been sending threatening messages to Kim, one of the teachers at the school where she's working as a substitute. The same school she attended as a kid. This has good characters and representation. While it would help to have read the first book this will work as a standalone. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. YA yes but also entertaining for an, ahem, older reader.

Charlotte Illes returns for a sophomore sleuthing adventure in “Charlotte Illes is Not a Teacher”! I really enjoyed Charlotte’s first detecting adventure, so I was waiting impatiently for this one as soon as I heard about it. I do recommend reading “Charlotte Illes Is Not a Detective” before reading this one, both because it’s a great book and also it will give you more backstory about what’s happening in this one with all the MCs. I enjoyed seeing how Charlotte interacted with those who knew her when she was a child detective and those who have only heard of her and what she’s done. The mystery was also consistently interesting, which kept me reading. I enjoyed learning about the characters and the cases that childhood friends Lucy and Charlotte solved in their youth and how this affected Charlottes current case. I love that Katie Siegel makes every effort to write her characters thoughtfully but realistically. I loved the conversation between Gabe and Charlotte about queer kids in school! Thanks to Katie Seigel, Netgalley and Kensington Publishing for an e-arc in exchange for my thoughts. I hope that this is not the last we see of Charlotte Illes!