My three positives and a negative because the world needs more positivity:
+ This book’s premise was my perfect bait. Time travel? Yes, please. I was thrilled when it was featured during a Gloss Book Club preview event. The time travel was well done - the protagonist, Cassandra, can go back in time - but only by a few months. How this plays out is both hilarious and heartbreaking
+ Cassandra, who has autism, experiences the world with such pain and angst. The author translates her challenges in creative ways. For example, she sees emotions with colors; when people touch her, she experiences physical pain. These helped put me in her shoes (as horrifying as that would be to her). On first blush, I was frustrated that Cassandra doesn’t know she is on the spectrum. But, then I realize that why would she? While she suspects that others don’t struggle like she does - how would you ever really know?
+ The surprise reveal on what relationship Cassandra really needs to repair was most welcome. Boyfriends, roommates, co-workers, bosses all play a role, but the real learning hits much deeper. I love the ying and yang of the interactions
- I loved and hated the ending. On one hand, it almost could not be prevented. But, on the other, really?!?! After all Cassandra has been through, this is what the author does. I feel like perhaps things could have worked out differently - but maybe not

A thank you to Gloss and NetGalley for this ARC

I almost gave up on this one but I’m glad I did not because it really turns around towards the second half. By her very nature Cassandra is hard for both the people in her life and the reader to get to know. She’s abrasive and cold and very different. Her sudden ability to move through time is just a weird plot device by it’s suddenness and how she uses it. This is really a book about accepting oneself and opening up to the possibilities around you. It does not dwell on the idea of destiny but I really liked how in her different time loops there was often a similarity and a clearness about what is meant or not meant to be. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Cassandra in Reverse is the story of a unique, neurodiverse woman and the various things that occur in her life after she suddenly has the ability to go back in time and change the past.

Cassandra has been fired and dumped by her boyfriend in the same day, and her body appears to just shut down. After she makes her way home, she realizes that she is suddenly reliving the previous day. She slowly figures out how to tweak this new power to go back to the beginning of her relationship and try to keep both her boyfriend and her job. Of course, things don't always go quite as planned, and the many backtracked moments start to erase other moments until Cassandra is even confused about what is happening in her current timeline.

I found the tone of the book to be very unique and loved the little asides (Cassandra does not play well with others, etc). I felt a lot of empathy for Cassandra, as it was clear that she finds it extremely hard to understand emotions or how to interact with other people. She tries to look up ways to be a people person on the internet, and her struggle is likely one felt by so many people in the world. Of course since I felt so much empathy for her, I couldn't stand the characters who were mean or didn't try to understand her and adored those who allowed her to be freely herself.

I did struggle with the pacing a bit in the middle, as part of the book felt overly long. I also struggled with all of the references to Greek mythology, but when I got to the end I understood a bit more why those were sprinkled so liberally throughout the book. Unfortunately those did tend to slow me down or even make me skip a section involving yet another story of a Greek God.

I found the time loop parts to be funny, especially when Cassandra is on a date and things go horribly wrong time and time again.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing/ MIRA for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Thank you Netgalley and Invitd for the eARC if this book

Cassandra Penelope Dankworth is a creature of habit. She likes what she likes (museums, jumpsuits, her boyfriend, Will) and strongly dislikes what she doesn't (mess, change, her boss drinking out of her mug). Her life runs in a pleasing, predictable order…until now.
She's just been dumped.
She's just been fired.
Her local café has run out of banana muffins.
Then, something truly unexpected happens: Cassie discovers she can go back and change the past.
Now, Cassie should be able to find a way to fix the life she accidentally obliterated. And with time on her side, how hard can it be?

When I read the synopsis for this book, I thought it had great potential, even though I am not a huge fan of time travel books.. However it fell a little short of the mark for me. I couldn't get truly invested in the characters.

It's been rare for me to feel so invested in a novel's character, especially when she is so different from me. But I found myself really feeling for Cassandra and rooting for her. Each version that emerged from the latest incarnation of time travel revealed a slightly better version of Cassandra; not in the sense of how others viewed her, but in the confidence and awareness that she gained from the experiences. I really enjoyed this novel.

I am a fan of time travel stories. How much can you change your life if you get to start the worst day of your life over and over. This book is funny and heartwarming. Definitely recommended.

Fun premise, but it fell a bit short. I was engaged at the beginning, but things fell apart shortly after. I found myself not really caring about the characters, and there was far more of a Greek mythology angle than expected. I was expecting more of a time-travel angle.

Fantastic read that will have you rooted for Cassandra to just get it right this time, okay, now this time, or maybe now. It is genuinely fun to read through all of her attempts to get something *just right* after learning how to time travel. Cassandra is a mess, but she's a mess we can empathize with. We want her to succeed, because she's just so earnest in her own quest for understanding and self improvement.

Cassandra is one of those truly unique characters that you can't help but love all the little 'quirks' that make her uniquely herself. If only everyone else in her life felt the same way. When Cassandra has a particularly bad day (her boyfriend of four months dumps her, her boss at the PR firm she works at fires her and to top it all off, her local cafe runs out of her favorite muffin) this in turns Cassandra's life completely upside down. It's then that she discovers she has the power to turn back time. To redo any given situation and try to get a better outcome the second time. Through many 'undos' Cassandra learns not only more about herself but more about others around her.

Cassandra in Reverse Is the story of a young woman who has always struggled to fit in, and has been continually reminded of it by those around her. Although the author doesn’t label Cassandra as autistic, the details surrounding her feelings and dislikes are reflective of someone who is on the spectrum. I struggled with this book a bit around the 25% mark due to the speed at which it was progressing (rather slowly), but sticking with the story brought a few surprises and a conclusion that is enjoyable.
The main character loves Greek mythology, so you get a healthy helping of that, and she has an entertaining dry sense of humor. I enjoyed the similarity of this character to Elanor in Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine. Thank you, Netgalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing, for the ARC copy and opportunity to provide an honest review.

I received a free e-arc of this book through Netgalley. The POV is a 31-year-old woman with autism, but she doesn't know she has autism until the end and just thinks she is weird. She is having the 3rd worst day of her life and then just like the movie 'Groundhog Day', she wakes up to this same day again and again. What would you do? I have a close family member who was recently diagnosed with autism so a lot of the things in this book made a lot of sense of me. I enjoyed it a lot.

This book is staying on my keeper shelf. I absolutely loved this!
I just reviewed Cassandra in Reverse by Holly Smale. #CassandrainReverse #NetGalley
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This was a fun take on the time travel trope! It was enjoyable to read and is a book I would definitely recommend!

Cassandra in Reverse is an absolute delight! Our heroine is Cassandra, a reluctant public relations account manager. She isn’t fond of the public or relating in any way, shape or form. We follow her as she navigates work, a romantic relationship and day to day life. After a particularly frustrating day, she discovers that she can time travel! She decides to rewind and in an attempt to fix her life. What could go wrong? Quirky rich characters and short chapters make this a quick read. Perfect for fans of Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine.

This is such an interesting book with a quirky, neurodivergent, unique heroine. It's quite a mashup of Oona Out of Order meets Sliding Doors! This book is more than just a time travel and stuck-in-a-loop story. It's about second chances, self-growth, changing your life path, and learning more about yourself, your capabilities, dreams, and potentials.

I found the plot interesting, and Cassandra is definitely an original, unique, one-of-a-kind character with a different perception. You can easily connect with her and get a close look at her journey. She's dealing with the worst kind of day when she loses everything she cares about: her job, her place to live, her boyfriend. Then time moves backwards to give her a chance to make different decisions, following different paths to reach different outcomes. But eventually, she has to find out who she really is and what she wants to do with her life. She's named after Cassandra, a Trojan priestess in Greek mythology dedicated to the god Apollo, fated by him to utter true prophecies but never to be believed.

There are so many Greek mythology references in this book because of Cassandra's special interest in the subject. This slows down the pace and adds a little philosophical approach to the book. The time-loop theme turns into a repetitive cycle, which also bored me a little.

But overall, I'm still rounding up my 3.5 stars to 4 for its interesting concept and likable character.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing/MIRA for sharing this digital reviewer copy with me in exchange for my honest thoughts.

Thanks so much Harlequin Publishing, MIRA, and NetGalley for an advance read in exchange for this review.

Cassandra's boyfriend breaks up with her in the morning and then by lunchtime she is fired from her PR job for not being personable enough. She soon finds herself reliving these moments over and over again and discovers that she can time travel.

I thought this was an enjoyable read. There's a lot of substance in this book as Cassandra learns more about herself and how she relates to people. There is something that is hinted at a lot in this book and revealed later on in the end that explains a lot of her quirks and behavior. It was quite interesting to follow Cassandra's growth and how she rediscovers herself. I wish the ending had been a bit more satisfactory, but overall the book is so good!

3.25/5 stars! I love a good time travel story so I was excited to read this book. Cassie was likable if predictable and overall this story worked. I think what was less successful was really spelling out for the reader where Cassie was traveling to and keeping it from getting confusing for the reader. Overall, a good story but frustratingly confusing to keep track of at times.

I received an advance review copy for free through NetGalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily

Cassandra has an absolutely horrible day losing her boyfriend, her job, and her room to rent. The next day , everything changes and she is back to the day before. She learns she can go back in time instantly and change outcomes. The book tells a story of what she did differently, the outcomes, and through it all, her learning about herself and growing as a result.
It was a cute book but rather boring at times.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I looked forward to this book because it involved time travel in a character on the spectrum. Cassandra’s boyfriend breaks up with her plus she is fired and evicted, all on the same day. She learns how to time travel a bit back to the past to erase these errors. She gets confused in what happens when, and so do I.

If you like mythology and mythological characters, you’ll enjoy this book.

It was an interesting premise: having an autistic-like person re-live part of her life, analyzing and changing her own behavior, hoping for a different outcome in a relationship. But the book became repetitious: too many personal hygiene details; too much Greek mythology. The characters seemed unremarkable. The use of the letter “f” unattached to the remainder of the word f ell f lat and stopped the f low of the narrative f or me.