If you had the chance to go back and fix your mistakes, would you? Cassandra Dankworth is big on routine. She has a particular order to everything, and it suits her just fine. That is, until she's dumped, fired, and her local cafe runs out of the only thing that can make her feel better. Cassie learns that she suddenly has the power to go back in time and change what happened in the past. She decides that she can use this new ability to fix the parts of her life that went wrong. Cassie has the time, but does she have the skills to change herself for the better?

An interesting take on the time travel/live your life again trope, with Cassandra discovering the ability to rewind parts of her life to do again. Cassandra is a great character, and I immediately sympathized with her and rooted for her. But, I had a couple of issues with this book:

1) The title is misleading. Cassandra is not actually living her life in reverse. Rather, she has the ability to turn back time and relive certain parts of her life. Cassandra Rewinds might have been a better choice.
2) Are we seriously expected to believe that no-one in Cassandra's life understood that she's on the autism spectrum? It's books like this that make me wish I were an editor. If I'd seen the manuscript, I would have suggested some seriously reworking of this point. To be clear, I'm not objecting to Cassandra being on the autism spectrum, but rather that a major piece of the plot seems to hinge on neither she nor anyone in her life recognizing it. I would have advised making it part of the plot from the beginning, rather than a mystery that has to be solved for Cassandra's life to make sense.

This was a decent book, but it didn’t completely capture my attention. I wasn’t excited about picking it up and continuing the story. I’m not into Greek mythology, so that part of it wasn’t interesting to me. I can see how many people will enjoy this book more than I did, though.

I thought this was such an interesting book revolving around time travel and second chances. This book reminded me a lot of Oona Out of Order which I also enjoyed.

This book is a delight! Think Oona Out of Order meets Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine--Cassandra in Reverse is all about self-discovery and growth, as well as learning what you are truly capable of, all with time travel involved. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced e-reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this one!

One thing that I've learned above myself is that while I don't really prefer fantasy books, I do love when a book has a time-travel element. But that also means I've read my fair share of time travel books and it's hard not to compare them to each other, even when the stories vary greatly otherwise.

Cassandra in Reverse was a light and fun time travel story. The writing was entertaining and funny and had me laughing out loud at times.

I also love books with neurodivergent characters and Cassandra was no exception. I loved how much the reader got to hear her internal thoughts and got a feel for what her experience was like in terms of noise, touch, etc. I was especially intrigued that rather than being able to read someone's emotions using physical clues, she instead saw emotions as colors. That was fascinating to me.

Cassandra has a strong interest in Greek mythology, so there is a lot of that interspersed throughout the book, but it was there in bits and pieces, never long chapters focused on mythology.

While I really liked Cassandra as a character and appreciated her character arc, I was a little disappointed that so much of her focus (and the book's focus, as a result) was on trying to go back in time and fix things with her ex. That said, I did like when she realized what going back in time was really meant to fix (being vague here on purpose so as not to spoil anything).

Overall I enjoyed the book. While it wasn't one of my favorite time-travel reads, I still think it was an all-around good book and would recommend it to others.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

3.75 stars

What to expect in this book:

-Time travel
-Greek mythology
-Neurodivergent characters
-Workplace drama
-Love stories

This book really surprised me! I am a huge fan of all things magical realism and enjoy when stories have a somewhat non-linear timeline. Reese's Book Club picks are super hit or miss for me and I was very hesitant about this one at first given that I have read so many time-travel books before (Oona Out of Order, This Time Tomorrow, Wrong Place, Wrong Time; In Five Years, etc.), I am glad to have been pleasantly surprised by this one. Cassandra lives a particular life and when she meets Will, she is certain about his place in her life. Until one day, Will decides to break up with Cassie. Then, she discovers that she can go back and change the past. Will she be able to keep her relationship and fix others in the process or will she continue to make the same mistakes over and over?

I listened to this one on audio and read it on kindle as well and thoroughly enjoyed the British and Irish accents. There were elements within the story that took on another level of complexity that I would have never seen coming. In somewhat Jodi Picoult-like fashion, there were several small twists in this one that would surprise most readers. I ended up really loving Cassandra's character and found myself satisfied with the overall ending. This was such an endearing read and I am honestly not sure why I have not seen more reviews for it!

If you are a fan of magical realism, time travel, human growth, and a book with little to no trigger warnings at all--be sure to grab this one! I could also see this being great for a book club! Thank you to #NetGalley and Harlequin Trade for an advanced reader's copy.

CASSANDRA IN REVERSE was such a great story!

WHAT TO EXPECT
-time travel
-a neurodivergent rep
-Greek Mythology

*many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the gifted copy for review

I am not always a fan of the time-traveling element because I feel like it has to be done well. This one was on the fence for me. It was interesting and I liked that she was a neurodivergent character and how she handled things was built into the story. But there was a lot about Greek mythology which I found distracting and sometimes I was a bit lost on how the time traveling was working as far as the portal and location...Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I tried to get into the book but the entire tone of the writing was too monotonous. I would say this was poorly written and failed to capture my attention every time I picked it up to read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

Cassandra in Reverse is the story of an undiagnosed autistic woman who has built a successful life but struggles fitting in to it. After she is dumped and fired on the same day, she learns she can time travel ... albeit within a limited 4 month window. She uses her newfound power to try to understand what specific moments she did wrong the first time around and try to fix herself to better fit into the life she is leading.

I adored Cassandra as a character. I have not read many autistic characters and (AFAIK) I am not myself but, from what I have seen online, this seems like a kind and well done portrayal of what it might be like to go through life until your early thirties without being diagnosed.

I just happened to be reading The Heroine's Journey by Gail Carriger at the same time and this book is a perfect example of a Heroine's Journey. One of the most important things in this kind of storyline is how the Heroine builds a network around her. On Cassandra's first go through time, her struggles with reading other people hampered her friend network but as she redid certain interactions she learned about the people around her and added them to her in circle in such interesting ways that still felt incredibly true to character.

I'd recommend this to literally everyone but especially those who enjoy seeing a squad get created and/or abundant Greek mythology references.

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️🌟
🌶

Content Warnings: ableism, panic attacks, gaslighting, sexual harassment

#CassandrainReverse #NetGalley

I love a time travel story! Our female MC is a neurodivergent, unique protagonist. This book is about learning to change. It's about second chances, self-growth, changing your life path, and learning more about yourself, these are the things I liked most about it.
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I like that the time travel plot gives Cassandra a chance to make different decisions to reach different outcomes, but I found it a little disappointing that it was mostly centered around changing for her boyfriend/to make it work.

Because she’s named after Cassandra, a Trojan woman in Greek mythology, much of the book references Greek mythology, which doesn’t necessarily appeal to me, but many will appreciate.

I thoroughly enjoyed this story! I will admit, I'm a sucker for any time travel story and this one fit the bill. It was a different twist, and I appreciated it! Cassandra is a unique young woman who has had a somewhat difficult life. She lost her parents as a young adult and was never quite the same. Her romantic relationships just don't seem to stick. Then one day she realizes that she is reliving her previous day, and so her story begins.
Thank you Netgalley for the eARC! Four stars!

I am always a fan of time travel and was eager to read Cassandra in Reverse. It was nothing like I had expected and I had no idea what was going to happen from one moment to the next. Cassandra was a compelling character and I wanted to see things go right for her....no matter how many times it took to make that happen.

The use of detail made it easy to picture all the characters and settings, which I appreciated. There was also some buildup to answer questions that Cassandra left open-ended at the beginning of the story. I liked that she was a neurodivergent character and it explained a lot about why things had to be a certain way for her at all times. I also like how the time travel ability helped her come into her own a bit more and it gave her some clarity.

It got confusing as to how the time travel ability worked, especially since this one location seemed like a portal for her, but she isn't always there when she rewinds an event or a moment. The story also felt slow at times and the Greek mythology facts took away from everything else that was happening.

Overall, it was an interesting and worthwhile read! I wouldn't mind having Cassandra's time reversal powers...

Movie casting suggestions:
Cassandra: Elinor Machen-Fortune
Will: Tom Bateman
Diana: Millie Brady
Sophie: Georgie Henley
Sal: Ritu Arya
Derek: Josh O'Connor
Barry: James Lance

I've really enjoyed Holly Smalle's writing ever since Geek Girl so it was so nice to see her writing and Adult Fiction and with such a great concept. I really enjoy watching Cassandra live her life and all of her extremely chaotic rewinds. There was a lot of heart in this book as well and I'm so glad I got to read it.

Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for providing me an arc for an honest review.

An unconventional narrator in an unconventional situation makes for an unconventionally delightful story.

Honestly, I was a little thrown in the beginning, but eventually not only found my footing with Cassandra, but began to like her. Then I loved her.

This is not your normal rom com, in all of the best ways. I enjoyed the love story. I loved the sister storyline. I relished Cassandra's inner monolgue. Following Cassandra as she navigated through the everything from the mundane to the marvelous was simply a fun reading experience. I had fun reading this book, I don't know what more needs to be said.

This was like Bridget Jones time travels.Yes, I know I am aging myself but I love Bridget. A lot of funny lines and situations while our main character,Cassandra keeps going back in time to change the trajectory of getting dumped by her six month boyfriend, AND getting fired, AND getting kciked out of her apartment situation. Try as she might, she just can't get it quite right. Some twists lead to an I told you so ending . A cute story worth a quick read.

Copy provided by NetGalley and Publisher

Cassandra has been dating Will for 4 months, her longest relationship and she sure that it's gonna be perfect until he uncerimoniously dumps her and tells her that he's leaving on some work assignment And just doesn't think it's gonna work, they haven't known each other long enough. She then gets fired from her PR job that she can't stand but thinks its the only one for her.
When she decides her life is ending she goes to get a banana muffin from a cafe she goes to daily. Funny thing, they are out. She then decides to hide from everyone in a tiny street corner. Before she realizes it Cassandra has gone back a day in her life and relives all the evil.for a second time. Finally she realizes she has the power To make Wil love her, save her job,and make her flatmates like her.
The concepts of this book was so exciting I couldn't wait to read it. However Sandra was so unlikeable and I found it cringy and hard to read. The ending was blah, the middle was confusing, and Cassandra almost never thought of others. I am giving the book 3 1⁄2 stars because Add middle parts that I can't talk about or they would be spoilers. However, I ended up reading it without cringying.

3.75 ⭐️

I was approved for this book right before it was announced as a @reeses which made it even more surprising to receive.

This book had a lot but it worked. Time travel, relationship and family drama, an unreliable narrator with a mental health rep. And it just all fit together. I quite enjoyed this but found the story started to lose my interest toward the end.

I’ve read stories that are told in reverse before but I’ve never read anything quite like this. Cassandra is having a very bad day; her boyfriend, Will, breaks up with her, she gets fired, and her favorite bakery is out of banana muffins. Cass has a bit of a panic attack and when she comes out of it she goes home and soon after Will shows up and takes her to dinner. At dinner Cass starts to feel a sense of déjà vu and realizes she is reliving the dinner where Will broke up with her the night before. Cass starts to realize that she can move backwards through time at will. She tries to get her life together by going back to different moments to “fix” things. Everything becomes a mess.
This story was so clever and I loved the premise of it. Cassandra is such an interesting character and the way that she tries to solve her problems and justify her reasoning for her actions was entertaining to read. I loved the little bit of mystery about her family and the person who is trying to contact her through out the story and I loved the lessons that Cass learns as she tries to fix her life. Cassandra gives off some Eleanor Oliphant vibes but I found her to be much more fun to read. I absolutely recommend this book!