I had very high hopes for this book because I loved Oona Out of Order, but it just fell a little short for me. I liked Cassandra a lot; I felt that she was so sweet and just wanted to fit in with those around her. The issue for me was that the story seemed very repetitive and seemed to drag on past a point where I found myself interested.

Told nonlinear by Cassandra Dankworth, she has suffered a few setbacks. Her boyfriend Will breaks up w/her, her boss fires her, and she still mourns her parents. Cassandra is eccentric, honest, and acts like Sheldon Cooper. I would definitely consider her on the autism spectrum. She loves vintage clothes- sees their colors and textures and compares her life to Greek mythology. She tries to use her newfound gift of time travel to rewrite history. Changing the past is always a bad idea, because it is unpredictable and makes things worse. There are things Cassie has to change-understand social cues better, make some friends, do what she enjoys. This is another great story of self-discovery with a neurodivergent heroine.


**Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC. I voluntarily give my honest review and all opinions are mine alone.**

This book is entertaining and fun; a strong 4 stars! It centers around a lovable main character, Cassandra, who lacks conventional social understanding. Consequently, she unknowingly offends and/or annoys people and then is on the defensive after they react. Well, when she finds herself in a time loop, it gives her the opportunity to redo things. At first, I thought it was going to be similar to Groundhog Day, but it's not the same and definitely a new take on time travel (at least for me). The scenes are laugh-out-loud funny, awkward, cringeworthy, sad, happy, desperate, etc. as Cassandra navigates life. There are quite a few references to Greek mythology, but Smale does a good job of explaining the stories behind them. It's a quick, enjoyable, feel good read! Thank you to NetGalley and MIRA for the eARC.

Cute and fun but I think I would have enjoye it more if I knew more about the Greek gods! I think I missed out a bit. I was also bummed it wasn't a romance since so much time was spent on romance and trying to fix a relationship. I would recommend for Oona Out of Order fans.

Cassandra in Reverse by Holly Smale

I adored this book. After a completely awful day where she gets dumped and fired, Cassandra has some sort of panic attack that allows her to time travel. She starts to rewind time for every little awkward conversation, bad date, and uncomfortable situation. Cassandra is on the spectrum, and her perspective on life felt refreshing and authentic. I loved learning about how she sees the world and her coping mechanisms (besides the time travel!) that she uses to feel comfortable.

This book was just enchanting. I teared up a couple of times, the writing was so honest and sweet. It was also laugh out loud funny and entertaining. Although I would have tweaked a couple of tiny things, this is still an all time favourite. It was surprising and lovely and did not end up being the story I assumed it would be.

Can’t recommend this one enough! I chatted with @thebookybird throughout and I am so glad we both fell in love it!

Thanks to @_mira_books_ and @harlequinbooks for my advanced copy! I’m sure this will be one of the most popular books of the summer.

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What if you could time travel and alter the trajectory of your life…would you do it? Cassandra Penelope Dankworth discovers she can do just that and learns there’s good and bad to that power. With her career, love life, and living situation tanking as she tries to make it in London, everything feels hopeless until she discovers she can go back in time and change events. But by doing that, it can pull the threads of other things down the road and have other unintended consequences (seems author Holly Smale may be a Doctor Who fan).
This was a fun read with a quirky and neurodivergent MC, Greek mythology, humor, and more. Also refreshing to see a portrayal of someone who experiences synesthesia.
Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin for the ARC! You can catch this one starting 6/6.

Gosh this one is tough to rate. 3.5 I think? I really enjoyed this book… it was so incredibly unexpected in a great way. I fell in love with Cassandra, our heroine who had a very specific and orderly way she lives her life. At the start of the book we learn she’s been fired, broken up with and asked to move out of her flat. Cassandra has a hard time relating to others so she’s partly perplexed and also wishes she could do something to fix it all somehow.

Luckily, she’s suddenly able to time travel so she CAN go back and fix it. Wait what? Yep we’ve got ourselves a time travel situation.

I liked the time travel elements because (without spoilers) she learns that you can’t necessarily change the end results but you can learn to be kinder to yourself and more okay with who you are if you can give yourself grace.

Overall I liked the writing but at times the way the time went back and forth was a smidge confusing. Especially because Cassandra herself got confused at times as to where she was and what happened when.

Overall I feel this book helped me understand more about neurodivergence and the experiences of other people and I’m so grateful for that!

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC!

I only got about 30% through this story and had to stop. I couldn’t follow the story with all the run on sentences and jumping back and forth.

This story was so good. Though it did take a while to get used to Cassandra and how she deals with her new ability, the overall journey was worth it. This is a story about acceptance, both of oneself and of others. I highly recommend it. Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing/MIRA for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was so fresh and funny.

I loved Cassandra what a neurodiverse dynamo, she had so much gumption and determination, she was unique and well developed with an incredible character arc.

Time travel in books can be quite silly or kitsch when not done correctly and Smale nailed it on the head, not only did it feel realistic it wasn’t over the top, think the movie About Time, it gave just the right amount of whimsy.

I laughed out loud many times, it was witty and deeply funny and honest and it made me appreciate how refreshing it can be to say what you mean.

Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing for the digital arc all opinions are my own.

this one is not for me. thought i would try a new to me UK author but between the writing style and trying to be invested in the story, i gave up 20% in. also had no interest in the greek mythology of it all either. the time travel was confusing, too.

If you had the power to travel back in time, would you? In this delightfully wonderful novel, Cassandra Penelope Dankworth unexpectedly discovers that she can go back in time and change the past. If you are a fan of "Oona Out of Order" or "Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine," then you will love this book!

Cassandra is a creature of habit, and her life runs in a predictable order. She knows what she likes (museums, jumpsuits, Greek mythology) and what she doesn't like (mess, change, her boss drinking out of her mug). Then, on one no good, very bad day, Cassandra is dumped by her boyfriend, is fired from her PR job, and learns that the local café has run out of her favorite banana muffins. Overwhelmed and feeling that her life is ruined, Cassandra discovers that she can time travel. One small rewind at a time, Cassandra tries to change her past, but soon she realizes that she is trying to fix all the wrong things.

This was such a fun read! While this is a book about time travel, it is also a book about second chances, growth, and love. It was heartwarming, witty, and full of surprises. Cassandra is an unlikable character who you will find yourself rooting for and end up loving. I highly recommend this book!

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

Push through when or if you get a little tired of Cassandra at about the 33 percent mark and you will be rewarded. Cassandra's life has imploded- she's been fired, she's been dumped, she's about to lose her apartment- when she has a panic attack on the street and finds she's in a Groundhog Day type situation. Most important to her at first, she can go back in time to the beginning of her relationship with Will but there's more. And there are the mysterious envelopes she refuses to open. Smale has inserted Greek mythology into the plot but don't be intimidated or worry if you aren't familiar with it because it will make sense. I liked that Cassandra is neurodivergent, that she sees colors coming from people, and that she grows during the course of her very strange journey. I'm one who almost DNF but I'm glad that I did. Thanks to the publisher for the ARC. A very good read.

Fabulous! Smale is a phenomenal writer and Cassandra in Reverse is a wonderful addition to her works. Cassandra is very clearly on the spectrum and struggles to make good connections with her peers and loved ones. There's an element of mystery throughout this novel, as we as readers learn Cassandra can time travel. Her time travel presents as more of a do-over than a jump through history, and she's given the opportunity to redo moments she struggled with. What transpires as this story unfolds, however, is the beautiful recognition that Cassandra is not weird or anything 'other', and we begin to see her leaning into the quirky, wonderful differences that make her formidable. I highly recommend this one!

Cassandra does not like surprises, but she is in for a big one: after being dumped, fired, and having her café run out of her favorite treat, she discovers that she can travel back in time. This could be interesting for someone who doesn’t get along well with others.

Cassandra has a unique opportunity to fix things in her own life and is going to give it a try. Doing this though, will change things in the lives of others. Could this cause her to have to make difficult choices?

This protagonist is well portrayed by the author. One gets a clear sense of how others view her as well as how she views herself. Cassandra will come to some realizations. She messes up a lot and resets time over and over until she’s at least partially satisfied with the results. However, some things don’t want to be changed. She’s a stubborn one though and wants to show time who’s boss.

Cassandra’s other relationships (besides that with her boyfriend) are a mess. Does she even care? As readers follow her on her adventure, it’s endearing to see the way Cassandra makes an effort and has some personal growth. There is a disclosure at the end of the story, which turns out to be educational and helpful in increasing one’s understanding of an important topic. The author did a good job in representing this.

There is a strong theme of Greek mythology. It is tightly woven throughout the story and is used to display how Cassandra thinks, finding itself often in these pages. It’s understandable, especially at the end, why it’s necessary to be so ubiquitous, but could the author maybe have used just a little less?

At any rate, the story plays on ideas done before but in an unusual and fresh way. It’s worth the read. I was given a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

I love a time travel/time loop story, and this one was perfectly done, with the added bonus of a bunch of Greek mythology references and a (to me) very well-executed and relatable neurodivergent main character. This was funny and smart and sweet, and I loved it.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

I LOVE a good time travel book and this one did not disappoint!!!

Cassandra is having a horrible day. She has been dumped by her boyfriend and then fired from her job. Soon she discovers that she can go back in time. She decides to use this newfound power to change what went wrong. As Cassandra starts reliving her days over and over, she realizes what she has taken for granted in life. She learns more about herself and starts making changes.

This was such a well written, thoughtful, funny, and witty book! The characters are great and felt very relatable. I love that this book is about the second chances you can have in life and how to grow from the past.
I highly recommend adding this to your tbr list! I look forward to reading more from Holly Smale!



📘: Cassandra in Reverse by Holly Smale
🗓️: June 6, 2023

Thank you to NetGalley, Holly Smale, and Harlequin Trade Publishing for this ARC!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

*Reviewed on NetGalley and Goodreads.

Cassandra in Reverse is like nothing I’ve read before. The main character “is on the spectrum” so the reader experiences the action through the eyes of someone who sees the world differently. Emotions equal colors and vice versa, for just one example. I’m not a fan of mythology or time loop fiction, but this is a well written novel. My favorite part was near the end when she meets up with her sister.

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and author for an e-ARC of this novel. All opinions are my own.

This was such a quirky novel with a neurodivergent main character. There's lots of Greek Mythology throughout the plot which I enjoyed. Cassandra's character was probably my favorite thing about this story because I felt like the story itself was all over the place at times. However, I kept reading because I wanted to see how Cassandra got through her time loop.

Everything in Cassandra's life has gone awry and now she has been given the ability to go back in time and change her path in hopes of creating a better outcome. Despite her best efforts, things aren't turning out the way she wanted them to, but her perspective of what is truly important in life is changing. Nothing about this story was predictable and viewing the world through Cassandra's colourful lens was particularly fascinating. I am grateful for the advanced digital copy from NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing. I heartily give this read five stars!