I really wanted to like this book, but I just couldn’t. I kept getting annoyed at the run on sentences that I had to re-read multiple times to understand. I didn’t finish it, so maybe it got a lot better, but I couldn’t make myself continue.

TLDR: I freaking loved this book. It was a delight!

Cassandra in reverse reminded me of Oona Out of Order by Margarita Montimore, another book I adored. If you like reading about time travel and do-overs, you’ll love this book.

Cassandra is a neuro-divergent woman who tends to rub people the wrong way. She says what she thinks without tempering it to suit societal niceties, has trouble taking cues from people to understand how to behave, and breaks down when she’s overstimulated and overwhelmed. Her job in PR is ill-suited for her, being that she can’t stand relating to the public. Cassandra reads people’s emotions through color and tries to understand the world around her by relating people and situations to Greek mythology, which she’s something of an expert at.

On one terrible day, Cassandra gets dumped, fired, and thrown out of her flat share. When she unexpectedly discovers she has the gift of time travel, she’s given an opportunity to go back and change the past. But what is it that Cassandra really wants to change?

For someone whom the other characters found so unlikeable, I found it easy to fall in love with Cassandra. I think you, too, will find yourself rooting for her all the way to the end.

It’s interesting to note that the author, Holly Smale was diagnosed autistic at the age of 39 and regularly shares, debates about, and celebrates neurodiversity on Twitter and Instagram.

Thank you to @netgalley @holsmale and @_mira_books_ for an advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Have you ever wished you could travel back in time? I don’t mean visiting the Pyramids or stopping a war before it happens, but rather taking back the last thirty seconds after saying something stupid or re-doing a morning where everything’s gone wrong. In this heartwarming novel, the quirky and likeable protagonist suddenly realizes that she possesses this rather limited power of time travel and uses it to try and improve her life.

Cassandra Dankworth has a lot to contend with at the moment in addition to her unfortunate last name. In the course of one truly terrible day, she’s dumped by her boyfriend and fired from her PR job for not being a “People Person.” By the end of the day, she’s delighted (albeit confused, but she’s not about to ask questions) when her ex shows back up, acting like they’ve never broken up. But the next morning, Cassie is dumped again. By lunch, she’s being fired again. Which is about the time when Cassie realizes she’s not crazy, she’s just time traveled. The rest of the novel follows Cassie as she realizes she has a chance to set her life on a different course and struggles to use her new powers to get things right.

The real star of this novel is Cassie herself—she sees the world in black and white, has trouble understanding social cues, and prefers predictable situations. She also loves Greek mythology, and there are plenty of mythological references and facts scattered throughout the book, which provide interesting facts as well as insights into her character. This story focuses less on the time travel aspect of the book and on Cassandra and her journey to understand and accept herself. The book gets a little bit repetitive in the middle as she re-lives the same situations a number of times, but the ending is strong and more than makes up for that.

The plot is interesting because it explores the idea of time travel and the consequences of changing the past. It is also a story about love, loss, and redemption. Would you get undumped, unfired, and even gets to eat your favorite muffins again given the opportunity?

In the wake of getting dumped by her boyfriend, friendless and recently unemployed and with her flat share in jeopardy, Cassandra discovers she can go back in time - but only to the beginning of their relationship. She sets about trying to fix things, along the way battling loud noises, unpleasant smells, and judgmental people. All the while avoiding what came before that first meeting, the things she can't erase no matter how many times she goes back.

I love, love, love a British time-loop rom com, and Cassandra in Reverse is a delightful entry in this subgenre, clever and biting with a fully realized main character and a serious heart.

Honestly, that's all I have to say. It's a great book. The secondary characters are vivid and interesting; the writing is excellent; Cassandra is believably flawed without being annoying.

I especially loved the way Cassandra's challenges are also her strengths. She wears the same jumpsuit to work every day because many fabrics irritate her - but she delights in the colors and textures of her collection of clothing. She has an encyclopedic knowledge of Greek mythology but is tormented by events that she can't forget. She often doesn't understand others' emotions - but she can see them as colors, a beautiful metaphor (to those of us without that ability) that permeates the novel

Cassandra in Reverse is a very unique book. The main character is a 31 year old woman who has autism and can time travel. Not your cookie cutter story! Cassandra is very lovable and relatable- who hasn’t felt clueless in some social situations? Unfortunately it is almost every minute of every day that Cassandra feels like she did the wrong thing. At times I was annoyed by the looping stories but I got used to them. There are lots of Greek mythology references which slow the story down. But overall I loved Cassandra and her journey into self awareness.

“There’s joy in irony and I was named after Cassandra, the mythological Trojan priestess who was cursed by a sexually thwarted Apollo to see the future but never be believed. A strange legacy for any parent to give a tiny baby, but thirty one years later it seems I finally know more than anyone else in the room.”

CASSANDRA IN REVERSE is an absolute delight. Not only is it a funny and entertaining twist on the time travel trope, but I really loved getting to know Cassandra, who is autistic. I have to admit that I don’t know many neurodivergent adults well enough to talk with them about how they process the world, but author Holly Smale did an amazing job creating a charming character who does it differently than I do.

Cassandra is having a horrible day (dumped and fired, back to back) when she discovers, by accident, that she can go back in time. She decides to use this newfound power to change what went wrong and put her life on the “right” track: specifically, she aims to ensure that her boyfriend, Will, falls in love with her, and that she keeps her public relations job at an advertising firm. Of course, this isn’t as easy as it sounds, but I laughed along as she tried.

The fact that she’s repeating moments in her life is comforting to Cassandra because she knows what’s coming next and, for the first time, she is starting to better understand the motives of the people she’s interacting with. Cassandra has a hard time reading people. She processes emotions as colors (hers and everyone else’s). She enjoys repetition, wears the same five outfits all week, has a difficult time making eye contact and takes things quite literally. She becomes overstimulated by loud noises and uncomfortable clothing. The book is sprinkled with Greek mythology, which is the framework Cassandra uses to “make sense of the world and everything in it.” And although Cassandra’s autism is an important element of the story, I appreciated that she is a character in her own right, with personality traits that are simply hers.

CASSANDRA IN REVERSE does have romance in it, but the book is more about accepting ourselves for who we are and embracing differences in others. There are some scenes that teared me right up, especially the ones where Cassandra connects with others and creates new friendships.

After reading, I Googled Smale and learned that she is, herself, autistic and processes emotions via colors, just like Cassandra. No wonder she does such an amazing job creating a character who is so real and a fantastic representation of a strong woman who experiences the world in different ways.

I would compare this book to Tracey Garvis Graves' The Girl He Used To Know: both feature neurodivergent women who are more than their "diagnosis."

I highly recommend this book! Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for an eARC of CASSANDRA IN REVERSE in exchange for my honest opinion. This review will be posted on Goodreads and at www.instagram.com/watchskyeread.

There was just something about the blurb of Cassandra In Reverse that caught my attention immediately. I love a story with a time travel element, and I also have a weak spot for quirky and unique characters... Cassandra Dankworth sounded like a character with so much potential, and I simply HAD to meet her and get to know her story. I'm so glad I did, because I ended up having an absolute blast with this book.

There is a lot to love in this book, but there is no doubt whatsoever that main character Cassandra Dankworth is the true star of the show. I warmed up to her immediately, and I had an absolutely brilliant time seeing the world through her eyes. I thought that the autism portrayal was expertly done, and I loved the message behind this story that people with autism might think and function differently than what you are used to, but differently doesn't mean less in any way. Cassandra's character growth and road to self-acceptance is well developed and realistically portrayed... If you can take the whole sci-fi aspect with the time travel with a grain of salt of course. There is one thing for sure: Cassandra is a character that will stay with me for a long time, and she is one I wish I could meet up with in real life.

What I also loved was the focus on Greek (and Roman) mythology, and how the gods/characters were incorporated into the plot. The references to the different myths fitted the story very well, and it also helped give more insight in Cassandra's character at the same time. Another major element in Cassandra In Reverse is the time travel of course. While you usually see time travel in science fiction books, I think that this story reads mostly like a contemporary where time travel is only casually included in the plot. Sci-fi fans might be disappointed by the lack of focus on how the time travel actually works, but I personally didn't mind as I found the balance to be just right.

There is some romance and even a love triangle included in Cassandra In Reverse, but I don't think the main focus of this story is on the romance itself. Instead, it reads more like contemporary fiction about a character trying to find her true self and accept the way she is. The story puts a spotlight on autism, family issues, work relations and the fact that time is fickle and a small change might have consequences you could have never foreseen.

All in all, I don't think it comes as a surprise when I say that I had a fantastic time with this story. If you enjoy a well written contemporary with an unique main character, excellent autism representation and a touch of time travel and romance, you HAVE to add Cassandra In Reverse to your wishlist. Trust me, you will regret not meeting up with her!

While I enjoyed having a neurodivergent main character, this book fell flat for me. I ended up quitting it at 37%. There is a lot of Greek mythology references which do not interest me, and although I like ground hog type scenarios, this one got repetitive and didn’t hold my attention.

Give me a ground hog's day, time travel book with deep character development and I"m on board. Give me one with an exceptional neurodiverse heroin that I can relate to, and I'm an extremely happy reader. This book gave all that and more. I really loved it. I think the most important thing a book can have is a good ending. This book knocked it out of the park. I teared up.

Okay, I LOVED this book! I haven’t really seen it anywhere and I hope that it gains a lot of popularity as it’s released because it was so good.

All I’m going to say about the synopsis is that Cassandra (the MC) finds out that she can travel through time. It was an absolute blast to read this kind of story through Cassandra’s perspective. She is neurodivergent, and I’m not always a fan of how that is portrayed in books, but I thought the author did a great job with Cassandra’s character and the focus on her autism.

I thought this was going to be a romance, and although there are romantic components, it is sooo much more than that. In fact, the romance is only a small piece of the overall story. I can’t even tell you what the main focus is, because there’s so much involved. Either way, I loved reading about all the different aspects of Cassandra’s life.

I also adored the writing! It was light and fun and descriptive. Cassandra sees emotions from others as colours, and her descriptions of that was so unique. I loved her honesty and humour, and the other characters in the story were so vibrant as well. I’ve gotta say, my heart belongs to Sal. I am 100% in love with her and would totally read a spin-off of her story.

Thank you to HarperCollins Canada for my gifted copy!

Neurodivergent Time Travel Women's Fiction. I do believe this is the first time I've ever encountered a book quite like this one - a book with a neurodivergent main character who time jumps most similarly to The Time Traveler's Wife (vs a true time loop ala Groundhog Day or a "glimpse" ala Family Man), but yet ultimately lands more on the women's fiction side than the romance side, despite said main character's main focus being on restoring the romance she loses at the beginning of the tale. There's also quite a reliance on Greek mythology reimagined, more akin to elements of Jeremy Robinson's Infinite Timeline event than say Rick Riordian's Percy Jackson lore. But as with at least Robinson's books (I've never actually read Riordian's), there is enough explanation of the relevant mythology that one not need have a degree in the field to understand the story enough to enjoy the story for itself. Overall, this has quite a few rare features in it, and fans of the time travel genre will likely enjoy it the most, but others should still step into this wildly quirky world. Very much recommended.

this book definitely wasn't for me, i hated the main character and her whoa is me act the entire book. i ended up skimming the last 20% because i was ready for it to be over.

I have been all about time travel books lately and the premise and adorable cover for this new release, Cassandra in Reverse by Holly Smale, absolutely captured my imagination.

Unfortunately, I had a bit of a rough start with this book. While I usually love time travel, the first several chapters had me utterly confused as to what was happening. There weren't any clear explanations as to why Cassandra suddenly started time traveling and it was difficult to follow some of the transitions.

Cassandra is a character that was initially difficult to get to know and love. Her lack of awareness and her abrasiveness was often jarring as a reader. But she's also a strong, honest, and witty, neurodiverse protagonist and ultimately, I really appreciated the way the author crafted this character. Her journey is about way more than just a cute romance or the ability to time travel to fix mistakes. It's a story about the restoration of relationships, of grief, and of not only finding but loving the unique parts of ourselves that make up who we truly are.

This was a surprisingly interesting book with a great neurodivergent main character - very different than I expected.

Cassandra is a quirky thirty-one-year-old who sees emotions (her own and those of others) as colors, struggles to understand facial expressions, can't look anyone in the eyes and is exceptionally literal.

She is struggling with her flatmates, struggling with her relationships to people in general, unable to fit in at work, and generally alone. After she gets dumped by her boyfriend, and fired from her job in the same day, she is surprised to find her boyfriend turning up for a date that evening as if nothing had happened. When she gets fired from work again the following day, and dumped again, she begins to realize that time is repeating itself.

Once she figures out that time travel is under her control, she rewinds time to try and provide a better outcome for herself, repeatedly. For Cassandra, re-doing an event gives her the time and practice to handle her emotions and improve her interactions with people. She gains the time to 'think before you speak' that most others around her appear to have. She can try out different behaviors, determine their effects, and try again if the results are not as she hopes. She gains confidence, re-evaluates the people around her and eventually actually makes friends. But time travel is exhausting. Not only does she live for more than 24 hours each day, but she has to keep track of a myriad of small details to avoid changing her present in ways she didn't intend.

I found this book delightful, especially Cassandra and the way she learns about herself and the people around her. You can watch her grow into her skin during the progress through the book.

I particularly enjoyed the ending, which I found to be a clever way to wrap up this story.

I have not yet read any of this author's other works, but I will definitely try some in the future, as I loved the writing in this book.

This is the title I was invited to review. I was hesitant, given that it looked like more of a romance than I am typically interested in, but the time travel potential intrigued me and I thought it might be a light fun fluffy easy read. Unfortunately I had a really hard time connecting to the main character, which made it really difficult to engage in the story since it did turn out to be a little more romance focused than I tend to prefer... I was not the right reader for this one. There's nothing I can point to that is wrong with it, it just wasn't a good fit for me.

Couldn’t stomach this character. Cassandra is such a fusspot! Oh boy Cassandra is such a unique snowflake! Cassandra can’t function. Even with being granted multiple do overs in life this woman is still failing miserably at every small task she sets for herself. It was grating to read about.

Such a cute time travel book about a neurodivergent woman.

I thought that this would be a romance novel, and while it is about love it’s more about loving yourself and forgiveness.

Cassandra has always been a little peculiar about what she likes and what she doesn’t. She has been haven’t a really rough time lately. She lost her boyfriend, her job, and was attacked with red liquid all in one day. When she has a panic attack and wakes up to relive the third worst day of her life, she realizes that she somehow was pushed back in time.

I could tell pretty early on that Cassandra was a bit autistic. She is a person who sees emotions as colors, and can often see them coming off of people. She knows that these colors mean strong emotions, but isn’t always able to tell what they mean. She also has panic attacks when she is overwhelmed, but has learned ways to get around these. She isn’t good at relationships, because she doesn’t always understand peoples intentions or jokes. She does well with her boyfriend Will, and she can see a future where they love each other. So she tries really hard to will him back, but that also means not showing him everything. Only showing her best parts. She travels back to when she first met her boyfriend and tries her best to “behave normally” so that she doesn’t drive him away. Only to realize that it’s kind of cheating, and while he makes her happy she’s not sure she can be everything he wants.

She finds out that maybe fixing these relationships aren’t what she is supposed to be doing with her gift.

I liked that she started to bond with others around her, and that people were there for her even though she didn’t realize it her first time around. The time travel allowed her to practice reading people in a way that she didn’t have the opportunity to before and it made her better at it.

2.5 stars

turned out this book was a complete let down. i didn't feel invested in cassandra, who is the main character, and the plot felt shallow and lacking in depth. even though i usually love time travel books no matter how simple they are, this one didn't impress me at all. however, i appreciate the author's writing style, which is what ultimately earned the book 2.5 stars from me. i do believe HS has potential and i hope that in her future works she'll be able to create more compelling characters and a more nuanced plot that will capture my interest.

my gratitude to netgalley, the publisher and the author for an arc copy in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you the to the author and publisher for providing me with a digital ARC of this title via Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

I was drawn to this book from the cover and title without knowing anything about or the author. I admit it took me a little while to get into. The first time I started reading, I couldn't quite figure out what was going on and switched to another book. I gave this a second try and am glad I did. Once I recognized her quirky behaviors and got a picture of who she was, it made it much easier to connect to her story. I loved the time travel, how she used it to better her situation, until realizing she needed to find happiness in where she was. Unfortunately there is some language that will keep me from recommending it to everyone, but otherwise great read. Four stars for the story, but I took off a star for language since it distracted my enjoyment.