Cassandra in Reverse: A Reese's Book Club Pick

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I do think the audiobook was the way to go! The development of Cassandra’s character was wonderful and I wish it started to wrap up before the 75%. I think the time travel trope can get a bit repetitive and exhausting, but I focused more on the development of Cassandra. As other readers have mentioned, what is intended to be a late-in-the-game plot twist was something that I assumed from the first couple chapters: that the main character is autistic. I also assumed she knew and simply didn't say it outright. Absolutely fantastic! This was a wonderfully surprising read! I love that it didn't have the typical "then" and "now" POV even though it had wiggly time stuff in the plot. The story flowed well and Cassandra was easy to enjoy as a character, even if her social anxiety was hard to read at times. I loved the ways she'd learned to cope - her matching day-of-the-week jumpers, her sound-canceling headphones, her social earplugs and comfort banana muffins. They were all so endearing but also insight in to how much of a struggle some of her day-to-day interactions were. I rarely understand what another human is thinking, but I frequently feel it: a wave of emotion that pours out of them into me, like a teapot into a cup. While it fills me up, I have to work out what the hell it is, where it came from and what I’m supposed to do to stop it spilling everywhere.

The deep character work and interesting plot devices make this a deeply enriching and engrossing novel to dive into…. the characters were well-rounded and interesting, the writing style was fun and conversational, and the narrative offered a fresh take on a tried-and-true idea.” -THE GLOSS, 5/5 stars I am a fan of magical realism. I was so ready for the magic. But this magic was pushing me in directions that just didn’t feel fun.However I feel like this book tried to be too many things for it to work fully. I was confused by the time travel element. It appeared out of nowhere but then I got used to it - however the rules of the travel seemed to change and I was unsure where it was going in terms of the overall plot. Also, the constant reference to Greek mythology and storytelling was super random - it took a long time to understand why Cassandra kept bringing it up. It seemed to come together a bit more when the character of Artemis was introduced - but still it just didn't really work for me. It was shoe-horned in and I don't think it had any relevance to what was really going on. Cassandra in Reverse is an enjoyable and quirky read about a young woman named Cassandra who struggles with fitting in.

It’s your general demeanor I can’t have in this office. You are rude. Insubordinate. Arrogant, frankly. You are not a team player, and do you know what this office needs?” Hope you enjoyed my book club discussion questions and reading guide for Cassandra in Reverse by Holly Smale! Featured in Country Living∙ NPR Here and Now ∙ Gizmodo∙ Katie Couric Media∙ The Nerd Daily ∙ Booklist Queen∙Zibby Mag∙SheKnows∙ Tor.com∙ Scary Mommy Book Club The door slams behind me and I jump even though I’m the one who slammed it. Then my phone beeps, so I balance everything precariously on one knee and fumble for it. I try to avoid having unread notifications if I can. They make my bag feel heavy. But I didn’t want to write an ‘issues’ book. I wanted to write a joyful, fun story, albeit one with a slightly less usual protagonist,” she continued. “At its heart, this book is about what we all experience: a basic human desire to connect with the people around us, and ultimately to ourselves,” she wrote. “Cassie uses time travel – in a very autistic way, looping, repeating, hyper-focusing – to do what we’ve all found ourselves wishing we could do at some point: undo our mistakes, rewrite our histories and edit our own lives. She may do it in a slightly unconventional way, but the search for love is universal. And this is what Cassandra In Reverse has always been about: love, in all its different forms. Love for each other, as humans, despite our differences.”Holly Smale is the internationally bestselling, award-winning author of the Geek Girl and The Valentines teen series, which have sold 3.4 million copies worldwide.

Geek + runway = a runaway UK hit! Geek Girl is the first book in a hilarious, internationally bestselling series that’s perfect for fans of Morgan Matson and Julie Buxbaum. A series of time re-runs unveils Cassandra's complex history, her peculiar personality traits, and her relentless quest to avoid a certain woman at all costs. Her debut children’s book, Geek Girl, became a sensation, selling 3.4 million copies in 30 languages and winning the Waterstones YA Book Prize. It’s now in development with Netflix. Diagnosed with autism and dyspraxia at 39, Holly advocates for neurodiversity. Time is the invisible thread that weaves our stories together. And sixty seconds can change everything.”What feels at first like an unconventional romantic comedy develops into something quite different and extraordinary . . . Smale effectively brings her audience into Cassandra’s singular mind and along on her journey in what feels like a brave voyage of discovery.” —Bookreporter.com