Wow, this was so many things I like all in one. Time travel. Powerful and interesting female characters who have agency and interact with each other to drive the plot. An Unlikeable Narrator with a highly eccentric lens. A focus on mental health. There's even (I think) a lesbian couple hanging out in the background and if they had had any more attention then the book really would have been perfect.
As someone with severe anxiety, Cassandra's story and narrative really resonated with me. It's the story of a woman who realizes she has the ability to control time - and uses it exclusively to control the comfort of her environment and correct social errors. On a deeper level, it's also the story of a woman who learns to advocate for herself and her needs. Yes, Cassandra becomes uniquely powerful at the beginning of the book. But I really felt amazed by her as a person as she learned to trust herself, trust in the good of others, and see herself in a different way.
I would love a follow-up in which Artemis gets a cool power of her own!

I absolutely LOVE time travel in contemporary fiction, but I really struggled with this one. This first half was a slog to get though, and it was hard to see what the point was. After the big reveal, things started to pick up and feel more genuine and interesting. I have to say, nowhere did the synopsis mention Greek Mythology or that the main character was on the spectrum, which is essentially what this book is about…not time travel.

Cassandra is having a terrible day. Her boyfriend of four months, her longest relationship to date, inexplicably dumps her. She is fired by her boss at the marketing agency she worked for, her favorite café is out of banana muffins, and she is just done. She melts down and discovers…she is living the same terrible day over. It’s the very worst form of déjà vu. As the cycle repeats itself, she begins to realize that she does have some control over this time travel, she desperately seeks to see what she could do to make things different, and better. Cassandra realizes people don’t like her, but she cannot fully understand why this is the case. There are pointed references to the classical Cassandra who is cursed to prophesize but not be believed-this Cassandra feels a kinship, pointing things she considers helpful out to others, who are by turns defensive, insulted, or outraged by her comments. The author does a really good job of making a Cassandra a sympathetic character. We are offered clues that Cassandra is undiagnosed autistic; she also has synesthesia, a condition in which she sees emotions as colors. Unfortunately, seeing the colors doesn’t help her analyze emotional cues and she is constantly trying to understand emotions and social cues- she sees the colors (emotions) coming off of people change in response to her actions, but doesn’t always understand the cause for the changes. We are rooting for her to find the key to her happiness, even as we are frustrated by her inability to see it. A delightful story of a quirky character, who just happens to be a time traveler.

I was so excited for this one! I mean the cover alone, come on! It's so stinking adorable!

The concept seemed like a spin on time travel, which is a little overdone, but I was still hopeful the author could offer a new take on a tired idea.

I really enjoyed the beginning and thought Cassandra was fun and quirky... Following her through her worst day ever was an entertaining ride for sure!

Unfortunately things sort of dragged on a little after that and I struggled to have the motivation to pick it back up.

I think there will be a big fan base for this and wish the author success!

Thanks Harlequin for the ARC!

Cassandra Penelope Dankworth is having a very bad week.

In a short stretch of time, she loses her boyfriend, her job, and her apartment. On top of all that, the nearby café is out of her favorite banana muffins. Cassandra prefers routine. She has a schedule for her clothing, eats banana muffins EVERY day, and does not deal well with the unexpected. Things like losing her boyfriend (though she's never had one long), her job, and her apartment tend to be exceedingly traumatic for her. And then, equally traumatic but welcome, Cassie discovers she can manipulate short stretches of time and change the past. So she does. She wants to get back her boyfriend, her job, and her place to live. But it's exhausting to try to keep everything straight and juggle all the different ways she has tweaked time to her advantage. Cassandra hasn't felt 'right' since her parents died in a car accident years ago.

Holly Sma;le, author of the Geek Girls series, brings us another quirky character who makes it easy to smile at but commiserate with and relate to at the same time. If you enjoyed the author's other books, you'll like this one too.

Books about time loops/alternate life paths are right in my wheelhouse, which means I get excited about them and at the same time am easily disappointed because I've already seen all the usual approaches and want new angles. With that in mind, I'm happy to say I really liked Cassandra in Reverse.

It started strong, and I very much enjoyed being inside the head of the neurodivergent main character. There was a point around halfway through when it lagged a little and I was concerned the ending would let me down, but this was not at all the case. Instead, it gave me much to reflect on, and I'll definitely be recommending it widely.

Cassie has the worst day ever and she's reliving those 24 hours over again and again. Will she be able to fix it.

Cassie is an interesting character. She's not a people person and is prickly and is on the spectrum. The book is witty and sharp. I love time-loop/magical books ever since Groundhog Day. I enjoy it a lot. I like the greek mythology references especially.

Thanks to the publisher for the arc.

Perfectly satisfying and enjoyable. I would call this magical realism over sci fi, because there was no science in the time travel (and I stand by that) but I particularly enjoyed this take on a neurodiverse protagonist and her sudden ability to manipulate time to her advantage.

Not a love story, and the Greek metaphors were a bit heavy handed, but overall an enjoyable read, even if it's not one that I plan to go back to.

Cassandra Dankworth is having a really bad day, dumped by her boyfriend, fired, and getting thrown out of her apartment; but she gets the chance to start it over and fix what went wrong. Not only that, she discovers that she can go back a few months in time, or only a few moments to repair even the smallest of mistakes. What she can’t do is go back ten years, as she would like, to fix the most life-changing moment of all.

Cassandra has always been told that she is not a people person, doesn’t understand the emotions of others, and is difficult to get along with. She has spent a lifetime seeing the colors of other’s emotions but not knowing what they mean, nor do others understand her. Once she realizes that she has some control over time, she sets out to fix herself and her encounters with the people around her, in hopes of not having that opening horrible day again.

Through her pitfalls and do-overs we learn about Cassandra’s life and relationships that have helped make her who she is, with a dose of Greek mythology thrown in. In the end, she has also learned more about herself, who she is, and who she does and doesn’t want to be.

I have always been fascinated with time travel and read every time travel novel I find. The time loop is also fascinating, and though this treatment of the time loop is a bit different, it is a refreshing change. Highly recommend this book.

Thank you to #NetGalley, the publishers, and the author for the advance copy in exchange for my honest review of Cassandra in Reverse.

Will give feedback and my review when the HCP union gets a fair contract. Thank you so much for the book and can't wait to leave a review in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of Cassandra in Reverse.

Going back in time is the newest trend in novels.

I've read more novels with this premise last year than the year before and I'm sure I'll see more novels with this narrative this year.

I liked the premise but I found it hard to like Cassandra. I get that she's autistic, on the spectrum, and likes things a certain way.

Another trend; main characters who are on the spectrum and/or socially awkward.

I don't mind these characters but I do find it hard to like them.

I didn't understand how the concept of time travel worked in this novel - Cassandra just closes her eyes?

Seems kind of silly.

Then, she spends the majority of the book trying to re-establish her relationship with her boyfriend. That got boring fast.

I did enjoy the Greek mythology references but I found Cassandra a not quite likable character. I didn't dislike her. I just didn't care about her.

The narrative dragged toward the end until the appearance of Cassandra's sister, but by that time I found it hard to maintain interest in the story.

There’s an interesting premise in this novel, and initially i was happily sucked in. However, I found myself floundering about halfway through, not really caring much about the characters, Maybe it was me? I found it hard to finish.

Cassandra in Reverse was completely delightful and not what I was expecting! It follows Cassandra who gets fired, evicted and dumped on the same day and realizes she can undo it when she suddenly is able to time travel on a whim. Cassandra has autism, although she doesn’t yet know it, and this adds another element to this story.

I absolutely love time travel in books and this was done really well. I loved the author’s writing style and the main character, Cassie. As the story develops, you realize there are other things Cassie needs to set right when redoing time. I truly loved the ending but can’t say too much without giving away the core of this book.

Thank you netgalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.