This was a delight! Miss Cassidy was such a unique character; we see her over the course of three interwoven stories, a bit like a novella collection that ties together in the end, all with their own mythological twist. It's a fun blend of historical fiction and fantasy, super quick to read and quite clever. We never get a clear picture of Miss Cassidy's being, if you will, which made this even more entertaining. I'd love to see more from this author/this world. I highly recommend this!

Quick thoughts reviews—

📖 have you read any of these or are any on your TBR?

🌊 A Shore Thing cements for me that Joanna Lowell is an amazing historical romance author. Lowell’s writing is exquisite—she writes romances with humor & emotional sensitivity, all the while capturing perfectly human humans falling in love. The romance is wonderfully done & the way she captures characters is so satisfying. 5 ⭐️, out now.

✏️ The Princess & the P. I. was an odd story for me. There’s a lot going on & not all of it is executed as tightly as I would have liked. But I did enjoy the resourceful heroine, the body rep for both leads, & how they’re getting things done to serve the causes they believe in. 2.5 ⭐️, out 09/16. (Thanks to the publisher & Netgalley for the complimentary ARC. All opinions provided are my own.)

☂️ The tagline for The Formidable Miss Cassidy evokes this story so well: “Solver of Problems Both Practical & Supernatural.” For this fan of supernatural stories, this book is done so well. With every challenge, Miss Cassidy tackles it with aplomb; she is a problem solver extraordinaire & it was so satisfying to read. The structure of the book is a bit odd & disjointed, but overall, this book is fantastically entertaining. Check it out if you’re a fan of historical heroines saving the day on the practical & supernatural planes. 4.5 ⭐️, out 09/16. (Thanks to the publisher & Netgalley for the complimentary ARC. All opinions provided are my own.)

The Formidable Miss Cassidy follows a Scottish woman, Leda Cassidy, as she navigates life in 1890s Singapore.

I liked the organization of the novel, which includes three stories of Miss Cassidy's adventures as a companion, tutor, and school teacher. There's more to Miss Cassidy as we discover her unique sight into the world of the unknown. I particularly enjoyed reading about various mythological and supernatural beings from different cultures as the story unfolded.

The novel was fast-paced and many characters were introduced. If you're a fan of character-based stories and historical fiction/fantasy, I highly recommend checking this one out!

Wow ! I think this book is going to be an instant classic! I am so in love with this book! This story is so uniquely written and just lovely! Miss Cassidy is just the perfect character! I hope this story continues in a series and I would love to see a movie. A must read for anyone that loves historical fiction with a bit of fantasy and maybe a sprinkle of Nanny McPhee.

For me this book had whimsy, cultural appreciation, and a low simmering romantic tension. I’m quite fond of stories where the plot is heavier than the romance, and we have that here. Miss Cassidy is certainly independent, ambitious, and competent in all she puts her mind to. I found her charming right off the bat, and the only one who out-charms her is Mr. Kay. He’s a bit of a brat in the best way. The ending had me smiling.

The overall structure of the story was surprising to me. It somewhat lacks flow, but I was enjoying everywhere it leapt. I felt like I could smell and taste Singapore by the end, a mark of a very immersive tale. I was also thrown off midway when there were hints that Leda was not human, I had to re-read the description, but it was an exciting addition.

Thank you to NetGalley for the free eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Miss Cassidy is quixotic, kind, compassionate and clever. She’s also charming, sly, and a skilled … magic user. The young women and families she meets and helps, from Sara to the twins to the charming Mr. Kay, are well written, full of personality and their own story arcs. While Miss Cassidy never seems to grow and change, that’s part of her nature, but she encourages growth and change in her charges, quietly helping them to find happiness and the ability to make the choices they need to make for their own lives.

My one and only complaint about the book is the style of writing — where the character knows things and does things without telling or showing the reader — is that I can never catch up. I can’t anticipate or enjoy Miss Cassidy’s cleverness or cunning, I can only watch the scene happen. I feel little investment into it and while I can appreciate the author’s ability to surprise me, it’s just not a style of storytelling that I personally enjoy. That said, I really enjoyed this book. The families Miss Cassidy helped, the Singaporean culture and food and spirits that I haven’t seen before. And, most of all, the very subtle and sly romance at the end.

I would love to see more of Miss Cassidy’s adventures, but given where and how the book ended, I think she’s happy enough where she is. Thank you so very much to Net Galley and the publisher for the ARC!

A fun, properly British fantasy, Miss Cassidy’s Singapore adventure was full of exotic culture and atmosphere. Reminded me a bit of what would have happened if Professor McGonigal had visited India, with ghosts, vampires, and other magical creatures to outwit. All, of course, in the patented English manner.

I liked that Miss Cassidy was a large girl, not picture book beautiful
or easily cowed by social conventions. She was one of those unrestrained women that get things done that people come to admire and depend on. She was always pulling bizarre resources out of her reticule and had relatives/friends in sideways places.

It was fascinating to try to figure out her personal history, what secrets hid in her background and whether she was actually one of the human species.

Her relationship with Mr. Kay reminded me of Anne and the king of Siam, or Mrs. Muir and the Captain. It was a joy watching them develop.
This book could be read in any grades above elementary or early middle school, due to some descriptive passages about women's problems.
I enjoyed this book--it made me grateful that I don't live in India's heat wearing a corset.

Strange she didn't have any run ins with tigers...

I’m super conflicted on this one.

The book was enjoyable, and I’m shocked considering it’s not my usual genres. I found it unique and fast paced.

But, I also found something lacking. I’m unsure if it was the character development or what. (Don’t get me wrong the FMC was great, but I feel like we could have had MORE)

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