A review by bailey_the_bookworm
Cassandra in Reverse by Holly Smale

emotional funny hopeful medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

On the one hand, this book contains one of my all-time biggest readerly pet peeves: withholding information from the reader for no reason other than to create suspense that, when alleviated, isn’t anything surprising or really even narratively justified because it’s absolutely something the POV character would be thinking about or avoiding thinking about in detail. It’s a lazy way of creating “mystery” and the reveal is always a letdown or telegraphed so clearly and so far in advance that it might as well just be in the text to begin with. 

On the other hand… I enjoyed this book quite a lot anyway. It has perhaps the best description of what it’s like to be an autistic person trying to exist and converse in a public space. I want to buy a physical copy of the book so I can show that section to everyone I know. 

The story itself is well-told and the overlap of time travel and scripting (iykyk) is so satisfying/funny/heartbreaking. The plot doesn’t always feel as tight as maybe it could have been, but then there are moments that come together like clockwork and it’s just a lot of fun. 

I also thought the narrator on the audiobook did a fantastic job. I sometimes struggle with audiobooks, but this one was an easy listen. 
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