Cassandra in Reverse ©2023 by Holly Smale seemed to have such potential; but it was confusing, the surprise ending was not much of a revelation, and I never liked any of the characters. Sadly, although highly touted (four stars on Amazon), I give it a mere one star.
The title is misleading. The life was not led backward; it only jittered back and forth in a confusing jagged time line between scenarios. Cassandra discovers she has the ability to time travel backward for small jumps in time. Time travel in the context of short hops to redo something you wished you’d done differently seems like a childish do-over. Changing one’s actions or reactions to get a desired result seems like play acting and not being true to one’s own natural instincts or preferences. I did not buy into the concept nor approve of its lack of truthfulness. Although a promising premise, this pseudo time travel was not enough to merit my continued interest in the story.
I selected this book because it was on the Reese’s book club list. I am beginning to reevaluate my confidence in this list for compatibility with my reading tastes. This book seemed disjointed, as if written in two voices and with two points of view. I plunged ahead, hoping for redemption in the ending and there was none. I recommend skipping Cassandra in Reverse – or in forward gear, either. You will spin your wheels and get nowhere.
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