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. Consider the motif of control and its significance in Cassandra’s story. How does her newfound ability to reverse time impact her sense of agency and her perception of the world? Self discovery and awareness become the byproduct for Cassandra as she tries to fix her responses to Will in their dating events. It’s half way through that she looks outside herself to discover the other side and it’s not just about her and Will anymore. Other relationships must come into play. Choose a specific event or quote from the book that stood out to you and discuss its significance in the larger narrative. How does it contribute to the development of Cassandra’s character or the themes of the story?

Cassandra Penelope Dankworth is not having a good day when she gets to work only to find the cherry on the rotten cake of the day is she’s being fired. Cassie doesn’t know what to think after starting the day off with a break up before it all spiraled out of control and being a creature of habit this is all just too much for her to handle.

Advance Praise

In this spellbinding debut novel, two estranged half-sisters tasked with guarding their family’s library of magical books must work together to unravel a deadly secret at the heart of their collection—a tale of familial loyalty and betrayal, and the pursuit of magic and power. The book begins with her getting fired from her job, getting dumped by her boyfriend, and her living situation with her roommates is pretty well destroyed. So far, it was reminding me very strongly of Penny Reid's Neanderthal Seeks Human just without the huge dose of humor. (One of my top favorite books, btw) Cassandra doesn't care much for her PR job in the first place, considering she just isn't a people person. However, nobody wants to be fired and lose their financial stability, so she is naturally distraught. Even more upsetting is her unexpected break-up with her lovely boyfriend Will of four months. She truly cares for Will, and was completely blindsided by his sudden extraction from their relationship. Will seemed to genuinely admire Cassandra's intelligence and wasn't put off by her differences. What seemed to be a breaking point for him was her issue with opening up to him about her feelings and sharing herself with him. No matter how many times he asked her to share what she was thinking and feeling, she didn't know how to give that to him. Christina Aguilera’s Spot-On Halloween Costume Is Making Us Want to Rewatch One of Her GreatestMovies A glorious testament to the transformative power of being our own true selves. It’s a brilliantly clever, twisty story that dazzles with its wit whilst touching our hearts. Cassie is a wonderfully nuanced character, whose often bungled endeavors to redirect the path of her life will resonate with any of us who have felt that happiness and success would be assured if only we could behave/speak/act differently. A hugely entertaining book with an important message, [Cassandra in Reverse] is a triumph!” —Sarah Haywood, New York Times bestselling author of THE CACTUS

Find this title with Libby, the award-winning and much-loved app for local libraries, by OverDrive. Cassandra!” My boss appears in the doorway just as I start cleaning down my keyboard with one of my little antiseptic wipes. “What the hell are you doing? I didn’t mean leave right now. Jesus on a yellow bicycle, what is wrong with you? I’d pre­fer you to work out your notice period, please.”Heads are conscientiously turned away from me, as if I’m a sudden bright light. There’s a light patter of keyboards like pi­geons walking on a roof (punctuated by the violent death stabs of Sophie), the radiator by the window is gurgling, the recep­tion is blindingly gold-leafed and the watercooler drips. If I’m looking for something good to come out of today—and I think I probably should—it’s that I won’t have to hear that every sec­ond for the rest of my working life. A hilarious, introspective, time-hopping journey with an unforgettable, neurodivergent heroine . . . Cassandra's first-person narration is caustic, vulnerable, and laugh-out-loud funny . . . perfect for fans of imaginative, intelligent speculative fiction.” —Shelf Awareness All magic comes with a price, though, and for years the sisters have been separated. Esther has fled to a remote base in Antarctica to escape the fate that killed her own mother, and Joanna’s isolated herself in their family home in Vermont, devoting her life to the study of these cherished volumes. But after their father dies suddenly while reading a book Joanna has never seen before, the sisters must reunite to preserve their family legacy. In the process, they’ll uncover a world of magic far bigger and more dangerous than they ever imagined, and all the secrets their parents kept hidden; secrets that span centuries, continents, and even other libraries . . . Reflect on the ending of the book and the lessons Cassandra learns throughout her time-traveling adventures. How does the resolution of the story contribute to its overall message about life and change?

I get into the lift and press the button. Ronald now appears to be casually assessing me as if I’m a half-ripe avocado, so I stare at the floor until he reaches a conclusion.So, make yourself comfortable, grab your favorite reading beverage, and join me as we embark on this time-traveling adventure with Cassandra. I hope you will enjoy my discussion questions, and let me know what your thoughts are on this amazing novel! ✨ About the story None of them would claim to be a particularly good person. But who among them is actually capable of murder? After getting dumped by her boyfriend and fired from her PR job in the same day, Cassandra Dankworth miraculously gains the ability to manipulate time from the past four months. And she'll do anything to fix her mistakes!

Sharp, funny, quirky, insightful and so very, very relatable.” —Joanne Harris, New York Times bestselling author of Chocolat and The Girl with No Shadow Harriet Manners is a geek. She always has been, and she thought she always would be—but when she’s discovered by a modeling agent, she leaps at the chance to reinvent herself. I do recommend the audiobook narrated by Kristin Atherton, who did a fabulous job (but sounding older than 31 years, the protagonist’s age. Then, she spends the majority of the book trying to re-establish her relationship with her boyfriend. That got boring fast.

🍪 Privacy & Transparency

Analyze the consequences of Cassandra’s repeated attempts to fix her life. How do her actions in the past ripple through time and affect the present? 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.” I am honored by your romantic and/or sexual interest in me given that we’ve only exchanged perfunctory greetings, but I have a long-term boyfriend I am almost definitely in the process of falling in love with. Instantly addictive and totally electric. Cassandra in Reverse is a gorgeous tale of all kinds of love, and dazzlingly sharp and witty. Cassie is endearing, brilliant, and Holly Smale’s writing is a breath of fresh air. If only I could time travel and experience this story for the first time again!” —Beth Reekles, USA Today bestselling author of The Kissing Booth I enjoy speculative fiction and time travel. I loved the movie Groundhog Day and loved the premise of this book.